#I think I talk more about Jigen and Goemon but Lupin is SO!!!

[the-golden-ghost]

Reverse unpopular opinion: Lupin III (as in the man himself)

LUPIN MY MAN

He's just so... much. In the best of ways. He can be Anything You Want Him To Be, Baby, he can be yuor angle or yrou devil, he can be brown he can be blue he can be violet sky he can be hurtful he can be purple etc. etc. etc

He's selfish. He's egotistical. He's reckless and stupid and self-centered and obnoxious and also BRILLIANT and charismatic and generous and brave. He brought together a team of uber-talented solo acts and forged them into a functioning unit. And then he took it a step further and turned them into a family. Do you think anyone else on earth could so thoroughly capture the heart of Fujiko Mine? Who else could even compare with her? Who else could have won the undying loyalty of Daisuke Jigen, or gained the respect and devotion of Goemon Ishikawa XIII? These are all brilliant, dangerous people, experts in their field, superlative enemies, but SO unlikely as friends.

But Lupin did it. He took these people and gave them a home and a place of security - not anywhere in particular, because they're all notorious criminals and will never be truly safe in any one place - but with each other. Much as they love to backstab and betray and connive and screw each other over, at the VERY end of the day they will save each other too. That's what I love about Lupin, he takes people and makes them better, not because they weren't already incredible but by giving them a home, and he does it without making them change a thing about themselves.

I also love how much he plays people's underestimation against them. He runs around like "heehoo I'm a funny little guy and it's my birthday and I'm a little birthday boy" and make no mistake. The man's an idiot, but he's also INCREDIBLY smart.

And very dangerous.

[peaterookie]

Lupin Week 2024 Day 4: AUs and Mythology

Goemon's face looks like he's seen a ghost.

ahhhh god ok my stupid stupid silly au i made a year ago.... this will be a bit long so get ready

tldr: lupin died, the gang is alive. goemon finds lupin but he's a shark merman!? and lupin remembers nothing!!!

long version:

so this AU follows upon the story of shin lupin, which basically, the gang gets killed off by zenigata because he rigged an island full of explosives.

instead of them all dying however, lupin decides to knock the gang unconscious and find a way for them to escape off the island safely, leaving only him in the island to die.

the rest of the gang had no idea how they escaped and assumed that lupin had sacrificed himself for them. they woke up adrifted on the ocean until they eventually got picked up by a ship where the invisible captain from new adventures returns. but ah ill spare the details for another day

---

2 years have passed and the gang just kinda separated to do their own thing. we'll only focus on goemon cuz he's the featured character of this comic.

goemon decided to escape the life of crime that has burdened him for years living as a part of the lupgang. he's mostly a wanderer now and tries to do good and help people along the way

funnily enough, goemon is not the first person to find lupin, but I'll talk about this later. but goemon is definitely very mixed about seeing his friend who he thought was dead for years. he doesn't know whether to be happy or worried.

---

lupin, at the brink of death after the explosion, plummets down the ocean and wakes up one day, feeling like he's been rebirthed!

essentially, lupin became a merman because right before he could die, his body (i mean what's left of it 💀) interacted with a magic crystal that has the ability to grant life to a living being.

It's really rare, but it exists in clusters deep in the ocean floor or- deep under the rocks of an island :) you can say im bullshitting, which i am but i dont think exploding an entire island down to every rock has happened before, so it can kinda make sense why something so coincidental about these crystals could happen. (I AM TOTALLY MAKING EXCUSES I JUST WANTED TO MAKE LUPIN A MERMAN.)

and so these crystals used whats left of lupins body and reassembled him back, and idk other essences of the ocean to make him a merman!

the memories of his past life have definitely been buried deep inside his brain to the point he can't remember any of it though, so he thinks that he was born under the ocean and has lived there for his entire life. other than that he retains almost everything about himself, down to stealing stupid shit and messing with humans just for the fucks of it. he's kinda seen as like a nessie.

---

anyways, y'know how i said goemon wasn't the first one to meet lupin? that's because lupin has met zenigata before!

living a life with only fishes around means lupin's kinda lonely and likes to stalk humans sometimes. the interaction with him and zenigata did not end well though, and lupin has no idea why zeni wants him dead so much.

after that he's way more cautious around people that look like zenigata- hatted big men with guns. its gonna be fun once he sees jigen.

ok what else... i think that's all i want to reveal now. will i do more of this? maybe. maybe not. kinda embarrassed of this because of how silly it is but i hope you people find this interesting! byebye

[sonicjustbecause]

The Sonic 3 Trailer lacks of both spoiler and context, and that is about how a trailer should be. We already know what it is about. We only needed to see few scenes to make sure it might look good (or bad, it depends on what we except).

Now, I've seen a couple of crazy theories I've read and I believe both of them won't happen. I'll explain

Tom getting killed

Won't happens anything different to Tom that didn't happen before. he will be at worst knock out/neutralized and go off screen. Like in Sonic 1 (punched by Eggman) and Sonic 2 (encircled by flames)

Such happening would be the complete Shadow's assasination as character. We as fan won't forgive him and also this would push Shadow in the villains realm.

The past characterization.

Original Shadow (Adventure/Heroes/06) was very tame. There is a video on YT that analyze how Shadow behaves toward the world and underline the lack of destruction and violence in SA2, as opposite as we see in Sonic X and ShtH05.

in Sonic-X they changed slightly Shadow's personality, removing his intellectual and contemplative nature and replacing it with a more brash and violent personality. But even there, they prevented Shadow from killing Cosmo, making him acting like a cat who plays with his prey instead of being efficient (slow pace, talking, missing aim despite the short distance and when the thing failed just giving up on that). Shadow could have act smartly simply killing Cosmo in her sleep. As I say, I think they wanted to save his reputation.

In Sonic Force he indeed killed Infinite's squad. His first kill, most likely. Small fries, while leaving the boss alive, evil and stupid considering the aftermath. They saved Shadow's reputation by making Infinite lame and obnoxious and by not showing his gang at all (so we don't get attachted and we still cheer for Shadow). Sort of telling without actually showing anything.

Similar cases and why those characters have been tamed out.

Lupin III had a super rough star. His author got inspired by underground Western comics of the '60s and the original Lupin III was not a thief and a cheerful anti-hero. Lupin was originally a real godfather, a mafia boss, and despite he was mostly accompanied by Jigen and Goemon (who weren't really characterized back then) he had all underdogs, picciottos and so on under his rule. He did steal, but also he killed innocents, he raped women (includin Fujiko) and did several other hideous things.

Evil protagonists don't last long. They either get overhauled or they die like Light Yagami.

For this Lupin had to be tamed. Lupin killed less and less and more and more only with a reason and was more and more gentle with the innocents, including his main foe. And lastly he just virtually stopped to kill.

He's not the only one, many protagonists were born as unremedable villain and then they have been turned into antiheroes... or even heroes. Villanous protagonists never last long.

Shadow is beloved mostly because of his original personality. I noticed in most fan work, he is characterized the way he was in Sonic Adventure 2/Heroes/06 or Prime. Sometimes like in Sonic X and Shadow 05. Rarely like modern Shadow.

Back to Shadow

"What did you do?"

"What I had to!"

Those lines may be related to anything and everything. They might be related to Shadow's attempt to destroy the world like in SA2.

"I had to keep my promise!"

"What I had to do" suggest me something Shadow did not because he wanted to but for an external obiective. It might be world safety, keeping a promise, preventing the Sun going red giant, anything. Maybe even destroying Metal Sonic (if he appears like some rumor suggest) after Sonic convinced him to join the good side. Shadow has a long story dealing with living weapons.

Shadow stealing Stone's bike

Simply impossible. I already said Shadow's size is comparable to the size of a five years old child, about 1m tall. Stone is a 1,78m tall adult.

How Shadow would look on Stone's bike. It would be good material for the memes. And even if he would be able to ride an adult designed bike, he would be unable to do the Akira thing.

[tacky-optic]

SINNERS, ALL OF 'EM

the seven deadly sins + the gang = way too much overthinking

Lupin's Gluttony The world's his for the talking, yet he can never be satisfied. That'd be a real bummer if he were anyone else, but that hunger for more challenges, more adventures, seems to only add more fuel to an already roaring fire. He's a Glutton for a lot of things: Punishment, mainly. But also attention and experiences. His curiosity is insatiable. The only issue with Lupin's Gluttony is that he isn't inherently wasteful, which is a pretty glaring caveat. In that case, the big question would be "does the damage he leave in his wake outweigh that which was stolen in the first place?"

Jigen's Sloth/Envy "Man, I'm too old for this shit" incarnate, with a little dash of "I'm still going to silently judge you from my dark little corner, though" on top. It isn't Sloth "I'm gonna take a decade to get to this" so much as it is "I'm gonna do what you want me to do so rapidly and effectively that you're gonna think twice about waking me up again after I get back to my nap." But he really doesn't do jack-all if it isn't Lupin-related. If it were just him all on his lonesome, he'd kind of just rot. He is indifferent to his effectiveness. Bored, even. His loyalty to Lupin is an inherent aversion of his responsibilities as an individual.

His Envy brings him to action. He's a man of a lot of subtle wants and no willpower to take them, but with the right motivator, he'll bring down armies. Fujiko is a pretty good spur-on, as well as anything that remotely puts Lupin in the line of inconvenience or danger. If it's for one of his very, very few friends, he'd go through hell and high water just to get them a decent sandwich or something. Just be thankful his Envy's benign instead of malicious...

