The movie has been made many times by many people but this Japanese series is more of a tribute to the classic than a direct line for line rendition. Instead of the old world setting, it brings the tale thousands of years into the future into the year 4699 with a space faring theme to update the concept. Here's what the back box cover stated about the series which was originally released in the late 1990's: "The year 4699. A young adventurer on a desperate mission sets off to find Captain Ahab and his crew of outlaw whale hunters. Only Ahab can save his home planet from the most horrific beast known throughout the universe: Moby Dick. But first he will need to locate the fugitive Captain and his elusive crew. And if he finds them, will he pass muster to join the toughest crew of whale hunters in the galaxy? And will Ahab agree to risk it all for one more shot at the great white? It's riveting sci-fi action in the distant future as Captain Ahab continues his legendary pursuit of MOBY DICK!"

Okay, well keeping in mind that my review is based solely on a screener copy of the DVD and not the full consumer product (it only had the English dub with no menus, no extras, no inserts or original language track), I have to admit that I liked the show a lot. Rather than focus on Ishmael as the original story did, it follows a teenager named, of all things, Lucky Luck, as he boards the vessel helmed by Captain Ahab and his band of adventurers. Their job is simple, yet dangerous; they hunt discarded spaceships that have become problems to the shipping lanes and planets, selling them for scrap. Many of the ships have automated defenses that were never turned off, making them especially dangerous to the public. While most similar crews have 20 or more members, this crew has 8 characters who brave the missions they take on, at least until they come across a man on a particularly dangerous ship that seems to be the last one left for dead. He seems to be in a state of suspended animation or dead at least, until he revives and they find him to be an android with a mysterious past. Named Dew, he gives the crew a run for their money until the Captain himself steps in, eventually getting him to join the crew. It's certainly one of those cases where someone doesn't want him revived though so I anticipate plenty of future episodes revolving around his status.

In keeping with the original story, the Moby Dick is a large ship (they're called whales) that happens to be a danger to a particular segment of space and it gets an introduction before the end of volume one but only just. That allows for a lot of speculation on my part as to future adventures but fans of director Osamu Dezaki will undoubtedly appreciate what he's done with the classic tale of hunting the unhuntable here. While only the first volume of a six part series brought over by ADV Films, there was enough of a sense of the spirit to the show that I decided I'd review it based on the faulty screener rather than see fans do without. The themes present were similar to the original at times but the humanized Captain and the quest he took on seemed more akin to the recent 7 Samurai remake than the actual book I read so long ago.

The animation style itself could've easily come from the late 1980's given the lack of complexity and detail, hence the front cover taking the form of some sketchy artwork. I sat through the episodes even with the large block of text telling me how this was a screener and I was forbidden from copying it (yeah, like I'm going to pirate from one of my favorite companies…) but the biggest limitation I had was being unable to contrast the original language version to the decent dub. I got the sense that the original would probably be better since a few of the characters appeared last minute replacements or somehow rushed through their spots in the production. I'm not a snob of dubs (I actually prefer them in some cases) so when I pick up on something like this, there's probably something to it according to a few of my critics. Regardless, the DVD made me long for the complete version and I suspect you'll be hearing good things about it soon enough (the volume gets officially released in a couple of weeks) so keep an eye out for it.

Picture: Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick 1 was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as made by Japanese director Osamu Dezaki for distribution on Japanese broadcast television. It was an older styled anime with a focus on darker textures and a color palate that belied the usual cartoonish nature in favor of keeping the modernized theme of the material. There was some grain and a touch of minor defects from time to time but overall it looked pretty good to me. There were no compression artifacts and I can't say for sure how many of the minor problems were caused by the nature of the screener rather than the original material that'll be in the final product.

Sound: The only audio track present on this limited screener was the 5.1 Dolby Digital English dub. Most of the voices were handled very nicely and the special effects seemed pretty well worked up. There was some decent separation between the channels with the music track perhaps the best handled aspect in this regard. The dynamic range left something to be desired but overall the sole audio track offered here wasn't bad in most aspects so I expect the Japanese track to be even better.

Extras: There were no extras on the screener copy I was provided. The back cover listed some standard extras but without a final copy of the show, I'll reserve judgment on their quality.

Final Thoughts: Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick 1 seemed to be a title worthy of a rating of Recommended based on the impression I got from the episodes on the screener copy I had to watch. The story offered up enough of a tease for me to want to see the rest of the show and hear the original track. If I get a chance to obtain a copy, I'll update the review to accommodate the specifics but while the actual volume didn't mirror the inspiration of the story (Melville might be rolling in his grave for all I know), it certainly was an interesting anime series from the looks of volume 1. ADV Films has been knocking out so many solid releases of late that I'd hate to see this older tale get overlooked by fans but picture a world much like that in Firefly, with touches of Blade Runner, Harlock and Planetes to see what I mean about quality.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk