The Cryptofictional Records Wing: Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978-79, TV)

Based on Leiji Matsumoto's designs and story concept (as well as his manga serial), the anime program Space Pirate Captain Harlock aired from 1978 to 1979, spanning 42 episodes. The premise is as follows:

In the year 2977, Earth's oceans have dried up and a sense of futility consumes the spirit of mankind. Although the solar system has been conquered and supply ships bring natural resources from the inner planets to Earth, the world's government practices a conservative policy of non-action, preferring instead to kill time on frivolous sports and games. They also keep the people of Earth docile and unambitious by broadcasting television soap operas and cartoons containing subliminal messages.

However, a "space pirate" named Captain Harlock and his crew of 41 journey through space in the space battleship Arcadia, and conduct raids on the Earth planetary supply ships. Regarded as outlaws for crimes they did not commit, Harlock and his crew hold disdain for Earth's lack of ambition, and prefer a life of freedom and romance in the stars.

The ongoing conflict between Harlock and Earth's Space Defense Force is interrupted by the appearance of an alien invasion force made up of the Mazone, an alien race who had once thrived on the Earth in ancient prehistoric times, and now desire to return. Although the Earth's Prime Minister and his party choose to ignore the danger, Harlock resists, and eventually takes the fight to their leader, Queen Lafresia.

Episode Guide

The Jolly Roger of Space: The pirate space battleship Arcadia raids an Earth transport ship and takes its food cargo. Afterwards, Harlock visits his ward Mayu on Earth and gives her an ocarina. Unfortunately he is then captured by Commander Kiruta, commander of the Space Defense Force. Harlock soon frees himself when the Arcadia arrives from the sky during his staged execution. Meanwhile, astronomers around the world are being killed off, and a strange black sphere approaches the Earth from space.
A Message From the Unknown: When an Earth colony is attacked by a mysterious alien craft, the Arcadia destroys it. On Earth, Kiruta tries to lure Harlock into a trap by threatening Mayu. Harlock soon appears and saves Mayu from a wild wolf. Afterwards he attempts to warn the Earth Prime Minister of the alien sphere, but he is dismissed. Back in space, the Arcadia tries to destroy the approaching black sphere on its own, but the seemingly invulnerable giant object crashes into the Earth and lodges itself in the middle of the world capitol.
A Lady Who Burns Like Paper: When an astronomer named Dr. Daiba tries to warn the Earth of the Mazone, he is killed by a strange woman. Harlock arrives to save his son, Tadashi, from meeting the same fate. Tadashi boards the Arcadia and watches as Harlock defeats a Mazone scouting fleet.
Under the Flag of Freedom: Pursued by the Earth forces and the Mazone on earth, Tadashi decides to join Captain Harlock's crew. The Arcadia encounters another Mazone scout fleet.
To the Shores of Distant Stars: After arriving on the Arcadia, Tadashi is disappointed at the lax attitude on the ship. However, after the crew snap to attention during a battle with a Mazone ship, he changes his mind. A captured Mazone soldier explodes herself after warning them of the Mazone leader, Queen Lafresia.
The Phantom Mazone: Harlock tests Tadashi's piloting skills while on a scouting mission where they recover wreckage from a Mazone ship. Later, on a rest stop at Harlock's base Pirate Island 1, Harlock and Miime reminisce about their first meeting. Soon, Queen Lafresia's image appears in a hologram and starts off a countdown to a bomb explosion. The Arcadia quickly escapes destruction by blasting open the exit doors of the pirate base, but Pirate Island is destroyed.
The Pyramid on the Sea Floor: While investigating a “rift” causing the Earth to split in two, Harlock discovers the tomb of an ancient Mazone inside an underwater pyramid. They learn how to identify Mazone hiding on Earth with sensor technology and begin to hunt them down one by one. Kiruta attempts to destroy Harlock when he visits Mayu, but Harlock is rescued by an Arcadia crewmember who makes a timely arrival in a drilling vehicle.
The Queen's Space Fleet: Out of respect, Harlock releases a captured Mazone diplomat, but a vengeful Tadashi almost dies trying to pursue her ship. After the Arcadia defeats another advance Mazone fleet, Queen Lafresia tries to draw Harlock’s forces away from the Earth. However, Harlock recognizes the danger of leaving Earth unprotected and resists her lure.
