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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
The original manga classic! I've become a little obsessed with Captain Harlock over the last year or so and have been waiting for this collection to arrive. It does not disappoint, all the action, intrigue, and melodrama of the anime series is here (though no sign of Mayu-chan yet). I think the pirates are depicted much more realistically than many other fictional pirates (space or otherwise) though they still skew more toward the heroic than historical pirates. The grandeur and scope of Matsumoto's art is just gorgeous.
I've heard of Captain Harlock solely by name for years now but didn't know much of anything about it. I expected a fun adventure with swashbuckling space pirates. What I got instead was a bizarre and interesting scifi epic. The characters and plot hooked me right away.
I don't know what it is about Matsumotos art style I loved but something about his lanky character design is just so iconic. I also really need a model of the Arcadia to build now. Looking forward to reading more!
I don't know what it is about Matsumotos art style I loved but something about his lanky character design is just so iconic. I also really need a model of the Arcadia to build now. Looking forward to reading more!
Sure it's a little simple and has some glaring plot holes, but it's so conceptually rich and influential on all of today's space ship dramas. I really enjoyed this
Pleasant surprise here. I wasn't expecting the kind of dark expression and realistic character development similarly found in some of my favorite manga from the 90s and early 2000s. Captain Harlock delivers on these things and more as the story progresses. And if you've ever watched Star Trek, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, or read any space operas like Dune, this will be familiar territory.
The manga begins fairly normally, looking to be the start of a romantic, pulpy space romp, but this veneer soon gives way to scenarios full of dread, the unknown, grief and murky moral dilemmas. Characters have a good deal of depth, sometimes questioning their actions and motives, and they always appear rightfully tiny against the vastness of space. Conflicts are often solved in cold and gruesome ways, a constant reminder of the volatile, indifferent nature of space and the self-preservative attitude characters must have in order to survive in it.
The art itself is impressive and finely detailed. Spacecrafts are meticulously drawn, and the same goes for stars and planets. I lingered on a lot of the more impressive panels, marveling at it all. Matsumoto is also adept at using contrast, sometimes showing the sheer scale of a thing through heavy usage of black so that a panel's lighting appears more vivid. For what remains unseen in shadow, Matsumoto leaves that up to your imagination.
As for the way characters look, since manga from this era takes inspiration from Tezuka—who took inspiration from Walt Disney and Max Fleischer—the characters all have a distinctly vintage look about them like that of Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Superman, which either results in funny-looking short characters (similar to Mr. Smee from Peter Pan) or heroic-looking ones, like the captain. One of my other favorite mangas from this era, Ashita no Joe (a.k.a. "Tomorrow's Joe", a boxing manga), has similarly drawn characters, although this style doesn't detract from my enjoyment of either series. The designs are more charming than off-putting, but I do have one complaint: some of the characters in this manga look too similar to each other. I wonder why Matsumoto didn't go for more variety.
Captain Harlock is surprisingly short—only 3 volumes (15 chapters) long—but it's a tightly knitted series nonetheless. It flips between serious and funny moments with ease, and as I mentioned previously, characters are varied and realistic. It can be hard to make readers sympathize with villains, but Matsumoto is a clever writer and enshrouds many events in moral ambiguity. Sadly, this story isn't without some contrivances, but they're not too egregious. And the language of the story is of good quality, often showcasing well-written poetic lines (although this could be the translator's embellishments, I'm not sure).
Even though certain tropes are familiar and there's a good deal of unexplained jargon, Matsumoto keeps things fresh with a crew of intriguing, funny and thought-provoking characters. I wish this was longer, but even so, this manga manages to tell more in 15 chapters than a lot of others do in 100 or more. This was a good first impression of Matsumoto's work and I'm looking forward to checking out his other series.
The manga begins fairly normally, looking to be the start of a romantic, pulpy space romp, but this veneer soon gives way to scenarios full of dread, the unknown, grief and murky moral dilemmas. Characters have a good deal of depth, sometimes questioning their actions and motives, and they always appear rightfully tiny against the vastness of space. Conflicts are often solved in cold and gruesome ways, a constant reminder of the volatile, indifferent nature of space and the self-preservative attitude characters must have in order to survive in it.
The art itself is impressive and finely detailed. Spacecrafts are meticulously drawn, and the same goes for stars and planets. I lingered on a lot of the more impressive panels, marveling at it all. Matsumoto is also adept at using contrast, sometimes showing the sheer scale of a thing through heavy usage of black so that a panel's lighting appears more vivid. For what remains unseen in shadow, Matsumoto leaves that up to your imagination.
