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Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine

By DoubleSama | April 28, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Series Overview

Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna / LUPIN the Third ～峰不二子という女～) is a prequel series to the rest of the Lupin the Third franchise, most notably the movie trilogy of Fujiko’s Lie, Jigen’s Gravestone, and Goemon’s Blood Spray.

And if you’ve read my reviews of those movies, you’re probably familiar with how I felt about Fujiko’s character — she seemed to be used mainly as fan service. But, oddly enough, although this series doubles down on the sexy nature of Fujiko, I actually thought it did a much better job of portraying her character without objectifying her.

In those movies, even in Fujiko’s movie when she was using her body to achieve her own goals, it felt like the sexualization of her character was mainly for the enjoyment of the audience. She would be naked or exposed in random action scenes for no real reason, and I think they were trying to show that she accepts her sexuality.

Fujiko Mine in disguise from the anime series Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine — Fujiko Mine in disguise

But in this series, where there’s a lot more nudity, it feels as though Fujiko is really the one in control of it. There aren’t scenes where she’s randomly stripped of her clothing without reason. Instead, these are calculated actions taken by Fujiko.

And by calculated I don’t mean that she solely uses her body to achieve her goals, though this is certainly the case. For her, it’s also a sort of self-empowerment. Later on she says something along the lines of “theft and casual sex are just part of who I am,” and I think that just goes to show her ownership of it all.

Introduction to the Characters

As much as I did like how Fujiko was written in this series, one of the most interesting things I found was how she’s the one who brought all of the main characters together. Lupin is obviously the main character of the franchise, but the group of him, Fujiko, Jigen, and Goemon actually originated with Fujiko.

I thought that Lupin and Jigen would have been the first two of the four to meet, but that’s apparently not the case. Lupin and Fujiko are the first to meet, which although unexpected, still makes sense to an extent. But then Fujiko meets Jigen next, and then Goemon.

It turns out that Fujiko actually knew all three of the other main characters before any of them actually knew each other. And to take this even farther, the only reason the other main characters met each other was because of their involvement with Fujiko.

When Fujiko first meets Lupin, she’s infiltrating a cult that is producing a valuable drug. And when she’s finally about to get her hands on the drug, master thief Lupin III also shows up to steal it. This is also when Lupin decides that Fujiko is going to be one of the treasures he steals in the end.

Fujiko’s introduction to Jigen is very different. Rather than it being a chance encounter, Fujiko is officially hired to steal Jigen’s .357 Magnum. This, combined with a later episode in which Fujiko attempts to use Lupin and Jigen as bait, helps explain why Jigen is often wary of Fujiko in the events which take place later in the franchise.

And then we have Fujiko’s first meeting with Goemon, after which Goemon mistakenly thinks that Fujiko is a nice woman who’s attracted to him. This one was a bit strange because as I’ve mentioned in other Lupin reviews before, Goemon kind of just exists. He randomly shows up throughout the series and isn’t a real part of the crew.

Who is the Woman Called Fujiko Mine?

In the previous section there were some light spoilers about the first few episodes of the series, but this section is going to get into some major spoilers. If you haven’t watched the series yet, I suggest skipping over this section for now and coming back once you have.

Alright, so throughout the first half of the series the episodes seem fairly disconnected, but once we make it into the second half everything starts to come together. We learn that Fujiko was actually being manipulated the whole time and that even her run-ins with the other main characters were decided by a third party.

But before I get into who that third party is, let me bring up something I noticed in this series that connected to the Fujiko’s Lie movie. The organization which is behind all of Fujiko’s actions has its hand in a hallucinogenic drug production ring. And do you remember Binkam’s ability from the movie?

That’s right, he used the same drug — or at least a similar drug — to the one being produced in this series.

Fujiko pointing a gun at Lupin from the anime series Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine — Fujiko pointing a gun at Lupin

As for the person who’s eventually revealed to be behind everything that has happened to Fujiko, it turns out to be a girl with a very strange past. As a child, she was experimented on by her father and eventually became bedridden because of it. And when her father died, she decided to start her own experiments.

She had her memories implanted into hundreds of other young girls and then planned to watch how their lives developed; this was supposed to simulate the possibilities she could have had in her own life. But in the end all of those girls killed themselves shortly after.

The only one who didn’t was Fujiko, but as we learn, these memories were implanted into her as an adult. So just after we learn that who Fujiko is is a fabrication, it’s also revealed that isn’t really the case.

On one hand, I’m glad that Fujiko didn’t end up simply being the product of some experiment. But on the other, that ending felt like it trivialized everything the second half of the series built up. I think that’s my only real complaint about the series though.

Conclusion

In the end, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is my favorite entry in the Lupin franchise I’ve seen so far. It’s a 9/10 from me. I think it just did a much better job of exploring the character of Fujiko, and although the animation wasn’t as good as it is in the movies, I think the characters are more important.

