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. 

The Destruction of Macaroni Au Gratin

The Destruction of Macaroni Au Gratin

Manga Chapter 15-2

TV Episode 108

Manga Chapter Summary:

Tetsuro and Maetel eat macaroni in the dining car. Tetsuro has a funny face and says it’s delicious but he likes something more chewy. He wonders why macaroni has a hole in it. Coincidentally, the Conductor announces their next stop as “Macaroni Au Gratin”, with a stop time of 6 and a half hours. Tetsuro asks if is a planet full of delicious macaroni, and the Conductor says no. They approach the planet, which is shaped just like a piece of macaroni! The 999 heads towards the inside and Tetsuro notices the insides have a texture that looks like Macaroni Au Gratin. As the 999 heads towards the station we see a big, advanced city. Meanwhile a couple of men talk on the phone about how the 999 has arrived and to not panic. The Conductor says that this is a scientifically advanced planet, in fact the most so in the Andromeda galaxy.

Tetsuro walks around the hotel and wonders if as civilization becomes more advanced it will become more monotonous like the hotel. Tetsuro heads down to the hotel room and asks for Macaroni Au Gratin, which is immediately delivered. Maetel says it is via a particle transfer device. Tetsuro regrets picking macaroni, but steak is immediately provided in its place. He is told it can be replaced with whatever he wants here. Tetsuro happily eats the steak and compliments it. Maetel mentions it as a planet with no inconvenience. Tetsuro goes on the bed to go asleep while Maetel goes to the bath. Tetsuro annoys Maetel with his snoring, but then his body completely disappears! There is an announcement over a loud speaker that there is an air raid and they should retreat to the underground. Missiles start dropping from above them and there’s a big explosion.

Maetel finds herself with Tetsuro, transported away via the particle transfer. She is told that her body would have been destroyed had it not been brought here. Tetsuro wakes up and both of them look up, finding a giant mechanical man staring at them from above! We cut to the station where the Conductor worries about Tetsuro and Maetel as the 999 is about to leave, but they haven’t returned. He looks around the station but sees no staff on the premises either. He places a call to the hotel and hears a message that it’s a state of emergency and war has been declared. We are told that war is erupting all over the planet. The Conductor heads to the 999 Locomotive and is told it is an unpredictable situation and to not leave the train; the safety of the train is top priority. Explosions ring out all over the planet and it completely explodes, with the 999 departing just in time.

The Conductor sheds a tear over the supposed deaths of Tetsuro and Maetel and wonders if he should quit. But the 999 Locomotive quickly tells him there are passengers on the 999! The Conductor doesn’t find Tetsuro and Maetel in their usual seats so he heads to the dining car. He rushes there but finds two mechanical men sitting there, asking for some oil drinks. He looks at their passes; they are called Mane and Sub Dendorium. The Conductor wonders if they are brothers. We hear the voice of Maetel sound out and discover that she and Tetsuro have shrunken greatly in size and are in a glass! Maetel and Tetsuro, who are brought to another table eat some food, albeit much smaller portions given their new size. The three of them wonder what the mechanical men are doing. They made them smaller and have fled their destroyed planet but don’t feel sad about it.

Mane and Sub laugh as they talk to each other. They lived 283 and 280 years respectively on Macaroni Au Gratin. They wonder why they were born there on a planet they feel was boring. While there they were the President of the Inland Zone and Land Zones and had fought against each other. They say those who died behind them were lower humans who didn’t deserve to live. Tetsuro tells Maetel he feels like a cockroach at this size as he laps up some spilt water. Maetel tells him the particle transfer device was destroyed along with the planet; they may be stuck like this. Tetsuro wants to ask the machine men about it and tries climbing down.

Mane and Sub talk about sleeping, and have a funny feeling. Suddenly their bodies explode, taking a lot of the train car with them! The Conductor tells Tetsuro that something sudden must have happened. Maetel thinks it has to do with the mother computer breaking, or perhaps they had a type of body that can run out of control and explode. Tetsuro wonders what will happen to them and if they are stuck at this size. They also think they don’t have their passes anymore, although the Conductor tells them there was a trunk, clothes and pass brought on board, which happens to be Tetsuro’s pass. The remains of the partially destroyed train car are decoupled, and the Locomotive complains about how it will have to go at full speed to catch up to its schedule. There is a lot of shaking as the 999 speeds up and the chapter ends.

