The Castle of Cagliostro – Special Edition (aka Lupin The III)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: B     Film: B

 

 

The world's greatest thief Lupin the III is at it again, along with Jigen and Goemon they journey to the small remote country know as Cagliostro only to uncover its secret counterfeiting mint.  But upon getting there they discover the last princess of Cagliostro being forced to marry for her family fortune and legacy.  It's it up to Lupin and the gang to steal the treasure and save the day.  But things only get crazier when Fujiko and Zenigata shows up and starts going after Lupin and the treasure as well.  As things goes to hell, will Lupin's wits, cunning, skill and charm be enough to get through the castle security and an army of policemen and ninjas and save the damsel in distress?  Now, Hayao Miyazaki’s 1991 classic The Castle of Cagliostro has been reissued in a new special edition DVD from Manga.

 

While this is an older anime, Lupin is a classic must see for anime lovers.  Even without any digital animations the story itself is as intriguing and as funny.  The anime setting and style is drawn beautifully and you can really tell there was plenty of thinking and creativity put into creating the animation.  Many of the scenes, plots, are well put together and you can see where much of modern anime took their references from.  It is a timeless piece in which anyone can enjoy comedy, action, drama, and friendship.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a bit of a disappointment, with softness throughout, lacking detail.  Color can be consistent, but this is likely not even as good as older DVD.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is weak, has no surrounds and is recorded at a lower volume than it should be.  Extras include, complete Animatics/storyboards with soundtrack, interview with Animation Director Yasuo Otsuka, stills and trailers.

 

 

-   Ricky Chiang