8. Space Pirate Captain Harlock
A Leiji Matsumoto anime lensed through a U.S. production company, Space Pirate Captain Harlock is solid cartoon fare. Carrying themes of ineffectual government that cares little for the citizens it purports to represent, and an apparently straightforward alien invasion actually being a nightmare grey issue of refugees with no other option, Harlock is a protagonist who wants to do right in a world bereft of simple choices. It's also got a
CGI animated movie in the works, so it's another that's ripe for revival by tie-in.
How This Could Work: Alien conspiracy and invasion, driven by the desperation of its leader? Dystopian Earth government? Characters joining the system in order to try and effect change from within? Ragtag crew in a ship that runs a copy of the brain of the dead man who built it as an A.I.? Iconoclast leader who tries to do the right thing despite being termed an outlaw for it, and who also knows that each alien he kills brings the invading race closer to extinction? This property encapsulates all these concepts. The mission structure could be very rich, especially when other complex plot factors present in the series are considered.