The Castle of Cagliostro

A Parent's Guide to Anime
Rated: G
Suitable for Family Viewing

Review by Michael Gorman

The Castle of Cagliostro follows one of the exploits of a thief named "The Wolf" as he and his friends initially try to find (and take over) one of the worlds most effective counterfeiting rings. The search takes them to the country of Cagliostro, where The Wolf stumbles upon a kind woman (betrothed to the evil Count of Cagliostro) whom he remembers from his younger days. The majority of this film is spent trying to expose the counterfeit ring, rescue the girl, and evade the pursuit of Interpol's Inspector Zenigata, the long time rival of The Wolf.

This film is regarded as one of the classics of anime due to the wonderful story (which is filled with action and humor) . The animation, for the time it was produced (in 1979) is quite excellent, as is the music. The characters have appeared in other films, but Castle of Cagliostro (produced by acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyakazi!) is seen as the most famous.

This film is available dubbed by Streamline, but a subtitled version is in the works. The dub is surprisingly good, and the original Japanese opening and closing theme songs have been left intact.

Ed. Note: A new dub and the sub for Castle of Cagliostro is now available (VHS / hyb DVD) from Manga Entertainment.

Parent's Guide Rating:

green (suitable for family viewing)

Violence: Not particulary much to speak of. There are a few scenes of Interpol Agents clashing with Castle Guards, but these are very cartoon-like and no real violence is seen. Perhaps the worst scene in the entire film involves The Wolf being shot once in the chest, and even then only a small trickle of blood is seen.

Other Warnings: Parents might want to take note that the main character IS a thief, and that his initial goal is to steal the treasure of the castle. Otherwise, I believe that this film is appropriate for people of ANY age.