I liked Castle of Cagliostro, and I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again. I was entertained while watching it, but that's about all. Amusing while it lasted, it leaves me with no lasting impression or knowledge.
I'm definitely starting to see certain little stylistic attributes which let you know its anime. First and foremost, even though this story is set in late 20th century Europe, Japanese elements are in the fore. Not that there's anything weird or unexpected about that, but sometimes it seems a little odd. There's also an assortment of facial expressions and other communications that seem particularly Japanese.
Speaking of communication, I am watching anime in the original Japanese voice work, with English subtitles. I'm pretty sure this means I'll have to seek out discs, and not watch streams. As a technical problem, I'm sure that the various streaming services will have that sorted out eventually, but maybe not any time soon for what I plan to watch.
Anyway, back to this particular anime, I did not like that the protagonist looks so simian. It was really pronounced and distracting, and I hope this is not common. One thing that should have bothered me but didn't was the on and off relationship with physics. Sometimes the main character could defy gravity, sometimes not; its all in service of moving the story along. I think the movie established early that it you're getting a mix of James Bond, the Pink Panther movies, and Indiana Jones, so entertainment always trumps realism. I can accept these kind of stories, but probably not love them. I don't mind a fantasy world, as long as it is internally consistent.
I'm thinking about my upcoming view order, and how maybe its somewhat self-defeating, and how I'm choosing what I perceive as the best to watch first. Miyazaki, Bebop, Evangelion. If these really are some of the best, maybe the rest will look that much worse. I wonder if I should do some sort of chronological approach, rather than hunting for quality. But then I might end up wasting time on something historically significant but potentially mediocre. I might as well take the best and then see if I want to go any further.
