"No, don't adjust your set! It's true, Jigen really does get a love interest in the next one. Which is all well and good in theory, but since it only happens once about every hundred episodes, well, let's just say that when that much backed-up testosterone is finally released, it's not a pretty sight."
— Lupin narrating the episode preview for Episode 26 in the English dub, vastly underestimating Jigen's romantic life
Okay, so... I made a profile post about this a few weeks ago and I've still been ruminating on it (Jigen episodes, Jigen love interests, etc), don't actually know how much meat is on this bone but here you go. My intention is to compile episodes or specials or movies with a significant Jigen A-plot (or B-plot if I really like the episode/special and I feel like sharing it, so there!). Anything where he gets some character spotlight.
I will attempt to document people important to Jigen as they come up: his ex-lovers, his allies, his former mentors, and his enemies (who are sometimes also ex-lovers). We’ll also discuss his past as it comes up, in whatever bits and pieces that it does. Marking it as spoilers because I will elaborate on the Jigen exes who do indeed end up dying dramatically, but I will try not to post entire plot synopses (just my impressions/summaries) otherwise.
Feel free to point out anything I overlooked. I have seen Part 1 and Part 2 in their entirety (and I’ve seen Part 2 many, many times), Part 3 is fuzzy to me (so thanks to the folks who have already brought up Jigen episodes that I might’ve forgotten or excluded otherwise), I have not seen all of Part 6 but I do know there is at least one tragic Jigen love interest episode in there. I’ve also not seen all of the TV specials/movies - TV specials in particular, please throw out the ones you know of with Jigen plots, I’m not great with these. I know Voyage to Danger is the often-cited one, but if there's anything else... Ah, and I also know about Goodbye Partner. But I don't like it...
If I'm feeling ambitious/get around to it I will also discuss Jigen in TWCFM, since a Tragic Jigen Love Interest is the catalyst for his story there as well.
I know there are some people out there who have already written some great pieces about Jigen's relationship with... well, relationships, and his complicated sexuality, but if this helps anyone else get into his brain, all the better. If you couldn't tell, he is my favorite character.
I’m going to start with just Part 2 episodes - because I’m the most familiar with them, and because I can’t really think of any Part 1 Jigen standouts. He’s great as a supporting character in Part 1 but I don’t think there’s anything truly Jigen-centric? Again, I’m open to corrections and discussion and sharing your favorites or ones I missed! Just please be respectful, and try not to take in bad faith my or other people's interpretations of the character or episodes. I'm aware that my opinions are just my opinions and I would rather not argue about them.
With that out of the way...
Maybe I will edit this first post with a Tragic Jigen Ex tally count, and which Parts/specials/et cetera I've covered.
Because of how long this post is going to be already, I'm going to spoiler some of my more rambling thoughts/episode summaries.
Some images borrowed from the Lupin III wiki! So thank you very much to the contributors over there. (I own the entirety of Part 2 on DVD but my computer has no disc drive, which is MY FAULT.)
My small Part 1 note: Jigen takes an interest in Ginko Hoshikage when they go to her club, then changes his mind about bashing Lupin for wanting to party because he doesn't mind being attended to by her. This feels a little out of character for Jigen, to me, but it was Part 1, and Part 1 Jigen feels less emotionally constipated...
My throwaway Part 2 note, also: Jigen says Lady Detective Melon is a cutie when Lupin calls her ugly, but I really can't tell with his straightforward delivery in both the subs and the dub if he's being tongue-in-cheek or not. Likewise I can't really pick up on the context of the Japanese since I'm not that good at it. Knowing Jigen, I think he's just being mean! But imagine if he was serious.
Part 2, Episode 26
"A Rose and a Pistol"
Jigen Ex: Linda
A beautiful flamenco dancer whom Jigen falls head over heels for. However, she's got some ulterior motives for courting him.
This is also the last episode in the "first season" of Part 2. I feel like the trope of the tragic Jigen love interest truly begins here, at least as far as the anime’s footprint is concerned.
This entire episode, while it’s considered kind of a classic, is bizarre to me because of this Jigen that exists here. He doesn’t kill women or children (or so he claims, sometimes)... but he does in this episode. And he falls for Linda instantly and says he’ll quit being a thief to follow her around for the rest of his life… That doesn’t really add up to his attitude towards women and relationships. Jigen acts very Lupin-esque here. Not to mention the various holes that pop up in this episode with the villain Meyer and the Fujiko plotline that goes nowhere.
