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Anime: Lupin III The Woman Called Fujiko Mine

...to steal and steal again is my greatest carnal pleasure
and I stake my life on it.
A sexy prison from which there is no escape...
...so if you want to gaze at me
first cease everything you are doing
and let your heart be the only thing to stir.

Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine was a 2012 anime series based on Monkey Punch's Lupin III franchise. Produced by TMS Entertainment and Po10tial, it began airing on NTV on April 4, 2012 as part of a celebration to the 40th anniversary of the completion of the first Lupin III manga. The series focused on the franchise's heroine, Fujiko Mine, as she undergoes various missions and encounters other characters in the Lupin universe. The opening theme was "New Wuthering Heights" by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Pepe Tormento Azcarar feat. Ichiko Hashimoto, whilst the ending theme was "Duty Friend" by NIKIIE. In addition, music direction was handled by legendary anime director Shinichiro Watanabe.

Sayo Yamamoto was the director of the series, making it the first Lupin title to be directed by a woman. Unlike the previous anime adaptations of Lupin III, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine was much closer to Monkey Punch's original creation in art style, tone, and in the portrayal of Ars�ne Lupin III. It was darker, more serious and sexually oriented, and was the first series in which Lupin is not the main protagonist.

Funimation Entertainment simulcasted the series, with English subtitles, on their website. Episode recaps are located on the main Lupin recap page.

Needs Wiki Magic Love.

This series contains examples of:

