With The boy and the heron poised to become one of Hayao Miyazaki’s greatest films ever, it makes sense to start looking back at his legendary career. Miyazaki’s directorial debut was his first and only film not produced by Studio Ghibli, the second film in the Lupine III series, The Castle of Cagliostro. The Castle of Cagliostro premiered in 1979. Ghibli was founded in 1985. The Castle of Cagliostro may not be a Ghibli film, but it owes much to Miyazaki’s style and while not initially popular but it became a masterpiece and helped make Miyazaki an icon of anime.
Lupine III is one of the oldest and most famous anime and manga franchises in Japan. Originating in 1967 with manga by artist Monkey Punch, the franchise has grown to include eight anime series, 11 theatrical films, an annual television special from 1989-2013, and many others. since then, and all the merchandise that comes with the franchise has been popular for nearly 60 years. The Castle of Cagliostro is the second longest running Lupine III film, but became the most famous film in the series and helped shape the later tone of the series and its characters.
Miyazaki’s Castle of Cagliostro Lupine III is a classic
Cagliostro Castle/TMS.
The eponymous character, Arsène Lupine III, is the grandson of Pulp magazine’s literary master thief Arsène Lupin, who also inspired both the main character in Persona 5 and the live-action Netflix show Lupine. Like his grandfather, Lupine III is a gentleman thief, although in the original manga he is much colder and amoral. Cagliostro Castle played a key role in softening his image and turning him into a charming scoundrel rather than a cold-hearted criminal. In fact, the distinct change in tone of the original manga was part of the reason Cagliostro Castle was initially unpopular in Japan. Fittingly for the story of a master thief, the film begins with a heist.
When they discover that the money they stole from the casino is counterfeit, Lupine and the conman Jigen trace the counterfeit money to its source in the Grand Duchy of Cagliostro. Along the way, they encounter Princess Clarisse, fleeing from the Count’s plot to force her to marry him in order to reunite the two branches of the Cagliostro royal family and unlock the secret of ancient treasure. of the Principality. Lupine’s heist turns from trying to steal the Count’s fortune to trying to rescue Princess Clarisse. Meanwhile, other recurring Lupine III characters engage in their own competing schemes: Lupin’s associate master samurai Goemon, INTERPOL agent Zenigata, female wildcard Fujiko. All these plots and counter-plots culminate in a showdown between Lupine and the Count over the moving hands of the castle’s clock tower.
All Miyazaki trademarks in Cagliostro Castle
It has long been rumored that Steven Spielberg was inspired by the chase scenes in Cagliostro Castle. The truth of these rumors remains unclear, although the climactic clock tower scene received clear homages from later animated films, so overall its influence is unlikely. can’t be denied, even if the rumors about Spielberg are just myths. Despite an initially lukewarm response, the absolute mastery of the medium demonstrated in The Castle of Cagliostro slowly but surely won over audiences in Japan, earning The Castle of Cagliostro its place worthy of an anime masterpiece. All the hallmarks of later Ghibli are present. Most importantly, for a film that’s nearly 60 years old, the animation still looks phenomenal. The Castle of Cagliostro is considered one of the most impressive directorial works of all time.
Although the future of Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial career remains unclear at this time, he has solidified his status as an icon. Even before the founding of Studio Ghibli and his series of Ghibli masterpieces, he established himself as one of the all-time greats right from the start with The Castle of Cagliostro. Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary career that began at Cagliostro Castle has taken decades to continue The Boy and the Heron.