Space Pirate Captain Herlock

Director
Rintaro
Production
Studio Nue, Toei
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
42 episodes
Year
1978

Space Pirate Captain Herlock

By Stephen Lerch
30th Dec 05

Space Pirate Captain Herlock/Harlock, or Uchu Kaizoku Captain Herlock/Harlock is a 42 episode TV series that ran on Japanese TV from March 14, 1978 until February 2, 1979. The Space Pirate Captain Herlock: Outside Legend – The Endless Odyssey 13 episode OVA was an alternate retelling of the story found in the TV series.

This set was released on July 21, 2004 on Japanese Region 2 DVD. As of yet this series is only available in box format and not available in singles.

Short Synopsis:

Set in the year 2977, Herlock has been exiled from the Earth and is leading the pirate’s life. The people of the Earth are consumed by self gratification, to the expense of caring about most nothing else. The Earth is run by a President who is so wrapped up in his own merriment, the epitome of what the majority of the Earthlings consist of, that they fail to recognize the threat facing the planet Earth, or even care when a giant alien orb is dropped on one of their cities, killing many; basically dropping into the back yard of the President who pays it no mind.

The Earth has been unknowingly invaded by the Mazone, a race of what appear to be women with the biological makings of plants. Their beauty is unrivaled and they are easily able to penetrate the lax security of the Earth, assimilating easily into the crust of human society to sew the seeds of their impending invasion. The Mazone are also the origin of the orb.

Herlock’s ship, the Arcadia, is a haven of sorts for the crew of 40. These 40 are the few people who actually care about the Earth (we are led to believe there are others who care upon the surface of the Earth; these aren’t the only 40 people who care) and would like to protect it from danger. The ship is run in a rather odd fashion, where the crew members all but decide what job it is they would like to perform, and when there is no need to perform their functions, they are allowed to lounge about the ship in pursuit of whatever it is that interests them, be it a game of Go or spending their time drinking.

Herlock and the crew involve themselves in the noble, thankless job of protecting his seemingly hopeless race, despite being sought by the Earth Defense Forces and blamed for countless acts of treason and piracy, some of which they are responsible, yet many they are not.

Video:

To put the video quality into the simplest terms possible, the transfer to DVD is beautiful.

The show was restored using the same “new component” mastering techniques used on many of Toei’s other older television series, such as Cutie Honey TV, Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and so on. This process involves cleaning up the original film and creating a new component master print for the series from which the DVDs are authored.

The quality of the video is testament to the loving care put into the creation of the series originally, the enthusiasm by those involved in the remastering process, and the attention to detail of the authors of the DVDs themselves.

The animation itself is smooth, with no major choppiness to be seen. Looking at some of the backgrounds leaves one with the impression of a work of art; there is so much color, so much detail. The attention to detail can be seen on the characters themselves as well, especially Herlock. The amount of different colors shown in his costume are a stark contrast to the sometimes minimal approach to coloring used in more modern works.

I don't recall seeing any dust, dirt or "hair" present in the video, another testament to the great job put forth for this effort.

There are instances of cel crawl; these would have been present in the original television production and are to be expected and as such are acceptable. Very rarely is a series remastered and cel crawl removed.

Audio:

The only available option for audio here is Japanese Dolby Digital mono. There are no subtitles of any language on this release.

As the show was a little over 25 years old as of it’s release on DVD, I had expected more issues with the audio than were present. There are no drop outs and no pops or crackle. Since the show is mono, the audio volume is a little low, something easily rectified by adjusting the volume of your chosen output.

The opening and ending theme fit the series perfectly and are what one would expect from an animated series from the time. The background music accompanying many areas of the series was done by a full 40 piece orchestra and adds an extra layer of atmosphere to the stories being presented.

Extras:

There is a bonus disc which contains all of the video extras available for the series. These include a TV spot for the first episode, a creditless opening and ending (only the first of two opening animations are present creditless) along with the theatrically released Space Pirate Captain Herlock: Arcadia-gou no Nazo mini movie. This “movie” is a sort of retelling of episode 13 “Shi no Umi no Majo.” There are a few instances of added animation, but over all it is very much like rewatching episode 13.

A pack in extra included in the box is a high quality book that has interviews, background information and a semi detailed collection of various Herlock merchandise, such as vinyl released sound tracks.

Packaging:

This release is contained chipboard box that houses the 4 dual disc DVD cases. The artwork on the front has Herlock and the main contingent of his crew standing in front of a space back drop with the Arcadia lined up behind them as it wraps from the spine of the box to the front. On the opposite side we are presented with a very beautiful rendition of Queen Lafreshia, leader of the Mazone invasion force, with Mazone ships occupying the space below her.

The artwork on the covers of the DVD cases is minimal, though it works, each depicting Herlock in one of several different poses with a description, in English, of the basis of the story.

The artwork on the discs is nicely done, each disc having one of the main crew of the Arcadia presented on a space backdrop, with the final disc’s artwork being reserved for Queen Lafreshia.

Final Analysis:

Where to start?

In the show itself, there are so many little details to be observed, and can be missed, that it makes your mind race. There is so much attention paid to many tiny details, such as the form of Tochiro, Herlock’s old friend, appearing on the surface of a moon made from craters, that it is a breath taking experience to watch this series.

Though I do enjoy recent shows, it’s when viewing a series such as this one, expertly directed by the master Rintaro, that a person can’t help but feel there is something missing from the flood of Anime on the market these days. Sure, there were series that weren’t well done from this time, but the ratio of amazing to OK was much higher in favor of a series being a classic than it is today. Very rarely today are we presented with a series with so much depth and strength of character that a person could sit and ponder the meaning behind every character’s action as it seems as though every action really was thought out in advance of it being animated. This is also not to say we don’t get deep series from time to time from the presently released series, it’s just that they are harder to locate and further and fewer between.

How can one write a review of a Leiji Matsumoto Anime and not mention him? You can’t. Matsumoto is pure genius and when one of his stories is coupled with an amazing director, how can you not have a truly classic work be created? Rintaro may have taken things in his own direction, telling the story in his own fashion, but one cannot look past the greatness of the original creator either, without whom Rintaro would have had nothing to work from.

I walked into the Space Pirate Captain Herlock universe without really knowing what it was I was getting into, having only had previous Herlock experience with the more modern Endless Odyssey OVA. I walked out of the end of the 42 episode series with a greater respect for the animators of that era and the storytelling of the writers and the directorial skills of Rintaro. It was quite an amazing journey, a journey I highly recommend anyone and everyone able to partake of, to do so at their earliest possible convenience. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

-- Stephen Lerch 30th Dec 05

Space Pirate Captain Herlock Images