Terminal Stations (Parts 1 - 5)

 Terminal Station Parts 1 - 5

Manga Chapters 18-4 to 18-8

Note: This is part 2 of my 3 part coverage of the finale to Galaxy Express 999. This time I cover the manga ending, which was told across 5 chapters.

Manga Chapter Summary:

Agate’s Shadow

Tetsuro and Maetel are eating in the dining car. Tetsuro says they will soon be at the terminal station, where the planet that gives him the free mechanical body is. Maetel reminds Tetsuro that this was the original purpose of his journey. The Conductor says their next stop is the “Reservation Catalog” with a transit time of 33 minutes. Tetsuro is surprised to hear about this and that the 999 won’t actually be stopping. The Conductor says this is a place where those getting a machine body at the terminal station can decide the type by looking at a catalog. Tetsuro will have those 33 minutes to decide what type of machine body he’ll have. He is at a point where he can no longer escape.

The 999 enters an area of space where 7 different black planets are connected to one another via streams of light. The 999 makes its way towards one of them. A gloomy darkness goes through the 999 and soon they can’t see each other. Eventually it gets lighter again. We cut back to the dining car, at a later time. Tetsuro has the catalog in front of him, a comprehensive catalog issued by the “Organization for the Promotion of Mechanized Bodies” that identifies all the different types of mechanical bodies that he can obtain. Maetel tells Tetsuro there are 500,000 samples to choose from!

A machine woman enters the car; she is humanoid, and completely black in color but has no hair or other features, not even a face. The woman says she will be waiting here until Tetsuro chooses from the catalog. She says her name is Agate, the delivery person for the catalog. She explains that she has this featureless body so as to provide no prejudice towards those picking their machine body. Tetsuro says she reminds him of Shadow from Pluto, as well as Claire with her crystal-glass body. Agate reveals that she is Claire’s mother! She says her daughter was a weak girl who disliked her crystal glass body and returned to the Earth. Tetsuro says that isn’t true.

Agate tells him they can talk about Claire, but he has only 23 minutes remaining to pick his mechanical body. Tetsuro asks what happens if he doesn’t choose one and Agate says she will choose it for him. He will be forced into that body, regardless of whether he likes it or not. The minutes continue to go by. Tetsuro says he wants to be alone and goes to the other train car, although Agate insists on coming along since it’s her job. Tetsuro starts talking to himself about eternal life, a mechanical body and the limited life his human body has. He grows distressed.

Tetsuro suddenly remembers something and goes to his trunk. He pulls out the crystal tear left behind by Claire and gives it to Agate. He tells her of how she fought the hallucinations in the tunnel and her body shattered to save him. Tetsuro gets frustrated and throws the catalog out the window! Agate doesn’t seem to mind, and claims there are many copies of the catalog. Since he didn’t choose, she will choose his mechanical body for him. Agate fades away into the darkness. Maetel tells Tetsuro she will be waiting for him at the planet “Great Andromeda”. Tetsuro says he needs a little more time. The Conductor says their next stop is Great Andromeda. They will be there in 100 hours.

Last Supper

The 999 approaches a new planet. Tetsuro is surprised that such a small planet can be Great Andromeda. He is corrected; this is just a temporary stop and it is actually a satellite of Great Andromeda, called “Last Supper”. It is far enough away from Great Andromeda that they are unable to see the main planet form here. Last Supper looks like Earth beyond the fact that it is shining greatly. The Conductor says they will be stopped here for 24 hours. Tetsuro says it is a gloomy name. Maetel says this is a planet akin to a funeral for your living body. This planet is the last day that he will be a human.

At the station, Maetel lets Tetsuro go off on his own and tells him to enjoy himself for the 24 hours before coming back. She says most of the inhabitants here are living people. Tetsuro walks around, finding a nostalgic appearance to the area. He heads into a ramen shop and asks for some from the owner, also asking whether he has a mechanical body. On the 999, Maetel talks to the Conductor, saying she is worried about Tetsuro and it’s hard to be by his side right now. She tells the Conductor Tetsuro didn’t choose his mechanical body and Agate will be picking it for him. The ramen shop owner asks Tetsuro if there’s something wrong and he says no. The owner tells him to enjoy it; this is the last chance he will get to enjoy this taste.

Tetsuro spots that the man has a copy of the catalog and he talks about how a new version comes out each year. The man tells Tetsuro that if he regrets coming here, there is a place where those who are lost and regret it go to, pointing out where to find it. Tetsuro wants to pay but the man tells him he doesn’t have to. Tetsuro walks out and heads in the direction the man pointed him to. The shops and houses vanish and it is just a plain of grass, but Tetsuro finds it eventually leads him to a steep cliff! Tetsuro finds a nearby sign that says to hurry up and die. He realizes that if someone becomes lost in their decision about getting a mechanical body, they are encouraged to kill themselves.

