Harlock Saga

Original Title: ーロック・サーガ ニーベルングの指環
Romanized: Haarokku Saaga: Niibarungu no Yubiwa
Literal: Harlock Saga: The Ring of the Nibelung

Plot Synopsis

At the center of the Universe lies a place known as Valhalla, inhabited by a mysterious and powerful race more ancient than even the stars. But there is one who would destroy them out of hate, an act that would bring about the end of the universe. There is only one thing standing between this mysterious bandit and the ring that will give him the power to fulfill his evil desires--Captain Harlock and his crew. Joined by Tochiro, the mysterious Meeme, a young boy haunted by his past, and the rest of the faithful crew, he will travel to the ends of space and time to do what must be done.

Quick Review

Rating: 3 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2005-11-23

Harlock Saga is essentially a sci-fi retelling of Wagner's most famous opera, The Ring of the Neibelung, set in Matsumoto's vast universe and cast with his standard set of characters. Although the characters are poorly introduced, the story stands fairly well on its own, and can be enjoyed without a lot of background knowledge even by non-fans. It is most interesting for the heavy fantasy elements of the story--gods and monsters play a bigger role than science--although that can also be a liability for those not willing to accept the story for what it is. The story drags on occasion, but the visuals are decent revival of old-school anime style, and the music, based largely on Wagner's score, is quite nice if a little repetitive. The only other weakness is the voice acting which, with the exception of Kouichi Yamadera's impressive portrayal of both stoic Harlock and quirky Tochiro, is unimpressive in both languages.

Though far from the best introduction to Matsumoto's universe, Harlock Saga is quite watchable even for the uninitiated as long as you're willing to give a piece of broad, classically-styled space fantasy a shot, and it's also fun as a re-interpretation of of a classic into a true space opera.

US DVD Review

A solid production, in line with USM's entry into the world of good DVDs. In addition to a decent (if slightly harsh-looking) video transfer and clean bilingual audio, the disc includes character sketches set to music, several interesting text interviews with the creative staff and Kouichi Yamadera, a live-action documentary on the making of the dub, and text-free credits of the both openings and endings. The disc also includes full bilingual casts with each episode.

Content Guide

Nothing terribly objectionable, but some violent content and mature themes make for a 13-up rating.

Violence: 3 - Never graphic, but there are some scenes of violence with more strongly implied.

Nudity: 0 - Nothing of note.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Nothing is shown, but there is discussion and implication of some sexual violence.

Language: 1 - Relatively mild language.

Notes and Trivia

Part of Leiji Matsumoto's vast universe, and features characters from several of the series that make it up.

The story is loosely based on Wagner's opera, The Ring of the Neibelung, which is in turn loosely based on a very old epic poem, "The Nibelungenlied."

Availability

Available on a single hybrid DVD volume from US Manga Corps. Was also available on two dubbed VHS volumes.

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