Customer Reviews

Harlock Saga

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having first seen Captain Harlock, subtitled, on a Japanese UHF-TV channel here in New York in the late 70's, I was hooked on the highly stylized, sci-fi melodrama. The 42 episode series was quite unlike anything that was on TV at the time and it's unfortunate that it hasn't found some sort of re-release in Japan or here in the U.S. that said, Harlock has been seen here in the US release of the Galaxy Express 999 feature film and the unusual "Arcadia of my Youth" which was produced later but is a prequal to the original TV series.

Harlock Saga is stylish, it is fun to watch, but don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense. This series was based upon an adaptation of the story of the Niebelungen gold, and the Twilight of the Gods. The use of Wagner as theme music is very effective. Knowledge of Wagner's Ring Cycle is not necessary to follow the plot, but it would probably enhance your appreciation of the show.

The story had some strange continuity problems, and since this story was a sequel to prior Captain Harlock yarns, characters appear in cameo roles that can be a little confusing (for example, Emeraldas seems to be a part of the team in the first episode, but she disappears without comment, and no mention of her is made in later episodes), but an OVA about a Space Pirate of Justice who saves the universe is probably not the best place to go for a completely believable storyline anyway; if you want to see a space fantasy with stylish animation, watch Harlock Saga and have fun.

This stands well apart from other incarnations of Harlock that I have seen. Harlock is not the same broody, mono-syllabic hero he is in the other series'. He's more personable in this one, and it didn't sit right with in all honesty. He even moves a lot more, rather than being like a statue that occasionally comes to life - which in the past created an incredible tension whenever he was present. Also the premise is a little bit difficult to swallow, even for anime..
Positives - the artwork is brilliant. The very evocative nouveau style is even more pronounced here and it works well to create an air of mythology. The music is fantastic, lending seriousness, tension and grandeur to the production. Brilliant work there, no doubt about it - even though my personal preference is for the more scaled-back score from Arcadia of My Youth, with it's Robotech-esque haunting melodies.