The Vision of Youth - Farewell 999 and Terminal Station Analysis

In the third and final part of my coverage of the Galaxy Express 999 finale, I offer my thoughts on the end of the series for both the TV series and the manga.

(Note that my analysis will have spoilers for the movie version of Galaxy Express 999, as there are lot of comparisons to make between it and the two endings I am covering here)

Here we have the conclusion of Galaxy Express 999. It has been a fulfilling journey, and hard to believe that the end is here. We have two somewhat different conclusions here with the manga and the TV show. We also have yet a third ending in the movie version, which surprisingly enough came first, as the movie was released in 1979 while both the manga and TV show were still in production. All 3 versions have some similarities, but also major differences. The biggest similarity is that all 3 end with the 999 arriving at its final destination, the mechanization home world. Maetel is revealed to be the daughter of Queen Prometheum, ruler of the mechanized world. She has been acting as an agent for her mother all this time, bringing numerous young men to this planet to be mechanized. However Maetel carries with her a hidden agenda. She is conspiring, along with her father (called Dr. Ban in the movie and manga) to rebel against her mother and defeat her mother and the mechanized world. With this, we get our answer for what was probably the biggest mystery throughout the manga and TV series, the true identity of Maetel. While Maetel has been on a mission with nefarious outward intent this whole time, she in fact is the heroine we have come to know and love throughout the story and has been plotting to overthrow her mother. It is a strong and fulfilling revelation.

It should be noted that the movie contains one additional element that is not revealed in either the manga or the TV show, that Maetel took her appearance from Tetsuro’s mother. Within the movie, Prometheum says it is the most beautiful body in the entire universe. For whatever reason, this is only revealed in the movie. I was quite surprised at this, as I considered this a core aspect of the secrets of Maetel. A big mystery has been why she resembles Tetsuro’s mother so much (beyond just Matsumoto’s habit to have his women look so much alike). Those who don’t watch the movie will never get that fact. Perhaps it is something Matsumoto decided to retcon in later versions, although I liked that reveal a lot and wish it hadn’t been removed.

Another mystery throughout the show has been the several times where Maetel removes her clothes and shocks another character into submission. Examples include “The Mirage Planet’s Scribe” and “Snow Woman of Andromeda”. My assumption is that when she was doing this, she was wearing the pendant containing her father, and for whatever reason that pendant symbolized something important enough to get these other characters to back off.

Another big plot point that comes to its conclusion here is Tetsuro’s quest for his free mechanical body. In a massive plot twist, at least in the manga version, it is revealed that the mechanical body waiting for Tetsuro was just a screw! (in the movie version it is a bolt). If one was thinking all this time that there was a catch to becoming mechanized, this is it. In getting his free mechanical body Tetsuro would be cursed to an existence where he could no longer move, and as we later find out, all these “living parts” on Andromeda have their life force drained from them anyway. Tetsuro wasn’t going to get to enjoy that machine body that he was looking forward to all this time. Earlier in the chapter we see Tetsuro looking through a catalog to pick out his machine body; my assumption is that even if he had picked something, Prometheum would have overridden it, although we don’t have an answer for sure.

The TV episode drops this part, and it seems like Tetsuro would have gotten a normal mechanical body if he had gone through with it. In the TV version Tetsuro ultimately makes his decision to forego a mechanical body due to the sloth-like lifestyle those with them have on Andromeda. He also sees a man kill himself, sick of eternal life. I got to admit to being greatly disappointed with the way the TV show handled things. Not only do we lose a great plot twist; Tetsuro’s decision also seems to be made with little thought, and after 111 episodes of him wanting to get a machine body, having a single scene of badly behaving mechanical people (something that wasn’t enough to change his mind in the past) suddenly is.

It was very interesting to get the appearance of Agate, Claire’s mother, in the manga. Ultimately it is through Agate’s help that Tetsuro is able to escape his fate of being made into a screw. Tetsuro shows that he has saved the crystal tear, all that remained of Claire, all this time and gives it to her. Seeing Tetsuro hold on to this remnant of her daughter for all this time causes Agate to realize that she should help Tetsuro and ultimately his life being saved and Maetel’s plan wouldn’t have been successful without her. Agate’s appearance was quite interesting in its minimalism, and although she gives a reason for it that makes sense, it surprises me a little as she was so obsessed with vanity for her daughter, but not for herself. In the TV version we instead have a character named Mirai, who has a crystal glass body similar to Claire. This character despairs over Tetsuro not being willing to become a machine and tries to kill herself only for Tetsuro to convince her not to do so. As a result she helps him and Maetel recover the pendant from Prometheum.

