MovieChat Forums > Kyaputen Hârokku (2014) Discussion > The story makes no sense (spoilers)

The story makes no sense (spoilers)

posted 11 years ago by FrogFlanker
19 replies | jump to latest

Ok, I haven't seen the original series, haven't been following Japanese Anime for a while either, but man this story is hard to swallow.

1. The whole premise of man depleted resource of the galaxy and had to go back to Earth is absurd. Does the writer know just how big our galaxy is? There're 400 billion stars in our galaxy, enough to give each of the 500 billion humans (actually I never heard of this number in the movie, just going by IMDB's summary) his/her own star!
2. The movie keeps mentioning human is on the decline, about to die. But Gaia Coalition has weapons that use neutron stars and lasers powered by gas giants! Seriously, this looks like a civilization that is about to go extinct?
3. Detonator #99 is dropped to molten lava where a huge alien monster lives in, we're supposed to believe it still works?
4. Why doesn't the Coalition just disable or destroy the detonators? They at least know where #99 went due to Logan, also #100 is left on Earth unprotected.
5. It's strange that the Coalition wants to destroy the Earth, but hey they're the bad guys. But why do they need a retina implant in Earth orbit to aim their super laser? Don't they know where Earth is relative to Jupiter? Newton could have told them where to aim.
6. Their laser missed twice, which is good, but what's preventing them from firing a 3rd time?
7. I thought everyone (including the alien girl) died near the end, how did they come back? (Also I half expected the fleet and citizens to revolt once they found out the real condition of Earth, yeah I know it's a cliché, but at least it makes sense)

[–] dan-willi84 11 years ago

It reminded me of Serenity. Some similar plot elements.

[–] gatorstang23 11 years ago

Serenity came over 25 years after Harlock first came out

[–] benmasta 10 years ago

serenity is not the same plot at all. In the firefly univrse, humans just havent traveled all that far, and definitely no where near the distance that harlock traveled in just 100 years.

Firefly was basically humans contained in a small area of the universe, and people trying to branch out with less support/rules as they move further away from the center (empire)

The fact that there were only 500 billion humans, and the fact that they seemed able to travel anywhere in the galaxy fairy quickly (as shown on the map where harlock placed the detonators)
there is just no possible way that resources would run out, especially considering technology improving efficiency of everything.

The whole premise of the show is poorly thought through, but it doesnt make it less entertaining if you ask me. It was still a fun story and had decent action. Just the characters were weak imo.

Black Rectangle

[–] plazbo 11 years ago

re point 7. They did die. The ship and the crew are essentially a ghost ship due to the alien tech, it's why harlock is over 100 years old. When they start dying Harlock and the ship have run out of dark matter or whatever. They come back when the new guy essentially becomes the new captain and the ships engines power up again.

[–] Umakemyheadswim 11 years ago

the ship have run out of dark matter or whatever. They come back when the new guy essentially becomes the new captain and the ships engines power up again

.

Which doesn't make sense.

Harlock is still alive and they ran out of dark matter.

[–] Mrbob19 11 years ago

2. The movie keeps mentioning human is on the decline, about to die. But Gaia Coalition has weapons that use neutron stars and lasers powered by gas giants! Seriously, this looks like a civilization that is about to go extinct?

They said something about that the birth rate collapsed, which would of course decline the human race, altough... they didn't say why it collapsed.

It's strange that the Coalition wants to destroy the Earth, but hey they're the bad guys. But why do they need a retina implant in Earth orbit to aim their super laser? Don't they know where Earth is relative to Jupiter? Newton could have told them where to aim.

They were not aiming at earth! but at the Arcadia. But since they had no more use for the earth as it was, they wouldn't mind taking it down with it. The Arcadia then moved the earth a bit when they fired the 2nd beam, so it was out of range.

1. The whole premise of man depleted resource of the galaxy and had to go back to Earth is absurd. Does the writer know just how big our galaxy is? There're 400 billion stars in our galaxy, enough to give each of the 500 billion humans (actually I never heard of this number in the movie, just going by IMDB's summary) his/her own star!

The Number 500 Billion is said in the movie (atleast, in the Japanese version). but yes... you are right! Maybe everyone just got homesick and wanted to ge back to earth?