The Fearsome Plant Lifeform: Seeking clues to the true nature of the Mazone, the crew of the Arcadia capture an ancient Jomon flame pot from a disguised Mazone curator in a museum. When Harlock and Tadashi then investigate a Mazone jungle in South America they are attacked. Yattaran saves them by deploying a snow-making machine, forcing the Mazone to go into hibernation.
Approaching the Mystery Planet: Daiba begins bombing the Amazon Mazone hive, but Harlock stops him. This convinces Queen Lafresia to countermand an order to immediately take over the Earth with the Mazone forces already in place on the surface. Nonetheless, a vengeful Mazone battleship attacks the Arcadia. During a fighter sortie, Daiba’s timing is thrown off by the beauty of his Mazone opponent. After the Arcadia destroys the Mazone battleship (by ramming it), the remains of the hull are identified as being from Venus.
When Lola Shines Golden: The Arcadia comes across a Mazone space wreck and finds only Lola, the beautiful Mazone who had escaped Daiba earlier. When Daiba is put in charge of her, Lola uses her mind powers to trick Daiba into mistaking her for his mother. When the Arcadia arrives at Venus, Daiba releases Lola to the surface of the planet.
Mother, Be Eternal: The Arcadia discovers an ancient abandoned Mazone base on Venus. Soon, a Mazone force attacks. The Arcadia destroys the main battleship with a ramming tactic. In a fighter, Daiba pursues Lola and is almost deceived by a giant illusion of his mother, but finally overcomes Lola’s power and shoots down her ship.
Witch Castle in the Sea of Death: When a Mazone signal is detected in the Sargasso Sea, the Arcadia journeys there to investigate. They are soon attacked by an unmanned WWII submarine and then a rusty battleship. After destroying the battleship, the Arcadia goes underwater and penetrates a mysterious dome. There they encounter Aman, a Mazone witch who puts a sleeping spell on the crew. However, the Arcadia’s computer brain resists Aman’s power and helps Harlock gather the crew. The Arcadia then destroys the witch’s citadel and escapes to the surface.
The Sphinx's Gravestone: In Egypt, Kiruta kidnaps Mayu in order to lure Harlock into the desert. After travelling over 120 miles, Harlock finds Kiruta and Mayu near a sphinx. Kiruta reveals that the sphinx hides a Mazone super-weapon. When it is fired, it causes a landslide which buries the Arcadia, 120 miles away. The ship’s computer spontaneously flies out of the rubble and goes to Harlock’s aid. After the Arcadia destroys the sphinx with its main cannon, Harlock departs with Mayu.
Unrequited Love! The North Pole Aurora: At the North Pole, Harlock investigates a strange aurora which appears to be a runway of some sort. He is eventually captured by a Mazone ice witch, who also causes the Arcadia to become swallowed up in a crevasse. Fortunately, Miime is able to overcome the Mazone ice witch with her strange powers, and when Kiruta’s forces attack the Arcadia, it inadvertently frees it from the ice.
Kei: A Song of Farewell: When Kei visits her parents’ grave, she is reunited with a former lover who now claims to be interested in furthering Kei’s father’s research. When Kei agrees to help him, he secretly uses hypnosis to try and pry secrets from her about Harlock on behalf of the Mazone. With Miime and Harlock’s help, Kei eventually sees through her former lover’s deceit and kills him.
The Skeletal Hero: Chief Engineer Maji recalls his past, in which he had unknowingly married a Mazone and then had a child with her. After his commander Captain Yamanaki had identified and killed his Mazone wife, Maji’s child had then been kidnapped by the Mazone. In the present, the Arcadia discovers Yamanaki’s ship, manned only by corpses - apparently victims of the Mazone.
The Evil Shadow Soldiers: While passing through the Pleiades star cluster, phantom-like Mazone “shadow soldiers” distract the crew, while a “real” Mazone raiding party led by Maji’s now-grown daughter secretly boards the ship. When Maji is captured and held on a Mazone base, he sees that Mazone children are grown, not born. In the end, he uses the Arcadia’s pulse cannons to destroy a fleeing Mazone ship carrying his (adopted) daughter.