Prometheum’s appearance varies greatly depending on the version; the movie presents her as a rather spooky looking woman with a noh-mask like face and a dark body through which it is as if you are looking into space! The manga version goes even further with the spookiness, as she’s just a head and has two faces, the noh-mask like face and Maetel’s face. This version of Prometheum appears inspired by the Roman god Janus, the god of doors, who had two faces. The TV version of Prometheum is noticeably less scary and interesting as the other two versions. The manga version was by far my favorite.

Also varying with each version is the name of the planet that is at the end of the line. In the movie, it is planet Maetel, the TV show planet Prometheum and manga, the planet Great Andromeda. In the movie version the planet is presented to be half of Maetel’s self, an element that is not carried over to the other two versions, although the two-faced Prometheum of the manga comes off as if she has two different personalities, with the Maetel face acting much like Maetel, and speaking of having a direct connection to her thoughts and actions. So in this version it comes off as something very similar. The TV show drops this aspect entirely. Great Andromeda within the manga also matches the name of a planet in the Adieu Galaxy Express 999 movie and several buildings in the manga look very similar to designs from that movie.

In all three versions it is quite sad to see the separation of Tetsuro and Maetel. They have traveled together all this way and feel so strongly for each other. Maetel has essentially become the surrogate mother for Tetsuro. Tetsuro’s journey all this way has been an analogy for a boy growing older and gaining experiences. Maetel is characterized as a vision of his youth, something he must leave behind as he grows beyond his youth. I feel this most powerful in the movie version if only because Tetsuro looks noticeably older there; he still looks like a little boy in the manga and TV series when they depart. On an emotional level it was also good to see how sad the Conductor was about saying goodbye to Tetsuro when he thought he was becoming mechanized. He has become very fond of him over this long voyage!

Looking at all three of the endings, the TV version is far and away the weakest for me and is actually a bit of a disappointment. The ending is arguably the peak of the storyline for both the movie and the manga, but not for the TV show, there are a lot of earlier episodes that I like more. I feel that it is a high level overview of the main aspects of the ending but skips several things I like a lot about the other versions such as the reveal of Tetsuro’s machine body and the design of Prometheum. Aspects of it also just come off as rather goofy. For example Maetel is locked up in a cell but they don’t bother searching her for weapons so she easily escapes because of them. Also the scene where Mirai steals the pendant containing Maetel’s father from Prometheum comes off as an incredibly easy endeavor. The overall design in general in that version is a downgrade compared to the other two versions, and Tetsuro’s decision to refuse a mechanical body seems made with little thought to it, enough so that you feel that most of the series was a waste of time if he’s going to change his mind so quickly based on what he saw on this planet, but not on others.

Well, the journey through the original Galaxy Express 999 storyline has finally come to an end. It was a lot of fun going through. I enjoyed reliving so many of the storylines that I enjoyed from previous viewings as well as going through the original manga for the first time. This is a project I started all the way back in August of 2020 and it seemed like an insurmountable task at that time. Now it has come to an end.

 

The Vision of Youth - Farewell 999

 The Vision of Youth – Farewell 999 (Parts One and Two)

TV Episodes 112 - 113

Note:

For our very lengthy finale, I am splitting things into three posts. The first shall cover the television ending, the second the manga ending and the third will contain my overall thoughts and analysis.

TV Episode Summary:

In the first episode, the narrator explains how the 999 departed the Bat Planet and headed to “Prometheum”, its final destination, the planet where Tetsuro will be getting his free mechanical body. Maetel thinks of how Tetsuro’s journey is finally coming to an end, and his courage will be put to the test. The 999 starts speeding up and Maetel says it is to avoid a black hole that is near Prometheum. The 999 arrives at the planet Prometheum and starts descending down into it. Tetsuro says this is where there journey together will come to an end. Tetsuro is sad, hoping their time together would have lasted longer. The Conductor comes in and thanks the passengers for traveling with them and that this is the last stop. The 999 makes its way down to the heavily advanced society on Prometheum. The Conductor says farewell to Tetsuro, although Tetsuro says he’s not sure if this is goodbye. He’s not sure if he is going to get a mechanical body or not.