TV Episode Summary:

The episode begins with the war raging on Macaroni Au Gratin. Mane and Sab talk to each other about how war is not interesting to them anymore; it was only so when humans were around and they want to leave. They mention mother computer junior is watching them, but plot to use the 999 to escape. After this things follow the manga until the 999 lands and we see a brief scene where they depart the station via a mechanical car. We see the car heading to the hotel and dropping them off there.

After Tetsuro starts eating in his hotel room we see Mane and Sab plotting to take the places of Tetsuro and Maetel on the 999. The scene once Tetsuro and Maetel are shrunk and see Mane is longer, with him telling them he had shrunk them and having them bound to the wall, with a band placed on their head. The intent is to trick someone into thinking Mane and Sab are still here when they’re not.

We get a new scene of the electronic car bringing back Tetsuro and Maetel’s things from the hotel; this happened in the manga but we don’t actually see it. Maetel soon realizes the planet’s war will soon force the 999 to take off so she uses a device on her ring to destroy what is keeping them bound to the wall. They destroy the bands on their heads and Tetsuro tries climbing out despite Maetel telling him not to. He soon falls down. Maetel hears the voice of her mother! Her mother, who appears only in silhouette, and can’t be seen by Tetsuro tells Maetel to bring Tetsuro with her now and that the Dendrobium brothers have left the planet, leaving them there as decoys for the mother junior computer. Tetsuro asks Maetel who she is talking to. Using the particle transmitter the two of them are transported away.

When the Conductor sees Mane and Sab on board, he brings them glasses to drink, while the glasses were already there in the manga. Tetsuro reveals himself in the glasses. Sab shakes the glass around and Mane throws the Conductor down when he tries to stop them. Maetel reveals herself to the Conductor from nearby.

Maetel’s mother, Prometheum, contacts the mother computer junior about the brothers running away. Prometheum also orders it to return Tetsuro and Maetel to their original forms. A blast from mother computer junior arrives and kills the two brothers. Tetsuro and Maetel also return to their normal size. Maetel tells Tetsuro that the two of them forgot mother computer junior controlled all and Tetsuro thinks back to their time in the particle transmitter.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Mane Dendoro - Toshio Furukawa

Sab Dendoro – Bin Shimada

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani

Mother Computer – Keiko Miyazaki

Prometheum – Ryoko Kinomiya

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Toshio Furukawa has had several prior appearances including Handsome Man (episode 6), Ikari (episode 74), Lestel (episode 85), Wester (episode 89), Hanza (episode 98) and Damu (episode 102). Keiko Miyazaki previously played a mother in episode 49. Beyond playing the 999 Locomotive, Kouji Totani has also portrayed various minor characters.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

An interesting chapter this time as the 999 heads to a world that looks like a giant piece of Macaroni! The planet and episode is named after Macaroni Au Gratin, which is a type of macaroni served with cheese sauce and a three cheese blend. Upon landing on the planet we find it is a technologically advanced planet, with giant skyscrapers and a particle transfer device that can instantaneously deliver food to rooms, or even transfer people as later happens with Tetsuro and Maetel. When war breaks out, the two of them are transferred away, but somehow shrunk to a tiny size! Matsumoto has experimented with all sorts of different concepts and ideas, but shrinking Tetsuro and Maetel is something that hasn’t come up until now, making things a bit fresh.

Macaroni Au Gratin quickly spirals into all out war, forcing the 999 to depart. Luckily Tetsuro and Maetel are brought on board by Mane and Sab, two machine men, who we see talking to each other earlier. In a rare inversion to what we typically see for those boarding the 999, both of them have legitimately purchased passes. They don’t seem to have that nefarious a desire to do anything with Tetsuro and Maetel. Despite having them on their table with them, they are fine with letting them go as they talk amongst the two of them about other things. Although they got on the 999 legitimately, they suffer that fate of practically everyone beyond Tetsuro and Maetel that board the 999 and end up dying, with their bodies exploding! I know we’re far into the manga/TV show at this point, so there isn’t the most room to do it, but just for once it would be nice to have a new recurring character that stays on board the 999 for a while! Even just a few chapters!

