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.

 

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.

Breakdown Clock

Breakdown Clock

Manga Chapters 18-3

Manga Chapter Summary:

The Conductor announces the 999’s next stop as “17 Stones”, with a layover time of 18 hours. As the 999 approaches the planet a number of craters can be seen, but each has a clock within it! Tetsuro hears a clicking sound as the 999 lands and Maetel says the whole planet is like an old clock. Clocks are seen everywhere, at the station, on the street and at all the various restaurants around. Maetel suggests they go get something to eat. Tetsuro finds that even the table is made out of a clock. The waitress arrives and she has the head of a clock! Tetsuro asks for ice cream and Maetel coffee. The waitress says it will be 3 minutes, but nothing arrives within that time.

They head back outside and make their way towards the hotel, which also has numerous clocks around its outside. They go to sleep in their hotel room, where giant clocks are on the wall above them and even their blankets have clocks within them. Tetsuro has had enough of the noise and smashes the clock above his bed. He notices a shining hole towards the back and strange noises. He climbs into the hole left by the destroyed clock, then falls in it completely. Tetsuro ends up falling into a spherical pit where there are a lot of clock parts on the bottom. The screws here remind him of those he saw on Ulatores. Maetel gets in as well by climbing down a rope, although it soon becomes untied, Maetel suspects by someone, trapping them in here.

Suddenly a hole opens up in the bottom of the pit, sucking in the various parts, and Tetsuro and Maetel along with them. The two of them crash into a large black spherical object with a lot of clock parts on it. Maetel says this is the central cavity of 17 Stones, a place where all the detached parts gather. Maetel thinks they were brought here by someone. Suddenly a voice speaks out and confirms it. The voice claims it is 17 Stones itself, the planet talking to them. 17 Stones asks for their help. It claims that there are often leftover parts whenever the clocks on this planet are made or repaired making them inaccurate. None of the clocks on this planet point to the same time and it doesn’t even know what time is correct. It wants to know the correct time.

Maetel claims the planet is famous because it doesn’t properly keep track of time. She whispers to Tetsuro that 17 Stones was once a famous watch collector before becoming the planet itself. Maetel realizes that in order to properly help 17 Stones they will need to help repair all the clocks here. Tetsuro asks if it will let them out if they help. She then tells it to read chapter 738 of the Andromeda Galaxy. A rope ladder is released to let them out. Tetsuro and Maetel make their way to the station where the Conductor is waiting for them.

After the 999 departs it, the Conductor says 17 Stones is moving, It claims it will be heading to another part of space. Maetel says chapter 738 of the Andromeda galaxy says there is a utopia at the end of space, although no one who has gone there has returned. Tetsuro realizes that 17 Stones is going to a place where there is no time. Maetel says in a utopia it doesn’t matter what time it is. The Conductor wonders if such a place actually exists. Maetel asks if this is a place they should want to go. We see 17 Stones continuing to travel further away into space. Tetsuro hopes 17 Stones can make it there. Tetsuro asks Maetel if she’s ever seen a place without time and she says yes. She says for both her and the 999, no matter when time stops, they will have no rest.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This is our last stand-alone story in the manga before the finale, which takes place across the final 5 chapters. In this chapter the 999 travels to the planet “17 Stones” a rather odd name that seems to have nothing to do with the planet or anything that happens within it. The gimmick of the planet is that there are clocks everywhere. From a design standpoint, Matsumoto does a good job giving them to us as much as possible. Everything you can think of has clocks in it. Even the streets, the tables people eat from, and blankets. The sole person that Tetsuro and Maetel meet during the chapter has a clock for a head! Alas, with all the clocks means lots of ticking and this drives Tetsuro crazy enough to smash one. Incidentally enough this leads him to a pit with a lot of old clock parts.

Once in the pit, Tetsuro and Maetel are able to communicate with the planet itself, which is a sentient being. It is rare for us to encounter an entire planet that is a sentient being, the one I always think back to is the rather perverted planet in “A Star Named Curiosity (chapters 2-12/3-1 and episode 68). This planet is at least more polite than that planet was, but it does have a rather monumental task for our heroes, to fix all the clocks on this planet. As we see early in the chapter at the restaurant, all the clocks are telling different times, so it’s really hard to get anything time-related correct. Luckily Maetel comes up with a better idea; the planet can go to a place where there is no time, and hence no need to worry about the clocks being wrong.

