One of the best things about the past decade or so of anime where so much is streamed and almost every new show gets some form of distribution is that it’s made looking at titles that haven’t been brought over before a lot more interesting. There’s a realm of discovery for fans that can come from that because you haven’t been shown teasers and promos, the manga is often long done and gone, and there’s less certainty about what the project will be. So, I was really glad back in 2020 when Sentai Filmworks had finally licensed and released the Locke the Superman movie and gave it a Blu-ray release.
The film is based on the original manga which began in 1967 as a five-volume doujinshi series but eventually started again in 1979 with one hundred and one volumes from Yuki Hijiri before wrapping up in 2022 with their death. The property is one of those powerhouse titles that just hasn’t translated well over here for various reasons and the manga never saw a release either. The property has had a couple of OVAs and it saw a home video release ages ago in the US through three other distributors before ending up with Sentai Filmworks now. It’s crazy that the manga ran as long as it has, and I understand the lack of pickup, but just looking through some of the story evolution of it all has me fascinated by the changes that it has worked through since its origins.
The premise for the film is fairly straightforward but it’s presented in a kind of convoluted way that comes from the time, the scale of materials, and just the way the 1980s ran. I’d seen this years and years ago as a dubbed VHS tape that left no impression upon me beyond some of the visuals and in watching it here I can still say that in some ways it was nonsensical. It’s over the top in its visuals and designs, so dramatic with what it wants to do, but at the same time is incredibly charming and engaging because of the animation, the depth of it that you’re trying to suss out, and the scale of it all. I have a real fondness for things that come from when it was all traditional animation work as I still think there’s a different kind of warmth to it and something magical about the hand-drawn aspect, and this film definitely scratches that itch.
Taking place as part of a large galactic storyline, it involves a super-soldier type named Locke who has gone and retired from things being drawn back into the galaxy at war. While he attempts to be a pacifist while at the same time being one of if not the most powerful psychics in the universe, the galaxy and the machinations of humanity just won’t stop. The latest is that Locke’s old foe Lady Kahn is looking to change the nature of who rules mankind by gathering her own group of psychics to take down what’s out there. Kahn’s got some interesting players under their control but one of them is Jessica, a young woman who is intensely powerful and believes that Locke killed her parents years ago and is intent on destroying him. What’s been done is that she’s been put undercover with a mindwipe to get close to Locke in order to be present when she can reveal her true self and eliminate him, removing a major obstacle of Kahn and her organization. It’s particularly cruel in a way to rewrite Jessica into Amelia and set her on the path to love, but such is how they are.
While it’s only been a few years since I first saw it, it’s also really weird that it’s been forty years since the film came out which captures a very particular kind of anime that was produced at that time. It’s a wonderful snapshot of what could be done because it’s definitely weird – my kind of weird – and I don’t claim to understand it at all. I think it has a solid base plot but so much of what happens and the true scope of it all involves so many other things that aren’t always clearly explained that it can just become a mess. There are a lot elements to love with the animation and design work and there’s a kind of craziness that I think that has been lost over time when it comes to these kinds of projects. It delivers a strong “theatricality” that resonates right here, especially on a big screen. The thing that gets me the most is that it has me wishing that the original manga was available and that you could immerse yourself in this world more and understand the smaller pieces.
That said, this is one of those things that I put in a must-see category just because it is a key part of anime history and it’s good to know where things come from. The film shows off wonderfully in high definition, giving us that beautiful film grain, the real variance in color, and a naturalness that scratches that old-school itch of mine in a beautiful way. I’m not sure this film made sense to a wider swath of viewers when it originally came out and I know it likely doesn’t know, but that’s the kind of challenge that can definitely be fun and manages to surprisingly hold up even decades later.
