Ranked #211

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

The Castle of Cagliostro is a really great movie. It's obviously quite old, seeing as how the animation can be choppy at times, but the characters are great and the story is wonderful.

Story-

The storyline of this movie is well-developed and fast-paced. Unlike some Miyazaki movies, the Castle of Cagliostro has a fast-paced storyline that is very easy to understand.

Art-

The art in this movie is alright... It's certainly not the best from Hayao Miyazaki, considering it's one of his first films, but the art is still good. The backgrounds and
buildings, however, are very beautiful and realistic, and the characters look a little like cartoons.

Sound-

The music in the movie was pretty good and enjoyable. When there was music (which there often was) it fit very well to the current situation or setting.

Characters-

The characters begin well-developed and stay that way. I really wish that the character's could've developed a bit more throughout the movie because their personality was the same at the end as it was in the beginning.
The main character is Lupin, a skilled theif who is also very relaxed and tends to joke around. There's also Lupin's assistant gunman, Jigen, who often questions Lupin but always ends up doing what he says. There's also Clarice, the "damsel in distress", the GroundsKeeper of the castle and his dog Carl, and the Count, a twisted, evil, and double-crossing man.

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I really enjoyed this movie because of it's characters and storyline. The music was a nice touch as well. But if you're looking for a movie based on the art, you should probably pick another Miyazaki movie as this movie is not his best.

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What happens when a thief feels robbed?

In Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, the master thief Lupin and his partner-in-crime Jigen pull off a major heist, only to realise the loot is all counterfeited. They decide to travel to the countryside to figure out who is producing these fake bills. On their way to the famous Caste of Cagliostro, where Lupin thinks he'll find the answers, he encounters a young bride who is one the run from violent pursuers. And once Lupin decides to save the damsel in distress, he gets sucked into the mystery and dangers surrounding this woman and the Count of Cagliostro. Simple enough, action-filled storyline with great amounts of entertaining plot twists and problem-solving? I think we have a winner! The storyline for this movie is very close to just a 'prince saving a princess from a bad guy and saving the day' formula, but what makes it better and different? Why, Lupin is the supposed "prince"! That alone makes this story all the more interesting.

The art looks amazing. Considering, especially, when this movie was made. There are some absolutely beautiful scenes of the landscape. The animation is incredible. There are numerous physical gags and chase scenes and shoot-outs and they are animated brilliantly with some interesting vision too. Take the act of swimming through some underground canals--you'll never look at it quite like that after Lupin does it.

Sound was also very good. It kept the pace of the anime at all times with it's quick, energised tempos.

What makes any Lupin III production any good is, well, Lupin himself. He is an extremely charismatic protagonist. His goofy charms, his cunning, his silliness--they all make him a rather lovable lead. Also, he's a thief who saves the day. I like that sort of thing. Well, not stealing. But you see that there's more to a person than just their job and things they are good at. The supporting cast is pretty good as well. There's the trusty Jigen who gives a lot of support and has great rapport with Lupin. There's Fujiko who gives some excellent one-liners. We have the ultra-cool and collected Goemon. And of course, the ever-exasperated, very silly detective Zenigata whose one ambition is to catch Lupin and lock him away. Plus there is the young bride who Lupin rescues and the formidable Count Cagliostro.

Was this movie fun? If pure entertainment had a name, I suspect it would be titled after this movie. It was funny, fun, absorbing...all the things that make a movie worth popping the popcorn for.

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is the best Lupin III movie ever made, and it's just a really great movie on its own. Watch it, most definitely. It's also very easy to get into if you've never seen a Lupin III production before. read more