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is a Japanese
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anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series produced by
TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as '' Detective Conan'', '' Lupin the Third ...
. Part of the ''Lupin III'' franchise, it is the fourth anime television adaptation of the ''Lupin III'' manga series created by
Monkey Punch , known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series ''Lupin III''. Life and career Katō was born in Hamanaka, Hokkaido; he began drawing at a very young age, but did not draw manga until junior high school, when ...
. Directed by Sayo Yamamoto, it aired on
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
from April to June 2012. It focuses on the franchise's heroine,
Fujiko Mine is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series ''Lupin III'', which debuted in ''Weekly Manga Action'' on August 10, 1967. She is a professional criminal and spy who regularly uses her attractiveness to fool her targets. ...
, as she undergoes various missions and encounters the rest of the ''Lupin III'' cast for the first time. Unlike the franchise's previous three televised anime, ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' is more sexually oriented in order to capture the "sensuality" present in the original manga, as well as darker and more serious. It is also the only installment in the franchise to be directed by a woman and the first in which
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese media franchise created by Monkey Punch. The series follows the endeavors of master thief Lupin III (character), Lupin III, grandson of gentleman t ...
is not the protagonist. VAP released the anime on home video in four-disc DVD and Blu-ray box sets in September 2012.
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
ed the series, with English subtitles, on their website and
Nico Nico , known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, according to Alexa Internet. Th ...
for North American audiences as it aired in Japan. They released ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' in Blu-ray and Blu-ray/DVD sets in August 2013, including an English-language dub.
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
released a similar set in the United Kingdom in September, whereas Hanabee released it in Australasia in two parts, in October and November 2013. ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' received generally positive reviews from critics. It won the New Face Award at the 16th
Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival was an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...
in 2012.


Background and production

In April 2011, it was reported that a new ''Lupin III'' animated television series would air in the fall on
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
. However, NTV then said the project was only a TV special (''Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid'' which aired in December), not a series. In 2012,
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
Cinemas announced that a promotional video for a "new television series premiering in April" would be shown at a Lupin 40th Anniversary event on March 18. ''Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' was announced a week later as a thirteen episode serial. The series was part of the 40th Anniversary of the Lupin animated series, and the 45th Anniversary of the original manga. The series was directed by Sayo Yamamoto who was given full creative control. Yamamoto wanted to use the original ''Lupin III'' manga and its adult themes as a basis for the series.
Takeshi Koike (born January 26, 1968) is a Japanese animator, illustrator and film director. Something of a protégé of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he was also influenced by Yoshinori Kanada, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Katsuhito Ishii. He went straight from ...
was the character designer and animation director and Yamamoto requested he use the original manga character designs as a starting point. The visual approach to the series has been compared to ''
Valkyria Chronicles ''Valkyria Chronicles'' is a series of military-themed tactical role-playing video games created by Ryutaro Nonaka and Shuntaro Tanaka, and developed by Sega. The series began with '' Valkyria Chronicles'', which was released for the PlayStatio ...
''.
Mari Okada is a Japanese screenwriter, director and manga artist. She is one of the most prolific writers currently working in the anime industry. She won the 16th Animation Kobe Award. Among her credits, Okada is best known for her writing and produci ...
was the main writer of the series, although Itsuko Miyoshi (ep 2),
Dai Satō is a Japanese screenwriter and musician. Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series. The first major series he worked on was the groundbreak ...
(ep 3, 7, 10), Shinsuke Ōnishi (ep 5) and
Junji Nishimura is a Japanese anime director and producer currently residing in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production. Nishimura had his first job as a producer for '' Ba ...
(ep 8) served as episode writers. It was reported that the series would capture the "sensuality" present in Monkey Punch's original ''Lupin III'' manga in its "daring interpretation" of the franchise. The promotional video first shown at Toho Cinemas began being streamed by TMS Entertainment on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on March 26. The music of ''Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' was composed by Naruyoshi Kikuchi, leader of the Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden band.
Shinichirō Watanabe is a Japanese anime television and film director, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series ''Cowboy Bebop'', '' Samurai Champloo'', '' Space Dandy'', '' Terror in Resonance'', and '' Carole & T ...
, known for directing ''
Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 Japanese neo-noir space Western anime television series that aired on TV Tokyo and Wowow from 1998 to 1999. It was created and animated by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, led by a production team of director Shinichirō Watanabe, ...
'' and ''
Samurai Champloo is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete a ...
'' and who collaborated with Yamamoto several times in the past, served as music producer.