Like many of these manga only chapters, I can’t say I was the most interested by this chapter, although I do like seeing the sentient planet concept revisited.

Dr. Everyone is Stupid But Myself

Dr. Everyone is Stupid But Myself

Manga Chapter 18-2

Manga Chapter Summary:

The Conductor announces the 999’s next stop as “Stripe King”, with a layover time of 24 hours. Tetsuro wonders about what a strange name this planet has. As the 999 approaches the planet we see holes throughout it with lines connecting them. Tetsuro says it’s like a planet that parts have fallen out of. The 999 descends into the atmosphere and passes numerous hot air balloons. Even Maetel is surprised, saying this is the first time she’s seen something like this. As they get closer to the balloons, Tetsuro realizes that they are all holding houses below them. Tetsuro wonders if it is some kind of contest. The Conductor says there is no space shield in the atmosphere so they could be injured if they’re not careful. Tetsuro wonders if there is a shortage of land here.

Tetsuro eventually spots land as the 999 approaches a giant metropolis, similar to what he’s seen on Earth. Tetsuro claims the buildings look like gravestones though and they realize there are no lights in the city. The Locomotive claims there is only a weak life reaction on the surface and underground settlements. It seems there are very few living creatures or mechanical people here. Maetel is surprised, having expected there to be a large population. The Locomotive says city functions are on the verge of stopping. It is like it’s a graveyard. Tetsuro and Maetel exit the station and make their way towards the hotel. Tetsuro feels strange, hearing only his footsteps echo. They eventually reach the hotel, which also has no lights coming out of it. Heading inside, they find lamps to be the only light within. Maetel doesn’t concern herself with it as they know their hotel room number.

Tetsuro wonders what those in charge of this city are doing and Maetel makes a comment about the energy being stopped. Tetsuro notices there is no hot water or water in the bathtub, which he doesn’t mind. He also says, looking outside that the city has no signs of destruction so there must have not been a rebellion or riot here. Tetsuro spots a light coming closer and closer. Maetel warns him to stay away from the window. Suddenly a large voice shouts out that they are exiling Tetsuro on the mayor’s order. Several mechanical arms burst through the window and grab Tetsuro, taking him with them. As the device carrying him ascends higher and higher, Tetsuro feels drowsy, with the oxygen running low. The device makes it up to the area with all of the hot air balloons.

Meanwhile, Maetel places a call to the mayor’s office and claims she is heading there. We cut to Tetsuro, who is now in one of the houses attached to the hot air balloons. A young man in front of him gives him some ramen to eat. He claims this is a house for those who have been exiled. The right to live freely in the city has been seized. Tetsuro wonders why he was banished and is told as soon as someone says something that isn’t liked on this planet they are banished. Tetsuro wonders what he must have said wrong and doesn’t remember. The man claims anything Mayor Guillotino doesn’t like is exiled or killed. Tetsuro starts getting frustrated and rushes outside, nearly falling off until the man grabs him. Tetsuro realizes he’s up in the air with the hot air balloons. He realizes this is why no one was on the ground.

Elsewhere, Maetel stands in front of an elaborately decorated and giant door and asks Guillotino to let her in. She steps inside where we find that Guillotino, while still alive, is just a skeleton. Guillotino admits that he’s banished or killed all the other mayors so he’s the only one left. He claims those on this planet are stupid and shouldn’t exist. Maetel asks how he knows that everyone else on this planet is stupid and he simply says because that’s the way it is. Maetel realizes that Guillotino is quite weak. He claims he has an incurable space disease. The doctors and any correspondents who could have contacted someone else had been executed and he doesn’t know how to operate the machine. Maetel says it is troublesome when there’s no people around, but Guillotino still insists it is wonderful to be on a planet with no idiots. Guillotino’s speech slows and he soon dies.

Meanwhile, Tetsuro wonders how long he’ll be up here. A loud noise emits from outside and they realize it is the 999! Maetel claims the mayor is gone; his digestive system was eaten by mechanical bugs and bacteria. Now everyone can go back to the ground and be of peaceful mind. The man whose home Tetsuro had been staying in says his name is Pinestein and that this will be a better planet when he returns. Tetsuro doesn’t know when he’ll return, but tells Pinestein to do his best. The 999 heads to space and continues on its journey.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This is another chapter which reminds me greatly of a previous one, in this case chapter 7-6, “The Empire of the Cowardly Emperor”. In that story, the Emperor of the planet distrusted everyone so much that he had everyone else killed until he was the only one left. Guillotino in this story doesn’t go as far as him; many people he has simply exiled rather than having killed, but he has reduced society greatly, to the point where he is the only other person that we see on the surface. Everyone else is forced to live either underground (referenced but never seen) or up in the sky via houses attached to hot air balloons! While the story comes off as a retread, at least we have the interesting looking sky with so many different hot air balloons.

