Where to Start – Captain Harlock

With the recent addition of Captain Harlock to the MechaStellar rules we wanted to do a post to discuss the different media for Captain Harlock which has a number of animated works but not all of them connected.

Captain Harlock was created by the late Leiji Matsumoto the creator of several foundational anime and manga titles including Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999.  He has a very distinctive style and many of his works share common themes and even common characters which lead to some fans calling his works the ‘Leijiverse’. 

Background

One important thing is that when it comes to Captain Harlock, the worlds created by Leiji Matsumoto there are many stories told but not all of them are sequential or connected to each other. Think of them as space operas that reuse many of the same characters and tell similar stories but often with different backdrops and time periods, some use the Harlock name in the title card while others (Gun Frontier, Cosmo Warrior Zero) do not. 

Some fans have gone the extra mile and tried to put all the works into one continuum of several millennia. To be honest I think it’s best to enjoy each work on its own merits rather than trying to find all the strings to tie them together.

Captain Harlock was originally going to be part of the original Space Battleship Yamato (Star Blazers in the US), with Harlock being Susumu Kodai’s older brother Mamoru Kodai, however the idea was set aside and Harlock ended up getting his own series. 

(The PS2 Space Battleship Yamato game has Mamoru as the ship captain instead of the movies Yamanami, as the game progresses he becomes injured with a telltale scar and later leaves with his own ship with an Engineer named Tochiro.  You watch it here: https://youtu.be/djNEU1w9ou8?si=lr62y0SQi4yCz_Cw&t=241 )

Harlock has both manga and anime adaptations, the initial TV run has Harlock in a blue ship with the Mazon’s (or Mazone) as the primary antagonists. 

Following the success of Harlock it would eventually be made into a movie called “The Arcadia of my Youth” which in my opinion is one of the most gorgeous anime movies of the 80s.  This is where things diverge, both in the ships’s design which is now redesigned,  green and sports a 3rd set of triple-barrel cannons instead of the gargantuan knife of the original TV series. 

It also changes Harlock’s backstory when the movie begins he is the last military captain of a war Earth waged against the Illumidas, who are entirely different from the Mazon.

The Green ship design would be the standard moving forward in all animated media, although there are plenty of fans of the original design and it still gets high quality diecast figures made by Aoshima and Bandai.

After that there are many more entries for Harlock but none of them are going to be strictly sequels to either the TV show or Arcadia of my Youth, although you will see references to the previous works scattered around.  For instance Endless Odyssey while sporting a similar name to Endless Orbit and the same ship design, is instead set after the TV shows Mazon conflict, but you can easily watch the show and never notice the link.

There’s also a CGI film which is just another retelling of Harlock’s story with the same supporting cast and magnificent pirate battleship, the Arcadia. 

Generally when it comes to the Harlock stories most of them will involves Harlock and Tochiro or Harlock and Tadashi Daiba with frequent appearances by Emeraldas. You may see the same story told with the same characters with a different backdrop several times but each of them are enjoyable in their own right.

Frequent characters include Emeraldas, Miime, and Tadashi Daiba.

Where to Start

Since there are many entries in Harlock you might be asking yourself where should I start. Generally you have two options.

• Captain Harlock TV Show (1978) 42 Episodes
  • This series uses the Blue Arcadia
• Arcadia of my Youth (1982) Movie
  • This movie introduced the Green Arcadia which has been the standard for all animated media moving forward

The original TV show Harlock has him as a free-spirited Space Pirate thumbing his nose at the Earth while also dealing with the extra-terrestial threat of the Mazone. It’s a good show, but it’s a long running TV show with a limited budget. The tone is a bit lighter and considerably more comedic than other installments. You might also enjoy its Manga adaptation which was licensed in English as “Captain Harlock: The Classic Collection”. The TV show was directed by Rintaro, and animated by Toei.

Arcadia of my Youth is another fantastic entry point and the one I most recommend. It’s a single feature length movie that gives you everything you need to know about Harlock and Tochiro with beautiful animation and high production values. The movie’s tone is serious from start to finish and has some rather heart breaking scenes. It was directed by Tomoharu Katsumata and animated by Toei.

Where to Continue

From here the world is technically you’re Oyster. If you’ve watched either or both of the previous series then you have a good grasp of Harlock as a character. With the exception of Endless Orbit SSX (a direct sequel to the Arcadia of my Youth movie) all the other entries are self-contained enough that you can enjoy them without needing extensive knowledge of previous works.

I’ll be listing the below shows in production order. 

Endless Orbit SSX (1982)

If you enjoyed the Arcadia of my Youth the TV Show Endless Orbit SSX continues the storyline with Harlock continuing his one-man-war against the Illumidas. As was standard at the time the TV show introduces some child characters who join the crew since the target audience for many shows was young kids and teenagers, as a result it has a lot more light hearted and comedic elements than the movie, but overall the tone remains fairly the same. 

