Laboratory of Eternal War

Laboratory of Eternal War

Manga Chapter 9-4

TV Episodes 47 - 48

Manga Chapter Summary:

The narrator explains how humans have fought since the beginning of history, and this story is about one people have been watching in books and movies since childhood. A pair of soldiers are in a desert-like environment, spotting a tank 200 meters in front of them. One of them is able to successfully fire a projectile and blow up the nearby tank. His colleague stands up for too long, thinking there aren’t any enemies left though and is promptly shot. The firer of the projectile, named Zeda, tends to him and the soldier talks about what he’ll do when he gets home. He spots the 999 approaching from the skies above and mentions how he once wanted to board it.

On the 999, the Conductor announces the next stop as Rifle Grenade, with a stop time of 28 hours. The 999 passes over the battle torn landscape; explosions raging all around. Tetsuro smells old gunpowder and says this reminds him of when they encountered the unmanned tanks on El Alamein. He feels like it is an ugly place. Maetel says they are safe due to the barrier around the 999. The 999 makes its way towards the station, which is located in a bunker. Within the station it is quiet and they head up an elevator to the hotel, which is directly connected. Maetel says because of this they’ll have no fear of missing the train.

Maetel calls up room service to order them food, which is brought automatically quite quickly. As they start eating, the curtain in the hotel room opens up, showing the war raging directly outside of their window. Tetsuro comments on how it is like watching a movie. Tetsuro initially thinks it is a 3D hologram before being told by Maetel that it is real life. Zeda, fighting outside, looks at Tetsuro directly, but Matel claims the hotel is safe. Maetel tells Tetsuro this planet was build to attract tourism income. They earn money from tourists buying weapons, which keeps up the fighting.

Zeda, makes his way around the hotel, blowing a hole into it. An announcement comes out on a loudspeaker, stating that a deserter from the defeated Northern Corps has invaded inside and to report him if they see him. Suddenly an explosion rocks the entrance to the hotel room. Zeda comes in, angry at Tetsuro and Maetel watching the fighting outside. He fires into the center of the room and calls them vultures before passing out. When Tetsuro wakes, he, Maetel and Zeda are all out in the desert. Maetel tells Zeda he will be grabbed and killed if he were to stay at the hotel so she brought them out here. She says they didn’t want to eat while watching him be killed. He is surprised as tourists usually are happy to see just that. She says not all are willing to see such a thing. Tetsuro agrees; he doesn’t like seeing people’s blood while eating and he didn’t close his eyes at it due to his surprise.

Zeda encourages Tetsuro to come with him into the desert to see what things are really like here. Tetsuro decides to go along with him and tells Maetel, who will be staying back at the hotel, that he’ll be back by departure time. Tetsuro and Zeda head through the desert for a long time. Tetsuro has to keep telling himself that traveling through such heat isn’t painful. The desert is quite wide, and Zeda says it is so no bullets will reach the living area. Zeda tells Tetsuro his name and calls himself a combat guinea pig. Tetsuro reveals his name and his quest to go to a planet where he can get a free mechanical body. Zeda is shocked that such a planet exists, then laughs. He asks about Maetel, saying she feels different than the humans and mechanical people he’s met. Tetsuro says he doesn’t know or care; he doesn’t snoop on people.

Later, the sun starts setting. Zeda asks Tetsuro if he likes the sunset, saying he doesn’t like it. He wonders if he’ll see the rising sun tomorrow. Tetsuro laughs, as the sun rising in the morning is natural; Zeda calls him blessed as he doesn’t have to live a life worrying about dying. He says combat guinea pigs like himself have no tomorrow or future. They continue on, and Tetsuro notices a bad stench. Zeda says it is the stench of dead combat guinea pigs. They soon are before a massive pit of dead bodies. Zeda says they collect them here away from the tourists, and this is the fate of those who are combat guinea pigs.

Later that night, the two of them sit by a campfire. Zeda offers Tetsuro some meat to eat, but he declines, not being able to get over the smell from earlier. Zeda tells him there are worse places in space than here. Tetsuro tastes the meat but doesn’t like it. We soon see a female soldier, Santana approach, telling Zeda their attack on the tourism bureau went well, enabling them to steal equipment and control branch points of the Transportation Bureau. They now have a number of tanks on their side. Zeda says farewell to Tetsuro, telling him to go back to the 999 and that they are rebelling and the battle with the planet’s rulers have begun. The next time Tetsuro comes to this planet his people’s government will be in place. They may be poorer, but it will be peaceful. He tells Tetsuro that when he returns to not be with a machine body; he likes him the way he is. He may die tomorrow but he doesn’t want eternal life.

Tetsuro heads back to the 999 as the sky is lighted up by explosions. Suddenly Tetsuro is struck by a shot from afar. Some android men approach Tetsuro, wondering if he is a rebel. They spot his warrior weapon and upon seeing him bleed realize he’s a human being. They check his pocket and find his 999 pass. They decide to kill Tetsuro and are about to do so when they get blasted by Zeda. Zeda tells Tetsuro he doesn’t have to travel to the 999 by himself and is happy he came. Suddenly Zeda is shot by another android soldier in the distance. Tetsuro destroys the shooter, but Zeda has taken a mortal wound. He is okay with his death, knowing that he and his friends have worked to change history. He’s happy that he met Tetsuro and that there are people like him in other worlds. Tetsuro buries him. We next see Tetsuro and Maetel on the 999 as it leaves the planet. Tetsuro asks Maetel if the rebellion was successful and she says no, they were defeated and all were killed. Tetsuro sheds a tear, speaking of how Zeda believed that history would change. Tetsuro says he doesn’t want to return to this planet as long as it is like this.

TV Episode Summary:

The TV adaption adds quite a bit to the storyline. In particular we get quite a lot more scenes of fighting included in both episodes. Maetel provides more explanation to Tetsuro of the planet being focused on tourism while they are still in the 999. Maetel chooses not to eat in the hotel room like she does in the manga. Beyond just Tetsuro and Maetel, we are see a bunch of people from various parts of the hotel watching the battle. We get an explanation from Maetel early in the episode about the combat guinea pigs whom she claims are brought here from the planets Gomes and Inverto.

In the manga chapter Zeda has a female colleague Santana who appears briefly; her role is expanded considerably in the TV episodes. Before he enters the hotel, Santana and another soldier, Brudas, catchup with him, wanting him to take part in a revolution on the planet against its leader, the President (a character not in the manga chapter). Zeda initially refuses and gets shot in the shoulder as he flees. From here he heads to Tetsuro and Maetel’s hotel room as we see in the manga chapter. When he arrives he passes out rather quickly rather than shooting at them. Also, while he intentionally went to Tetsuro and Maetel’s room in the manga because of Tetsuro staring at him, it seems to be more of a coincidence in the episode.

After Maetel brings them out to the desert, Zeda loses the desire to shoot them upon finding out Maetel bandaged him up. He tells them of Sirius, his friend who died at the start of the episode and how he wished to travel on the 999 to a planet where they’d be free. The three of them hide when a helicopter flies by. From here Tetsuro travels through the desert with Zeda as he does in the manga.

We later have a new scene introducing the President, who is visited by an underling who says they were unable to find the deserter (Zeda), even though they had spoken to Maetel. The President wonders if Maetel gave them fake information. Rather than show Tetsuro a mass grave of bodies, Zeda shows Tetsuro a large number of rifles sticking out of the ground, representing buried bodies. The scene with Zeda and Tetsuro sitting by a campfire at night is cut. Rather, Zeda starts laughing and pulls out his gun at Tetsuro. Tetsuro flashes back to/tells Zeda of the death of his mother and Zeda puts his gun down. We also have a flashback of Tetsuro getting his revenge on Count Mecha. Zeda reveals his plan was to kill Tetsuro and steal his 999 pass, but he’s changed his mind and won’t run away.

Santana and Brudas show up and Zeda tells Tetsuro of his intent to take part in a rebellion against the president. Tetsuro says he has to go back to the hotel and says he’ll pray for his victory. Zeda, Santana and Brudas approach the opposing army of combat guinea pigs form the planet Inverto and presses them to join forces with them to rebel. Inverto’s leader agrees.

