Takumi Nishijō is a complete hikikomori otaku who spends his days living in a docking crate on the roof of a cheap apartment complex. Practically his entire daily routine consists of playing his MMORPG, while having virtually no friends or social life. He even follows a strict schedule that allows him to go to school as little as possible, while still passing for the year. Takumi wants nothing to do with the so-called “3-D world” and instead indulges in sensual delusions with his “2-D wife” Orgel Seira, a female character from his favorite anime. His only contact with his family is through his bratty younger
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sister Nanami Nishijō, though she does little to distract him from his own delusional 2-D world.
One night he’s sent several images of a gruesome murder from a mysterious online user named Shogun. He initially dismisses them as fake, until something unexpected happens: Takumi witness the exact same murder the next day. The murderer appears to be a mysterious pink-haired girl, who’s driven a hundred metal stakes into the victim’s body. He flees the scene and is convinced that the girl is out for him next. When Takumi returns to class a few days later, he sees the exact same girl in his homeroom class! She claims to be close friends with him, but Takumi has no such memory of her. Soon he gets caught up in a series of even more murders dubbed the “New Generation Madness,” while meeting several pretty girls who have a surprising interest and connection to him. What he’ll face will change his life forever.
If the above synopsis seems like an interesting and compelling story, than that’s because it is… in the video game. You see, Chaos;Head was originally a visual novel created by the companies 5pb and Nitroplus, who are particularly well known for such games in Japan. For those of you unaware of the genre, a visual novel is essentially a story-driven game that requires little to no interactivity. Mostly they consist of reading text and making the occasional choice that affects the story in some way. The graphics consist of static pictures (usually anime-like), with background music to set the scene. If the company has a higher budget, sometimes full voice acting is added for every spoken line. Now, that genre might not sound too exciting at first; but the stories in VNs are some of the most compelling and in-depth ever brought to video games. Due to their niche nature, they have a hard time selling well outside of Japan; so most go unlocalized. Some visual novels occasionally do get released like the Phoenix Wright and Zero Escape series of games, sometimes to even great success; but those games actually do have gameplay apart from strictly reading text. Chaos;Head isn’t one of those games, so it never received a localized release. It was originally released on PC and later ported over to Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, iOS, and Android.
The reviews I’ve seen for this series have ranged from mediocre to outright horrible, but is it really that bad? I’m probably one of the few people out there that’s actually read the visual novel before seeing this series, so I think that gives me more than enough qualification to give this series a proper review. Anyways, a fan translation was luckily released for the game so I decided to check out the PC version. And wow, was it a trippy experience. Simply put, C;H is probably one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I’ve ever had. It begins slowly, luring one in with a false sense of security. But when the mystery soon reveals itself and all the story elements falls into place, it becomes a non-stop thriller that had me glued to my computer screen until the very end. So yeah, the story was good; damn good even. As you might have expected, I had a lot of expectations going into this series. And unfortunately, the story only remained partially intact in its transition from game to anime.
The first problem is the length of the overall series. It seemed that the creators of the anime tried to take a 30+ hour story and squeeze it in the span of only 12 episodes. Now, most adaptions of anything inevitably have to take some things out; but there’s almost no excuse with a television series. Seriously, 12 episodes? They couldn’t have at least doubled that number? Now, the story isn’t entirely butchered and the main plot points still are there; but there are several events in the series that are executed rather poorly in comparison to the visual novel which obviously wasn’t limited by time constraints. Some things have been taken out and a few new events are clumsily thrown in that weren’t even in the original story to start with! The shortness of this series kind of suggests to me that this was designed as more of a promotional tool than anything else. That leads into the second main problem. More or less, the anime assumes you’ve actually read the visual novel. I can guess that perhaps 95% of the people watching this have not done so, thus many will probably be lost at some points.
With all my complaints, anyone reading this would probably assume that I’m with everyone else in hating the series. In actuality though, I don’t view it in such low regard. It no doubt has its flaws, but Chaos;Head still proves to be a thoroughly engrossing and compelling series for the most part. It may not have the same amount of depth as the visual novel, but what’s presented is far from terrible. The story of the anime at least tries to stay true to the game and many of the cliffhangers that the episodes end on actually did make me want to keep watching. The show takes several surprising twists and turns through its brief course, and the major reveal that takes place towards the end is handled very well. The questions that Chaos;Head asks are real mind-benders too. Is this the real life or is it just fantasy (yes, that’s a Queen reference)? Who can Takumi actually trust? Can delusions actually manifest into reality? Many of these do get answered in the end, but there are several sub-plots that seem to get forgotten or lost along the way. The ending itself might prove a tad confusing for some, and perhaps even lackluster; but I actually enjoyed its ambiguous tone. The way it connects to the beginning is actually pretty effective and surprising. Overall, the story of Chaos;Head almost reaches levels of true greatness; but several problems hold it back from being truly amazing.
So what about the characters throughout the show? Well for starters, let’s look at the protagonist, Takumi. At first glance, he seems to represent the stereotypical otaku. Anti-social, staying in all day, and playing video games. What makes him stand out, are the intense delusions that he constantly has and how they affect his surroundings. The visual novel’s “decision system” originally consisted of choosing different kinds of delusions, both good and bad, which would affect the story. The anime incorporates some of these in the plot, and they can get pretty creepy at times. Some of these are real obvious in that they’re just fantasy, but others are real enigmas that almost seem scarily true. He’s essentially a really messed up kid, and it’s clear that Takumi probably has a mental problem not unlike schizophrenia. I guess that’s part of what makes him such an entertaining character. Takumi is probably one of the most unlikely protagonists I’ve ever seen. He’s not a strong hero or out to save anyone. He’s simply a troubled high schooler who simply just wants to be alone and play his online game because he lacks social skills. You really do feel sorry for him. Come on, if you’re that hardcore to watch such an obscure anime series; you can probably relate to this guy at least a little. I know that I can.
