Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Extremely well done
Let me start off by stating Lupin the Third: the Woman Called Fujiko Mine isn't anything like all the previous Lupin series, movies and specials. For starter, this new series is a sexier and slightly darker take on the Lupin we all know and love, at least anime wise for me. Gone are the wacky hijinks and some of the crazy exploits Lupin and company are known for. Of course this is replaced by the much more mature take on Fujiko Mine and Inspector Zenigata. In this series, there's no more innuendos from Fujiko as she is flat out overt in her sexuality.

Lupin the Third: the Woman Called Fujiko is basically a story about how Fujiko becomes who she is and her first encounter of the Lupin gang. This series is all about Fujiko and her secret past while Lupin and company take a back seat. It's a nice departure and is pretty well planned out until the last couple of episodes where I felt they might have rushed the ending a little.

As for everything else, this series was...

Pretty Good
I bought this show on a hunch that I would love it and I do its a perfect prequel to Lupin the Third

Gorgeous, Thought-Provoking, and a Worthy Addition to the Lupin III Canon
One of the wonderful things about Lupin the Third is how well the concept takes to different visions. It's undoubtedly helped give the franchise its Bond-like longevity - Lupin has three TV shows, five films, and over a dozen annual specials to his name, not to mention an adoring fanbase in his home country of Japan and worldwide. There's an undeniable charm to the heist-meets-hijinks formula, and The Castle of Cagliostro sits comfortably in my top five films list.

That being said, many of the Lupin offerings have become increasingly safe and formulaic over the years, and for every fun and fast paced Fuma Conspiracy there's a staggeringly awful and leaden Dead or Alive to match it. What the franchise needed was a shot of fresh concepts straight to the heart, and that's what The Woman Called Fujiko Mine delivers.

The series acts as a fresh introduction for new fans and focuses on series mainstay Fujiko Mine, here played as the Irene Adler to Lupin's Sherlock...

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