A vehicle pulls up and a woman made of translucent glass steps out. She says her name is Mirai and she is Tetsuro’s guide on this planet. Maetel confirms that the planet assigns such guides to people who have come here in search of a mechanical body. Mirai invites Tetsuro to come with her to the factory. Tetsuro tells Maetel and the Conductor he wants to see things to the very end. He shakes the hand of the Conductor and says goodbye. Maetel also says goodbye and gets in the vehicle. Tetsuro notices numerous human bodies below the ground, and Maetel says this is where the original human bodies are left for those mechanized. Tetsuro says this reminds him of Pluto and she says that Pluto can’t compare to here, where the bodies are so numerous that they cover the entire surface of the planet. They arrive at the factory and Mirai says it is a lovely paradise and a place where those who have gotten mechanical bodies can have rehabilitation.

Mirai is about to bring Tetsuro into the factory but Maetel says he has 24 hours to make his decision. Maetel tells Tetsuro to use this time to think it over. Maetel starts walking away and tells him to not let others affect this life-altering decision of his. We see Maetel walking across the ground where numerous bodies are laid to rest. She walks to a crystallized-like structure and aims a beam from her ring at it, which permits entry. Maetel says she is here, to her father. A capsule appears before her, and we hear the mysterious voice that has spoken to Maetel throughout the whole series, now revealed to be her father. Maetel says she is on her way to see her mother. He says the time has finally come, but the events to transpire may be difficult for her. She says she is prepared. For the sake of Tetsuro and other young boys she shall steel her heart. He says he feels the same way and she should go on.

Tetsuro and Mirai walk around and she shows him how everyone is happy. We see a lot of people with mechanical bodies drinking and kids running around. Tetsuro says they are just lounging around and asks when they work or study. A few near him laugh at that question. They claim they can live forever and there’s no need to work hard or study. Tetsuro is thinking like a poor person. Tetsuro thinks of how there must be something they can do with the power of eternal life. Suddenly a machine man jumps off from a high building above, The machine people around call him a fool for killing himself. Tetsuro asks why he did it before he dies and he claims living eternally is boring and hard. He’d rather be dead. The man asks Tetsuro if he still has a human body and Tetsuro says he came here on the 999. The man recognizes the name Maetel and says to not let Maetel trick him. She is the daughter of Queen Prometheum, ruler of the mechanized empire.

We see Maetel head into a large structure and up an optical elevator, wearing the capsule that her father’s consciousness is in around her neck. She heads to a throne room where her mother is sitting. Prometheum asks Maetel to come up to her so she can see her face. Maetel puts her head in her mother’s lap. She says she can’t continue this journey any further. Prometheum says it is up to Tetsuro; if he gets a machine body her journey will be over. If he rejects it, she will have to begin a new journey with another boy. Prometheum asks Maetel why she has this look on her face; after all she is helping the machine empire. They need the courageous hearts of boys like Tetsuro. Prometheum asks about Maetel’s father and she says he is in the capsule, handing it over to her. Prometheum says it serves him right. A subordinate transports in, saying Tetsuro is besides himself, and searching for Maetel.

Tetsuro runs around yelling for Maetel. Maetel arrives in a vehicle and runs up to him. Tetsuro asks her if she’s the daughter of Prometheum and she nods. Tetsuro asks why she kept it a secret and if she had another goal in mind for him. Mirai appears and says she will speak for Maetel. Mirai claims Prometheum is trying to create an eternal world without death. But to expand the universe they need courageous boys at the front. Maetel has brought many boys like that here, he is just another of them. She says for his late mother’s sake he should take his machine body now. Tetsuro looks around at the lazy machine people around and thinks to himself if human life is more virtuous than this. He says he has made up his mind. He will not be getting a machine body. He doesn’t care why she brought him here; he has learned many valuable lessons along the way including the beauty of mortal life. He thinks his mother would understand that. Maetel sheds a tear and leaves.

