The Matsumoto Effect
Harlock and Load
Since there’s been a resurgence of Leiji Matsumoto’s popularity lately — the second major one of recent years, the first coming in the 90s while Cornpone Flicks fansubbed his Harlock series — I’d be remiss for not mentioning it while I sit here soaking up our readily available and legal (at least for us North Americans) Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Galaxy Railways, and Gun Frontier.
I for one started watching some of these series a while ago out of the sheer novelty of being able to stream anime on Joost, but recently started getting a little bit hooked on multiple Matsumoto series at once. He has that effect. Just ask LBrevis, who should be claiming at least partial responsibility for my and others’ recent Harlock infatuation.
What’s the big deal?
So what is it about his stuff? Sure, he’s old as the hills and he’s the force behind Yamato (and thus every other Main Cannon ever fired in space), but he’s also a shameless self-plagiarizer (the Ray Davies of anime?) who remains seriously stuck in the past.
Well, it’s not the sophistication of Matusumoto’s stories, that’s for sure. For the most part they’re all simple tales of guys (as in Men) who fight for the things that they believe, follow their hearts, and generally rock out in space. And it probably doesn’t have anything to do with his portrayal of the fairer sex, a term I’m sure he’d approve of. In theory, women can hold any office or position, but vintage Japan makes its presence known since they tend to be relegated to girl sidekicks (Louise, Kei) or wispy mysterious matrons who may or may not have a mouth (Mime or the Supreme Railways Commander).
But it’s not all reinforcing gender roles and defying the basic laws of physics in the name of dramatic breeze-blowing. I think it can all be put into one word: Romance.
Those guys fighting for freedom, following their heart, and generally looking cool and mysterious while they Do The Right Thing regardless of the law or regulations — that’s a powerful image that just begs to be animated. It doesn’t have to be complex because it’s universal. While Legend of the Galactic Heroes or Evangelion take a good sit-down to explain, “The government is corrupt so the only guy who can save the world is a bad-ass brooding pirate with hair that blows in space” is all I need to not only make you understand, but make you want to watch. That is, if you’re not bothered by the hair-blowing thing.
Natsukashii
What’s more romantic than nostalgia? Not just our own nostalgia for anime past, but Leiji Matsumoto’s nostalgia for bygone days. You only have to see one battleship in the sky to know it. He’s obsessed with painting anachronistic landscapes of space where antiquated methods of travel like sailing ships and steam trains gain a new life as spaceships. It’s wistful to think about the glory days of travel on boats and trains, when we were ok with taking a little more time because comfort and class were of utmost importance (and, face it, because there was no other way). Combine that longing for velvet seat cushions and fine china with a Roddenberry-like hope for a space-bound utopian future, and it’s an infectious combination for relieving your cynicism.
Every other story in the highly episodic Galaxy Railways is about one character or another’s lost love from the past, and Manabu’s sole reason for joining the SDF is devotion to a romanticized version of his father. So even on the level of the (admittedly not well-developed) characters, a deep connection to the past drives these shows.
You have no reason not to
At least if you live in North America, you can at least try one of these series with a minimum of effort. It’s kind of a landmark, since Harlock’s original show and 999 have never been officially licensed and subtitled over here. I’m in favor of bumping up Crunchyroll’s numbers so Toei feels prompted to give us more of this great stuff.
Romance is the thing. And double nostalgia, Matsumoto’s and our own for his (strangely simulated in my case, at least, because I wasn’t born when this stuff was produced!). I suppose like most nostalgia the nostalgia for the glory days of Slow Travel is nostalgia for something that wasn’t quite like that – witness the heated competition to see which luxurious liner could cross the Atlantic fastest – but the nostalgia’s powerful stuff nonetheless.
Yeah, that’s the funny thing about nostalgia, it’s really the longing for something that never quite existed in the first place. For instance, this (purely hypothetical) conversation:
People’s minds genuinely block the negative. I suppose that’s the beauty of nostalgia, though. All the Comfy Travel with none of the messy coal smoke and racism all over your clothes.
As I watch this stuff I’ve been thinking mostly about the romance aspect but you’ve got it right about the nostalgia too. I love the incongruity of a future where WWII era battleships and creaky pirate ships roam the galaxy.
As glad that I am that we can now watch Harlock legally, it’s a bit of a shame it had to be a site like Crunchyroll that picked it up. In fact right now you have to purchase a membership to watch the later episodes and I just don’t trust Crunchyroll enough, or believe that my money will in any way get back to the creators, to do that. That said, if it introduces Leiji Matsumoto to a wider audience then I am happy about that.
the notion of battleships in space (not to mention trains) is interesting (then again, there’s dinobots in transformers so it’s not unusual). matsumoto himself is kinda of a contradiction: peace-loving, culture-respecting on the one hand, and madly in love with germanic-nipponese battle culture.