Tetsuro smashes the sign and heads back to the ramen shop, saying he doesn’t want to die yet. The man says there are some who stay behind here like he has, they don’t want to become a machine, but they also don’t have the courage to die. This is the end of the line for them. He says the machine empire doesn’t deal with humans who don’t have the courage to make one of those decisions. Tetsuro walks off and runs into a young woman who tells him there is still some fun he can have here if he doesn’t feel like getting a machine body. He can live here until he dies.

At the 999, the Conductor wonders what has happened; he hasn’t heard a sound. Maetel steps out but says she will come back. She is fine with staying here if Tetsuro makes that decision. The Conductor wonders what will happen to him. Maetel finds the ramen shop and the owner tells her he’s around the corner with a girl he ran into. He seems to recognize Maetel and she says goodbye and that she’s looking forward to seeing him on Earth someday. Earth is just a distant memory to him.

Maetel walks down the street and sees Tetsuro through a restaurant window with his mouth stuffed and his belly sticking out. The young woman is there next to him in shock. Tetsuro has consumed a tremendous amount of food, wanting to not forget it. The woman said she’s going to the terminal station; she stopped living here but decided to stop by here on a trip on her own as she headed to the end of the line. Tetsuro wants to eat more but Maetel drags him with her. As the 999 departs Last Supper, the girl looks at it, removes her mask and wig and is revealed to be Agate.

Turbulent Superspace

The 999 starts accelerating in order to enter the turbulent hyperspace around Great Andromeda. Tetsuro notices a fluttering comet like object near the 999 which Maetel reveals is actually a planet; the 999’s speed is making it look this way. The 999’s Locomotive demands they speed up even further. The 999 makes its way through a whirlpool like part of space. Later, the Conductor tends to Maetel, who tells him Tetsuro is in the toilet. The Conductor talks of how once one becomes mechanical, they don’t have to use the bathroom anymore. He knocks on the bathroom door where Tetsuro is, having spent a long time there due to all the food he at earlier. Tetsuro departs the bathroom and comments on the noisiness, with the Conductor claims is due to the plasma discharge as they go through hyperspace; it is like lightning strikes.

The Conductor reveals that there will be no passengers on the 999 as it makes its return trip back. Tetsuro asks about Maetel and he says it depends on her. Tetsuro makes his way back towards the train car, but stops just outside it as Maetel is talking to the mysterious voice from within her suitcase. He claims the end is near and that Tetsuro is different from the boy he used to be. Tetsuro recognizes the voice; having heard it before. Maetel says she’s come to a point where she can’t turn back and asks if she can die when this is over. This talk shocks Tetsuro. Some time passes and Tetsuro comes back into the train car. The Conductor says its 13 minutes left and they should be able to see the planet Great Andromeda. The Conductor looks outside the window, although Tetsuro hesitates.

Planetary Andromeda

The Conductor says thank you to everyone for having ridden on the 999 for such a long time. They are just 5 minutes away from the terminal station, Great Andromeda. It is time to say goodbye. He thanks them from the bottom of his heart and tears start coming out of his eyes. The 999 approaches Great Andromeda, a massive planet that is black in color but has lights that, as Tetsuro puts it, are like the shape of a giant spider web. Maetel claims that she liked glittering spider webs when she was a child. Tetsuro asked if the planet’s design came from this and she says yes. He asks why this is so and she says parents love their children very much. Knight escort satellites arrive to escort the 999. Maetel says this place is very vigilant and is a sacred place that cannot be invaded. As the 999 descends, Tetsuro notices that it’s a sea of lights, in a seemingly bottomless amount of layers. Maetel claims that everything on the planet except the core is a mechanical structure. It is a giant planet, with two hearts.

The 999 passes a giant black tower with faces at the top of it. Maetel claims it is an exhaust stack that goes to the center of the planet. On this planet layer after layer of machine is added. It is a planet that will swell infinitely. We can see the 999 travel over the top layer of the planet but see a number of skyscrapers in a layer just below it. The Conductor says they will be at the station in 1 minute and goodbye to Tetsuro. The 999 makes its way to another giant structure. Maetel says this is a big station where the upper floors act as hotels. It is the entrance to this planet. The 999 makes its way into the station and stops. Tetsuro tells himself he’s arrived. He is setting his feet on this destination. He says to his mother that he’s finally here. Tetsuro tells Maetel this station is many times larger than that on Megalopolis. Maetel claims many people used to be here.

