Anime Reviews:

Castle of Cagliostro

(Hayao Miyazaki, 1979)

Up until this was released in the UK in 1997, despite being the most successful and well-loved animator in Japan, the only previous work of Hayao Miyazaki to see official light here was Warriors of the Wind, which had 25 minutes edited away. Cagliostro, Miyazaki's first feature, is a delight, featuring many of the themes and interested which blossomed fully in later works like Laputa - ancient wisdom, feisty princesses, the joys of flight, etc.

It's another entry in the adventures of gentleman thief Lupin III, who for copyright reasons goes under the name of 'Wolf' here. After the proceeds of a casino raid turns out to be forged notes, he vows to track down the fraudsters,only to get embroiled in a plot involving the heiress to a European principality, long-lost treasure, Interpol and rival thief Fujiko. Deftly handled, it's enormously entertaining stuff, with never a dull moment. 8/10

Jim McLennan

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