A Hardy Developer's Journal

Since the very first post the blog has grown quite a bit in content and even more attractions and surprises are already in the works. In consequence, I can already see that my production diaries and the actual productions won’t be the most prominent part of The Workshop anytime soon (although they’ll certainly keep appearing and shocking everyone). Instead, I decided that there are still many facets of gaming, especially adventure gaming and particularly the indie (and almost indie) parts of adventure gaming, that I don’t get to explore in my articles for Adventure Classic Gaming, but have an excellent chance to do it here. Expect both unorthodox methodology as well as odes to old school charms. Maybe even some in-depth conversations with the creators behind the most interesting titles. (more…)

This original anime series of Captain Harlock from the 70s was my first direct contact with Leiji Matsumoto’s work. Before watching it I was certainly intrigued by glimpses at the well-known creator’s unique style, but couldn’t really figure out which series from his very large and interconnected body of work was the best point to get started.

What ultimately led me to Space Pirate Captain Harlock was the composer of its music – Seiji Yokoyama – whose work I loved from the anime Saint Seiya and I was actively looking for another production that used his talents. I can right away reveal that I wasn’t disappointed by his work here either – a sometimes epic and sometimes nostalgic soundtrack perfect for illustrating the times of great battles, of great heroes and the vastness, beauty, but also loneliness and sadness of space. (more…)

Being a big fan of the original Captain Harlock TV series from the 70s I looked forward to the new breed of Leji Matsumoto’s productions. Unfortunately I was mostly disappointed in the way they treated the well known characters and in the quality of storytelling in general. Cosmo Warrior Zero is one of the very few to be actually true to the origins and at the same time presenting some fresh, interesting ideas.

For Harlock fans the very premise is a treat already. We follow Captain Warrius Zero who is a sworn enemy of Captain Harlock and promises to give everything he’s got to hunt down the legendary pirate. The conflict is grounded in the different ways the two men perceive where their honor and duties lie, so it won’t be settled just by the revelation they both have good intentions and qualities they respect a lot. (more…)

the good (very good in fact) anime to watch and its main heroes - Galaxy Express 999

What you know, I’ve just learned about a place where you can legally watch some good (and bad) classic anime (as classic as it gets) on the internet. Specifically some of the series that I will be writing about in this blog. I decided this qualifies for a worthwhile news as those anime titles aren’t easy to come by in every part of the world. On the other hand, I’m a bit embarrassed to recommend the website (more…)

Leiji Matsumoto

There are certain manga and anime creators which despite (or possibly because of) their very Japanese and somewhat niche flavor have gained considerable popularity all over the world. Maybe the fact that such iconic anime as Kimba – The White Lion, Speed Racer or Star Blazers have somehow reached American and European television  in the 70’s and 80’s could account for this to some extent. In those times they were simply too unique in comparison to western cartoons not to draw attention of the kids that came across them. Also, they encompassed much wider range of emotions, making for much more immersive and deep experiences. (more…)