“The Castle of Cagliostro” is a stand-alone entry in the “Lupin III” series, an iconic manga and anime franchise about the descendant of legendary gentleman thief Arsene Lupin, as he travels the world with his criminal gang taking on heists and outfoxing the determined Interpol agent Zenigata.
Miyazaki is most famous for making personal, original, idiosyncratic films about his favored themes: nature, environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, youth, and aging. But for his feature debut, when Ghibli was just a glimmer in his eye, he made pure franchise popcorn entertainment. And the result is a complete blast. “The Castle of Cagliostro” is a stand-alone entry in the “Lupin III” series, an iconic manga and anime franchise about the descendant of legendary gentleman thief Arsene Lupin, as he travels the world with his criminal gang taking on heists and outfoxing the determined Interpol agent Zenigata.