Harlock Saga

Amazon.com

The creator of Star Blazers and Galaxy Express, Leiji Matsumoto ranks among the seminal figures in the history of anime. This six-part OAV (original animation video) reunites several of his most popular characters in an early adventure that depicts Captain Harlock's meeting with young Tadashi Daiba. Although it's billed as "an updated retelling of Der Ring des Nibelungen," Harlock Saga uses only some names and the "Funeral March" theme from Wagner's operatic cycle. Alberich, the last male descendant of the Nibelung "clan," steals a singularly powerful nugget of gold from the planet Rhein. He tricks young Tadashi Daiba into forging a ring from it that will enable him to conquer Wotan, the ruler of the planet Valhalla, and become all-powerful in the universe. Aberich's sister Meeme opposes his ambitions and seeks the aid of Captain Harlock, Tochiro, Yattran, and Emeraldas: an alliance no villain can withstand. The adventure ends on an odd note, with Daiba and Harlock preparing to unmake the Ring and return the gold to the planet Rhein--which disappeared at the end of episode 1. But fans of Matsumoto's special universe with its sepulchrally thin women, dwarfish side characters, and dashing, scarred heroes aren't likely to be troubled by plot problems. Rated 13 and up for minor nudity and some violence. --Charles Solomon

Description

New from U.S. Manga Corps! From the creator of Star Blazers, Queen Emeraldas and The Cockpit! A killer has stolen a legendary treasure, magical gold! Now, as the universe spirals into chaos, the gods have awakened to avenge this theft. Noble space pirate Captain Harlock must restore the gold to its rightful heirs before humanity is caught in the crossfire! Includes entire series: all 6 episodes!

Customer Reviews:

Middle of the road in the Matsumoto Universe.......2003-09-15

Being a Matsumoto junkie, I found this OAV to be a little short of what I had come to expect of a Matsumoto production. I find it to be a middle of the road series, I didn't really care for it, but I didn't want to throw it out the window in disgust either.

This is NOT for people new to Matsumoto, I would suggest going and grabbing up Arcadia of My Youth first, it clears up a lot of characters for the initiates. And keep in mind 3 things when viewing this production....

1) it is loosely based on a Wagner opera, so if you think it is ripping off The Ring, you are right, it is... sorta...

2) Matsumoto's universe NEVER follows a strict timeline, it overlaps and runs all over the place, so don't try to fit it into a timeline with another piece of Harlock lore, it just won't fit (especially since this is supposed to be Harlock's son... in the manga it's more apparant).

3) The animation is really nice, not the best in the world, but like all Matsumoto the characters have their special Matsumoto style and the space scenes are beautifully rendered. With one exception that seems to be a downfall since Queen Emereldas and that is the CGI they add in of the Arcadia, it's hideously bad! but it's short, so no worries.

All in all, this OAV looks pretty, and the storyline was interesting, since it was a Space Opera rendition of an opera, but the storyline and script lacked, like one other reviewer said, Harlock just kinda stood there stoicly and added a line or two when needed, but didn't seem to say much of anything else, kinda disappointing when you compare him to the Harlock of past series and movies.

I think this is really for the Matsumoto fans only, not much here for anyone who isn't a fan of him already.

Real Space Opera.......2002-09-13

I am not sure exactly what I expected when I picked 'The Harlock Saga' out to watch, other than a popular Japanese anime, but I have to admit that I was unprepared to find myself watching a version of Wagner's 'Ring of the Nibelung' recast as a space adventure in the far future. However, I am a fan of much of Wagner's work. After the initial shock when the opening credits rolled by, I settled into what was an honestly unique experience.

Harlock (actually the son of Leiji Matsumoto's original Harlock) is the captain of the Arcadia, a space pirate vessel. Accompanying him are his close friend Tochiro, Chief cook and engineering mate Yattran, and Meeme a mysterious woman who is rumored to be a sorceress of an ancient and fearsome race. The story opens with Tochiro and Harlock's sister Emareldas trying to track down Meeme, who disappeared from the Arcadia unexpectedly. They find a projection of her in the ruins of the asteroid Aclucion, where she warns them that another pirate is about to raid the planet Rhein in order to gain the Rheingold. Harlock races to the planet, but is not in time. Now this intrepid gang must trace the gold across the universe.

