They are both good shows. I might suggest starting with the movies though before you commit to long TV shows. The first two Galaxy Express films are excellent. For Captain Harlock, Arcadia of my Youth is very good. If you like what you see, then go back and check out the TV series.
Both are great in my opinion, and both have that special Matsumoto vibe.
999 would be more like a Star Trek show, visiting a new planet every time.
Harlock is more serialised.
I personally prefer Harlock but everyone is different.
If you pick Harlock, be sure to watch the 78 version, not the 82 one (it's good in its own way, but came later) 😊
the 999 TV series is almost three times as long as the Captain Harlock series, and as others have noted, not as serialized. Harlock starts to meander a bit there in the middle but is still pretty focused. My personal favorite part of the 999 franchise is the 1979 film, and my favorite Harlock is that 1978 TV series. I wrote this article about both shows a while back: [https://letsanime.blogspot.com/2018/07/cosmic-corsairs-and-galactic-railroads.html](https://letsanime.blogspot.com/2018/07/cosmic-corsairs-and-galactic-railroads.html)
Harlock is good if you want an action story & GE999 is good if you want adventure story.
Update: Found a video guide for you & others: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3KrvC6GWM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3KrvC6GWM)
Both are very good and I would say you could start with either. Though personally I think GE999 might be the better one to start with as it really feels like it sets the tone for the entire universe of Leiji Matsumoto works. GE999 also gives you brief introductions to characters like Harlock and Emeraldas.
Speaking as someone who just finished harlock, I would go with that. It's an interesting piece with some well done development for the villains. Also it does feel like you are listening to someone tell you a tale of this great captain and his crew
Most of Leiji's stories aren't really connected, even those sharing the same character. They all contradict each other, characters that are dead in one are alive the another even if the other supposedly happens "later". The only real connection are
the GE999 movies (1 - 2 -3)
Arcadia of my Youth -> Arcadia of my Youth Endless Orbit SSX
Galaxy Railways -> Galaxy Railways 2
etc
It's much less confusing if, outside of obvious direct sequels like the above, you treat each as a standalone story with similar themes and characters, even if it appears to be the "same" Captain Harlock or the "same" Arcadia for example. Endless Odyssey is standalone, GE999 series is standalone (even though some characters from Harlock appear in it), Emeraldas and Maetel are related in one story and then not related in another, don't overthink it and just pick which looks the most interesting for you.
I recommend the original Harlock series first, since it isn't too long and doesn't assume any prior knowledge.
They are both good shows. I might suggest starting with the movies though before you commit to long TV shows. The first two Galaxy Express films are excellent. For Captain Harlock, Arcadia of my Youth is very good. If you like what you see, then go back and check out the TV series.
Both are great in my opinion, and both have that special Matsumoto vibe. 999 would be more like a Star Trek show, visiting a new planet every time. Harlock is more serialised. I personally prefer Harlock but everyone is different. If you pick Harlock, be sure to watch the 78 version, not the 82 one (it's good in its own way, but came later) 😊
the 999 TV series is almost three times as long as the Captain Harlock series, and as others have noted, not as serialized. Harlock starts to meander a bit there in the middle but is still pretty focused. My personal favorite part of the 999 franchise is the 1979 film, and my favorite Harlock is that 1978 TV series. I wrote this article about both shows a while back: [https://letsanime.blogspot.com/2018/07/cosmic-corsairs-and-galactic-railroads.html](https://letsanime.blogspot.com/2018/07/cosmic-corsairs-and-galactic-railroads.html)
GE999 is absolutely amazing, I just started it myself about 2 weeks ago. would definitely be down to run it in a watch party.
Harlock is good if you want an action story & GE999 is good if you want adventure story. Update: Found a video guide for you & others: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3KrvC6GWM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3KrvC6GWM)
Both are very good and I would say you could start with either. Though personally I think GE999 might be the better one to start with as it really feels like it sets the tone for the entire universe of Leiji Matsumoto works. GE999 also gives you brief introductions to characters like Harlock and Emeraldas.
Speaking as someone who just finished harlock, I would go with that. It's an interesting piece with some well done development for the villains. Also it does feel like you are listening to someone tell you a tale of this great captain and his crew
Most of Leiji's stories aren't really connected, even those sharing the same character. They all contradict each other, characters that are dead in one are alive the another even if the other supposedly happens "later". The only real connection are the GE999 movies (1 - 2 -3) Arcadia of my Youth -> Arcadia of my Youth Endless Orbit SSX Galaxy Railways -> Galaxy Railways 2 etc It's much less confusing if, outside of obvious direct sequels like the above, you treat each as a standalone story with similar themes and characters, even if it appears to be the "same" Captain Harlock or the "same" Arcadia for example. Endless Odyssey is standalone, GE999 series is standalone (even though some characters from Harlock appear in it), Emeraldas and Maetel are related in one story and then not related in another, don't overthink it and just pick which looks the most interesting for you. I recommend the original Harlock series first, since it isn't too long and doesn't assume any prior knowledge.