If you enjoyed this review or found it to be helpful in any way, remember to click the like button ❤ down below. Also follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month and for suggesting this series to me. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

Kids on the Slope

By DoubleSama | February 25, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Overview

Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon / 坂道のアポロン) is a jazz-based drama series set in Japan in the latter half of the 1960s. And when I started watching this series, I didn’t know any of that. I went in completely blind, so if you’re reading this before watching it for yourself, you’re already going to have a different experience than I did.

The point when it became apparent that this anime was about music is late into the first episode. Up until then there’s some pretty normal high school-centered slice of life stuff going on, and then we’re taken into the basement under a record shop and the true nature of the series is revealed.

The fact that this basement is attached to a record shop, or even that Sentarou is down there playing the drums, isn’t what made it click for me that this is what the series was about, though. Instead, it was the attention to detail and quality of animation which was displayed during Sentarou’s initial performance.

Sentarou Kawabuchi playing the drums from the anime series Kids on the Slope — Sentarou Kawabuchi playing the drums

I’m a huge fan of series that can subvert my expectations and take the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting. But there’s something even more impressive about series that can seamlessly achieve this same level of subversion within the very first episode.

School-Live! is another great example of this in action, though it’s about as far as you can get from Kids on the Slope. But what makes the “twist” in Kids on the Slope so good is that not only does it not fundamentally change the series, but it makes you question what you thought the series was going to be to begin with.

I couldn’t tell you what I was thinking for the first 15 minutes.

Characters

While the side characters are certainly important in how they affect the relationships of the main trio, I’m going to stick to the main characters for the purposes of this review. There’s enough to say about Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko as it is.

Kaoru Nishimi is the protagonist. He comes from a wealthy family, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his life is ideal. He lives with his aunt and female cousin, both of whom treat him as though he’s an outsider. And because of this, his only way he can find solace is through his music — he enjoys classical by the way.

But Kaoru’s difficulties don’t stop there. He’s also kind of a nerd, suffers from panic attacks, and has just started attending classes at a new school where he has no friends. So basically normal high school-based protagonist stuff.

Although Kaoru is the main character, the series really revolves around his eventual friend, Sentarou Kawabuchi. Sentarou’s family situation is basically the opposite of Kaoru’s, he has opposite interests (still music, but Jazz, not classical), how he carries himself is different, and even his physique is different from Kaoru’s.

However, there’s just something about the way Sentarou loves his Jazz that’s infectious.

Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko from the anime series Kids on the Slope — Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko

Ritsuko Mukae is the least interesting of the three, as the female characters unfortunately are most of the time. Honestly, try to think of a male-male-female trio in anime in which the female character isn’t considered the weak link. But, she’s still (sort of) the glue that holds them together.

Really, it’s Ritsuko’s basement that holds them together because that’s where Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko’s dad play Jazz together, but we’ll give that one to Ritsuko. The only thing she really adds to the trio is the possibility for a love triangle, but what are the chances that would happen?

Life After the Slope

The titular slope that the titular kids are on in the title refers to the long hill the students have to walk up every day to get to school. However, although we hear some complaints about the slope throughout the series, it’s significance seemed to be tied with leaving school.

Sure, walking up the slope in the mornings probably sucked, but after school was out, we would always see some combination of Kaoru, Sentarou, and Ritsuko walking down the slope together as they headed for the record shop basement.

Spoilers for the end of the series are starting now.

After having seen the main characters descend the slope towards their underground jazz sanctuary so many times, I found the epilogue to be a lot more impactful. Sentarou disappears, Kaoru goes off to college in Tokyo, and Ritsuko is left alone back in the town they once shared.

There’s no more walking down the slope from the school and hanging out together. Once they go their separate was, the slope no longer plays a role and it becomes clear that it represented their friendship in some fashion.

But eight years after graduation, the three of them are finally reunited. Kaoru finds Sentarou living as a minister in training at a church on top of a slope, and the two share their first jazz session in almost a decade. Then they descend the slope just as they used to after school and run into Ritsuko at the bottom.

There’s no definitive conclusion to the series, but there doesn’t need to be. The fact that all three of them are together again at the bottom of a long, winding slope tells us everything we need to know.

Conclusion

If it weren’t for the epilogue, I probably would have given the series an 8. But the epilogue did such a good job of wrapping up the story that I have to give Kids on the Slope a 9/10. I’m not going to say that it’s broken into my top 10 anime, because it probably hasn’t, but it’s definitely one you should watch.

Normally this would be where I mention the OP/ED, but I actually haven’t seen them. For some reason I didn’t watch this series on Crunchyroll, and where I watched it had the OP/ED cut off the episodes. I’d go back and watch them, but at this point I don’t really see the purpose.

I’ll just say they’re probably good, and the song used at the end of the epilogue is probably either the OP or ED.

