Harlock: Space Pirate
is a 2013 Japanese 3D CG anime science fiction film directed by Shinji Aramaki. It is the most expensive Japanese CG anime film of all time, with a production budget of () and was a box-office bomb, having grossed only $19 million out of its $30 million budget. Plot As resources dwindle, five hundred billion colonists return to Earth, causing the Homecoming War over Earth's remaining resources. The bloody war only ends when an authoritarian government, the Gaia Sanction, declares Earth a sacred planet forbidden to humanity. With the help of four unstoppable ships powered by alien technology, Harlock's fleet prevents Earth from recolonization until a treaty allows diplomatic elite to immigrate. Enraged by this betrayal, Harlock turns on the Gaia Sanction. With his ship, the Arcadia, badly damaged, Harlock unleashes the ship's dark matter. Intending to encase Earth in a protective force field, it instead becomes uninhabitable. The Arcadia survives but is forever changed. Now an immortal pirate, Harlock vows to atone. Gaia obscures the condition of Earth with a giant hologram to maintain power. Harlock and his crew steal 100 warheads from the Gaia Sanction to "start over". Admiral Isora recruits his younger brother, Yama, to kill Harlock. Yama agrees, desperate to atone for a childhood accident that paralyzed Isora and critically injured their mutual love, Nami. Harlock, aware of his plan, allows Yama to infiltrate his crew. During a mission to install the penultimate warhead, Yama learns that Harlock's plan is to disrupt the timestream and alter history by exploding the warheads in strategic places throughout the universe. When the mission goes awry, Yama dooms himself to save a crew mate. Harlock rescues Yama, who briefly considers executing Harlock. On board the Arcadia, Harlock's words and attitude and the crew's acceptance convince Yama to follow Harlock. The Gaia Sanction permit Isora to use a superweapon to stop Harlock. Harlock evades the Gaia fleet using holograms. Isora destroys the Arcadia with the superweapon, but this is another hologram. The real Arcadia ambushes the fleet, rams Isora's flagship, and Harlock takes the crew hostage. Once at Earth and past the great illusion, the crew is horrified at Earth's fate. Isora reveals Harlock's true plan: Harlock intends to destroy the current universe and rebirth a new one. Shocked, Yama sides with Isora, and the Arcadia moves away from Earth, apparently of its own volition. Yama helps Isora and his crew take over the Arcadia. With the ship and crew imprisoned, Isora confronts Nami, who informed Yama of his tactical plans. Nami realizes that she is the source of Isora's torment, not Yama. Nami provokes Isora into causing her life support to fail. As Nami dies, she admits to loving him and sacrificing herself to bring him peace. Isora lies about Nami's death. Disbelieving Isora and haunted by Nami's death, Yama returns to Earth, where he finds a meadow of flowers. Yama interrupts Harlock's public execution and releases the Arcadias crew. Yama says both he and Harlock were wrong, and he