Queen Lafresia's Trap: On the way to the Horsehead Nebula, the Arcadia passes Harlock’s Deathshadow Island pirate base. Although Harlock orders it to remain behind, it follows the Arcadia for some reason. After passing through the nebula, the Mazone try to trap the Arcadia between gravitational tornadoes, an artificial comet and a volcanic proto-planet. Harlock uses Deathshadow Island as a shield and lures the comet into the planet. The Arcadia then destroys a Mazone fleet. Afterwards, a shadow projection of Queen Lafresia asks Harlock if he intends to challenge her personally.
The Dead Planet Jura: When the Arcadia makes a stop at Miime’s home planet Jura, she discovers signs of life. She soon learns that the nuclear war which had destroyed her planet had been due to the Mazone, and that her best friend Fuure had been a Mazone spy all along. In a duel, she kills Fuure.
Gohrum! The Tragic Soldier: Under cover of a strange asteroid bombardment, a small craft attaches itself to the Arcadia. A squad of alien soldiers (Tokagans) raid the ship. Harlock captures a Tokagan named Zol, who reveals that his soldiers are being forced to fight because their families are being held ransom by the Mazone. After giving Harlock the location of the Mazone main battle fleet, Zol dies in a suicide attack against a massive Mazone battleship. The Arcadia destroys the Mazone dreadnought in honor of Zol.
Space Graveyard Deathshadow: The Mazone install one of their planetary pennants (black spheres) on Mars. Using the pennant’s homing signal, Harlock identifies the general location of the Mazone fleet (confirming Zol’s information) and then sets the Arcadia to intercept it. A few weeks later, the Arcadia is trapped on an antimatter gravity planet dubbed “Deathshadow” (ironically, the same name as one of Harlock's asteroid bases). Fortunately, when Lafresia’s fleet attacks, a mysterious force gives the Arcadia enough energy to escape and destroy the Mazone fleet.
Yattaran: Song of the Plastic Model Lover: During a fighter sortie, Yattaran is captured and taken aboard a Mazone battleship. There, a Mazone soldier challenges him to a plastic model building contest (but secretly hoping to get a model replica of the Arcadia in order to find weaknesses in the ship). Yattaran happily complies but becomes offended when she later demands the Arcadia model at gunpoint. During this episode he also recalls how, as a student, he had once failed to impress a suitor through a ship model. Eventually, the Arcadia arrives and Yattaran is rescued.
The Shooting Star of Virgin Love: A Tokagan soldier named Zorba (Zol’s son) escapes from the Mazone fleet with his Mazone lover Lucia. They eventually seek refuge on the Arcadia. When Queen Lafresia’s fleet attacks the Arcadia en masse in order to recapture the lovers, Zorba and Lucia depart in their ship the Shooting Star in order to spare the Arcadia from the Mazone fleet. The Shooting Star is soon destroyed by the merciless Mazone mothership.
Doctor Zero and Mi: Outraged by the Mazones' treatment of Zorba and Lucia, when the next Mazone force attacks Doctor Zero insists on piloting a Space Wolf himself. Beforehand, he recollects his first meeting with his cat Mii. Later, he discovers that Mii has joined him in the cockpit. Also, during the battle, Harlock is shocked to learn that one of the ships he has fired upon contains Mazone civilians. He realizes that the Mazone are conducting a mass migration through the stars on their way to Earth.
The Long Journey From Afar: Due to Harlock’s continued interference with the Mazone migration to Earth, a civilian faction of Mazone led by Lafresia’s close friend Tessia breaks away from the convoy in order to seek out a different, less hospitable planet to live on. Putting aside her emotions, Lafresia sends out her fleet captain to destroy them. Lafresia then appears as a hologram to Harlock and reveals to him that it was she who had saved the Arcadia on the antimatter graveyard planet Deathshadow. She has been using Harlock’s continued threat as a device to help unify the conquering will of the Mazone (and root out dissension). Harlock vows that the Mazone will never conquer the Earth.
