Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock: Arcadia-gou no Nazo

This is a stack of the best Anime from the 1970s. In short order, this decade was known for Mecha, Literary, and a bit of Sports Anime. This decade is frequently seen seen as laying the framework for the coming decade. Very notably, the beginnings were planted of a genre that will go on to become very popular in the 1980s: Mecha.

Along with Mecha, there was a huge focus sci-fi, especially in space. Much of this type of anime would come from a studio known as, Sunrise. This studio came into being after Osamu Tezuka, the father of manga, left his own studio, Mushi Production to work on personal projects. Without him, Mushi Pro ran into financial problems, leading to its bankruptcy in 1973. Former employees formed two new companies out of the ashes of the old company: Madhouse and Sunrise, two of the most influential Anime Studios to date.

And while Mecha seemed to be appealing to boys (Shonen), some Shojo (girl anime) also became quiet popular during this time. Both leaning very heavily on merchandising with in some cases the help from Bandai. For television outside of Japan, many animation for kids was censored of anything seen as political or sexual.

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata made a series of literary anime with Nippon Animation. Taking influence, literary and story-telling anime were made by many other studios. After leaving Nippon Animation, Miyazaki continued making popular anime, including Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. This anime was a movie installment of the anime series Lupin III which started a few years earlier, and now is a long running series that has spanned decades with varying success.

There were additionally, some sports anime sprinkled throughout the decade also, following the popularity of sports on TV in Japan.

And then there's The Belladonna of Sadness. It was a first look into the world of Avant Garde for many. No words can accurately describe the experience of the Anime.

And that is a quick walk through of the 1970s. I will be releasing a stack for the best anime of the 1980s next week, so stay tuned. :)

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About List:
Anime is listed by a balance of popularity and score around time of release to give a more retro vibe, as opinions on anime seems to change notably over time, be it nostalgia or something else. Seems to be especially the case with Mecha Anime. But, regardless, the rating around the time is included for your own viewing.

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For those looking for good anime from the 60s, I don't plan on making a stack for the 1960s as of yet, but here is what would likely be included:

Tiger Mask
Sasuke
Dororo
Star of the Giants
Muumin
Astro Boy
Puss-in-Boots (Nagagutsu wo Haita Neko)
Kamui the Ninja: Stories Other Than the Legend (Ninpuu Kamui Gaiden)
Attack No.1

(v. 0.6.88 - 4646)

Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock aka Space Pirate Captain Harlock is one of the fruits that sprang from the mind of creator Leiji Matsumoto (1938-2023).
https://myanimelist.net/people/2597/Leiji_Matsumoto

MercuryFalcon (27.1K subs) offers a fascinating analysis in the YouTube video, "Captain Harlock - The Anti-Sports Anime".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0dTxdac6Yo&t=604s

If you watch the video, you might (or might not) be surprised to find a forum post about Spokon here on MAL:
https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1728771

Captain Harlock lives in the same universe as Ginga Tetsudou 999 aka Galaxy Express 999. You can find a complete watch list here:
https://chiaki.site/?/tools/watch_order/id/1000

And if you just can't get enough of Harlock, this is a YouTube playlist with a variety of videos, including, somehow, actual dubbed episodes (don't waste your time with "Space Pirate Captain Herlock: The Endless Odyssey Eng Dub Ep 1-13"):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Xo_t2efjVLp_cMtDthOteAaNSyeQ__R

Leiji Matsumoto was a well-known creator of several anime and manga series.

Matsumoto was famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999. His style was characterized by mythological and often tragic storylines with strong moral themes, noble heroes, feminine heroines,and a love of strange worlds and melancholic atmosphere.

Part 1 (Space Battleship Yamato): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/46643

Part 2 (Leijiverse):
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/46645

Rintaro is the pseudonym of Shigeyuki Hayashi, a well-known director of anime. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse (which he co-founded), though he is a freelance director not employed directly by any one studio. He began working in the animation industry—at age 17—as an in-between animator on the 1958 film Hakujaden. His works have won and been nominated for multiple awards, including a nomination for Best Film (Metropolis) at the 2001 Festival de Cine de Sitges.

Rintaro is a fan of science fiction, and has been influenced by American westerns, gangster films, film noir, and French films. Additionally, he was influenced by Osamu Tezuka, and worked with him on Kimba the White Lion and Astro Boy. He said that when he was making Metropolis, which was based on Tezuka's manga of the same name, he "wanted to communicate Tezuka's spirit". Rintaro personally introduced the film at the Big Apple Anime Fest in 2001, where it was screened before its theatrical release by TriStar Pictures.

This is the interest stack version of this AWCc listing (https://myanimelist.net/forum/?goto=post&topicid=1479639&id=58843764) to make it easier to see what I've finished. It was made for my own convenience and is public for your convenience.

There have been some database changes that affect the listing. The ones I have noticed include title and type.

The listing was last updated Sep 16, 2023 11:09 PM as of this stack's publishing.