Cheers,
Bob

[–] MoonPreacher 11 years ago

This is anime, it is suppose to NOT make any sense, in fact only saw it out of curiosity. Great visuals, *beep* story.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] toren-3 11 years ago

The Netflix version isn't much better. There are English dubs, which are awful (they did a piss poor job trying to match up the mouths).

There are also two different subs (one sub, other CC) but neither even closely match the dub. So it was like I was getting three different stories as I jumped between them.

[–] Korios 10 years ago

They were not aiming at earth! but at the Arcadia. But since they had no more use for the earth as it was, they wouldn't mind taking it down with it. The Arcadia then moved the earth a bit when they fired the 2nd beam, so it was out of range.

Watch it again. They said quite clearly that they were aiming the Earth and they "were using the Arcadia as target practice". Your point about Arcadia moving.... the Earth(whaaat??!!) would be funny if it was not taken seriously, but apparently you are serious. It appears that you were browsing the web while watching the film, or watching some other film at the same time. Arcadia did not move the.. Earth (LOL), she moved herself in order to deflect the beam away from the Earth. Seriously mate?

Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.

[–] Dajefe70 8 years ago

It was indeed quite hilarious. First, I'm thinking htf did they move the Earth to avoid the laser? But in my defense, it's off the assumption how the hell wouldn't they be able to aim for the Earth in the first place?

got blunt?

[–] Fusion72 11 years ago

I found the rapid decline of 500Billion humans hard to imagine. But it was the ending that I didn't get. They crashed on Earth and I assumed all were dead. Then they're magically revived, as well as the alien who i'm sure did die. Maybe Harlock possessed residual dark matter within himself and could harness whatever remained in the ship, to revive it and the crew..

[–] MadSimian 11 years ago

Earth had been "infested" with dark matter that's likely where they got it.

I have learned from experience... that a modicum of snuff can be most efficacious.

[–] firebox-1 11 years ago

I could see that, kinda like Destiny from Stargate Universe literately flying into a star to refuel.

[–] ebonyknight 11 years ago

I have to agree. I am usually a sharp cookie when it comes to convoluted plots (as long as they are well written). This one was ALL over the place.

It started out okay, but I didn't get why 4 guys (three of whom couldn't have done it) climb up a mountain to join the pirates. Uh, land on the planet. They hung around for days while these guys climbed up???

VERY convoluted plots, including the duplicate Harlock at the end, who just happens to get shot and now looks like him.....so much his bird mistakes him for his master?

Just bad all around.

"We have the right to bear arms, besides Mars is a red planet! - President Palin"

[–] nikkiten1979 11 years ago

Although I enjoyed the movie for its visuals (faces still looked a little dead); the story was indeed pretty dumb... like in most anime - they try to hard to be deep and metaphorical, but end up repeating each other over and over.

(•_•)

can't outrun your own shadow

I AM DEE BEE -- 10 years !

[–] jobs-660-954141 10 years ago

Yup it was crap lets go warch bumblebee, dinobots, alpha centriun, and some other garbage...
*rolls eyes*

[–] Korios 10 years ago

You are right, this film is a perfect 10 on visuals (still not better than the 13 year old Final Fantasy : Spirits Within, which had a huge VFX budget, but quite close), but its script is too weak and more plot-holed than Emedal cheese.

Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.

[–] Korios 8 years ago

8. What happened to the original Harlock? Did he.. retire to Earth? If so why? Or did he just vanish? If so how?
9. How did they place detonator #100 on Earth when they said about detonating them but they had not landed on the planet to place it? Was it already placed and they just needed somehow to get close? That would make no sense, since they can detonate all the others from very far.
10. Why did they land and placed detonator #99 on that "corrosive gas planet" on top of a "bridge" above a freaking lave pit when there was so much solid space? (dear writers, seriously, that was a very silly and weak "staging for drama and action" plot device)
11. How would destroying the Earth support Gaia Coalition's fragile position (after it was revealed it was really a hellish planet and that they had been lying through their teeth to everyone)?
12. What kind of lick of sense was in the ending when the fleet ordered them to... surrender? Come on guys, seriously? Is that the best way you can think of ending such a movie after what had already occured with their previous capture?

Oh, and you are right about 7. Why nobody at all in the fleet asked a single freaking question about the state of the Earth and Gaia's deception? Why did the citizens look passively as well, as if they were watching some random news?

Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.