The Vision of Youth - Farewell 999 and Terminal Station Analysis

In the third and final part of my coverage of the Galaxy Express 999 finale, I offer my thoughts on the end of the series for both the TV series and the manga.

(Note that my analysis will have spoilers for the movie version of Galaxy Express 999, as there are lot of comparisons to make between it and the two endings I am covering here)

Here we have the conclusion of Galaxy Express 999. It has been a fulfilling journey, and hard to believe that the end is here. We have two somewhat different conclusions here with the manga and the TV show. We also have yet a third ending in the movie version, which surprisingly enough came first, as the movie was released in 1979 while both the manga and TV show were still in production. All 3 versions have some similarities, but also major differences. The biggest similarity is that all 3 end with the 999 arriving at its final destination, the mechanization home world. Maetel is revealed to be the daughter of Queen Prometheum, ruler of the mechanized world. She has been acting as an agent for her mother all this time, bringing numerous young men to this planet to be mechanized. However Maetel carries with her a hidden agenda. She is conspiring, along with her father (called Dr. Ban in the movie and manga) to rebel against her mother and defeat her mother and the mechanized world. With this, we get our answer for what was probably the biggest mystery throughout the manga and TV series, the true identity of Maetel. While Maetel has been on a mission with nefarious outward intent this whole time, she in fact is the heroine we have come to know and love throughout the story and has been plotting to overthrow her mother. It is a strong and fulfilling revelation.

It should be noted that the movie contains one additional element that is not revealed in either the manga or the TV show, that Maetel took her appearance from Tetsuro’s mother. Within the movie, Prometheum says it is the most beautiful body in the entire universe. For whatever reason, this is only revealed in the movie. I was quite surprised at this, as I considered this a core aspect of the secrets of Maetel. A big mystery has been why she resembles Tetsuro’s mother so much (beyond just Matsumoto’s habit to have his women look so much alike). Those who don’t watch the movie will never get that fact. Perhaps it is something Matsumoto decided to retcon in later versions, although I liked that reveal a lot and wish it hadn’t been removed.

Another mystery throughout the show has been the several times where Maetel removes her clothes and shocks another character into submission. Examples include “The Mirage Planet’s Scribe” and “Snow Woman of Andromeda”. My assumption is that when she was doing this, she was wearing the pendant containing her father, and for whatever reason that pendant symbolized something important enough to get these other characters to back off.

Another big plot point that comes to its conclusion here is Tetsuro’s quest for his free mechanical body. In a massive plot twist, at least in the manga version, it is revealed that the mechanical body waiting for Tetsuro was just a screw! (in the movie version it is a bolt). If one was thinking all this time that there was a catch to becoming mechanized, this is it. In getting his free mechanical body Tetsuro would be cursed to an existence where he could no longer move, and as we later find out, all these “living parts” on Andromeda have their life force drained from them anyway. Tetsuro wasn’t going to get to enjoy that machine body that he was looking forward to all this time. Earlier in the chapter we see Tetsuro looking through a catalog to pick out his machine body; my assumption is that even if he had picked something, Prometheum would have overridden it, although we don’t have an answer for sure.

The TV episode drops this part, and it seems like Tetsuro would have gotten a normal mechanical body if he had gone through with it. In the TV version Tetsuro ultimately makes his decision to forego a mechanical body due to the sloth-like lifestyle those with them have on Andromeda. He also sees a man kill himself, sick of eternal life. I got to admit to being greatly disappointed with the way the TV show handled things. Not only do we lose a great plot twist; Tetsuro’s decision also seems to be made with little thought, and after 111 episodes of him wanting to get a machine body, having a single scene of badly behaving mechanical people (something that wasn’t enough to change his mind in the past) suddenly is.

It was very interesting to get the appearance of Agate, Claire’s mother, in the manga. Ultimately it is through Agate’s help that Tetsuro is able to escape his fate of being made into a screw. Tetsuro shows that he has saved the crystal tear, all that remained of Claire, all this time and gives it to her. Seeing Tetsuro hold on to this remnant of her daughter for all this time causes Agate to realize that she should help Tetsuro and ultimately his life being saved and Maetel’s plan wouldn’t have been successful without her. Agate’s appearance was quite interesting in its minimalism, and although she gives a reason for it that makes sense, it surprises me a little as she was so obsessed with vanity for her daughter, but not for herself. In the TV version we instead have a character named Mirai, who has a crystal glass body similar to Claire. This character despairs over Tetsuro not being willing to become a machine and tries to kill herself only for Tetsuro to convince her not to do so. As a result she helps him and Maetel recover the pendant from Prometheum.

Prometheum’s appearance varies greatly depending on the version; the movie presents her as a rather spooky looking woman with a noh-mask like face and a dark body through which it is as if you are looking into space! The manga version goes even further with the spookiness, as she’s just a head and has two faces, the noh-mask like face and Maetel’s face. This version of Prometheum appears inspired by the Roman god Janus, the god of doors, who had two faces. The TV version of Prometheum is noticeably less scary and interesting as the other two versions. The manga version was by far my favorite.