Adorkable: Goemon.
"Did I just get a real girlfriend?"
Animal Motifs:
- Peacocks and butterflies for Fujiko.
- Owls for all of Glaucus Pharmaceuticals.
Anti-Hero: The four main characters, although Fujiko and (surprisingly enough) Lupin both border on Villain Protagonist.
Art Shift: Oscar's mind plays out in a shadow puppet theatre style.
Bad Ass: Everyone, most noticeably Zenigata who is a lot less goofy than usual, although he still has his moments. He wouldn't be Zenigata if he didn't.
Becoming the Mask: Part of Da Renzo and Aiyan's plan is having one of the stage hands, Nora, take over for Aiyan after finding out how talented she was.
Big Bad: As of "Dying Day", Count Luis Yu Almeida.
Big Brother Is Watching: Glaucus Pharmaceuticals has watched Fujiko's every move since childbirth.
Big Damn Heroes: Goemon singlehandedly prevented the assassination of the leader and his grandson heir of a small European country and took out the two missiles that were supposed to start World War III via the Cold War.
Bigger Bad: Aisha and Minerva.
Bishounen: Oscar.
Bloody Hilarious: Lupin's fake blood pump prank on Zenigata in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore".
Broken Bird: Subverted with Fujiko. Not only is her Dark and Troubled Past a bunch of Fake Memories, but she's not a ruthless Femme Fatale because of said past—it's just how she rolls.
Bullet Time: In the Goemon vs. Jigen battle. Forget just bullet time; Goemon used katana time.
Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: Along with the owls, butterflies keep appearing during certain scenes, serving as added symbolism to the Fr�ulein Eule mystery.
Call Back: In "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter", Lupin is looking to steal the hallucinogenic treasure of the Fr�ulein Eule. In "Ghost Town" it turns out he was forced to steal it for Count Luis Yu Almeida and Glaucus Pharmaceuticals.
Calling Card: Lupin leaves one on Fujiko's thigh in "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter".
The Cavalry: Zenigata and his troops at the end of "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter".
Chekhov's Gun: At least one per episode
- "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter": The Dizzy-Dizzy
- "The Lady and the Samurai": The Duke's belt
- "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore": The bees
- "Blood-Soaked Triangle": The mummy
- "Love Wreathed in Steam": The pistol from the carnival
The Chessmaster: Count Luis Yu Almeida, after planning various plots which include Fujiko, Lupin, and Oscar.
- Soon replaced by Aisha.
Circus of Fear: Fujikoland.
Classical Mythology: The mansion of Glaucus Pharmaceuticals contains a statue of Minerva, goddess of wisdom and medicine. She is also represented by the owl.
Cold War: The setting of at least "Music and Revolution", which features expys of Fidel Castro, JFK and Nikita Khrushchev. Though with the series so full of anachronisms and playing with time in general it's hard to tell if the whole series is set within the Cold War.
Combat Stilettos. Not only Fujiko, but Oscar as well.
Compressed Adaptation: It's not an adaptation, but you could call this a mix of old and new Lupin III media. The sketchy art style, crude humour and nudity brings the manga by Monkey Punch to mind. However, it's a lot less nonsensical than the manga, and the stories are more like the anime series and movies (which a lot of fans are more familiar with).
Dark Action Girl: Fujiko.
Dark and Troubled Past: Fujiko, who was held prisoner and experimented upon by Count Luis Yu Almeida as a child. The experimentation included shock therapy, torture, rape, and pedophiliac photography.
- Subverted in that Fujiko was implanted with Aisha's memories all along.
Darker and Edgier: Played straight and quite literally in the animation. Also, the series is not kid-friendly this time: it wasn't that kid-friendly before, but teenagers could see it no problem, this one's strictly for adults. Fujiko's Femme Fatale tendencies are cranked up to eleven, and Lupin is a much more devious criminal. As far as villains go, Count Luis Yu Almeida is hands down one of the most devious criminals in the Lupin III universe, easily trumping characters such as Pycal, Scorpion, and the Count of Cagliostro.
Dead All Along: Count Luis Yu Almeida, a while before the first episode.
Deconstruction: Of the entire Lupin III universe, which strangely occurred after this Prequel, thus making it just normal construction.
Decoy Protagonist: Lupin isn't the main character.
Diabolical Mastermind: Count Luis Yu Almeida... well, before he died before the series started. Aisha, his "daughter", showed that she could follow her "Papa"'s footsteps with much ease.
Dirty Old Man: The cult leader from "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter".
Disappeared Dad: Dr. Fritz Kaiser, the father of "Fujiko" aka Aisha. This is however zigzagged several times when it is inferred that Kaiser is an illusion conjured by the Fr�ulein Eule while also affecting the physical world.
Disney Acid Sequence: In "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore", when Fujiko steps into the River of Oblivion. Again in "Prison of Love".
Double Entendre: The last scene features Fujiko kissing a screw from Lupin's car.
Driven to Suicide: Cicciolina.
- Fujiko had a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, it was just a squirt gun.
- All the girls, sans Fujiko, who were forced into Aisha's memory implantation experiments and couldn't take the sheer sorrow of Aisha's memories.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: Oscar.
- Goemon, of all people, in the two part finale. This was strictly Played for Laughs.
Effeminate Misogynistic Guy: Oscar, who hates Fujiko with a passion.
Even the Girls Want Her: A pretty major plot point in "Prison of Love".
Everythings Worse With Bees: The bees on the rooftop of the opera house in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore"? Definitely.
Fake Memories: All of those memories of Fujiko's 'childhood' you saw all through the series? Fake in the sense that they weren't hers, but Aisha Kaiser's.
Fanservice: Fujiko's bod is much more in display for this series.
Femme Fatale: Fujiko, as usual, but to a scale not seen in any of her previous incarnations save the original manga. It actually appears to be a Deconstruction of Femme Fatales; Fujiko went through nine hells since her implantation of Aisha's memories to become the weapons-grade Femme Fatale she is. Her fascination with Lupin is deconstructed as well - though he obviously admires her charms, he admires her professional use of those charms even more. This leads to the author's interpretation of them "enjoy(ing) each other" through their Friendly Rivalry.
Film Noir: Episode 2 has many of the textbook elements.
Flashback Nightmare: Fujiko has what appears to be one in episode 6 after being knocked out by Oscar.
Freak Out: Several by Oscar in "The Feast of Fools".
Gag Penis: According to Fujiko, Jigen doesn't have one:
No worries. He isn't a Magnum down there at all.
Ghost Town: When the town of Eulenspiegel is in an episode titled "Ghost Town", that's what you expect.
Grand Theft Me: Aisha to Fujiko and other girls who were in her experiment via replacing their memories with hers. She took up the late Count Almeida's work in a vain attempt to get her "story" back by implanting her memories into young girls to see if she was able to live a different life if she hadn't become a quadriplegic due to the horrific experimentation she endured.
