Arcadia of My Youth
DVD cover for Arcadia of My Youth
わが青春のアルカディア (Waga Seishun no Arukadia)
Genre	Adventure, Science Fiction
Animated film
Director	Tomoharu Katsumata
Studio	Toei Animation, Tokyu Agency
Released	July 28, 1982
Runtime	130 min. (born in 1938 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese film director best known for his work on various Anime works ( is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co Ltd. The studio was originally founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画 Nihon Dōga Eiga often shortened Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar)
Related works
Galaxy Express 999 Space Pirate Captain Harlock Queen Emeraldas

Arcadia of My Youth (わが青春のアルカディア, Waga Seishun no Arukadia^?) is an anime film depicting the origin of Leiji Matsumoto's seminal character Captain Harlock. is a Manga written and drawn by Leiji Matsumoto, as well as various Anime films and TV series based on it (known as Albator in the French version is a fictional character created by Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto. is a four-episode Japanese Anime OVA that continues the Harlock franchise created by Leiji Matsumoto. (anime in Japanese, is a well-known creator of several Anime and Manga series Space opera Matsumoto is famous for his Space operas such as Space Battleship (known as Albator in the French version is a fictional character created by Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto. At one time, it was considered to be the central hub of the so called Leijiverse with other works such as Galaxy Express 999 and 1978's Space Pirate Captain Harlock television series occurring sometime after. is a Manga written and drawn by Leiji Matsumoto, as well as various Anime films and TV series based on it (known as Albator in the French version is a fictional character created by Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto.

Plot

"At the end of their lives, all men look back and think that their youth was arcadia. This page is about the proverbial land of Arcadia for the province in modern Greece see Arcadia; for other uses see Arcadia (disambiguation " — Goethe

During the early 20th Century, some time after World War I, aerial explorer Captain Phantom F. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Harlock is embarking on what is to be the magnum opus of his long career, the traversing of the Owen Stanley Mountains in New Guinea. Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known His major obstacle is the phantom of the witch that haunts these mountains. In a last desperate attempt to cross the mountains, Harlock ditches all but ten minutes of fuel in order to gain altitude. He carries on to his fate, amidst the mocking laughter of the Owen Stanley Witch.

Near the end of World War II, Phantom F. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Harlock II is an Iron Cross fighter pilot. For other meanings please see Iron Cross (disambiguation The Iron Cross ( was a Military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia During a major defeat for his side, he meets Toshiro (Tochiro) Oyama, a Japanese exchange technician working in Germany. Tochiro's project is to design a new gun sight for use in fighter planes. Harlock's most treasured possession is the Revi C-12D which he calls his "eye". Both men believe the war to be wasteful and pointless and Tochiro especially hopes that the rockets being developed by Germany may one day lead to a more positive application, such as a trip to the moon. Tochiro wishes he could escape from the war and possibly go to neutral Switzerland where he might be able to fulfill his dream. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Harlock offers to take him in his plane. Stowing Tochiro in the plane's fuselage, Harlock is able to fly to Switzerland, but only after surviving a fierce arial dogfight with disables his plane and forces him to crash land just short of the Swiss border. Carrying an injured Tochiro across the river to sanctuary, Harlock departs, giving Tochiro his Revi C-12D, before crossing back into the warzone where Harlock expects to face the consequences of his actions. Although this Harlock's ultimate fate is unknown, Tochiro pledges friendship between their two bloodlines for all eternity.

At some time in the late 30th century (circa 2960s), a Solar Federation officer named Captain Harlock returns home in his battle cruiser Deathshadow to find that aliens from the Illumidus Empire have conquered Earth and enslaved humanity. A space battleship is a Spacefaring Warship in Science fiction which functions similarly to a contemporary Aircraft carrier and/or Battleship See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial However the remaining humans blame him and other warriors like him as they were not there to protect the planet when they needed it. A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU is a celestial body Orbiting a Star or stellar remnant that is Harlock, along with the Tokargans who are ashamed of their role in Earth's downfall set out to lead a resistance against the aliens and adopts the fighting strategy of ancient marauders. During the course of the struggle, Harlock meets a former Solar Federation engineer; a Japanese man who he's never met before but feels he knows. This man, Tochiro Oyama reveals his secret project, the dreams of all his ancestors. Hidden in a deep cavern under the occupation headquarters is a space battleship that he designed and built. This ship is called Arcadia, in honor of the eternal friendship forged between Phantom F. Harlock and Tochiro Oyama during another war.