Then there are the supporting characters, and they’re practically all female. This has sort of given Chaos;Head the negative stigma of being a harem anime, but it really isn’t. Sure, you’ve got a lone male protagonist surrounded by gorgeous women. It’s a sci-fi mystery series at its core, and the whole romance aspect isn’t even made apparent until the end. It’s not like these women don’t serve a purpose either. If anything, Chaos;Head probably satirizes the genre. If the rest of the cast had been male, I think we’d probably have a far less interesting plot.
Rimi Sakihata is the girl that Takumi witnesses at the murder scene who also claims to be his friend. He’s initially deathly afraid and tries to avoid her at all costs. Eventually though, she appears to actually care for him and he’s grows to trust her more. She’s essentially the “perfect girlfriend” type of character, and there’s really not that much else to say other than she’s one of the few strong female anime characters that isn’t just walking fan service. The relationship between Takumi and Rimi is later revealed to have a much deeper meaning; and it couldn’t have been done better. The rest of the cast members each stand out on their own. I won’t go over each character in detail, but suffice to say; there’s enough personality from each girl that prevents them from being bland or forgettable. Obviously the visual novel did a much better job of fleshing out these characters due to having a longer length, but the anime handles them decently enough. There’s not exactly anyone that stands out in particular, but it’s an overall well-rounded cast with several memorable moments from each of them throughout the series.
As per usual Japanese anime standards, the Japanese seiyuu all do a fine job in the voice-work department and they’re even the same as the visual novel. Hiroyuki Yoshino in particular gets Takumi’s pathetic and cowardly character down perfectly. If there’s any problem at all, it’s with the English dub. Todd Haberkorn voices Takumi decently enough, at least attempting to sound like Yoshino. Unfortunately, the girls all sound generic and even grating on the ears at times (I’m looking at you, Nanami!). Unless you’re someone who absolutely cannot watch subs, it’s best to skip the dub entirely.
Madhouse, the same animation company who was responsible for Death Note, surprisingly were the people behind Chaos;Head. Make no mistake though; this ain’t no Death Note here. The animation in this series is really a mixed bag, sometimes ranging from strikingly detailed to shoddily cheap. Probably the real highlight here are the Di-swords (fantastical blades that are “real-booted” from delusions into reality) that our heroines use in the series. They’re undeniably beautiful, and it’s clear that the original artists put a lot of thought into the designs of these weapons. The character models match the ones from the game, but the way they’re drawn seems kind of lazy. The VN had a really nice digital look to it, but the anime really just seems sloppy. That’s a real shame, because Madhouse normally dishes out really good looking shows. Hey, at least they got the Shibuya background setting to look decent enough.
The OP used for every episode “F.D.D.” does its job and is overall pretty memorable, but the same cannot be said about the ED “Super Special.” This is no doubt a song that many will either love or hate, but I fall into the latter category. Cheesy Engrish lyrics and a crappy melody, it’s pretty bad. The background music though was actually a pleasant surprise. The soundtrack is spot-on, consisting of gorgeous orchestral flourishes, haunting ambient electronics, and melancholic piano passages. The show’s sound design is most effective during the long bouts of pure silence, in which we experience the gripping fear that goes through Takumi’s fractured mind. However when used, it works beautifully and sets each scene perfectly. Besides the lackluster ED, I have absolutely no qualms over Chaos;Head’s soundtrack.
In short, Chaos;Head is in no ways the horrible series that some make it out to be. I felt genuine suspense and intrigue when watching this series, and I do not regret my time with it. Perhaps the main issue is that the anime tries to tell a story that’s too ambitious for only 12 episodes. But when at its best moments, the series almost touches on greatness. Watch this, followed by its shared universe shows Steins;Gate and Robotics;Notes; and then you have a rich universe filled with unforgettable characters and amazing stories. I also recommend checking out the original visual novel for the whole experience. Beyond that though, Chaos;Head is an excellent physiological thriller that while flawed, is still a worthwhile viewing.
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Jun 24, 2013
ChäoS;HEAd
(Anime)
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Takumi Nishijō is a complete hikikomori otaku who spends his days living in a docking crate on the roof of a cheap apartment complex. Practically his entire daily routine consists of playing his MMORPG, while having virtually no friends or social life. He even follows a strict schedule that allows him to go to school as little as possible, while still passing for the year. Takumi wants nothing to do with the so-called “3-D world” and instead indulges in sensual delusions with his “2-D wife” Orgel Seira, a female character from his favorite anime. His only contact with his family is through his bratty younger
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Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 6, 2013
Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro
(Anime)
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When most think of revered anime director Hayao Miyazaki, they immediately think of seminal classics such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. However, when I think of Miyazaki I think of a little film called The Castle of Cagliostro, which just so happens to be his directorial debut. To understand exactly what this film is, we have to travel back to 1971.
