This blog is one year old today. Just minutes ago I reached 55,000 hits, with 1,200+ comments over 170+ posts. Here’s the main stats page [is it obligatory to say it's obligatory?? I'm not sayin' it]:
Not bad, you might think, considering all of this. But you’re wrong. It’s not not bad at all, not meaning that it’s bad (as in not not = yes) but that it’s in fact actually very awesome indeed.
So Ookubo apparently decided to finish Kilik’s squad’s mission before focusing on Black☆Star’s. I really enjoyed this chapter, and there are two things in particular that I must mention.
1) Fire and Thunder
I’ve seen people in the Forums speculating a lot about Kilik’s twin pots. I always thought it was kinda odd, I mean why focus on those two weapons?? Chances that Ookubo is going to develop their characters are nil: Fire and Thunder are not secondary characters, not even tertiary, they’re friggin’ quaternary or something!!
Oh-ho!
That is to say, when you get Ladios and Magaella to get half-naked and ask for rides!
It’s funny to see Magaella so quickly obeying her master, and even funnier to see how Ladios Sopp initially resists but ends up getting soooo into the act that he’s disappointed when it’s the Colus official escort that shows up to pick the guests (disappointed because he knows no haggling or negotiating will be needed).
Magaella and Ladios do their thing
I’m not going to dwell any longer on this scene is it just me or are Sopp’s undies ridiculously femininine? No I’m not going to dwell any longer on this.
So here I was merrily watching/blogging Space Pirate Captain Harlock when my new-found source for the episodes dries up on me. And then I think: well, this means I’ll have to put the series in hiatus, but it also means I can resume watching/blogging Galaxy Express 999, which I left off after 20 episodes. I watch episodes 21 and 22, and then decide to rewatch 22 ’cause it was so awesome. Alas, my disk won’t work.
So here is my post for episode 21. At some point I will continue with both series, I promise 
Ladios Sopp finds himself on the same airport shuttle to Colus capital Jarth that Voards Viewlard is taking! What follows makes absolute sense if you’re a fan of FSS. And yet, this is another point where the English translation loses something of the original. Let me be more explicit: the Japanese is somewhat steamier than the English. Let’s go through it –ehem– blow by blow, shall we?
A tear of delight.
Professor Kusuko RIP
Episode 04
Synopsis – The Earth government must decide whether it will act on the Mazone threat or not. Tadashi Daiba must decide whether to join the crew of the Arcadia or not. The govt. says nay, Daiba says yeah.
The writing is really tight on this series. Wow. Check out the first 5 minutes:
Our patient is a romance novelist. His neurosis is a psychologically induced nausea. Basically, he’s at the top of his game and he’s got loads of fans. But he’s starting, like all successful writers do after a certain point, to plagiarize himself. He knows this, he doesn’t like this, and it makes him want to vomit. He can’t even keep track of what he’s written about anymore, almost as if his body of work is swallowing him whole. An interviewer asks him about his next story and he makes up something on the spur on the moment [using the legendary Keyser Söze method], only to have her comment: “oh well, sounds just like one of your stories”!!
Elmelah, queen of Colus
We begin with a report on King Colus III’s condition. His wife Elmelah listens to the facts: Colus seems on the way to recovery but he is still unstable. Clotho asks the Queen to rejoin her husband.
The second half of Jewel Pet has started on the right paw! The central rivalry of Pets vs Diana is heating up, and the requisite love triangle [this is shohjo after all] is starting to get nice and sharp edges!!
Oniisan waits and bides his time...
I’m going to start watching and blogging Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Leiji Matsumoto’s iconic 1978 series. I’ve decided to adopt the same format that I used for my Galaxy Express 999 posts, that is, I’ll do one post per every three episodes. I’m not totally strict on this and if an episode, or a even a scene, requires from me a whole post I’ll go ahead and do that. However, I can guarantee you I won’t let 3 episodes pass without a post!
I’ve never seen this series!! But of course, as a big Leiji fan I know lots of things about the characters (though thankfully not so much of the plot itself). In any case, I will NOT bring in spoilers from my experience with other shows in the Leijisphere unless they’ve been already exposed. So if you’re watching the series or are thinking of watching it, don’t worry! The only spoilers will be for the episodes already covered as we go along…
Continue reading ‘SPC Harlock 01-03: A Meditation on Harlock’
