Ranked #419

Arcadia of My Youth

This is a story of being down & out in a world that has no room left for hope. It is a story of a subjugated humanity plagued by a lack of resources, a lack of trust in itself, and a lack of courage to fight off the oppressors who have bled it dry. It is a story of loss, vengeance, of unforeseeable consequences, of unconquerable resolve and an outdated code of honor, of a hope for the future, and of bitter betrayal. It is the story of a small group of people willing to fight for their right to survive, only to realize that the world and people they’re fighting to protect may not be worth saving after all.

Arcadia of My Youth focuses mostly upon Captain Harlock, already a popular character upon the film’s debut due to the success of the Space Pirate Captain Harlock series from 1978, and his small role in 1979’s Galaxy Express 999 film. This flick, however, does not tell the same tale of the previous television series at all; in fact, it builds upon an entirely new continuity involving an already-present alien-enforced totalitarian control of Earth, and introduces Harlock at a much younger age—perhaps in his early twenties at the film’s start, prior to his losing an eye and gaining captainship of the space battleship Arcadia. As the film progresses, the audience bears witness to his meeting Toshiro Oyama, the creator of the Arcadia, and Emeraldas, the captain of her own vessel and fellow space pirate. Both of these characters had rolls of varying importance in other Matsumoto titles, particularly the aforementioned Space Pirate Captain Harlock, wherein their stories were rather different but ultimately accomplished the same purpose.

In the face of the previous titles, Arcadia of My Youth is far more somber and apocalyptic in tone, going great lengths to spell out the desperateness of the cast’s situation. There are times where its melodrama becomes a bit too over-the-top, but for the most part the narrative manages to keep the atmosphere balanced enough to justify itself. The backgrounds and art direction are simply stunning as well, no doubt adding a distinctly bleak ambiance to an already well-constructed setting.

The only real detrimental flaws this film has are some rather strange pacing issues. The directing is well-done if largely unremarkable, and the soundtrack—while not nearly on the same impressive level as some of Matsumoto’s other titles—works well enough to stay serious. And I cannot stress enough the inherent beauty present in the art direction & animation quality (especially for its time). However, the narrative itself jumps around rather frequently between periods of action, remorse, exposition, and melodrama, often with less than a short change of scenery to accommodate. Character and plot development suffer only marginally from the rather poorly-structured pacing, but I think it is largely up to the audience’s discretion as to how much this affects entertainment value.

Despite its flaws, Arcadia of My Youth still remains one of the quintessential Matsumoto titles, if not one of the quintessential sci-fi anime films ever made. The story is dramatic and engulfing, the characters are strong-willed and determined, the visuals are sweeping and gorgeous, the action is focused and suspenseful, and the tale it weaves has certainly stood the test of time. Highly recommended to anyone interested in anime, especially those interested in older works. read more