Harlock also meets Emeraldas, an old friend, who immediately offers herself to the cause. is a four-episode Japanese Anime OVA that continues the Harlock franchise created by Leiji Matsumoto. The Tokargans, after witnessing the death of the last female of their race, sacrifice themselves to save the Arcadia from the life sucking flames of the Flame Stream Prominence (aka the Owen Stanley Witch of Space). Harlock's lover and voice of the Underground, Maya is killed by Illumidas gunfire. Honorably defeating the occupational commander in ship to ship combat, the quisling ruler of Earth, Triter, nonetheless declares Harlock and Emeraldas outlaws and exiles them to space. Amidst an Earth that prefers servitude to their new masters over the hard but noble fight for freedom, Harlock, Emeraldas, Tochiro, and their new pirate crew of idealists and romantics set for the stars, heading out for parts unknown.

Trivia

• Arcadia of My Youth draws many parallels to the post World War II American occupation of Japan. Maya's nickname as "The Rose" and the "Voice of Free Arcadia" mirrors the romantic image of the secret radio broadcasters of the French Resistance. The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German

• Arcadia of My Youth was originally released on North American home video by Celebrity Home Entertainment under the "Just For Kids" banner. Celebrity Home Entertainment (also known as "Celebrity Home Video" and simply "Celebrity Video" was a home video distributor specializing in mostly obscure material It was initially retitled Vengeance of the Space Pirate and was for many, the first introduction to Captain Harlock. This release suffered from having about forty minutes cut out of it. The film was later released by Celebrity along with most of the other anime released under the Just For Kids label. It was given the alternately translated title of "My Youth in Arcadia" and features all the cut footage restored.

• Arcadia of My Youth is the only Harlock story which shows how Harlock actually lost an eye. The trailer for Arcadia of My Youth (included as an extra in Animiego's DVD release) has one of the most confusing and misleading scenes. The trailer has a clip of the Tokargan Zoll shooting Harlock's eye out. Zoll, in the movie, is actually an enemy-turned-staunch-ally and Harlock's injury is attributed to Illumidas gunfire. This trailer scene was recreated for the boxes on the American VHS releases of Vengeance of the Space Pirate and My Youth in Arcadia.

• The prologue of this movie does not make it clear whether or not Phantom F. Harlock survived his mission. He is assumed to have survived as his voiceover monologue indicates that he is reading from his autobiography which is titled Arcadia of My Youth.

• This movie is controversial in that Phantom F. Harlock II was portrayed as a German fighter pilot during WWII. The Tochiro of that era, who had read Harlock I's book, at least found it unusual in that he asked Harlock II why he was flying an Iron Cross plane. For other meanings please see Iron Cross (disambiguation The Iron Cross ( was a Military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia The liner notes for the Animeigo DVD state that Harlock's response, "Just paying rent", hid a deeper meaning. It refers to the ancient feudal obligations a noble had to his lords for better or worse, even if he didn't believe in their cause. The liner notes also mention that Harlock technically was no longer bound by these obligations since the feudal customs no longer existed at that time.
• There is much confusion as to where Arcadia, Harlock's birthplace is. It was always assumed to be somewhere in northern Europe, despite its naming after the rustic Greek paradise in the Peloponnesus. Arcadia or Arkadía ( Greek Αρκαδία is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Harlock gives the proper name of his ancestral birthplace as Hellingstadt meaning that Arcadia is most likely a nickname. Some place Arcadia somewhere in Germany or Austria. During the WWII segment of the movie, Harlock II, while flying to Switzerland muses about Arcadia, leading viewers to assume that Arcadia was located there. However Harlock's cryptic comments about "paying rent" aside, this would still make little sense in the context of the movie as Switzerland was neutral during WWII. Matsumoto has never given a concrete definitive statement on Harlock's ethnicity or heritage However, Harlock is an actual name of Prussian origin.

• The stories of Phantom F. Harlock I and II are loosely based on short manga stories by Matsumoto. Many of them appeared in his manga anthology The Cockpit. Many elements of Arcadia of My Youth were borrowed from his other stories such as the Deathshadow which appeared in a 1970 manga and in his later adaptation of the original Space Battleship Yamato where the Deathshadow appears along with Susumu Kodai's brother whose alias is Captain Harlock. These elements did not make it into the anime version but they were the source of American fan rumors that the Leijiverse Harlock was actually Mamoru Kodai in disguise or possibly a descendant.

