When I first saw that this was available for streaming, I was interested at first. But when I learned that this film was actually the directorial debut of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, I knew I had to watch it. And let me say, it did not disappoint. Lupin III is a world-famous thief who discovers a huge counterfeit operation with his close friend Jigen. Sensing a bigger opportunity, the duo decide to investigate, which leads to them crossing paths with the wicked Count Cagliostro, who plans to force a young Princess into marrying him so he can inherit her family's most hidden treasure. So, it falls onto Lupin to save the princess, expose the Count's villainy, and uncover the hidden treasure.
Like anything that has Miyazaki's name attached to it, the animation is phenomenal, creating beautiful backgrounds and stunning animation for the characters. It's anime like this that really disillusion me from the modern day industry; it will probably never look this good or even have this much soul.
I feel I should also add that I was completely unfamiliar with the Lupin IIIanime before watching this film. However, I can say that I'm definitely interested in watching more of it. The main protagonist of the series, Lupin Wolf III is an incredibly endearing hero. Sure, he acts like a goofball at times and doesn't seem to take things very seriously, but it's mostly an act to mask just how badass and capable he really is. That said, Lupin isn't exactly what you can call a hero, either. Much like Miyazaki's criticism on White And Black Morality, Lupin is still a thief and a criminal. Despite that, he comes off as remarkably charming and actually has standards. Especially when it comes to Count Cagliostro, our Big Bad of the film. While Cagliostro is most definitely evil, even he is given a bit of depth that seperates him from the stereotypical Card-Carrying Villain we see these days.
The very last thing I want to address is the climax. I'm not going to give any of it away, but let's just say that I'm pretty sure it gave Disney a few ideas. That should be all you need to see it.
Anime An Explosive Debut for One of Japan's Most Influential Creators
When I first saw that this was available for streaming, I was interested at first. But when I learned that this film was actually the directorial debut of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, I knew I had to watch it. And let me say, it did not disappoint. Lupin III is a world-famous thief who discovers a huge counterfeit operation with his close friend Jigen. Sensing a bigger opportunity, the duo decide to investigate, which leads to them crossing paths with the wicked Count Cagliostro, who plans to force a young Princess into marrying him so he can inherit her family's most hidden treasure. So, it falls onto Lupin to save the princess, expose the Count's villainy, and uncover the hidden treasure.
Like anything that has Miyazaki's name attached to it, the animation is phenomenal, creating beautiful backgrounds and stunning animation for the characters. It's anime like this that really disillusion me from the modern day industry; it will probably never look this good or even have this much soul.
I feel I should also add that I was completely unfamiliar with the Lupin III anime before watching this film. However, I can say that I'm definitely interested in watching more of it. The main protagonist of the series, Lupin Wolf III is an incredibly endearing hero. Sure, he acts like a goofball at times and doesn't seem to take things very seriously, but it's mostly an act to mask just how badass and capable he really is. That said, Lupin isn't exactly what you can call a hero, either. Much like Miyazaki's criticism on White And Black Morality, Lupin is still a thief and a criminal. Despite that, he comes off as remarkably charming and actually has standards. Especially when it comes to Count Cagliostro, our Big Bad of the film. While Cagliostro is most definitely evil, even he is given a bit of depth that seperates him from the stereotypical Card-Carrying Villain we see these days.
The very last thing I want to address is the climax. I'm not going to give any of it away, but let's just say that I'm pretty sure it gave Disney a few ideas. That should be all you need to see it.