Tetsuro notices the Conductor getting off as well; he claims he has to make a report to the administration here. The Conductor says he enjoyed the trip with Tetsuro and can’t believe he is going to obtain a machine body. Tetsuro says he hasn’t come to that point yet. He’s been thinking about whether it is better to have a living body or a machine body. Along the way he saw a lot of nasty machine humans. Ultimately he couldn’t come to a conclusion. But he understands now that because of limited life, people do their best during their lives. They try to get things done in a short time and that is why people have compassion and kindness. The blood of his parents is flowing through his body and his blood will flow through his children and their children. He believes that is eternal life.

Tetsuro makes his way up the escalator, where Agate is waiting for him. Tetsuro looks back and realizes Maetel is gone. Agate says she went down another passageway. Holding the machine body catalog in her hands, Agate turns to the page showing what Tetsuro’s body is going to be… a screw! Tetsuro is shocked to realize this is the machine body he came all this way for. Agate says Queen Prometheum foresaw Tetsuro and instructed her to choose a screw, which will become a part of the planet. If Tetsuro refuses this, Maetel will be held liable and will be executed. Agate shows Tetsuro where Maetel is, off in the distance, surrounded by around a dozen machine men with guns. Tetsuro says he will do it, after all Maetel traveled all this way with him at the risk of her life.

Agate says to hand over his pass and Tetsuro does so, not needing it any longer. Agate brings Tetsuro down a long passage way, asking if he is happy to be turned into a screw. It will be a scary experience; once he is tightened in he won’t be able to move. Tetsuro admits it’s an ugly way to go, but he was only promised a free machine body, he wasn’t promised a particular type. The narrator explains that Tetsuro is here, at the terminal station. It is the capital of the mechanized world, which can be both heaven and hell. Tetsuro has no regrets, as this is the place he wanted to go to.

Galaxy Express of My Youth

We see Maetel speaking of how Tetsuro said that people will do their best because of limited life. Tetsuro can also help her as a screw. Nonetheless, she feels like she is a woman who broke Tetsuro’s dream, and erased his hope and future. Some may call her a witch. She admits she is a witch. The mysterious voice tells Maetel that Tetsuro understands her. It may be hard, but it is her job. Maetel doesn’t mind being known as a demon or witch, but she doesn’t want to fulfill her wishes at the expense of Tetsuro and sheds a tear. She says rather than continues to go on eternally, she should become a screw with him. The voice says Tetsuro knows how important the body of a machine is, and the one screw that he should be. Maetel says she doesn’t want Tetsuro to be a screw and he tells her to not be discouraged.

Meanwhile, Agate continues to walk with Tetsuro towards Prometheum’s audience chamber. She wonders if Tetsuro is aiming for a chance to get close to Prometheum; after all he is carrying his cosmo dragoon gun with him. Agate says the mechanical empire is the largest, strongest and greatest in the history of the universe. “Immortal” is just for Prometheum and her mechanized empire. Upon stepping in the audience chamber, Tetsuro doesn’t see Prometheum at first, which she claims is because he is a foolish living animal. Prometheum is just a head, with long blonde hair flowing down from it. On one side is a dark face, as if wearing a noh mask. The other side of her head also has a face, that of Maetel’s! Tetsuro asks if Prometheum is just a head and she tells Tetsuro to not be rude. She exists here at the center of the mechanized mother planet and controls everything.

Tetsuro hears his name said and Prometheum turns her head. It is the face of Maetel, saying she thanks him for going on the long journey with him. Tetsuro, surprised, calls out Maetel’s name and Prometheum says Maetel is her beloved daughter! The Maetel face says to help her daughter and thanks him for his long journey here. He is a kind boy, one with a strong heart who clenches his teeth and works through it. She has been seeing him this whole time through Maetel and knows the feelings he has for her. The dark face speaks of Tetsuro’s hatred for machine people since Count Mecha killed his mother, and the Maetel face says she knows it well. She claims anything Maetel saw while traveling with him she also saw. When Maetel mourned, she mourned too. She is two beings but both are a part of Maetel.