It’s overall a bit odd, but the Jigen and Lupin standoff at the end is gay enough that I’ll give it a pass.
Part 2, Episode 58
"The Face of Goodbye at the National Border"
Jigen Ex(?): Monica Ivanov
A prima ballerina who wants to defect from the Soviet Union. Jigen helps her make it across the border so she can start her new life in America (“What’s so great about the United States?” he says, smiling, or something to that effect.)
She makes Jigen act as her fake husband to achieve this goal, so I will count her as a "Jigen ex." Let's be honest, there was romantic tension here.
I don't have much to say about this one... I like it, just no smart commentary. Lupin calling Jigen out as a secret romantic at the end is more of how I understand Jigen's character; he has these feelings, but he will often repress them or compartmentalize them. Because he's experienced enough to know that romance doesn't mix with his line of work? Likely. He's not as optimistic about love as Lupin is, and aside from that, he is a self-described raging misogynist (though I honestly think Lupin's treatment of women can be worse, but eh).
I feel like this is a fairly popular "Jigen episode" as well.
Part 2, Episode 76
"Do You Know Shakespeare?"
I really don't recommend this one. In an abridged watch-through I'd call this one a skip. While I guess you could call it well-intentioned, it's Part 2 and it's an episode with a poorly executed narrative about race. And there's a guy who does secret blackface in it. It's weird. But I am documenting it because there is a Jigen ex.
Jigen Ex: Angelica
She was once a rich girl who wanted Jigen to marry her. Jigen drove her car into a river or something. Then Jigen broke her heart so hard she became a nun. She does die in this episode, and Jigen holds her body dramatically and all.
This one does have (literally) flowery romantic flashbacks, Jigen meeting her in her rose garden (or whatever it was), them riding on horseback together... and Jigen's pretty much entirely straight-faced the entire time. It's a little funny if it wasn't so sad, knowing that Angelica was apparently really into him! When Lupin presses him for the "steamy" details Jigen says something along the lines of really not being interested in talking about romance and ending it there. I think this depiction of Jigen is a little on the far end of "pessimistic about romance," I prefer something partway between this and his willingness to commit to Linda immediately in episode 26. We'll get to my personal sweet spot of Jigen feelings here in a bit (it's episode 111, spoiler).
Part 2, Episode 84
"Leave Revenge to Lupin"
Jigen Mentor: Joe Spade (or Joe of Spades?)
Joe is one of, I believe several characters? alleged to have taught Jigen the gun. Now he's come to Jigen to say that he's too old and has to get out of the game, but there are men out to get him for... some reason.
Lupin kinda hogs the spotlight by the end of the episode, but this one has some cute Jigen moments and I like the bouncy? quality to some of the animation. We also get a Jigen flashback to young Jigen who still lives in New York. He has no facial hair here, he's in the red shirt and black jacket combination we will see again in Lupin Zero. Timelines are a fool's errand when it comes to Lupin media, but for the record, Joe Spade is said to have been in his prime in I believe the 1950s here, when Jigen is his protege. I think that puts Jigen around his late 30s or early 40s, which makes sense to me, but... In the same way timelines don't matter, ages in Lupin are also 'whatever benefits the narrative,' so, you know.
I didn't realize this before, but this is also a Telecom episode. I guess that's why I think it looks so cute! Okay, moving on.
Part 2, Episode 99
"The Scattered Magnum" or, Fighting Jigen, or... this one has a few titles
This is a few things of note: another Telecom episode, one of my favorite episodes of Part 2 and of the series in general, and an adaptation of a manga chapter. It was also the first episode of an anime to be broadcast in stereo.
The manga chapter it adapted is New Lupin III Chapter 23, “Western Jigen”. I think the anime made some tweaks that enhance the episode, like giving Lupin a more robust B-plot, and removing the unnecessary character from the manga of ‘Jigen’s unnamed fiancee.’ I don’t know if she ever even shows up outside of this one specific chapter where she shows up and declares that she is Jigen’s fiancee. Or girlfriend? Whichever. I really like the idiosyncrasies of Monkey Punch’s writing, I can’t lie.
(Not an Anime) Jigen Ex: The unnamed girlfriend. She calls him Daisuke! When I first read this chapter in one of the manga collections by Seven Seas, I was stunned. Nobody calls him by just his first name, like ever! But this unnamed woman who shows up in exactly one chapter does. Again, Monkey Punch... ...
