There's little doubt that Manga and anime continue to have a firm international presence. Look no further for proof than the upcoming release of Space Pirate: Captain Harlock as a full-on computer-generated adventure inspired by the manga series originally written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto from1977 to 1979. The concept was already adapted for the small screen as an animated series in the 1980s, finding popularity as far as Canada, France and Italy and now it will appear in fully-fledged film form.
The Captain of the title is "a noble, philisophical outcast turned space pirate..." forced into a nomadic way of life after rebelling against the Earth's controlling govenment. Makind may ahve taken to the stars, but it has failed to aspire to greatness, falling back into apathy and corruption. Harlock takes his crew and ship, the Arcadia, to defend the Earth and fight the oppressive Mazone, a race of plant-like women who are rturnign to the Earth to reclaim its resources of old.
Toei Animation announced earlier this year that the film will debut in the Autumn/Fall of 2013, aftr initial plans to release it late in 2012.
