The Bat Planet

The Bat Planet

TV Episode 111

TV Episode Summary:

The episode begins showing us various parts of a city, then focus on an animator, Masai, who sits in his room working on some animation. He despairs and wishes he had a mechanical body, thinking he could focus on his script as much as he wanted then. We cut to later where Masai asks several people if he can draw their portrait but all ignore him. On the 999, Maetel tells Tetsuro they are nearly at the final stop. Maetel seems depressed and Tetsuro asks what’s wrong. Maetel says she’s been thinking of their long journey. The Conductor comes in and says their next stop is the “Bat Planet”, with a layover of around 5 hours. The Conductor also mentions how the journey is almost over and if Tetsuro has changed his mind at all. He apologizes for asking such a thing and walks off.

Tetsuro says he doesn’t get the Conductor. Maetel wants to ask him something but pauses and says she’ll ask him later. Tetsuro asks if this is the planet where he’ll get a free mechanical body. Maetel says no, that’s the final planet they’ll be stopping at, where we can see how he feels. Tetsuro talks about how their final stop is almost here. Maetel tells him to think it over while on the Bat Planet. The 999 arrives at the station. Tetsuro seems a bit dour and Maetel says he has plenty of time to think it over slowly. Tetsuro wonders why he’s so unsure now, when he had been so set on getting a mechanical body. As they walk down the street, Tetsuro says this planet reminds him of Trader’s Fork. Maetel says while Trader’s Fork is where people weary from their travels are, this is a planet where people hesitate over their final decision. Tetsuro says it is fitting given how he feels. They head up to a park area where Tetsuro is surprised by some bats flying by.

Masai walks up to Tetsuro and asks if he can draw his portrait, but Tetsuro says he’s not in the mood. Masai claims it’s to raise money to make his animation. Maetel walks by and suggests Tetsuro have him draw him and she’ll be waiting at the hotel. Tetsuro agrees, exciting Masai. As he draws him, Masai asks Tetsuro if he’s heading to the final station. Tetsuro says yes, he hopes to get a mechanical body and help his friends from being oppressed at home. But now he isn’t sure of it. Masai says that happens to everyone who comes here. He shows Tetsuro the finished portrait of him. At the hotel, Maetel stares at a glowing red star in the sky. Tetsuro heads into the hotel and a young boy runs down the stairs, tripping over him. The boy’s mother comes to him and asks what’s wrong, The boy, Shuma, claims he doesn’t want to attain a mechanical body.  His mother asks why he feels this way when he’s so close to eternal life. Tetsuro goes into the hotel room and shows Tetsuro the portrait. Maetel suggests a bath but Tetsuro is hesitant. She tells him to take his time and think of what comes next. The final station is the glowing star in the sky.

Tetsuro lies down and wonders why he’s so nervous. He flashes back to when his mother was killed by Count Mecha. He thinks of those who struggle to journey someplace they want to go to badly, and we see shots of Geronimo (episode 2) and Kagero/Kasumi (episode 39). There are many who want to attain mechanical bodies but can’t even venture out. He thinks of how lucky he is compared to them. He also thinks of despite how many are enamored with the prospect of getting a mechanical body, there are many opposed as well. We see a flashback to Wheeler Lock and his mother (episode 34). Tetsuro wonders what this all means. We see Tetsuro walking through space and hit by the 999. Tetsuro cries out over how he doesn’t know what to do and Maetel wakes him up. Maetel says someone must have broken in the room as her suitcase is a mess. Nothing seems missing at first, but Tetsuro searches his and finds his hat, cloak and pass stolen. Maetel spots a pencil on the ground and Tetsuro realizes it must be Masai. He rushes outside back to the park and asks a stranger where the boy who draws portraits went. No one is able to answer him. Tetsuro talks to himself of how people only think of themselves.

Tetsuro sits on the steps; since people are too preoccupied with their decisions they don’t think to help someone like him. He thinks of the long journey he took to travel here to get a mechanical body and how he’s feeling differently now. We see a flashback to the Conductor laying Artemis to rest (episode 52) and Tetsuro thinks of how she lost hope after getting a mechanical body and returned to her mother in death. He also thinks of those who held funerals because they had no other pleasure in life (episode 66). He also flashes back to Yutaka Moriki (called Briar) and how he couldn’t handle the desolation of not having friends (episode 21). Tetsuro says he has no idea what to do about his decision and he may feel some relief if he doesn’t get his pass back and has to stop his journey here. Maetel watches from above him on the stairway. Maetel asks him if he’s given up looking for his pass and if he feels a certain level of relief over it now. She says without that pass he can’t return to Earth either.

Maetel asks Tetsuro what he’s going to do, get a mechanical body or something else. Tetsuro says he isn’t sure. He’s met so many people on this long journey. He thought he’d get a mechanical body and fight against those with mechanical bodies who were bullying others. But now he doesn’t know if staying a flesh and blood human or getting a mechanical body is a clear decision. Tetsuro asks Maetel what he should do, but she is interrupted by the whistle of the 999. Maetel says they should go to the station and he can make up his mind later. The 999 announces it is boarding at the station. We see Masai sitting at the station in Tetsuro’s clothing with his pass, thinking of how now he’ll be able to get a mechanical body. He has doubts about whether stealing the pass was the right thing. We see Shuma and his mother passing by. Tetsuro and Maetel rush to the station. Within the station Tetsuro realizes they’ve started boarding. Maetel points out Masai wearing his clothing nearby. Tetsuro runs up to him and grabs a hold of Masai, demanding his pass back. Masai hands it back to him.