Heroic Sacrifice: Oscar makes one in "The Feast of Fools", after Lupin is nearly finished on defusing the bomb a bridge, Oscar takes the bomb, and it explodes just as the fireworks were launched. Zenigata's Oh Crap face tells us he's unaware of it.
Hot Teacher: Fujiko in "Prison of Love".
Hotter and Sexier: Compared to the other anime series; the OP alone can be considered this.
How We Got Here: The series as a whole shows how Fujiko met Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Da Renzo and Aiyan in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore". Also counts as a May-December Romance.
Hypercompetent Sidekick/Reckless Sidekick: When he appears in an episode, Oscar is the one who makes the detailed battle plans and goes into the trenches to take out Fujiko Mine. Inspector Zenigata is portrayed as the laid-back type who doesn't focus on Fujiko and even goes so far as to have sex with her. This ultimately unravels Oscar's plans in "Prison of Love", in which he's a little too gung-ho in his sexual encounter with Fujiko and the taunting afterwards. He's not nearly as level-headed as the inspector, leading him to charge into situations he hasn't fully comprehended.
- This eventually leads to Oscar's near-death experience in "The Feast of Fools".
I Just Want to Be You: A very twisted version. Aisha to Fujiko.
Immodest Orgasm: Fujiko in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore". Thankfully it was faked.
Kill It with Fire: In an extremely dark moment for Lupin, he tries to kill Jigen with traps of fire while in the pyramid in "Blood-Soaked Triangle".
Love Hurts: Poor Oscar.
Madness Mantra: Fujiko at the end of "Love Wreathed in Steam". "What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?"
- From "Ghost Town": "Fr�ulein Eule".
Mad Scientist: Dr. Fritz Kaiser.
Master of Disguise
Meaningful Name: Glaucus Pharmaceuticals. The name refers to genus Glaucidium, the pygmy owl.
- Fr�ulein Eule = German for Miss Owl.
Mind Screw: "Ghost Town" rivals Mystery of Mamo and Green vs. Red in terms of the bizarre.
Missing Mom: the 'Owl of Minerva' aka the Dr. Minerva Kaiser, Aisha's mom. Everyone assumed that she died early on in Aisha's life but in actuality, she was one of the scientists that took part of making Aisha the way she is. She became so overwrought with guilt that she had erased herself out of Aisha's memories, which we saw through Fujiko and came the 'Owl of Minerva' to serve as a Hypercompetent Sidekick to Aisha as a way to absolve her failure to protect her child.
Motifs: The series is rife with symbolism, though the three that symbolize Fujiko the most are the owl, the flower, and the butterfly.
Mugged for Disguise: Done by Fujiko to one of the guards in "Master Thief vs. Lady Looter".
Mushroom Samba: Lupin III in "Ghost Town".
Mythology Gag: The male gender symbol (♂) appears in a sex scene at one point, in a nod to a Running Gag in the original Lupin III manga.
Neck Lift: In "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore", Oscar does this to a subordinate police officer for listening in on Fujiko and Zenigata having sex, threatening to kill him if he doesn't do his job properly.
Never Found the Body: One of the conditions of Oscar's "death" as stated in "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Part 1)". This laid the groundwork for his return as a servant of Count Luis Yu Almeida.
No Communities Were Harmed: Countries are pretty much never referred to by their real names. Hell, the "Fatlantic Ocean" even makes an appearance.
Not Quite Dead: See Never Found the Body.
Only Six Faces: All of the women, including Fujiko, look almost exactly alike with the exception of hairstyles and eye color. Lampshaded in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore".
- Pulled to a creepy and ridiculously illogical level in "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Part 1)"
Only You Can Kill Me: Cicciolina to Jigen
The Other Darrin: In a way. The Funimation actors for Fujiko and Zenigata were retired, so actors from the Geneon cast were used instead — Michelle Ruff reprised Fujiko, and Richard Epcar took over for Zenigata.
Owl Be Damned: Owls are a reoccurring motif in the series, often blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moments in the background, and humanoid owls appear in Fujiko's Flashback Nightmare. The OP features a few as well.
Prequel: The show explains how the main characters met each other from Fujiko's point of view. It's not the only prequel story though.
Real Song Theme Tune: The OP, "New Wuthering Heights".
The Reveal: "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Part 2)".
Repressed Memories: Fujiko is able to repress any bad memories in order to live her life the way she wants. It becomes a sort of Chekhov's Skill in that that skill helped her from being consumed by the implanted memories of Aisha.
Seinen: Like nobody's business.
Scars Are Forever: Aiyan burns herself so that she could leave her stage life and be with Da Renzo.
Scenery Porn
Scooter Riding Mod: One of the many styles of Fujiko throughout the show.
Shout Out:
- "The Girl and the Samurai" has Fujiko act as a governess to aristocratic children, and teaches them simple songs.
- "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" is a big one to The Phantom of the Opera.
- Oscar's name is a shout-out to Rose of Versailles.
- "Prison of Love" mentions The Da Vinci Code.
- The Chessmaster Aisha sounds surprisingly like GLaDOS.
- Aisha's a bed-ridden, rapidly-aged Creepy Child. Sound familiar?
- Fans of Revolutionary Girl Utena will recognize the art style used in Oscar's various Imagine Spots.
Single-Target Sexuality: Oscar, who's gay as springtime, but only for Zenigata.
Spy Catsuit: Worn by Fujiko in episode 9, underneath a big, concealing robe.
Temple of Doom: The pyramid in "Blood-Soaked Triangle", complete with several Death Traps.
Title Drop:
- The OP does this for the anime's opening theme "New Wuthering Heights":
  Like Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights", to steal and steal again is my greatest carnal pleasure, and I stake my life on it.
- Lupin finally does it in Episode 5, albeit a variation of it:
  The woman named Fujiko Mine is a peacock wherever she goes.
- Goemon said the title in "The Feast of Fools" after listening to the radio story covering her.
- The last two episode titles were said title, parts 1 and 2. Fujiko title dropped in Part 2.
Truer To The Text: Out of all the Lupin adaptations, this one is the most faithful in tone, spirit, and content.
Useless Protagonist: While she can still kick ass, Fujiko can be seen as overly passive at times, as such behavior is part and parcel of being the Femme Fatale. Upon "Dying Day", she gets some actual Character Development to remedy this.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The Kaleidoscope Woman was an integral part of "Love Wreathed In Steam" and seemed to be important to the plot. She was never mentioned again after the episode even after Lupin stole her.
Yandere: Does not even begin to describe Oscar's issues.
You Don't Look Like You: Fans who have only watched Lupin may be taken aback by the extremely angular build of most of the characters. However, those who have read the oldest Monkey Punch manga know that the design in this anime is similar to their very first manga designs.