To begin, the story has very little to do with the original novel of Moby Dick and only borrows the titular whale character but re-imagined as a cyborg. The planet Moad is under martial law and is set to be destroyed. A kid named Lucky requests the help of Captain Ahab to save the planet and its people. Ahab agrees as the Moby Dick acts as the destroyer of the planet and it also responsible for Ahab's loss of his left eye and leg.
Initially starting as an episodic space pirate anime, it gradually shifts into a darker tale of cyborgs with a doomsday clock. Part of the serie's lore are the punishment of criminals who are turned into cyborgs to further extend their suffering. Similar to the law of robotics, these criminals are given certain commands they cannot break such as killing humans or committing suicide. The science fiction plays a larger role in the last act of the story as it becomes more serious with our character's backstory, specifically the characters Due and Jacobs.
While does have a darker tone it is sometimes unbalanced by the goofiness of Captain Ahab's crew. There are many scenes where a very tragic event occurred then the next minute will feature a very comical art style filled with very outrageous slap stick gags. The animation certainly helps demonstrate such energy in these comic relief scenes. I don't exactly hate this instability but I can certainly many others to be bothered by its mood swings.
Despite the lack of stability, I found myself enjoying the series since it incorporated a manly pirate, very gruesome science fiction, a war story and giant Moby Dick cyborg to tie it all together. Captain Ahab is a really manly character; being the best interesting character in the story. There's a scene in EP 15 that really sums up his opinion of God, thus possibly being the best scene in the anime. Whether he's being serious or goofy, he still possesses a charismatic charm; a bit similar to John Silver from the Treasure Island anime of 1978.
The story of Moby Dick has really nothing to to do with the novel( aside from the whale), but delivers variety from episodic space adventures to plot related drama and even a little bit of boxing in episodes 18-20. At the same time, those episodes also feature a couple of intriguing antagonists, Madame O' Hara & Jacobs, who become tragic characters as the series reaches its conclusion. Speaking of the ending, I accept the tragedy but something about the very last scene felt a bit abrupt. Personally, I felt the series needed a short epilogue to better end it as there are some events occurring in the universe that are a bit unresolved. I probably expected a tad more since each episode opens with a narrative from the viewpoint of Lucky, implying the series events have already occurred as it's told in the past tense.
Regardless, Legend of Moby Dick is still good but its complaints will all be very subjective due to its constant comedy. The series is directed by Osamu Dezaki who once again shows his iconic style through visual stills or post card memories. Hakugei excels in its art as there are plenty of fascinating imagery scattered throughout the anime and with its sci-fi setting allowed more room for creativity. I recommend Moby Dick in English dub simply because of John Swasey's performance as Captain Ahab. The Japanese is good too with Akio Otsuka but the pirate slang works better in the english tongue. Oh and Vic Mignogna & Stephanie Naldony are also in it. Legend of Moby Dick is definitely one of ADV Films best dubs and is a show that deserves to have a license rescue.
