Colloquium: Lupin III – The Woman Called Fujiko Mine Episode 1 (NSFW)

“Now, stop what you’re doing. And look upon me as your heart beats fast.”

ajthefourth: Warning! This post will contain NSFW images. If you are at work, you probably shouldn’t read this post. Why?

Because, if one thing could be said about this series, it’s that Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is sexy.

Sexy in a way that one rarely sees; in a dangerous manner that is as provocative as it is alluring. This series isn’t meant to make you comfortable, just as the promise of intercourse, at first blush, is hardly something comforting. It’s meant to make your toes curl, your knees quiver, your breath catch, and your heart rate quicken instinctively when you see something like this:

Do I have your undivided attention?

Fanservice is an odd thing. Sexual fanservice, nudity and the like, is present in a myriad of series each season; however, not one episode of those series have ever been as attractive, to me personally, as this first episode of Fujiko. One only has to take a look at the late-night anime lineup of the past several years and no fewer than three series per season will appear, calling out to the frustrated viewer with their siren’s songs of pantyshots, dissolving clothing, and perhaps, if one is particularly lucky, a nipple slip during a shower scene. These events are usually played up for comedic effect and there is the prevailing attitude that intercourse is so far beyond the male lead who is attempting to woo these women (he’s either hopelessly embarrassed by the female body or drooling over it; in both cases his attitude is used for humorous purposes) that it removes the sharper edge that the promise of sex can hold.

This isn’t to say that these series are inherently bad, but for me, they’re certainly not inherently sexy. I want something beyond titillation that is meant to be humorous, indirectly glancing my libido with empty promises. No, I want a direct assault on my heart, and in that sense, through its presentation, style, and attitude, Fujiko delivers.

vucubcaquix: Before we get a bit too carried away, we should make clear the fact that Fujiko is definitely pure pandering. The sexuality on display isn’t set up to illuminate some greater truth about the human condition. No, this is titillation straight and true. But what about it stirred our passions enough to expend the effort to extol its virtues regardless?

Simple: this is a kind of pandering that just happens to use a visual aesthetic and sensibility about the female body that appeals to the both of us.

There will be much made about the overt sexuality in coming days, as even notable directors will decry the triumph of style over substance, but style in a commercial art such as anime is nothing to be dismissed outright. Lupin III – The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, while drenched in raw eroticism, I would contend is not wanton pornography without clear direction. The Fujiko project is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Lupin III animated franchise, and as such the deliberate calls and attention paid to the female form seem to remind one of the sexploitation genre of film-making of that era. There’s a certain playfulness, irreverence, and ease with female nudity in the genre that arose from a confluence of factors, ranging from a favorable Supreme Court ruling to prevailing cultural attitudes about sex becoming less conservative. It wouldn’t be a stretch in my mind to say that Fujiko, this Lupin III reboot, arms itself with sexuality the same way these films did in the sixties and seventies in a manner that isn’t as prevalent in modern cinematic styles.

If not sexploitation, then perhaps the Pinku Eiga? If sexploitation isn’t a readily identifiable style to Japanese audiences, then the Pink Film most definitely is. The Pink Film was a style of film-making that arose in Japan in the sixties and seventies. It was a result of the creative restriction placed on Japanese filmmakers that were being exposed to imported American films by Russ Meyer and the like of the sexploitation vein, while still being hampered by their own country’s censorship laws. What arose was a very unique and stylistic approach to nudity and sexuality that avoided the “working bits” that would trigger the censorship laws of the time. This style was developed and cultivated into something distinct that you can see echoes of in a few modern productions such as Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and now Sayo Yamamoto‘s Fujiko.

Behold Sex & Fury for an example of what I’m talking about. Warning, the video has gratuitous nudity and violence.

Our “hero.”

ajthefourth: First displaying his “Act of the Entrance” on August 10th, 1967 in Weekly Manga Action, Lupin III was hardly a warm and fuzzy gentleman thief. Instead, he was known as a ruthless killer and sometimes rapist. Fujiko aims to harken back to these days of the manga characterization of Lupin III (or the “Red Jacket” anime series), before Hayao Miyazaki supposedly ruined Lupin III by making Castle of Cagliostro (one of my personal favorite anime films). I disagree that Lupin III is ruined for the change in characterization, but there is definitely a notable tonal shift in the way that he appears to care more about others in Cagliostro.

This isn’t to say that Lupin is going to immediately begin ravaging every woman he meets and murdering all others in Fujiko; however, it’s interesting to note that he appears alone, and the first person he interacts with is Fujiko herself. It lacks the “gang is all here” sense that I’ve seen in previous iterations of the series.  In addition to this, there is a certain moral gray area that both Lupin and Fujiko exemplify in this episode which furthers the series’s sex appeal.

Their repartee as they size each other up, both physically and mentally, is just as sexy as any possible nudity could hope to be. These are two clever and morally ambiguous people, whose best thinking is done when they are at each others’ throats. Both are equally prepared to do whatever it takes to get what they want, and in their selfishness, are interesting and appealing characters that one can’t help but want to see more of.

vucubcaquix: These two do their best thinking while at each others’ throats, if not down each others’ throats as well. Sex and danger are intertwined in this production as the moral ambiguity of our main duo is painted as a reflection of what makes them very seemingly adult, in addition to coloring the design of the characters themselves. So along with the curves of Fujiko’s breasts, lips, and hips, we have the ferocity in the musculature of her legs in her thighs and calves. Fujiko is sensual and sexy for sure, but she also looks dangerous. That itself adds to her appeal.

Is this an objectification of Fujiko’s body? By extension, is this objectification of the female body in general? Yes, it is.

It’s a habit that’s been pushed back on by many circles, but in the particular medium we consume—anime—I’d argue that this specific style of audience pandering is itself a slight push back on the currently prevailing attitudes regarding female sexuality. Namely that of emphasizing the physical sexual characteristics of a woman while simultaneously infantilizing the girl who possesses them. This is related to the de-fanging of sexuality in anime that my partner alluded to above. Sex doesn’t need danger in order to be alluring, but the sterilization of it in many works of anime is in no way effective in appealing to either of our particular tastes.

Sex is heavy. Sex is raw. Sex is powerful. But with that and because of that, sex is fun. There’s an ease and confidence to which this show handles this decidedly loaded subject, and it wears it breezily as the audience is carried along that reinforces and imbues the core of this production with that very throbbing sensuality.

Confidence is sexy after all.