One of Prometheum’s subordinates grabs a hold of Tetsuro. Tetsuro asks if Maetel was behind this and yells at Maetel as he is taken away. Maetel tears up, then walks away. Prometheum is surprised that someone would oppose her will. Maetel’s father says he expected this from Tetsuro and that Prometheum loses. Prometheum says the mechanized empire will not be shaken. Maetel’s father says Tetsuro is no ordinary boy. He is a future warrior and her heart will be slain by his noble warrior’s gun. She angrily tosses the capsule aside. She is confident that no one can defeat her. One of her subordinates is transported in. Promethum isn’t satisfied with just killing Tetsuro, she wants him and the 999 thrown into the nearby black hole. Maetel, who is inside, hiding behind a pillar, grabs her father’s capsule. As she runs with it in her hands, we hear him saying how by throwing him into the reactor she can destroy the planet and to not worry about him. He is willing to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the universe.

We see the Conductor working on the 999 as Tetsuro is brought there and tossed inside, bound. Tetsuro tells the Conductor to get his handcuffs off. Suddenly the 999’s whistle goes off. Meanwhile we see Maetel descend towards the core of the planet. Her father tells her to throw him in. Suddenly a spectral form of Prometheum appears and asks if she intends on killing her, her own mother. Maetel’s father says Tetsuro is as good as dead if she doesn’t act. Maetel hesitates and drops the capsule, saying she can’t do it, she can’t kill her mother. The 999 starts taking off. The Conductor asks the Locomotive why this is happening and it says it is special orders. Maetel is thrown in a cell and watches out the window as the 999 takes off. Prometheum says she won’t forgive her for her betrayal. The 999 makes it out to space. Tetsuro is still bound. The orbital rails are gone and the 999 starts drifting towards the black hole. Tetsuro realizes Prometheum is trying to kill him and destroy the 999. Tetsuro says he doesn’t want to die; not like this.

As we start the second episode, the 999 drifts towards the black hole. Tetsuro remains bound. The Conductor tells him there is nothing they can do to escape; the 999 will be destroyed. Tetsuro encourages the Conductor; they can’t let Prometheum beat them like this. The Conductor takes out Tetsuro’s cosmo gun and uses it to destroy his bindings. The Locomotive says they are being pulled in by tractor beams and there’s nothing they can do. If they go faster they risk breaking up into bits. The Locomotive ultimately relents though and goes along with their request. Prometheum says the 999 and Tetsuro will be no more and she and her father will soon join them.

Maetel blasts the door to her cell open with her ring laser then uses a whip to take out the two guards. She makes her way to a control room where she takes out the remaining soldier. She contacts the 999, asking for Tetsuro and says she’s turned off the tractor beam. As long as she’s alive, she’ll be on his side. Tetsuro starts controlling the 999 himself, and it starts moving! Tetsuro tells the Conductor to ensure the 999 is fixed; he’s going back to planet Prometheum to get Maetel. Prometheum’s subordinates tell her about the 999 escaping its doom. They don’t know where Maetel is. Prometheum orders them to kill both Tetsuro and Maetel. Tetsuro makes his way onto a vehicle making its way to the tower where Prometheum is. Tetsuro walks down the halls and notices Mirai walking by. She makes her way to a part of the factory where machine bodies are disposed of. She is about to jump in but Tetsuro grabs a hold of her to stop her.

Mirai says she has failed as she was supposed to guide Tetsuro into a life of being mechanized and he chose to remain a human. Tetsuro slaps her and says she has her own life to live for. A small device spots them and shoots at them. The two of them run into Maetel on the way out. Tetsuro says he is sorry he ever doubted her. Tetsuro says they should go back to the 999, but she says she has something she has to do first. Tetsuro realizes she’s going to kill Prometheum. He is distressed as she is her mother, but Maetel says she isn’t going to hesitate this time. She needs her father’s energy capsule in order to do it. The capsule is with her mother and Tetsuro thinks there’s no way she can do it. Mirai says she will be able to get it. Meanwhile, Prometheum is angry at her underlings for not having captured Tetsuro and Maetel yet. Mirai comes in, saying she wants to talk about the whereabouts of Tetsuro and Maetel. She rushes up and grabs the capsule out of Prometheum’s hands and runs away. The soldiers shoot at her and hit her in the chest. Mirai hands the capsule over to Tetsuro as she dies and says because of him she learned how to live.