Also varying with each version is the name of the planet that is at the end of the line. In the movie, it is planet Maetel, the TV show planet Prometheum and manga, the planet Great Andromeda. In the movie version the planet is presented to be half of Maetel’s self, an element that is not carried over to the other two versions, although the two-faced Prometheum of the manga comes off as if she has two different personalities, with the Maetel face acting much like Maetel, and speaking of having a direct connection to her thoughts and actions. So in this version it comes off as something very similar. The TV show drops this aspect entirely. Great Andromeda within the manga also matches the name of a planet in the Adieu Galaxy Express 999 movie and several buildings in the manga look very similar to designs from that movie.

In all three versions it is quite sad to see the separation of Tetsuro and Maetel. They have traveled together all this way and feel so strongly for each other. Maetel has essentially become the surrogate mother for Tetsuro. Tetsuro’s journey all this way has been an analogy for a boy growing older and gaining experiences. Maetel is characterized as a vision of his youth, something he must leave behind as he grows beyond his youth. I feel this most powerful in the movie version if only because Tetsuro looks noticeably older there; he still looks like a little boy in the manga and TV series when they depart. On an emotional level it was also good to see how sad the Conductor was about saying goodbye to Tetsuro when he thought he was becoming mechanized. He has become very fond of him over this long voyage!

Looking at all three of the endings, the TV version is far and away the weakest for me and is actually a bit of a disappointment. The ending is arguably the peak of the storyline for both the movie and the manga, but not for the TV show, there are a lot of earlier episodes that I like more. I feel that it is a high level overview of the main aspects of the ending but skips several things I like a lot about the other versions such as the reveal of Tetsuro’s machine body and the design of Prometheum. Aspects of it also just come off as rather goofy. For example Maetel is locked up in a cell but they don’t bother searching her for weapons so she easily escapes because of them. Also the scene where Mirai steals the pendant containing Maetel’s father from Prometheum comes off as an incredibly easy endeavor. The overall design in general in that version is a downgrade compared to the other two versions, and Tetsuro’s decision to refuse a mechanical body seems made with little thought to it, enough so that you feel that most of the series was a waste of time if he’s going to change his mind so quickly based on what he saw on this planet, but not on others.

Well, the journey through the original Galaxy Express 999 storyline has finally come to an end. It was a lot of fun going through. I enjoyed reliving so many of the storylines that I enjoyed from previous viewings as well as going through the original manga for the first time. This is a project I started all the way back in August of 2020 and it seemed like an insurmountable task at that time. Now it has come to an end.

 

Terminal Stations (Parts 1 - 5)

 Terminal Station Parts 1 - 5

Manga Chapters 18-4 to 18-8

Note: This is part 2 of my 3 part coverage of the finale to Galaxy Express 999. This time I cover the manga ending, which was told across 5 chapters.

Manga Chapter Summary:

Agate’s Shadow

Tetsuro and Maetel are eating in the dining car. Tetsuro says they will soon be at the terminal station, where the planet that gives him the free mechanical body is. Maetel reminds Tetsuro that this was the original purpose of his journey. The Conductor says their next stop is the “Reservation Catalog” with a transit time of 33 minutes. Tetsuro is surprised to hear about this and that the 999 won’t actually be stopping. The Conductor says this is a place where those getting a machine body at the terminal station can decide the type by looking at a catalog. Tetsuro will have those 33 minutes to decide what type of machine body he’ll have. He is at a point where he can no longer escape.

The 999 enters an area of space where 7 different black planets are connected to one another via streams of light. The 999 makes its way towards one of them. A gloomy darkness goes through the 999 and soon they can’t see each other. Eventually it gets lighter again. We cut back to the dining car, at a later time. Tetsuro has the catalog in front of him, a comprehensive catalog issued by the “Organization for the Promotion of Mechanized Bodies” that identifies all the different types of mechanical bodies that he can obtain. Maetel tells Tetsuro there are 500,000 samples to choose from!

A machine woman enters the car; she is humanoid, and completely black in color but has no hair or other features, not even a face. The woman says she will be waiting here until Tetsuro chooses from the catalog. She says her name is Agate, the delivery person for the catalog. She explains that she has this featureless body so as to provide no prejudice towards those picking their machine body. Tetsuro says she reminds him of Shadow from Pluto, as well as Claire with her crystal-glass body. Agate reveals that she is Claire’s mother! She says her daughter was a weak girl who disliked her crystal glass body and returned to the Earth. Tetsuro says that isn’t true.