Tetsuro returns to the 999 where the Conductor tells him Maetel was taken away by the President’s men. Maetel is meeting with the President at that moment, who is upset at her lying. He considers the soldiers fighting aliens that are below him. Maetel references a dictator on Earth who had similar intentions as he who was defeated (I’m presuming she is referring to Hitler, although no actual name is used). The President’s underling returns and tells him spy M-2 has returned. The president lets Maetel go as she is a tourist, but tells her he won’t be so easy on her next time. The President is told by M-2 about Zeda uniting the two armies to fight against them. The President wants to put on a big performance with them defeating the rebels, enabling them to charge tourists even more money. He gives M-2 a pass to the 999 as his reward, but says he won’t be able to board until they stop the uprising.

Tetsuro catches up with Maetel and tells her about Zeda’s rebellion. People at the hotel are told about how there will be a show of the soldiers being taken out by the President’s forces. Tetsuro is upset to hear that Zeda’s plans are known and Maetel mentions there is a spy. Tetsuro heads back out to the desert and realizes the battle has already begun. Zeda speaks to his men and they board some trucks when Tetsuro shows up and tells them there is a spy and the President knows their plans. Brudas claims Tetsuro has come to mess with their plans. Zeda thanks Tetsuro but tells him they can’t stop. Zeda’s forces meet up with their new allies from Inverto. Zeda and the others approach the city and spot only a few guards, giving them confidence to move forward with their attack.

As they move forward, Santana notices Brudas heading off separately and tells Zeda something is wrong with him. Brudas, revealed as M-2, reports to the President’s forces. Santana watches from nearby. Beams of light are shown towards the rebel forces and the President’s forces start blasting them with a series of tanks they have surrounding them. Tetsuro nears. Zeda is hit by a shot in the leg. Many tourists watch the battle from above in a helicopter. Zeda tells his men to retreat and they do so although most are killed.

Santana confronts Brudas, accusing him of being the spy. He tells her their forces are done for and kills her. Tetsuro reveals himself and confronts Brudas, but a pair of android soldiers show up and shoot Tetsuro’s gun away. Brudas thanks them and they reveal their orders from the President are to kill him, so they shoot him. Similar to the manga, Tetsuro is saved from the android soldiers by Zeda. Zeda sadly looks at Santana’s body. Zeda says this is his fault and he wishes he listened to Tetsuro. Brudas, who is still alive, shoots at Zeda and Tetsuro kills him. Zeda dies in Tetsuro’s arms and says this is the fate of the combat guinea pigs. His faith that his side will win in the end that he had in the manga chapter is removed.

Maetel shows up and grabs Tetsuro’s gun with a whip. Tetsuro wants to head to the President’s quarters and she tells him not to and that the rebellion was wiped out. We cut to the 999 where Tetsuro is angry at the President and thinks they will just get more combat guinea pigs from other planets.  Maetel thinks that those have rebelled is proof that eventually another Zeda will arrive and eventually they will defeat the President.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Zeda – Toru Furuya

Sirius – Kaneto Shiozawa (Episode 47 only)

Santana – Chiyoko Kawashima

Tourism Secretary – Yonehito Kitagawa

President – Banjou Ginga

Brudas – Rokurou Naya

Restaurant Manager – Toshiyuki Yamamoto (Episode 48 only)

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Chiyoko Kawashima previously voiced Claire in episode 3, “Resting Warriors on Titan” and Chromeria in episode 25, “Steel Angel”. Yonehito Kitagawa and Banjou Ginga have voiced a variety of minor characters in previous episodes, and Ginga also voices the Mysterious Voice. Although this is their first appearance on Galaxy Express 999, both Toru Furuya and Kaneto Shiozawa are prolific and well known voice actors from this time period and will make more appearances in the show in future episodes.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

It is a rather dark and depressing chapter/pair of episodes this time as the 999 heads to a planet where war has been turned into a tourist attraction. Galaxy Express 999 often focuses on looking at the life of those in the lower class (typically humans) versus the upper class (typically mechanized humans). This storyline takes it further. A group of people are so low in society that they are literally treated as combat slaves. In the TV episode it is presented as humans from several other planets being captured and forced to act as soldiers. Said people have to live in constant fear of their life and are forced to participate in the battle as much as they can. They are basically living in hell, and as we see, particularly in the manga chapter with the pit of bodies, countless numbers of them have died.