Tetsuro hands the capsule over to Maetel. Maetel’s father says it is up to her now. Tetsuro and Maetel make their way to the planet’s core. Suddenly Prometheum’s voice rings out and tells Maetel to stop this. They should talk it over. Maetel says she’s not going to fall for it. Her clothes will now be clothes of mourning for all the young people who died at Prometheum’s hands. Suddenly Prometheum appears and grabs Maetel. Prometheum tells Tetsuro if he shoots, Maetel will die. Maetel drops her father’s capsule and when Prometheum lunges for it, Tetsuro shoots at it and it falls into the planet’s core. Prometheum goes towards them, saying she will take them with her when an explosion from below strikes her. Before she dies she says with this planet’s reactor destroyed, the planet will fall into the black hole. The planet starts shaking as Tetsuro and Maetel make their way out. We see parts of the city being destroyed.

Maetel tells Tetsuro to carefully look at those mechanical people around them. While they have eternal life, when it comes down to it, they can’t do anything; they are just quivering in fear. Tetsuro and Maetel make it back to the 999, which starts to take off. The 999 is able to successfully start and begins taking off from the planet. Explosions continue to occur across the planet as the 999 heads into the atmosphere. Maetel watches, tears in her eyes. The entire planet of Prometheum explodes shortly after. Maetel says her mother used to be so kind, like Tetsuro’s mother. But once she set out to build a utopia of eternal life, she changed, becoming distant. She misses the days when she and her parents happily lived together and wishes she could go back to those days, crying. Tetsuro puts his hand on her shoulder, saying this is the first time he’s seen her cry. Maetel hugs Tetsuro, crying.

The 999 returns to the station at the Bat Planet. Tetsuro steps out, saying he can start a new journey. The Conductor asks him where he’s going and he says back to Earth. It won’t be easy, but he vows he will return there, even though mechanical people are still in charge. The Conductor says it is very admirable and he’ll pray for his success. Maetel says she’s heard what he’s decided and he’s grown up; she’s glad. He has an unlimited amount of possibilities ahead of him. Maetel starts crying but stops and says he has something to take care of; he should get on first. Maetel kneels down and kisses Tetsuro then walks off. Tetsuro steps back on the 999, first in shock, then chuckles.

Tetsuro notices an envelope on the chair in front of him. In it is a note from Maetel that says today they part ways. Tetsuro looks out the window asking for Maetel, but she’s nowhere to be seen. He then spots her sitting in another train, the 777. The 777 starts taking off. The letter says she bids him farewell. Now that he can stand on his own two feet, they must part ways. She’s journeyed all this time knowing this day would come. We see her sitting in the train with another boy. She is now leaving to lead another boy to his future. They’ll probably never see each other again. She will treasure their memories in her heart and continue her eternal journey. Tetsuro waves goodbye to Maetel as the 999 and 777 diverge in their paths. The narrator says people say that the 999 is a train that runs within young boy’s minds. Tetsuro thinks to himself, maybe from the very beginning, his journey was really a solitary one. Maetel was a vision that propelled his journey, a fleeting dream towards the future.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Prometheum – Ryoko Kinomiya

Maetel’s Father – Banjou Ginga

Mechanized Captain – Yasuo Tanaka

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani

Mirai – Keiko Yokozawa

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Yasuo Tanaka previously appeared as the mayor in episode 89, Captain in episode 96 and Pastor in episode 99. Keiko Yokozawa previously appeared as Hanako in episodes 60 – 61, Naya in episode 85 and Zoya in episode 98. Beyond their recurring roles played here, Banjou Ginga and Kouji Totani have both previously appeared as minor characters.

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!

 

Maetel's Journey

Maetel’s Journey

Manga Chapter 15-3

TV Episodes 109 - 110

Manga Chapter Summary:

The chapter continues where the last chapter, 15-2, “Destruction of Macaroni Au Gratin” left off. Tetsuro and Maetel are still of tiny size. Tetsuro spots another 999 flying parallel to them and within the window sees Maetel with another boy! The 999 shakes and the two of them are suddenly normal size again. Maetel wonders if the transfer control device broke, returning them to normal. While the Conductor begs Maetel to get dressed, Tetsuro quickly goes through his things and uses a binoculars to stare at the other 999. He is able to confirm that a Maetel is also riding the other 999, and a boy is with her. Tetsuro wonders if it’s a fake train, or if it is something from the past or future. The Conductor says things may have been complicated due to the warp. Maetel says she doesn’t want to see it and asks Tetsuro to lower the blinds, which he does.