Goemon's Pride Mr. "Once again, I have cut a worthless object". There's literally an entire movie about his ego getting so utterly shattered that he gets all cagey/stabby mode about it for the rest of the movie, on top of training so hard he rewrites his entire goddamn nervous system just so he can do said stabby better. It's fantastic. To dedicate oneself so fully to one skill, then to restrict it to your own judgement as to not tarnish it, feels like the antithesis of humility. Pride, in a biblical sense, is to sever oneself from God; to become so wholly individual and confident in said fact that you forsake conventional belief in favor of your own. So congrats on netting the literal Worst sin, Goemon, you've earned it. God ain't shit when you can cut through anything.

Fujiko's Greed Does... does this even need elaborating. She's a woman that knows exactly what she wants and exactly how to get it, plain and simple. Why settle for anything less than the best?

Zenigata's Wrath/Lust What a wombo-combo, damn. This guy's the definition of love/hate. He's a man simultaneously impassioned and overwhelmed by his emotions, yet they lend so heavily to his professional and personal effectiveness that without them, he wouldn't be him anymore. Wrath and Lust go hand in hand, in a roundabout sort of way. It's about loving something so much that you want to crush it. A brutal dimorphous expression of emotion. To long for something to intensely, so vehemently, that it guides every action, fuels every decision... Underneath it all, would it even be possible to know what you are if that drive is all that defines you? Could you even call that living? We're talking about a guy who unironically wears heart boxers and almost exclusively eats cup noodle, people. This symbolism's very disturbing...

That's A Wrap You can always argue other sins for each of the cast members, of course. Lust for Lupin, Wrath for Jigen, Envy for Zenigata-- whatever. At the end of the day, they're all objectively terrible people. It's semi-safe to say that outside of religious contexts, the seven deadly sins have grown subjective in common culture/media. So why not take liberties? I sure as hell did. It's a goddamn miracle these managed to turn out so succinct.

[nyantropy]

Sorry for a long post and my grammar, but this is something that i really need to get of my chest

After almost a year of thinking about it, i've come to a simple conclusion - despite my love for part 5, i do not like how Lupin's and Goemon's conflict ended.. Or at the very least im very confused by it. And here is why

Before i go into details about this, i want to clarify a few things

1. All of this is, obviously, my personal opinion. If you disagree - thats great!! I would honestly love to hear your opinion!!

2. I love part 5 and this conflict in it self. The moment when Goemon, after releasing what he had  done, rushes back to Lupin, throwing Zantezuken away, and desperately calls to him is beautifully heartbreaking! And the scene where Lupin encourages him to laugh after everything that happened is just beautiful!

However.. This same scene is basically the only conclusion that we ever get to this conflict. And this is just not enough. You may argue that this is the point - they've been through hell and back together, of course that would be enough for them! And i agree. I agree that the intention behind writing this scene the way it was written, was to show us that Lupin and Goemon are so close that they don't need lengthy discussions to understand each other and to forgive each other. But! If that's the truth.. why was there a conflict to begin with?

The problem with this ending is the fact that it addresses only that Goe attacked Lupin but not the cause of it, making it seem like the only reason for this was... "Enzo told him to!"

Wich is not the case

The reason for why i think that way is simple - even befor Enzo starts trying to manipulate him, Goemon declares, that he and Lupin are neither allies nor friends, wich outright suggest that his actions and insecuritys about beeing seen as Lupins underling or part of Lupins collection, are symptoms of a bigger issue.

Because up until this point.. there wasn't really much to suggest they aren't, not only in other season but in this one. Up untill this point Goemon trust Lupin with his plans, helps him whenever he can and just is in general.. acts like his freind, even if a little more silent then Jigen. One of the best examples is the scene where Albert injured Lupin and seeing this, even so Goemon clearly looks at him with rage and desire for revenge, he prioritizes saving his freind. Because Lupin is important to him.

And even better we can see the depths of his attachment to Lupin after Goemon hurts him in a fight. It wasn't what he wanted, it never was. What he truly wanted was to know for sure who he was to Lupin and if he was as important to him, as he himself is to Goe.

At least that's the picture all of part 5 episodes paint in my head.

And yet.. Goemon never gets the answer!! Lupin never reasures him, they never talk about there relationships, instead the focus of the story shifts to something else. And i truly dont understand  why! Part 5 puts alot of emphases on to human relationships and yet..  This conflict has alot of built up to it, be it in a form of this two acting like freinds, Goemon questioning if Lupin even needs him and Jigen or.. Lupin outright SAYING THAT GOEMON IS HIS FREIND ONLY TO NEVER REPEAT IT TO GOE HIMSELF WICH HE ACTUALLY NEEDED!!

And yet.. this just never gets addressed in the series...Wich makes me extremely sad, because Goemon's and Lupin's friendship is one of the things wich i like the most about "Lupin the third" and.. it just sad how it gets either neglected or dealt with.. like this in recent seasons

Anyway, what do YOU think?

[catchyhuh]

pretend that picture of patrick star saying i love you is here

people in general are so specific with when they think it's “okay” to say i love you. i mean i’ll tell a nice leaf on the ground i love it if i’m in a good enough mood but you’re not here for ME so let’s DISCUSS

lupin:

demonstrably loose with it. and it’s anybody’s guess if he’s being an asshole or he really means it!

lupin should have trust issues, by all accounts, but i guess considering the person he loves the most is. almost damn near guaranteed to betray that trust, he doesn’t worry too much about wearing his heart on his sleeve. nobody can really hurt him, at least nobody that would intend to

it’s not so much that lupin is actually full of love so much as it’s the fact that he’s just so full with EVERYTHING. he’s dramatic like that

he does mean it when he says it sometimes, and if you use context clues you can probably pick up on his sincerity for the person he’s speaking to, but when he really, REALLY means it is when he’s not talking at all

he talks so much without really saying anything, but when he stays quiet he says a whole lot.  sometimes he thinks it so loudly he almost feels like the other person can hear it even if they have no idea at all

jigen:

not to be overdramatic but since the age of 12, every time jigen has said i love you he’s been crying. and he doesn’t cry a whole lot nowadays!

we KNOW this bitch has trust issues out the wazoo but more than that it’s that he doesn’t trust the intensity of his feelings. he feels like he can only say it if he’s referring to some huge, overpowering love that just kind of bursts out of him into a declaration that leaves even him surprised after the fact

he’s never said it to lupin. not when lupin could hear him, and even then, it was only twice in the whole time they’ve known each other. he’s not even purposefully being cagey, he just… doesn’t feel like it’s right

if you asked him “do you love lupin and goemon?” he’d make a bit of a face and shrug and say “well, i care if that’s what you mean.” which… is kind of the same thing when you think about it

fujiko:

fujiko is not particularly guarded about saying i love you, since it’s… just words, you know? but she’s never said it to somebody she straight up doesn’t like. she won’t even go along for the bit of trying to fool some rich boyfriend of the week, she just pretends to giggle and dodges it

fujiko does have love to give within her, but she seems to think it’s a finite amount

so, again, context clues play into it-- is she getting something she wants when she says it to someone, or is she hugging them in delight at the fact that they’re just alive and in front of her? 

unknowingly shows love in actions more than anything else. beyond instances of her physically attempting to protect others, it shows when she thinks of others' comfort in advance, or when she faintly touches someone’s back to signify that she’s in the room. even just a smile at some inanimate object associated with someone just feels full of love that she refuses to fully acknowledge but there’s A LOT… you just have to EARN it! and you can! 

just! not by doing anything a lot of people have tried so far! 

goemon:

being as strictly traditional as he is, he’s not… guarded about it, really, but he doesn’t “believe” in saying it excessively, if that makes sense. 

like fujiko, he seems to have this subconscious thing where he’s full of love, SO much love for so many things, really, but he can only give it out selectively. not for his sake, though, but because he feels like if too many people have his love then it must make them feel lesser, sharing it with so many others

yes they’re all very strange about this no none of them will ever address it within their lifetimes if they can help it

whenever it does come out, it almost seems involuntary, like a hiccup or something. like it wasn’t a conscious choice to do so, EVEN THOUGH HE DOES MEAN IT

you could not force goemon to say it without meaning it. you couldn’t torture it out of him. he’s not gonna lie about something like LOVE, because despite how often he seems to fall into it, he still never seems to say it

one time he got sick, VERY sick, and uncharacteristically emotional as a result of the constant fever and aching and nausea and everything else, and it came out while the other three were in the living room, jigen standing by his couch putting a washcloth on his head. jigen just nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile, and they all continued on like nothing had happened afterwards. not because they didn’t believe him, they all did-- but because they knew he’d be ashamed for years in his normal state if he knew he’d done that

zenigata:

the thing is. see the thing is. well. there’s just so much of it and he doesn’t really do good with getting it out

in his head he’ll say i love you over something as simple as him being obviously exhausted and a stranger offering him a bottle of water. if he’s delirious enough he might even mumble it but it's so hard to decipher that they’re like it’s ok bud. it’s ok.

it’s partially the small part of him that somehow remembers after all this time how to generally interact with other people, and partially maybe embarrassment. not really a trust issue thing, just. it feels embarrassing to say it no matter the context, no matter how much he means it, no matter HOW he means it

the funny thing though is that he used to NEVER say it. like ever. but he’s. a lot more sensitive than he was then. it’s like the opposite of being hardened with time how’d that even happen?? point being he’s got more love in him now despite everything

maybe the only one out of them that could say it completely sober, completely sane, to the other person’s face and really fully mean it. to him, that’s the best way to get that across easily anyway. sometimes you don’t have time to show things through elaborate rescues and meticulously made meals, so the quickest way to show love is to just be honest and say it

sure says it a lot if he’s drunk though! almost like he was thinking it before anyways and now he’s just lost his filter!! wild!

[thelavendercatalogue]

The Plan

The Plan to fake Lupins death was ultimately all Zenigata's idea.