Tetsuro notices Masai has a lot of money in his suitcase and wonders why he needed to steal his pass because of that. Masai says this is to fund his animation. Tetsuro asks where he was planning to go with the pass and Masai says he wanted to get a strong body. He’s been sickly and suffered since he was born. In order to produce animation he wanted eternal life above all else. He says he made it here, to the second to last stop and got sick and wasn’t able to make it the rest of the way. He says he has tried to create works full of dreams but has now stolen people’s property. He claims he worked his way here from Earth, earning money to fund tickets from station to station and is upset with himself over resorting to theft. Tetsuro forgives him. Masai says he has made animation for himself to this point and will make animation that everyone can enjoy. They shake hands and say farewell.

Tetsuro tells Maetel he’s made up his mind. He is going to see his way to the end. If he gives up now, he’ll let down those who have wanted to make their journey here but can’t. The train whistle goes off and they make their way to the 999. Meanwhile Masai walks outside the station then turns around. Maetel asks Tetsuro what made him make up his mind. He says he’s made it this far; he’d be a coward to turn back now. He owes it to his mother. He hopes Masai is able to get a mechanical body soon to help him make his animation. He says he wants to introduce him to Freya (episode 16) and that they’d make wonderful animation together.

Masai looks at the 999 from the other side of the tracks and Tetsuro spots him. Tetsuro wonders what happened and if he gave up on his dreams. He waves goodbye to Masai as the 999 starts taking off. Masai says he has made up his mind and won’t let his weak body stop him. Tetsuro tells him to make some awesome animation. Tetsuro asks Maetel what she thinks Masai will do and if he’ll achieve his dream. Tetsuro realizes Masai was standing on the side of the train that would bring him back to the Milky Way galaxy. Maetel tells Tetsuro that Masai hasn’t given up. He has made a difficult choice. He was using his weak body as an excuse. He’s decided to live a mortal life and work as hard as he can during the time he has. As Tetsuro sleeps, Maetel looks at the portrait of him. The 999 heads towards the final station.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Masai – Toru Furuya

Boy – Seiko Nakano

Boy’s Mother – Yuri Kobayashi

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Toru Furuya previously appeared as Zeda (episodes 47 – 48), Tetsuo (episode 86) and Brother (episode 106). Seiko Nakano previously appeared as a child in episode 6, Baby in episode 55 and Ark in episodes 77 – 78.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

It is time for the penultimate episode and the final stand-alone episode of the show, although this episode is hardly one that can be declared stand-alone in nature. If anything, this episode eschews having a typical episodic plot and focuses on Tetsuro and his decision on whether he will get a mechanical body. It has been a very long journey, at times so long it seemed the end would never arrive. But Tetsuro is finally here, one stop away from the planet that will give him the mechanical body he has desired so much. Yet now that he’s so close to the finish line, Tetsuro has doubts. Is it worth attaining the mechanical body after all? What decision will he make? The journey he has been on, the many people he has met have all shaped Tetsuro and the decision he needs to make. Attaining a mechanical body will give him the eternal life he so desires. But he has also faced many who have been opposed to attaining a mechanical body and has witnessed the cruelty of those who have mechanical bodies. What is the right choice to make?

Intermingled with Tetsuro’s decision is the introduction of Masai, a boy who it is revealed also went on the long journey to try and attain a mechanical body. Masai is an aspiring animator a type of profession we met back in the storyline “The Town of Fireflies (chapter 4-2/episode 16) with the character of Freya. We get a brief callback to that episode which I was happy to see. I suppose the show’s writers couldn’t go one last time without a storyline over Tetsuro’s pass being stolen, so naturally Masai resorts to stealing it. Although I’ll say this plot is largely an afterthought in the episode. It is quite obvious from the beginning who stole it and the episode doesn’t waste any time pointing out to us or Tetsuro/Maetel who did it. The pass being stolen is really just there to lead to the conversation with Masai and Tetsuro at the station which helps Tetsuro in making his final decision. Masai has traveled so far; he doesn’t want to give up on his dreams. Tetsuro realizes he has to make the same choice. He has come this far, he can’t give up now. He also strives to attain the mechanical body that many have also desired but have been unable to due to circumstance. It is interesting that despite having similar mentalities about not wanting to give up, Masai makes the opposite decision of Tetsuro and decides to not get a mechanical body and start his journey back towards Earth. Although to Masai the dream isn’t so much attaining the mechanical body as it is making his animation.

In terms of other thoughts on the episode, it was interesting to note that this is a planet where people hesitate and have to think over their decisions. It is played off similar to the influence the planet had back in episode 85, “Planet of Illusive Love” although in that case it was a different type of emotion that was impressed upon people. Upon hearing of the 5 hour layover time and seeing Tetsuro go to sleep at the hotel I was fearful of something that it would be a very easily correctable error on the part of the writers, but thankfully this doesn’t come to be as Tetsuro and Maetel have to make their way back to the station at nighttime. This episode features a ton of flashbacks to previous episodes, more so than any other episode in the TV series. With us just about at the end I suppose this was inevitable, and it is a good thing to get it out of the way here rather than as part of the two-part finale.

For our final episode prior to the finale it was overall a strong one and I’m glad the writers decided to focus much more heavily on Tetsuro’s decision rather than a stand-alone plotline. It provides us some powerful character moments for Tetsuro, and given how strong the previous TV episodes were (“Maetel’s Journey” in episodes 109 and 110) it is doubtful they would have been able to come up with an original story more interesting than that with half the space to tell it. I’m looking forward to the upcoming finale, although a bit sad that the journey is just about at its end!