Harlock had been around for some time already.

However, long before the expression reboot was even coined, Harlock had already seen several reinterpretations.

Space Pirate Captain Harlockwas released in Japan in March 1978.

Foreign language dubs, including versions in Italian, French and English started being released the following year.

This first incarnation of Harlock on the small screen told a story arc in 42 episodes.

Harlock was mysterious, dark, brooding, yet approachable and human.

The characters stood out clearly, nuanced and endearing, unlike anything in televised animation at that time.

The Mazone were very sexy, tall, slender, alluring and deadly.

He then sailed off into the space sunset.

But the fans wanted more.

They were not part of the original continuity.

Tadashi, Doctor Zero and the rest of the misfit crew were gone.

Harlock was still the same with some minor wardrobe changes.

Gone were the exclusively female-like Mazone, replaced by the male-only Illumidas.

Harlock had to fight both the governmental forces and the Illumidas.

Harlock defeated the Illumidas reagent in a spaceship duel.

Harlock had been branded an outlaw.

He traveled space looking for a planet of freedom where everyone could live free.

The series suffered from low ratings and only ran for 22 episodes.

Still, it would be several years before Harlock would make another major appearance.

The animation style was still the same, but the story arc was limited to a six-part miniseries.

The animated series was part of a longer arc only available in manga format.

The story was a daring mating ofDas Rheingoldand Captain Harlock.

Once again, the entire crew was rebooted into new characters.

Fan favorite Key Yuki was notably absent, but Tadashi, Tochiro and even Emeraldas were there.

The leader of the Nibelheim wanted to claim the Rheingold, but his sister, Meeme, warned Harlock.

In this arc, Harlock was not defending an oppressed Earth.

This series did not make as much of a splash as the original series.

Harlock once again fought against god-like creatures called the Noo.

For example, the series reintroduced Tadashi as a new character.

The Arcadia returned, but bearing the skull-adorned prow it had sported even sinceThe Arcadia Of My Youth.

The Noo attacked Harlock, but their fear-inducing power had no effect on the stoic pirate.

Harlock eventually defeated the Noo and set sail, once again, for places unknown.

And this would be the last the fans would see of Harlock for a long time.

It would take another ten years before we would hear of Harlock appearing in a new stand-alone story.

The 90-second clip generated a lot of buzz.

It would mark the first time Harlock would be rendered in CGI and in 3D.

But there were notable differences, some of them welcomed, others less so.

He felt that children would identify more with an angst-ridden Harlock.

Key Yuki, however, appeared to have received a Barbie doll-like make-over.

She looked heavily stylised, with the clip dwelling unnecessarily on her female attributes.

Her face lacks expression and seems fixed in a permanent porcelain doll stare.

She appeared more lifelike, and not so heavily stereotyped, which was a relief to many.

As such, it became a character in its own right.

Battle armor is a new element thrown into the Harlock universe.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the full movie.

The movie had a reported $30m budget, and it was in production for five years.