Agate tells him they can talk about Claire, but he has only 23 minutes remaining to pick his mechanical body. Tetsuro asks what happens if he doesn’t choose one and Agate says she will choose it for him. He will be forced into that body, regardless of whether he likes it or not. The minutes continue to go by. Tetsuro says he wants to be alone and goes to the other train car, although Agate insists on coming along since it’s her job. Tetsuro starts talking to himself about eternal life, a mechanical body and the limited life his human body has. He grows distressed.

Tetsuro suddenly remembers something and goes to his trunk. He pulls out the crystal tear left behind by Claire and gives it to Agate. He tells her of how she fought the hallucinations in the tunnel and her body shattered to save him. Tetsuro gets frustrated and throws the catalog out the window! Agate doesn’t seem to mind, and claims there are many copies of the catalog. Since he didn’t choose, she will choose his mechanical body for him. Agate fades away into the darkness. Maetel tells Tetsuro she will be waiting for him at the planet “Great Andromeda”. Tetsuro says he needs a little more time. The Conductor says their next stop is Great Andromeda. They will be there in 100 hours.

Last Supper

The 999 approaches a new planet. Tetsuro is surprised that such a small planet can be Great Andromeda. He is corrected; this is just a temporary stop and it is actually a satellite of Great Andromeda, called “Last Supper”. It is far enough away from Great Andromeda that they are unable to see the main planet form here. Last Supper looks like Earth beyond the fact that it is shining greatly. The Conductor says they will be stopped here for 24 hours. Tetsuro says it is a gloomy name. Maetel says this is a planet akin to a funeral for your living body. This planet is the last day that he will be a human.

At the station, Maetel lets Tetsuro go off on his own and tells him to enjoy himself for the 24 hours before coming back. She says most of the inhabitants here are living people. Tetsuro walks around, finding a nostalgic appearance to the area. He heads into a ramen shop and asks for some from the owner, also asking whether he has a mechanical body. On the 999, Maetel talks to the Conductor, saying she is worried about Tetsuro and it’s hard to be by his side right now. She tells the Conductor Tetsuro didn’t choose his mechanical body and Agate will be picking it for him. The ramen shop owner asks Tetsuro if there’s something wrong and he says no. The owner tells him to enjoy it; this is the last chance he will get to enjoy this taste.

Tetsuro spots that the man has a copy of the catalog and he talks about how a new version comes out each year. The man tells Tetsuro that if he regrets coming here, there is a place where those who are lost and regret it go to, pointing out where to find it. Tetsuro wants to pay but the man tells him he doesn’t have to. Tetsuro walks out and heads in the direction the man pointed him to. The shops and houses vanish and it is just a plain of grass, but Tetsuro finds it eventually leads him to a steep cliff! Tetsuro finds a nearby sign that says to hurry up and die. He realizes that if someone becomes lost in their decision about getting a mechanical body, they are encouraged to kill themselves.

Tetsuro smashes the sign and heads back to the ramen shop, saying he doesn’t want to die yet. The man says there are some who stay behind here like he has, they don’t want to become a machine, but they also don’t have the courage to die. This is the end of the line for them. He says the machine empire doesn’t deal with humans who don’t have the courage to make one of those decisions. Tetsuro walks off and runs into a young woman who tells him there is still some fun he can have here if he doesn’t feel like getting a machine body. He can live here until he dies.

At the 999, the Conductor wonders what has happened; he hasn’t heard a sound. Maetel steps out but says she will come back. She is fine with staying here if Tetsuro makes that decision. The Conductor wonders what will happen to him. Maetel finds the ramen shop and the owner tells her he’s around the corner with a girl he ran into. He seems to recognize Maetel and she says goodbye and that she’s looking forward to seeing him on Earth someday. Earth is just a distant memory to him.

Maetel walks down the street and sees Tetsuro through a restaurant window with his mouth stuffed and his belly sticking out. The young woman is there next to him in shock. Tetsuro has consumed a tremendous amount of food, wanting to not forget it. The woman said she’s going to the terminal station; she stopped living here but decided to stop by here on a trip on her own as she headed to the end of the line. Tetsuro wants to eat more but Maetel drags him with her. As the 999 departs Last Supper, the girl looks at it, removes her mask and wig and is revealed to be Agate.

Turbulent Superspace

The 999 starts accelerating in order to enter the turbulent hyperspace around Great Andromeda. Tetsuro notices a fluttering comet like object near the 999 which Maetel reveals is actually a planet; the 999’s speed is making it look this way. The 999’s Locomotive demands they speed up even further. The 999 makes its way through a whirlpool like part of space. Later, the Conductor tends to Maetel, who tells him Tetsuro is in the toilet. The Conductor talks of how once one becomes mechanical, they don’t have to use the bathroom anymore. He knocks on the bathroom door where Tetsuro is, having spent a long time there due to all the food he at earlier. Tetsuro departs the bathroom and comments on the noisiness, with the Conductor claims is due to the plasma discharge as they go through hyperspace; it is like lightning strikes.

The Conductor reveals that there will be no passengers on the 999 as it makes its return trip back. Tetsuro asks about Maetel and he says it depends on her. Tetsuro makes his way back towards the train car, but stops just outside it as Maetel is talking to the mysterious voice from within her suitcase. He claims the end is near and that Tetsuro is different from the boy he used to be. Tetsuro recognizes the voice; having heard it before. Maetel says she’s come to a point where she can’t turn back and asks if she can die when this is over. This talk shocks Tetsuro. Some time passes and Tetsuro comes back into the train car. The Conductor says its 13 minutes left and they should be able to see the planet Great Andromeda. The Conductor looks outside the window, although Tetsuro hesitates.

Planetary Andromeda

The Conductor says thank you to everyone for having ridden on the 999 for such a long time. They are just 5 minutes away from the terminal station, Great Andromeda. It is time to say goodbye. He thanks them from the bottom of his heart and tears start coming out of his eyes. The 999 approaches Great Andromeda, a massive planet that is black in color but has lights that, as Tetsuro puts it, are like the shape of a giant spider web. Maetel claims that she liked glittering spider webs when she was a child. Tetsuro asked if the planet’s design came from this and she says yes. He asks why this is so and she says parents love their children very much. Knight escort satellites arrive to escort the 999. Maetel says this place is very vigilant and is a sacred place that cannot be invaded. As the 999 descends, Tetsuro notices that it’s a sea of lights, in a seemingly bottomless amount of layers. Maetel claims that everything on the planet except the core is a mechanical structure. It is a giant planet, with two hearts.

The 999 passes a giant black tower with faces at the top of it. Maetel claims it is an exhaust stack that goes to the center of the planet. On this planet layer after layer of machine is added. It is a planet that will swell infinitely. We can see the 999 travel over the top layer of the planet but see a number of skyscrapers in a layer just below it. The Conductor says they will be at the station in 1 minute and goodbye to Tetsuro. The 999 makes its way to another giant structure. Maetel says this is a big station where the upper floors act as hotels. It is the entrance to this planet. The 999 makes its way into the station and stops. Tetsuro tells himself he’s arrived. He is setting his feet on this destination. He says to his mother that he’s finally here. Tetsuro tells Maetel this station is many times larger than that on Megalopolis. Maetel claims many people used to be here.

Tetsuro notices the Conductor getting off as well; he claims he has to make a report to the administration here. The Conductor says he enjoyed the trip with Tetsuro and can’t believe he is going to obtain a machine body. Tetsuro says he hasn’t come to that point yet. He’s been thinking about whether it is better to have a living body or a machine body. Along the way he saw a lot of nasty machine humans. Ultimately he couldn’t come to a conclusion. But he understands now that because of limited life, people do their best during their lives. They try to get things done in a short time and that is why people have compassion and kindness. The blood of his parents is flowing through his body and his blood will flow through his children and their children. He believes that is eternal life.

Tetsuro makes his way up the escalator, where Agate is waiting for him. Tetsuro looks back and realizes Maetel is gone. Agate says she went down another passageway. Holding the machine body catalog in her hands, Agate turns to the page showing what Tetsuro’s body is going to be… a screw! Tetsuro is shocked to realize this is the machine body he came all this way for. Agate says Queen Prometheum foresaw Tetsuro and instructed her to choose a screw, which will become a part of the planet. If Tetsuro refuses this, Maetel will be held liable and will be executed. Agate shows Tetsuro where Maetel is, off in the distance, surrounded by around a dozen machine men with guns. Tetsuro says he will do it, after all Maetel traveled all this way with him at the risk of her life.

Agate says to hand over his pass and Tetsuro does so, not needing it any longer. Agate brings Tetsuro down a long passage way, asking if he is happy to be turned into a screw. It will be a scary experience; once he is tightened in he won’t be able to move. Tetsuro admits it’s an ugly way to go, but he was only promised a free machine body, he wasn’t promised a particular type. The narrator explains that Tetsuro is here, at the terminal station. It is the capital of the mechanized world, which can be both heaven and hell. Tetsuro has no regrets, as this is the place he wanted to go to.

Galaxy Express of My Youth

We see Maetel speaking of how Tetsuro said that people will do their best because of limited life. Tetsuro can also help her as a screw. Nonetheless, she feels like she is a woman who broke Tetsuro’s dream, and erased his hope and future. Some may call her a witch. She admits she is a witch. The mysterious voice tells Maetel that Tetsuro understands her. It may be hard, but it is her job. Maetel doesn’t mind being known as a demon or witch, but she doesn’t want to fulfill her wishes at the expense of Tetsuro and sheds a tear. She says rather than continues to go on eternally, she should become a screw with him. The voice says Tetsuro knows how important the body of a machine is, and the one screw that he should be. Maetel says she doesn’t want Tetsuro to be a screw and he tells her to not be discouraged.