And he had been far too over zealous about it

Lupin’s condition was too touch and go even beforehand, to the point they worried that the stress of the move would be too much even if Lupin was under some form of sedation enough to keep him calm.

However when police jurisdiction comes into play there’s nothing they can do except just try to reason with them and convince them that this is a bad idea and reconsider their options.

But when ICPO refuses to relent, they have no choice but to let him go

The Docs Told Zeni what could happen

But Zeni was prideful

deep down cautious

but externally prideful that the plan would work

not could go wrong

everything was going to be fine

except there was a problem you see ICPO didn't actually refuse to relent with the medical board's orders

in fact

they had AGREED with the hospital that this plan was far too risky with too many potential hiccups and such. But Zeni was once again being bullheaded, by pushing for it, claiming he had it all under control

So not only was Zeni going against literal medical professionals, but the organization he works for as well. Which he'd done before with himself plenty of times, so it wasn't unheard of, and maybe there was some misplaced faith from all that, but Zeni had gotten over zealous about his plan to move Lupin, essentially pushed it to the point he nearly came close to killing him

But beforehand, before the plan actually came into motion, there was one thing they had to do.

keep it secret

No one knew about the plan absolutely no one, except a precious few.

It was because they needed to make it look convincing. Faking his death would only work if everyone believed he was dead.

even his friends

Jigen as a result never told Goemon or Fujiko, and that was WHY Jigen had a falling out with Fujiko

you see I always HCed that Lupin doesn't actually fake his death as often as we think he does. But when he does, the reason he doesn't tell the gang is to make it look convincing or more so to protect the gang.

Ever notice how when he does it it's normally when a BBEG is involved. It’s not super frequent but when it does happen it’s a Big Thing. Especially when it's a situation where he doesn’t tell the gang. Usually a situation where he feels backed into a corner and there’s no other way out.

which is why the gang expect it FROM Lupin

But Lupin ultimately had no hand in this It wasn’t his plan his big brainiac scheme

it was Jigens

they never expected Jigen to do something like this.

The whole plan had originally started because Jigen and Zeni started to plot the take-down of much of the city's more corrupt police force, knowing that with them in the way, progress would be tremendously limited in looking for the real culprit behind both attacks on Lupin and Yata and all subsequent issues that followed with that. Both hoped that by doing so, that it might entice certain individuals out of hiding when they find out their protection is slowly being whittled out.

However doing so also started to put Lupin and others at risk and rather than risk anything else happening to people they have a shit about, the pair came up with a plan.

Basically fake Lupin's death to throw the scent off and discreetly move him someplace else.

However in order to make it convincing

Jigen had the fucking bright idea not to tell Goemon and Fujiko in order to make it seem realistic. And because Lupin was so bad off and everything was touch and go already, the plan had worked, people bought it.

Only downside is, Goemon and Fujiko ended up spending literal weeks thinking Lupin was actually gone because the plan went so well and Jigen didn’t tell them until both Goe and Fuj found out themselves sometime later

Fujiko of course wasn’t happy

but by extension of Jigen not telling the gang,

Zeni never told Yata

Point of the matter is even in that short time where Yata and Lupin started talking, Yata and Lupin began to "bond" to the point even Jigen starts to thank Yata for keeping Lupin company when he's not around

and given the whole fact Jigen was never one for talking even when Yata still tried to make small talk, often to focused on the other to even bother to notice that Yata even existed and when he did talk, conversation was brief, Yata feels. . .for some odd reason a small sense of strange proudness; getting a thanks from a man as Dark and Mysterious as Jigen. Yata knew something was wrong when Lupin stopped talking. . .But he was never let in on the plan

But you see the issue with not telling Yata is Yata is a smart boy

very smart

If Zenigata didn't tell him something Yata would probably find out by snooping, and Zeni couldn't have that and risk him maybe letting it slip which would ruin everything. Yata of course would always know Zeni had a plan, and because of that, Zeni couldn't keep him totally in the dark.

So maybe he told him something, some other "secret" plan in order to make the lie look convincing and to maybe throw Yata off the scent

as a result Yata didn't know what the ultimate plan was

Yata knew he was planning something just not what

But Yata wasn't expecting Lupin to die

How the ultimate plan went no one knows for sure. Jigen had been the mastermind behind that actual plan, tricks like this were their specialty. Zeni had the ultimate hand in it, but in reality it was Jigen who planned everything down to minute detail because as good as Zenigata is, Jigen had learned from Lupin, never leave a detail untouched.

It was him who had the bright idea to coincide the time with Lupin's move on the day he was supposed to have surgery to fix the leg. Because in Jigen's eyes no one would have suspected if something went wrong; Lupin was so bad off as it was already that everything was touch and go. No one would have suspected if Lupin had either died on the table or afterward.

His plan to keep Fujiko and Goemon away from the hospital was so easy. Take a walk, find someplace to sit down somewhere, and just talk. .just talk. . .he doesn't mention the plan, he doesn't even talk about anything regarding Lupin unless he has to, and the ruse is easy, because the other two simply suspect that he's just nervous and not showing it.

To further sweeten the deal, Jigen also mentions that his sister is planning his nephew's baptism and he wants the two of them to join him.

And the pair are happy to agree.

Not knowing that Jigen is actually heartbroken that he's actively lying to them about this.

He's focused of course, he knows it needs to be done

But it's killing to have to do it, but he has too. So he buries it and the trio talk like they haven't talked before. Even Jigen and Goemon are enjoying each others company

all under the guise of a lie

heh. . .who would've thought. . .

Between all this Jigen is waiting for a phone call. . .a signal that the plan is in motion. He told the doc to "call him on his cell" when Lupin was out of surgery, with the gang standing around to make it look convincing. Maybe in the end it was the doctors who would ultimately decide how to go about Lupin's "death"

Afterall leave it to those who deal with bodies to know. . .

When he finally get the call, it's not hard to feign any shortage of emotion. In the beginning it was. . .relief maybe. . .to hear his phone ring some hours later and be told that Lupin's out and they can come and see him.

Jigen tells the gang and their excited, their quick to make it up there even when jigen's trying to stall for time, but their a "little early" anyways so the doc's tell them to

"wait in the waiting room"

and they'll call them in when they get Lupin all settled

But Jigen notices a glint, a certain look in the Doctor's eye. . .and he knows just by that look along that it's time. So he waits and he braces himself for the inevitable

As they wait, things seem to go quiet; no one calls them in. And in the end it's Goemon who's first to ask what's taking so long, and he sounds nervous while doing it and maybe it was fate's sick idea of a joke, but not even a millisecond after he says that, all hell finally breaks loose.

Jigen doesn't know how they did it. To be honest he's afraid to know. Because it's convincing, so convincing to the point that when they go to the room and find the docs working on Lupin, even with knowing the plan, it's so realistic it's like every bad dream Jigen's had over the last few months come true.

Which is why when Lupin "dies" and the Docs finally call it, it not that hard to feign shock or worriedness or whatever else he must be feeling

because after all. . .it's not like he hasn't thought about this already. . .

watching it come true just makes it easier

So much easier, that when Zenigata spots Jigen shortly after the Docs call it, it looks like he's actively shutting down, and it doesn't take long for Zeni to notice that he is actually doing that. But Zeni can't just go over, he has to leave him for just a few more moments until Jigen is alone or else the others will get suspicious or something.

But the moment he is alone, Zenigata is quick to remind him as he pulls him by the shoulders that it's not real

none of this is. But he has to remember the plan

and also that Zenigata has to go as well that it's time

and he promises Jigen that he will look out for Lupin, he gives him his word.

And maybe that snaps Jigen out of his farce, just enough to not completely have a total meltdown, enough to remind him what they're doing.

So Zeni leaves him, determined to see the rest of this through, while he leaves Jigen to mourn with the gang.

But as he goes to the ambulance bay, where Lupin, still sedated having actually been cut open on an operating table and wheeled out no more than 10 minutes ago is being loaded up, one of the nurses in on the plan whose been taking care of him (maybe it's the one jigen likes), basically tells Zenigata as he hops in the back that she hopes he knows what he’s doing because if he doesn’t, he’s surely going get lupin killed, perhaps even going as far as to actively start protesting against it all and perhaps telling him that he's going to kill Lupin attempting this and to please reconsider

but Zenigata is determined, and he’s on schedule and maybe being a little bullheaded to admit she has a point, but they're in to deep now, so he pays it no heed to her warnings as he closes the ambulance door

because as far as everyone else is concerned

Lupin's dead already.

[baileypie-writes]

Can you please do head cannons on how Lupin III gang characters (including Zenigata) met female thief reader and how they fell in love?

A/N ~ Sure! I don’t write for Zenigata, and I don’t write female Readers paired with Jigen, but I can do the other two! Hope you enjoy!

~Lupin and Goemon Falling for a Female Theif~

Fandom: Lupin the Third: the First

Fanfic Type: Headcanons

Reader: Female

Relationship: Romantic

Characters Included: Arsène Lupin III, Goemon Ishikawa XIII

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG

Warnings: Stealing(obviously)

Disclaimer: I have only seen the 2019 film, and Castle of Cagliostro. I have not yet seen the series. So if anything is inaccurate, I apologize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Arsène Lupin III~

~ Lupin already has his experience with female thieves. Him and Fujiko have known each other for forever. So he knows what to expect when it comes to them.

~ You met when you were attempting to steal his wallet. And you thought you’ve succeeded, only to open it and see it mostly empty. The only thing in it was a paper with a doodle of a face, with the words “Nice try!” written on it. Cue Lupin saying “Looking for this?” and showing you all his cash, in his hands.