The dark face claims Tetsuro has lost. He will become a mechanized boy and live here forever. The Maetel face says he will be an important screw in the mechanized mother planet of Andromeda. He will support her and Maetel’s eternal world and live forever. She also oddly speaks of what is in the center of the mirror should kill itself. Both speak of Tetsuro becoming a screw for the area they call the “Crucible”. Tetsuro calls out that he wants to see the real Maetel again. Meanwhile, Maetel continues her journey down into the core of the planet. She notices that those around her aren’t mechanized people but just androids. She eventually makes it to where Agate is. Agate says she’s been waiting for her. She hands Maetel a screw, which she claims is Tetsuro. Tetsuro has become a screw that will be used on the outer wall of the crucible, replacing a screw that has lost its energy and is about to come off. The crucible uses 999,990,000 screws. If even one is pulled out it will be distorted and the crucible will be open. So even as one screw he serves an important purpose.

“Tetsuro” is taken by a mechanical arm to be screwed in. Maetel sadly says that Tetsuro had a warm heart; she wanted to continue her journey with him. Tetsuro is screwed in. An android tells Maetel that her majesty is waiting for her. Maetel goes to the audience chamber, before her mother, who tells of how she was watching everything, and welcomes her home. Maetel tosses out her trunk, then removes the pendant from around her neck. The pendant tells Maetel to not cry and she says farewell, throwing it as well, out of the audience chamber into the heart of the planet. Prometheum asks Maetel what she threw and Maetel says goodbye, she is embarking on a new journey, with Tetsuro. Prometheum is surprised; after all, Tetsuro has become a screw. We return to the station where we find Tetsuro is okay, and still in his human body! He greets the Conductor and reveals that Agate had tricked Prometheum, replacing another screw in the place of him. Agate says that upon seeing the piece of glass that was Claire, knowing that Tetsuro carried it with her for a long time, she realized what she was doing was wrong.

Tetsuro cries out to Maetel who comes walking into the station. Prometheum is told that Maetel has headed to the crucible with Tetsuro. She wonders why this is the case. The Maetel face claims if she closes her heart, sometimes her mother won’t know all. Tetsuro and Maetel arrive at the crucible. Tetsuro notices there are no guards around. He realizes that even the floor below them is made of mechanized human parts, although Maetel says there is no life reaction in them; they are just objects. She points out to Tetsuro a screw in red, the color of her lipstick and asks Tetsuro to shoot it. Tetsuro shoots it and it falls out. Soon after, all the screws pop out of their holes. The pressure valve within the crucible opens and Tetsuro sees a giant number of flames departing. Maetel claims this is the fire of life that has been sucked out and collected by the mechanizd people on Andromeda. They are the human soul, the energy that supports the mechanized world. That’s the reason why there was no life reaction here. It had been sucked out to support the planet.

Tetsuro sees the flames ascend and depart from the crucible He wonders if those people who burned out their hearts will be reborn again. Prometheum feels cold. The Maetel face says the crucible has broken down. The pendant says the mechanical empire has lost its energy and will be stopped. The planet of Great Andromeda will be taken to an eternal graveyard. The Maetel face recognizes it as her father. Prometheum realizes the pendant is Dr. Ban, the traitor advocating for the anti-mechanized world. Dr. Ban claims this planet isn’t as strong as she thinks. Maetel had clenched her teeth and went back and forth many times to bring her comrades here. The young people brought here by Maetel were places at key points. While the fire of life has been sucked out of them, these parts were intended to be deliberately fragile. This defective planet won’t be able to be repaired. Both faces of Prometheum are reduced to skulls, saying only that it is cold and asking Maetel for help.

Maetel tells Tetsuro that the planet is losing energy and its balance due to the influence of her father’s pendant. It will be drawn into a gravity super graveyard. It will go to sleep forever. Agate hands Tetsuro back his pass and realizes he can return to the Earth. Maetel tells the Conductor and Agate to go on the 999 first. Maetel tells Tetsuro to look closely at her and removes her clothes. Tetsuro says when he started this journey he didn’t care if Maetel was a witch or a demon, so he doesn’t need to see her as she truly is. Maetel thanks him and puts back on her clothes. She says at the point where the circle of time meets in the distance they should meet again. There are many mechanized humans on the way to the stars and Earth and he shouldn’t be discouraged. Tetsuro says he was preparing himself for a time like this; he won’t be ugly. He is confused about one thing though, when Prometheum talked about what was in the center of the mirror killing itself. Maetel says the Andromeda galaxy reflects the mirror of something in the universe. It could be a reflection of the past Earth or its future. If this was Earth’s future, she wouldn’t be sad. She tells Tetsuro she is a woman who will be only in his memory. She is the illusion of youth in a young boy’s heart. Maetel kisses Tetsuro and says goodbye. In the final page we see Tetsuro sitting in the 999 alone, with only the scent of Maetel remaining.