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DVD Title |
The Castle of Cagliostro |
International Title |
Lupin
the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro |
DVD Length |
Original Length |
102 Minutes |
100 Minutes |
Company |
Year of Manufacture |
Manga Video |
2000 |
Language |
Subtitles |
Japanese, English |
English |
Region |
Number of Discs |
1 |
1 |
Aspect Ratio |
Sound |
1.85:1 |
2.0 Stereo |
Extras |
. |
Menus (English) |
. |
Chapters (11) |
. |
Trailers: Manga 2000 Preview |
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Captures |
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Review |
Manga Video's release of one of the most critically
acclaimed Anime films is, sadly, not up to snuff
with what one has come to expect in recent years.
To be fair, it's not a bad release, with decent
video and audio presentations that manage to rise
above the almost utter lack of extras. However,
it's not really deserving of the huge amounts
of praise that many usher on the Manga Video release,
which could largely be in part that this is the
first time the film has been available uncut in
the states.
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Video: |
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Not a horrible transfer by any means, but
the video quality does show its two decade old
age. The most problematic aspect here are noise levels and the shape
of the print used, as there is a good
deal of grain and some noticeable scratches. The
frame isn't always stable either, as it shakes
up and down, but thankfully this is only noticeable
in some parts, like around the 13 minute mark
for example. Artifacting is also slightly apparent,
mostly appearing in the dark reds and similar
shades. Those aspects aside, the video quality
is good on this release. Colors are distinct,
without the muddled shades found on the VHS releases
in the states, while the movie is sharp without
any signs of edge enhancement.
The Castle of Cagliostro is presented
in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
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Audio: |
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Manga video has done a decent job with the
audio on this DVD, although faults are still apparent.
In total there are two audio tracks present, both
presented in 2.0 stereo, with one being the original
Japanese and the other being a freshly conducted
English dub. In terms of audio quality, the dub
is near perfect (not counting acting performances,
of course) with good speaker distinction and crystal
clear dialogue. Unfortunately, the same can not
be said of the Japanese track, which has almost
no speaker distinction, in fact it sounds like
a mono track that was doubled for a 2.0 presentation.
Furthermore, the Japanese track also sounds a
lot more muddled and fuzzy, which is blatantly
obvious when one flips back and forth for segments
that have the same audio as the dub, such as the
opening theme song. Now, to make it clear, the
Japanese track is not horrible in the least, but
the flaws are hardly unnoticeable either.
The audio can be accompanied by, removable, English
subtitles that correspond to the Japanese track.
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Extras: |
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Manga Video's release has really nothing to
boast in this area. What little content there
is would count more as advertisements for the
firm's other products, with a longwinded Manga
Video 2000 Preview clip and then other "extras"
like a DVD catalogue for other titles.
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Overview: |
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Bottom line, if one is looking for a decent
presentation of the movie and not much else, this
release will suffice. The movie itself is so highly
acclaimed, though, that many will likely check
it out regardless. Thankfully, it has gone down
considerably in price compared to its initial
retail cost of $30, and is a bargain at the current
prices it goes for.
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- Anthony Romero |
Buy
this DVD |
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