LJ Idol Week 17 A (Space) Pirate's life for me

[puppetmaker]

Before Pirates were cool again, before Captain Jack first swaggered across the deck of the Pearl, I gave my heart and my loyalty to a Space pirate named Captain Harlock.


(For the VI: Picture of Captain Harlock with wine glass)

I am an Anime fan from way back so far back it was when TBS use to show anime in the afternoon right after it became a cable channel. They showed the live action too like Space Giants but I remember enjoyed Battle of the Planets and G-force among others. One afternoon I sat down and watched the first episode of "Space Battleship Yamato" and really enjoyed it even with the cheese factor.

Later they started showing this thing called "Captain Harlock and the Queen of 100 years" which I figured out pretty fast was two shows being mix-mastered together. I was lucky enough to find a group of people who were also big Matsumoto fans (creator of Captain Harlock and writer for Yamato) at one of the local conventions and my education of all things Harlock began.

Harlock was one of those sexy loners with sexy scars and a dark brooding past that just made me squirm. He was all the tropes of the noble man who is on the wrong side of the law just because the law ain't right. (I put Captain Nemo in that category but that is a whole other essay).

He had a cool space ship that looked like a WW II battle cruiser redone as a pirate ship and the back of the ship looked like the back end of the Black Pearl. The skull and crossbones was worked into just about everything. His crew was loyal although a little loopy. There was a lot of drinking going on that ship. I learned the Kanji for saki pretty quickly. The Aliens were cool and there were good aliens and bad aliens and a few that you just weren't sure of their motives or moral character. I still have to take it on faith that Tochiro could build/rebuild an entire space ship on his own but with much cooler tech because he was just that brilliant.

I watched everything I could, even the cameos he had in various Matsumoto series and films both translated and just in Japanese. "My Youth in Arcadia" just rocked my world. I even wrote really bad fanfic about Captain Harlock and his crew that have not seen the light of day since I wrote them.

Since then I have collected various things Harlock related. Recently I got a replica of the gravity saber that was released in Japan. I have everything that is available on DVD here in the states. One of the first set of actions figures Peter got for me were Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldas since he knew how much I loved the characters.

I so love that sexy pirate.

I leave you with the opening to Endless Road SSX which I would love a copy of to add to my collection. Unfortunately, it had never been released on DVD in the US so my search continues.

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[reddheart.livejournal.com]

*steeples fingers in glee for next year's hoped-for costume projects!*

[reddheart.livejournal.com]

PS: While this isn't the exact piece of art D found that really inspired him, it's the kind of stuff that we are looking at for construction ideas:

http://www.ma-deesse.com/contenu/dossier/saint_art/Captain_Harlock.jpg

I think we'll have to work on straightening D's hair, however. I don't see him wanting a wig.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

If you do it, then I must see pictures!

Oh and if you want to simplify your lives a bit, You can get a 1:1 scale gravity saber and Harlock's guns on E-bay right now for some cash but not an absurd amount.

[lyonessnyc.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee! My brother and I were so into Battle of the Planets that we made ourselves costumes out of blankets, tinfoil, and wax paper (for the beaks). Wasn't Space Ship Yamato also packaged as "Starblazers"? And I seem to remember your pirate, but I don't know what I saw him in -- there've been so many bad anime mashups since the seventies. :)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

It was called Starblazers!

I have been calling it by Space Battleship Yamato for so many years, I couldn't recall the American name for it.

[darkprism.livejournal.com]

Big anime fan, here, too. :D

Nice post.

~*~

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I wish I could have found pictures of a couple of friends of mine who did a pretty dead on Harlock and Emeraldas in the late 70s/Early 80s. I tend to hold all other costumes to up to theirs.

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Captain Harlock before but I get why he appeals! Excellent entry! :D

[brightflashes.livejournal.com]

heh. I'm not big into Anime but this entry is awesome! : D

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

Now I'm definitely going to watch my husband's Captain Harlock DVDs!

[bewize.livejournal.com]

What a fun entry! For me, the crack came in the shape of Saiyajins and Dragon Balls. *snorts laughter*

[jmswallow.livejournal.com]

"Arcadia, Hasshin!" as the good captain would say.

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

All this is way too visual for my puny little pinhole of an eye but just wanted to let you know I read and it was well written.

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

Never heard of Capt Harlock but I loved Battle of the Planets and was always Princess when we played it. One to look out for methinks!