Jigen Adversary: Stoneman
He’s a gunman who wants to prove that he’s better than Jigen, et cetera. Not uncommon among Jigen adversaries.
I’ve seen some call him a Jigen Ex, but I don’t consider him to be one because all he did was challenge Jigen to a duel (that he failed to show up for). Ship them if you want to though, I’m not your boss.
Part 2, Episode 111
"Is The Invader Safe Open?"
Jigen Ex: Catherine Molo
Catherine and Jigen were a couple when they were still young and broke in New York. (Here we get the other appearance, besides episode 84, I can remember of young, flashback, New York Jigen.) Eventually, Jigen decided he couldn’t commit to her because he lives a crazy dangerous life or some such, and left her on her own. Catherine is another lady who just never moved on from him, I guess. She reappears in his life to challenge him to steal a diamond from her mansion (she's the head of some diamond processing company now and is filthy rich).
I think the undertones to Jigen and Catherine’s relationship here are actually quite sad and interesting, despite this episode getting a bit silly with the logic of the safe at the end. Catherine wants to lure Jigen back to her, and Jigen hesitates to make it easier for the gang to loot her than it has to be because he sees that she's still hung up on him. On some level, he still feels guilty for abandoning her, I think, but in the end he tells her once and for all that it’s over and that he won’t come into her life again. Pretty sad. Catherine’s distress when Jigen destroys her photo of him, and Jigen’s smile dropping as the SSK pulls away at the end… I think Jigen's right in that it's way past the time they could've made their relationship work, but I like how this episode portrays Jigen's subtler, conflicting emotions about his past flames more than they do with Angelica. But like I said, episode 76's a bit of a dud for me.
Part 2, Episode 129
"I Saw the Kindness of a Man's Heart in Jigen"
The one with a mouthful for a title.
Jigen Ally: Sandra
Not a Jigen Ex or Jigen Love Interest, because she already has a man she’s trying to get back to. Despite this, she does still crash through his hotel window completely naked. For reasons, I’m sure.
Jigen really goes out of his way to help this lady even though he doesn’t get much out of it. She even says herself that he has an opportunity to betray her and take the treasure for himself. But like the title implies, he doesn't; it's because Jigen's just a big ol' softie deep down! Allegedly. Not much more to say about this one either, I think it's just okay. I wasn't really following the civil war plotline.
Part 2, Episode 148
"The Target is 555 Meters"
Jigen Ally: sniper rifle
This one may not technically be a ‘Jigen episode,’ but I feel like he is absolutely the episode’s MVP. I think the opening scene also illustrates Jigen and Lupin's partnership pretty succinctly and it's awesome. This one is a classic, straightforward heist story - which you feel like you don’t actually see much in Lupin, after a while - and it mostly centers around Jigen being able to consistently hit his target and weaken the bulletproof glass surrounding their score. The poor guy develops arthritis in his finger from this stunt. Everybody say THANK YOU JIGEN! WE WILL BUY YOU THAT FRENCH DOLL!
Part 2, Episode 152
"Jigen, a Hat, and a Pistol"
Jigen Adversary: Minnesota Fats
He’s a gunman who wants to prove that he’s better than Jigen... again. This time, his pool cue... is a gun!
A strange CEO of a company says he will leave the company and all of his money to the best marksman in the world when he dies, for some reason. And the company's shortlist is Minnesota Fats, and Jigen, for some reason. (Edit to clarify... Fujiko tipped the company off on Jigen, of course.) Fats wants all that money for himself, so he burns Jigen's hats, which apparently determine whether or not Jigen can line up his shots correctly.
This is one of those... silly ones, at the tail end of Part 2, that I'm kind of neutral on. It's a cute episode, because we get Jigen in a vest and rolled up sleeves combo (great) and flustered Jigen (great), but the conceit of Jigen not being able to shoot straight without his special hat is just a little too far-fetched for me. We've seen Jigen shooting without his hat before, notably in episode 99 when he finishes his duel with Stoneman. Jigen's a badass hat or not! Anyway, it's mostly an excuse to remove Jigen's gun for an episode, so he has to give Minnesota Fats the runaround to beat him in a duel, and Fujiko gets him a nice new hat at the end (probably because she wants a cut of his new fortune). I prefer episode 99 to this one.
Tragic Jigen Ex Count (so far): 4
Huh! With how much it's become a bit of a running joke that Jigen can't catch a break, I guess it feels like there are more than that because of how memorable and well-regarded some of these episodes are.
