Ginga Tetsudō 999 [Galaxy Express 999]
Television series airdate: September 1978 - April 1981,
113 x 30 minute episodes, Toei / Fuji Terebi;
Ginga Tetsudō 999 Motion picture release date: August 1979, 120 minutes, Toei;
Sayonara Ginga Tetsudō 999 [Adieu Galaxy Express]
motion picture release date: August 1981, 130 minutes, Toei; Galaxy Express 999 Eternal Fantasy motion picture release date: March 1998,
Toei
The most well known
place Harlock has wandered has been into both the Ginga
Tetsudō 999 television and feature film series.
For those unfamiliar
with Ginga Tetsudō, it was a hugely popular series
produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s that focused on a young orphan,
Tetsuro Hoshino, a mysterious and beautiful stranger, Maeter, a future world in which
people trade their flesh and blood bodies for mechanical ones,
and in which an intergalactic railway system has been set up to
transport people all over the galaxy.
Tetsuro is a boy of
the short and stumpy Matsumoto variety (though I think he has
room to grow), while Maeter is a tall and
willowy blonde who mysteriously appears with a coveted ticket
for a Galaxy Express 999, journey which she gives to Tetsuro for nada
(though, you know, there's gotta be a catch...).
The series is one of adventure, with each and every
stop of the train bringing Tetsuro and Maeter into contact with
all manner of being, both flesh and blood and mechanical. At its core, the
series is a sad and lilting morality tale about people who
think they know what they want when they really don't. It's an
endless litany of bad decisions, mistakes, sadness and
eternal regrets. People die in almost every episode, and they die
horribly, nobly, happily, unwillingly, tragically, gratefully.
Ginga Tetsudō is about death and immortality and the
prices involved in both.
So what does our
good pirate have to do with this express train to tragedy? Well,
not a lot, but Harlock aficionados do need to see Ginga Tetsudō, as it
contains a vital and integral chunk of the Harlock/Tochirō
story. It is within the Ginga Tetsudō milieu
that we witness the death of Tochirō, and the transfer of his
soul/psyche/personality into the main computer of the Arcadia.
And it is a fitting universe for this story arc, since Ginga
Tetsudō is all about people forsaking their flesh and blood
bodies for those made of metal and wire. Although Tochirō's body
was failing and death was hovering close by, we must wonder at
the reasons behind his opting to hasten his end that little bit,
so that the transfer could be undertaken before his life
actually passed from him. The young Tetsuro is with him at this
crucial moment, having come across the ailing Tochirō living
alone within the hulk of the rusting Deathshadow. Indeed
Tetsuro participates in the deed, and is there minding Tori-san
when Harlock finally makes his appearance to bury his dead
friend (and, one presumes, install the computer into the
Arcadia). Given the nature of Harlock and Tochirō's
relationship, it's devastating that Harlock was not there at the
moment of Tochirō's death, and can only bury him and mourn at
his grave. But given the nature of Ginga Tetsudō, which
is all about sadness and regret, this is not an unexpected
development.
Ginga Tetsudō
also includes episodes with Emeraldas, and hints at her
backstory. Calling herself 'Captain Emeraldas' when she and
Tetsuro meet in the series, it appears that she is suffering an
unnamed malady, and has taken to her sickbed. Tetsuro is shocked to see
on board the Queen Emeraldas a photograph of Emeraldas and
Maeter, posing happily together. Emeraldas explains to Tetsuro that she
and Maeter were once close friends, 'shin-yū', the same as
Harlock and Tochirō. However this friendship was destroyed
during a bitter disagreement that led to a physical fight
between the women, after which they parted ways forever.
Emeraldas is determined that forever means forever,
however, for when Maeter learns that Emeraldas is nearby and
tearfully begs to be allowed to meet with her, Emeraldas coldly
holds firm and reiterates that they will never meet again,
before taking off in the Queen Emeraldas. Despite the information revealed in this
particular story arc, Maeter's origins remain mysterious, and her
relationship with our pirates equally so.
Obviously Harlock
and Tochirō would be aware of this friendship and its demise,
and it would no doubt colour their interactions with Maeter. In
Hunt for Young Harlock, Zero and Harlock both see Maeter
when they fall into the time-space continuum at the heart of
mushroom world. Zero has also met Maeter during Cosmowarrior Zero,
without knowing quite exactly who she was, and is obviously stunned in Young Harlock to see her
in a disembodied state beneath the mushroom planet. Harlock is
also surprised to see her there, and says her name with
disbelief evident in his voice. Maeter also appears in
Harlock Saga, this time apparently doing Harlock a favour at
his personal behest, so it seems that in that particular timeline she has yet to be
expelled from the fold. Some hints have been made in later years
that she and Emeraldas are in fact sisters, which would make
their falling out that much harder for both of them to bear, but
that particular supposition has yet to be convincingly born out
(I need to see birth certificates). Although, perhaps in
one of Matsumoto's spherical universes, this is indeed the case.
