On 2003-09-15 Molly Patton, Lucerne, CA wrote: 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.. And summed up by saying Middle of the road in the Matsumoto Universe. Currently Harlock Saga has an overall rating of 6 over 10.
Harlock Saga can also be found in the following searches:
Leiji Matsumoto claimed 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!
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