Tetsuro’s mouth or attitude is something that often gets him into trouble, and that continues to be the case here, with him getting himself exiled fairly quickly after they enter the hotel room. It was fairly interesting to see Tetsuro and Maetel head through a city and a hotel that is pretty much deserted, with only lamps there to light the way. When we meet Guillotino towards the end of the chapter it was also interesting to note that he is a skeleton! It isn’t explained whether he was always this way, or if the disease that he has reduced him to this state. My guess would be the latter. He ends up dying of his illness shortly after Maetel comes to see him and that causes a quick resolution to this chapter’s storyline.  As I’ve mentioned in some other recent chapters, with Matsumoto both resorting to ideas he’s previously used and the storylines coming to rather quick resolutions it seems like a good time for us to head to the conclusion of the Galaxy Express 999 storyline.

Cosmo Wine

Cosmo Wine

Manga Chapter 18-1

Manga Chapter Summary:

The narrator explains that mankind hasn’t reached the point of being able to control nature on most planets yet. People must live under the tide of nature. We see a rainy planet with a sign saying that those who go out during the rain will be sentenced to death. As the 999 approaches the planet, Tetsuro and the Conductor claim the scene of the rain is rather good, irresistible in fact. A lively looking Conductor says this planet’s name is “Cosmo Wine” and they will be stopped here for 24 hours. The Conductor spots some of the rain coming through under the door and drinks it. The 999 heads to the station, which is included within a pipe. Maetel says they do this due to the troublesome rain. The Conductor sings and Tetsuro and Maetel comment on how he likes this place a lot.

We cut to Tetsuro and Maetel at their hotel, called Hotel Umbrella (which is shaped like one). They had entered the hotel directly through the underground station. Tetsuro says despite the rain, it smells nice here. Maetel says the rain can be both poison and medicine and people aren’t allowed to go out during the rainy season. Tetsuro talks about the stupidity of it and is yelled at by someone from the wall. Maetel claims the entire hotel has a surveillance monitor. If Tetsuro says something he shouldn’t he may get warned, or the police may arrive. Tetsuro wonders what he can do and Maetel tells him to take a bath and sleep. Tetsuro wants to wander around and Maetel says he can go around the hotel but to not go outside, as she steps into the bath. Tetsuro heads down to the lobby, wondering where he can get something to eat. He finds the hotel gloomy, with few people around and mold present. He also spots some spiderwebs as he makes his way to the hotel restaurant, saying it is more like a haunted house!

Tetsuro sits down and is tended to by a waitress. He orders clams, shrimp, tempura and rice. The waitress also asks him about what type of wine he’d like, claiming it is like water here. Tetsuro has some and likes it. Some time goes by and Tetsuro, now feeling the effect of the alcohol, says wine isn’t water after all. He wanders his way out of the restaurant and we next see Tetsuro outside in the rain. Tetsuro soon realizes the rain coming down is wine as well! He gets worried that he is going to die of alcohol poisoning. Suddenly a number of swords are held out at Tetsuro and he is told he’s being arrested for violating the curfew. Tetsuro doesn’t mind it as long as he can get out of this rain.

Some time passes by and we see Maetel walking outside with an umbrella. A device demands her to stop going out in violation of the rain decree. Maetel, who is wearing some sort of mask, flashes a card at the device which apologizes to her. Maetel continues her way through the rain and finds Tetsuro’s hat on the ground, with a stab through it via an electronic bayonet. She realizes it was just recently stabbed. Maetel is suddenly shot at and collapses. Maetel wakes up later in a room with a lot of dials on the walls. She is told she’s not injured and is asked if she will cooperate. Two men in lab coats walk in, one of which says he is Minato, a representative from the Anti-Alcohol Society, “Water”. He tells Maetel their goal is to ban alcohol from this planet and make it a refreshing planet flowing with pure water.

