Dude! Joe's Jottings, Mostly Junk

When it comes to anime, I'm generally more interested in getting better (usually that means non-bootlegged, and subtitled) versions of stuff I enjoyed back in the 80s.  Not all of the current stuff appeals to me all that much.

Fortunately, if slowly, some companies are realizing that an audience like me exists and are adding the "classics" to the things that one can find in American stores.

This week, I finally picked up one of the finest dramatic/action works ever from the 80s: Captain Harlock: Arcadia of my Youth.

The story of the early days of Harlock, though using the post Galaxy Express Movie version of Arcadia (as opposed to the version used in the tv series from the mid-70s).  Matsumoto has a knack for re-inventing his characters (and this ship is very much a character in its own way, much like Yamato and SDF-1), but this version is one of the nicest things he's ever done.  Not nearly as dark, or repetitive, as Harlock Saga, with fantastic music.  No soundtrack-remastering (its still dolby 2d), so that's not much better than the video release from the early 90s, but what do you expect for a 20 year old film. :)

I also picked up Crusher Joe (made by the same people who made the original Dirty Pair), a good straight-forward sci-fi action flick.  Also, for those interested, Robotech is releasing "extended & remastered" releases of their english version of the shows; it seems the masters were located and it was rediscovered that the translations were dubbed onto them before the cuts for excessive voilence were made, so there is new stuff in the show.  Not sure if I'll bother, though, as the Lupin III series is starting to call my name...