What makes things all the worse is that on this planet it is treated as a tourist attraction. People come from other planets, go to the hotel and watch as people are literally gunned down right outside of their window. Tetsuro is so surprised by it at first that he thinks it isn’t even real. I’d assume this is Matsumoto condemning the general public for our tendency to be totally fine with watching extreme amounts of violence. Things like war movies, action movies, etc… are extremely popular. I feel particularly so for someone who lives in the west, such as the U.S. In this storyline the tourists are so desensitized to it that they view it as entertainment. It’s like they don’t even view the combat guinea pigs as other human beings. The movie Running Man (which was based on a story by Stephen King) is a U.S. movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger which has a very similar story to this, with just the fighting taking place in a more urban area instead of a desert.

Much of the chapter/episodes are about Tetsuro learning about the experiences of Zeda, one of the combat guinea pigs. If anything it is a journey that helps both of them understand each other’s experiences better. Tetsuro learns of what a horrible life it is to be a combat guinea pig. Zeda realizes that Tetsuro has suffered as well. In the TV episode we find that Zeda was planning on killing Tetsuro to seize his 999 pass, but upon learning of Tetsuro’s past forgoes it. Ultimately in both the manga and the TV episode it is Zeda that saves Tetsuro from death in the end, sacrificing his own life to save him.

This is one of the darkest storylines in the entire series, perhaps tops in that department. In the manga, as Zeda dies, he at least dies with some faith that his colleagues will succeed with their rebellion. Yet in the final pages Maetel slams the door on that by revealing that the rebellion was a failure and they all died. It is a very unfortunate end with no hope for the reader. The TV episode ending cuts out Zeda’s faith in the rebellion, which makes sense as he just saw it fail. Maetel is a bit more faithful that someone like Zeda will appear again in the future though.

The TV episode adds a lot more action and storyline to it regarding the rebellion, which overall I felt added more to things. The one thing not as effective was the pit of bodies being replaced by rifles representing graves. Perhaps the body pit was seen as too harsh to include in the episode, although the TV adapters sure didn’t shy away from all the shooting and death that pervades the storyline. With the last couple of storylines being lesser ones focusing on Tetsuro losing his pass, it is good to see the quality pick up again with this one.

 

The Future Planet

The Future Planet

Manga Chapter 9-3

TV Episodes 49

Manga Chapter Summary:

The Conductor steps into the train car to announce the next stop, but finds both Tetsuro and Maetel are asleep! The 999 approaches its latest planet, which has a variety of spiky hole-like objects jutting out from it. Tetsuro and Maetel wake up finding the 999 has already landed. Tetsuro claims this planet is like the 4 ½ Mat Planet they visited. Maetel says she’s sleep and they should go to their hotel and sleep. Seeing old fashion, dilapidated houses around them, Tetsuro is reminded of the hut he and his mother used to live in. Tetsuro spots a man repairing his roof only for the man to fall through it!

They make their way to a larger building, which is the Galaxy Express’ hotel for this planet. Tetsuro finds the inside of the hotel to remind him of a western. The innkeeper tells them their room is on the second floor and that he’ll bring them a meal later. Tetsuro finds the stairs about to fall apart below him and finds the view from the room both good and bad. The innkeeper brings them their meal, which includes fish and a large bowl of rice that he and Maetel eat. The innkeeper also tosses in an old radio. Tetsuro wonders if he can listen to it and Maetel says it was left for a reason.

Tetsuro is full and plops down on the floor. A young woman comes in shortly afterwards, Nami, the innkeeper’s daughter, to bring them tea. She angrily yells at her cat wandering around the hall. Tetsuro looks around for the bath and is told by Nami that it’s downstairs. Tetsuro gets in the bath but finds it lukewarm. The innkeeper overhears him and works on throwing more wood in the fire below to heat it up. Nami comes to wash Tetsuro’s back and he tells her about the scar on it he obtained on the Fossilized Planet. She says she’s envious of his ability to travel to various places.

