To GATSU:
DUDE!

Seriously, what is you're deal. Are you out for vengeance on "Cagliostro?" Did "The Castle of Cagliostro" kill your dog or something? Why is it now your ultimate quest to prove once and for all that "Cagliostro"
almost ruined Miyazaki's career?
I wasn't taking offense at this before because I thought it was harmless theories and conjecture, but I'm starting to take offense because of how zealous you are towards this end. I know it's just a movie and all, but it's my Favorite movie. I don't know anyone else who can definitively say that
this movie, out of all the millions of possible choices, is their Number One favorite movie. So if anyone should take offense, it's gonna be me.
And I am getting tired of seeing you refer to the 1980s as this all-mighty era of an anime boom where
everything should have been going right and
everything was up for syndication and production; except for Miyazaki, post Cagliostro.
Do you even like the film, GATSU? Cause I can't believe anyone who likes it to any extent would try so hard to prove that it was the rotten potato that clogged Miyazaki's tail pipe.
Now with my little rant over, let me add something else.
But when did he actually start animating it (Nausicaa), and not just planning it?
You do know how long it takes to plan a movie, don't you? Now Miyazaki did go through some tough times trying to get it off the ground, as I hope you saw if you
did watch that documentary. But non-the-less, even if he didn't have to do all he did, it still took time to do.
Besides, the only reason that Cagliostro might have ever hurt his career was because he messed with the established canon, and the fans were disgruntled and didn't attend enough showings to make it profitable. Everyone else in Japan likely didn't attend because it helps if you are a fan to know who these characters are since they have pre-established relationships. And since Goemon and Jigen barely show up during the second half, it does kind of help to know who they are so you know what they are doing there.
But even taking all that into account, the only fault Miyazaki made was in his personal changes to an established character and franchise. Meaning his abilities to adapt pre-established material into films was into question, not his directing skills. Now granted a large chunk of the anime market is on adaptations as well all know. But nearly everything Miyazaki has done was neither a manga nor an anime adaptation. He only did 2 adaptations of novels, and the rest was either completely original, or it was inspired by folk stories. Cagliostro, on all it's own merits, as a self-contained film, (I'm sure most of us on this forum can agree, as it was our first Lupin film for many of us) is a fine piece of work. If I were a producer in Japan at the time I don't see why Miyazaki shouldn't be given an opportunity to direct something original, because he hadn't quite done that yet. Directing an adaptation for your first feature film is a large undertaking, and sure it didn't do well due to the reaction of the Lupin fan-base. But on it's own it shows he can be a fine director. I don't believe it ruined his career because he
didn't fail as a director, he failed only as an interpreter of material because he let his own personal morals and beliefs get in the way of making a loyal adaptation. And honestly, I like PG Lupin as much as I do PG-13 and rated R Lupin. However, I don't think anyone should be judged solely on this lack of adaptation abilities. If he was judged on his over-all abilities simply because he failed to properly adapt a franchise, then that's complete bull, unfair, and it's an illogical conclusion.