While it doesn’t have a lot of focus in the chapter, it appears there is also a slight focus on how Macaroni Au Gratin became so advanced that things became boring. When you can simply ask a particle transmitter what you want and it will immediately bring it to you, there is doubtful to be much struggle left for existence. This gets a lot more play in the earlier chapter “Idle’s One’s Mirror” but was at least used as some motivation for Mane and Sab.

In another big rarity, this chapter ends on a cliffhanger. While we often have cliffhangers at the end of part 1 of a 2 part story, this is the first time I can think of where we had a cliffhanger beyond that. Tetsuro and Maetel end the chapter still at their small size. How will they return to normal? We’ll have to go to the next chapter, “Maetel’s Journey” to find out.

The TV adaption retains the core plot but has several major additions and differences as well. Mane and Sab are put forth as more nefarious and we get more time with them plotting their escape. I wasn’t happy at seeing them be so mean to tiny Tetsuro! Although there was a brief mention by Maetel of a mother computer in the manga, it has a larger role here, specifically trying to keep Mane and Sab on the planet, and destroying them after they leave (despite the planet no longer existing). The cliffhanger from the manga chapter is resolved by episode end, with Tetsuro and Maetel going back to their normal size.

The most interesting new change though was Maetel’s mother appearing! This is our first time in the series we have seen her, and she helps out Tetsuro and Maetel, seeking them to make it to wherever she is. We don’t get an actual good look at her (her body appears in silhouette) and it appears that Maetel may be telepathically talking to her as Tetsuro is only able to hear what Maetel says.

The Bird Man of Kilimanjaro

The Bird-Man of Kilimanjaro

TV Episode 107

TV Episode Summary:

On board the 999, Tetsuro and Maetel eat in the dining car. Maetel comments on Tetsuro’s big appetite and they joke about him being a samurai. The Conductor announces their next stop as the “Knights of Kilimanjaro” with a layover time of just over 24 hours. The Conductor claims the planet has real knights/samurai. Tetsuro says the landscape is beautiful, but reminds him of something. Maetel references the real Mt. Kilimanjaro on Earth. She says it’s a symbol of chivalry on this planet. Tetsuro notices some planes taking part in a dog fight nearby. Many brown colored planes are taking on grey colored planes and manage to shoot one down. Maetel tells Tetsuro two nations are at war on this planet.

A gray plane piloted by an orange haired mans shoots down one of the brown planes and he throws a bouquet of flowers at it. Another gray plane is then taken down by one of the brown planes. Tetsuro talks about how the planes resemble those from World War I. Tetsuro notices one of the planes off on its own. Its pilot, Izaka, is being called via the radio on his plane by his captain, the orange haired man. The brown planes decide to pull out. The pilots from opposite sides salute each other as they depart. Tetsuro praises the chivalry of the battle. We cut to the 999 having arrived at the station. Within the hotel Tetsuro and Maetel spot some of the pilots coming down the stairs. The orange haired man, Captain Alman greets them and invites Maetel to a dance tonight. Maetel declines as she is tired.

A man reports to Alman and he excuses himself. Tetsuro watches as Alman and several of his subordinate force Izaka, out of the hotel. Izaka says his barracks were destroyed by bombing but they don’t care and tell him to sleep in the fields. Tetsuro says they should let him stay and Alman says this has nothing to do with him. Alman tells him Izaka is a coward in battle and unlike them is a commoner rather than a noble. Normally he wouldn’t even be a pilot but he has this position due to pilot shortages. One of the pilots knocks Izaka down the stairs. Izaka apologizes to Tetsuro as they cross a bridge and introduce each other’s names. Tetsuro expresses being annoyed over Alman, but Izaka tells him not to focus so much on the nobles.