~ He wouldn’t be upset. Instead, he’d give you tips on how to be better(which was annoying, considering that you were a pretty well known thief). And of course, he’d be flirting too. Before leaving, he’d say “I’ll be waiting for your next attempt.” then disappear.

~ Over the next few months, you’d follow him. You’ve made countless attempts at stealing from him, and each time, you’d fail. It was frustrating, because he was the only person you hadn’t successfully stolen from. Everyone else was a breeze. But you didn’t hate Lupin for it. In fact, you enjoyed talking with him. The two of you would share a nice conversation afterwards, before he would leave again.

~ During those periods of time where you weren’t around, Lupin would find himself thinking about you. He would laugh at all your failed tries, almost feeling bad for you. He even thought about making it easier for you to steal from him, but it was just too fun. And Lupin loves to be entertained. So it wasn’t long before his feelings for you were more than just the typical ones he felt for women in general. He was actually in love.

~ Eventually, you didn’t even care about cash. You just wanted to see him. And of course, Lupin knew this. It wasn’t until you finally successfully stole his wallet that you realized this for yourself. You opened it, and was surprised by the money inside. You checked and double checked to see if it was counterfeit, but it was the real deal. You expected to be more happy, but you were just disappointed that the chase was over.

~ You suddenly heard a voice behind you say “Guess you finally succeeded. Great job.”. You turned around to see Lupin. He wore his typical, mischievous grin. He told you to take the money as a reward for your improvement. But he knew you didn’t want to. So instead, he offered for you to join him and his gang. You accepted, and the two of you were inseparable ever since.

~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~

(He’s so pretty I can’t)

~Goemon Ishikawa XIII~

~ You first saw Goemon in an isolated park. It was late at night, and you were looking for someone to rob. He was meditating, and you thought it would be a good idea to try to steal from him. Little did you know, you were about to attempt to sneak up on the world’s greatest samurai.

~ You hid behind a nearby tree, and thought he wouldn’t notice you. But then, a branch suddenly fell right on your head. You looked down at it once it hit the ground. It looked like it was perfectly cut. You then felt a presence behind you, and saw Goemon. He actually recognized you from the news, and made a jab at you for trying to rob a stranger instead of something bigger. You started laughing, but he didn’t. His face was completely serious, and you could tell he was pissed. So you just apologized, and left.

~ It wasn’t until Lupin and the gang were on a heist that you met again. You didn’t know they were there until they met you at the safe. You and Jigen argued about who gets the money, and Goemon said you could share if you both did work. And that’s just what you did. Even when Lupin and Jigen tried to take it all for themselves, Goemon made them be fair. You were very grateful for that. You had no idea why he was so kind, considering your last encounter with him.

~ You “randomly” kept running into each other. But you were kind of seeking for him; hoping to meet you again. Goemon noticed this, but kept quiet. It wasn’t until you helped them out yet again, and you were celebrating your victory with the gang, that he said something.

~ You were embarrassed. And now that he knew, you decided to stop helping them. And you thought that was that.

~ A while later, you were robbing a museum by yourself, and you were having quite a bit of trouble. A squad of police was heading your way, and with the giant sack of artifacts on your back, you weren’t in a good place to fight. You prepared for the worst, when they all suddenly dropped to the floor. And there, standing with his sword in hand, was Goemon.

~ He asked you why he hasn’t seen you in a while, and you told him. His face was mostly neutral, besides a small bit of red on his cheeks. He told you that he enjoyed your company, and that he’d like if you came by more often. Then he left.