As they try to prevent the gold from being made into the ring that rules time, Meeme explains that the pirate is Alberich of the Nibelungs, her brother. He wants the ring to challenge Wotan and destroy Valhalla, little caring that this will destroy the universe as well. Of course, the crew of the Arcadia fails again and the ring is made. Now all, good and evil alike, flock to Valhalla where this recasting of Wagner's story reaches its climax as Harlock struggles to avert the Twilight of the Gods. As you can see, the story truly is pure space opera.

This is pure fun right out of Flash Gordon, but with classical music. Director Yoshi Takeuchi commits almost every dramatic sin there is, and the English language version compounds this excess into a perfect confection. Be warned, set playback to the Japanese version with subtitles or risk dying from unrelenting over-acting. What you have to keep in mind is that this file was never meant to be either a faithful rendition of Wagner's operas of a perfect redaction of Matsumoto's manga. Rather, it is intended to recreate the style of its sources and provide high entertainment. And that it does exceedingly well.

This is a long presentation (about 150 minutes) in six episodes. Unlike some manga adaptations, considerable effort is spent of providing continuity. So there is little confusion to detract from the excellent graphic design, art work, and the great musical score. I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, but not unbearably so. The action during most of the film makes up for that particular weakness. After all, there are only so many planets you can blow up before a certain amount of ennui leaks in. You may just find yourself wishing for a sequel.

Leiji Matsumoto Classic.......2002-03-23

This was one of his best works. The dubbing on this was fantastic. I would recommend this title to anyone into sci fi.

A new classic.......2002-02-01

I grew up with Harlock on TV (known as Albator) and I fell in love with the romantic image of a not so heroic space pirate. The Harlock Saga is a great DVD to get the casual fan or the hardcore fan who never bothered to get it. The complex tale is one ripped from the RING opera and at times it shows. For the most part this is a great idea. The world of Harlock is the perfect setting for what takes place and the story of the ring is well told. The animation is great, much better than the old TV show. Any anime fan worth his salt should have it. Classic.

Best anime series I have ever seen!.......2002-01-23

Harlock takes the cake for me. I love the story line and over all quality of this series and DVD. If you are/were ever a fan of the original Starblazers get this NOW!

Average customer rating:

Stylish space fantasy starring renowned Space Pirate of Justice
Welcome, if imperfect, return of the space pirate

Harlock Saga
Starring: Harlock Saga
Manufacturer: Us Manga Corps Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001EFUPA
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Customer Reviews:

Stylish space fantasy starring renowned Space Pirate of Justice.......2006-06-12

Harlock Saga is stylish, it is fun to watch, but don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense. This series was based upon an adaptation of the story of the Niebelungen gold, and the Twilight of the Gods. The use of Wagner as theme music is very effective. Knowledge of Wagner's Ring Cycle is not necessary to follow the plot, but it would probably enhance your appreciation of the show.

The story had some strange continuity problems, and since this story was a sequel to prior Captain Harlock yarns, characters appear in cameo roles that can be a little confusing (for example, Emeraldas seems to be a part of the team in the first episode, but she disappears without comment, and no mention of her is made in later episodes), but an OVA about a Space Pirate of Justice who saves the universe is probably not the best place to go for a completely believable storyline anyway; if you want to see a space fantasy with stylish animation, watch Harlock Saga and have fun.

Welcome, if imperfect, return of the space pirate.......2005-09-07

Having first seen Captain Harlock, subtitled, on a Japanese UHF-TV channel here in New York in the late 70's, I was hooked on the highly stylized, sci-fi melodrama. The 42 episode series was quite unlike anything that was on TV at the time and it's unfortunate that it hasn't found some sort of re-release in Japan or here in the U.S. that said, Harlock has been seen here in the US release of the Galaxy Express 999 feature film and the unusual "Arcadia of my Youth" which was produced later but is a prequal to the original TV series.