Kikuo, a young boy runs by and Izaka tells Tetsuro they are like brothers. Izaka has brought a small box containing one of his pet pigeons whom he lets go. Izaka says he became a pilot because he wanted to fly the skies freely like a bird. We cut to the next day as a number of the grey planes take off from the ground. Tetsuro hopes for Izaka to not die in the oncoming dog fight. The brown planes approach and the dog fight begins. Izaka soon finds himself with two planes pursuing him. Meanwhile Kikuo comes to the hotel to say hello to Tetsuro. Spotting Izaka’s plane above he drops his box and the pigeon flies away. He chases it to the bridge and one of the brown plane pilots spots him and shoots him. Tetsuro rushes across the bridge and finds Kikuo’s body.

The pilots are told that a ceasefire has been declared. Izaka is ecstatic and lands, but finds Tetsuro waiting for him with the bird box. He tells him a plane with a black cross on it shot Kikuo. At Kikuo’s grave, Izaka tells Tetsuro and Maetel how he was alone just like him and sobs. Fireworks go off nearby, which Maetel says is to celebrate the end of the war and the chivalry they fought with. Alman has a brief speech, celebrating with the head of the other squadron, Otto. Izaka says they killed the poor people like him like bugs by the thousands and is enraged at them calling this chivalry. Maetel tells Tetsuro the 999 will be taking off soon and there’s nothing they can do. Alman says farewell to Otto as he and his squad take off. Izaka takes off in his plane and immediately takes down three of the brown planes. He shoots down a fourth.

Otto manages to get behind Izaka’s plane, and shoots the plane, which heads down towards the river. Izaka thinks of how this will be the end and flashes back to a fun time in his past with Kikuo. Izaka continues to be pursued by Otto’s plane, but manages to splash water in it. This causes Otto’s plane to crash into the bridge and blow up. Izaka lands his plane shortly after. Alman confronts Izaka, saying he not only screwed over Captain Otto but didn’t follow chivalry. Izaka is angry at him, a noble trying to force chivalry on him, a commoner. Izaka says his war has just started.

Alman orders Izaka to be executed. He is brought over to a desolate field. Izaka refuses a blindfold and faces his executioners. Tetsuro shoots away the guns of all the men, then shoots away Alman’s sword too. Tetusro says many people have died because of this stupid game they’ve played. The soldiers all flee. Tetsuro shoots off Izaka’s handcuffs. Alman says every country on this planet will chase him and he won’t get away. Izaka says he has a place to run to. At the station, the Conductor worries about if Tetsuro will make it in time and Maetel begs for 5 more minutes. Tetsuro worries about the wounded Izaka getting into his plane.

Hearing the 999’s whistle, Izaka tells Tetsuro to not worry about him. Izaka tells Alman to turn the propeller for him, which he does so and Izaka takes off. Alman says he will get Izaka himself. Tetsuro makes it back to the station and the 999 takes off. Izaka quickly finds himself under pursuit by Alman, who says he’s going to take his time killing him. Izaka’s plane is hit but he refuses to lose. He flies his plane under the 999 and the whistle blow ends up knocking away Alman’s plane. Izaka thanks Tetsuro and Maetel and flees. Maetel tells Tetsuro Izaka has escaped into the sky and Tetsuro thinks of Izaka’s wish to fly through the sky like a bird. We see Izaka’s plane fly over the mountain.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Alman – Keiichi Noda

Otto – Seiji Sato

Izaka – Hideyuki Tanaka

Kikuo – Keiko Yamamoto

Subordinate – Kouji Totani

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Keiichi Noda previously appeared as Yosaku (episode 71) and Snowlock (episode 91). Hideyuki Tanaka played Yaku in episode 88 and a boy in episode 99. Keiko Yamamoto has had 4 previous appearances, the most notable being Manabu in episode 53, with appearances as minor characters in episodes 30, 40 and 86. Seiji Sato has appeared as a variety of minor characters throughout the show, as has Kouji Totani, who also voices the 999 Locomotive

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This episode of the TV show, while technically a TV original, takes the name from a chapter in Matsumoto’s manga “Tale of a Time Gone By” called “The Birdmen of Kilimanjaro”. In addition, the name of the character Izaka is inspired by a character in that chapter. Both stories are about World War I-era planes in dog fights although beyond that the plots are radically different. The original story featured Taro Izaka, a Japanese pilot being taken in by some European pilots, facing some discrimination similar to what Izaka faces in this episode for being poor, and ends up getting shot down by, surprisingly enough, Captain Harlock in a cameo! Also, Izaka looks just like Tochiro Oyama, Harlock’s best friend.