~ It’s safe to say that you did start stopping by again. In fact, you helped the gang with so many heists, that you became a part of their team. And you and Goemon became even closer.

~~~🗡️~~~🗡️~~~🗡️~~~

~~baileypie-writes

[aspiring-holistic-otaku]

Season 3 Ramble #8 - A is for Anime(solo reprise) ver.3

Hadn't been doing the run-up posting I usually do for my rambles due to work and such but here we are!

How this ramble is gonna go is I'm gonna list my top 3 movies watched this month then top 3 series for same, AAnd now that I actually have a semi decent number of anime under my belt I'm gonna do a quick top ten of both at the end.. after that if you wanna stick around, instead of the usual post ramble ramble, I'm gonna add a bit of the recording I did with the homies, as a sort of prelude and promise that we will have that conversation in future. I really think it's an important and potentially fruitful discussion to have.

But In any case getting into the episode now

TOP 3 MOVIES 

3) Belladonna Of Sadness (1973, 1hr33m, Mushi Production)

Crazy movie. I don't think I can accurately talk about it without it sounding too wHild… I'm still gonna, but I'm gonna open with what Google says about it.

A peasant woman is raped by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire.

As I said.. wHild… and that's just the summary…the details of the actual movie are like…woah.. but in any case it was great, actually something that'd been on my watch list for a good long while so I'm glad I could actually finally watch it. 

Glazing over the plot which the summary does a pretty good job of covering anyways, the visuals were absolutely stunning. They're by Yoshitaka Amano, probably most famously known for his final fantasy illustrations. For the most part the visuals are done in what looks like watercolor paint, which is just wild in my mind,, like wHy?? He definitely pulled it off though which is even more crazy cause a good amount of it was done in an almost slideshow kinda way which I usually don't like but he still pulled it off…crazy…. Should be kinda obvious from the summary but moderate tw. Still definitely strongly recommend.

Small sidenote - in making this ramble I found out that belladonna of sadness is actually part of a trilogy called animerama,, so now I have 2 more old ass movies to look forward to. Hopefully they're just as good or even better…

2) Lupin IIIrd: The Gravestone of Daisuke Jigen (2014, 51m, Telecom Animation Film)

Ever since I watched my first lupin movie 3 years ago I've been locked in. In fact it was such a good watch that I've limited myself to one a year. Thankfully the trend of awesomeness has continued up to this point but enough premature glazing. 

This movie is basically centered on Jigen, as you can probably tell from the title. Just a point of clarity for those who don't know much of anything about lupin, Jigen is basically the gunslinger of Lupin’s crew. So as this is basically his movie, he's ofc facing off against a gunslinger. The title is so named because this guy, the gunslinger they find themselves up against, makes graves for his victims before killing them. Nobody's ever gotten away from him. In fact he's so good that he uses dice to decide how many bullets he'll use to take out his target. Ice cold mf.

Pretty good action from start to finish though I’m a tad disappointed there wasn't more gun-slinging, though from what I gather Jigen’s whole thing is speed, accuracy and efficiency,, so maybe a barrage of bullets wouldn't have made sense. In any case we get to see all of the crew besides goemon, dry cry as he's my personal fav but still solid. The art direction was great from all angles as I've come to expect. Not too much to say cast wise as on Lupin gang’s side there's a cumulative effect of greatness where every time you see them it's generally a continuation of past interactions, as in there's an obviously rich history there. That being said, the dynamic is still great and from what I've seen, you can pick up any of the movies and immediately love them. But anyways, on the other hand, the main villain/organization felt a bit hollow. Which is something I've come to kind of expect with movie exclusive antagonists in general. It's just a matter of time efficiency. I think when it comes to anime movies, you're generally not watching for the antagonist unless they have to do with the main storyline. Otherwise you're kinda watching to see how the protagonist will beat them in about an hour. Though I will say as far as visuals can speak, they definitely spoke volumes in that sense. Also, given the geopolitical climate we're in, I liked the villain/organization and how they were handled... trying not to spoil too much there but if you so much as peek between the lines you probably get it.. In any case definitely highly recommend.

Side note - every lupin movie I watch further solidifies my decision to get into the series… just watching the movies first for some reason…

1) Mind game (2004, 1hr44m, Studio 4°C)

Honestly,, I don't even want to speak on it for fear of sullying its greatness. It's one of those life changing before and after watches fr. This is something I'd been really wanting to watch since ver.1 when I started getting into Studio 4°C through their awesome anthologies genius party and genius party beyond.

I'm gonna default to the anilist description here which is kinda almost decent relative to the sheer phenomenal amazingness of this movie.. but I digress.. so according to anilist..

Audiences will begin to grasp what they are in for early on, as loser Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting Nishi into the afterlife. In this limbo, God - shown as a series of rapidly changing characters - tells him to walk toward the light. But Nishi runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest.

The last bit hints at the greatness of this film. Right there that small difference in speech speaks volumes in my personal world of language. It's not just a movie. It's film. 10/10. absolute cinema.

As I said I don't even want to talk about it too much because I don't think it possible to do it justice through mere words, but I'm gonna put a bit more glaze on it before I wrap up the movie list and move on to series. This movie beat out studio ghibli’s, Miyazaki directed, howl’s moving castle in the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival. Further, this was a debut work for the director Masaaki Yuasa, who would later go on to found science saru studio. I was so moved by this movie that I've decided I will watch everything masaaki yuasa has and will ever direct. 10/10. highly recommend. end of glaze.

hm: under the dog, Mezzo forte, blood: the last vampire, 4°c (sweat punch, short peace from last time)

Top 3 Series

3) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023-2024, 28ep 24m, Madhouse) 

This is something I'd been seeing around for a bit but was intentionally ignoring because for some reason I got it in my head that it was based on this sad little one shot called The hero’s party on their way back home, and I was NOT watching an entire series based on that.

In any case, in talking with my bros recently they all insisted that it was the best anime released in the past year, one of them declaring it was in his top5 all time. So I pushed past my fears and binged it all in a day. V thankful for the bros.

The story here follows an elven mage called frieren and her life after defeating the Demon King and bringing peace to the world.

As you can tell from the summary it's largely a slice of life but it has its fair share of well placed scraps. It fills a certain fantasy gap where you get that day to day rose tinted indigenous peoples’ lifestyle feel, that I think most people would want if they actually lived in a fantasy setting,, not that constantly under threat from dragons and shit usually focused on. And as I said there are some well placed fights. The pacing also felt perfect. Like I almost felt bad binging it because I could tell that once a week watch would've been REALLY good… one of the few series I don't want to read the manga for, I'll definitely be watching weekly whenever season 2 drops..

Great cast though kinda small, pretty brilliant visuals and sound direction. Very very very solid all round, what I'd call supremely balanced tbh. One of the bros put it really well in that he said he has synesthesia so everything has colours for him, and the colours of every aspect of this show came together to paint the perfect picture. Now I don't have synesthesia myself but I could definitely feel, not just see, how well orchestrated it all was. definitely strongly recommend.

2) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007, 27ep 24m, Gainax)

Yes. It's 2024 and I’m just watching gurren lagann and you'll hear why that is if you listen in to the post ramble ramble,, but suffice to say, you can never be late to true greatness and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is definitely in that category. 

Firstly I kinda watched it as a meme seeing as last ramble I focused on the supposed relationship between sacred geometry and JoJo's bizarre adventure… if that sounds crazy then you should listen to the ramble… not that it'll sound less crazy but..yh.. anyways I was vaguely aware that gurren lagann focused a bit on spirals so I tapped in for the meme. 

To summarize the lengthy anilist summary,, In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars. yada yada yada blah blah blah Simon, Kamina, Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen. Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

Again I'm gonna fall back on the words of another of my bros from the session, I think he had it in his top 10 or 5,, but he said he considers gurren lagann to be a perfect starter anime in that it perfectly showcases almost everything the medium of anime has to offer. Action, comedy, philosophy, slice of life, amazing cast, brilliant visual direction, solid sound direction. etc. the term “starter anime” gets thrown around a fair bit and I usually think it's a rubbish term because of how insanely diverse the medium is and how specific different individuals tastes can be,, so like to say this or that anime is a good “starter anime" never made sense.. but when he said it, that was the very first time I actually thought it made sense..

Definitely super highly recommend, a recommendation to pierce the heavens if you will.

1) Akiba Maid War (2022, 12ep 24m, P.A Works)

Gotta say it was a tough call between this and gurren lagann but it won out for 3 reasons. #1 it's shorter, and that's not a lazy pov, I just personally tend to give more ratings to shorter series in general because I think being able to do something amazing in a short amount of time deserves more props than doing so in a longer span of time. personally.. #2 it was FUNNY. AS. FUCK. I'm coming to realize that when it comes to anime specifically, comedy may be my favourite genre. I can't quite put my finger on why but I think it has to do with how far animation as a medium can push physical humor.. idk.. lastly… idek why I felt the need to justify all this…it's my list… but lastly,, and most importantly. maids. enough said..

The story here follows the dealings of different maid cafes in the town of Akihabara. I say dealings because in this show the maids basically act like Yakuza, having turf wars, extortion rackets and drug trades(just a point of clarity for those who've never heard the term, you've probably guessed but Yakuza are basically Japanese gangsters). In any case this is all under the table as they pay off the police and act the usual cutesy part in front of civilians. That may be a bit of a spoiler but a gif of it was going around a lot last year i think,, with this one maid gunning down a bunch of other maids and it was made to look like an idol rave with the glow sticks and everything + the “twist" if you can even call it that happens in episode 1 so it's not like some major turning point spoilers + "wars” is literally in the title, so with all due respect, you can bite me.. 

In any case, as I said this shit was funny ASF, mainly because of the opposing imagery of maids and yakuza they somehow pulled off perfectly.. like I can't begin to explain how crazy it is to see maids cussing each other out with the most obscene language, fighting it out in the craziest brawls, then turning around and going “welcome home master”. 

Fairly small but very strong cast, all funny in their own unique ways from the hardened criminal type to the frightened newbie. the visuals were great, sounds direction solid, I really really loved the op and ed, cause they just perfectly matched the shows energy. Kinda episodic for the most part but that fit the crazy, “you'll never guess what happens next” energy… Just great overall like wow.. a bit surprised I haven't seen it around more but I realize comedies don't tend to get that much ratings on release, if they do get attention it's further down the line as a “hidden jewel".

But in any case yes. 10/10. definitely highly recommend. please go watch this. have a good laugh, give thanks for life and go see the beauty of the world.

hm: Flying Trapeze, Goodbye Mr. despair (from s2)

Top 10 Movies (no order)

A Silent Voice, Memories (anthology directed by katsuhiro otomo), One Piece Movie 6: Flower Island, Tokyo Godfathers, Mind Game, Ocean Waves, Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, Sword Of The Stranger, the Lupin movies (just watch all of them lol), Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms

hm: Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, Animatrix, GITS Innocence, Wolf Children, Princess Mononoke

Top 10 Series (no order)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Akiba Maid Wars, Nichijou, Hyouka, Mononoke, Sonny Boy, Tatami Galaxy(all spinoffs, movies, everything.), Steins;Gate, Dorohedoro, Angel Beats, Durarara!!(all seasons)

hm: Baccano!, Pluto, FLCL up to Progressive, Cowboy Bebop, chainsaw man

[waddlehekk]

some spoilers!!!!!!!! about the untranslated/later parts of the shin lupin iii manga

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.

.

Goemon Prison is a chapter I really like from the stories of Sherdog’s appearance in the manga, and it’s really interesting in how we see this conversation between Goemon and Zenigata after having seen Zenigata have to put up with Lupin’s and Jigen’s antics in trying to escape from prison. It isn’t very often that the manga gives the characters a chance to just talk without many other things going on.

A detail I like is the crooked smile that Goemon forces out while “laughing” as Zenigata speaks with him.

I think Zenigata really is concerned for Goemon’s well-being here, and I’m sure he sees through this smile too. Goemon should have been locked away in the normal, high-security prison, wearing prisoner clothes like Lupin and Jigen, but Zenigata goes out of his way, and I’m sure he had to really argue his way with other officials, to make him a prison outdoors where he can still wear his kimono. 

When he first visits him, he shows pity for Goemon when he sees him attempt to use the key he stole to get out, and he visits him with the intention of just talking with him. As he looks up at the birds in the sky, he says “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

There is so much symbolism with birds, and you can see below a direct callback to the original manga when Goemon’s masters killed a bird in front of Goemon to show him he has to be more cold-hearted as a murderer. Goemon is beginning to realize that despite his kindness, with how he has no intent of hurting this poor bird who he lets onto his head, he’s forced to lead this immoral life his masters wanted of him, and thus the bird cries out despite his intent.

Goemon has been through so much after having been tortured by the Rat Clan and then going on a murderous rampage for the kid with Gene Rosen’s disease, and his cheerful nature is beginning to go away because he can’t help but feel sorrow, but at the same time, his kindness still lingers. It has always been a characteristic of his despite his growth between the 3 manga, and even as he silently took in the pressure of his masters after each failure to kill Lupin, he chooses only to speak up when he sees the bird be hurt (and of course after he pauses and decides to leave them for Lupin).

I think at this point he’s beginning to realize how protective Lupin and Jigen have become over him, and when he sees the empathy Zenigata shows him, he feels that he doesn’t want anyone to have to feel bad for him anymore.

This chapter starts Goemon trying to pretend being cheerful like he used to be, so he really forces this smile because he realizes that Zenigata cares about him. Goemon wants to put himself down for the sake of others, such as with all the killings he does to protect them, and so he would rather not have others feel bad for him because of this. It’s a combination of all the trauma he’s faced with his kindness that causes such a self-destructive behavior.

Another hint that this cheerfulness is fake, unlike how genuinely cheerful he used to be, is how very commonly he laughs in his speech in many of the chapters after this one, but they are never as genuine as his laughter in the first chapter. (The masked man is the real Goemon)

In the ending of Shin Lupin, Goemon finally confesses to the feelings he’s felt all along, and for the first time since the first chapter, he laughs for real.

And although his forcing of emotions was never to this degree in the past, there are still many hints of this behavior earlier on in the manga.

In Shooting Goemon, which wasn’t too long after he was tortured in Strange Bedfellows, I thought the shifting between his emotions when talking to the girl were interesting, and he “laughs” here too.

He becomes so serious from here on.

In Chasing Tail he tries to cheer up Lupin when he realizes they are both stuck with the issue of having tails. There is more “laughing” here.

In Hardened Steel, though, he’s too heartbroken to even put on a single smile for the boy, who is soon to pass away. It’s interesting how the boy is so happy throughout this chapter in contrast to Goemon, who I believe has reached his breaking point here.

But back to Goemon Prison. There is this moment where Goemon asks Zenigata why he’s following the orders of the Watson machine, which he later finds out instructed Zenigata to take advantage of how he would risk himself to save Zenigata’s life. Zenigata argues he is the one instructing the computer, but in a way, he gives an actual reason why in the ending of the chapter.

It’s out of character for Zenigata to follow the orders of someone else, a machine of all things, given how he insists on capturing Lupin himself and under his own methods, but the reason why he trusts the computer, he reveals, is because he knows that what it has predicted of Goemon’s character has been true of him all along.

“That’s the kind of guy you are... Goemon...”

[jeypawlik]

🎞️

3 (or 5) favourite movies/specials is eaaasy! I do also have a rec list I've posted before, but I'll talk here about why I like 'em.

The Fuma Conspiracy - Easily my favourite, despite it's weird history and not having the original cast. The animation is incredible, the story is comprehensible, and it's got my favourite versions of all the cast. Lupin's soft but not too soft, he's still a shitty gremlin but has a soft spot for the people close to him. Jigen barely leaves Lupin's side during the movie and never actually shoots his gun. Goemon feels so good and fleshed out, him and Murasaki are really cute*. This is the BEST version of Fujiko anyone's ever written, go watch it for her alone! Zenigata feels very on brand, he loves Lupin so much and has just so much energy throughout the movie which is only an hour and 13 minutes. *I did read that Goemon and Murasaki were supposed to be close in age but they didn't want to change how Goemon looked, thinking the audience would be confused.

The Castle of Cagliostro - I mean, a given. It's so solid in terms of animation and story and pacing. I love the little moments that the characters get to have that go unnoticed until you watch it a few times: Goemon in the back of the fiat at the beginning of the movie, Jigen not swimming as well as Lupin, Lupin and Jigen sharing a bed, Lupin sitting on the chair while making the fake ring. It's those little Miyazaki things that make the characters feel like real people instead of archetypes.

Bye Bye Lady Liberty - I'm such a fan of the Dezaki movies but I think this is the best of the bunch. It has such a fun premise and while there's a girl of the week character, the plot still centers around the gang doing things and moving the plot along instead of taking a backseat like they do all too often in some movies.

Tokyo Crisis - I'm so glad Zenigata has a fun movie. The animation is wonderful and I love the art style so much. We get to see a bit more of Zeni's character and who he is as a person. The girl of the week, Maria, is one of my favourites. Jigen and Goemon's B plot is also extremely fun and silly. Highly recommend!

Farewell Nostradamus - The animation in this movie is up there with Cagliostro and Fuma, but with a more 90s feel to it. The plot was really overwhelming the first time I watched it, but after getting to know the characters and other movies I came back and decided I liked this one a lot more on the second watch. The original characters are fun and written in a way that makes them feel like they each have their wants and desires. There's just a whole 5 minute sequence of Lupin and Jigen being put through the wringer, which has just fantastic character acting. Zenigata is also great in this movie.

[femme-from-hell]

𓆩♡𓆪 More Lupin III HCs 𓆩♡𓆪

More Thoughts On Lupin & Co. (This one is a little long)

lupin is super picky about his coffee and WILL get pissy if he doesn't get it how he likes it.

Fujiko made Lupin coffee for the first time along time ago after their first night together when they started their little situation-ship and Lupin has drank his coffee like that ever since.

Fujiko drinks energy drinks and Lupin is repulsed by them. Lupin caught her drinking one but she’ll deny it until the day she dies.

Jigen drinks his black because he can't handle too much caffeine. (for context, black coffee has a pretty low caffeine content for those who don't know.)

Lupin was a track and field kid. As seen in the events in Lupin Zero -sorta spoiler warning for those who haven't seen it-, his dad wanted him to live a normal life, so he convinced his son to do something normal kids do to get his energy out rather than stirring up shit. Lupin was reluctant but fell in love with the sport.

Jigen has really pretty hand writing but Lupin’s is shit, so Jigen writes all of Lupin’s cursive calling cards, but Lupin signs them. Sometimes Lupin just makes Jigen write things for him when he doesn't need it because he just really likes his hand writing.

Lupin likes drawing doodles on all of his notes, letters, etc. Without fail, Lupin's papers are littered w drawings of him, his friends, sometimes Zenigata, or whatever treasure they're after.

Zenigata doesn’t cook often, nor is he the best at it, but he really enjoys doing in nonetheless.

If Lupin doesn’t get his ‘beauty sleep’ he just turns into a full blown bumbling idiot, like I’m talking walking straight into door frames, tripping over his own feet, all of it

On top of that, if someone interrupts his sleep, he gets incredibly pissy and short tempered.

^^Jigen kept blasting opera over the radio once in the hideout, resulting in Lupin being woken from his nap. Without even a second thought, Lupin rolled over on the couch, shot the radio, and rolled back over.

Lupin has A LOT of scars, it comes with the territory of nearly dropping dead with every job he takes on, and he uses his skills as a disguise artist to cover them up because he feels self conscious about them.

I feel like he's a perfectionist so he would see these scars as reminders of how he could have done better or could have done more.

Fujiko is a big spoon and you can pry this thought from my cold dead hands.

Lupin has a little collection of those 3d puzzles, even rubix cubes, and he fiddles with them to keep his mind working during stretches of travel or when he can’t think

Both Goemon and Jigen have tried to use said puzzles out of curiosity but got frustrated when they couldn’t figure them out

Because Fujiko rides motorcycles a lot, I like to think she has a lot of automotive knowledge and has tinkered with the Fiat once or twice.

Lupin doesn’t let her near it often because she isn’t afraid to sabotage the car if she plans on double crossing them.

Lupin is great with kids, but is incredibly irresponsible. He isn’t a big fan of dealing with them but once he’s got attached to them, all hell breaks loose. He is the kind of person that if they asked for ice cream for dinner he would absolutely respond with “WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT”

Goemon rarely sleeps on missions, in part because he always wants to be alert but also in part because he sleeps like a rock. Like, if a shoot out fight started right over him he would be snoring on cloud 9.

Goemon tried smoking like Lupin and Jigen once but he coughed everything up for a solid minute and hasn’t touched another cigarette since.

Lupin will borrow Jigen’s suits once in a while when he needs to tone down the color a bit but Jigen refuses to touch Lupin’s stuff with a ten foot pole no matter how much Lupin insists he would look good with a pop of color.

Jigen has perfect pitch, which is one of the main things that plays into his taste in music.

Lupin has trash taste in music, like absolutely horrid and he is banned from touching the radio in the car or the portable one on look outs.

The gang will regularly play cards together, and of course Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko are cheating but Fujiko will actively sabotage Jigen and Lupin if Goemon starts losing really bad. Goemon knows how to cheat, he just refuses to.

Based off that one McDonalds commercial with Goemon ordering ahead on his phone, I like to think that when he discovered he could order food over his phone he went a little nuts ordering his favorite food from the local Japanese joint down the street. Like, I'm talking several hundred dollars worth in a day.

Lupin and Fujiko aren’t the best at apologizing when they get into a fight with someone, but I like to think that when they try and apologize, it's sorta just a thoughtful gift they’ll slide to the person they were arguing with.

Lupin has never once forgotten Pop’s birthday and leaves him a little something every year. It's never anything stolen because he knows Zenigata wouldn't accept it if it was.