As for the way characters look, since manga from this era takes inspiration from Tezuka—who took inspiration from Walt Disney and Max Fleischer—the characters all have a distinctly vintage look about them like that of Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Superman, which either results in funny-looking short characters (similar to Mr. Smee from Peter Pan) or heroic-looking ones, like the captain. One of my other favorite mangas from this era, Ashita no Joe (a.k.a. "Tomorrow's Joe", a boxing manga), has similarly drawn characters, although this style doesn't detract from my enjoyment of either series. The designs are more charming than off-putting, but I do have one complaint: some of the characters in this manga look too similar to each other. I wonder why Matsumoto didn't go for more variety.
Captain Harlock is surprisingly short—only 3 volumes (15 chapters) long—but it's a tightly knitted series nonetheless. It flips between serious and funny moments with ease, and as I mentioned previously, characters are varied and realistic. It can be hard to make readers sympathize with villains, but Matsumoto is a clever writer and enshrouds many events in moral ambiguity. Sadly, this story isn't without some contrivances, but they're not too egregious. And the language of the story is of good quality, often showcasing well-written poetic lines (although this could be the translator's embellishments, I'm not sure).
Even though certain tropes are familiar and there's a good deal of unexplained jargon, Matsumoto keeps things fresh with a crew of intriguing, funny and thought-provoking characters. I wish this was longer, but even so, this manga manages to tell more in 15 chapters than a lot of others do in 100 or more. This was a good first impression of Matsumoto's work and I'm looking forward to checking out his other series.
Story is pretty dated, but the starship designs are fantastic.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, War
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief
Minor: Sexual harassment
When a strange sphere crashes into earth, heralding an alien invasion, people are strangely apathetic. A space pirate named Captain Harlock arrives to combat the aliens, the Mazon, and only teenager Tadashi Daiba agrees to join him. Can Captain Harlock and the crew of the Arcadia defeat the Mazon menace?
I first heard of Captain Harlock decades ago when Eternity was publishing his adventures. Seven Seas packaged the first third of his early adventures in this gorgeous hardcover so I was powerless to resist.
While I didn't like it as much as Astro Boy or Devilman, I liked this early manga fairly well.
Captain Harlock tells the tale of an invasion by the women who burn like paper, the Mazon. I won't reveal their true nature. Anyway, Daiba, a boy whose parents were killed by the Mazon, joins Captain Harlock in his fight against them.
The tone of Captain Harlock is a little strange. It seems to be a commentary on complacency at times. There are serious parts and some humorous parts. I really like the art, although some of Harlock's crew are drawn a little too cartoony for my taste. The Arcadia has a great design. The ship battles are really well done, reminding me of stuff I'd see on Robotech cartoons back in the day.
To be honest, this volume is Captain Harlock tracking down leads about the Mazons for the most part. The characters don't have a lot in the way of background so far, although we know Harlock lost a dear friend sometime in the past and Mimay is the last of her people, a race of aliens that subsist on alcohol. Aside from a few ship battles, there isn't a whole lot of action. I guess it's mostly a setup volume.
All things considered, Captain Harlock: The Classic Collection Volume 1 is a worthwhile read, a nice piece of manga history. I'm in for the next two volumes. Three out of five stars.
I first heard of Captain Harlock decades ago when Eternity was publishing his adventures. Seven Seas packaged the first third of his early adventures in this gorgeous hardcover so I was powerless to resist.
While I didn't like it as much as Astro Boy or Devilman, I liked this early manga fairly well.
Captain Harlock tells the tale of an invasion by the women who burn like paper, the Mazon. I won't reveal their true nature. Anyway, Daiba, a boy whose parents were killed by the Mazon, joins Captain Harlock in his fight against them.
The tone of Captain Harlock is a little strange. It seems to be a commentary on complacency at times. There are serious parts and some humorous parts. I really like the art, although some of Harlock's crew are drawn a little too cartoony for my taste. The Arcadia has a great design. The ship battles are really well done, reminding me of stuff I'd see on Robotech cartoons back in the day.
To be honest, this volume is Captain Harlock tracking down leads about the Mazons for the most part. The characters don't have a lot in the way of background so far, although we know Harlock lost a dear friend sometime in the past and Mimay is the last of her people, a race of aliens that subsist on alcohol. Aside from a few ship battles, there isn't a whole lot of action. I guess it's mostly a setup volume.
All things considered, Captain Harlock: The Classic Collection Volume 1 is a worthwhile read, a nice piece of manga history. I'm in for the next two volumes. Three out of five stars.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Enjoyable! Classic and eccentric, with a compelling central mystery.
When a gigantic black sphere lands on Earth in the distant future, humankind has become too apathetic to care much about what it might mean. Top scientist Dr. Daiba warns of possible danger, but is ignored by the lazy President of Earth. When Dr. Daiba is murdered, his son Tadashi is approached by a mysterious figure that kills the assassin. To Tadashi’s shock, the woman bursts into flames and burns like paper!