Maetel realizes they do not have mechanical bodies and they confirm this. They admit they are using the power of machines but desire for living humans to control machines here rather than the other way around. Minato says the mechanical people tried to drown living humans in the rain of alcohol here and they are resisting it. We cut to the police station where Tetsuro is being interrogated. He says he is Tetsuro Hoshino, traveling on the 999, but without his ID on him the police don’t believe him. They also question why he left the hotel and if he knew about the curfew. He is told the punishment for violating the curfew is death! Tetsuro begs for some water but is told he doesn’t need it. Tetsuro is ordered to be executed.

A bell rings which Maetel hears and is told by Minato that it is a “death bell” signaling that execution of the criminal is over. We hear Tetsuro’s voice as we see some shots in space and Tetsuro gets frustrated. Is he dead? We cut to Tetsuro waking up in the hotel room. Tetsuro says he wasn’t dreaming. The waitress from the restaurant hands Tetsuro his pass, saying she picked it up. Minato is standing there and introduces himself. The waitress claims the death bell had actually been rung for the Prime Minister of the planet. Cosmo Wine has abandoned its policy and he was executed under the orders of the Great Mother Planet due to violation of the mechanization law. Minato says according to the mechanization law, one cannot threaten a human or force them to attain a mechanical body. Minato says that according to the law, those becoming mechanized must do so voluntarily.

Minato says he does not pledge to mechanized society and doesn’t believe there is a reason to cooperate. Tetsuro asks who contacted the Great Mother Planet about this situation and Minato says it was Maetel! Minato claims the government of this planet forces living humans to drink alcohol. He thought it would create a revolution. We cut to a shot of the prime minster, who has been hung, as the 999 departs the planet. On the 999, Tetsuro and Maetel talk about if a planet like this is paradise or hell. Tetsuro asks about the planet they are going to in order for him to obtain a free mechanical body and Maetel says it is the great mother planet, the capital of the mechanized world. It’s known as Great Andromeda, and is located in the center of the Andromeda galaxy. It is a utopia for mechanized people and the home of the mechanical civilization. Tetsuro asks what the name of the planet is that gives a free mechanical body and she says it would be better for him to not ask. Tetsuro looks at his pass and thinks of how they have passed Orion and Pleiades and are advancing towards Great Andromeda. The Conductor says the terminal station is coming soon, hanging down his head.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This chapter returns us to a world with a rather absurd concept, this time the fact that wine is the equivalent of water on this planet. We soon realize something odd is going on with the rain due to the nice smell of it and the fact that the Conductor happily drinks some of the rain seeping through below the train door. Tetsuro eventually realizes what is going on after going to the restaurant and being served some. Of course, being a kid, Tetsuro quickly becomes drunk and wanders outside in violation of the curfew. Tetsuro getting in trouble with the local authorities is a very common theme, seen in previous chapters such as “The Holy Planet of Silence” or “City Without Night” and this chapter is no exception. Although this time Tetsuro finds himself nearly dying of alcohol poisoning out in the rain and has at least a little relief at being arrested. That relief quickly goes away as Tetsuro is interrogated and sentenced to death! Why this planet has such a harsh penalty is unfortunately never explained.

Meanwhile Maetel finds herself involved with a revolutionary group “Water” that is rebelling against the alcohol entrenched nature of this planet. It got me thinking back to the era of prohibition in real life, a period of time during the 1920s where alcohol was illegal in the United States. “Water” seeks something similar to prohibition and is made up of living humans rather than mechanized ones. Through Maetel’s help they are eventually able to overthrow the Prime Minister of the planet. Through simply a phone call to the Great Mother Planet of Andromeda, Maetel is able to get him executed for violation of a law that prohibits living humans from being threatened or forcibly made into mechanized people. It’s rather odd that this is the justification for his execution as we never actually see that threat made to anyone in this chapter. I also found it interesting as we have had several past chapters when Tetsuro was threatened with a mechanical body but no one got in trouble over it. Most of those chapters occurred before the 999 arrived in Andromeda, but we did see a character, Snowlock, trick people into getting mechanized to pay a big debt to him in the chapter “Snow Woman of Andromeda”. Maetel has often displayed feats of great power and we see that yet again here as it is just a phone call that enables the leader of the planet to be overthrown. Now that we’re close to the end, the secrets behind Maetel are soon to be revealed.

Spoiler Analysis:

I would presume that the reason that Maetel doesn’t want Tetsuro to know the name of the planet where he can get a free mechanical body is because it is named Maetel, as seen in the movie version of Galaxy Express 999. Oddly enough though, this never actually comes up in the final series of manga chapters.