Average customer rating:

Two Matsumoto gems

Maetel Legend/Harlock Saga
Starring: Kôichi Yamadera , Veronica Taylor , David Brimmer , Yoshito Yasuhara , and Rachael Lillis
Director: Nobuo Takeuchi , and Kazuyoshi Yokota
Manufacturer: Central Park Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000063K2H
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Customer Reviews:

Two Matsumoto gems.......2002-03-07

This is a 2-pack collection includes Maetel Legend and Harlock Saga. Both DVDs are available individually. It is an odd choice to bundle these two DVDs together because, other than being the creations of Matsumoto Leiji, they are not the parts of the same story.

Maetel Legend tells of the origin of Maetel and the pirate queen Emereldas. It is a nice offering by Matsumoto, and serves as a prequel to his masterpiece Galaxy Express 999. Maetel does appear very briefly in Harlock Saga, and Emereldas has a slightly larger role.

Harlock Saga is a feature piece for Matsumoto's famous Captain Harlock. Matsumoto took the story and music of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen and recast the parts with his own characters. Captain Harlock, Tochiro and Emereldas face off against Wodan and the Norse gods. It is grand space opera.

The individual DVDs are great, and worth getting. This is a nice way to get them together, although Harlock Saga has been available for some time. Just don't expect the stories to be related.

Amazon.com

This OAV series brings together two of Leiji Matsumoto's most popular creations: Emeraldas, the pirate queen from Harlock Saga, and Maetel, the mysterious woman who aids Tetsuro in Galaxy Express 999. Torn from its eccentric orbit around the sun by the dark star Ra, the planet Metalle is dying. The daughters of Queen La Andromeda Prometheum defy the evil Hardgear, who has tricked their mother and many of her subjects into becoming "mechanoids" he can use in a war against humanity. Maetel and Emeraldas escape from Metalle on the Galaxy Express, knowing that destiny will eventually lead them back to destroy the cyber-hell their world has become. The rather dark Legend lacks much of the panache of Harlock Saga and the propulsive energy of Galaxy Express, but Matsumoto's many fans will want to follow his characters on their long journey. Rated 13 Up: Violence, grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon

Description

The most beloved and mysterious of Matsumoto's creations, Maetel, finally returns to tell her story. The princess of a dying world, young Maetel faces starvation and death. Only machines can survive in the new environment, and one by one, an evil scientist transforms her loved ones into soulless mechanoids. Once he captures Maetel and her fiery twin sister, Emeraldas, he will rule the world. Maetel must choose whether to become a machine to save her life, or to abandon her world to fight for freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Rise of the Machines.......2005-09-07

A planet adrift in intersteller space -- dying. This is the story of technological and social evolution gone wrong. With her world no longer able to sustain life, the Queen of the planet LA MAETAL turns to the technician named Hardgear for a way for her people to survive. His solution is a procedure that comes right out of Clarke's novel 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY -- to transform the people of the planet into machines. The Queen, believing this to be the only way, foolishly submits to the procedure and commands all her people to submit to it as well. But it is not as beneficial as she was lead to believe. His techno-conversion technique has driven Hardgear insane.

Rating 13 and up: violence, grotesque imagery

Esperaba mas epica, aunque es una hermosa historia.......2004-06-26

Hola, acabo de ver ambos OVA's de Maetel Legend, definitivamente han querido unir los universos de Queen Millenia, Galaxy Express 999 y Queen Emeraldas, en este "play" juntando a las tres protagonistas y "resolviendo" un misterio hasta ahora escondido para todos los fans de Matsumoto, la relacion entre Maetel y Yayoi Yukino, y en menos relevancia la relacion entre Maetel y Emeraldas.
La idea esta bien planteada pero es inconsistente con algunos hechos que pasaron en las series originales.

1er Hecho : Yayoi Yukino muere salvando la tierra.
2do Hecho : Emeraldas era terricola.
3er Hecho : La edad de Maetel (pues ella era clonada una y otra vez y segun Galaxy Express 999, su cuerpo original esta congelado en Pluton y cada vez q puede va y lo visita)

Creo que la idea de comenzar de 0 no ha dejado a los fans con un sabor agridulce. En la nueva historia Maetel y Emeraldas son ahora hermanas gemelas y Yayoi su madre, la historia comienza al parecer a finales del siglo XXX, pues ambas son adolescentes, pero si comienza en el siglo XXX, Yayoi Yukino tiene mas de 1000 años???. Los nuevos dibujos no me gustaron, prefiero los dibujos de la pelicula Arcadia of my Youth que es superior en trama y argumento y eso que es de 1981, no deberion hacer este OVA de una manera tan light y pasando por alto muchos de los misterios que encerraban a estos personajes, para convertirlas en familia.

