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Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years

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Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years
Based onSpace Pirate Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia
by Leiji Matsumoto
ComposerJack Goga
Country of originUnited States
Japan
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes65
Production
Executive producerFrank Agrama
ProducersCarl Macek
Ahmed Agrama
Running time25 minutes per episode
Production companiesHarmony Gold USA
Toei Animation
Original release
Networksyndicated
Release1985 –
1986

Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years is an animated science fiction television series produced by Harmony Gold USA. The series was created by Carl Macek by combining footage from Leiji Matsumoto’s Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia anime series.[1]

This is the second time the 1978 Captain Harlock series was treated for English language distribution. The first attempt was in 1981 with the lesser known ZIV International, who only released two volumes of two episodes each, the first (episodes 1 and 9) a relatively faithful adaptation, the second (episodes 2 and 3) retooling the approach to a more farcical one. This attempt is often confused with the Harmony Gold production, but the two productions are not related.

The plot of Macek’s creation is extremely different to the plots of Matsumoto’s original works.

Plot

Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years takes place in an undisclosed point in the future (the only reference to its date being a single reference to “the eruption of Krakatoa 700 years ago,” placing its approximate date at 2583), after humankind has colonized the distant stars. But prosperity has corrupted the people of Earth, who have become corrupt and decadent.

The Mazone, a race of sentient plants, hatch a plot to seize Earth after their own planet is destroyed. A lone scientist attempts to warn the people of Earth, but at the cost of his reputation and life. The titular Harlock is blamed for the various instances of the Mazones’ attacks upon the Earth, and, despite being an outcast amongst his own people, plans to stop the Mazone and save humanity from the alien threat with aid from Princess Olivia, next in line to throne of Millennia, the Mazones’ supposed allies in the invasion.[2]

Production

After the success of Robotech, Harmony Gold sought to expand their syndicated television production in other animation series originating in Japan. The account according to Carl Macek, producer of Robotech, was that he was subsequently asked what other Japanese animated series he was interested in dubbing, and he expressed an interest in Leiji Matsumoto’s Captain Harlock.

After the rights were obtained, Macek was informed that Harmony Gold had allocated airtime for 65 episodes. Captain Harlock, however, was only 42 episodes long, prompting Harmony Gold to buy another Matsumoto series, Queen Millennia, when they were unable to get another Captain Harlock series to extend the run. It then fell to Macek and his team to combine the two shows into one series.[3]

Unlike Robotech, it was decided to combine the two series simultaneously instead of simply running them one after the other with some “connecting” episodes. At the same time, it was also decided to change the timing of episodes, thus creating a situation where clips from episodes at various points in the original series would appear in a single episode in the American series. This resulted in a wildly different plot from both of the original sources. The Queen Millennia television series also ran 42 episodes, with the result that many episodes were dropped from both series (including the final episodes of the Millennia series, which therefore ended in a cliffhanger) in order to create the 65 American episodes. Additionally, despite the title of the series, the two title characters never appeared together on-screen as the original shows took place in different continuities.

Lost media status

Unlike with Robotech, Harmony Gold was unable to secure a national syndication deal for the series. As such, the series only aired in a handful of markets during the 1985-1986 television season. After the initial airing, the series was pulled from syndication and Harmony Gold ultimately allowed their license for both shows that made up the series to lapse. No home video releases were produced for the series, causing the series to be unavailable for viewing to the general public.

As of 2016, the series remains the only attempt at a release for Queen Millennia in the United States.

Episode list

  1. Genesis
  2. The Inferno
  3. Mystery of the Observatory
  4. Simple Diversions
  5. Origins
  6. Deadly Games
  7. Firefight
  8. Clash of Will
  9. The Knockout Punch
  10. The Hidden Land
  11. Life Sentence
  12. Zero Hour
  13. Revelations
  14. Boot Camp
  15. Battle Stations
  16. Survival Time
  17. Undersea Encounter
  18. Desert Sands
  19. Healing Ways
  20. The Abduction
  21. World for Ransom
  22. Journey Into Darkness
  23. Hot Seat
  24. Knights Without Honor
  25. Firing Line
  26. Royal Treatment
  27. Lone Justice
  28. Passion Play
  29. Cat and Mouse
  30. The Last Laugh
  31. The Raiding Party
  32. The Dark Dimensions
  33. Fire and Brimstone
  34. The White Ship
  35. Command Performance
  36. Glory Days
  37. The Price of Failure
  38. The Days of My Youth
  39. Chain Gang
  40. The Master Builder
  41. Return Engagement
  42. To Catch a Captain
  43. Double Jeopardy
  44. Danger Below
  45. The Deadly Duel
  46. Lightning Strikes Twice
  47. Queen’s Gambit
  48. Mutual Destruction
  49. The Shocking Truth
  50. The Set Up
  51. The Sound of Laughter
  52. Treason Is in the Eye of the Beholder
  53. Date With Destiny
  54. Balance of Power
  55. The Gauntlet
  56. Ray of Hope
  57. Phoenix Rising
  58. Manifest Destiny
  59. Friend or Foe
  60. Walking Wounded
  61. White Water
  62. Coast Guard
  63. Vengeance
  64. Anchors Away
  65. A New Beginning

References

  1. ^ Patten, Fred (2004). "Japan + Animation = Japanimation! Part 2". Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. p. 256. ISBN 1-880656-92-2.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 178. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ "Macek Training". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
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