Tetsuro returns to his room and Maetel goes down to get a bath herself. The innkeeper says he’ll wash her, causing Nami to strike him in the head with a mallet. That night both Tetsuro and Maetel get in their beds to go to sleep. Tetsuro suddenly hears a lot of noise and realizes the windows are boarded up. Suddenly things get very crazy and the entire building starts collapsing around them, caused by a fierce typhoon outside. Once it’s over, the entire hotel is rubble. Tetsuro is shocked to find that the hotel was the only building impacted! Tetsuro realizes that his pass has blown away. Maetel says it must be with her trunk which is also missing.

The innkeeper shows up and asks Tetsuro and Maetel if they heard about the typhoon on the radio. He had nailed the windows and doors shut after hearing about it. The innkeeper and Nami don’t seem too bothered about the fact that the entire hotel collapsed. Tetsuro and Maetel head to the station where they sit on the stairwell, waiting until whoever has the pass comes here. Tetsuro is concerned about the happiness on the innkeeper and Nami’s faces, wondering if they had something to do with it being taken. Some old people come by and give them some food to eat. As they eat, Tetsuro tells Maetel the people here are really kind and it’s just like the place he grew up as there are no great houses around.

Night falls and Tetsuro wonders how long the 999 will stay here. Maetel tells him to stay here and live with her. Tetsuro says this is just like what happened when they were on the 4 ½ Mats planet. He doesn’t want to stay here, but continue on his journey and get his free mechanical body. Tetsuro and Maetel wake up later and find their clothes, suitcases and passes sitting in front of them! The innkeeper and Nami are there and say they searched all over town. Tetsuro is surprised no one wanted to use the 999 pass. Both of them say they would want to earn it themselves. No one here is envious of what others have and feel there’s nothing they can’t get. They head back to rebuild their hotel. Tetsuro feels good and Maetel says this planet is like he is. The 999 departs. Tetsuro says he wishes he could have been born on a planet like this.

TV Episode Summary:

The core plot of this episode is intact, with only minor changes made for the most part. We have a little more dialogue early on with the Conductor announcing the name of their next stop as “The Future Planet”. The planet looks vastly different in the episode, kind of like Earth. When Tetsuro and Maetel walk through the streets towards their hotel we focus on more people beyond just the man on the roof.

Nami’s cat comes into the hotel room while Tetsuro and Maetel are eating; leading to Tetsuro and him fighting over the fish. Nami is the innkeeper’s wife rather than daughter. Tetsuro tries to get Nami to lie for him about him taking a bath but she refuses and tells him he smells. Tetsuro ends up getting too hot in the bath when the innkeeper warms it up.

We have a new scene at night of the Conductor talking about how quiet it is here. In bed, Tetsuro asks Maetel if the incredible kindness of the innkeepers are real. After the hotel is destroyed, Tetsuro is skeptical of the innkeeper and Nami immediately rather than waiting until they head to the station to feel this way. Tetsuro also gets a lot more upset on the stairs at the station than he does in the manga. We have a flashback of Tetsuro’s mother’s death when he is on the stairs thinking about his mother’s dying wish. Finally, at episode’s end we have an added scene with the hotel being repaired as the 999 takes off.

All references to the 4 ½ Mats Planet is cut as this chapter was adapted in the TV show prior to that one.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Inn Owner – Jouji Yanami

Nami – Mami Koyama

Mother – Keiko Miyazaki

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Jouji Yanami previously appeared as the Dark Knight in “Beethoven of the Water Planet” (episode 15) and the father in “Fury Planet” (episode 31). Mami Koyama previously appeared as Spiral in “Ulatores’ Mountain of Screws” (episode 33).

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This chapter returns us once more to the most overused plot in all of Galaxy Express 999, Tetsuro losing his pass. It is as infuriating as ever, because we just got that storyline last chapter. This time it comes due to very strange circumstances! Tetsuro and Maetel stay at a hotel and a typhoon hits, causing their passes to blow away. Yet when they wake up from the wreckage, they realize that the hotel was the only building that was hit! Somehow the typhoon was small enough to only impact this one building. One immediately starts wondering if foul play was involved. Did the typhoon really happen? Was it manufactured so their passes can be stolen? Tetsuro becomes suspicious of the innkeeper and his daughter as they seem so happy despite their hotel being destroyed, and were so nice to Tetsuro and Maetel beforehand as well.

