L Lawliet’s Movie Madness-The Castle of Cagliostro

Heya, guys and gals, it’s L Lawliet here for L Lawliet’s Movie Madness!

Hayao Miyazaki-even if you barely watch anime, you recognize the name. Miyazaki is one of the few directors to get an Academy Award for best animated picture outside of the United States, for his film Spirited Away. That’s not the only work he’s done, though. He’s made other influential films such as Princess Mononoke, a tale of nature and destruction, The Castle of Cagliostro, about Lupin the 3rd and his attempt to solve the mystery of the perfect counterfeit bills, and Howl’s Moving Castle, the story of-

Wait, what was that second one?

That’s right, the great Miyazaki worked on an anime film adaptation. That’s not all, though-this was actually the culmination of his work with Lupin the 3rd. He had previously worked on the first series, co-directing and storyboarding about half of the episodes in the show. It’s fitting that his first film is his last work with Lupin, and probably his best one for the franchise at that. In addition, it’s a damn good movie in general. It’s got action, romance, comedy; it’s got the whole shebang. It’s gotten shoutouts in everything from Batman: The Animated Series to The Simpsons Movie, and remains, to this day, one of the most classic animated films of all time. So, let’s not waste any time! Come along and let’s steal a look at The Castle of Cagliostro!

The Plot of the Century!

The story begins with a casino heist-a nice little introduction to our duo of thieves, Lupin and Jigen. Taking off after successfully completing their crime, as the police around them find their cars ineffective and falling apart, the two plot how to use their new millions…until Lupin notices a problem. The bills are fake. Every single one. And not just any fakes, but the perfect fakes-they’re called Goat Bills, and they come from a country called Cagliostro, and that’s where Lupin intends to go. So begins their latest escapade, but there’s puzzles abound. There’s more to Cagliostro, and Lupin’s experience with it, than meets the eye, and there’s an even bigger mystery lying in wait for the duo…

This review won’t be a recap-the movie’s got a couple of twists that I’d rather not spoil here, but I’m gonna give you a basic rundown of the cast, music, animation and overall entertainment value. Sound good? Good. Let’s sneak on ahead, shall we?

Crooks, Cops, Counts, and a Couple of Dames

Hold onto your wallets and keep an eye on your cash, folks, because here comes Arsene Lupin the 3rd, speeding by in his signature yellow Fiat, stolen dollars abound. Lupin is a master thief, robber of countless treasures. artifacts and millions of dollars in cold hard cash. He’ll steal your heart, followed by your credit card, and you won’t notice either way. He can be anything from a smooth operator to a not-so-chivalrous pervert, but there’s one thing he consistently is-one hell of a guy.

What good’s being a thief without some partners-in-crime to back you up? Alongside him is his good old pal Daisuke Jigen, the sharpshooting marksman who’s the straight man to Lupin’s comedic foil. He’s not against a one-liner now and again, though, and he’s got some of the best lines in the movie. He’s been around the bend and knows how Lupin works, and has been his faithful companion for years upon years. Goemon Ishikawa, on the other hand, originally intended to kill Lupin, but is now one of his most valued cohorts. With sword in hand, he’ll literally cut through all obstacles, no matter how worthless they may be to his blade. Stoic and collected, he and Jigen are the voices of reason in the quartet of crime. Last, but certainly not least, we have the lovely Mine Fujiko, the object of Lupin’s affections and a deadly piece of work. She usually works with Lupin to achieve her own ends, but it’s obvious that she sees something in him, despite her repeated betrayals, and will always come to his aid in the end should he desperately need it.

What’s a robber without a cop? Hands in the air where Inspector Zenigata can see them, you punks! Hellbent on capturing Lupin and bringing him to justice, Zenigata’s hounded the gang across the world and on nearly every continent known to man, with a minimal success rate. He’s no bumbling office, however (though he has shades of it in many of the TV shows), as he’s captured many other criminals and rapscallions during his pursuit of the master thief. He and Lupin are engaged in an endless cat and mouse chase, and the film wouldn’t really work as well without his inclusion and his chemistry with Lupin.