What we've learned about Jigen... I feel like it's pretty consistently written in Part 2 that Jigen is an American from NYC. He makes comments about it being where he's from in other episodes that take place in New York, but don't really have a Jigen focus/love interest. I know some official material says he's Japanese by nationality, but... I choose to stick with the Japanese-American Jigen headcanon. Feels right to me.
Catherine seems to be one of his earliest girlfriends, Angelica comes some time after, then Linda, then Monica (if we are assuming the episodes that come after each other are in chronological order).
I'll probably do Part 3 and Part 4 together next time, so feel free to suggest episodes for that. There's also an episode or two from Part 2 I feel like I maybe-sorta could've included. If I missed any major Jigen Exes, let me know.
Part 3 episode 6, Part 3 episodes 27 & 28, and Part 4 episode 4 are on my list to cover next. But please let me know of any Jigen features I'm missing, my ability to grab them from the aether myself decreases drastically after Part 2.
There's also part 5 episode 19 and part 6 episode 15! The former is a standalone but the latter is one more relevant to the overall plotline. Part 5's dips into his military background and a woman he met back then who was a sniper. Not technically a Jigen ex it was basically platonic, but he did care for her a lot. Part 6's is about him encountering a woman from his past when he was with the mob and she saved him from dying in an alleyway. Both interesting! (Although we get a bit of the classic patented "Jigen Does Misogyny Again" for Part 5's episode)
These are both on my list down the line! I would definitely like to talk about Mirage at some point. Even if she's not technically an ex, I have to admit that I really like her as a one-off character. I'm the type who headcanons Jigen with a preference for men (whether he denies it or internalizes it or not), but I have asked myself, if I HAD to pair him with a woman... ... I feel like Mirage might be up there. I like her and I feel like she could match his energy. But yes, Jigen going off on her daughter made me laugh the first time I watched the episode just by the sheer audacity, assuming that's what you mean. Like jeez, what was all that for!
This is my big "Jigen is trans" episode, it's one of my absolute favourites!
Like you said, timeline doesn't exist because each writer and director who take on the cast have differing views on who these characters are, sometimes even episode to episode which, to me, is the best part of the series. Anyone can do anything with them! Everything is an AU!
Yeah... I'm probably not saying it as eloquently, but I've seen other people comment before that Lupin is similar to American comics in that it can have dozens of separate continuities and the characters are more archetypes to follow rather than being set in stone. I think I tend to forget this sometimes when I'm trying to make sense of things, when there's nothing to make sense of, but I can be a bit literal-minded...
But, I also think that's a strength of the series! I like that everyone can get something different out of it and none of it is really the 'wrong' way to like Lupin.
I thought I would have more time to put down thoughts about my somewhat Jigen-centric watchlist, but not so. I've been so busy. I will say that I think I decided against putting Part 3 and Part 4 together; I think I want to talk about Prison of the Past when I have the time (it's styled like a Part 2 episode)... which is not a Jigen special nor a Jigen episode, but everybody loves Dynamite Joe. And I also don't see much discussion about Jigen and Finnegan even though they're definitely implied to have had... a thing... what sort of thing? Well, who knows.
Anywho, before the thought gets too far away from me, then I'd like to do Part 3 episodes standalone, especially since I don't remember much of Part 3. Then maybe go into some TV specials that aired between Part 3 and Part 4 (Hemingway Papers and Voyage to Danger are called to mind first). That'd give me an excuse to get my hands on that new Discotek release... And 4-5-6 together maybe makes more sense since they aired closer together anyway. Not that there's much rhyme or reason to Lupin canon, like I've already said, but I've got to try to logic it for myself!
For now, I'm lying awake because I had this episode going on in the background today and felt I should bring up another thing about it. I think I should also go back and rewatch that Sandra episode but...
Angelica was a member of an old money(?) Venetian family. Jigen says he was in Venice because he was a "border-hopping fugitive" after he was ordered to carry out a hit on a mafia boss's son. I feel like Jigen getting in trouble with the mob is also a bit of a recurring thing for him... But why would he think hiding out in Italy was the move after that? Now I don't care to go back and see if it was explained how he got them off of his back. Probably through gunfights or something but sometimes Jigen just lists off people who want to kill him without much urgency.
This train of thought, "how does Jigen solve a big problem, NOT off-screen or with Lupin's intervention" just made me want to talk about the live-action Jigen movie again. Because "gunfights" was the answer there. Obviously. But that's for another time... There's just too much Lupin to get through... Not that that's a bad problem to have!
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