The big twist ends up being that there was no foul play at all. It was all a giant coincidence. And because everyone on this planet is so nice and has no envy for the possessions of others, the townsfolk look around for the pass and are able to find it and return it to Tetsuro and Maetel. They people of this planet are much like Tetsuro himself in that they are hardworking and have a strong work ethic. Despite having something so valuable in their possession, the innkeeper and his daughter simply give the passes back to Tetsuro and Maetel. While an unexpected end, this ultimately ends up being one of the least interesting chapters/episodes in all of Galaxy Express 999 because just so little happens and the main plot returns to something that has been so overused.

Kira of Storm Hill

Kira of Storm Hill

Manga Chapter 9-2

TV Episodes 43

Manga Chapter Summary:

A teenage boy, Kira, lives in a domed house with his father. His father tells him to look outside as it’s a quiet night (in reality there is a harsh wind blowing throughout the air). On the 999, the Conductor announces the next stop as Storm Hill, with a layover time of 36 hours, 36 minutes and 36 seconds. He says they may face some shaking due to the turbulence in the air flow, but there is no danger. Maetel tells Tetsuro when they enter the planet’s atmosphere that the train’s barrier disappears, exposing it.

The 999 heads through the harsh wind, but Tetsuro is still told by the Conductor that it’s not dangerous. Kira notices the 999 coming and tells his father. Kira wonders what kind of people are on it and his father tells him about how much money it costs to be on board. Even though he has connections, it’s still too much money for him. Tetsuro and Maetel walk out into the harsh storm. Maetel tells him the storm here won’t subside, and Tetsuro is nearly blown away, having to grab onto a nearby pole. Maetel tells him the hotel they’re staying at is soundproof. Despite this, once going into their room Tetsuro has a hard time hearing Maetel due to the noise of the wind. Maetel tells him to give up and go to bed and Tetsuro ties a towel around his head to block the noise.

The two of them go to sleep, but Maetel wakes up later, finding that Tetsuro’s suitcase is on the ground, open, and his pass is missing. Tetsuro rushes outside and sees Kira running down the street. He chases after him, catching up with him right outside his house. Kira’s father comes outside and upon hearing about Tetsuro’s pass, starts slapping around his son, saying he didn’t raise him to be like this. Kira claims he doesn’t have the pass though. Kira’s father begs Tetsuro to forgive them and that they’ll get it back, so not to tell the police. Tetsuro returns to the hotel room, where Maetel tells him that kid couldn’t have stolen the pass as the footprints in their hotel room show that of an adult’s.

Later, the Conductor walks through the 999 railway car and spots Kira’s father sitting in one of the seats. He shows him Tetsuro’s pass and claims his name is Tetsuro Hoshino. The father is eager to finally be able to get off this planet. Tetsuro, Maetel and Kira all head towards the station as the 999 is to depart soon. Spotting Kira outside, Tetsuro jumps him and starts beating him up. Kira tells him if they can get on the train together, he can get Tetsuro his pass back. Maetel tells Tetsuro to believe him and they get on the train. Maetel, Tetsuro and Kira get on board and Maetel claims whoever got on with the pass bearing Tetsuro’s name stole the pass. She asks the Conductor to close his eyes to what’s going on for 5 minutes. Conductor claims this is the first time he’s been terrified by the look in Maetel’s eyes.

A shot rings out, as Kira’s father it shot in the shoulder. It is revealed that it was Kira who shot him! He drops the pass, causing Tetsuro to realize who really stole it. Kira tells his father to return the pass, but his father says it’s too late for him; if he confesses he stole it, he will be sentenced to death. He has no choice but to continue to be Tetsuro Hoshino. He pushes away Tetsuro, but Kira fires again, telling his father he’s going to shoot him in the head this time. Kira’s father relents, and the Conductor tells them that he hasn’t seen anything, letting them off without punishment.

