Hayao Miyazaki, whose illustrious career includes classics of the anime/animation genres such as Spirited Away, Ponyo, and The Boy and the Heron, began his feature-length filmography with Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. The story stems from several iterations of the gentleman thief known as Lupin III first created as a manga series from 1967-1969 by the artist known as Monkey Punch. The Castle of Cagliostro was the second feature film surrounding Lupin III and his cronies, partner Daisuke Jigen, ninja Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and sometimes love interest, Fujiko Mine.
Buy Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro Blu-rayThe film opens with Lupin and Daisuke escaping a Monaco casino with scads of cash. However, Lupin instantly identifies the money as high-quality counterfeits and somehow decides the counterfeits are coming from the country of Cagliostro to which the pair immediately travel to investigate. During their journey, they become involved in an on-going road chase between Clarisse, the princess of Cagliostro, who is trying to evade the upcoming forced wedding between her and Count Cagliostro. The Count believes that he must cement their relationship to take ownership of the two signet rings the pair possess, and that once he has both rings he will be able to access the fabled treasure of Cagliostro.
Lupin III and his friends have many adventures and near-death scrapes as they try their best to save Clarisse, and, if there is time for it, also find the fabled treasure of Cagliostro. The animation style and sense of wonder that Miyazaki would become known for are not especially noticeable here though there are flashes of brilliance throughout. The Castle of Cagliostro is not a very good entry point into Miyazaki’s work as, say, Ponyo is for children, and Spirited Away is for older crowds. However, completionists will need to seek out Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.