Meanwhile, Agate continues to walk with Tetsuro towards Prometheum’s audience chamber. She wonders if Tetsuro is aiming for a chance to get close to Prometheum; after all he is carrying his cosmo dragoon gun with him. Agate says the mechanical empire is the largest, strongest and greatest in the history of the universe. “Immortal” is just for Prometheum and her mechanized empire. Upon stepping in the audience chamber, Tetsuro doesn’t see Prometheum at first, which she claims is because he is a foolish living animal. Prometheum is just a head, with long blonde hair flowing down from it. On one side is a dark face, as if wearing a noh mask. The other side of her head also has a face, that of Maetel’s! Tetsuro asks if Prometheum is just a head and she tells Tetsuro to not be rude. She exists here at the center of the mechanized mother planet and controls everything.

Tetsuro hears his name said and Prometheum turns her head. It is the face of Maetel, saying she thanks him for going on the long journey with him. Tetsuro, surprised, calls out Maetel’s name and Prometheum says Maetel is her beloved daughter! The Maetel face says to help her daughter and thanks him for his long journey here. He is a kind boy, one with a strong heart who clenches his teeth and works through it. She has been seeing him this whole time through Maetel and knows the feelings he has for her. The dark face speaks of Tetsuro’s hatred for machine people since Count Mecha killed his mother, and the Maetel face says she knows it well. She claims anything Maetel saw while traveling with him she also saw. When Maetel mourned, she mourned too. She is two beings but both are a part of Maetel.

The dark face claims Tetsuro has lost. He will become a mechanized boy and live here forever. The Maetel face says he will be an important screw in the mechanized mother planet of Andromeda. He will support her and Maetel’s eternal world and live forever. She also oddly speaks of what is in the center of the mirror should kill itself. Both speak of Tetsuro becoming a screw for the area they call the “Crucible”. Tetsuro calls out that he wants to see the real Maetel again. Meanwhile, Maetel continues her journey down into the core of the planet. She notices that those around her aren’t mechanized people but just androids. She eventually makes it to where Agate is. Agate says she’s been waiting for her. She hands Maetel a screw, which she claims is Tetsuro. Tetsuro has become a screw that will be used on the outer wall of the crucible, replacing a screw that has lost its energy and is about to come off. The crucible uses 999,990,000 screws. If even one is pulled out it will be distorted and the crucible will be open. So even as one screw he serves an important purpose.

“Tetsuro” is taken by a mechanical arm to be screwed in. Maetel sadly says that Tetsuro had a warm heart; she wanted to continue her journey with him. Tetsuro is screwed in. An android tells Maetel that her majesty is waiting for her. Maetel goes to the audience chamber, before her mother, who tells of how she was watching everything, and welcomes her home. Maetel tosses out her trunk, then removes the pendant from around her neck. The pendant tells Maetel to not cry and she says farewell, throwing it as well, out of the audience chamber into the heart of the planet. Prometheum asks Maetel what she threw and Maetel says goodbye, she is embarking on a new journey, with Tetsuro. Prometheum is surprised; after all, Tetsuro has become a screw. We return to the station where we find Tetsuro is okay, and still in his human body! He greets the Conductor and reveals that Agate had tricked Prometheum, replacing another screw in the place of him. Agate says that upon seeing the piece of glass that was Claire, knowing that Tetsuro carried it with her for a long time, she realized what she was doing was wrong.

Tetsuro cries out to Maetel who comes walking into the station. Prometheum is told that Maetel has headed to the crucible with Tetsuro. She wonders why this is the case. The Maetel face claims if she closes her heart, sometimes her mother won’t know all. Tetsuro and Maetel arrive at the crucible. Tetsuro notices there are no guards around. He realizes that even the floor below them is made of mechanized human parts, although Maetel says there is no life reaction in them; they are just objects. She points out to Tetsuro a screw in red, the color of her lipstick and asks Tetsuro to shoot it. Tetsuro shoots it and it falls out. Soon after, all the screws pop out of their holes. The pressure valve within the crucible opens and Tetsuro sees a giant number of flames departing. Maetel claims this is the fire of life that has been sucked out and collected by the mechanizd people on Andromeda. They are the human soul, the energy that supports the mechanized world. That’s the reason why there was no life reaction here. It had been sucked out to support the planet.

Tetsuro sees the flames ascend and depart from the crucible He wonders if those people who burned out their hearts will be reborn again. Prometheum feels cold. The Maetel face says the crucible has broken down. The pendant says the mechanical empire has lost its energy and will be stopped. The planet of Great Andromeda will be taken to an eternal graveyard. The Maetel face recognizes it as her father. Prometheum realizes the pendant is Dr. Ban, the traitor advocating for the anti-mechanized world. Dr. Ban claims this planet isn’t as strong as she thinks. Maetel had clenched her teeth and went back and forth many times to bring her comrades here. The young people brought here by Maetel were places at key points. While the fire of life has been sucked out of them, these parts were intended to be deliberately fragile. This defective planet won’t be able to be repaired. Both faces of Prometheum are reduced to skulls, saying only that it is cold and asking Maetel for help.