As they go, Maetel tells Kira that his father is a good man, as his parenting reflected on what good a kid Kira is. Kira says he’ll definitely go into space someday and he and Tetsuro will get along if they meet up again. As the 999 departs, Maetel tells Tetsuro that there are times when people want to run away if they think they’ll end their lives here. She believes Kira will surely buy a pass and ride the train someday, even if she’s unsure if he will survive. As the 999 takes off, Kira watches, saying to wait for him, he’ll ride someday.

TV Episode Summary:

The TV episode makes a notable change in that Kira’s father is portrayed as being quite sick throughout, and feels that he doesn’t want to burden Kira. That is why he steals Tetsuro’s pass and boards the 999, to get away from Kira so he is no longer a burden to him. Kira’s father doesn’t slap Kira around when Tetsuro chases him, nor does he beg for forgiveness from Tetsuro. Later when Kira forces his father to give the pass back, Kira leaves the train first and Tetsuro comes out to talk to him. Kira tells Tetsuro why he was by the hotel, because he had spotted his father stealing the pass.

In terms of other minor changes, we have a line of dialogue where Kira thinks of how nothing can grow here due to the wind. We also see Tetsuro flashback to being back on Earth with his mother and a time when they couldn’t plant anything due to a harsh storm, but it was fine the next day.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Kira’s Father – Yasuo Hisamatsu

Kira – Mari Shimizu

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This chapter looked like it could be fairly interesting initially as I started it, with the heavy wind on Storm Hill. An eternal storm; it is a place where it must be so windy that a night where Tetsuro is nearly carried away by the wind is considered quiet. But my heart quickly sank as I realized this was to be yet another chapter/storyline focused on Tetsuro’s pass getting stolen. The opportunity to do an interesting story focused on the stormy nature of the planet sinks away, and it is largely just something in the background. Instead we focus on a plot that has already been done to death.

It is typically boys around his age that steal Tetsuro’s pass, but this time we have an interesting twist as is  revealed to be Kira’s father who stole it. He just casually heads onto the 999, proclaims his name is Tetsuro Hoshino and oddly enough, the Conductor goes with it. We’ve been told in the past that there are penalties for using a pass that doesn’t have your name on it, but that is dismissed here. Or perhaps Kira’s father has found a unique workaround. After all, if his name is Tetsuro Hoshino and the pass says Tetsuro Hoshino, there should be no problem, right?

Tetsuro just has no luck as it pertains to his pass getting stolen. The logistics for it being stolen here are also highly questionable. Yes, Kira and his father know the 999 has arrived, but how do they know where Tetsuro and Maetel are and that they are the passengers? There is no scene of them finding it out. Just somehow this old man with no resources to do so is able to figure out the exact hotel room where Tetsuro is so he can steal his pass? It disappoints me the plot holes we have to go through in order to make this storyline work. At least in a chapter like say “Illusion World of 4 1/2 Mats” (chapters 2-1 and 2-2) Tetsuro and Maetel made the stupid mistake of going to sleep in a public park (and the TV episode showed the thief scoping them out beforehand). Here Kira’s father is able to steal the pass with no explanation whatsoever.

Kira’s father is portrayed to be incredibly selfish. He wants to leave the planet which I get. But he is willing to abandon his son over it and beat him and blame him for the pass being stolen when it didn’t happen. Part of me wonders if there was stuff that happened off screen. Such as Kira knowing all along that his father was going to steal the pass and being fine with it, but then changing his mind as he realizes he stole the pass from a kid just like himself? Kira does somehow know that it was his father who stole it and that they can get the pass back if they go on the 999. But like with how the pass was stolen in the first place, this is a plot point that is completely skipped.

Anyway, while the twist of having the father be the thief instead of Kira was interesting, this is a chapter that really just retreads an already overdone storyline and does so by making several narrative leaps. I wasn’t particularly fond of it.

The TV adaption absolutely improves things by adding on the fact that Kira’s father is sickly and steals the pass because he doesn’t want to burden his son any longer. It is also explicitly made clear that Kira knew he stole the pass and the part where Kira’s father slaps him around is cut. Perhaps the TV adapters speculated on many of the same things I did and took this chance to fix things up a bit. Anyway, the TV episode is absolutely better than the manga chapter, although I am still sick of the repetitive storyline.