Mine Fujiko: Bringing Sexy Back to the Old School

Those who read me may know this about my tastes: I am not a fan of “old school” anime. This is a bit odd because in most entertainment—movies, art, music, literature—I love time-honored classics. And, while I am not always well-versed in the canon of different media or genre, I often fancy myself a nostalgia romantic. Curious, then, that I have such a strong bias against older anime. ^[1]

Lupin the Third is an old franchise, but more importantly, a classic from an era past. Its most recent run, Lupin III: The Woman Called Mine Fujiko, retains the old-fashioned aesthetics despite the anime’s release just this spring season. The character designs give the anime an (out)-dated look that harks straight from the Sixties and Seventies, a look that I usually actively avoid.

Yet, I loved The Woman Called Mine Fujiko.

So what makes Mine Fujiko special, enough that I can overlook my unreasonable distaste for anime passé?

Sex, of course, as always.

Mine Fujiko is a sexy anime. And, it is not just sexy; it is loud and bold about its dripping eroticism. It leaves little in reserve and has no qualms about revealing what needs to be revealed—but nothing more. Sensual and powerful, Mine Fujiko is indeed a direct assault on the libido. More impressively, the presentation of fan service delivers more than mere raw physical reactions unlike that of, say, Queen’s Blade. The series somehow has a hint of culture and—dare I say it—class. “Old school” class.

The cold open in the first episode reminds strongly of the famed James Bond gun barrel sequence in its emphasis on visuals and sexuality. Granted, Bond and Mine Fujiko have significantly different elements. Still, the use of symbolism, the simple color palette, fluidity of cuts, and femme fatale are comparable in the two. Further, much like the Bond movies past and present, Mine Fujiko pays tribute to Lupin III’s roots from half-a-century ago.

Though the anime immediate takes the audience back to a time when animation is rough and faces look comical, Mine Fujiko somehow avoids evoking such images. Instead of imagery of Gundam and Astro Boy, Lupin III conjures up atmospheres more suggestive of Casablanca and other classic films. ^[2] Maybe it is in the Bond-esque opening or the use of grainy black-and-white, or perhaps even the sex; whatever it is, Lupin III through Mine Fujiko’s lenses is a departure from my myopic view of older anime, a view distinct enough from the western, Hollywood-driven film industries.

Furthermore, Mine Fujiko embodies the sexual desires of both Japanese anime and Hollywood circa Seventies. In her curves, we see proportions accentuating the female secondary sexual characteristics: a slender form and thin waist accompanied by a voluptuous bosom and round, bodacious hips. Though no longer in vogue in today’s media, these sensual lines were once much lusted.

Moreover, the sexual context of the first episode is also characteristic of the decades surrounding the Seventies. Carnal desires and sex are often glorified with decadence, orgies, adventure, luxury, and most fascinating, exoticism. (Think Jason and the Argonauts or perhaps the more popular Princess Leia next to Jabba the Hutt.) ^{[3] [4]} Likewise, the premier episode of Mine Fujiko is set in a cult ripe with those extravagant, exotic—seemingly Hindu or Buddhist—flavors. This context gives the anime a perfect, fashionable environment for adventure, nostalgia, eroticism, and a reason for Mine Fujiko to use her charms.

Indeed, Mine Fujiko—sex—is my bridge to the nostalgic past. ^[5]

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1. Admittedly, I am not that familiar at all with older anime.
2. Released in 1942, Casablanca is a stretch, although the romance and mood are nice fits. It is but a mere visual cue.
3. Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980), while near decades apart from Lupin III’s original run, are close in terms of fetish trends.
4. While one could consider the nudity in Mine Fujiko to be a homage to sexploitation and grindhouse films—also of the Seventies—I find Mine Fujiko to have too much subtlety and class.
5. This post is written in response and draws references from vucubcaquix and ajthefourth’s colloquium on a similar topic (also a brilliant further read).
   The post is also a belated promise to Sei.
   Confidence is sexy!