The two 999s get very close to each other. The Conductor and Tetsuro head to the Locomotive, which says the other 999 is constructed the same way and is from a different time, although it doesn’t know if it’s the past or future. The Locomotive soon says they are in danger, as they will be crossing the orbit of the other train in mere seconds. The two 999s crash into each other and come to a stop. The Conductor says this isn’t good and Tetsuro has disappeared! He has in fact head onto the other 999 and approaches Maetel, who is sitting with another boy his age, who says his name is Redrill. Redrill claims they are going to the planet where he can get a free machine body. The other Maetel says hello to Tetsuro, confusing him, but the original Maetel soon comes on, and Redrill has just as shocked a reaction. The Locomotive warns the Conductor that a planet is approaching them. They won’t’ be able to escape and will be crashing on the planet.

As the 999s descend into the planet’s orbit, the two of them separate, and the 999 with the Maetels on it flies off, leaving Tetsuro with Redrill, as well as two versions of the Conductor! The Locomotive uses its gravity breaks to slow the descent. The planet they are descending to has black clouds, and Redrill says Maetel called it Phantom. The two 999s crash to the ground, into a substance that Tetsuro says is like Hijiki seaweed. Looking outside, they see a black meadow as far as the eye can see. They step out onto the grass and Tetsuro says it feels like they are on the back or belly of a black cat. Suddenly a shot rings out and goes through Tetsuro’s hat. He and Redrill hide in the grass and notice that they both possess the warrior’s gun, with the same serial number! Tetsuro sees scratches and rust on Redrill’s version that aren’t on his, so they realize Redrill is from further in the future. Tetsuro wonders if he died and his gun fell into the hands of Redrill as its new owner. Tetsuro asks him when and where he was born and Redrill says the planet Kiades of the Argol galaxy in the year 66766.

Tetsuro realizes that Redrill doesn’t recognize Andromeda and upon looking at his pass realizes his destination is different, despite having the same quest for a free mechanical body. They decide to move forward, with the oldest going first, which is the Conductors. Eventually they come across Maetel’s coat. Suddenly a voice shouts out to dispose of their weapons or they’ll be destroyed. They spot both Maetels, naked and passed out on the ground. Alien beings tell them to stop and reveal themselves. Tetsuro wonders which Maetel is which. Tetsuro and the others stick up their hands and are told to take off their clothes and go calmly. This makes the Conductors nervous, but they are ordered to do so anyway. Tetsuro and Redrill strip down to their boxer shorts. They are told they are not enemies and to go back to the train. They can take the Maetels with them. The Conductors are ordered to stay there and asked if they will take their clothes off if the others return.

Tetsuro and Redrill make it back to the 999 and worry about the Conductors. The Conductors take off their clothes, revealing their invisible selves and are permitted to put their clothes back on. The Conductors make it back to the 999 and Tetsuro gets confused on which 999 and Maetel are his. Suddenly they hear screaming. It is the Conductors from the other car, where aliens have taken a hold of the two of them. The aliens demand to be able to ride the 999 or they will kill them. The beings appear to be 2 smaller versions of the aliens encountered earlier causing Tetsuro and Redrill to wonder if they are their children. The aliens say they are boarding the 999 and Tetsuro and Redrill must get off. The aliens want to board as they believe their planet to be a savage one where those with mechanical bodies are hunted.  They continue to make threats, but then the aliens suddenly throw down the Conductors, claim they were thinking about being Conductors themselves and leave. Redrill and Tetsuro say goodbye to each other and return to their respective 999s. Both 999s take off.