Little known director Masaaki Ōsumi directed a show called Lupin III, an action/adventure/comedy series based upon the exploits of the eponymous master thief from the manga by Monkey Punch, which in turn was inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s crime novels about gentleman thief Arsène ... Lupin. The show proved to be too dark and adult-themed for general audiences, so Ōsumi was replaced by two directors. The new duo working under the name “A Productions Directors,” consisted of Isao Takahata (who would later give us emotional films like Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday) and Hayao Miyazaki. Under their direction, the show was given a lighter, more family friendly tone, though this did little to affect the show’s already poor ratings. Following the show’s cancellation, Miyazaki and Takahata worked on various projects together. In 1979, the creators of the original Lupin III show, TMS Entertainment, ask Miyazaki to come back and direct the next feature film in the franchise. At this point, Lupin III has had one live-action movie (that borders on being absolutely terrible), one anime film (that’s in the same adult style as the original series), and a second anime TV show. With Miyazaki now in the director’s chair, one of the finest films ever created is made. The Castle of Cagliostro debuted in Japanese theaters on December 15, 1979, only five days after the second series’ 113th episode. While initial reviews were positive, the film failed to become a box-office success and thus only had a limited theatrical release. However, over the years the film gained a cult-like status and was a fan-favorite at various anime conventions. There’s even a rumor that it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival (making it the first anime to be shown there), though there’s very little out there to verify this. Even more dubious is the claim that Steven Spielberg was in attendance and called it, “One of the greatest adventure movies of all time.” In 1992, the film was dubbed into English by Streamline Pictures and was distributed internationally. In 2000, Manga Entertainment purchased the license from Streamline and created an all-new second dub. I’ll talk about each dub in detail later on. Now that you know this history behind this film, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth all the hype. To answer that question, I can respond with a firm, “Yes!” The story starts off rather simply. Lupin III and his buddy Daisuke Jigen have just robbed millions of dollars off a high-class casino, making a clean getaway in their stylish Fiat 500. When they examine the money, the duo soon realizes it’s all counterfeit. Lupin instantly recognizes the high quality workmanship of the money. Years ago, he attempted to find the source of the “goat bills” himself, but was almost killed and narrowly escaped with his life. Now Lupin decides to locate the source once again at its supposed location: The Castle of Cagliostro. Before arriving, they rescue a young girl who was being pursued by a gang of thugs. She is later captured by the men, but not before leaving a ring bearing the crest of Cagliostro that gets into Lupin’s possession. The girl is revealed to be Princess Clarisse, who is to be married to the Count in a few days. By marrying Clarisse, the Count wishes to cement his own position of power by bringing the two families together and to uncover the fabled treasure of Cagliostro. Lupin bears a strange connection to Clarisse as old memories from his past soon come back to haunt him. No-nonsense samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII joins the Lupin gang to help rescue the princess and Fujiko Mine assists by working under disguise at the castle. Kochi Zenigata also shows up in order to capture Lupin, but winds up helping him instead. Castle of Cagliostro is a real visual treat for the eyes. The gorgeous backgrounds are full of intricate detail and color. The character designs may seem simplistic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lupin and his gang were meant to look this way. Not as realistic drawings, but as cartoonish and vibrant characters. Some people have claimed that this animation doesn’t look as good as Studio Ghibli’s films. I really think that’s an unfair comparison. Studio Ghibli’s artwork is more realistic, yet fantastical at the same time. With Cagliostro, the style is completely different. Lupin III has always been more about simplicity, and that’s not a bad thing. Characters are supposed to look basic, while backgrounds are meant to be more detailed. If this movie had animation like Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away, it simply would not work. Not only does this look amazing for 1979, it’s still breathtaking today. From that dreamlike opening titles sequence, to the masterfully animated car chase scene, to that climatic clock tower duel; Cagliostro simply looks beautiful. My review on the animation cannot do this film justice. It really has to be seen to be believed. The soundtrack is great too. Series veteran Yuji Ohno is at the reins here and his jazzy tunes perfectly fit each scene. The score can bold and upbeat for the more intense action scenes, as well as subtle and quieter for more mellow parts. The film’s main theme, “Treasure of the Flame,” is one of Ohno’s best contributions to the Lupin III music mythos with its beautiful lyrics and composition. I’m sure that most fans (myself included) will get a kick out of the use of the amazing Lupin III ’80 theme during the opening car chase theme. I also really enjoyed the use of the third movement from Bach’s BWV 590 organ piece during the wedding scene. It feels so haunting, yet strikingly beautiful at the same time. Altogether, Cagliostro looks and sounds wonderful. ‘Nuff said. As mentioned before, Hayao Miyazaki is director, and his fingerprints are all over this movie with its characters. You won’t find any of his environmental or political themes here, but his influence is still strongly felt. Lupin is noticeably much more “nicer” than previous incarnations and demonstrates his more chivalric side. Although he is very much after the treasure, he no doubt wants to save Clarisse by being, as he puts it: “your thief in the night.” Yasuo Yamada is back again as Lupin and he plays him expertly as always. In fact, all the Japanese regulars are here again. There’s really not too much else to say about the original Japanese audio, because it’s pretty much perfect. The actors hit all the right notes with each scene and character, so there are no problems here. Instead, I’ll talk more about the two English dubs. In the Streamline dub, Lupin is voiced by veteran voice actor Bob Bergen. I should also note that in this version, Lupin is referred to at all times as “The Wolf,” due to fears of copyright from Maurice Leblanc’s intellectual property estate. This is sort of laughable though, as the symbol on his belt clearly bears the letter “L,” and his calling card also reads the name “Lupin.” While I normally enjoy Bergen’s voice work, he sounds way too cartoonish and silly here. It’s not terrible or anything, just kind of unfitting for a master thief. David Hayter in the Manga dub, on the other hand, is far better suited for the role. You heard me right. The same guy who voices Solid Snake in the Metal Gear series voices our main protagonist. How cool is that? He perfectly gives Lupin that “nice guy” vibe and always nails each line of dialogue. There are hints of kindness in his voice, but also a bit of the gruff Snake tone when he gets more serious. With Zenigata, David Povall is serviceable in the Streamline dub, but Dougary Grant proves to be much more entertaining to watch in the Manga dub. It’s clear that Grant was trying to emulate Gorō Naya’s acting in the original Japanese dub, though he does a good job in the role himself nonetheless. This time around, Zenigata teams up with Lupin to uncover the secret