Taking on double duty as a princess and love interest, we have Clarice, the Princess of the castle of Cagliostro. She’s no damsel in distress; she’s managed to escape confinement in the past, and is brave enough to assist others and fight back when she needs to. She’s forcibly engaged to the Count of Cagliostro, the big man in charge of the country, who wants to use her for his own nefarious needs-and that’s just one of his secrets. Both have a connection to Lupin, though less so with the Count as much as his actions, and both are interesting and engaging characters in their own rights.

Alright, we’ve met the cast, but is the world they live in just as colorful? Let’s find out!

Looking Mighty Fine (And the Pictures Ain’t Bad, Either)

Now, this is a Miyazaki movie, so you gotta expect it to look nice. But, some may be put off by how it looks compared to his other works. While films like Princess Mononoke have deftly made animation, with smooth transitions and designs, The Castle of Cagliostro is a bit more, well, cartoonish. While his other films are intended for the big screen and don’t have any set animation style to abide by, Lupin the 3rd was already a popular series, and it had one movie under its belt before this one. Plus, this was his first film, so this was one of the first times that he got to choose how things would appear. As a result, it looks less clean and more ridiculous than his other films, for the most part, as it’s intended to look that way from the get-go, to keep similar to Lupin’s first series. The scenes heavily involving the characters work well in regards to this, and improves upon the original show’s look with some slight modifications. Co-directing the series helped, to be sure.

Despite these setbacks, this film shows the beauty that would later become more apparent in his other works, via the background animation. The first shot of Lupin approaching the ruins shows intricate design, and an amazing attention to detail. Each tile, each section of grass, and each brick on the walls are given focus to, and this makes the scene a lot more effective. Even the Fiat isn’t left out, as you can see the dirt from the previous car chase scene in it. Miyazaki’s other movies may have perfected his background animation, but it was just a stone’s throw away, since The Castle of Cagliostro’s animation was already near-perfect.

Oh, and there’s the car chase scene, which to this day looks well drawn, with everything given detail, including the branch that hits Lupin in the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGTxs2QeWJg

Gets me every time.

So, all in all, the movie looks great, with a few bumps in the road. But does it sound as good as it looks? We’re going to look at the music in this next section, so let’s get right to it!

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Lupin~

In general, the music of Lupin the 3rd tends to fit the times. In the 70s, it was actionish, to fit with the era in which the show was made, and in the late 70s/early 80s, it had a pop/disco type feel to it, for the same reason. The Castle of Cagliostro, however, was an adventure movie, and the music suits that genre. It’s designed to make the viewer invested in whatever chase or fight sequence is going on, making sure they are hooked from the first note, while keeping the Lupin spirit. This is apparent in the first track we hear, during Lupin and Jigen’s escape from the casino they just robbed, and which makes recurring appearances throughout the film, Toward the Patrol Line:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69ratTplrw

Along with this, during the film’s slower, more personal scenes, the music takes similar cues, letting the viewer float along, emphasizing the emotions on screen. This is heard through another recurring track, Fire Treasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdKPYo0n0U

Of course, a Lupin movie wouldn’t be complete without the Lupin theme. In this variation, the theme is a jazzy, light-hearted tune used in some of the film’s best sequences, like the car chase and part of the film’s climax:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX2ci_vr8o4

All of this music, and more, are used to great effect to create an impression on the watcher, making sure that the viewer isn’t just into the pretty pictures on the screen. It can be peppy, somber, or just downright crazy, making the soundtrack not just enjoyable for fans of Lupin, but people who like music in general.

Now, I’ve said all these things about it-but is it worth watching more than once? The answer: absolutely.

All Good Things Must Come To An End…

The Castle of Cagliostro is simply wonderful. It’s got a great story, well developed and likable characters, fantastic music, and superb animation. Some may be put off by it being a film of a show, but this is something that you can watch with no knowledge of Lupin and STILL enjoy to the highest degree. Without spoiling, I can say it doesn’t have any aesop, any lesson we need to learn as Miyazaki’s other works contain. What it has-what it is-is a tale of adventure and thrills, love and romance, good and evil, and the daring thief that brings it all together . Miyazaki has made some fine works, but his first, in this reviewer’s opinion, is his downright best. This is L Lawliet, signing off of this edition of L Lawliet’s Movie Madness. Let the good times roll, and believe in your thief.

P.S.: Here’s the movie in full on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V97CjH-5g0&feature=watch-now-button&wide=1

If the video doesn’t work for you, go look for the Manga Entertainment Dub. Avoid Streamline at all costs.