Voice cast


Release

The series was broadcast for thirteen episodes on
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
between April 4 and June 27, 2012. The opening theme song is by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Pepe Tormento Azucarar feat. Ichiko Hashimoto (reading the opening monologue in Japanese, with
Michelle Ruff Michelle Ruff is an American voice actress known for her work in anime and video games. In her early voice acting career, she used her mother's name, Georgette Rose, as a pseudonym. Some of her roles include Rukia Kuchiki in ''Bleach'', Yuki Nag ...
reading the opening monologue in English), while the ending theme is "Duty Friend" by NIKIIE.
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
licensed the series and provided an English subtitled
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
of the series on both their website and
Nico Nico , known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, according to Alexa Internet. Th ...
. In Japan the series was released by VAP as DVD and Blu-ray boxsets on September 19, 2012. In North America, Funimation originally announced a date of July 30, 2013 for the home release of the series, with an art book included with a limited edition. However the art book was later cancelled and the release rescheduled to August 20, 2014 on Blu-ray or DVD and Blu-ray combo pack.
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
licensed the series for the United Kingdom and released separate DVD and Blu-ray boxsets on September 16, 2013. In Australia the series was published by Hanabee as two DVD and Blu-ray combo sets on October 16 and November 20, 2013. They later released a four disc Blu-ray and DVD box set on December 3, 2014. On December 12, Jason DeMarco on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
said that ''Lupin III: The Legend of Fujiko Mine'' was considered to be aired on
Toonami Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...
, but they could not make it work due to the show having too much nudity for their censors. It was later announced that Funimation's license for the anime series expired in August 2018. On September 14, 2020,
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. History Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...
announced that they had acquired the license for ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' and they re-released the series on March 30, 2021.


Other media


Music

The official soundtrack of the show was released on December 19, 2012, and features 42 tracks. It was released on US
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
on January 29, 2013.


Lupin the IIIrd


''Jigen's Gravestone''

In March 2014, it was announced that ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine''s animation director and character designer,
Takeshi Koike (born January 26, 1968) is a Japanese animator, illustrator and film director. Something of a protégé of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he was also influenced by Yoshinori Kanada, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Katsuhito Ishii. He went straight from ...
, was directing an animated film that serves as a "continuation spin-off" to the TV series. Yu Kiyozono also returned to produce the film, , that focuses on the character Jigen and tells how he and Lupin became partners. Koike's fellow-''
Redline The redline is the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an eng ...
'' creators
Katsuhito Ishii is a Japanese film director best known for directing '' The Taste of Tea'' (2004), '' Funky Forest'' (2005), and ''Smuggler'' (2011). Career After graduating from Musashino Art University, Ishii got a job at Tohokushinsha Film and began dire ...
and James Shimoji served as adviser and music composer respectively. The film was split into two parts and had a limited screening at the Shinjuku Wald 9 theater from June 21–27, 2014. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 28, 2014, with an art book included in the limited edition. The 30-track soundtrack to the movie was released on December 10, 2014. On December 21, 2014,
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. History Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...
announced their acquisition of the North American distribution rights to the film, which was retitled ''Lupin III: Jigen's Gravestone'' for the American market. Their Blu-ray and DVD of the film, released on April 5, 2016, includes the company's first original English dub, which was produced in cooperation with
Bang Zoom! Entertainment Unforseen Productions, Inc., doing business as Bang Zoom! Entertainment is an American audio post-production studio with its headquarters in Burbank, California, in Greater Los Angeles. Founded in 1993, it has worked on anime, video games, tel ...
.
TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as '' Detective Conan'', '' Lupin the Third ...
made the dubbed and subtitled versions of the film available for viewing on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
on April 25, 2015. Film cast


''Goemon's Blood Spray''

A follow-up to ''Jigen's Gravestone'' by the same staff, entitled , was released on February 4, 2017. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 26, 2017, with an art book included in the limited edition. Discotek Media released the film in North America as ''Lupin III: Goemon's Blood Spray'' on October 29, 2019. Goemon is hired as a bodyguard by Yakuza boss, Makio Inaniwa, who runs a gambling boat and is being threatened by internal factions. At the same time, Lupin attempts to steal the proceeds of the gaming vessel and meets Fujiko who had the same intention. Lupin and Fujiko decide to divide sales proceeds, but suddenly the boat explodes. Goemon heads for the engine-room and encounters the huge and powerful Hawk or "Bermuda ghost" with his twin axes who is seeking Lupin. While Goemon is fighting Hawk, Inaniwa dies in the flames, abandoned by his men. To avenge his father, Inaniwa Jr. sends Goemon to kill Hawk. Goemon finds Hawk but is easily beaten, and undertakes a punishing ordeal to understand why he lost. He returns to Inaniwa Jr. to take his punishment, but explodes at his men's insensitivity and brutality, and attacks them, leaving only Inaniwa Jr. standing. Goemon eventually finds Hawk again as he is pursuing Lupin and Daisuke. Goemon intervenes and confronts and defeats Hawk in a final bloody battle. Film cast