The Conductor apologizes for the inconvenience and says they’ll leave the warp and return to the normal orbit. Maetel asks the Conductor what was in his mind as the aliens held them. Maetel says the humans of this planet can’t fight when they touch the heart of a person and is hurt. Tetsuro thinks it’s not as ugly as they are. He’s used to a universe where bad guys cheat each other. Maetel says it’s too kind to protect her planet from the machine then stops and realizes that she mistakenly put on the other Maetel’s clothes. She says she is both Maetels so it doesn’t matter that they have the wrong clothes. She says the clothes make it seem like the other Maetel is traveling longer than her. Her trip is very long and she doesn’t know which is the past and which is the future. The narrator explains how Tetsuro felt as if he was traveling with a phantom named Maetel. There are many illusions of Maetel and young people from various worlds.

TV Episode Summary:

This storyline is adapted across two episodes. The first episode begins with Tetsuro having a nightmare where he is now in a mechanical body, with the same face as Count Mecha, and his mother is calling out to him. Because Tetsuro and Maetel returned to normal in the previous episode, they are not small as they were at the start of the manga chapter. The Conductor announces they will accelerate by 120% to make up for the delay on the last planet. Maetel says they will be taking a warp that skips time. Within this warp they identify the other 999, as in the manga. Once Tetsuro goes on the other 999, he and Redrill argue a bit about whose 999 hit whose. We have an added scene where the two Conductors first encounter each other. We also see the Conductor meet Redrill as he and the other Conductor head to the Locomotive to have the 999s separate from each other. The regular Conductor gets mad at the other 999’s Conductor due to him leaving behind the other 999 by being on their 999 when they separate. The first episode ends when the Maetels are found and the voice tells them to stop.

In the second episode, Tetsuro and Redrill strip buck naked instead of down to their boxer shorts. We can see that Redrill has a long scar across his back just like Tetsuro. The two of them are shined in a bright green light by which the aliens can tell they are humans rather than having mechanical bodies. When they get back to the 999, Tetsuro and Redrill talk more about how they are the only thing different on board the two 999s. We get a flashback to Redrill on his home planet. He leaves his mother behind in a tent and heads to a store where there’s some bread but has no money to buy it so he steals it and flees. Redrill makes it back to the tent but his mother is already dead. The policeman coming after him shows up and is about to kill him when Maetel blasts through him. Tetsuro explains his mother’s death and we have a flashback to it (although it looks like new animation this time!) and they realize they both have the same goal of traveling to get a mechanical body for their mother’s sake. Tetsuro ponders why Maetel showed up like she did.

Maetel wakes up shortly afterwards. The aliens permit the Conductors to put their clothes back on. The aliens comment on how the Conductors are beings without a shade of darkness on them. There is more dialogue between the Conductors on trying to figure out which 999 is which. The Conductors while held by the aliens show willingness to leave the 999 instead of the boys so they can continue on their journey. The aliens realize that Tetsuro and Redrill are not mechanical humans and we see a flashback of those aliens who are mechanical being hunted (note that they call themselves humans). The mechanical aliens make it to a building where they free more of their kind, but they are also fired upon by those with organic bodies.   Tetsuro explains how their circumstances are the opposite of theirs. The aliens feel guilty of seizing the spot on the train of two kind hearted humans and leave. We have an extended goodbye between Tetsuro, Redrill and the Maetels. We also see a brief scene with the Conductor talking to the Locomotive before it takes off.  Tetsuro has some more dialogue at the end where he realizes that if Redrill is from the future, he and Maetel will separate from each other at some point.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Redrill – Mie Azuma

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani (Episode 109 only)

Other Conductor – Keisuke Yamashita

Other Maetel – Ai Sakuma

Lifeform A – Chiyoko Kawashima (Episode 110 only)

Lifeform B – Yumi Nakatani (Episode 110 only)

