The Armored Planet

 The Armored Planet

Manga Chapters 3-10 and 3-11

TV Episode 17

Manga Chapter Summary:

As the 999 approaches its latest planet, a dark craft passes by. Maetel tells Tetsuro it’s an artificial satellite launched by the planet’s people and has been in orbit for 3,000 years. They are approaching the Armored Planet, which Maetel says looks just like the Earth but there are barely any people on. When the two of them exit the train, they find the temperature to be rather mild.

Suddenly a beetle starts flying by Tetsuro and Maetel. It’s shell is so hard it flies through a metal column as they try to avoid it. The beetle flies through Maetel’s shoulder, injuring her greatly. Tetsuro drags Maetel back to the 999, which is protected by a protective barrier. The 999’s engine tells Tetsuro and the Conductor that there is a doctor 10 kilometers to the east, so Tetsuro heads out to find him. Maetel is worried for Tetsuro, thinking he’ll be in danger and is worried over the fact that she didn’t tell him about this planet. 

 

Suddenly a loud voice rings out, demanding the Conductor leave the train car or die. The Conductor complies. The voice tells Maetel she shouldn’t have let down her guard, but it won’t let her die. Maetel removes her clothes and light emanates from her. Tetsuro heads through the plant filled planet and realizes he hasn’t seen any insects other than that beetle. Tetsuro soon comes across the corpse of a large bug-like being. It has an armored exterior but insides that makes it look like it was once a living being. Tetsuro spots a deceased man nearby who looks like a human, but like the large bug appeared to have biological organs inside it. 

 

Tetsuro detects a living being nearby. Another humanoid, armored like the deceased man Tetsuro found  approaches. The man, named Nutalle, is angry at Tetsuro for speculating that he is an android. Tetsuro claims he is looking for a doctor for Maetel. Nutalle tells Tetsuro that he has trespassed and is going to die. Tetsuro shoots at him, but Nutalle tells him no weapon in the universe can destroy his body. Tetsuro flees and falls off a cliff. 

 

Tetsuro climbs back up, finding Nutalle gone. He is knocked over when a couple of fireflies fly into him. Tetsuro spots a glowing home nearby and heads to it. Inside, Tetsuro finds an older, armored man laying in a bed. The man, who is the doctor, and Nutalle’s father, Subari, tells him he can’t move and is almost completely dry inside. He tells Tetsuro to never come back to this planet as all living beings on it will cease to live shortly. Tetsuro is surprised due to their advanced technology. The doctor tells him he can’t heal as easily as him with his rigid armored skin. 

Nutalle shows up again and chases Tetsuro to the edge of a cliff. Suddenly Maetel shows up and shoots him with a gun, this time one that succeeds in damaging him. Nutalle’s legs are blown off and he falls off the cliff. Maetel tells Tetsuro dimensional reaction weapons like this can’t be withstood. She says she didn’t mean to kill him as he’s one of only two people left on the planet, and he will live. 

 

Maetel tells Tetsuro that she’s okay as the Conductor sent for another doctor. Maetel tells Tetsuro that those on this planet have died of starvation. The living beings’ armor was so strong that they couldn’t east each other. Eventually their numbers declined and they’re nearly extinct now. She claims in order to survive a society needs some sort of sacrifice from weaker beings. Tetsuro thinks about how if no other living being is the prey, then nothing can be born. Tetsuro thinks of how sad the universe is because of this.

TV Episode Summary:

This episode is really faithful to the manga chapter, with no added characters or storylines, nor any cuts. A few minor things I picked up on was that Nutalle talks about sacrificing Tetsuro as a way for he and his father to live longer in the episode. Also, his father tries to hold him back, including crawling out of his bed to do so when Nutalle finds Tetsuro at their home.

 

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Nutalle – Kiyoshi Kobayashi

Subari – Isamu Tanonaka

Man’s Voice – Banjou Ginga

Mechanical Car Voice – Shunji Yamada (Keaton Yamada)

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

In this chapter the 999 heads to the Armored Planet, a planet where its living beings have skin as hard as metal. Initially one would think this would be a good thing, as such beings would be quite powerful. But as we see in this chapter that when all living beings are so strong, they aren’t able to prey on each other in order to survive. Living beings often need to consume other living beings in order to survive. Humans consume animals, animals consume other animals, both consume plants, and so on. Weaker species unfortunately have to sacrifice much of themselves in order for the stronger species to survive. It would be righteous for all to survive, and that’s a lofty ideal, but if that’s the case then all will die as they have no ability to consume food and remain living.

 

That said, the beings of this planet can be quite powerful and scary in comparison to beings from other planets. A mere beetle flying around is enough to severely injure Maetel, and Tetsuro was no match for Nutalle. It was kind of frustrating though for Maetel to have a gun that suddenly could damage Nutalle when Tetsuro’s Cosmo gun did no good earlier. Speaking of Maetel, she suffers serious injury in this chapter and for the third time the mysterious voice appears. It is quite threatening, telling the Conductor he will die if he doesn’t leave the train car. Through the power of the mysterious voice, Maetel is healed of her wounds. Whatever her mission is, this mysterious voice won’t let her die until she fulfills it. Tetsuro doesn’t really question things when Maetel shows back up and claims the planet had another doctor, which is quite unfortunate.

 

Beyond the interesting story elements above, I did like the designs in this chapter as well. The armored planet was a lot more plant filled than one would expect based on its name. The insect designs, as well as those of the humanoid inhabitants on the planet were interesting. It’s unfortunate that they are all dying out!

 

Spoiler Analysis:

We will get a later chapter, 8-1 “Mists of the Fog Capital” (episode 39) which is for all intents and purposes the opposite of this storyline, a planet where people are extremely weak compared to regular human beings.