behind Cagliostro’s counterfeiting ring. The banter between these two guys is pretty funny to watch seeing as how they’re normally enemies. Then we have our main villain, Count Cagliostro himself. There’s really not a lot to say about him, because there’s little character to him other than he’s the evil guy after the treasure and power. Even still, he provides an excellent foil to Lupin by being that diabolical antagonist to go against our hero’s noble and heroic antics. Both actors in the two dubs do a pretty good job of getting that “snobbish aristocrat” personality out of him and there’s not a whole lot of difference between their performances since they handle the character so similarly. The final sword fight between Cagliostro and Lupin in the clock tower is an absolute joy to watch; and it’s seems to have inspired several works of animation from The Great Mouse Detective to Batman the Animated Series. I should also note that voice actor Kirk Thornton actually appears in both dubs! In the Manga dub, he plays Count Cagliostro and in the Streamline dub he plays the chief guard Gustav (who in the Manga dub has an awful Arnold Schwarzenegger-like voice). We also have two female supporting characters. The first is Clarisse. With her voice, I have to say that I prefer Joan-Carol O'Connell’s acting in the Streamline dub than Bridget Hoffman in the Manga dub. Both actresses do a great job, but I feel that Hoffman sounds a bit too childish for my tastes. Clarisse seems to be little else other than the stereotypical damsel in distress. However, I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. That famous scene where Lupin climbs the tower to rescue Clarisse is an obvious homage to classic fairy tales. In fact, I think that in the Streamline dub this is more apparent when Lupin calls himself Clarisse’s “knight in shining armor.” Even though she may not be the strongest female character ever, you still want to see her rescued by Lupin. Again, it’s sort of the same with the Count. These characters aren’t meant to be complex, but rather basic archetypes that are supposed to be simple enough for the audience to sympathize with. Lupin is the brave hero, the Count is the evil villain, and Clarisse is the damsel in distress. With this kind of film, you don’t need any more depth or character beyond that. That’s not to say there’s not a strong female character in this film. Come on, it’s Miyazaki! He’s better than that! That role belongs to Fujiko Mine, Lupin’s lover, ally, and foe. In Cagliostro, Fujiko is no longer the buxom babe that she was in previous incarnations. Miyazaki never cared for Fujiko being the object of Lupin’s lustful desires and long-time fans of the franchise will immediately know what I’m talking about. This time around, she’s a spy working undercover at the Count’s castle. She helps Lupin out of sticky situations, but it’s clear she has her own intentions. Between Streamline’s Edie Mirman and Manga’s Dorothy Elias-Fahn, the point must go to the Manga dub. Elias-Fahn gives off much more emotion than Mirman, whom I consider to be a little too stiff in the role. Finally, we have our supporting characters Daisuke Jigen and Goemon Ishikawa XIII. In previous anime, Jigen and Goemon are Lupin’s loyal henchmen and that’s no different here. Jigen is Lupin’s straight man, and he always has Lupin’s back with his quick gun-slinging skills. I found Jigen’s Streamline voice actor, Steve Bulen, to be way better than Manga’s John Snyder by far. Bulen feels perfectly natural, but Snyder tries to add a sort of “toughness” that’s unconvincing. He’s still perfectly fine, but there is a notable difference between the two actors. Either way, both manage to have perfect chemistry together with Lupin’s actors Bob Bergen and David Hayter, respectively. Sword-wielding samurai Goemon has little dialogue in both versions. As an honorable warrior of little words, he’s the type of guy who doesn’t waste time talking and focuses solely on the matters at hand. Steve Kramer in the Streamline dub and Richard Epcar in the Manga dub give different takes of the character. Kramer is quiet and calm with his voice (though he does have quite a few annoying one-liners), while Epcar’s voice is deeper and has more presence. I don’t really think it matters that much if I compare the two together, since Goemon doesn’t have that big of a role in this film to begin with. Basically, the two actors play him fine. Speaking of Goemon, here’s a pretty cool Easter egg I discovered at the beginning of the film. Lupin and Jigen rob a casino in the intro, but throw the money away when they realize it’s fake. If one looks closely during the scene where Lupin tosses the bills out of the sunroof, the top of Goemon’s head and sword can be seen in the pile of money! I didn’t realize this until I read some trivia online. This is probably why Lupin and Jigen were able to make such a clean getaway and they probably dropped him off before they reached the Cagliostro border. I’m guessing that there was probably a planned sequence with Goemon, but it was taken out from the final film. Really though, Jigen and Goemon don’t serve that much of a major purpose in the film other than being Lupin’s backup. Still, I think that they’re both given enough screen-time as is. Giving Jigen and Goemon bigger roles would only shoehorn them into the plot. This film is really more about Lupin and his own quest to save Clarisse. Overall, both dubs have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Streamline dub takes some rather needless liberties from the original Japanese script and the lip movements don’t always match up with the dialogue; but the acting is solid for the most part. The Manga dub is much more faithful to the Japanese script and the acting is strong; but there is much more swearing in this version. I’m not offended by this or anything, but it kind of ruins what’s otherwise a family friendly film. Regardless of which dub you get, it shouldn’t really affect your overall viewing experience. I’m honestly a purist for the original Japanese language track with English subtitles, but I have to say that I prefer the Manga dub over the Streamline version. Since most releases usually have the Manga dub, that’s probably what you’re going to get anyways. The Streamline dub will probably appeal more to those nostalgic fans who had the film on VHS way back when it was originally released, but it really shouldn’t matter for the casual viewer. Now that I’ve talked about virtually every aspect of the film, I’m going to give my own personal take and thoughts on something that rarely gets talked about: the hidden level of emotion and storytelling that can easily be missed by the average viewer. I’m probably drifting into spoiler territory here, but chances are you’ve probably seen the film already. If you haven’t; skip this paragraph, watch the film, and then come back to it. Anyways, onto my analysis. When I first saw this film, I instantly knew it was a perfectly crafted animated feature. I really loved the film, but because it was my first time in the rich universe of Lupin III, a lot of things slipped under my radar. What do I mean by this? After I had seen the film, I soon went to the original green-jacket series. The Lupin I saw in that show was almost the polar opposite of the one I saw in Cagliostro. While in the film he was brave, heroic, and chivalric; our thief in the show was crude, mean, and arrogant. This was of course due to the way he was originally portrayed in the manga series by Monkey Punch. What could have possibly caused this drastic change in character? The touch of Hayao Miyazaki. When Miyazaki and Takahata first worked on the series, Lupin’s evolution began. The series started hinting at this, but by the time we’re in Cagliostro; the change is complete. The production-wise reason of this was that Miyazaki disliked the original character of Lupin and wanted him to be more likable and nicer. Story-wise