Lupin’s fur coat from his green jacket days (the one he was wearing in TWCFM) was one of the first extravagant things he bought with money he stole.

Lupin writes everything down, he’s the kind of person when presented with a riddle or a puzzle, he needs to do a hand full of scribbles that only make sense to him and then he’s got it solved. More specifically, he writes in his grandfather’s journal he found in the movie Blood Seal of The Eternal Mermaid.

Lupin has a pretty high pain tolerance but when he so much as gets a small cold, he’ll moan and groan about it.

Yikes, this got long! But I still have so much more, what is a little guy like me to do! Guess ill just have to actually post more rather than just rebloging stuff at 2 am...

[daffodils-and-bonfires]

More Part 5 Lupin III Brainrot

I said in my FujiLup divorce rant that the divorce is why everyone is acting the way they are and I wanted to elaborate:

I swear the divorce is why Goemon is so easily coerced into fighting Lupin by Enzo. I swear it’s the divorce and the fact there is no way in hell Lupin or Fujiko talked to him about it.

Fujiko didn’t talk to anyone about it. She just made vague comments at Zenigata and half assumed Lupin told everyone their business.

Lupin only talked to Jigen about it. He wasn’t actually going around trying to air out his and Fujiko’s dirty laundry to the world, he just needed to talk to someone, and that someone was Jigen!

it’s why Jigen isn’t thrown off by the mind game bullshit! He knows where he and Lupin stand with eachother! Lupin came to him after the divorce!

Goemon, meanwhile, is totally in the dark! he has no clue what happened between Lupin and Fujiko after the wedding and doesn’t feel like it’s his place to ask! And Lupin thinks he doesn’t want to know, which is why he hasn’t told him!

So while Fujiko and Lupin are testing and reestablishing their boundaries, Goemon (who I will remind you DOESNT UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLELOG WORKS) isn’t able to figure out the group dynamic anymore. He’s been trying to get answers, but the ones he’s getting don’t really answer his questions! And it’s Lupin’s own shitty explanation of how peoplelog works that convinces Goemon that he has to figure out where he stands.

And Goemon only knows how to do that one way because he wasn’t exactly taught emotional coping skills alongside how to kill people.

He challenges Lupin to a fight, and Lupin knowing his friend in that moment realizes just how confused and honestly kind of terrified Goemon is in this moment. That’s why he agrees. He doesn’t WANT to fight Goemon, but they’re past the point of talking him down the point to talk him down was weeks ago.

So they fight. Goemon wins.

And Goemon realizes two things:

One, he sees the phantom of himself a version of himself he’s been fighting against since he met Lupin the version that’s just a killer and that’s what he’s really fighting here. The fear that he’s just a tool to be used, even by his closest friends.

And Two, he just hurt one of the few people who took the time to see him as more than a weapon.

It’s why he drops Zantetsuken.

It’s why he refuses to even touch the blade, instead rushing to Lupin’s side and trying to undo even some of the damage he inflicted.

And it’s seeing that realization on Goemon’s face, seeing him come back to himself, that has Lupin smiling before he collapses. Because Lupin, no matter how selfish he can be, is willing to put himself through HELL for his people.

[theshmeepking]

I LOVE AIKO SO MUCH I NEED MORE INFO

does she get along w the gang/ how does she get along?

*rubs my hands together evilly 😈*

nahh but fr, i think i wrote this down somewhere before but it's uh. kinda outdated now ._. sooooooo...

Lupin is easily the one she talks to the most outside of Jigen. She's known him the longest, having first met him at the same time she reunited with her brother, and he did help save her life back then, so he's the one she's most comfortable with. Plus, since he a) is close with Jigen and b) was involved in her kidnapping and rescue, she doesn't feel the need to be as secretive as she usually is and is able to be more open with him than most other people.

He comes around fairly often--sometimes with Jigen, sometimes without--and most of the time they have a couple of drinks and joke around, talk about life, shit like that.

He still tries to flirt with her because of course he does, he's Lupin, but weirdly enough he's more reserved and gentlemanly with her, especially when Jigen isn't around. When he is, Lupin likes to see how far he can push it before he is threatened with bodily harm. He usually get's shut down pretty quick, but whether they admit it or not they all know it's all in good fun.

tl;dr they get along pretty well! Lupin's definitely one of Aiko's closer friends both in and outside of the gang.

Goemon doesn't talk to her nearly as often as Lupin and Jigen. They've only met a handful of times, really. Having come around later than everyone else, he's a little behind on Aiko and her whole deal, so he's usually pretty quiet around her (though her being an attractive young woman who also happens to be his friend's sister doesn't help with that, either).

While they haven't spoken much, she seems to like him a lot. He's quiet and polite, which is a nice change of pace from how rowdy the rest of her boys seem to be. She still loves them, obviously, but it's nice to have someone a little less chaotic around for a change. Even if he is a modern day samurai carrying around a sword.

Truthfully he doesn't feel much different about her, though she does tend to be a little more boisterous than he is, especially when she's around people she's comfortable with (i.e. Lupin and/or Jigen) and double especially after she's had a few drinks. Still, she seems nice.

tl;dr they don't talk to each other very often but they like each other well enough.

Unfortunately there's not a whole lot to say about Fujiko or Zenigata since Aiko's never actually met either of them, only knowing about them from secondhand accounts courtesy of Lupin and Jigen. As far as she knows Fujiko's either an absolute bitch or a goddess who can do nothing wrong and Zenigata is the guy trying to put her brother and their mutual friend in jail. I imagine if they ever did meet Aiko would just be kinda wary around both of them. I can see her maybe warming up to them a little bit (more so Zenigata than Fujiko, though) but never enough to drop her guard around them, really.

I also feel the need to mention that because of a typo my friends and I now joke about Aiko being like, super down bad for Zenigata. Do what you will with this information.

Also he probably doesn't count but I briefly mentioned him in The Aible and also just want to talk about him a little bit but Dynamite Joe! He's a guy! Who may or may not have had sexual relations with her brother! Fun!

Basically Jigen set up Joe as Aiko's emergency contact because lord knows he's a hard man to reach and the list of people he trusts, especially with his sister, is like, microscopic. Joe was his only real option outside of the gang. She didn't really like talking to him at first since he was loud and scary and kinda gross but after a while they warmed up to each other and surprisingly ended up becoming pretty good friends and Jigen absolutely hates it.

[loopspoop]

This chapter is a bit shorter but it’s plot so ^^ I do what I want! Pop’s does some pretty sweet damage control in this one! Will Lupin wake up soon? Who knows!

TW: medical malpractice and other distressing medical procedures

Some time later, everyone sat upstairs on the ground beside Lupin’s bed. The stress from earlier had ebbed away once the group had talked things out and Lupin had been given medication to fight his fever and the infection. Now, however, they were faced with the files Goemon had snatched from the lab, and they were nervous. Nobody knew what they would find in there, or how bad it would be. But they had to read them if they wanted to fix Lupin, so they would have to do their best to sit through whatever was in the writing inside.

“Alright…here we go.” Jigen bit the inside of his cheek, tilting his hat up a bit as he opened the first file and began to read.

‘Day 1

Lupin has been sedated. He had quite a fit when I explained his purpose here, asking about his partners. For now, we prep for the first procedure at dawn tomorrow. This initial procedure will be to implant the obedience chip and I can test the newest optic model and how it functions.’

Goemon frowned, glancing back at Lupin. He wondered what his thoughts had been before he was sedated. Was he panicked? Maybe he thought he would’ve gotten out of it like he always had…? That thought made him feel worse. Lupin was always optimistic about coming out of tough situations unscathed. This time…this time he didn’t…

‘Day 2

The replacement was a success! Lupin was kept awake and strapped down while I preformed the craniotomy and enucleation. I’ll have to give him a paralytic next time, his screaming was annoying…’

Jigen cringed, taking a breath to steady himself. That was just sick…he glanced at the others. Fujiko held onto Lupin’s hand, her gaze downcast. He could see the tears in her eyes.. Goemon looked nauseous..he couldn’t blame him honestly. Pops looked a combination of pissed and disturbed that was hard to put a name to. Jigen cleared his throat, reading on.

‘I’ll have to run tests to see how the chip responds with his brain function and nervous system. With luck, I can influence his behaviors and movements. The new optic works better than expected! Facial recognition, night vision, infrared, it all works! I’ll have to add in some updates later, like some type of weaponry for tougher situations, but at least I won’t have to crack his skull open again. I’ll give him a recovery day to test things more and then we’ll begin the next phase of the procedures.’

Zenigata frowned deeply. “What the fuck..” he breathed, glancing at Lupin.

“This is just the second entry..” Fujiko whispered, covering her mouth with her hand as a few tears streamed down her cheeks.

Goemon frowned, shaking his head. “Lupin was awake for all of it…”

Jigen bit his lip, nodding a bit. “I’m thinking this will only get worse…” as much as he hated it, he had to press on…

‘Day 4.

Total removal of the forearm from the elbow down on the left side was successful. The paralytic was not necessary as the subject passed out halfway through the procedure. I managed to fuse his nerves with the more organic parts of the cybernetics so the subject can feel pain as an indication of malfunction or loss of vital parts. I will repeat this procedure with his legs and other implants. This cybernetic replacement is first of its kind and will need updated further later on. I made sure to keep his double jointed abilities in mind when making this piece. More flexible alloys will be utilized in the future. I plan on implanting a retractable weapon in each arm in later models. Though I pride myself in my enhancements, these are cheap for the time being as I plan on upgrading him anyhow. All upgrades will be for the sake of successful thefts and destruction of any obstacles, if need be. The subject will be given a rest day before I begin the next phase.’

Jigen frowned, looking through some nearby blueprints and schematics of Lupin’s cybernetics. He glanced at Zenigata, handing him some of the blueprints to look over. The man had a pretty good concept of robotics from how much he invented to catch them…hopefully they could sort things out..

Zenigata hummed, looking the papers over carefully as he frowned. “This is extensive…we’ll have our work cut out for us reattaching things and making sure they stay put..”

“We’ll do whatever we have to to assist in fixing Lupin.” Goemon frowned, looking at the papers angrily.

Fujiko frowned quietly, playing with Lupin’s fingers as she watched them. “We just need to figure out what everything does..”

Jigen nodded, sighing softly as he ran a hand through his hair before continuing on.

‘Day 6

Complete amputation of entire right leg was successful but with complications. The femoral artery was compromised and the subject nearly bled out on the operating table…’

Zenigata frowned deeply, turning to look at Lupin as he rubbed his nape. It explained why he was in such awful shape to begin with…Fujiko held onto Lupin’s hand tighter. He nearly died in there…her poor Lupin. Goemon paled slightly, glancing at Lupin. He felt more guilty than ever, knowing Lupin could’ve died there. Jigen read and reread the line over and over in his head..Lupin had been right down the hall…

‘I managed to seal the tear and finish the procedure without any more issues, though the subject will need more rest than I anticipated due to this mistake. Another procedure too soon could actually kill him and be waste my time and resources. Nothing special has been decided for the legs at this time in respect to weaponry, though I might make the metal resistant to electricity and extreme heat in the future. I’ve placed the sensitivity on the limbs on high so that he will not try to escape while resting. Procedures will resume in four days.’

“That’s why he freaked out when we touched him…” Jigen mumbled, tapping his foot as he frowned.

“Part of the reason why, anyway..” Goemon looked down, wrapping his arms around himself.

“You couldn’t have known.” Zenigata shook his head, trying to console them. “We’re still figuring everything out, after all.”

