Castle of Cagliostro is the greatest Studio Ghibli movie ever

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Poll of the Day » Castle of Cagliostro is the greatest Studio Ghibli movie ever
And it wasnt even made by Studio Ghibli! Thats how good it is!
I haven't watched them all but here is my top 3:

  1. Spirited Away
  2. Grave of the fireflies
  3. Howl's Moving Castle
I just realized I haven't seen a lot of anime feature films; I saw Pokemon and Yugioh, but other than that I only saw Castle of Cagliostro, Metropolis, Akira, Armitage III and Golgo 13
"Salt cures Everything!"
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Lokarin posted...
I just realized I haven't seen a lot of anime feature films; I saw Pokemon and Yugioh, but other than that I only saw Castle of Cagliostro, Metropolis, Akira, Armitage III and Golgo 13
studio Ghibli makes some awesome ones! You should def look into them!

fettster777 posted...
I haven't watched them all but here is my top 3:

1. Spirited Away
2. Grave of the fireflies
3. Howl's Moving Castle
Nice. I love spirited away. But grave of the fireflies looks a bit sad for my taste.

You should check out boy and the heron! Its good!
XenobladeX posted...
You should check out boy and the heron! Its good!
I was actually extremely disappointed by Boy and the Heron, which is sad to say because I've enjoyed every single Ghibli film I've seen. I know that it is heavily themed after Buddhist and Shinto philosophy on life, death and the afterlife. So a lot of what left me totally confused probably has a lot to do with this. But one of the most important aspects of Ghibli Films, the representation of strongly written characters and their relationships was completely lacking and insultingly bad. Characters just appear and we're expected to know who they are all of a sudden, and the protagonist instantly forms close bonds with them for no reason at all as if they've spent any amount of meaningful time together. It got to a point where I strongly suspected that the film was written by AI, that's how bad it was.
Salrite posted...
I was actually extremely disappointed by Boy and the Heron, which is sad to say because I've enjoyed every single Ghibli film I've seen. I know that it is heavily themed after Buddhist and Shinto philosophy on life, death and the afterlife. So a lot of what left me totally confused probably has a lot to do with this. But one of the most important aspects of Ghibli Films, the representation of strongly written characters and their relationships was completely lacking and insultingly bad. Characters just appear and we're expected to know who they are all of a sudden, and the protagonist instantly forms close bonds with them for no reason at all as if they've spent any amount of meaningful time together. It got to a point where I strongly suspected that the film was written by AI, that's how bad it was.
I didnt like it either if Im being completely honest. I didnt understand it at all. I just really liked the animation and Im a big Miyazaki fan.

Everybody else kept singing its praises so I just figured maybe its good and its just going over my head or something. The animation was spectacular though.

I kinda think that movie suffers from an Emperors New Clothes scenario. Its not great, but nobody wants to admit it.
XenobladeX posted...
I didnt like it either if Im being completely honest. I didnt understand it at all. I just really liked the animation and Im a big Miyazaki fan.

Everybody else kept singing its praises so I just figured maybe its good and its just going over my head or something. The animation was spectacular though.

I kinda think that movie suffers from an Emperors New Clothes scenario. Its not great, but nobody wants to admit it.
Yeah, it was beautifully animated. I can definitely agree with that.

And I hesitate to just call it bad right away without digging into the context. Apparently there's some kind of companion interview with Miyazaki that helps explain the theming and his motivations for making the film. Haven't watched it myself, but it does go into detail about the metaphorical nature of it.

Still though, it's the way the characters are written that was the biggest disappointment for me. I can tolerate a convoluted story, but believable characters are all I ask for.
Salrite posted...
It got to a point where I strongly suspected that the film was written by AI, that's how bad it was.
This is deeply into "Charlie Brown had hoes" territory of absurd nonsense. Its a silly comment on its own but I thought it was common knowledge that Miyazaki would rather blow his brains out onto a canvas and call that a script than allow a robot to make any part of a thing he was associated with.

As for Castle of Cagliostro, it's a top 5 along with Nausicaa (the other non-Ghibli Ghibli movie). Porco Rosso is the best one though.
Castle of Cagliostro is definitely one of my tops.
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SomeUsername529 posted...
I thought it was common knowledge that Miyazaki would rather blow his brains out onto a canvas and call that a script than allow a robot to make any part of a thing he was associated with.
Which is all the more reason why the quality of writing was so shocking. Considering his age and the length of time it took for production, it's entirely possible he personally had minimal influence on the end result itself. I hate to even suggest it, but that's really how it felt.

He is also famously quoted for valuing real human interaction in his films, something that was lacking in Boy and the Heron. So it really does make me think.
When I had Covid, my daughter played Ponyo on a loop. Back to back for hours and days.
I'll destroy you in Street Fighter, For Honor, COD, and hungry hungry hippos.
HornedLion posted...
When I had Covid, my daughter played Ponyo on a loop. Back to back for hours and days.
That sounds more like a form of torture than a get well soon
Salrite posted...
Which is all the more reason why the quality of writing was so shocking. Considering his age and the length of time it took for production, it's entirely possible he personally had minimal influence on the end result itself. I hate to even suggest it, but that's really how it felt.

He is also famously quoted for valuing real human interaction in his films, something that was lacking in Boy and the Heron. So it really does make me think.
If you're using it for shorthand for bad then whatever, you're free to phrase it that way. If you actually think ChatGPT wrote a Ghibli movie then I've got a sack of magic beans and a bridge you can trade your life savings for.
My top 2 would be:

Spirited Away
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

After that it's very close between Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke and The Boy and the Heron
Joelypoely posted...
My top 2 would be:

Spirited Away
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

After that it's very close between Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke and The Boy and the Heron

Tony Jay narrated that. He also played The Wheel in the Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver series.
I'll destroy you in Street Fighter, For Honor, COD, and hungry hungry hippos.
Come to think of it, Im not sure Ive seen any of the nonMiyazaki Ghibli films.

They as good as his?
my favorite Ghibli film is Whisper of the Heart.
currently waiting for my turn in Master Duel.
Poll of the Day » Castle of Cagliostro is the greatest Studio Ghibli movie ever