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Arcadia of My Youth:
Page Last Updated: 4/7/2022
Arcadia of My Youth was released on July 28, 1982, a film which serves as an origin story for Harlock. Depicting the events to how he became the space pirate we know now. Of course, knowing the Leijiverse and its structure, or lack thereof... how “canon” this backstory actually is, is uncertain.
Featuring a wide array of characters, reoccurring such as: Tochiro, Emeraldas, and Zoll. (Who has a very different appearance compared to him in The original Harlock anime and manga, as well as the Tokargan race as a whole) As well as new faces, such as: La Miime, The Illumidas, and Maya. Harlock’s lover.
To this day it is the only animated thing, or any thing (to my personal knowledge anyways, please feel free to correct me!) to go really in depth with exploring his origins. Nothing else I am aware of has done this since.
The movie also has a direct Sequel TV Anime, Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX, which began airing later that year in October. This entry will have a page all of it’s own with more information.
Like so many of Leiji Matsumoto’s works, it really invokes feelings of Wagnerian operas. This movie is a true, blue, space opera. A very grandiose, powerful tale, with themes of ironclad hope for the future ahead in the face of adversity told with such sincerity. Space duels, honor, love, friendship, tears, dramatic speeches, this movie has got it all!
I highly recommend it for any fan of this genre, or classic anime. It is a must watch.
Also a great starting out point in the series I recommend often, this 2 hour 10 minute movie will show you just what this series has to offer, and just what sort of a character Harlock is like, if watching the 42 episode Harlock 78 is too daunting for you for dipping your toes into the series, or if you don’t have that sort of time.
A gorgeous movie, one of the most beautiful of the early 80s, and all of that decade in my personal opinion. Gorgeously animated, stunning backgrounds, the famous Studio Nue helped with mechanical design assistance for the film, and a stellar OST by the late and great Toshiyuki Kimori. (Dirty Pair TV, Golgo 13 The Professional and Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!)
Screenwritten by Yoichi Onaka, who actually penned two novelizations of the film! One day, when my Japanese is much better I would like to make a page going in depth on these books. (Pictured here, my photos)
These novels by him have really neat tidbits such as Maya’s last name being Rosenberg, and Harlock is actually, and I swear I am not kidding here, I would never even want to lie about this... the 37th in the generation of Harlocks. My friend from Japan Mano-san, told me these bits about the novel!
This film is a damn good swan song for the end of the Matsumoto boom that began with the Space Battleship Yamato movies in the 70s, as sci-fi anime began to move more towards the mecha genre, and different means of storytelling. A perfect end for this period if you ask me.
This movie, alongside SSX, are my favorite entries in this series. (And not just because of Harlock and Maya I swear!!!) This continuity really shows a more vulnerable Harlock, who is a lot more humanized compared to the original anime/manga versions as well as some other versions of him. Where he is a lot more enigmatic in other versions, AOMY + SSX shows a lot more moments of vulnerability for the character.
While I love all the different Harlocks (I don’t have any opinions on CGI Harlock right now, I need to rewatch it!), all for different reasons this is my favorite iteration of him character by far. And I know I’m not the only one who shares this sentiment.