Arcadia Of My Youth (DVD)
APPROX. 130 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1982 - MPA RATING: MA13
" See this film. Then do everything in your power to see or read everything else connected to Leiji Matsumoto.
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"Arcadia of My Youth" is a full length movie that was originally released in 1982. The film is an essential piece in the body of work conceived by Leiji Matsumoto, a man whose impact on manga (Japanese graphic novels) and anime cannot be overstated. Because the characters in Matsumoto´s diverse series occupy the same universe and even occasionally interact with each other, his work is unofficially called the Matsumoto-verse.
This particular film reveals the origins of two of Matsumoto´s most beloved characters, the space pirate Captain Harlock, and his sidekick, Tochiro. The movie starts by showing one of Harlock´s ancestors, Phantom F. Harlock, trying to fly over a mountain range that no other plane has made it over. It´s not directly related to the main plot of "Arcadia of My Youth", but it does establish the slow, thoughtful pace of the film. Transitioning jarringly to the current Harlock, he stands on the bridge of a space ship that´s being forced to land on Earth. This Harlock is different than the Harlock that we´re familiar with, as he isn´t dressed in his traditional black, nor is he wearing an eye patch.
Earth has been occupied by an alien race, the Illumidus, who are similar to the Roman Empire—they come not to destroy but to conquer. There is another race of aliens living on Earth who are, in fact, vassals of the Illumidus. Besides a small human resistance, Harlock refuses to live under the rule of the aliens. No matter how they try to subdue Harlock, either by force or coercion, the aliens cannot make Harlock give up his demand for freedom.
More globally, and like a great deal of other pieces of the Matsumoto-verse, this movie is, in part, about what it takes to be a man. For Matsumoto, it takes integrity, more than anything else. A man should stick to his principles, stand by his friends, and never, ever shrink from the good fight. Harlock exhibits these traits in spades, no matter what rises against him. Not that Harlock alone has these traits in the movie. Tochiro also has been standing in the face of the same struggle, and the crew of the Arcadia, Harlock´s battle ship, are the only real men that Earth has left to offer.
For long time fans of the Matsumoto-verse, there are plenty of treats. There´s a flashback to World War II that shows a little bit about the Harlock clan´s background. Emeraldas crash lands on Earth, and is missing her characteristic facial scar. Tochiro and Emeraldas meet for the first time, and sew the seeds for their future love affair. By the end of the film, everyone has gained their familiar outfits and features. Also, the origin of Tochiro´s masterpiece creation, the battle ship Arcadia, is revealed. There´s even a scene near the end that shows how the Arcadia gets its first crew. This movie is absolutely essential to understanding what motivated Harlock to start on his long voyage across the Sea of Stars, to end only where the Loops of Time meet again.
Video:
The video aspect ratio is 1.33:1 (full-screen on 4:3 monitors). According to AnimEigo, this is the original, uncut, and unedited form. I didn´t notice any artifacts or other video problems, and considering the age of this film, that´s amazing. Either AnimEigo found a print that had been put in a time capsule, or they went all out on the transfer. In either case, I salute them on a job well done.
