#AGhibliADay #TheCastleOfCagliostro

Today, we watched The Castle of Cagliostro, a film neither of us had watched before. In fact, neither of us has ever seen an episode of Lupin the III, the anime series the film is spun off from.

Also, we are 100% cheating today. This is not a Studio Ghibli film. It wasn't even grandfathered in like Nausicaä was. But it was Hayao Miyazaki's first feature film, so we're gonna pretend 😃

This film was blasted on its initial release for changing so much of what was considered established Lupin mythos. Lupin was a ruthless criminal and a womanizer, but in this film he's almost a gallant knight, saving princesses instead of robbing them blind. Fujiko was an overly sexualized woman for Lupin to fawn over and objectify along with the audience, but in this film she's a capable and badass secret agent who has all the best toys (she spends most of the film in a very conservative dress). Jigen is friendly and Goemon is funny here, things they are not in the regular series.

The art style here screams 70s anime. I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've seen stills and clips of things like Gatchaman and Space Battleship Yamato, and they all share a similar style. But Miyazaki goes and Miyazakis it up. The setting is the fictional and fantasized European principality of Cagliotstro, a Miyazaki signature. He has included fictional and fantasized European settings in many of his films, including Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle. He also put a special focus on character's movements, something apparently not previously done in Lupin the III, but quite obvious in other Miyazaki films.

This is also the cartooniest film Miyazaki has ever done, probably due to inheriting the Lupin the III house style. Physics are completely ignored, characters are rubbery and invulnerable when required, and facial expressions can stretch as much as needed. Every other Miyazaki film's look is grounded in realism, even when depicting enormous insects, flying witches, or terrifying yokai.

And man, is this funny. I found myself laughing out loud at multiple points, not just at the cartoony elements (like Lupin swimming upstream or driving his car on the side of a cliff), but also at various quips and sight gags.

This is not a Studio Ghibli film. If it was, it wouldn't be the best, but it certainly wouldn't be the worst either. And without it, the genius of Hayao Miyazaki may have been forever hidden away from the world.