If you enjoyed this review, or found it to be helpful in any way, remember to click the like button ❤ down below. Also follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN, who suggested I review this anime, for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

Inferno Cop

By DoubleSama | September 9, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Overview

Inferno Cop (インフェルノコップ) is a short anime series from Trigger, the studio behind hits such as Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia — if you consider that a hit. In fact, Inferno Cop was the very first anime Trigger ever made as a studio, though a good portion of their employees formerly worked at Gainax.

But, Inferno Cop isn’t really anything like what you would expect from Trigger today. Sure, a second season of it is coming relatively soon, but this isn’t the kind of series you would expect Trigger to come out with if you’re familiar with their other works.

There’s basically no animation aside from what I can only assume are royalty-free fire and explosion effects. The character models “move” by being flipped, spun, and bounced — tying back to the lack of animation. And, the dialogue is filled with obscenities.

Inferno Cop shooting criminals from the anime series Inferno Cop — Inferno Cop shooting criminals

It’s hard to really describe what happens in Inferno Cop in any detail without spoiling the series. After all, it’s only 13 episodes long and each episode is three minutes in length. But, to summarize it briefly, it’s about a rogue cop who has a vendetta against a criminal syndicate for killing his family.

But at the same time the series has absolutely nothing to do with that.

Whether this series seems like something you’d be interested in or not, I suggest giving it a try. The entire series only takes 40 minutes to watch, so that’s less than two episodes worth of another show.

The fact that Inferno Cop is so short is actually why I’m reviewing it today. I was planning to review Cop Craft episode 10, but it was delayed by a week so I needed something short to watch to take its place.

Characters

For a series that’s so short, Inferno Cop has a decent number of recurring characters. In this section I’ll be covering Inferno Cop himself, Mecha Cop, Mr. Judge, Hellfire Boy, and Claudia. There’s also the members of Southern Cross, but surprisingly they aren’t all that important.

Inferno Cop, also known as the Badge from Hell, is your typical skeleton cop with a flaming head and a supernatural ability in his left hand. Despite being a cop, he doesn’t seem to have any real sense of justice aside from revenge — at least after the first episode.

Mecha Cop is Inferno Cop’s evil twin who was created by Southern Cross specifically to take down the Badge from Hell. He’s physically larger than Inferno Cop, has blue fire around his head rather than red, and uses a Gatling gun rather than a revolver.

Inferno Cop (in car form) and Hellfire Boy from the anime series Inferno Cop — Inferno Cop (in car form) and Hellfire Boy

Mr. Judge is one of the antagonists of the series who takes justice way too seriously — unlike Inferno Cop. However, he’s not a normal judge in the same way Inferno Cop is a “normal” cop. He’s more like a super hero who’s persona is a judge.

Hellfire Boy is Inferno Cop’s sidekick. While it’s possible that Hellfire Boy was always his true form, it seems more likely that the boy was turned into Hellfire boy by Inferno Cop. He was bathed in the flames of hell as Inferno Cop returned to the mortal realm.

Finally, we have Claudia. Claudia is a woman who’s obsessed with Inferno Cop. And unfortunately for him, she’s basically a self-aware Haruhi Suzumiya because she can change the universe to match her wants. She turns into an antagonist after being rejected by Inferno Cop.

Chronology (Spoilers Incoming)

So, as I mentioned earlier, there’s going to be a second season of Inferno Cop coming out probably in 2020. Although the season has been announced, no official release date has been, which is why I doubt we’ll be getting it this year.

However, the first season and this upcoming second season aren’t the only Inferno Cop content out there. He also makes an appearance in Space Patrol Luluco and is an acquaintance of Director-General Over Justice. And in that series it’s revealed that he’s a former member of Space Patrol.

My question then is, are the events of Space Patrol Luluco canon for Inferno Cop? And if so, where do they fit in to the Inferno Cop chronology?

Logically thinking, one would assume that Space Patrol Luluco comes after Inferno Cop. After all, it takes place in space and came out four years after. However, Inferno Cop supposedly died in his final fight against Claudia in the original series. This would have meant that Space Patrol Luluco was the prequel.

But, since a second season of Inferno Cop is coming out, does that mean he didn’t die in that final battle after all? And if that’s the case, will Inferno Cop season 2 come before or after Space Patrol Luluco chronologically?

We’ll have to wait and see. It’s possible that season 2 is going to be a prequel — or have nothing to do with season 1 — but that seems unlikely. My guess is that Inferno Cop did actually die, but takes the staircase out of hell once more.

Conclusion

I’d say Inferno Cop is a 7/10. It’s definitely on the lower end of 7, but I don’t think it was quite 6 material. It made me laugh a couple of times, and I’d say that’s enough to justify my rating of it. I do still think Space Patrol Luluco is better, and I don’t see the second season surpassing that either.

Have you seen Inferno Cop? If so, what did you think of it? And are you looking forward to the second season? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to click the like button ❤ down below and follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama. I tweet out every time a new post goes live, so it’s the best way to stay up to date. There’s also a Discord server for those who want to discuss anime with members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.