Maetel tells Tetsuro that the planet is losing energy and its balance due to the influence of her father’s pendant. It will be drawn into a gravity super graveyard. It will go to sleep forever. Agate hands Tetsuro back his pass and realizes he can return to the Earth. Maetel tells the Conductor and Agate to go on the 999 first. Maetel tells Tetsuro to look closely at her and removes her clothes. Tetsuro says when he started this journey he didn’t care if Maetel was a witch or a demon, so he doesn’t need to see her as she truly is. Maetel thanks him and puts back on her clothes. She says at the point where the circle of time meets in the distance they should meet again. There are many mechanized humans on the way to the stars and Earth and he shouldn’t be discouraged. Tetsuro says he was preparing himself for a time like this; he won’t be ugly. He is confused about one thing though, when Prometheum talked about what was in the center of the mirror killing itself. Maetel says the Andromeda galaxy reflects the mirror of something in the universe. It could be a reflection of the past Earth or its future. If this was Earth’s future, she wouldn’t be sad. She tells Tetsuro she is a woman who will be only in his memory. She is the illusion of youth in a young boy’s heart. Maetel kisses Tetsuro and says goodbye. In the final page we see Tetsuro sitting in the 999 alone, with only the scent of Maetel remaining.

The Vision of Youth - Farewell 999

 The Vision of Youth – Farewell 999 (Parts One and Two)

TV Episodes 112 - 113

Note:

For our very lengthy finale, I am splitting things into three posts. The first shall cover the television ending, the second the manga ending and the third will contain my overall thoughts and analysis.

TV Episode Summary:

In the first episode, the narrator explains how the 999 departed the Bat Planet and headed to “Prometheum”, its final destination, the planet where Tetsuro will be getting his free mechanical body. Maetel thinks of how Tetsuro’s journey is finally coming to an end, and his courage will be put to the test. The 999 starts speeding up and Maetel says it is to avoid a black hole that is near Prometheum. The 999 arrives at the planet Prometheum and starts descending down into it. Tetsuro says this is where there journey together will come to an end. Tetsuro is sad, hoping their time together would have lasted longer. The Conductor comes in and thanks the passengers for traveling with them and that this is the last stop. The 999 makes its way down to the heavily advanced society on Prometheum. The Conductor says farewell to Tetsuro, although Tetsuro says he’s not sure if this is goodbye. He’s not sure if he is going to get a mechanical body or not.

A vehicle pulls up and a woman made of translucent glass steps out. She says her name is Mirai and she is Tetsuro’s guide on this planet. Maetel confirms that the planet assigns such guides to people who have come here in search of a mechanical body. Mirai invites Tetsuro to come with her to the factory. Tetsuro tells Maetel and the Conductor he wants to see things to the very end. He shakes the hand of the Conductor and says goodbye. Maetel also says goodbye and gets in the vehicle. Tetsuro notices numerous human bodies below the ground, and Maetel says this is where the original human bodies are left for those mechanized. Tetsuro says this reminds him of Pluto and she says that Pluto can’t compare to here, where the bodies are so numerous that they cover the entire surface of the planet. They arrive at the factory and Mirai says it is a lovely paradise and a place where those who have gotten mechanical bodies can have rehabilitation.

Mirai is about to bring Tetsuro into the factory but Maetel says he has 24 hours to make his decision. Maetel tells Tetsuro to use this time to think it over. Maetel starts walking away and tells him to not let others affect this life-altering decision of his. We see Maetel walking across the ground where numerous bodies are laid to rest. She walks to a crystallized-like structure and aims a beam from her ring at it, which permits entry. Maetel says she is here, to her father. A capsule appears before her, and we hear the mysterious voice that has spoken to Maetel throughout the whole series, now revealed to be her father. Maetel says she is on her way to see her mother. He says the time has finally come, but the events to transpire may be difficult for her. She says she is prepared. For the sake of Tetsuro and other young boys she shall steel her heart. He says he feels the same way and she should go on.

Tetsuro and Mirai walk around and she shows him how everyone is happy. We see a lot of people with mechanical bodies drinking and kids running around. Tetsuro says they are just lounging around and asks when they work or study. A few near him laugh at that question. They claim they can live forever and there’s no need to work hard or study. Tetsuro is thinking like a poor person. Tetsuro thinks of how there must be something they can do with the power of eternal life. Suddenly a machine man jumps off from a high building above, The machine people around call him a fool for killing himself. Tetsuro asks why he did it before he dies and he claims living eternally is boring and hard. He’d rather be dead. The man asks Tetsuro if he still has a human body and Tetsuro says he came here on the 999. The man recognizes the name Maetel and says to not let Maetel trick him. She is the daughter of Queen Prometheum, ruler of the mechanized empire.

