Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Behind The Mask: Kyoko Fukada is “Lupin No Musume”

Pretty librarian Hana Mikumo (Kyoko Fukada) believes she has found the man of her dreams, the earnest Kazuma Sakuraba’s (Koji Seto) whom she believes is nothing more than a Public official.
They intend to get married, but when they go to Kazuma's home to meet his family and get their blessing, they are saddened to find them flatly rejecting their engagement!
But it isn’t the fact that she has been rejected as much as the reason why: they reject her because she isn’t a POLICE OFFICER! It seems that Kazuma and his entire family come from a long line of Law Enforcement Officials and intend to keep it as such. This is a shock because Hana had mistakenly believed Kazuma was as PUBLIC official, not a POLICE officer!
P-Police???
 You're all POLICE OFFICIALS?
There is one HUGE reason why she should be concerned, and we find out what it is when she is dropped home that night! From the outside, Hana’s home seems like a humble little abode...
...but once inside, secret passageways take her to their real home- a huge, luxurious complex in the sky!
In  a huge room filling to the ceiling with every type of priceless artifact and heirloom, we meet her beautiful Mother Etsuko (Majyu Ozawa), suave father Takeru (Atsuro Watabe) and find out that THIS family comes from a long line…OF THIEVES!

Yes, in COMPLETE opposition to Kazuma’s Law Enforcement family, the Mikumos are actually legendary thieves known to the public only as  The “L” Group and they live their every waking moment devising new ways to beg, steal and borrow what they need to fuel their lavish lifestyles!
Poor Hana has long since rejected her family’s crooked ways but it hasn’t been a serious issue until now. Can she continue to go out with the man she loves and get MARRIED to him with such a secret? Not only would he reject her, but what about her family?  As Robber Royalty, they’d reject Kazuma, too! For now, she keeps it a secret from them that she is engaged to a Police officer and can only pray she can convince them to accept him.
On the other side, Kazuma is struggling with his family’s rejection of the girl he loves. No matter what he says, Father (Masayuki Shida) and Mother (Marcia) will not accept Hana because she is a mere Librarian.
Even his stoic grandfather Waichi (played by the legendary tokusatsu henshin hero Hiroshi “Hongo Takeshi” Fujioka) refuses to give a word of acceptance for his grandson’s beloved fiancee, growling only "Give up on the girl!"
In desperation he promises that if they accept Hana he will work hard and make First Division, and with THAT, his father’s ears prick up. It is then settled that IF he makes it to First Division, ONLY THEN will they accept Hana and bless his engagement!
Taking to his superior Eichi Maki (Ryo Kato), he advises that the only way a young guy like Kazuma will ever become First Division is if he were to do something grand…like identifying and arresting that same legendary ring of thieves…the L team!
Thus Hana and Kazuma’s romance is set up into a modern-day Romeo and Juliet a la Cops and Robbers, with Hana both keeping her thieving roots a secret and keeping Kazuma's Police status from her parents!
It’s bad enough with Kazuma determined to nail Hana’s thieving parents, but when Kazuma gets caught up in a tangled crime web and his life threatened, Hana herself must don her burglar mask and rejoin her parents in her rich thieving lineage in order to save him!
AHAHA, much like the anime Lupin The III, this is one ZANY and WACKY show not meant to be taken seriously at ALL and PERFECT for a fun late night show when you want to wind down and have a chuckle or two! Kyoko Fukada is as cute as ever...
....and special mention must be made of Majyu Ozawa, who hams up VERY scene she’s in with a manic Morticia Addams take on extravagant living!
PS: Was also a thrill seeing Marcia as Kazu's stern Mother. Remember back in the 90's when she was this totally HOT and SEXY singer/geinokai? Nice to know she's still got it!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com