The UFO of the Planet of Forgotten Parents

The UFO of the Planet of Forgotten Parents

TV Episode 86

TV Episode Summary:

A fast moving flying saucer approaches the 999, then flies right up to it before taking off. Tetsuro complains that the shock of it is causing his wisdom teeth to hurt. The Conductor, coincidentally enough, reveals that they are heading to the “Wisdom Tooth Planet”, also known as the planet of Forgotten Parents, with a layover of 23 hours and 59 minutes. As the 999 approaches, Tetsuro comments on how poor things look. Maetel claims the area has a high population and young adults typically abandon their parents to leave for other planets. Numerous parents wait at the entrance to the station, hoping their children have returned.

Once Tetsuro and Maetel arrive at the hotel, the old innkeeper runs in excited, thinking it’s his lost child, Tetsuo. His wife comes in and clearly can tell it’s not Tetsuo, but fakes it, telling Tetsuro she’ll explain later. The innkeeper shows Tetsuro to Tetsuo’s room, telling him he’s kept it clean all this time. He also mistakes Maetel for Tetsuro’s girlfriend, and tells him to not leave again as it will hurt his mother. After he leaves his wife starts crying over the fact that he’s convinced that Tetsuro’s their son. Tetsuro looks at a photo of Tetsuo, realizing they don’t even look alike. Tetsuo’s mother claims her husband went crazy after waiting so long for their son to return. She says Tetsuo left 4 years ago to make his fortune on another planet. Tetsuro says he can pretend to be their son for one night.

Meanwhile, the UFO from earlier has landed in a swampy area and Tetsuo gets out of it. Another UFO, piloted by a woman called M-37 pursues him, claiming he’s a fugitive. Tetsuro and Maetel eat with the innkeeper. Tetsuro tells the innkeeper to take it easy and starts rubbing his shoulders for him. Tetsuro starts getting depressed over it and runs out into the backyard. Maetel comes outside to talk to him, asking if he’s thinking of his father. Tetsuro claims his father worked hard to get a pass on the 999 and never had anything good happen to him. M-37 steps into the yard, claiming she’s looking for Tetsuo. The innkeeper’s wife rushes to the innkeeper to tell him someone’s looking for Tetsuo, but the innkeeper simply thinks he’s popular with the ladies. Tetsuro tells M-37 that Tetsuo hasn’t come back and that they’re passengers on the 999. The innkeeper comes in, thinking both Maetel and M-37 are in love with his son. The real Tetsuo approaches the house.

The innkeeper and his wife go to sleep, with him talking about Tetsuo in his sleep. Tetsuro stays up and Maetel wakes up. Tetsuro says he couldn’t bear what will happen when he has to leave the old man tomorrow. Tetsuro hears a sound and goes downstairs to investigate. He runs outside and sees it is Tetsuo. Tetsuro questions why he hasn’t come to see his parents and is told this has nothing to do with him. Maetel comes outside and tells Tetsuo it’s not too late to talk to his parents. Tetsuo claims he doesn’t want to get in trouble and just wanted to see their faces. M-37 watches from above. Tetsuro and Maetel push Tetsuo to reveal the truth. He claims he killed the head of a factory on a slave planet. It is a planet where he and others were lured there by sweet words but beaten and treated like animals. He reveals numerous scars on his back and says a friend of his died. He killed the factory head, stole a UFO and fled.

Maetel asks Tetsuo if he is going to continue running away. He says he will repair the UFO and continue to flee, pulling out a gun. Maetel and Tetsuro are concerned about the worry his parents will have about and he says not to worry about him and leaves. Maetel tells Tetsuro to follow him. She heads back inside and finds M-37 is gone. The innkeeper gets up and goes to check on his son, but sees the room empty. He runs outside and starts crying. Tetsuro continues to pursue Tetsuo, who eventually runs into M-37. She claims to be a secret agent for the Slave Planet and that she’s arresting him. Tetsuro follows as she leads Tetsuo to the UFO she was piloting. Tetsuro runs in after them, and the UFO takes off.

Tetsuo is bound to a chair, but Tetsuro comes in and holds M-37 at gunpoint, telling her to land the UFO. She pushes a button and the craft shakes, enabling her to seize his gun. She asks why Tetsuro is doing this for him as he means nothing to him. He tells her to take him instead, claiming he’s doing this for Tetsuo’s father and doesn’t want him to suffer anymore. Tetsuro tells M-37 she must have parents too and should know how Tetsuo’s father feels. M-37 hands the gun back to Tetsuro and releases the locks on Tetsuo. She says she’ll tell her superiors the UFO crashed. She thanks Tetsuro, saying she’s regained her pride as a human. She lands the UFO on the planet to let off Tetsuro and Tetsuo. Tetsuo asks Tetsuro how he could ever thank him. Tetsuro says to head back to his father. Tetsuro thanks them and leaves. Tetsuo’s father claims he can hear his son. Tetsuo soon arrives and is reunited with his parents. His father asks him what happened to Maetel and the other woman, confusing him. The two laugh as the 999 takes off in the distance. On the 999, the Conductor brings Tetsuro some medicine liquid for his wisdom teeth.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Son – Toru Furuya (Tetsuo)

Father – Reizo Nomoto

Mother – Keiko Yamamoto

Secret Agent – Kazuko Yanaga

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Toru Furuya previously appeared as Zeda in episodes 47 – 48. Keiko Yamamoto previously appeared as Manabu in episode 53, as well as the boy in episode 30 and Newspaper Selling Woman in episode 40. Kazuko Yanaga previously appeared as Emilia in episodes 44 – 45.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This is the first episode of the TV series to not be adapted from any manga chapter, neither a Galaxy Express 999 chapter nor a chapter of one of Matsumoto’s other manga, making it a TV original. It is one of seven TV original episodes. This planet focuses on a poor planet where many children have left their parents, seeking success elsewhere. A reflection of what probably happens in many rural places to this day. Tetsuro and Maetel come across an old man who mistakes Tetsuro for his son, who is coincidentally named very similarly, Tetsuo. Tetsuro quickly grows sorry for the old man and decides to pretend to be his son.

As I was watching the episode I did appreciate Tetsuro’s kindness in part, although did worry what would happen when Tetsuro had to inevitably leave. For the old father to lose his son a second time would be heartbreaking. But coincidentally enough, the real Tetsuo arrives, pursued after fleeing from a Slavers Planet. He takes the opposite tact of Tetsuro, worried that a direct meeting with his father could cause further pain. Tetsuro’s good deeds continue; he is willing to go into slavery himself to enable Tetsuo to return to his father and is eventually able to convince Tetsuo’s captor to let him go, For a show that often has downer episodes and frequently kills off the guest characters appearing in the episode, this episode surprisingly has a very happy ending as Tetsuo is reunited with his parents, no longer under pursuit by the slavers. Perhaps after so many downer episodes that the show has had, the writers on the TV show felt it would be worth giving us an episode with a happy ending in their first TV original episode.