• The American comic book company Eternity Comics published a series based on Captain Harlock. It theoretically picked up where Arcadia of My Youth left off and was also written in an attempt to bridge the storylines of Galaxy Express 999 and 1978s Space Pirate Captain Harlock. The comic also featured several significant story arcs titled Deathshadow Rising, Fall of the Empire, and The Machine Men which would theoretically lead into the Galaxy Express 999 stories. The comic series ran from 1989 to 1992 and was scripted by Robert W. Gibson and drawn by Ben Dunn and Tim Eldred.

• The origin story in the 1978 television series (episodes 26 and 27 Mystery of the Arcadia) depicts Harlock and Tochiro as childhood friends and Emeraldas meeting them both later. In Arcadia of My Youth, Emeraldas and Harlock are old friends while he is just meeting Tochiro. Furthermore, the 1978 TV series also shows the Arcadia (this time blue) being constructed on planet Heavy Melder, not Earth. Also, Zoll and the Tokargans who made a guest appearance in Episode 31 of that series, are totally reimagined for Arcadia of my Youth.

• The fact that both of Captain Harlock's ancestors have the trademark Heidelberg duelling scar gives rise to the widespread fan assumption that the scar must be hereditary. Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area So far, no story has ever depicted how Harlock got his scars. Though Arcadia of My Youth does depict Emeraldas receiving her scar from a glancing shot from the gun of Illumidas officer Muriguson.

• The proper romanization of the Japanese title is a source of fan dispute. Although Animeigo's romanization (Arcadia of My Youth) has been widely accepted, the original My Youth in Arcadia was used in Japan and better reflects the inspiration from the Goethe quote.

• The fight against the Illumidas is continued in the 1982-1983 TV series Endless Road SSX (or Endless Orbit SSX). This series (never licensed in English) suffered low viewer ratings as it aired during the waning years of the Matsumoto boom that started in the 1970s with Space Battleship Yamato. By this time, Japanese audiences interest had moved on to the trend in mecha shows that began after Macross and Mobile Suit Gundam. Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " is a long-running series of Science fiction Anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982 is a televised Anime series created by Sunrise. Written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network The Matsumoto boom would completely die off by 1983 with the release of Final Yamato and aside from a few isolated one-off projects, no new regularly-produced anime based on Matsumoto works would be released until 1998.

• This film starred acclaimed Japanese actor Yujiro Ishihara in his final role before his death in 1987. Yujiro Ishihara (石原裕次郎 Ishihara Yūjirō, December 28, 1934 &ndash July 17, 1987) was a Japanese Actor and singer He was the voice of Phantom F. Harlock I. It was also his only role in an animated movie.

• Reportedly, Leiji Matsumoto owns an actual Revi C-12D gunsight.

Characters

• Captain Harlock/Phantom F. Harlock II: (Makio Inoue)
• Toshiro Ōyama / Tochirō: (Kei Tomiyama)
• Queen Emeraldas: (Reiko Tajima)
• Maya: (Reiko Mutō)
• La Mime: (Yuriko Yamamoto)
• Zeda: (Tarō Ishida)
• Zoll: (Shūichi Ikeda)
• Muriguson: (Takeshi Aono)
• Old Tokargan Soldier: (Shūichirō Moriyama)
• Triter: (Hitoshi Takagi)
• Tori-san: (Hiroshi Ōtake)
• Mira: (Hiromi Tsuru)
• Phantom F. (born November 30, 1940) is a Japanese Seiyū. He began voice acting in the '60s landing small roles in Astroboy, and was the actor of choice ( October 31, 1938 - September 25, 1995) born, was a Japanese Actor, Seiyū, and narrator from is a veteran Japanese voice actress currently employed by Aoni Production. Taro Ishida (石田 太郎 Ishida Tarō, born March 16, 1944) is a Japanese Seiyū and Actor who was born in Kyoto is a veteran Seiyū born on December 2, 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. ( June 19, 1936 -) is a Seiyū and Actor from Asahikawa Hokkaidō affiliated with Aoni Production. was a male seiyu His blood type was A He was born February 26th 1925 and died February 11th 2004 due to ischemic heart failure is a veteran Seiyuu born in Tokyo. He is currently represented by Gin Production. is a veteran Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture. Harlock I: (Yujiro Ishihara)
• The Witch: (Eiko Masuyama)
• Black-suited Commander: (Hidekatsu Shibata)
• Illumidus Officer: (Kōji Yada)