The mysterious figure proves to be the notorious space pirate, Captain Harlock! Although the government of Earth considers him a criminal (because he is; stealing is illegal), Captain Harlock and his ship Arcadia are the only ones standing between the human race and annihilation. After Tadashi sees for himself that Earth’s military is useless, he cuts ties with the planet and joins Harlock’s cause.
This 1977 manga series was created by Leiji Matsumoto, who had been a major part of the Space Battleship Yamato anime series in 1974 and had created a manga loosely based on that show. He decided to follow up “battleships in space” with “pirate ships in space.” He also tried to make Captain Harlock a model of an ideal man, embodying traditional Japanese masculine virtues in a futuristic setting.
The enemy turns out to be the Mazon, plant aliens whose warrior caste looks like beautiful human women to the point that many of them have infiltrated Earth society with the help of heavy makeup. Their scouts have in fact been on Earth for thousands of years, but now the Mazon are ready for conquest.
Tadashi has trouble adjusting to life on the Arcadia at first. Most of the crew seem to be drunks and layabouts, the first mate is obsessed with plastic models and refuses most other duties, and Mimay appears to be just the ship harpist. The only crew member who is actively running the ship is second officer Kei, a woman of many talents.
But these appearances are deceiving. In times of actual danger, the crew is able to shift into battle mode. The lax discipline is because Harlock can trust them to rise to the occasion. (This somewhat reflects conditions on real pirate ships of the Golden Age of Piracy; the captain was elected and had to persuade the crew to follow orders, rather than be dictator.)
Over the course of this first volume, Tadashi becomes a fighter, and we learn more about the Mazon threat. There are hints about Harlock’s tragic past, and the deaths of his true love and best friend. (These do not necessarily match the information in any other Harlock story–Matsumoto isn’t in to tight continuity.)
While the overall mood of the series is somber, with the protagonists wondering if Earth and its feckless inhabitants are really worth saving, there’s plenty of comic relief with the golf-obsessed Earth President and the wacky Arcadia crew members.
This volume also contains an alternate universe story, where Harlock is the captain of the Deathshadow, protecting an Earth that is now nearly uninhabitable and known as the Red World. It’s pretty sexist.
Matsumoto does some fine spaceships of various unlikely shapes, and the action is exciting. On the other hand, he has one shape and face for beautiful women, and uses it over and over. Some folks may find the philosophy bits a trifle overdone and melodramatic.
Keeping in mind that this is an older series, and the manga industry has changed drastically (especially in roles for women), this is well worth looking at.
The mysterious figure proves to be the notorious space pirate, Captain Harlock! Although the government of Earth considers him a criminal (because he is; stealing is illegal), Captain Harlock and his ship Arcadia are the only ones standing between the human race and annihilation. After Tadashi sees for himself that Earth’s military is useless, he cuts ties with the planet and joins Harlock’s cause.
This 1977 manga series was created by Leiji Matsumoto, who had been a major part of the Space Battleship Yamato anime series in 1974 and had created a manga loosely based on that show. He decided to follow up “battleships in space” with “pirate ships in space.” He also tried to make Captain Harlock a model of an ideal man, embodying traditional Japanese masculine virtues in a futuristic setting.
The enemy turns out to be the Mazon, plant aliens whose warrior caste looks like beautiful human women to the point that many of them have infiltrated Earth society with the help of heavy makeup. Their scouts have in fact been on Earth for thousands of years, but now the Mazon are ready for conquest.
Tadashi has trouble adjusting to life on the Arcadia at first. Most of the crew seem to be drunks and layabouts, the first mate is obsessed with plastic models and refuses most other duties, and Mimay appears to be just the ship harpist. The only crew member who is actively running the ship is second officer Kei, a woman of many talents.
But these appearances are deceiving. In times of actual danger, the crew is able to shift into battle mode. The lax discipline is because Harlock can trust them to rise to the occasion. (This somewhat reflects conditions on real pirate ships of the Golden Age of Piracy; the captain was elected and had to persuade the crew to follow orders, rather than be dictator.)
Over the course of this first volume, Tadashi becomes a fighter, and we learn more about the Mazon threat. There are hints about Harlock’s tragic past, and the deaths of his true love and best friend. (These do not necessarily match the information in any other Harlock story–Matsumoto isn’t in to tight continuity.)
While the overall mood of the series is somber, with the protagonists wondering if Earth and its feckless inhabitants are really worth saving, there’s plenty of comic relief with the golf-obsessed Earth President and the wacky Arcadia crew members.
This volume also contains an alternate universe story, where Harlock is the captain of the Deathshadow, protecting an Earth that is now nearly uninhabitable and known as the Red World. It’s pretty sexist.
Matsumoto does some fine spaceships of various unlikely shapes, and the action is exciting. On the other hand, he has one shape and face for beautiful women, and uses it over and over. Some folks may find the philosophy bits a trifle overdone and melodramatic.
Keeping in mind that this is an older series, and the manga industry has changed drastically (especially in roles for women), this is well worth looking at.