Fujiko nodded a bit. “Lupin would’ve been happy about seeing us if he was awake..” she was trying to convince herself of that at least…

‘Day 10

The subject tried to escape despite the sensitivity on the cybernetics being increased. I’ve invested in using electricity as a means of control. I find it works best when used directly on the cybernetics-‘

Jigen put the papers down, shaking his head. No. He wasn’t reading this anymore. He couldn’t imagine this all happening down the hall. Goemon bit down on his lip hard, his hands shaking. That must have been part of where the burns came from. Zenigata growled in disgust, snatching the papers quickly as Fujiko cried silently into Lupin’s arm.

‘I completed the removal of the left leg below the knee. Subject did well during this procedure and was semi-lucid through the process. I’ve decided to keep him chained in the lab so I have easy access to him in the event he decides to act out or attempt to escape again. Procedures will resume after a day of rest.”

Jigen pulled his hat low, biting on his lip silently. Part of him hoped Lupin wouldn’t remember anything…he prayed he didn’t, honestly. Goemon looked at the floor silently. Lupin had been through hell..he should’ve gone to rescue everyone sooner. Fujiko held onto Lupin, glancing at Zenigata as more tears fell silently. Zenigata sighed, taking a moment before reading again.

‘Day 12

I replaced the lower section of vertebrae and added additional cybernetic implants on the torso to test how they would fare. I hope this will make the body more resistant to back and rib injuries in the future. However, the subject has developed infection in the burn sites from the electrocution. I’ve washed the wounds and tested how the cybernetics handle being submerged. They handled submersion well, so I will continue to wash the wounds until I can begin procedures again. Will check back in tomorrow.

Day 13

Subject has been less than conscious since yesterday. The infection has taken a significant toll and he has begun to call out for his comrades. It’s a good thing they’ve been detained in my cells. I’ve decided to leave the subject chained in the lab to sleep the infection off and check back tomorrow to make sure the obedience chip is stable.’

“Fuck..Fuck!” Jigen kicked the wall angrily, huffing as he clenched his fists. “He was calling for us and we were just down the hall!”

Goemon bit down on his lip hard, taking deep breaths as he closed his eyes tightly. He had taken too long to get there…Lupin had been calling for them..for him..and he hadn’t been there to save him. Poor Lupin had lived through unspeakable horrors that nobody could begin to imagine.. Fujiko frowned, looking down silently as she wiped at tears that continued to fall. Lupin had wanted them there with him…he wanted their comfort and he had been left all alone and in pain in that cold, dark lab. They had let him down.. Zenigata frowned, sighing as he took the notebook and hid it on the top shelf of the closet. Nobody needed to see this thing again..only the schematics for the cybernetics and thankfully those were separate from those horrific notes. Now he just had to take care of the gang..

“He called for us…” Jigen said softly, a few stray tears making their way down his face.

“And you came. It might’ve taken a bit but you all came for him.” Zenigata frowned, looking down at them gently. “He would’ve been grateful and I know he will be when he wakes up. He’ll be so happy to see you.”

The group of distressed thieves looked at the inspector. It was a look he had rarely, if ever, received from the group. It was uncertainty…fear…they were beyond worried for their leader. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t worried either..but he knew Lupin better than anyone. The man would bounce back with twice the vigor he normally had once he was up, he was sure of it! For now, he had to handle the rest of the gang.

“Alright, you three. You’ve left me no choice.” He stood, walking out to the hallway.

“Wha- Pops-?” Jigen hesitated, looking out after him in confusion.

“He’s decided to leave us..” Fujiko mumbled, resting her head against the bed sadly. Zenigata wouldn’t want to chase them like this…

Goemon watched quietly, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at the others. “Is he actually-?”

“I’m not leaving!” Zenigata called, rolling his eyes as he walked back in with an armful of blankets and pillows before arranging them beside the bed carefully. “I’m not that much of a bastard that I would leave you like this.”

“What the hell are you doing then-?” Jigen tilted his head, watching quietly.

“We’re sleeping on the ground, apparently..” Fujiko shrugged. At least this time there would be blankets.

Goemon watched quietly, awkwardly helping arrange some of the pillows. “I’d assume so?”

“Yes. But you’re all going to get in that blanket pile and relax. Lupin will be fine. He would want you to take care of yourselves. Would you want him to worry himself ragged over you if you were in his place?” Zenigata placed his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow as he regarded them.

Jigen frowned. “No..” he sighed softly.

Fujiko rubbed her nape, shaking her head. “No..” she loved attention but..she wouldn’t want that..

Goemon shook his head. “We would not.”

“See? So take some time to rest and process all of this. You’ll be doing the same for him when he wakes up. You’ll all have to do it together so just…take it easy. Alright?” Zenigata smiled a bit, pushing them toward the blankets hopefully.

Goemon regarded the pile quietly before taking a seat propped between the corner of the bed and the wall. He opened his arms, looking at Jigen and Fujiko expectantly. Fujiko smiled a little, snuggling up to the samurai on one side while Jigen laid against his other. Zenigata watched as the group made themselves comfortable before they all looked at him.

“What..?” Zenigata raised an eyebrow, tilting his head curiously.

“You gonna get in here or not, old man?” Jigen looked at him from under his hat curiously.

“Yeah, we’re not keeping all of this to ourselves, inspector.” Fujiko smiled tiredly, resting her head against Goemon’s chest.

Goemon nodded, smiling faintly as he waved the inspector in. “There is room for one more.”

Zenigata hesitated, smiling sheepishly as he laid up against Jigen cautiously. He laughed a bit when the gunman pulled him closer into the group before he pulled the blankets up on everyone carefully. Jigen pushed the inspectors hat down over his eyes before doing the same with his own as he rested back on Goemon’s side. The samurai laid back against the corner he had sat himself in, closing his eyes as he carefully played with Jigen and Fujiko’s hair. Fujiko sighed softly, closing her eyes as she curled into Goemon’s side gently. They were all finally getting to relax..and hopefully Lupin would wake up soon so he could join in next time.

[fizzingwizard]

My favorite things ever created for Lupin III were Mine Fujiko's Lie, and The Woman Called Mine Fujiko

Not because I don't love the fun, energetic, quirky vibe of the classic series. Not because I prefer Fujiko to the boys (though I do adore her).

For me, The Woman Called Mine Fujiko resurrected not just Fujiko, but every female character written by a man who assumed he knew what makes women tick - or didn't care whether he knew, and just wanted to write her that way.

In the classic series, Fujiko's both a strong, dangerous woman who regularly betrays Lupin, yet she's also a helpless damsel in distress who needs Lupin to save her. How much she is of either depends on the writer and the story. Her saving grace is that, even back then, there was already more than just a sense that Lupin enjoyed getting outmaneuvered by her. They were the kind of perfect rivals who make the fan girls drool when it's two men, and start to see secret romantic longing in every look. Lupin and Fujiko really were rivals in love, but instead of making them more interesting, it hurt them. It made Lupin seem stupid, and it made Fujiko seem cold, heartless, selfish, and arrogant. What's more, because the story always favored Lupin and the boys' POV, we rarely ever got a glimpse of what Fujiko thought or felt - so fans were free to attribute to her whatever motivations they wanted. And fans, when it comes to beautiful, treacherous women, aren't very open-minded, let alone forgiving.

So The Woman Called Mine Fujiko was desperately needed. It somehow managed to pull Fujiko out of the grip of the male gaze without turning her into some kind of angel. It subverted the whole "she turned out like this because she was damaged as a child," by making us think that's what happened to her and then making it all a lie. She's still a criminal. She still betrays and uses people and is less spiritual and more practical about taking life than the romantics Jigen and Goemon (and often Lupin) are. And the underlying message was, it really doesn't matter what made Fujiko. She's a woman, and she's free to do what she wants. Even if it's bad. If we admire Lupin, we really have no business hating Fujiko. (Specific episodes can make most anyone hate her, but that should be chalked up to bad writing and low respect for characterization. This is, after all, fiction.) And, we learn, Lupin isn't in love with Fujiko just because she's beautiful and dangerous. He's also in love with her because he loves freedom, and freedom is Mine Fujiko.

In Mine Fujiko's Lie, we once again get this amazing, nuanced Fujiko who subverts tropes as neatly as she high kicks in heels. Her antagonist is a warped version of herself, a master manipulator who doesn't realize how he's manipulated by others, whose freedom comes with his first taste of desire - and which ultimately leads to his destruction. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - or lost. In her usual style, Fujiko defeats him by seducing and betraying him. While the art avoids the gore of Jigen's and Goemon's episodes, the eroticism highlights Fujiko's body's softness and vulnerability in a way that makes her seem desperate but determined as she uses psychological manipulation to win over sheer male power. Thematically, yeah, she's still talking about love and sex. But there's something existential about the way she talks, something deep that digs into the human psyche.

And the reframing of Fujiko's skill as psychology rather than seduction is only part of what's modern and liberating. The other is her relationship with the little boy (whose name I can't recall atm :P). We're primed to think (or dread) that Fujiko is about to tap into her latent maternal instincts. She's a woman, so of course she won't be able to resist a motherless child! And, as un-Fujiko-like as that would be, the alternative - her stealing the boy's only chance at a healthy life along with stranding him as an orphan - was too distasteful to hope for. The story string us along, making us think it'll be one, it'll be the other... and then, in the end, she's neither drawn into motherly sentiment, nor does she turn out to be utterly irredeemably (the usual fate of women who don't perform femininity in an acceptable way). She gets what she wants and the boy gets what he needs. He probably won't have stellar memories of her - and she's still far, far from an angel. But she's worked the job the way that she wants to work it, with resourcefulness and independence. Unlike her helpless charge, or her helpless antagonist. It's telling that this is the only movie of the three in this series which results in a direct kill (of the main antagonist, I mean). If there's anything Fujiko can't stand, it's helplessness. She's going to survive. She doesn't wax romantic about what it means to be a warrior. Someone came for her, she gave as good as she got - that's Fujiko. And yet, though she can't afford to be weak, she isn't so hard that she can't fall asleep on Lupin's shoulder.

I needed both of these stories to love Lupin III. Without them, I don't think I'd be able to look at it as anything more than a boy's fantasy. Fujiko's gotten some better development and overall treatment in some of the more recent anime series - but I will say that I was really disappointed in her in season six, because I felt she was rewritten to be more like ScarJo's Black Widow than anyone who could function as Lupin's rival and lover at once.

rabbit trail: The bit in Goemon's Blood Spray, where Fujiko walks off because Goemon's self-punishment is too ridiculous to watch, and Jigen and Lupin are all "This is how men are," about it, gets a mixed reaction from me. On the one hand, I tend to feel like Fujiko, that as confused yet determined as Goemon was, him killing himself through training is just wasteful. As is his friends letting him, because that's what he wants and he's got a warrior's spirit and yadda yadda. But on the other, my real issue is claiming this is a gender difference. It's glorifying the warrior philosophy yet again, when in the real world strong, war-hardened men run from battle every day, not because they aren't real warriors, but because they have sense. Live to die another day. (Which, incidentally, is what happens for Goemon, because he survives the training.) IMO Fujiko left because she's practical. Goemon did what he did because he's spiritual. Jigen didn't understand him, but went along with him anyway, because Jigen is emotional. And Lupin did understand him and deliberately didn't get in his way because he's a mix of little bits of all the other characters.