though, we see something that perhaps was unintended. The opening of the film shows Lupin and Jigen on a more-or-less standard caper: stealing money. The robbery goes off without a hitch and it’s clear that Lupin has mastered the art of thieving at this point. When he sees the counterfeit bills, that’s when Lupin’s old memories resurface. The man thinks back to a time where he was young and just starting out. In fact, we are treated to a brief flashback sequence that shows actual scenes from the original series re-animated and integrated mid-way through the film. Lupin looks upon those days with regret and chides himself for being so arrogant. Perhaps this represents Miyazaki’s own views on his earlier animation career. Now that Lupin is more experienced, those rookie days are behind him. Lupin wants to save Clarisse for the reason that he himself might be saved. As mentioned before, Clarisse is the damsel in distress; but she means much more than that to Lupin. She’s his path to what could possibly be a normal life. A normal life away from the chase and the thrills of being a thief on the run from the law. He battles through Cagliostro’s forces with all his might and in the end; he’s successful in rescuing her. Lupin is then face with a personal choice: what do I do from here? He looks into Clarisse’s eyes and sees the innocence that he himself never had. Lupin doesn’t want Clarisse to have the same life by following him. Instead, he leaves her behind but vows to always be at her side if needed. That final scene in which Zenigata is in hot pursuit of Lupin symbolizes how his thieving ways will never change. Lupin will never have a normal life because he doesn’t need one. He lives and enjoys his life by always being on the move and savoring every moment of the chase. Going back to Miyazaki, I think this also shows his own personal choice by being an animator. He enjoys what he does, and wants to create these kinds of films for the rest of his life. Just as Lupin’s purpose in life is to steal, Miyazaki’s is to create animated films. And that’s what I believe is the main theme in Cagliostro. Looking upon your own life and questioning if this is what you’re happy with. Can people really change, or do we stay the same throughout our lives? I find it quite ironic that such a seemingly simple film has these kinds of themes. Whether or not Miyazaki actually intended for this film to have a deeper meaning is up for debate, but I think that’s the whole beauty of it all. It doesn’t really matter if the creator intended for this film to have any symbolism or meaning. That’s up for the audience to decide. Cagliostro isn’t just an entertaining film, but a film that can actually teach you something if you look hard enough. Miyazaki does this in all of his films, but in Cagliostro it’s just less apparent. Now the difference between the film and the television show is probably quite obvious. Films have longer running times, thus more character development and plot can be added in. You can add drama and the previous themes that I mentioned, but not so much in a television show episode. Since Lupin episodes only are about 20 minutes, it usually just cuts right to the action. It’s a nice change of pace to see Lupin given more character and emotion than his usual TV self. Needless to say, I realized none of this when watching the film for the first time. However, going into this film with a new set of eyes made it mean a whole lot more to me. Now we come to the bad news. In the US, there’s unfortunately no definitive release of this wonderful film. Manga’s original DVD release of the film is a non-anamorphic transfer that only has decent picture quality. The DVD itself doesn’t even have any extras. A few years later, Manga released a “Special Edition” that improves picture quality and they even added a couple of extras. However, one absolutely pointless change completely ruins this release. The original opening titles sequence has been altered. Instead of using that beautiful animation with the Japanese credits, Manga decided to remove all Japanese text and only show still frames of the intro. Why would they ever do such a thing? It completely takes you out of the moment and destroys the original version! That’s why I cannot recommend you purchase this so called “Special Edition.” Both DVDs have also been long out of print for years. In Japan, Cagliostro received a deluxe Blu-ray treatment with a gorgeous new transfer in crystal clear 1080p high definition. Seeing has how it’s region free, I would have imported this in a heartbeat; but there are no English subtitles or language options. Europe received a full English version of this Blu-ray, but it’s region-locked; thus it can’t be imported by anyone else. I really hope that this release will come stateside soon. And why shouldn’t it? This is a classic work of Japanese animation! To all those that live in Japan and Europe, I urge you to buy this! Hopefully the strong sales of it will guarantee a wider release! Hayao Miyazaki’s last involvement with the Lupin III franchise was directing final two episodes of the second TV series. Miyazaki himself really doesn’t consider the film his best work, and called it a “clearance sale on all the previous Lupin ideas I had previously done.” If one watches the original television series, the influences that it had on this film will be extremely noticeable. There are many scenes here that are almost taken shot-for-shot from the series and a lot of the scenarios are similar. And perhaps that’s what makes this film so enjoyable. It takes everything that that Miyazaki ever did with the Lupin III series and puts it together into one satisfying experience. I don’t think that Miyazaki is ever going to go back to Lupin. Now that he’s with Studio Ghibli, there’s little reason for him to go back to the franchise. My one dream is for there to be a brand new Lupin III animated feature film that reaches audiences worldwide. It would give our thief the international popularity he deserves, similar to how Spielberg’s Tintin film revived interest in Hergé’s original comic series. Even if that never happens, at least we still have this masterful film that has aged remarkably well. This is a movie that, after you’re done watching, you immediately get a good feeling inside. Anyone who’s a fan of Hayao Miyazaki should see this film as it demonstrates his own animation techniques just when he was starting out. If you’re a serious fan of animation or film, you owe it to yourself to see the Castle of Cagliostro. It gets my highest praise and reminds us all why we enjoy the genre in the first place. Go see it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 29, 2013 Recommended
Like most fans of Lupin III, my first experience with the titular thief was with Hayao Miyazaki’s debut film “The Castle of Cagliostro.” It was simply a masterpiece with great action scenes, likeable characters, a heartwarming story, and excellent pacing. I consider Cagliostro to be one of the finest adventure films (animated or live-action) ever created and stands on my personal list of top movies. Anxious for more, I looked into the series and was amazed at how deep and spreading the franchise’s roots were. Lupin III is perhaps the most well-known and popular anime character of all time in Japan. There have been various
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manga series, three television shows, one live-action movie, five animated films, various other animations, and yearly television specials that remain popular with the Japanese masses. Unfortunately, Lupin never really got firm foothold of international markets. While the likes of Goku and Pikachu are known worldwide, our green (or red or pink) jacketed thief still struggles to gain popularity outside of Japan to this very day. Despite this, Lupin III still manages to have a small, but loyal cult following. For those of you that don’t about Lupin, here’s a little backstory.
