See You, Space Pirate!: Captain Harlock: Space Pirate

-
Ahoy, mateys!  This be the first post of Flashback February, and for this week,  I’ll be tellin’ ye a tale of a swashbuckling pirate and his crew, an evil race of aliens out to take over the Earth, and…well, space.  But all pirate talk aside, this week’s review is on one heck of a show, and that’s not just because it’s the oldest show to be reviewed on Hanime on Anime.  So let’s cast off me hardies and get started on the first review for Flashback February 2016, Captain Harlock: Space Pirate.
Set in 2977, Earth has become a dystopian paradise that pretty much echoes the setting of Fahrenheit 451 (the government controls everything and people are brainwashed with television).  Despising the new views of the human race, Captain Harlock leaves Earth and is later branded an outlaw after being accused of murdering several Earth politicians.  The military is constantly out to capture this “outlaw” and is even willing to use children to make that happen-in this case, I’m referring to the little girl Mayu, the daughter of an old friend of Harlock’s.  However, things get serious when a mysterious race of aliens called the Mazone invades Earth, and the people of Earth really don’t seem to care…at all.  In light of this dire situation, Captain Harlock decides to face the Mazone head on.  And this shouldn’t be too hard for him and his crew of misfits.
Captain Harlock: Space Pirate was the first anime that came out of the seventies that I’ve seen (the show was first released in 1978).  I knew what I was getting into with the oldest show reviewed thus far on Hanime on Anime.  Even so, I was not disappointed with what I saw.  That’s why I’m giving Captain Harlock a four star rating.  Obviously, my “80’s rule” applies to this show.  That is, I ignore the animation if the show was released in the eighties or earlier-although anything post-Akira is fair game.  Besides, the animation wasn’t the selling point of this show anyway.    Another part to the “80’s rule” is that the plot becomes the focal point of the show.  And boy, does Captain Harlock have it!  The whole plot of the show is fantastic!  Though its overall concept is not anything new, the story is very well put together. That being said, I almost gave this show a higher rating, but because I’m barely ten episodes in, I decided to play it safe.
Despite how awesome I thought this show was, there is one downside that I thought it had, and not for the reasons that you’d think.  Surprisingly, it was the animation.  Like I said, it’s not what you think.  The “80’s rule” still applies.  With an anime like this, the animation is very stiff and bulky.  For those who started watching anime that came out in the late 2000’s-or better yet, in the last year-, this show is less likely to spark an interest.  Even I will admit it took a couple of minutes just to get used to the style.  But the trick is to get past that.  Believe me, this show is a true anime gem!  To pass it up would be mutony!
So to finish me tale, Captain Harlock: Space Pirate be a grand treasure any daring retro anime fan should seek!  The show is available for purchase online, if you so desire to have it.  I highly recommend Right Stuf because I had a pretty good experience with them I bought the entire series on DVD from them.  As far as watching it online, you can try Hulu and Crunchyroll.com.  Anyways, it’s high time I set sail!  Be sure to stick around next week for part two of Flashback February where I review the movie Angel’s Egg.
-Hanime on Anime

P.S.: There will be no pirate puns or pirate talk next week! ;)
Captain Harlock: Space Pirate Opening

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devilman (1972) vs. Devilman Crybaby: Which Is Better?

-
Image
Greetings, fabulous peoples!   Welcome to part three of my Devilman- themed Flashback February!   For this week’s post, I’m doing something that I hadn’t done in a pretty long time: a Vs. post!   As many of you may know, with these posts, I take two series, characters, and even manga series and see which one was better.   In this latest Vs. post, I’m taking the two Devilman shows I reviewed for Flashback February and seeing which one was a devil of a show.   And for those who’ve seen Crybaby , I know what you’re thinking, but keep quiet for now.   With that said, let’s duel it out with the original Devilman series and Devilman Crybaby ! First Up: Devilman (1972)   First up on the chopping block is the original 1972 series.   If you read my review on it earlier in the month, the premises of the show is pretty much a kaiju series.   The series ran from 1972 to 1973 for about forty episodes.   And I will admit, I did not watch the entire series due to time restraints,
Read more

Character of the Month of April: Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya

-
Image
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think you saw this one coming.   I’m back this beautiful Sunday with this month’s Character- or Characters of the Month!   And yeah, if you read the title, I think it’s pretty obvious who was going to take it.   Cause let’s face it The End of Evangelion’s Shinji wasn’t going to take it anytime soon, especially not after the hospital scene.   But still, all kidding aside, I think this month’s picks really are worthy of the title, not just in their actions, but what they represent.   That being said, let’s talk about this month’s Characters of the Month of April, Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya from A Silent Voice . To keep things brief and less long-winded, A Silent Voice follows Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya as the two form a close friendship with each other despite the fact that the two shared a rough past.   With Nishimiya being deaf, this made her a target for bullying by Ishida as a child.   But when his bullying goes too far and Nishimiya
Read more

Akira the Movie vs. Akira the Manga: Which is Better?

-
Image
Greetings, everyone!  Welcome to Part 1 of Akira Month!  To kick this two part, all about Akira, discussion post event off, I’ll be taking the manga that inspired the groundbreaking film, and the groundbreaking film that later inspired the world and seeing which one really makes fans explode-OK, that came out a little weird.  So now, without further delay, let’s get started on my discussion post battle of Akira  the Manga versus Akira the Movie! First Up: Akira the Movie So let’s begin with the Akira that most people are familiar with, the 1988 film. In a nutshell, Akira the film is about a teenage biker gang member named Tetsuo who suddenly develops psychic powers that eventually cause him to lose his mind.  This decent into  madness also sparks a rivalry between him and his best friend Kaneda, who has unwillingly become involved with a terrorist group trying to expose a secret government organization that studies individuals with psychic abilities much similar to
Read more