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I N T R O D U C T I O N
THE LEGENDARY SPACE PIRATE IS REBORN
LEIJI MATSUMOTO’S MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER,
CAPTAIN HARLOCK, MAKES A GLOBALLY-ANTICIPATED
REVIVAL AFTER 30 YEARS
Harlock: Space Pirate is truly an epoch-making CG animation
which has been created by a team of Japan’s top animators &
CG specialists over the last five years. Avatar director
James Cameron has described it as ‘Mythic, epic and
visually unprecedented’.
This action adventure is based on ‘Space Pirate Captain Harlock’,
original work by sci-fi comic legend Leiji Matsumoto.
Matsumoto is well known for stories such as Galaxy Express
999, with his stories revolving around the space pirate who
rebels against governing forces but fights for humanity with
his crew aboard the invincible pirate ship Arcadia.
The original work was serialized in Play Comic from 1977
and became a TV animation the following year, enjoying
success internationally too. In fact, the anime was so
successful in France that French fans in their 30s and 40s
are called the “Albator generation” in honor of Harlock’s
French name.
THE REBOOT—A MESSAGE A FOR MODERN-DAY WORLD
Having a role in Galaxy Express 999 as well as Space Pirate
Captain Harlock (as the main character), Captain Harlock
is an important character in Leiji Matsumoto’s works.
However, this remake is far from a simple revival
of Harlock. Just as Batman (1989) was reborn as The Dark
Knight (2008) and Superman (1978) as Man of Steel (2013),
this is a grander, more innovative reboot of the source
material that keeps the spirit behind Matsumoto’s
works alive.
The most notable change is Harlock’s position as an ‘antihero
rebel’, which in this film is seen through the eyes of Logan,
a spy that has infiltrated the Arcadia as a crewmember.
Wanted all over the galaxy for his crimes, Harlock is an
exceptionally talented battle commander and an admirable
leader who would never abandon his crew. This ‘reboot’
gives a vivid insight into Harlock’s dark yet appealing nature.
Is his incarnation one of plunder and destruction, or the final
hope for Earth’s survival? In attempting to uncover Harlock’s
true nature, Logan stumbles upon the incredible secret to
Harlock’s past.
JAPAN’S MOST POWERFUL ANIMATION WITH AN ALL
STAR CAST AND CREW
Captain Harlock is voiced by Shun Oguri and his assassin
Logan by Haruma Miura. One cannot help but be exhilarated
by the stand off between these two stars. In addition, actors
such as Yu Aoi, Arata Furuta and Ayano Fukuda, alongside
voice actors such as Toshiyuki Morikawa, Maaya Sakamoto,
Miyuki Sawashiro, Kiyoshi Kobayashi and Chikao Otsuka are
part of the star-studded cast. Their passionate acting injects
real life into the unique line up of characters.
Led by original creator Leiji Matsumoto and Appleseed
director Shinji Aramaki, the crew features a wealth of
Japanese film industry notables. The script is by Harutoshi
Fukui whose novels have received many film adaptations,
including Aimless Aegis, and Kiyoto Takeuchi who previously
teamed up with director Aramaki in Appleseed Ex Machina.
The film’s original concept is injected with a modern theme
for this reboot, creating an entirely new universe. The film’s
mechanical designer Atsushi Takeuchi of Production IG is
known for his involvement in Star Wars: The Clone Wars,
and character designer Yutaka Minowa for Ninja Scroll.
Having worked on Matsumoto’s projects previously,
Minowa was able to retain the feel of Matsumoto’s world in
this new adaptation.
Finally, Toei Animation and Marza Animation Planet,
the team of top Japanese CGI experts led by Takeuchi
Kengo. From the battleship combat scenes in outer space
to direct combat aboard the zero-gravity ships, the scale
and speed of the action scenes with their powerful, dazzling
visuals are breathtaking.