Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro 4K UHD

As with any collector's edition of an old movie, one must review both the movie itself and the quality of its release. However, I imagine that most people interested in buying this edition already love this film, so just scroll down to "But you probably already know all this" if you only want to know about picture quality/bonus features, etc.To put it bluntly, Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro, is an excellent film. It's amazing to realize while watching this film that it was released in 1979, because it's a movie that hasn't aged a day. Sure, aesthetically, it looks like an old anime film, and it's relaxed pace sets it apart from modern action anime, but in terms of animation and scene planning, this movie easily holds up when viewed through a modern lens. The action is simply brilliant, structured and animated to perfection. And when I say perfection, I mean perfection. Despite being Hayao Miyazaki's first film, his talent is on full display. Everything, from the beautifully complex detail of the clock tower scene to the quiet wholesomeness of Lupin's interactions with Clarisse just looks great, breathing life into some of the most creative setpieces ever put to animation.But you probably already know all this. Thankfully, this Blu-ray release does this film justice. The picture quality is great, being very well upgraded to modern quality. The lines are sharp and the colors are vibrant. The audio has been very well restored too, and yes the original Japanese audio is included, alongside no less than both of this film's past English dubs. Personally, I like to stick to the original Japanese, but I imagine that old school fans will appreciate the inclusion of the old dubs. Additionally, this release has both the original 1980 English subtitles created for the film's limited festival runs as well as a brand new set of subtitles which, in my opinion, is probably the best English translation we've gotten so far (no more of that "goat bills" nonsense).Alongside this restoration, the bonus features are very solid. I love it when film ner–er, scholars record audio commentaries, and Reed Nelson's delightfully info-filled commentary track does not disappoint. This release also includes a hefty assortment of production material, including a large gallery of posters, key art, and the complete set of storyboards and concept art that Hayao Miyazaki created during post production. It's a fascinating insight into Miyazaki's creative process, and it's interesting to see how so much of the film really was his vision.Rounding out the bonus feature selection is a set of five interviews, including with David Hayter (2000 English Lupin), Bob Bergen (1992 English Lupin), Yasuo Ohtsuka (director of animation), Kazuhide Tomonaga (one of many key animators), and Monkey Punch (creator of Lupin the Third). Hayter and Bergen's interviews are the only ones freshly conducted for this release, with the other three being much older. While none of these interviews are terrible, only Ohtsuka and Tomonaga really have much insight into the production process, with Hayter and Bergen's interviews being typically actor-focused while Monkey Punch's is complete fluff. Considering how much the influence and talent of Hayao Miyazaki hangs over the film, I'm a little disappointed that no interview with him was conducted for this release, though I understand that he's probably a very busy guy.All in all, with a robust selection of bonus features, great video and audio, and a nice selection of viewing options, this is an excellent release of an excellent movie. I fully recommended to fans of Lupin the Third, Hayao Miyazaki, and anime films in general.

Hayao Miyazaki has made many films around the theme of mysterious castles.This Lupin the 3rd cartoon is very successful, even if it moves away from the corrosive spirit of Monkey Punch comics. But we can count on the great Miyazaki and his Japanese colleagues to concoct a story full of twists and turns with superb sets. The animation is impressive even if they had little time to produce it, compared to the big American studios. It is therefore a tour de force for this Japanese film that has become a cult classic.Obviously, I invite people to see it on Blu-Ray. Although some DVD editions have become rare and sought after. And it is even more true for VHS. Remember, this film is cult! 😉

You can find my full review here: http://www.fandompost.com/2015/05/25/lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro-collectors-edition-blu-ray-anime-review/ but below are a couple brief points:Audio:There are six audio tracks present here including the original Japanese track in mono, as well as in 5.1 surround sound. We also get the 1992 English audio track produced by Streamline Pictures in mono, the 2000 English dub done by Manga Entertainment in stereo, a family friendly version of the Manga dub, and finally a commentary track hosted by Reed Nelson of lupinthethird.com, who’s pretty darned competent doling out info.It’s interesting to hear how these tracks vary a bit. Both the English dubs are decently acted. The Streamline Pictures dub directed by the late Carl Macek had the usual actors you would hear in their Akira and Robotech dubs, anchored with some perfectly goofy voicework from Bob Bergen as Lupin himself. A couple things are a bit off though in that Lupin himself is referred to as The Wolf because there was a legal with the estate of Maurice Leblanc, creator of the original Arsene Lupin character Lupin III is derived from (see below for more). This is understandable, given the issue. However, the script is written so that his partner Jigen refers to Lupin as his “Boss” which, never quite rings true given their association, as they’ve always acted more like partners than employer / subordinate. Also, the mixing is a bit different from the others in that dialogue and music tend to be higher than foley like gunshots at times.The Manga Entertainment dub directed by the late Kevin Seymour (for which he himself portrayed Inspector Kenji Zeningata) punches up the foley effects a bit while mixing really good performances by David Hayter as Lupin and Ivan Buckley as Jigen among others. Of course, there’s no replacing Yasuo Yamada’s zaniness with certified cool as the original Lupin, but the American casts do acquit themselves well. Meanwhile the score by Yuji Ohno is an excellent mix of 70s style French Connection action, whimsical stylistic jazz and simple harp & piano combos that that you through many moods of excitements, drama and sorrow the screenplay possesses.Video:The video is in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and fits perfectly onto the TV. The general colors are brighter with the blues and greens benefiting the most from this treatment. There are song subtitles in blue and white for a couple vocal pieces on here. Also, though, in addition to the regular subtitles in yellow, you have the option of using closed captioned subtitles in yellow (which take the regular subtitles and add sound effects in the key moments for hearing impaired). Also present are the subtitles from the 1980 international releases so you can see big white blocky text in times new roman font, same translation and all. So you can see Inspector Zeningata referred to as Ed Cott if you want, just like the original trailer for Mystery of Mamo.In Summary:When movie collectors talk about The Criterion Collections of movies with awe and respect, it’s because they know the people behind those releases put a lot of time and energy into putting out a good product to not only entertain but educate the person spending money on the DVDs at hand, as well as tapes and laserdiscs in years gone by. If there’s an equivalent to Criterions for American anime releases, it would be Lupin III: Castle Cagliostro – Collectors Edition.