Uchū Senkan Yamato [Spacecruiser Yamato]
Uchū Senkan Yamato airdate: October 1974 - March 1978, 26 x 30 minute episodes;
Uchū Senkan Yamato II
airdate: October 1978 - April 1979, 26 x 30 minute episodes;
Uchū Senkan Yamato III
airdate: October 1980 - April 19891, 25 x 30 minute episodes, Toei.
Uchū Senkan Yamato
motion picture: August 1977, 130 minutes, Toei; Uchū Senkan Yamato yo Towa ni [Be Forever Yamato]
motion picture: 1978, Toei; Saraba Uchū Senkan Yamato motion picture: 1979, Toei
Uchū Senkan Yamato Kanketsuhen [Final Chapter]
motion picture: March 1983, 150 minutes, Toei
Contrary to popular
belief, Captain Harlock never appeared in the television or
movie series of Uchū Senkan Yamato. While a cloaked
figure aboard a pirate ship that looked remarkably like the
Deathshadow did appear in the Yamato manga (see
here), this was never
transferred to the large or small screen.
However, in in the
initial planning of the first Yamato series, Captain
Harlock was scheduled to make an appearance in episode 25, but
he unfortunately morphed into the Mamoru Kodai character before
the series aired. The character designs for Harlock's appearance
had both his scar and eyepatch on the same side of his face (the
left side) although several different versions of Harlock were toyed with
before the Mamoru character developed fully.
Given
Matsumoto's penchant for cross-over, it is worth every Harlock
fan's while to sit glued to the screen during Yamato for
any glimpse near or far, or for any hint clear or otherwise, of
the good pirate's presence (and it's worth sitting glued to, as
it is an extremely engrossing story). And if the Yamato series had
continued any longer (as if it didn't go on long enough!), it is highly probable that Harlock would,
eventually, have made some kind of appearance. Because finally,
after twenty years of waiting, in 1999 the Yamato made a
fleeting appearance in Harlock Saga...
Cosmowarrior Zero
Television series airdate: July 2001 - September 2001
13 x 30 minute episodes, AT-X | Taito | Enoki
Yes, I know, Cosmowarrior Zero does have its
own page on this site as a
complete Harlock series. However, technically Cosmowarrior Zero is its own franchise, focusing on Warrius Zero, and not
on Harlock at all. Harlock, while being the primary antagonist to Zero, is ancillary to the story. A major guest star, but a guest star none-the-less.
Queen Emeraldas
Queen Emeraldas/Queen Emeraldas II: 1979, Toei
Queen Emeraldas OAV
release date:: 1998 - 1999,
4 x 30 minute episodes, Bandai Visual | Dynamic Planning
Firstly, it should be made clear that the protagonist of the
Queen Emeraldas series is not actually a queen. While her ship
has been christened the Queen Emeraldas, Emeraldas herself is
just plain Emeraldas, the space pirate — or free trader, if you prefer.
Captain Harlock
makes only fleeting appearances in the world of Queen Emeraldas,
sometimes as a shadow or vague silhouette, sometimes as a
cryptic topic of a cryptic conversation. The 1998 release of
Queen Emeraldas is notable for the extended appearance
of Tochirō, and by extension Harlock, though Harlock makes only
two short appearances in this series. And from the way Tochirō talks about him to
Emeraldas you'd think she'd never met him before. The 1998 OAV also includes more backstory to the
Emeraldas/Tochirō love affair, some information on the Queen Emeraldas and the building of the Arcadia, and
another explanation behind the appearance of Emeraldas' scar (see
here for more about Emeraldas).
Emeraldas, via Tochirō, does play a significant part in the Harlock mythos,
and her story can often include important (and hitherto unsuspected) elements of Harlock's history.
Harlock and
Emeraldas are bookends in the space pirate world, physically matched
halves that will never make a whole. It is only to be expected
that where Emeraldas randomly enters into Harlock's universe,
Harlock will enter into hers. And while they share a history and a loyalty and
their individual love of Tochirō binds them eternally together,
they are never particularly close, remaining more akin to colleagues
than close friends. Occasional partners in crime and nothing more.
Time is not on our side
Regardless of the
above, regardless of any actual cross-overs or potential
cross-overs, the reader must take into account the greatly
disparate dates of each of Matsumoto's individual worlds. The
Yamato universe was set circa 2202AD; the Ginga Tetsudō
universe 2221AD, and the Harlock/Emeraldas universe was set
exactly 999 years from its 20th century airdate, in 2977AD.
But then... time changes everything
The late 1990s seem
to have heralded a burst of energy on Matsumoto Leiji's behalf,
and along with it yet another curious reworking of the
Matsumoto-universe. And while it seems that the author has heard
the clamouring of his fans and finally combined his various and
disparate universes, in the end, it seems we might have
been better off being left with the mystery.
Der Ring Des Nibelungen IV
Great Harlock Götterdämmerung
Matsumoto Leiji, Shinchosha, 1999 - ongoing
The Great Harlock
Götterdämmerung manga of 1999 actively combines many of the elements and characters
of the Captain Harlock universe, and the Ginga Tetsudō
and Queen Emeraldas universes. The manga on which the
animated Harlock Saga was based, Götterdämmerung
actually makes a bit more sense than its animated derivative
does. This could be because Harlock Saga was merely a
portion of the entire story, a disjointed segment from which any
continuity or sense is lacking. Götterdämmerung, however,
as an epic and extended story, does have continuity, and some
sense, and is a far better offering in that regard.
