Captain Harlock (1978) 1.42

Farewell, Space Outlaw

Captain Harlock is ready to disband the crew of the Arcadia but they object. The Arcadia lands in Egypt where they left Mayu but she isn't there. She stowed away aboard a cargo ship along with some other kids. The Arcadia heads to Japan in hopes of finding Mayu there. The crew expects that they will be welcomed with a parade but instead they are greeted by armed forces that give them a day to leave Earth.

Captain Harlock goes and talks to the prime minister who tells him that he and all his crew have been branded as criminals and therefore are not welcome on Earth. The Arcadia is getting ready to leave when the giant sphere that landed in Tokyo in the second episode begins to emit rainbow colored waves. Mazone start to emerge from the ground in Japan and around the world.

The prime minister begs Captain Harlock and his crew to save them. He offers to change their status. Mayu shows up with a bunch of kids. The crew of the Arcadia rescues the children and bring them aboard the ship. The crew finally realizes that the giant sphere is what is causing all the problems. They open fire on it. It is blown to pieces in a giant mushroom cloud.

The threat of the Mazone is finally over once and for all. Captain Harlock and Miime leave Earth in the Arcadia. The rest of the crew are left behind to help rebuild Earth in the wake of the vicious war with the Mazone.

Thoughts

This was the final episode of Captain Harlock (1978). There is more Captain Harlock. The next thing to watch is a 130 minute movie, Arcadia of My Youth (1982), which tells the origin of Captain Harlock but takes place in a different continuity. Following that is another TV series, Endless Orbit SSX (1984), which is set in the same continuity as the movie and ran for 22 episodes.

The movie and the TV show are currently available on Amazon free with ads. I am undecided at this point if I will watch them. The length of the movie is a bit daunting but I guess I don't have to watch it all in a single viewing.

I'm glad I finished this series. I'm not sure if I will return to watch it again, even though I bought almost half of them on Prime. It was nice to see that they gave the show a proper ending.

I probably wouldn't recommend this show to most people unless they are into watching old Japanese science fiction anime.