Miyazaki Countdown Part 1 - Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

Hello everyone and welcome to Some Like It Scott's second Countdown miniseries on 2023, a podcast first focusing entirely on the works of Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki: the Miyazaki Countdown. To honor one of the living legends of animation, the countdown crew of Scott, Scott, and Jay will watch all 11 of Miyazaki's films to-date, rewinding all the way back to his directorial origins with 1979's action-adventure heist thriller LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, all the way to his then-final film, 2013's biographical epic romance drama, THE WIND RISES. Join us each week over the next 11 weeks, as we build up to what is Miyazaki's self-proclaimed now-final film (we'll see...), the fantasy epic, THE BOY AND THE HERON.

In Part 1 of the Miyazaki Countdown, Scott, Scott, and Jay tap into Miyazaki in his pre-Studio Ghibli days, with a discussion of Miyazaki's first feature-length directorial outing: LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO. Based on characters from the Lupin III manga, THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO follows veteran gentleman thief Lupin III, who with the help of his accomplice and righthand-man, Jigen, successfully robbed a casino, only to find their newfound fortune to be counterfeit cash, originating from a small sovereign nation named Cagliostro. Intent on acquiring his treasure, Lupin and Jigen head for the countryside of Cagliostro - where Lupin himself may have a bit of history - only to be swept up in the nefarious affairs of Count Cagliostro, who plans to marry the Princess Clarisse to affirm his power over the nation and regain the fabled ancient treasure of Cagliostro, combining Clarisse's ancestral ring with his own. The Count will find his plans not so easily executed however, thanks to the interloping Lupin, Jigen, and fellow associates Goemon, Fujiko, and the rival Inspector Zenigata. The countdown crew reflect on the world's first introduction to Miyazaki, the ensemble cast of fun characters, and whether Miyazaki's "spy" / Mission Impossible-type movie goes off without a hitch.