Having seen almost half of the specials, movies, OVAs, all of the first series, and almost half of the second series, I'll say this:
There is a lot of variance. But this is true for any Lupin character. What I think is important about Fujiko are her consistencies. She is consistently smarter than the world's best thief, she's ruthless, cunning, and scandalous.
I think the most important pieces to watch to see Fujiko's character are Mine Fujiko to iu Onna, which came out in 2012 and is a 13 episode series based solely around Fujiko. It is the first Lupin title not to feature Lupin as the main character, and the only. It depicts Fujiko in a much stronger manner. We see Fujiko's actions strongly effect those around her, the impact she leaves, her motivations, and her aspirations. We see Fujiko forsake a train loaded with treasure to save some children (only to find out later, she wasn't after that treasure anyway, which was an excellent way to twist the knife representing her true intentions). We see her fall in love. The series does a magnificent job developing her, as well as the supporting cast. While it isn't the only option for how to vote for Fujiko, I think it's the one most would want to see. Also note that as a prequel series, there's no required anime to watch before watching it.
I'll also point out, Castle of Cagliostro only has Fujiko making a cameo appearance, and shouldn't be used for voting on her character. The original '71 series, the '77 series, and the '84 series are all options. Fujiko's Unlucky Days is an option. Island of Assassins is an option. And of course the manga, which is probably my second favorite representation of Fujiko, and also explains nil's situational confusion with Fujiko's role in the first series:
In the manga, Fujiko isn't one person. Any time a woman appears in the manga (unless there's multiple women per arc) then her name is Fujiko, and she plays a detrimental role to the storyline. But there's never any familiarity between her and Lupin, Jigen, or Goemon. Fujiko is simply a moniker, if you will. Fujiko is many characters, and when talking about the manga, people will this, "This chapter's Fujiko is x," or "That chapter's Fujiko was y." It's simply the nature of the manga. Most of the first series is based on the manga, if only marginally, and so Fujiko will often play the same role, making her seemingly a victim one episode, and the primary antagonist the next.
In the second series, this is changed, and Fujiko has a cohesive personality. She also follows the second series personality for the specials, movies, OVAs, and third series, and Mine Fujiko to iu Onna.
Anyway, I'll be sure to respond to anymore questions, comments, critiques, or concerns. |