The Will of the Arcadia: The crew of the Arcadia begin falling sick frm sheer exhaustion. Harlock has no choice but begin to leverage the Mazone’s civilian flotilla as a tactical weak point. With her fleet in near-rebellion from these attacks, Lafresia has her agents on Earth force Kiruta to reveal Harlock’s weakness: Mayu. Mayu is soon kidnapped by Mazone agents, despite Kiruta’s efforts to protect her. When Lafresia informs Harlock that Mayu is being held in the Ulysses Nebula, the Arcadia itself decides to break off the attack on the Mazone fleet heading towards Earth and instead heads for the Ulysses Nebula.
The Ulysses Nebula: Harlock reunites with an old friend, Doctor Ayn, who has established a human colony on one of the inner planets of the Ulysses Nebula. While searching for Mayu on the planet, Harlock and the Arcadia are attacked by sudden earthquakes and tsunamis. Harlock eventually learns that Doctor Ayn had created earthquake technology as a defence against the Mazone, but a secret Mazone spy has now forced him to use it against the Arcadia. When the Mazone spy tries to shoot his only grandson, Ayn sacrifices his life to stop her.
Life-and-Death Struggle on the Rainbow Planet: Daiba is lured to a Rainbow Planet where a colony of Mazone civilians reside. Although Daiba is suspicious, eventually he begins to trust a young Mazone girl and complies with their request to summon Harlock to help them hide from Lafresia. Unfortunately, when Harlock arrives, it turns out to be a trap and Daiba and Harlock are forced to shoot their way out to freedom.
My Friend, My Youth: While the Arcadia undergoes repairs on Deathshadow Island, Harlock recalls his early exploits with his friends Tochiro and Emeraldas (named Emeralda here): After a bar fight on a frontier planet, outlaws Harlock and Tochiro are forced to flee to their secret asteroid base, where Emeraldas soon introduces herself. Soon, the Harlock and Tochiro are attacked by law enforcement and, due to ship failure, they are captured. Eventually Emeraldas arrives and attacks the mining prison where they are being held. During the confusion, Tochiro sabotages the Earth battleship Everest, ensuring the prisoners’ escape.
The Arcadia's Secret History: (Continuing Harlock’s memories:) Years later, Tochiro and Emeraldas now have a child named Mayu. While Tochiro builds a new ship on the frontier mining planet Heavy Meldar, Emeraldas defends the planet from Kiruta’s SDF forces (who are seeking out Tochiro in order to force him to build a battleship to oppose Harlock’s pirate raids). Kiruta eventually locates Tochiro on Heavy Meldar but is driven off by Harlock’s sudden return from an off-planet mission. With Heavy Meldar about to be destroyed in a collision with another planet, the inhabitants of Heavy Meldar escape in Tochiro’s just-completed battleship, the Arcadia. Unfortunately, Tochiro then dies from overwork (anemia) incurred from the great effort required to finish the Arcadia in time. Emeraldas decides to spend her life escorting Tochiro’s space-coffin through space, and asks Harlock to raise Mayu on Earth.
Call of the Star Flute: Back in the present, the advance Mazone fleet begins attacking Earth defense forces in the outer planets of the Solar System. Nonetheless, Harlock continues to search for Mayu in the Ulysses Nebula (just as Lafresia had expected). Drawn to the Nebula’s Windy Planet by the sounds of Mayu’s ocarina, Harlock and the Arcadia are nearly destroyed in several traps, but between the Arcadia’s “self-will” and Harlock’s tactical pre-planning, they escape (although Mayu is spirited away before she can be rescued).
The Lone Man's Charge: As the Mazone fleet attacks Mars, Kiruta tries to rally his forces to engage them. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is not interested in mounting a defense, and Kiruta’s own men desert him. Only an old veteran commander named Otawara has the courage to take out a fighter craft and head towards the enemy fleet in a suicide charge. Before he dies, he contacts the Arcadia and reveals that he has always been in love with Masu, the ship’s cook.
