I just finished Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and I thought it was a fun watch! I liked the art and direction a lot, and I felt the animation still had quite strong moments despite the show’s age. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not great. I read somewhere that this is a common problem with Toei Animation’s older VHS releases. Thankfully, I didn’t find it too distracting. There were a lot of flashing lights as well, which I could have done without.
About the plot (tried to avoid spoilers but, y'know, proceed at your own risk)
The show itself, to me, mostly seems to be about masculinity and what it means to be a man. This is most clearly reflected in Harlock’s relationship with Daiba. Daiba, being a young man who has been deeply hurt and had his famiy taken from him, yearns for revenge, and often acts rashly because of it. Harlock takes on a role model position for him, steering him in the right direction and being a hand on his shoulder, teaching him how best to act in certain situations. Harlock refines Daiba’s fighting spirit, provides him with someone to look to for example, all while allowing him the freedom to make mistakes and choose his own path.
Speaking of freedom, this is another central theme of Space Pirate Captain Harlock. The Arcadia and it’s crew takes on an anarchistic nature, each person living for their own ideals, yet working together to achieve and maintain this small society they share. There’s very little hierarchy aboard the Arcadia: the crew serves under Harlock, but all of them by choice. He’s only a leader in the sense that he’s deeply respected by his crewmates. They stand directly at odds with the Earth government and it’s people, who have exported all of their labor and sit comfortably upon a planet they’ve destroyed. The Jolly Roger flown above the ship is frequently described as the flag of freedom, and that shared belief in freedom is what ties them all together.
Personally, I thought it was great. I loved the dynamics between the various characters, and I thought the drama around the state of the Earth was really interesting. Even aside from the more meaty drama, I had fun just taking in the less deep moments. Harlock is just such a classic anime cool guy, I always thought it was a good time seeing some perilous situation and then Harlock does a Cool Thing and the day is saved.
Other than that, I had been watching Gintama’, but it’s been on pause for a while. I have really mixed feelings about Gintama, when it’s funny it’s really funny, but when it’s not it’s… well, it’s really not. I can enjoy immature humor sometimes, but there’s a limit to that, and Gintama goes waaay over that limit. Combine that with the show being downright offensive at times, and it just made it difficult to watch. I made it through the first part by just watching a few episodes and then taking breaks to avoid getting burnt out, but even then, I’m like 210 episodes in and still not even halfway done, so I’m kinda losing motivation to even watch for the parts I like.
Next up to watch is either Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory or Revolutionary Girl Utena, depending on whether or not my wife would like to watch with me.
I just finished Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and I thought it was a fun watch! I liked the art and direction a lot, and I felt the animation still had quite strong moments despite the show’s age. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not great. I read somewhere that this is a common problem with Toei Animation’s older VHS releases. Thankfully, I didn’t find it too distracting. There were a lot of flashing lights as well, which I could have done without.
About the plot (tried to avoid spoilers but, y'know, proceed at your own risk)
The show itself, to me, mostly seems to be about masculinity and what it means to be a man. This is most clearly reflected in Harlock’s relationship with Daiba. Daiba, being a young man who has been deeply hurt and had his famiy taken from him, yearns for revenge, and often acts rashly because of it. Harlock takes on a role model position for him, steering him in the right direction and being a hand on his shoulder, teaching him how best to act in certain situations. Harlock refines Daiba’s fighting spirit, provides him with someone to look to for example, all while allowing him the freedom to make mistakes and choose his own path.
Speaking of freedom, this is another central theme of Space Pirate Captain Harlock. The Arcadia and it’s crew takes on an anarchistic nature, each person living for their own ideals, yet working together to achieve and maintain this small society they share. There’s very little hierarchy aboard the Arcadia: the crew serves under Harlock, but all of them by choice. He’s only a leader in the sense that he’s deeply respected by his crewmates. They stand directly at odds with the Earth government and it’s people, who have exported all of their labor and sit comfortably upon a planet they’ve destroyed. The Jolly Roger flown above the ship is frequently described as the flag of freedom, and that shared belief in freedom is what ties them all together.
Personally, I thought it was great. I loved the dynamics between the various characters, and I thought the drama around the state of the Earth was really interesting. Even aside from the more meaty drama, I had fun just taking in the less deep moments. Harlock is just such a classic anime cool guy, I always thought it was a good time seeing some perilous situation and then Harlock does a Cool Thing and the day is saved.
Other than that, I had been watching Gintama’, but it’s been on pause for a while. I have really mixed feelings about Gintama, when it’s funny it’s really funny, but when it’s not it’s… well, it’s really not. I can enjoy immature humor sometimes, but there’s a limit to that, and Gintama goes waaay over that limit. Combine that with the show being downright offensive at times, and it just made it difficult to watch. I made it through the first part by just watching a few episodes and then taking breaks to avoid getting burnt out, but even then, I’m like 210 episodes in and still not even halfway done, so I’m kinda losing motivation to even watch for the parts I like.
Next up to watch is either Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory or Revolutionary Girl Utena, depending on whether or not my wife would like to watch with me.