Art of Space Pirate Captain Harlock
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Captain Harlock is a fictional character and protagonist of the Space Pirate Captain Harlock manga series created by Leiji Matsumoto in 1977. Harlock is the archetypical romantic hero, a space pirate with an individualist philosophy of life. He is as noble as he is taciturn, rebellious, stoically fighting against totalitarian regimes, whether they be Earth-born or alien. In his own words, he "fight[s] for no one's sake... only for something deep in [his] heart".
Space Pirate Captain Harlock was first adapted into an anime television series in 1978. It was directed by Rintaro and produced by Toei Animation. In 1982, an anime film directed by Tomoharu Katsumata (with Kazuo Komatsubara as animation director) called Arcadia of My Youth, depicted the origin of Harlock (the movie was at one time considered to be the central hub of the so-called “Leijiverse” with the events depicted in other works such as Galaxy Express 999 and 1978's television series occurring sometime after). A later adaptation (OVA) was directed by Masayuki Kojima for Madhouse. The pictures on this page are a collection of artworks created for the movies and tv series.
THE STORY
In the future, in 2977 AD, humanity has achieved a vast star-faring civilisation, but is slowly and steadily succumbing to ennui or despair, often due to defeat and subjugation by a foreign invader. Rising against the general apathy, Harlock denies defeat and leads an outlaw crew aboard his starship Arcadia to undertake daring raids against Earth's oppressors. Their primary oppressors are the Mazone, a race of organic plant-based alien women who explored Earth in the mythic past and are now back to reclaim it…
