Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro (Movie): Added 9-08-06
Few series have such a diverse selection of OAVs, TV series and movies as Lupin III. The playboy thief with a sense of humor has delighted fans for nearly three decades and though Castle of Cagliostro hovers around circa 1979 it still manages to entertain its audience with a script penned by none other than Hayao Miyazaki. I will preface the rest of this review by noting that the first go around I opted to review the dub and I will be following up at a later date with a review of the subtitled original. The movie was reviewed using a Samsung HD860 player. Screenshots were taken using InterVideo WinDVD.

The anime starts off mid-heist as Lupin, renowned thief and playboy, and his gun toting cohort Jigen make off with what looks like a great haul. Unfortunately for Lupin and company though the bills are all counterfeits. This sets Lupin and Jigen on the trail of the famed 'goat bills', masterwork forgeries said to fool almost anyone. Of course Lupin isn't in this for the bills themselves but the press plates.

Finding themselves in the small European nation of Cagliostro. Lupin and Jigen find themselves rescuing a runaway bride being chased by a car full of black suited goons. The young woman is rescued and in the process forgets a family heirloom. As the mystery of the runaway bride, the ring and the truth behind the dastardly Count Cagliostro unfolds we find that Lupin and the girl (Clarisse) share a bit of history.

Though the storyline initially only features Jigen and Lupin, little by little the rest of the stalwart cast comes into the plot. Detective Zenigata appears and is quickly tossed into the mix as a somewhat unnowing pawn. In addition, there are some interesting plot twists revolving he and Lupin as they break out of their usual roles of hunter and prey. The violent vixen Fujiko manages to sneak her way in (in more ways than one) and the stoic Goemon all play a part in the attempt to free Clarisse from the evil plotting Count.

Much like an Indiana Jones adventure, the action is well paced and rarely over the top (well over the top for Lupin at least). Though the video footage shows its age, I think it held up quite well all these years. The dub cast (whom I regret isn't listed according to character) did a good job. I have to admit, I myself, had become used to hearing Tony Oliver in the titular role of Lupin.

The extras include storyboard sections, an interview with animation director Yasuo Ohtsuka, trailers and additional previews for Manga Entertainment DVDs. All in all the extras were enjoyable though I would have liked to have heard more commentary from some of the VA's.

Some things are timeless and good storytelling is one of them. Were it not for the wear on the cell animation you probably couldn't tell that Castle of Cagliostro was done so many years ago. From the dialogue to the plot twists, the story is easy to get into and enjoyable throughout. At times serious, mostly funny and occasionally romantic, Castle of Cagliostro should appeal to a wide audience. I'm happy to give this classic anime title a strong 8.5/10.

I'd like to thank to the folks at M80im.com and Manga Entertainment for providing the DVD for review.