''Fujiko's Lie''

A follow-up to ''Goemon Blood Spray'' by the same staff, entitled , was released on May 31, 2019. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 23, 2019. Discotek Media released the film in North America as ''Lupin III: Fujiko's Lie'' on March 31, 2020. A young boy called Gene holds the key to $500 million that his father embezzled. The two are being targeted by the assassin Bincam who attacked Gene's father, Randy. Film cast


''The Immortal Bloodline''

A film set in the ''Lupin the IIIrd'' universe was announced on November 29, 2024. The film will be the first traditionally animated feature-length solo ''Lupin the 3rd'' film in over 30 years and the first not to feature Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Daisuke Jigen in any capacity of the ''Lupin the IIIrd'' saga, following his retirement from the role in 2021 and his death the following year. The staff from the previous three films will return, including director Koike, screenwriter Takahashi and Telecom as the animation studio. On April 3, 2025, the title of the movie was revealed as '' Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline'', set to release on June 27 in Japan. On May 1, it was announced that the film will have a net anime prequel, released on June 20.


Other

Several different pieces of merchandise based on the series have been produced. Figures of Fujiko and Lupin from the show were created, while one of Jigen from the ''Jigen's Gravestone'' film was released at the end of 2014. Fujiko's and Jigen's came in different color schemes depending on the retailer. An artbook featuring original drawings of the TV series selected by Takeshi Koike was published as well.


Reception

''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' won the New Face Award at the 16th
Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival was an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...
in 2012; and was named one of the best anime of 2012 by ''
Otaku USA ''Otaku USA'' is a bimonthly magazine published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle (such as anime, manga, video games, cosplay and Japanese popular music) from an American perspective. The issues were acc ...
'', who called the animation the most innovative of any series that year. The Japanese DVD release of the series was the fifth best-selling Japanese Animation DVD of its first week having sold 1,404 copies, while the Blu-ray version was the ninth best-selling on its respective
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
chart with 2,802 copies.
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
's Richard Eisenbeis hailed the series as "one of—if not 'the'—most beautiful anime ever made." Rebecca Silverman of ''
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
'' (ANN) wrote a mostly positive review of the anime. She praised its darker tone and the tragic past of Fujiko, but particularly the overall plot; "Simply put, this is a series that has been very well planned, right down to the last scene." She notes that if the viewer is only familiar with the North American
Geneon (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo ...
release of the second televised anime they will be surprised; "If you're going into this expecting wacky hijinks or crazy exploits, you will be disappointed. ''Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' is a mature, slightly dark take on the franchise, and it succeeds in bringing new life to it while still remaining faithful to Monkey Punch's original." The only negative aspects she wrote were on the series' odd title opening and the amount of unjustified nudity. However, her colleague Jacob Hope Chapman disagreed with this, believing that the audio stands out in the opening and that the sexuality is completely in-line with the show's "aesthetic and never seems excessive or ill-fitting." Chapman also stated that "Fujiko's constant objectification" surprisingly builds to one of the most
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
-positive anime in years. Dallas Marshall of ''
THEM Anime Reviews THEM Anime Reviews, otherwise known as THEM or T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, is an anime review website that writes about current and past anime in any form, including OVAs and ONAs. The website offers reviews, editorial content and hosts forums. ...
'' gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, praising the anime for being closer to the original manga's style in both story and animation. In his review of the ''Jigen's Gravestone'' film, Paul Jensen of ANN had strong praise for the animation; stating that the film is worth watching at least once for the visuals alone. His biggest complaint was that the plot is essentially a cat-and-mouse game between the heroes and villains, with little else, but said "I'll take simple and focused over sloppy and complicated any day." Matt Schley of ''Otaku USA'' wrote that it "feels a bit restrained compared to the psychedelic madness that was '' he Woman CalledFujiko Mine''." While he said the film is a "competent Lupin tale with more flair than the average Lupin TV special," he felt as if it was simply going through the motions. Reviewing the ''Goemon's Blood Spray'' film, Schley felt it improved on ''Jigen's Gravestone'' and saw more of director Takeshi Koike's personal touch reminiscent of ''
Redline The redline is the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an eng ...
'' and '' Trava: Fist Planet''. Kim Morrissy of ANN was surprised by how much action and emotional drama ''Fujiko's Lie'' featured despite its short runtime. She praised it for its "in-depth examination of Fujiko's character" and her interactions with Gene, but felt the villains were underdeveloped.


References


External links


Official website

''Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood'' official website

''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' at NTV

''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' at Funimation
* * {{TMS Entertainment films 2012 anime television series debuts Action anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Feminism in anime and manga Funimation Woman Called Fujiko Mine Nippon Television original programming Prequel television series Psychological thriller anime and manga Television shows written by Mari Okada TMS Entertainment Anime series based on manga