Companion.......2004-03-04

This is a good companion to the Harlock Saga and the Galaxy Express 999 series. The story is typical Matsumoto fare but its a fun series to get into even as short as it is. Its for fans of Matsumoto.

Quality Anime.......2004-02-19

What can I say? Maetel is a wonderful anime with a deep theme that really makes you think. I almost cried when I watched it...it's just that touching. However,I can't say if you personally will enjoy it. Fans of Matsumoto should enjoy this,but as for others unfamiliar with Matsumoto,it depends on what you like. If you're only into action,adventure or comedy anime,you'll probably be bored by this. Otherwise,I'd say if you like different and deep anime,you'll enjoy it! I know I did. This is my second Matsumoto film,my first was Harlock Saga. Both have been amazing and highly entertaining. I've done all-text reviews on other DVDs,but for these and any others later I'll be using a 1-10 scale,10 being the best possible. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, Maetel is rated 13+ for violence and grotesque imagery.

STORY: 10/10 - While some complain,I had no problem with the story at all. The slow pace of the plot is perfect for the "legend". I wasn't expecting much,but after watching Maetel,I was amazed and instantly a Matsumoto fan!

DVD: 9/10 - Not many special features,but the DVD itself was fine.

DUB: 7/10 - The dub was bearable,but the Japanese is far better.

OVERALL: 10/10 - If you can get it at a reasonable price,MAETEL LEGEND is an excellent addition to your anime!

Dry..... (though good for someone new to Matsumoto).......2003-09-15

Though it is really nice to finally see Emereldas and Maetel's past as siblings and the downfall of their mother Queen Promethia, I think this anime sadly fell flat on it's face.

The only thing of interest was the fact that you got to see how Galaxy Express 999 came to happen, though most of us had a pretty good idea of what happened to begin with, and even then some of this still went unanswered even with the prequel. Which sat as a bitter pill in my book.

The animation was okay enough. One of my biggest gripes was the portrayl of Maetel and Em as teenagers. I don't believe they were quite so "school girlish" in their youths. This film's biggest flaw was the blatant reuse of footage, it really ruined what interest I had in this film. It recycled it's self over and over and was over used so poorly that I just felt like this could have easily been a single 60 minute OAV. By the end of the film, I could care less about the transformation of the Queen, because they had reshowed her transformation over several times, using the SAME footage.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome anime deal!.......2003-10-23

I decided to buy this package rather than just getting "Angel Sanctuary" by itself, and I think it's a great deal. I'd never seen "Harlock Saga" before, and this DVD gives you the entire series here, which is quite long and definitely gives your money's worth. It's a slightly different style of anime than Angel Sanctuary, looks like it's a bit older; also by contrast, there's no real blood or nudity or incest or tribes of warring archangels. However, there are space pirates, mysterious pipe-organs, and tribes of warring gods and ancient creatures-- it's like a space-pirate version of the "Ring of the Nibelungen". Classy. And Captain Harlock has some incredibly stylish scars to go with that foxy pirate outfit.

As for "Angel Sanctuary", what can one say that everyone else hasn't gushingly said before? It's the most eye-hurtingly beautiful, wild, erotic, daring girl-anime out there today. Those mentally-imbalanced angels, those multiple dismemberments and decapitations, those long-legged schoolboys with the dewy eyes, yoicks!! Sadly, the end of the story leaves you hanging almost in mid-action.... Those of us who can't read Japanese (so as to get the printed manga for the whole story) are all praying anxiously & patiently for more of the series to become available.

The only faults I can find with this DVD issue (both disks) is that the chapters/programs in the menu are each too long... It could use finer separation, so that you don't have to scroll forward & back to find the point within the chapter you want. They also left the beginnning & end credits for all of the separate episodes, which is an annoyance to fast-forward through. However, that's only a minor annoyance. Great deal in general.

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