The Galactic Lullaby: When Harlock follows Mayu’s trail to the Twin Planets, the Mazone use an artificial gravity mechanism to hold the Arcadia immobilized between the two spheres. Miime soon realizes that the gravity is artificial, giving Harlock the idea to destroy the mechanism itself with a blast of the ship’s cannons. On the surface, Harlock finally rescues Mayu from a Mazone base, just as the Mazone set the Twin Planets on a collision course with each other. Back on the Arcadia, Mayu is unable to sleep until the Arcadia’s computer (Tochiro's soul) sings her a lullaby.
The Beautiful Mystery Woman: After Commander Kiruta is framed as a Mazone agent, the Prime Minister’s secretary Mizuno (actually a Mazone agent) gains his trust by helping him escape from the authorities. When Harlock returns to Earth to drop Mayu off back at her school, he grants Kiruta’s wish and gives Mizuno sanctuary aboard the Arcadia.
The Eve of the Showdown: Mizuno tries to seduce Harlock in order to gain his secrets, but Harlock suspects her of being a Mazone agent and openly mocks Queen Lafresia. Listening in and enraged, Lafresia has Mizuno set off bombs on the Arcadia, disabling its weapons systems, after which the Mazone advance fleet attacks. However, Harlock uses ramming tactics to defeat the Mazone fleet.
Tears on a Red Sweater: When Mizuno fails in her mission to destroy the Arcadia, Queen Lafresia cuts off communications with her. Harlock has her leave in a small ship, but Mazone fighters attack and try to destroy her. The crew of the Arcadia rescues Mizuno, after which she recuperates on the Arcadia. Ultimately, she sets off a chain of events which lead to her death at the hands of her true love, Harlock.
Farewell, Mayu: The Mazone finally arrive on Earth and begin wreaking havoc. While the Arcadia creates a distraction for the Mazone, Kiruta takes Mayu to Africa for safekeeping. When the Mazone then attack Kiruta’s hideout in Africa, the Arcadia arrives just in time to save Kiruta and his family. The wounded Kiruta is brought aboard the Arcadia. Harlock reveals to Mayu that her father’s soul lives on in the Arcadia’s computer.
Courage: The Death of the Commander: The Arcadia intercepts a Mazone fleet near Jupiter and is almost overcome by numbers. Mazone fighters manage to enter the ship and hand to hand battle ensues. While protecting the ship’s computer, Kiruta is mortally injured. A gravitational disruption on the surface of Jupiter causes the Mazone fleet to fall into disarray, allowing Harlock to defeat them.
And Then the Angels Sang: Lafresia orders increasingly desperate attacks on the Arcadia, including the use of guerilla sabotage troops, fake hospital ships and civilian ships (as a shield). After an attack, Harlock brings a Tokagan woman aboard the Arcadia just as she is about to give birth. Lafresia orders her fleet to attack but the other civilian Tokagan craft in her convoy move to block Lafresia’s battleships. In the end, the woman gives birth and Lafresia orders her fleet to retreat, hoping to lure Harlock into a one-on-one confrontation.
Duel! The Queen Versus Harlock: Although sustaining major damage from Mazone suicide attacks, the Arcadia destroys the rest of the Mazone battle fleet, leaving only Lafresia’s mothership, the Dorcas. With the Arcadia’s batteries out of action, Harlock leads a squadron of drill fighters in a coordinated attack on the Dorcas itself, and he eventually comes face to face with the Mazone Queen. When Lafresia’s strange mental abilities threaten to overpower Harlock, the Arcadia moves by itself and rams the Dorcas, breaking Lafresia’s mental hold. Harlock soon defeats Lafresia in a sword duel, but he spares her life when he sees that she bleeds red blood. Humiliated, Lafresia leaves Earth with the remains of her armada, but not before leaving behind a final mysterious threat.
Farewell, Cosmic Corsair: When the Arcadia returns to Earth, the crew are stunned when the Prime Minister wants them to leave the planet. Meanwhile, the Mazone pennant reactivates the Mazone still residing on Earth and a new hostile takeover ensues. Harlock has the Arcadia destroy the pennant and the Mazone are once again defeated. With the Arcadia crew now welcome on Earth once more, Harlock leaves his crew to build a new, better world, while he and Miime depart for outer space.

A synopsis of the manga version can be found here.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978-79, TV)