The Castle of Cagliostro

Let’s go back to where it all started. I watched the December 15, 1979 anime action adventure movie The Castle of Cagliostro. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, I couldn’t find information about an MPAA rating, though it feels PG-13 to me. Starring David Hayter, Bridget Hoffman, and Kirk Thornton in the dub I watched, it takes place in Monaca and the fictional country of Cagliostro in 1968.

The thieves Arsène Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen rob the Monte Carlo Casino, only to learn that they stole counterfeit money. They head to Cagliostro to find the source of the counterfeit money. While there they learn the princess, Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro, will be forced to marry Count Lazare de Cagliostro, who has nefarious intentions. Lupin, who has some mysterious knowledge of the princess, plans to rescue her and stop Count Cagliostro. Can Lupin save the day?

My interest in this movie came from being a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work. For those unfamiliar with who he is, he is a beloved Japanese anime director credited with making some of the best animated movies of all time. Going by the original Japanese releases, his other movies are 1984’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1986’s Castle in the Sky, 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, 1989’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1992’s Porco Rosso, 1997’s Princess Mononoke, 2001’s Spirited Away, 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle, 2008’s Ponyo, 2013’s The Wind Rises, and 2023’s The Boy and the Heron. He is believed to be retired now, but with the amount of times he’s come out of retirement, who knows? His other movies are all connected to a Japanese anime movie company called Studio Ghibli. I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies. While I have not seen all of them, I have seen all of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, with them usually being the best the studio has to offer. So my interest definitely peaked when I found out the first movie Miyazaki directed had nothing to do with Studio Ghibli. Instead this movie is tied to a popular anime franchise called Lupin III, that apparently had multiple series and other movies. For everyone who is a fan of this franchise, I will make clear I know almost nothing other than what was in this movie. I have heard this movie was meant to be a more lighthearted take on the franchise. Otherwise, I’m just reviewing it as it is to explore the start of Hayao Miyazaki’s career.

The characters are memorable. Lupin is the classic example of a gentleman thief. Apart from being a thief, he is a good guy. He has an entertaining charm from his confident personality going into danger. He also is shown to care enough about good people like Clarisse. Speaking of which, Clarisse is probably my least favorite character. She’s not terrible, it’s just that she doesn’t have much to her beyond being nice and a damsel in distress. Count Cagliostro is an entertaining villain that’s enjoyable to watch carry out his plans while also being effectively hateable. A police officer named Chief Inspector Koichi Zenigata is a hot-tempered, but still noble man. He does have a rivalry with Lupin from wanting to arrest him, while also having respect for him and being able to recognize what’s most important. Jigen is more of the tough guy between him and Lupin, while also being likable enough as a supportive friend and experienced thief. Fujiko Mine is another criminal that has some history with Lupin and proves to be awesome in the scenes we see her in. She is wild, tough, confident, and flirtatious.

As for the story, it’s hard to address it without comparing it to Hayao Miyazaki’s other work. While I did think this was a great movie, I also found it to be the weakest of all his films. As someone who knows a lot about his work, he tends to take ideas that seem simple and give more complexity to them thereby turning out stories with depth. This film on the other hand, is exactly the kind of film you think it would be before watching it. A fun action adventure movie. It delivers exactly that and nothing more. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just that comparing it to his other films, you do notice a difference. Examples include having a damsel in distress female lead over a strong female character and a one dimensional villain over no villains or complex villains. Even the background music stands out in this regard. Hayao Miyazaki movies, as well as Studio Ghibli movies in general, have soft beautiful background music. This movie has high-adrenaline thrills as background music. Of course, that does fit the tone of this movie perfectly. While it may not be the most complex movie ever made, it is fun. They get creative with the scenarios that stick in peoples’ heads. Like a car chase to attempt to rescue someone in a speeding car or a fight inside of a clockwork tower. The plot itself isn’t anything special, but it does keep you invested to see where it will go. Also, for all the Miyazaki trademarks missing from this movie, there are familiar things too like his beautiful animation and impressive worldbuilding.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie. Not the most amazing Hayao Miyazaki movie ever made, but still a good time. I could see this as a way to get into either Hayao Miyazaki films or the Lupin III franchise. If there is anything Lupin did steal, it’s money to watch the movie. And I’d say it was a fair deal.

Count Cagliostro was in a corrupt position of power. Of course, corruption of power is one of the biggest problems we have to deal with in our world. I say we shouldn’t have to. Whether it’s the highest position of power you could have or a smaller form of it, any corruption by an authority role shouldn’t be tolerated. The innocent get hurt either way. There are some ways you could fight corruption. Obviously we want to aim for reforms and laws that make it impossible for corrupt people in power to stay in those positions. We can do this through multiple methods. You could form a peaceful protest to get these made. You could share your thoughts on social media to gain support. You could do the same by spreading through word of mouth. You can try to involve getting change made that keeps corrupt people from bribing to keep their positions. You could work to expose illegal actions being done. You can encourage whistleblowers while also supporting protection for them. You could support investigative journalism. You can help to fight for enhancing judicial independence. You could help to fight for people being held accountable. You could push for term limits. We can help to try to make a more fair world if we all work together.