45 YEARS AFTER HIS ITALIAN DEBUT
THEY CELEBRATE IN THE ROOMS
THE REBEL HERO BORN FROM THE CREATIVE GENIUS OF LEIJI MATSUMOTO
CAPABLE OF INSPIRING AN ENTIRE GENERATION
AT PIU’ GRANDE CINEMA REUNION
OF ALL FANS OF THE VISIONARY SPACE PIRATE
ONLY ON 20, 21, 22 MAY
For me a pirate is synonymous with freedom. I understood from a young age that a pirate cloth can represent the vestiges of ourselves, when we fight for an ideal.
Arcadia is a microcosm, the union of many people who help each other and don’t know if they will ever return from their adventures.
LEIJI MATSUMOTO
It was April 9, 1979 when the Italian public “met” for the first time one of the most iconic characters in all of Japanese animation in a TV series that has become legendary.
45 years later, the space pirate created by the imagination of the brilliant Leiji Matsumoto returns to the cinema with CAPTAIN HARLOCK. THE ARCADIA OF MY YOUTH, the anime that narrates the youth of the famous corsair. The special event will be the largest reunion of Captain Harlock fans at the cinema, designed to celebrate the anniversary in the company of the historical characters of the series (from Tochiro to Emeraldas via Mayu). The appointment in theaters is set for May 20, 21, 22 (list soon on nexodigital.it) thanks to the 2024 Anime at the Cinema Season, an exclusive project by Nexo Digital distributed in collaboration with Yamato Video.
Ruthless, idealistic, loyal and incorruptible, Captain Harlock is the most famous space pirate in Japanese animation. He has a black bandage covering one eye, a scar that crosses his face, a long black cloak, boots that anticipate his arrival with a light but authoritative step. Captain Harlock is first of all a character created in comics in 1977 by Leiji Matsumoto, who had actually dedicated more than one work to the space corsair, those where the protagonist is known as the “proto-Harlock”. In a 1972 manga, Gun Frontier, set in the Old West, Harlock, for example, meets the Japanese Tochiro: the one who will become his best friend in the phenomenology of the series, as well as the brilliant builder of the ship Arcadia. The pirate becomes a star in 1978 when Toei gives life to the famous animated series in 42 episodes directed by Rintarō. In the anime, Arcadia changes color compared to the comics, a midnight blue color. Furthermore, to accentuate the dramatic and nostalgic tone of the plot, the character of Mayu is created: the little girl is very fond of Harlock and on more than one occasion she will play a central role in the pirate’s affection and decisions. If in Japan the space corsair occupies the pages of the main monthly magazines specialized in animation and is paid homage to by numerous illustrated books, in Italy the popularity of the series is also recorded thanks to the success of the theme song sung by La banda dei buccanieri (Fonit Cetra), written by Luigi Albertelli with Vince Tempera.
In CAPTAIN HARLOCK. THE ARCADIA OF MY YOUTH The war against the Illumids is lost, freedom a chimera. A valiant warrior returns, tired but indomitable, to his occupied planet: his name is Harlock. The cities are in ruins and the corrupt rulers have not hesitated to sell themselves to the invader. But there is still someone who fights for freedom: Maya, the “voice” of the resistance; Zoll, the Tokarga mercenary determined to avenge his people; Emeraldas, a space pirate. And finally Tochiro, linked to Harlock by a friendship that has been passed down for generations, the brilliant builder of a mighty spaceship that bears the name of a utopia: Arcadia. The battle for freedom is about to begin.
The new Anime at the Cinema Season is an exclusive project by Nexo Digital distributed in collaboration with Yamato Video and with the media partners Radio Deejay, MYmovies.it, Lucca Comics&Games and ANiME GENERATION.