The One Book Left in the Universe

The One Book Left in the Universe

TV Episode 98

TV Episode Summary:

Tetsuro complains about the noise of the 999 as he eats with Maetel in the dining hall. The Conductor comes in to announce their next stop as the “Planet of the Forgotten Ones”, with a 21 hour layover. The Conductor rushes through, not responding to Tetsuro when he tries to stop him. Tetsuro thinks something odd is going on and says the Conductor talked about a “scheduled” stop, something he usually doesn’t do.  The Conductor issues a report in the locomotive to the Railway Administration, claiming there is some oddity about this planet. The Railway Administration says since something odd is going on, it won’t let them bypass the planet without stopping on it.

As the 999 arrives on the planet we see the remains of some large ships, as well as a volcano and a desolate wasteland. The 999 eventually makes its way to a city and stops at the station. Tetsuro and Maetel, noticing how hot it is, strip down to some lighter clothing. They walk through the city, finding it to be like a ghost town. The ground starts shaking and Maetel says it is just an earthquake. The setting changes to a tree which has been hollowed out to make it a home! Inside a young man named Mori is writing. A woman named Zoya approaches saying they need to apply for evacuation. Mori doesn’t seem willing to leave, he wants to record what happens to this planet despite her pleas. Zoya leaves. Tetsuro sees her running off, but Maetel tells him not to bother her.

Zoya heads to a space station to submit an application for Mori. She is told he has to come himself. The soldier there thinks he is of no use to their society. Tetsuro struggles with him and is also thrown down. Zoya claims it is all Mori’s fault and Tetsuro and Maetel introduce themselves to Zoya, who says she is Mori’s girlfriend. Tetsuro wants to hear the details from her and they head to the hotel. Tetsuro finds the hotel abandoned too, and Zoya claims people are off to apply for evacuation. Zoya points out the odd color of the sun to them. Their sun will be exploding soon, which will destroy their planet. The changes to the sun have caused climate changes, the death of crops and animals and even the sea has dried up. As such, the citizens are planning for an evacuation, but there is a limit to how many can get on the spaceship.

Zoya wanted Mori to apply for evacuation, but he wants to log everything about this planet. There’s only 30 minutes until the qualification test is held. Tetsuro wants to meet Mori, but Maetel warns him with the planet in this condition the 999 may need an emergency departure. Tetsuro isn’t that concerned. Another earthquake hits and the hotel starts falling apart. Tetsuro notices a volcano nearby, and it soon erupts! Tetsuro rushes off. At the 999, the Conductor worries and the 999’s departure whistle goes off. The Conductor heads to the locomotive, asking for it to wait to take off.

Tetsuro makes his way to the tree house and goes in to confront Mori. Mori is insistent that he stay here and work on what he is writing. He feels that something 99% complete is the same as 0% and doesn’t want to throw away what he’s working on. Tetsuro tells him of his journey to get a mechanical body and Mori insists he escape. Tetsuro tries to drag Mori with him. Zoya comes in and Mori tells her not to cause trouble. She tells him his evacuation application was accepted because of Maetel and Tetsuro. Maetel says they should return to the 999. There is another volcano eruption.

Tetsuro and Maetel find a vehicle approaching, it is Hanza, the soldier who accepted the evacuation application. Tetsuro is worried about Mori but Maetel insists he has things he desires to do. In their home, Mori tells Zoya there is only one page left to write. Zoya says she can make it into a book and submits it into a computer they have in their home. Mori thinks of how nice Tetsuro was. Hanza arrives and says that Zoya has been accepted, but Mori has not. Someone like Mori, a writer, is not considered necessary for their new civilization. Zoya says she is going to stay with Mori, although Hanza says they need women like her to bear children. Zoya doesn’t care and tells him to leave. Mori also insists Zoya depart, but she refuses. Hanza leaves. Tetsuro has arrived and asks if they are going to die. He doesn’t want people like them to die and suggests they get on the 999. He’ll beg for them to get on, even though they don’t have a pass.

