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Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004 Dark Sabre Publishing
Group.
All rights reserved. |
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Captain Harlock, Space
Pirate #1: The Legend Returns |
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Title:
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Captain Harlock #1: The Legend Returns |
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Publisher:
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Geneon Entertainment |
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Price:
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$29.98 |
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Length:
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100 Min |
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Release Date:
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02/03/04 |
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DVD Region:
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1 |
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Genre:
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Drama / Sci-fi |
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Description |
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Tadashi enjoyed living like a punk on the Planet of Wastes, but
then he came home to find his father dead and four possessed
corpses standing over his body. As they attack Tadashi, the
fearless Captain Herlock, one of the last Space Pirates, saves
Tadashi's life and says "If you want to become a real man, board
my ship." Seizing the opportunity to avenge his father, Tadashi
joins the crew of the space battleship Arcadia as it pursues their
strange enemy in an attempt to rescue the promised land- Earth!!
The first collaboration between Leiji Matsumoto and Taro Rin since
their original teaming 24 years ago for the original Captain
Herlock TV series! Original Story by Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy
Express 999, Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato), Directed by
Taro Rin (Metropolis, X/1999, Reign: the Conqueror), scripts by
Sadayuki Murai (Cowboy Bebop, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress,
Boogiepop Phantom, Reign: the Conqueror), character designs by
Nobuteru Yuuki (Heat Guy J, Escaflowne), music by Takayuki Hattori
(Nadesico, Slayers), and animated by Madhouse (Chobits, X,
Patlabor WXIII, Ninja Scroll, Trigun)!Presented in 5.1 Dolby
surround sound audio for both English and Japanese tracks and
packaged with one of four double sided limited edition mini-pencil
boards- collect all four and form the Arcadia with the reverse
side! |
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The Review! |
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With the release of Captain Herlock – The endless odyssey –
Outside journey. It revitalizes a lost era so to speak in
animation. With Captain Herlock being a throw back of the earlier
generation of anime, mostly from the early to mid 80’s. To view
new work by the legend Leiji Matsumoto and Sadayuki Muarai is a
pleasure in which we should all enjoy.
Captain Herlock starts out like most Saga’s, a troubled youth
Tadashi is trying to make a name for himself, willing to fight and
perhaps even die to prove that he is no one to mess with. A
researcher that uncovers a mysterious race that one tormented the
galaxy. Tadashi’s father, the researcher is murdered by those
trying to unleash the demon’s of old and torment the galaxy once
more. Tadashi, to avenge his father’s brutal demise teams up with
another legend. A pirate from the past who’s name still strikes
fear into the heart of men, Captain Herlock. However, what good
anime saga would exist without an additional enemy, enter the
Space Sheriff’s office a group that claims to bring order to the
galaxy even if it’s at the cost of innocent human lives. What
awaits the brave crew of the famed battleship Arcadia as the fight
to stop the enemies of lore and the enemies of today from
destroying humanity.
The first DVD in the Outside Legend saga “The Legend Returns”
contains four episodes.
1. Blues of the Rubbish Heap
2. For whom the Friend Sleeps
3. The voice calling for Noo from afar
4. Yattaran’s 30-second bet
Blues for the rubbish heap – One of the last remaining space
pirates Yuki Kei and her crew are captured. What of this new
threat from the ghost of pasts? Why has the captain Herlock
reappeared?
For whom the friend sleeps – Will the police be able to capture
Herlock or will elude them yet again? What of the Fata Morgana a
ghost ship from a fail expedition? Why is in the Sol system and
what are it’s plans for earth?
The voice is calling for Noo from afar – Who or what are the Noo
and what are their plans for humanity. Will Tadashi join Herlocks
crew? Can he get his vengeance for the death of his father?
Yattaran’s 30-second bet – Will captain Herlock come to the rescue
of his comrades and avoid being destroyed by the space sheriff’s
office, before it’s too late?
For those familiar with Leiji Matsumoto, whose work includes
Galaxy Express 999, Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato, Captain
Herlock the TV series. The latest release Captain Herlock - The
endless odyssey, follows the same style of animation. By far one
of the most distinct character and scene stills of any work in the
industry. Examples of his work that are original to him, would be
the figures of the main characters of the story, they have similar
character designs. By this I mean, they’re usually tall and thin,
compared to the secondary characters in the story that are usually
shorter and chubbier. The scene design is a rich tapestry of
depths and colors, from the planetary surfaces to the endless sea
of space. One of the nice touches that is unique to Matsumoto’s
style is design of the pirate ship Arcadia a mixture of a space
battleship with the touch of an old wooden sail ship.
The story for the series seems to be off to a rush start. Without
much time for character development, I feel this is partially due
to the long following of the Herlock series. However, those new to
the universe might appreciate a slower start, giving more detail
to the characters and how they evolved. They do a brief background
of who Herlock is where he’s from and why he’s in space, but this
is not enough. Some of these issues could have been resolved with
a few features on the DVD.
The features included with the DVD are Bilingual 5.1 Audio
(English and Japanese). Also, 2 streams of English Subtitles:
Dialog and signs or signs only. One the biggest disappointments of
this DVD would have to be the lack of any bonus features. The only
available features were, previews for upcoming Geneon releases and
the original Japanese opening. If any additional feature such as
original or conceptual art work definitely would have added to the
disc. Maybe even with a time line that explains Captain Herlock
universe. Character biography’s giving additional information to
the characters that make up this universe. The only bonus material
that was added to the disc would have to be a poster puzzle card,
one piece was included with this DVD and others will be included
in following disks.
Even with the lack of any form of special features with the disk,
I would have to say based on the anime itself it’s a must for
those who are fans of Matsumoto’s work. For those who aren’t
really fans of the earlier style of animation then this one might
be a good one to rent or at least borrow a copy from someone you
know. Hopefully in future disks we’ll see an increase of
additional features and find out what will come of the brave crew
of the battleship Arcadia. |
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Bottom Line |
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Version 2.0
