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.