"Whether it's robbing casinos in Monte Carlo or stealing the hearts of beautiful women, nobody does it better than Wolf (alias Lupin lll) - gentleman, thief, ladies man and master of disguise. He's a modern-day Robin Hood with more gadgets than James Bond, and no fortune, no matter how well guarded, is safe...."
"When their latest carload of stolen cash turns out to be counterfeit, Wolf and his sharpshooting sidekick Jingen trace the forgers to the tiny country of Cagliostro, and the forbidding castle af Count Cagliostro himself. Behind the stone walls and the laser defences, the Count has imprisoned the beautiful princess Clarisse: the girl who holds the secret to the legendary hidden treasure. With the help of lovely gun-toting Fujiko and the unstoppable samurai Goemon, Wolf decides to go after the money, the girl, and the bad guy after all, apart from the massed ranks of Interpol a horde of razor-armed Ninja and an international conspiracy or two, what could possibly stop him?"
"Created by manga master Monkey Punch and brought to the screen by the Great Hayao Miyazaki, The Castle of Cagliostro is the ultimate in high- speed comedy adventure. The Wolf is on the loose - strap yourself in and hold on to your wallet!"
Creator: Monkey Punch Director: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki, Haruya Yamazaki Music: Yuji Ohno Copyright: Monkey Punch/TMS English soundtrack: Director: Jenny Haniver, Joe Romersa Script: Mary Manson VHS version: Language: English Label: Manga Video Running time: 101 mins Certificate: PG Catalogue no: MANV 1130 Price: £13.99 Release Date: 10th June 1996 DVD version: Languages: Japanese and English with optional English subtitles Label: Manga Video Running time: 101 mins Certificate: PG Catalogue no: MANG 4051 Price: £16.99 Release Date: 4th March 2002
This is one of three Lupin Anime available in the UK (The others being The Fuma Conspiracy and The Legend of the Gold of Babylon). For those who are new to the character it follows the considerable exploits of our hero Lupin the 3rd, the third descendant of the famous French Gentleman thief Arsene Lupin.
While Lupin and Fiegel (A friend/companion in theft) are driving along happily down a twisting mountain road, looking for the next opportunity to get rich quick, their peace and quiet is suddenly wrecked by two speeding cars that nearly knock them off the mountain edge. The second car, filled with suited unruly types, is vigorously chasing the first, filled with a rather pretty young woman in a wedding dress. Being rather used to this sort of action, and also being very keen to get to know the bride a little better, Lupin sets off on what Steven Spielberg has said to be the best Car-Chase scene he's ever seen. Lupin discovers that the girl is the bride to be of the very rich and mysterious Count Cagliostro and is being kept against her will in his Castle. It goes without saying that Lupin sets off to rescue her, but matters are made more interesting by the 'introduction' of Inspector Zenigata (Sworn to catch Lupin after many a failed attempt) , the arrival of Goemon Ishikawa (A modern day Samurai (see The Fuma Conspiracy), the prescence of Fujiko (a beautiful accomplice/friend/rival/former lover to Lupin) inside the castle, the castle's long and mysterious history and an occurance in Lupin's past that makes him feel duty bound to get involved.
Putting this simply it is an absolute must see! The Plot is intricate and involving. The animation and art work is top notch. The characters are wonderfully designed and interplay naturally on screen and the story board is perfectly put together and is very very funny. This is one of my favourite Anime and almost goes along side some of Miyazaki's work in my view.'Monkey Punch', Lupin's creator, has given us a character for all to enjoy time and again. This is very highly recommended. Sutha Nirmalananthan