Review Lupin: Castle of Cagliostro

Lupin is perhaps the greatest anime thief there ever was and has many adventures over the years. In this caper he is hunting down the secret of a legendary counterfeiter in a small European country. At least that was what he was planning to do but a damsel in distress distracted him. The unfortunate young maiden is to be married to the count of Cagliostro in order that he may find the lost treasure. Well at least that is what is going to happen is Lupin doesn’t do anything about it, and it is certain that he will.

Out of all the Lupin movies Castle of Cagliostro has the singular distinction of being directed by Hayao Miyazaki. In my opinion this movie is probably (and probably is but I haven’t all the Lupin movies) is the best of the sizable lot. One thing to note is that Lupin’s trademark lechery is notably missing in this movie for various reasons ranging from the director to the fact that the girl that features in the movie is rather young and Fujiko doesn’t get enough screen time for Lupin to properly seduce.

The animation in this movie is very well done although though there are a few better ones out there. If you consider the fact that the movie was made over twenty years ago and that Lupin isn’t the greatest template for quality animation it is quite spectacular. The film really gave me a new appreciation for how talented and dedicated Miyazaki is.

In the relatively long history of anime there are quite a few good movies that are forgotten with time. There are a few really good movies that remembered and become classics. This movie is one of them. It is simply a good action movie done with a solid execution that doesn’t feel tired or cliché, and that is hard to do. I give Lupin Castle of Cagliostro a rating of fantastic.

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