Another great entry for Harlock, but unfortunately with the recent rampant success of Mobile Suit Gundam it’s initially projected long run was trimmed down to and so finished after 22 episodes. It was once again directed by Tomoharu Katsumata and animated by Toei.

Queen Emeraldas (1998)

A 4 episode OVA based on the manga of the same name. The series is short, light on story but boasts some slick animation, sharp character designs and great mecha action. It’s also the most graphically violent Harlock series as far as I know.

Recommended if you want to enjoy a short action packed series.

Harlock Saga – Der Rings des Nibelungen (1999)

This is a Harlock series that uses Richard Wagner’s Opera Der Rings des Nibelungen as its motif. It’s short at only 6 episodes, has nice classic animation (albeit with character redesigns) and great music accompaniment. That said it’s a rather short story that is also fairly anti-climactic. One episode in particular is remarkably unpleasant but the rest are serviceable. The ending feels as though they were leaving it open for a sequel that never came. 

For those who like dubs, just don’t, not for this one.

Cosmo Warrior Zero (2001)

Cosmo Warrior Zero stars a Captain named Warrius Zero (yep), who is tasked to bring down Captain Harlock. The show has an interesting premise integrating the machinemen from Galaxy Express but the execution is severely lacking, with both plot and character development being severely rushed or non-existent.  The mutiny in ep02 was remarkably bad to the point of being parody and the recast voices for Harlock and Tochiro are rather grating. 

I don’t recommend it unless you’re a completionist. Directed by Katsushi Murakami and animated by Vega Entertainment. 

Gun Frontier (2002)

Tochiro and Harlock but set in the wildwest. It’s an interesting premise but the series ends on a cliffhanger. Don’t recommend unless you’re a completionist.

Endless Odyssey (2002)

This show follows Harlock and the crew of the Arcadia after the war with the Mazon, however, it’s only marginally referenced and you can easily enjoy the OVA without having seen the original TV show, but I highly encourage you to watch the original show or read its manga adaptation.

While it’s technically a sequel, Tadashi Daiba a main character of the TV series, is treated as a new member who joins the crew of the Arcadia in this OVA. (The same thing happens in Harlock Saga)

The story follows Harlock and the Arcadia against a mysterious psychic enemy known as the ‘Noo’ who cause Earth to disappear. The art style is nice and does a good job with Harlock but the rest of the cast are mostly window dressing. This series was directed by Rintaro and animated by Madhouse.

Galaxy Express

You can’t talk about Captain Harlock without mentioning the Galaxy Express. A very long running TV show (113 episodes) with many movies and sequels. In this universe the wealthy have gotten themselves machine bodies to live forever. The show stars Tetsuro Hoshino who wants to get a machine body and avenge his mother who was killed by Count Mecha. He is boards the Galaxy Express 999 (an intergalactic train) with the help of Maetel, and throughtout the course of the show the two of them bond together.

The Galaxy Express also has two movies that retell the story of the show. They are directed by Rintaro, have great animation and budget just like The Arcadia of my Youth movie with Tetsuro redesigned to resemble Tadashi Daiba from Endless Orbit SSX instead of his sillier face from the TV show. Generally are a lot more action oriented and fast paced than the slice of life / philosophical pacing of the TV show. (The TV show, and the TV movies have plenty of action as well, but not as non-stop as the movies). 

Captain Harlock and the Arcadia as well as Emeraldas and the Queen Emeraldas exist in the Galaxy Express 999 universe and make several appearances. The Galaxy Express movies for instance have great scenes of the Arcadia showing during climactic battles. Emeraldas also has a connection to Maetel which was added in later installments as the character was further developed.

If you’re interested in the story of Galaxy Express there is are many different shows. Keep in mind that like Harlock, sometimes they’ll make a prequel or inbetween series many years later, so don’t be surprised when the dates don’t flow sequentially.

• Galaxy Express 999 (Ginga Tetsudou 999) 1978-1981 113 episodes
• Galaxy Express 1979 Movie retelling
  • Adieu Galaxy Express 1981 sequel
• Sequel: The Galaxy Railways (Ginga Tesudou monogatari) 2003 26 episodes
  • OVA Sequel 2007 4 episodes
  • Galaxy Railways II 2006 (Ginga Tetsudou Eien e no Bunkiten)

Then for prequels to the Galaxy Express you you have these with Queen Millenia being the furthest back.

• Queen Millennia (Shin Taketori Monogatari: 1000-nen Joou) 1981 – 42 episodes or
  • There’s also a movie of the same name with a different ending
• Queen Emeraldas 1998 – 4 episodes
• Maetel Legend 2001 – 2 episodes
  • This leads into Harlock Saga: Der Rings des Nibelungen (1999) 6 episodes
• Space Symphony Maetel (Uchuu Koukyoushi Maetel: Ginga Tetsudou 999 Gaiden) 2004 – 13 episodes

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