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

The two lifeforms that get on the 999 are uncredited. Ai Sukuma previously appeared as Kil in episode 102. Chiyoko Kawashima has previously appeared as Claire (episode 3), Chromeria (episode 25), Santana (episodes 47 – 48), Maria (episode 67), Rei (episode 83) and Karel (episode 102). Yumi Nakatani previously appeared as a dentist (episode 67), Merusa (episode 84), a handmaiden (episodes 94 – 95) and Miets (episode 102). Kouji Totani, beyond playing the 999 Locomotive has appeared as various minor characters.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This is the last chapter from the manga to be adapted for the TV show and what a chapter it is! Matsumoto and the TV show producers give us one of the best storylines of the series. Due to traveling through a warp, the 999 encounters a version of itself from another time. We see Maetel and the Conductor are still on the 999, but oddly enough there is another boy there in place of Tetsuro, Redrill. We learn that Redrill has a history very similar to Tetsuro. He lives on a planet dominated by those with mechanical bodies and was poor, losing his mother to starvation. Maetel showed up just in time to save him and he started a journey with her to get a free mechanical body. His story and Tetsuro’s are so similar it’s scary! They even hold the same warrior’s gun! This forces Tetsuro to come to a powerful realization; he and Maetel are not going to be together forever. Something has happened to him in the future such that they are not traveling together any longer. Did Tetsuro get his mechanical body and roam the galaxy on his own? Did he end up dying? Both are legitimate questions to ask.

The other Maetel seems very quiet throughout the chapter and we don’t get much interaction between her and Tetsuro. I’d assume this is intentional. Whatever is going on, clearly this future Maetel knows what has happened to split her and Tetsuro up, but she isn’t saying what has caused it. We also have original Maetel at first not wanting Tetsuro to see what is on the other 999 and asking him to close the blinds. If I had to guess I’d say she wished this interaction didn’t happen at all. The interactions between the two Conductors was quite fun to see, with our regular 999’s Conductor basically acting as the senior version and bossing around or helping the somewhat less competent Conductor from the future (who should still be the same person!). The TV episode helps make things more clear by giving future Conductor and Maetel different voice actors than their usual roles.

Another thing I really liked about the storyline was we get to see a planet where the dynamic is completely flipped. Rather than those with mechanical bodies being in charge and those who have human bodies scraping to get by, those with mechanical bodies are on the run and in danger of being killed by those who still have their original bodies. Despite being creatures on an alien world, the beings are still called humans, which I found interesting. It raises another question; is the planet Phantom a future version of Earth? Or are these creatures evolved versions of what humans currently are? We have seen so many planets colonized by humans beings throughout the storyline that it is a possibility. Ultimately it’s the good heartedness of Tetsuro and Redrill that cause the creatures to give up on their quest and depart the 999 (in the TV version anyway, the original manga has it more due to the mentality of the Conductors), and I found this a good way to wrap up that part of the storyline.

Beyond the strong storyline, the manga chapter/episodes have some good imagery as well. I enjoy the warp sequence in the first episode, which is very trippy and reminds me of footage we’ll also get in the Adieu Galaxy Express 999 movie. The planet Phantom has a really interesting look to it. Also the creatures there have a really unique and interesting design. Matsumoto did a great job giving us beings that are completely otherworldly looking.

Overall this is a strong place to end the TV show’s adaption of the manga. While there are still a number of manga chapters remaining before we reach the finale, many of them are more akin to earlier storylines in the show where the 999 visits interesting new worlds, and I don’t think carry the same power as this one does at this late a point in the storyline. Starting next time I’ll be reviewing these manga-only storylines before we return to the TV show with 3 more original episodes to wrap the show up.

Spoiler Analysis

Going through this storyline through the lens of someone who has been spoiled would know that Maetel has made this journey with many boys, Tetsuro is not the first. Although depending on which storyline you are going through, the other 999 being from the future may not be correct. Maetel has brought many young men to Andromeda to have them turned into mechanical parts for the planet with the eventual goal of being used to destroy it. Tetsuro is when Maetel and Dr. Ban finally see their plan come to fruition, so there isn’t really a need for Maetel to continue to bring other young boys with her on a journey to get a free mechanical body. So it could be that Redrill is from the past. After all, the year that he was born in could be from the past, his planet may not use the same year system Tetsuro is used to. Of course this has its own problems as the gun he carries and the 999 he is on board are described to come off as if they are older versions. In the TV show ending only, Maetel is shown traveling with another boy, so even with the defeat of her mother she continues to travel with other boys as part of that continuity. While the manga ending is still a ways off, one must remember that the movie had revealed the ending a couple of years before, so Matsumoto knew when he wrote this chapter that Tetsuro was intended to by the last boy to travel with Maetel to Andromeda before she and her father would confront her mother and take her down. The other possibility to think of is it could be an alternate universe, one where Maetel and Dr. Ban don’t take down her mother and she continues on her journey with more boys.