We see Maetel head into a large structure and up an optical elevator, wearing the capsule that her father’s consciousness is in around her neck. She heads to a throne room where her mother is sitting. Prometheum asks Maetel to come up to her so she can see her face. Maetel puts her head in her mother’s lap. She says she can’t continue this journey any further. Prometheum says it is up to Tetsuro; if he gets a machine body her journey will be over. If he rejects it, she will have to begin a new journey with another boy. Prometheum asks Maetel why she has this look on her face; after all she is helping the machine empire. They need the courageous hearts of boys like Tetsuro. Prometheum asks about Maetel’s father and she says he is in the capsule, handing it over to her. Prometheum says it serves him right. A subordinate transports in, saying Tetsuro is besides himself, and searching for Maetel.

Tetsuro runs around yelling for Maetel. Maetel arrives in a vehicle and runs up to him. Tetsuro asks her if she’s the daughter of Prometheum and she nods. Tetsuro asks why she kept it a secret and if she had another goal in mind for him. Mirai appears and says she will speak for Maetel. Mirai claims Prometheum is trying to create an eternal world without death. But to expand the universe they need courageous boys at the front. Maetel has brought many boys like that here, he is just another of them. She says for his late mother’s sake he should take his machine body now. Tetsuro looks around at the lazy machine people around and thinks to himself if human life is more virtuous than this. He says he has made up his mind. He will not be getting a machine body. He doesn’t care why she brought him here; he has learned many valuable lessons along the way including the beauty of mortal life. He thinks his mother would understand that. Maetel sheds a tear and leaves.

One of Prometheum’s subordinates grabs a hold of Tetsuro. Tetsuro asks if Maetel was behind this and yells at Maetel as he is taken away. Maetel tears up, then walks away. Prometheum is surprised that someone would oppose her will. Maetel’s father says he expected this from Tetsuro and that Prometheum loses. Prometheum says the mechanized empire will not be shaken. Maetel’s father says Tetsuro is no ordinary boy. He is a future warrior and her heart will be slain by his noble warrior’s gun. She angrily tosses the capsule aside. She is confident that no one can defeat her. One of her subordinates is transported in. Promethum isn’t satisfied with just killing Tetsuro, she wants him and the 999 thrown into the nearby black hole. Maetel, who is inside, hiding behind a pillar, grabs her father’s capsule. As she runs with it in her hands, we hear him saying how by throwing him into the reactor she can destroy the planet and to not worry about him. He is willing to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the universe.

We see the Conductor working on the 999 as Tetsuro is brought there and tossed inside, bound. Tetsuro tells the Conductor to get his handcuffs off. Suddenly the 999’s whistle goes off. Meanwhile we see Maetel descend towards the core of the planet. Her father tells her to throw him in. Suddenly a spectral form of Prometheum appears and asks if she intends on killing her, her own mother. Maetel’s father says Tetsuro is as good as dead if she doesn’t act. Maetel hesitates and drops the capsule, saying she can’t do it, she can’t kill her mother. The 999 starts taking off. The Conductor asks the Locomotive why this is happening and it says it is special orders. Maetel is thrown in a cell and watches out the window as the 999 takes off. Prometheum says she won’t forgive her for her betrayal. The 999 makes it out to space. Tetsuro is still bound. The orbital rails are gone and the 999 starts drifting towards the black hole. Tetsuro realizes Prometheum is trying to kill him and destroy the 999. Tetsuro says he doesn’t want to die; not like this.

As we start the second episode, the 999 drifts towards the black hole. Tetsuro remains bound. The Conductor tells him there is nothing they can do to escape; the 999 will be destroyed. Tetsuro encourages the Conductor; they can’t let Prometheum beat them like this. The Conductor takes out Tetsuro’s cosmo gun and uses it to destroy his bindings. The Locomotive says they are being pulled in by tractor beams and there’s nothing they can do. If they go faster they risk breaking up into bits. The Locomotive ultimately relents though and goes along with their request. Prometheum says the 999 and Tetsuro will be no more and she and her father will soon join them.

Maetel blasts the door to her cell open with her ring laser then uses a whip to take out the two guards. She makes her way to a control room where she takes out the remaining soldier. She contacts the 999, asking for Tetsuro and says she’s turned off the tractor beam. As long as she’s alive, she’ll be on his side. Tetsuro starts controlling the 999 himself, and it starts moving! Tetsuro tells the Conductor to ensure the 999 is fixed; he’s going back to planet Prometheum to get Maetel. Prometheum’s subordinates tell her about the 999 escaping its doom. They don’t know where Maetel is. Prometheum orders them to kill both Tetsuro and Maetel. Tetsuro makes his way onto a vehicle making its way to the tower where Prometheum is. Tetsuro walks down the halls and notices Mirai walking by. She makes her way to a part of the factory where machine bodies are disposed of. She is about to jump in but Tetsuro grabs a hold of her to stop her.