Spanning the Harlock
and Tochirō friendship from its early days (Harlock at the
commencement of Götterdämmerung is cute and cherubic in
appearance, both eyes intact and no sign of the facial scar that
is later to distinguish him), Harlock and Tochirō spend a lot of
the initial part of this manga series building the Arcadia, and
speaking in mysterious tones about the Great Arcadia and
their respective fathers, who it seems were good friends
themselves (shades of My Youth in Arcadia) and have since
vanished, presumed dead, although Harlock and Tochirō hold out
hope that they perhaps may be found alive some time in the
future.
In the meantime,
Emeraldas and Maeter seem to have resolved the differences that
had estranged them in Ginga Tetsudō 999 (although as
these events take place in their youth, it is more likely they
haven't had their punch up yet), and occasionally pop in to have
a drink with the boys as they labour (together!) on construction of the
Arcadia on Pirate Island. And when they're not labouring,
Harlock and Tochirō are off in the Deathshadow I
(although it might be Deathshadow II), blowing the shit
out of people.
Fast forward in time
and Harlock has gained his scar and eyepatch (though no hint of
how), met Miimé, Tadashi and Yattaran, finished the Arcadia
and embarked upon the saga of the Rheingold.
While no version of
Yamato appears in Götterdämmerung, with the
exception of Tetsuro Hoshino, all the main characters of
Ginga Tetsudō
do appear. That this saga is clearly set in the era of the great
space express trains is evident at the outset, though machine
men only appear fleetingly and the political climate is not the
same as either the
Ginga Tetsudō
universe or the original Harlock
universe.
The curiosity of the
Götterdämmerung manga is that Matsumoto was producing it
concurrently to the new Ginga Tetsudō 999 manga, actively
writing his heroes into two different and opposing stories, in
two different times and in two different universes. If anybody
was still holding out for a semblance of continuity between
universes, hopefully this development should have blown those
hopes out of the water.
Ginga Tetsudō 999
Matsumoto Leiji, Big Comics, Shogakukan, 1999
Concurrent to
Götterdämmerung, the Ginga Tetsudō
manga combines the Harlock, Emeraldas and
Yamato universes with unexpected and not necessarily welcome developments.
Without going into the manga overly, the basic premise of Ginga Tetsudō
remains unchanged, and the events and timeline seem to be placed after
the movie series of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Tetsuro
Hoshino and Maeter are still travelling the universe on board the
mostly deserted Galaxy Express 999 train, visiting planets
hither and thither since it seems they have nothing more constructive to
do with themselves. During the course of their journey they often spy the
battleship Yamato (and occasionally its prototype) as it
pops in and out of experimental warp drive. Since the ship is always
seen from afar no contact is ever made with its crew. And most
peculiarly, sometimes the Arcadia is seen popping in and
out of warp right on the Yamato's heels. As though Harlock has
not much else better to do than to stalk the Yamato... These
events, strange as they are, do make the new Ginga Tetsudō
manga unique in that it does finally show, in the same working
space, both the Arcadia and the Yamato. Together
at last.
Apparently Harlock doesn't have much to do either in this timeline. He has become,
in this incarnation, a friendly space-faring uncle, following the 999 about and popping up in the most unlikely of
times and places. He also seems to have developed a soft, paternal spot for Tetsuro, who after all, in this version has
also been the recipient of Tochirō's Cosmo Dragoon, bequeathed
upon him by Tochirō's own elderly mother. And so Harlock floats about space seemingly
aimlessly, showing up to save Tetsuro's butt, share a joke, or impart some sagely advice. And Harlock this time around is
talkative. More talkative than ever. In fact, he actually seems happy... which could be because...
The most bizarre development of the Harlock universe in the 1999
Ginga Tetsudō manga is a very pronounced alteration of the
Arcadia/Tochirō factor. As we know, upon his death in
the 1979 Ginga Tetsudō motion picture, Tochirō managed to transfer his personality or psyche into the
Arcadia's main computer, where he existed silently, making his presence known to Harlock and the Arcadia crew only
by the actions of the Arcadia, occasional creaks and groans of the superstructure, or in mysterious and silent communion
with Harlock. The keyword here is silent. Because, horror of horrors, in the 1999 Ginga Tetsudō manga, the main
computer of the Arcadia develops a voice — which can only be assumed to be Tochirō's voice — which development results in
Harlock flitting down to the computer room whenever he feels like a yarn about the good old days. He even addresses the computer as 'Tochirō',
which gives the impression that Tochirō hasn't ever died. Even more surprisingly, Harlock
takes Tetsuro down to the computer room with him to 'meet' Tochirō, which is, like, just so wrong, given Harlock's past
overprotective history where the main computer is concerned. This new development takes the curious secrecy away from the
whole Arcadia computer mystery, and somehow sullies the sad and melancholy poignancy of Harlock's relationship with his vessel.
