How to Get Into Captain Harlock
by Dawn H.,With Galaxy Express 999 film--but Captain Harlock's legacy is so much more than that. Part Space Ship Captain, part Pirate Captain, and part Cowboy, Harlock is as integral a part in Leiji Matsumoto's universe of fantastical, romantic science fiction as the Galaxy Express 999 itself.
Like many iconic older characters, Harlock has not only been the star of numerous titles, but has also been varying depictions of himself: with different backstories, continuities, and even slightly different character designs. So to a newcomer, it might feel a little intimidating trying to tackle any of his stories. Which ones came first? And are any of the Captain Harlock stories connected? Fear not: I've composed basic guide to help you get started as you navigate Harlock through the ages!
Leiji Matsumoto released his original Crunchyroll in North America. Seven Seas will be releasing the original manga in English in 2018!
Released in 1982, this film's continuity differs from that of the TV series & original manga, portraying Harlock as a former Military Officer and--due to some licensing issues-- also sports a brand new design for the Arcadia. The film features our first look at this incarnation of Harlock's family history and how he came to know his best friend, Tochiro Oyama, who also built his ship the Arcadia. Considered a classic of anime cinema, it's lovingly animated and embodies all the things that made space opera anime of that era so good. If the thought of watching a 42 episode anime about Harlock seems daunting to you, Arcadia of My Youth is an excellent place to start to see if you'd be interested in watching more of Harlock's adventures. While this movie had previously been released several times in America over the years (in both edited-for-kids and unedited forms), it had been out of print for a long stretch of time before Discotek Media recently re-released it in a much higher quality DVD & blu-ray.
Also released in 1982, a 22 episode TV series that's a direct sequel to the Arcadia of My Youth film. In this series, Harlock once again is fighting against Illumidas, while searching for the legendary planet Arcadia: a utopia where all humans can live free. For the most part, this series is noticeably lighter in tone than the movie it's tied to, and Tochiro is actually present throughout the show as a regular character. Originally this series had been slated for over 40 episodes, but the series got low ratings due to the Gundam craze really starting to hit it big, so it was sadly cut shorter. This show hadn't been released in America previously, but thanks to Discotek, we'll be getting the whole series on DVD in late July 2017.
In 1998, Matsumoto started a new Harlock manga called Harlock Saga: Der Ring des Nibelungen. Based on the the Wagner Opera “Das Rheingold”, the series is yet another different Harlock universe with characters re-written slightly to fit archtypes from the opera's original story. In this timeline, Harlock & his crew must stop a race of gods from using an all-powerful golden ring to reshape the universe. This series really emphasizes the “opera” part of “space opera” more than previous Harlock stories, going heavy on the dramatic dialog rather than space battles…So if you're more into the action & adventure aspect of Harlock, you're not going to miss out if you skip this one. A 6-part U.S. Manga Corps, it's since gone out of print & as of this writing is getting increasingly harder to find.
Based on a 2-volume manga Matsumoto did before Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Gun Frontier was made into a 13 episode TV anime 2002. This is a much more comedic, Wild West adventure take on Harlock. The series also changes things up with Harlock & Tochiro's friendship, making Harlock the sidekick and his best friend Toichiro the hero. The two take on typical old west problems like bandits & corrupt sheriffs while searching for a lost group of Japanese immigrants. If you were a fan of the cowboy vigilante role that Harlock played in part of his cameo in Galaxy Express 999, then it'll be easy to see him as a full-fledged gunslinger. Discotek recently released the entire series on DVD.
In 2003, this 13-part OAV series takes place after the original Geneon back when anime was still being released in single DVDs, but as of this writing has also gone out of print. And because this was released back in the days of releasing single DVDs, this makes it even trickier to watch the entire series unless you can find them all.
In 2013, Ketchup Entertainment released the film on bluray and DVD in North America, but only in limited numbers so it's already technically out of print.
A manga that started in 2014 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Leiji Matsumoto's manga debut, this is….you guessed it: Yet another retelling of Harlock's original Space Pirate Captain Harlock story! Written by Matsumoto himself, the manga boasts significant new changes to the original story and is drawn by Kōichi Shimahoshi, who was brought on to give characters their signature Matsumoto style with a more modern look. Another manga Seven Seas will be releasing in America, coming October 2017!
And there you have it! Harlock occasionally makes cameos in other Leiji Matsumoto series, so once you've familiarized yourself with one or more of these titles, you'll get a lot more out of his appearances in things like Galaxy Express 999 (or when he's referenced in parodies like Project A-ko!). The great thing about Harlock is that there's so many variations of him and his story, the chances are high that if one series isn't to your liking, another one might be.
What version of Harlock is your favorite? Sound off in the forums!
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