Space Pirate Captain Harlock Trailer Is Crazy Fun

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

I’ve never been a huge fan of anime, and most CG-animated movies leave a lot to be desired. Something about them just never seems to click for me. That said, this trailer for Space Pirate Captain Harlock looks freaking incredible. Packed full of action and manic weirdness for days, this new offering from Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) just may get me over my reticence.

Space Pirate Captain Harlock is based on a 1970s manga by Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato). The story follows the titular captain, once a hero, now turned marauding space pirate. When the future of humanity is threatened, the Cap’n, along with his crew of 40 on the invincible space battleship (I love that phrase) Arcadia, must leap into action and save the day.

That description alone should be enough to make Space Pirate Captain Harlock an intriguing spectacle. The fact that it looks absolutely bananas should be enough to make you clap your hands and giggle like an idiot. Don’t you want to watch that ship with the massive skull on the front barreling through space, wreaking havoc, battling it out with enemy forces?

Harutoshi Fukui (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) handled the script for Captain Harlock, which has already been adapted in a couple mediums over the decades. With a reported $30 million budget, the scale of this should be on par with the epic scope of the story.

Space Pirate Captain Harlock will be released this fall in Japan; no word yet on when it might hit U.S. shores.