For those of you unfamiliar with his exploits, Lupin the 3rd is a member of that time-honored and recently neglected archetype, the honorable thief. Created in the 70's by shonen manga artist Monkey Punch, Lupin is supposedly the grandson of an infamous French thief, Arsene Lupin. He and his traveling companions, the gruff but big-hearted marksman Jigen, and the mysterious samurai Goeman, as well as their long-suffering pursuer Inspector Zenigata, have been the subject of three TV series and countless films. Out of all of these, Miyazaki's Castle of Cagliostro is widely agreed to be the best.

Castle of Cagliostro is in many ways a humble, unambitious film. A simple tale, combining elements of well-established plot devices; the big heist, the princess trapped in the tower, the evil count. Sure, we've seen all of this before. Make no mistake, however, this "simple tale" will put a smile on your face within the first ten seconds, and keep it there until the ending credits roll, whether you're watching it for the first or the fiftieth time.

So what makes this movie such a masterpiece? It's difficult to say exactly. It's just one of those circumstances where all the pieces happen to fall in exactly the right way, and the result is something magical. From the gorgeous visuals, to the likable characters (even the villains), to the voice acting, everything comes together to form just the right blend of action, romance, comedy, and above all, cheese. (Cheese is the secret ingredient of spy movies everywhere; they would be lost without it.)

On to the visuals. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Hayao Miyazaki, you owe it to yourself to become educated. He is responsible for such critically acclaimed works as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and most recently, Princess Mononoke. Castle of Cagliostro is one of his earliest films, but that doesn't mean his considerable talent is any less obvious. The ominous presence of the castle itself, the magnificent landscapes (which are as breathtaking now as they were twenty years ago), the Count's skittering foot soldiers, Lupin's astounding aquatic abilities, and even the opening car chase, which Steven Spielberg once called "the greatest car chase ever filmed". These are images that will stick in your mind for years to come, and you will find yourself turning it on to see a particular scene, and ending up watching the entire thing in spite of yourself. It's just that kind of movie.

Of course, the characters themselves are a major part of the movie's appeal. Watching Lupin in action, it's easy to see how he attracts the sort of loyalty both his fictional gang and his real life fans display. The interesting thing is, you learn more about him from what he doesn't do, and doesn't say, than by his actions. The same goes for the rest of the gang. Despite the lack of words actually spoken about any of the character relationships, it becomes obvious as the movie progresses just who everybody is and how they feel about each other. Inspector Zenigata is a good example of this. Though no words are directly spoken about his past with Lupin, one immediately gets the sense that despite being life-long arch-enemies, they are the best of friends. This type of character development is very hard to achieve, because of it's subtlety, but when it works, it's far more believable, and Miyazaki has always been a master of this technique.

No discussion of an anime would be complete without touching on the voice acting. Thankfully, Castle of Cagliostro shines in this area as well. Whether you're watching it in English or in Japanese, everybody somehow manages to sound exactly like who and what they are. Our hero Lupin, a good-natured rogue who may find himself on the wrong side of the law, but who has a strict set of morals that he always holds himself to. Jigen, the sharp-shooting sidekick who seems gruff at first, but has more of a soft spot for people than he will admit. Goemon, the soft-spoken samurai who seems to understand Lupin better than anyone else, and travels with him out of respect for the person he is inside. Zenigata, the blustering and often confounded Interpol inspector who is reluctant to admit how much he admires the man he has devoted his life to chasing. Fujiko, Lupin's beautiful rival who never lets her feelings for him get in the way of a good theft, but is always willing to lend a helping hand. With only a couple of minor exceptions in the English version, (Gustav and Jodo...*cough cough*) the voice acting is top notch, despite the lack of immediately recognizable names. Admittedly, this new dub lacks some of the charm of the first release, but on the other hand, it's much more accurate, following the script almost to the letter, except for a little small talk added here and there. Also, for the first time ever, the villain's voice sounds exactly the same in English and in Japanese.

These are all very compelling reasons for purchasing Castle of Cagliostro, but the truth is, it belongs in the collection of any serious anime fan because it's a slice of anime history. A truly great film, and one that has been entertaining people for twenty years, has finally been given the treatment it deserves. If you haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a try, and if you have, then you have a chance to see it again, as it was intended to be seen, with all the original voices and none of the little snippets missing that were taken out for the original American release. So what are you waiting for?

- Essential Collection page written by Drave Cochems.