The origins of Lupin III can be traced back to the early 20th century works of French writer, Maurice Leblanc. Essentially opposite of detective Sherlock Holmes, Leblanc created a gentlemen thief named Arsène Lupin. Like his title suggests, Lupin was thief, but a gentlemen in nature. He would always “politely” leave notes to the police indicating where and when he would steal something, but would always escape their grasp. His goal was really not to steal, but to live life on a dangerous edge and to savor every moment of the chase. Old Arsène enjoyed considerable popularity in his days and has a long-running franchise to him as well. Fast forward all the way to 1967. Professional manga artist Kazuhiko Katō was “discovered” buy a magazine company who was interested in his work. He was hired, and his boss at the time suggested the pen name “Monkey Punch.” The origins of that name aren’t exactly clear, but some speculate that it came from the ape-like look of some of Katō’s characters. Nevertheless, he wasn’t too fond of the name but chose it anyways since he was only attached to a three month project. The project? A comedic manga series that parodied Arsène Lupin’s many exploits. It starred the grandson of the thief with him and his gang going on many adventures throughout the series. The art was rugged and abstract, the humor was vulgar, and it was a huge hit. Following the success of the manga, Lupin III was soon picked up for anime form in 1969 by TMS Entertainment and Toho. Virtually unknown director Masaaki Ōsumi was hired to craft a short pilot film that introduced Lupin and his gang. The pilot was highly controversial at the time to say the least. The realistic violence and adult themes simply didn’t fly well with the companies, so the project never saw distribution. Two versions were produced: a 16:9 CinemaScope version intended for theatrical release and a 4:3 version meant for television. Despite the failure of the pilot, Lupin III was still picked up for a 26 episode television series. On October 24, 1971, anime history was made. For the first time ever, here was an anime series intended for adults and not just kids. Some episodes were loose adaptions of certain manga chapters, but most were original stories. Like the pilot film before it, the show had realistic looking guns and vehicles, violence, and darker plotlines. It seemed, though, that the Japanese animation industry wasn’t ready for such material. Initially, Masaaki Ōsumi directed the first few episodes. They were dark and gritty, with mature themes and sensibilities. Because of this, the show failed to gather the ratings it needed and Ōsumi was fired because he refused to change the tone. This is when Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata joined the show. You heard right, THAT Miyazaki and Takahata. Two of the most revered Japanese anime directors who brought us masterworks like Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies got their start on this show. When they did, everything changed. Now Lupin III was given more humor and the episodes noticeably became more family friendly. The show can be divided into three parts. The first eight or so episodes by Ōsumi are serious in tone. Sure there’s the occasional dry humor, but there’s gun fights and fan service shots aplenty here (though it could probably be considered as quite tame by today’s standards). The next section is the transition period. Here we see Lupin III slowly change from the dark nature and into more lightheartedness. By the time we reach the final portion, the show is now comedic and full of laughs, almost the polar opposite of how the show started out. The episodes directed by Miyazaki and Takahata are what the set the standard for the franchise to this very day, with the exception of the adult-themed Mystery of Mamo movie and recent Fujiko Mine series. This show as a whole never really had a set path or direction. Since this is the first ever show for the franchise, it feels very experimental at times and has many changes in tone and quality. Despite these changes, the ratings remained poor and the show was cancelled after only 23 episodes. The basic premise is that master thief Lupin III (now sporting a green jacket unlike the red of his manga counterpart) is always trying to steal; whether its money, jewels, or treasure. I think that his character would best be described if you took the coolness of James Bond, the adventurous nature of Indiana Jones, and the niceness of Tintin; and put it all together. Lupin will always try to steal things, but he’s never without honor. Along the way, he’ll help anyone in need, won’t kill without reason, and he’s fiercely loyal to his friends. Speaking of which, Lupin is joined by a colorful cast of characters that represent his gang. There’s Daisuke Jigen, Lupin’s most trusted ally who’s a quick split-second gunman and Fujiko Mine, a seductive women whom Lupin is infatuated with. Because of this, he’s easily tricked or swindled by her. Early on in the series, he’s joined by Goemon Ishikawa XIII, descendant of the legendary Japanese samurai who actually existed in real history. Goemon has a blade that can cut just about anything, and seems to want to help Lupin just as much as he wants to kill him. The gang is constantly chased by Tokyo Metropolitan Police Inspector Koichi Zenigata, supposedly the descendant of fictional detective Zenigata Heiji. His only goal in life is to capture Lupin. He always fails, but that’s perhaps for the best. Throughout the series, Zenigata has actually captured Lupin on occasion; but quickly realizes that he has no other purpose in life. Later on in the franchise, it’s clear that Lupin and Zenigata both respect each other even if they’re constantly at odds. The