Mirai says she has failed as she was supposed to guide Tetsuro into a life of being mechanized and he chose to remain a human. Tetsuro slaps her and says she has her own life to live for. A small device spots them and shoots at them. The two of them run into Maetel on the way out. Tetsuro says he is sorry he ever doubted her. Tetsuro says they should go back to the 999, but she says she has something she has to do first. Tetsuro realizes she’s going to kill Prometheum. He is distressed as she is her mother, but Maetel says she isn’t going to hesitate this time. She needs her father’s energy capsule in order to do it. The capsule is with her mother and Tetsuro thinks there’s no way she can do it. Mirai says she will be able to get it. Meanwhile, Prometheum is angry at her underlings for not having captured Tetsuro and Maetel yet. Mirai comes in, saying she wants to talk about the whereabouts of Tetsuro and Maetel. She rushes up and grabs the capsule out of Prometheum’s hands and runs away. The soldiers shoot at her and hit her in the chest. Mirai hands the capsule over to Tetsuro as she dies and says because of him she learned how to live.

Tetsuro hands the capsule over to Maetel. Maetel’s father says it is up to her now. Tetsuro and Maetel make their way to the planet’s core. Suddenly Prometheum’s voice rings out and tells Maetel to stop this. They should talk it over. Maetel says she’s not going to fall for it. Her clothes will now be clothes of mourning for all the young people who died at Prometheum’s hands. Suddenly Prometheum appears and grabs Maetel. Prometheum tells Tetsuro if he shoots, Maetel will die. Maetel drops her father’s capsule and when Prometheum lunges for it, Tetsuro shoots at it and it falls into the planet’s core. Prometheum goes towards them, saying she will take them with her when an explosion from below strikes her. Before she dies she says with this planet’s reactor destroyed, the planet will fall into the black hole. The planet starts shaking as Tetsuro and Maetel make their way out. We see parts of the city being destroyed.

Maetel tells Tetsuro to carefully look at those mechanical people around them. While they have eternal life, when it comes down to it, they can’t do anything; they are just quivering in fear. Tetsuro and Maetel make it back to the 999, which starts to take off. The 999 is able to successfully start and begins taking off from the planet. Explosions continue to occur across the planet as the 999 heads into the atmosphere. Maetel watches, tears in her eyes. The entire planet of Prometheum explodes shortly after. Maetel says her mother used to be so kind, like Tetsuro’s mother. But once she set out to build a utopia of eternal life, she changed, becoming distant. She misses the days when she and her parents happily lived together and wishes she could go back to those days, crying. Tetsuro puts his hand on her shoulder, saying this is the first time he’s seen her cry. Maetel hugs Tetsuro, crying.

The 999 returns to the station at the Bat Planet. Tetsuro steps out, saying he can start a new journey. The Conductor asks him where he’s going and he says back to Earth. It won’t be easy, but he vows he will return there, even though mechanical people are still in charge. The Conductor says it is very admirable and he’ll pray for his success. Maetel says she’s heard what he’s decided and he’s grown up; she’s glad. He has an unlimited amount of possibilities ahead of him. Maetel starts crying but stops and says he has something to take care of; he should get on first. Maetel kneels down and kisses Tetsuro then walks off. Tetsuro steps back on the 999, first in shock, then chuckles.

Tetsuro notices an envelope on the chair in front of him. In it is a note from Maetel that says today they part ways. Tetsuro looks out the window asking for Maetel, but she’s nowhere to be seen. He then spots her sitting in another train, the 777. The 777 starts taking off. The letter says she bids him farewell. Now that he can stand on his own two feet, they must part ways. She’s journeyed all this time knowing this day would come. We see her sitting in the train with another boy. She is now leaving to lead another boy to his future. They’ll probably never see each other again. She will treasure their memories in her heart and continue her eternal journey. Tetsuro waves goodbye to Maetel as the 999 and 777 diverge in their paths. The narrator says people say that the 999 is a train that runs within young boy’s minds. Tetsuro thinks to himself, maybe from the very beginning, his journey was really a solitary one. Maetel was a vision that propelled his journey, a fleeting dream towards the future.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Prometheum – Ryoko Kinomiya

Maetel’s Father – Banjou Ginga

Mechanized Captain – Yasuo Tanaka

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani

Mirai – Keiko Yokozawa

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Yasuo Tanaka previously appeared as the mayor in episode 89, Captain in episode 96 and Pastor in episode 99. Keiko Yokozawa previously appeared as Hanako in episodes 60 – 61, Naya in episode 85 and Zoya in episode 98. Beyond their recurring roles played here, Banjou Ginga and Kouji Totani have both previously appeared as minor characters.