Introduction
It is 2977 AD and mankind has become stagnant. Robots do all the work, the masses are kept tranquil by subliminal messages, and government officials are lazy, caring only about recreational activities like golf and horse racing. Captain Herlock has defied this insipid mentality, leading a group of like-minded rebels to a more adventurous life aboard the spaceship Arcadia.
A mysterious force known as the Mazone has invaded the Earth, taking the form of mysterious cloaked women that kill anyone who suspect their nefarious doings, such as Tadashi Daiba who is now on their hit-list. After his scientist father is ignored by the government and killed by the Mazone, he joins Captain Herlock and his ragtag group of pirates to assist them as they try to save humanity from the impending alien threat.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
9 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
SCLFI
"Let the superior man never fail reverentially to order his own conduct, and let him be respectful to others and observant of propriety – then all within the four seas will be his brothers." – Analects 12.5
Often, when trying to interpret anime, explaining it through the framework of pre-existing -isms or specific artistic styles is something that may be useful as an immediately understandable way to explain the feeling of a work, but rarely does it facilitate the sort of in-depth thought that would make that work interesting and worth thinking about critically. Space Pirate Captain Harlock marks an exception to this rule, it indisputably and comprehensively carries the DNA of the Romanticist movement in every aspect of its design, tonally and ideologically. Popular thought may have moved…
Read at the sourcexokker7
Captain Harlock, to simply put it, is a hidden but not so hidden masterpiece. If you know anime or are into anime culture a lot then you have seen him before. Uchuu Kaichou Captain Harlock is a great space opera about pirates and if you're into stuff like Devilman,Star Wars,Gundam,Macross etc you will enjoy this plenty. It's considered one of the best anime of all time for a reason like one of the reviewers state. The characters are very unique and pretty well written. It takes a lot from sci-fi from it's time so it is to be expected to have a ton of references. It's a Leiji Matsumoto classic of course, so if you're into his stuff this is a must watch/read. Back to my first point, you can spot it in many shows/manga like Sailor moon,a-ko,cowboy bebop etc.
Read at the sourceephemerry
"I fight for no one's sake, only for something deep in my heart." —Captain Harlock
"Uchū Kaizoku Captain Harlock" is less of a fantastical space adventure like "Galaxy Express 999" — and more of a grounded, political space drama that holds no bars with its direct message of fighting corruption. Captain Harlock and his motley team of disenfranchised space denizens take on Earth's oppressors! This series is very shrewdly written and wise — it is a romanticist's view on how to make the world right again after a liberation movement, and it is an ever-applicable statement to our current times!
⚠️ This review will contain light spoilers ⚠️
—Story/Characters
According to Leiji Matsumoto, he "was never a stickler for continuity" — so, the 1978 anime adaptation of Captain Harlock takes place wi…
Read at the sourceBellvonArtsy
So for starters and clarity , I am both a fan & long time appreciator of Mr Matsumoto's work .
Now with that said I will be taking a mostly unbiased stance on this series and try to cover how it holds up by modern day standards and critique .
Story ~ 8/10
The base plot and narrative of Captain Herlock is akin to that of a classic spaghetti western.
filled to the brim with a rogues gallery of corrupt lawmen , deceptive military forces , villains from other galaxies and a society of downtrodden civilians looking for a savior up above .
And that savior comes in the form of a scarred and brooding space pirate who wants nothing more then to free earth from its plague of laziness and societal shackles that have weighed it down for far too long , all while a mysterious alien entity plans on a…
Read at the sourcebrandotendie
Swashbuckling schlock at its very finest, Captain Harlock is fucking badass.
It’s a type of anime that overcomes its dated animation and production quality with heaps of stylistic flair.
I found myself shocked at all the mile-a-minute editing techniques, flashy 70sesque shots, the ballsy scene compositions, the dazzling colors.
Sure, the frame rates are pretty bad and the art doesn’t compare to the gloss of the modern industry, but again, it’s an example of direction trumping production quality, and that flashiness is enough to be visually engaging throughout its 42 episode run.
The funky and symphonic score really bolsters that eclectic style of the show, injecting a layer of adventure and epicness that makes all the space battles, duels, and moments of peril that much accentuated.…
Read at the sourceRedPlaty
Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock. An interesting take on the space opera genre combing elements of Uchuu Senkan Yamato (both of these are by the same Leiji Matsumoto) and the traditional western pirate. The story is set with a united Earth government and Space Pirate Herlock being an outlaw forced to live out his days in space, but he doesn't let this stop him from making many trips back home...
Story~8
The story was very good. Essentially, an alien race calling themselves the Mazone have lost their home planet and set their eyes on the Earth for refuge. Without giving too much away, interestingly, this is already a second home for the Mazone. The strategies of Herlock and his crew show great story planning by the directors and will draw the audience in. The downfalls of the story was its ove…
Read at the sourceS_Yellow
"UNDER THIS FLAG WE SHALL LIVE IN ULTIMATE FREEDOM!"
"Only real men can understand stuff like this."
Ah yes, the reason why I tend to watch ANYTHING with the name Leiji Matsumoto attached. Let me first say that my five star rating is biased as I have happy childhood memories attached to this property and it was great to finish it after 30 years. What more could we want than the stoic badass known as Captain Harlock sailing the sea of stars fight evil and injustice with only his guts, moxie, and wits. For 36 years the space pirate has inspired hope and instilled fear in a universe corrupt with hedonism and sloth. And here is where you get to see the birth of it all, this is what inspired sequel and spinoff after sequel and spin off and rightly so! How could this series end, and not leave yo…
Read at the sourceBowlingJD
To me, 1978 is a special year in anime. We got so many good anime; I just have to watch them all. Of course, when someone says there is an anime about space pirates and by Leiji Matsumoto (Yamato series), shut up and take my money. It was also directed by Rin Taro, whom has directed many shows from Astro Boy Brave in Space to the 1999 X Movie. Basically, his stuff is a coin flip. Luckily this anime did not disappoint.
Set in 2977, this is a world where technology does most of the work like in The Jetsons, and humans have become so lazy and relaxed like in Disney’s Wall-E. However, when a foreign “blue” alien invading race is bent on conquering Earth for their own reasons (sounds familiar), there stands only one man and his crew... Captain Harlock with his “strange” crew on the massive bat…
Read at the sourceSolemnmind
The seemingly endless afternoon I spent reading an Anime encyclopedia a few months ago did not only provide me with more insight on glorified child pornography than I would have ever imagined: it also displayed a mysterious picture of a woman under the title "Queen Emeraldas." Somehow fascinated by a few passages describing the Leijiverse, I spent some time researching Leiji Matsumoto on the internet and eventually ended up seeing Captain Harlock. I approached this, by comparison to most other anime, antiquity with high expectations. It turned out to differ quite fundamentally from my personal vision of warfare and human drama, but by no means did it disappoint me. In this review I explain why.
Story: 8/10
After a quick narration that introduces earth, which has developed for 900 years f…
Read at the source