ideas are always fresh and exciting, with little repetition between episodes. It really amazes that, even after 45 years, this series is still going with new ideas. I haven’t even talked about the excellent voice actors yet. Lupin is played by Yasuo Yamada, a veteran seiyuu who voiced him for the rest of his life before his unfortunate death in 1995. Yamada brings out the perfect traits in Lupin. He’s cocky, suave, hard-boiled, classy, and even emotional all at the same time. Make no mistake, Yamada is the definitive voice of the character and no one else could have brought Lupin to life besides him. Yes, there have been other actors in the role of Lupin and they all do a fine job, but Yamada will be the one who’ll always be the most famous and well known. The tough and gruff Jigen is portrayed by Kiyoshi Kobayashi, historically known for playing the character in every single Lupin related animation with the exception of the 1987 OVA, “The Fuma Conspiracy,” where the entire cast was briefly replaced. It’s really impressive that this guy still voices him after all these years and he shows no signs of slowing down. Death Note fans might recognize Kobayashi as the voice of Watari. Fujiko’s seiyuu is Yukiko Nikaido, a talented actress who plays the femme fatale as a crafty and cunning woman who knows how to get what she wants. She would later be replaced by the more well-known Eiko Masuyama who has an equally impressive track record like Kobayashi. Masuyama, however, retired from the role in 2010. The no-nonsense samurai of few words, Goemon is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka who some may know from One Piece and Dragon Ball. He is the father of Akio Ōtsuka of Metal Gear fame. Last but not least, we have Gorō Naya who plays Zenigata. Honestly, Zenigata’s over-the-top and hilarious performances are a joy to watch. He gives off all the right emotions and feelings that this character evokes. Unfortunately, Naya died only very recently (as of this writing), at the age of 83. Both Yamada and Naya will be sorely missed, but their legacy left behind will never be forgotten. I’ve talked about the characters, but what of the animation? At first glance, Lupin III seems primitive in its art style. But you know what? I like this kind of look. For the time, this was the highest quality animation available for television. Although it certainly shows its age, colors are still vibrant and sharp with the simplistic backgrounds nice as well. Characters move fluidly enough and action scenes play out nicely, but it’s obvious that some cheap tricks are used here and there. It doesn’t have the same thin cartoonish look as the second series, nor the gorgeous animation of Cagliostro, but I’m sure that most people will be satisfied with what they see. The audio side of things is more of a mixed bag. The main theme is a simplistic repetition of “Lupin the Third” sung in various tones. It may be basic, but just like the Batman theme, it’s pretty damn catchy. The ending theme is a more melancholic and bittersweet Japanese vocal song. These were all sung by Charlie Kosei, who does a pretty good job singing in both Japanese and English with excellent pronunciation. Although Kosei hasn’t been doing much recently, he contributed a song to the popular PlayStation 2 game Katamari Damacy. Within the series, there’s also background music by Takeo Yamashita. The themes are pretty basic to say the least, and there’s really not anything special, but it does the job when it needs too. For an amazing Lupin III soundtrack, check out the work of Yuji Ohno. He composed excellent jazz themes from the second series onward, and his addictive Lupin III main theme is still playing in my head even now. Exactly where can you get this series? If you live in Japan, it’s readily available on DVD and Blu-ray. Recently, though, North American anime distribution company Discotek Media released the entire series on Region 1 DVD for the very first time ever. This set boasts a brand new high quality video transfer, extensive liner notes on each episode, essays, song lyrics, a complete vehicle list, a complete weapons list, commentary on key episodes by Lupin fans, and even both versions of the original pilot film. It’s the ultimate release for any Lupin fan and I highly recommend you purchase this amazing set. Overall though, is Lupin III worth your time? I’d say without a doubt, yes. Not only is this an important and historical anime, it’s simply a fun show to watch. I’d even go as far to call this the “Cowboy Bebop” of the 1970s generation. The influence that this show had on the exploits of our Bebop crew is immediately noticeable. In fact, Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe has even gone on record to say that he was heavily inspired by this series, particularly with Ōsumi’s work. So there, you have it. An essential anime series that’s action-packed, entertaining, and full of great characters. It may be rough around the edges, as well as uneven in quality; but I guarantee you that you’ll have damn good time watching this series the whole way through. Check it out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 30, 2012 Recommended
When people think of a Mario movie, they immediately look to the horrible live action movie. However, hardcore fans of the series will know of the existence of an obscure anime film from 1986. I'm willing to bet that 95% of Mario fans will wonder what I'm talking about. In 1986, Grouper Productions secured the rights from Nintendo to produce an anime film based upon the immensely successful Super Mario Bros. for Famicom/NES. The anime was called Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen, or literally Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach.