Mori insists on staying, as does Zoya, although she hands Tetsuro the book, “1,600,000 Light Years of Silence”, telling him it’s just missing the last page. Tetsuro says farewell and goes with Maetel. Mori is dedicated to writing until the very end. Volcanic eruptions continue and the debris from them cause the forest around Maetel and Tetsuro to catch fire while they flee. The ground also starts cracking open. As they reach the city they see the evacuation spaceship taking off. An explosion occurs shortly after takeoff and it ends up crashing into the volcano. At the station the Conductor continues to beg the locomotive to stay. Tetsuro and Maetel arrive just in time to get on.

The lava starts rises close to Mori and Zoya’s home Mori completes the final page; his book is now complete. He puts it in a machine and a rocket blasts the book out into space. The tree house starts catching fire around them. Zoya wonders if Tetsuro and Maetel made it safely to the 999. Mori and Zoya want to meet again reborn and kiss as the lava rises and the entire tree house bursts aflame. On the 999 Tetsuro looks out the window sadly, wondering if Mori finished his book and what became of them. On their way back Tetsuro wants to stop by here and read the last page of the book. He wonders why Mori was so persistent on writing his manuscript. Maetel says it’s because the planet was going to perish and he didn’t know if he was going to survive. Tetsuro wonders if one wouldn’t try as hard if things didn’t perish. We see debris from the sun make its way towards the planet, further destroying it. Eventually the sun explodes and the planet is destroyed along with it. We see a shot of Mori’s book floating in a capsule throughout space while Tetsuro reads his copy on the 999.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Zoya – Keiko Yokozawa

Mori – Yoku Shioya

Hanza – Toshio Furukawa

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Keiko Yokozawa previously appeared as Hanako in episodes 60 – 61 and Naya in episode 85. Yoku Shioya previously appeared as Leaf in episode 82, Nasuka in episode 87 and a boy in episodes 60 – 61. Toshio Furukawa appeared previously as the Handsome Man in episode 6, Ikari in episode 74, Lestel in episode 85 and Wester in episode 89.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

The theme of planets coming to an end has been a common theme recently in these episodes that are not based on the original Galaxy Express 999 manga. This is the third such story, with the other two being Lifeform Number Three (episode 83) and Planet Crossroads of Destiny (episode 88). Here we come across a planet that is about to die due to its sun being about to explode. We meet Mori, a writer, and his girlfriend, Zoya. The planet’s authorities have come up with a plan to evacuate important people off the planet, but Mori has no desire to leave. He wants to stay here to the very end and finish is book about this planet. Mori’s mentality seems a bit foolhardy in this day and age; there surely could have been some way he could make it off the planet and still finish his book, if he had been willing to go. While he wouldn’t have directly been there when the planet died, he pretty much would have known what was happening since he had already lived through much of the planet coming to an end, just not the last second destruction.

A planet evacuating its citizens, but only certain people is an interesting concept, and one that surely would be the case if some cataclysm occurred in our life with short notice. Unlike the earlier episode Lifeform Number Three where only two characters are able to make it away, specially chosen by a military leader, here people have to apply, and may or may not get accepted based on their value. It’s a harsh reality to not be chosen, but ultimately that is what would have to occur if this were to take place. People like doctors, scientists, etc… are more apt to be important to their new world than a writer would be. I just hope that corruption wouldn’t come into play, and unfortunately in the world we live in that probably would be the case. Politicians, and people who can pay for it, even if they are not really deserving to be evacuate would likely get the seat over normal folk. The episode has a cruel twist in that those evacuating don’t make it off the planet anyway; the rocket malfunctions (or perhaps got hit by debris) and immediately crashes killing them all. Ultimately Mori’s book, the two copies he created (one shot into space and the other given to Tetsuro) are going to be all that’s left of this planet’s memory.

This episode is based on the chapter “1.4 Million Light Years of Silence from Matumoto’s “Four Dimensional World” manga.