Let's start off with Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. The whole plot is concentrated on Lupin III, who is a master thief. But, truthfully, he's not a greedy person in the movie. For the other characters, they push the story along. Because Lupin III is a popular manga, most of the audience have an idea about the other characters. But as you watch the movie, you eventually pick up their roles and relationship with each other.The plot is also well done. It is one of those conspiracy movie; fake money being distributed all over the world. So Lupin III tries to find the source which leads him to Cagliostro. There are car chase scene, combat scene, etc. Enough action to keep the whole conspiracy idea from being too boring. Also, even though there is love in the movie, it is not the core of the plot or the focus at the end. So a great movie for males, compare to other Studio Ghibli films.
The character design is pretty 80s and simple. The characters are extremely lanky and there is not a big emphasis on the eyes. Overall, they look ordinary. The characters are shown to be more on the goofy side, but can be serious and cool. Whether it is due to the animation or just the acting. Especially Lupin, the thief that seems to have everything under control but doesn't. While the villain does not really have a strong presence, his henchmen, on the other hand, are creepy. They just look like a mix of gorillas and cats. Creepers of the night. In conclusion, all the characters design are not great but their personality make it up.
The voice actors are pretty decent, a corny joke here and there but do convey the meaning of the show. But not the best, but again, they know how to display the tone of the story. Also their voices are not too overly expressive, so the characters are not ruined in the process. *Using the English dub
The scenery is pretty good, paying details to nature and architecture. Gives a vibe of a small rural country with the beautiful nature background. But a rich European feel due to the castles and wardrobe. A great set up for the plot of the movie to unfold. In all, animation for the background and details were amazing work. Song at the beginning and end gives a sad parting, not really a happy vibe. Just a bitter separation. While the music is something I would hear from a detective show in the 80s. Just a fun tune similar to Cowboy Bepop; the music for a chase scene. But matches with the movie, as it transitions from different scenarios.
The movie is actually pretty gruesome...compare to some of Hayao Mizyaki's work. Characters do die in the this movie. But it really is not bad. A great movie which is perfect for a male audience or a fan of Lupin III. Where the plot is revolved around a male instead of a female character.While in comparison to The Great Mouse Detective, the main character is told from the detective's point of view.
The Great Mouse Detective is more about a Sherlock Holmes movie, just in a mouse world. In the movie, the main character, Basil (aka. Sherlock Holmes), is more on the comedic and goofy side. Different to the recent Sherlock Holmes movies.The plot is a detective storyline. A girl ask for Basil to help find her father, who is somehow entangled with Ratigan, his nemesis. But the plot is not about the mystery but more of the chase. This movie does a good job in making Basil imperfect, he struggles like any other character. A well done plot that uses the animal world while adding human elements.
The character design is much similar to a rodent like creature, having ears and tails. Well done by incorporating human components like hands. Also each of the characters look distinctively different. Including the villain, whose personality reflect his appearance. Not only are the characters design well done, but their persona match as well.
The scenery matches the deary London, which is rainy and dark. Pretty much the whole scenery is at night with fog all the time. And the setting is like the London's street in the 1800, but in the human world. So it gives the story of realism with the setting of London. As a result, the scenery is very realistic from the backgrounds and props.
The voice actors are pretty decent, fitting the characters well, especially Watson. However, due to the setting, I would believe an English accent would be a better choice. But the voice actors do display a sort of classy vibe.For the music of the movie, it had a common tune. A sort of chase music with a sort of pep to it. However, the tune is sort of changed to give a more mellow vibe or dark presence.
Between the two movies there are many differences but some surprising similarities. One is that the main character both use their brains and create plans are above average. Lupin III who create schemes for his theft and Basil's quick problem solving. Also their abilities to disguise is just impossible to defer. Lupin III, master of faces, and Basil, disguise out of this world. Another similarity is the scenario with the clock scene. It is obvious that the clock scene overlap each other from being in the mechanics of the clock to the outside face. It was mention that The Great Mouse Detective used Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro clock scene. The only difference is there seems to be more tension with the Detective movie.From the two movies, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro brings in a story different from Hayao Mizyaki's films and Studio Ghibli. This can be due to the action scene or the characters development through the movie. While The Great Mouse Detective gives us a different detective story. A fun movie where the mice are the star of the show. Both are great movies, just depends on the characters: thief vs detective.
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