With this being a rather obscure movie, very little ... is known about what went on during production. To what extent Nintendo and series director Shigeru Miyamoto had to do with this film is not at all clear, but my guess is not much. The film saw a very limited theatrical release in Japan and was quietly distributed on VHS by VAP Video a short time later. VAP made the dumbest mistake possible by only releasing the anime on rental cassette. Because of this, the film is highly sought after by collectors and fetches high prices on Japanese auction sites. And before you ask, no the film was never released outside of Japan. This somewhat surprises me, as Mario is marketable to a worldwide audience. We can only hope that an anime distributor will pick up the rights to this title someday, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Luckily with the age of the internet, the film is available for viewing or download on sites such as YouTube. There's even several fansubs that exist, though they vary in translation quality and character name accuracy. A fandub exists as well, though we all know about the quality of such productions. Despite poor choices in distribution, the anime actually had a wide variety of tie-in products such as a manga adaptation, an official soundtrack release, wrist-watches, ramen noodles, and phone cards. As expected, these products are even rarer than the film itself so don't bother looking for them unless the planets align or something. With all this being said, is this film a hidden gem? The short answer is no. Going into this film, it's clear to me that this anime was never a high priority among the studio. The main reason it exists is to make a quick cash grab based upon the Super Mario license. It was directed by Masami Hata. Never heard of him? Me neither because his most well known work is Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. That being said, the movie isn't completely terrible and actually has its share of enjoyable moments. Story and Characters: 6/10 The mentality of the Mario series has always been gameplay over story. Rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser. That's it. To accommodate this paper-thin story into a watchable movie, much had to be added to the script. The film opens with Mario playing a Famicom game late at night. You heard me right. The Italian plumber, from Brooklyn, created by a Japanese guy that symbolizes the video game genre itself, is playing a video game in an obscure Japanese anime based upon a video game. Wrap your head around that one. Mario's brother Luigi asks him if he wants tea, but is curtly ignored. Ah, social commentary on the current state of modern-day video gamers. Suddenly, Princess Peach jumps out of the screen being chased by Bowser. After introducing herself to Mario and her current situation, Mario vows to defend her. Bowser then grabs Peach and takes her back into the TV. What surprised me the most is how Mario handles the whole situation. Although he's surprised at first, he just seems to go with the whole thing shortly after. Seriously? If I were him, I'd question what drugs I had just been smoking to see such an intense hallucination. When Mario tells Luigi of what just happened, his response is the same as mine. (Okay it's not exactly the same. He tells Mario that the whole thing was a dream.) Mario then sees that Peach left her necklace on the floor, and realizes that what he just experienced was all too real. The next day, Mario constantly daydreams about Peach and is distracted from his job. By the way, in this film Mario and Luigi are grocery store workers and not plumbers. A strange looking dog named Kibedango (a pun upon Japanese millet dumplings called dango) rushes in and steal the Peach's necklace from Mario's hand. The two brothers chase after the dog and who leads them down a warp pipe. They are greeted by the most stereotypical old man/wizard who tells them that they must rescue Peach from Bowser, who intends to marry her on the upcoming Friday the 13th. They must procure the mushroom of strength, the flower of courage, and the star of invincibility (this is Mario we're talking about) to stand a chance against Bowser. And that's the setup for the story. In order to fill the huge gaps in storytelling that Nintendo left, much emphasis is put on slapstick humor and longer chase/fight scenes. Is the story still pretty basic? Yes. Is it at all entertaining? For the most part, yes. Even though its clear that this film was meant for children, I still found myself smiling at some of the film's comedic scenes. Despite the efforts to inject substance in the script, by the end of the day it's still a save the princess story. One thing that kind of annoyed me is the shameless plugs for ramen noodles that appear throughout the film. Gotta love those noodles, right? Surprisingly, some of the actions that Mario performs appeared in later Mario games like Jjumping on a Lakitu and riding its cloud (Super Mario World), eating a mushroom and growing humongous (New Super Mario Bros.), and spinning Bowser by the tail and throwing him (Super Mario 64). Coincidence? I guess that's left for the viewers to decide. Overall, the film really hasn't aged well in terms of story or animation (more on that in a bit) but the nostalgia factor will probably make up for this. The personalities of the characters in this film are completely different from what the series would later portray. Keep in mind that games were still limited in what they could accomplish in 1986 and Super Mario Bros. had no character development. The anime fills in the void by creating its own versions of the characters. Mario is still the humble and typical hero who wants to save the girl. While this is okay, he is dreadfully boring as a character offering nothing interesting to the table. Luigi steals the show by being a greedy and selfish miser. Sound familiar? He's pretty much Wario. While Mario is the boy scout who wants to save Peach, Luigi is only in it for the promised gold along the way. If you're wondering why his color scheme seems different from the games, that's because he had no set color pattern at the time. As for the rest of the cast, they're exactly what you'd expect. Peach is the stereotypical damsel-in-distress, just like her in-game counterpart and Bowser is the evil villain. With the running time only 60 minutes, there's really not that much room for character development. Not that there was ever character development in the Mario series. The cast consists of somewhat well known and somewhat obscure Japanese seiyuu. There's really not much else to say, because I won't call this film the high point of any of their careers. The voices aren't bad in the slightest, (Japanese voice acting rarely is) but noting really stands out as notable expect for the fact that Bowser is played by a female Japanese pop singer. I'm dead serious. Animation: 7/10 I'm probably being generous here, but the animation in Mario isn't half-bad most of the time. Backgrounds pop out with various colors, and I enjoyed the cartoonish looks of the characters. That being said, I can't deny the significant age this anime shows. But like the crude graphics of the NES days, I can look past this for the most part. I should note though, that the Hayao Miyazaki film Castle in the Sky came out a mere two weeks later. Yeah... Sound: 6/10 The BGMs used in the game is directly taken from Super Mario Bros., and is slightly enhanced by the NES synth. This isn't really a bad thing, because I can't imagine a Mario film being accompanied by anything else. Like every single anime ever created, Mario includes several vocal songs. Nothing really stands out here as the songs are pretty forgettable. Overal: 7/10 Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach is a mixed bag overall. It has its moments, but it isn't a masterpiece buy any means. I'm sure that one could give it a quick look for curiosity's sake, but is no way worth the high prices its going for right now. The anime won't even take too much of your time, seeing as it's only an hour long. Despite its short length, it surprisingly does not feel rushed at all. I'd say watch it once, but don't bother again after that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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