I got to say, World War I-era dog fighting is not something I’d expect from Galaxy Express 999, but we get it here and have a pretty good spin on things. As often is the case in the manga/show, the subject of class comes up, with Izaka being treated differently as a commoner by Alman and the other nobles. The nobles are high on chivalry but don’t really show it to those not of high status like themselves.

The shooting of Kikuo I did not expect whatsoever. Galaxy Express 999 is often a dark show, but this has got to be one of its darkest moments, Kikuo, a little kid, has no reason whatsoever to be shot. It isn’t like the pilot of the plane shot him accidentally via pursuing an enemy. He literally spotted him and chose to kill a little kid. Alman and the nobles can talk on and on about chivalry but this is anything but.

Izaka naturally gets extraordinarily upset about Kikuo’s death and seeks revenge, despite the fact that a cease fire has been called. He doesn’t know who actually killed Kikuo (and we don’t appear to focus enough on those planes he shoots down to see if he took down the guy who killed him). Nonetheless he immediately attacks and in something that is also not chivalrous at all, shoots down several planes by behind after a cease fire had been called. Izaka’s solution for a war crime is another war crime. Despite his reputation as a coward, Izaka is able to take down the entire squadron including tricking their leader into crashing into a bridge.

Izaka is set to be executed, but as expected Tetsuro comes in to save the day and enables him to get away. The 999 also helps him as Alman is about to shoot him down near the episode’s end. Izaka flees; and may get to now experience his dream of flying in the sky, without fighting, although he will surely be a wanted man for his actions. The episode ends on somewhat of a hopeful note, but let’s not expect Izaka to have a totally happy ending.

Ghost Station No. 13

Ghost Station No. 13

Manga Chapters 14-5 and 15-1

TV Episode 106

Manga Chapter Summary:

The 999 continues its journey through space. Tetsuro tells Maetel that he’s deathly bored by the same star view outside for so many hours. Maetel tells him it’s at least another 100 hours until their next station and Tetsuro feels like he’s going to die of boredom. She tells him this is a part of space where there’s no planets, asteroids or built stations. Maetel tells Tetsuro he passed the test of boredom long ago, but he feels it wasn’t that long a time then. She suggests talking to the Conductor, but Tetsuro says he’s busy in his room. Suddenly the Conductor floats into the train car, telling them because of the boredom he’s turned off the gravity device and they can swim around the 999 as if they were in a pool.

The two have fun doing this for a while, but suddenly the gravity turns back on and they both slam to the ground. Maetel claims it wasn’t her and they wonder who could have pulled the switch. They hear the sound of footsteps from the next train car approaching, but then they stop and go in the other direction. They head to the next train car but don’t find anything there. They wonder if it was due to their imagination, but then who turned on the gravity? The Conductor asks the Locomotive, but it claims the only life forms found on the train are that of the passengers. The Locomotive says they are stopping at a station in 2 minutes which surprises the Conductor as there is no scheduled stop in this part of space! In fact the Locomotive tells them it is already in the premises of a station. The Conductor heads back to Tetsuro and Maetel, saying the Locomotive must be wrong; there is no station here. However upon looking in front, they seen a large spherical station, labeled “Station No. 13” on the outside.

The Locomotive stops in Station No. 13, and the Conductor complains that the Locomotive is being irresponsible, stopping at a station it doesn’t know. The 999 shakes and the Locomotive says this station has a different type of control system, and it can’t stop safely. It tells the Conductor to manually send them back in reverse. The Conductor struggles with this, but ultimately the train is able to stop. Tetsuro looks outside and finds the station to be completely empty, although it feels really warm. A voice rings out, telling the passengers to get off. Maetel gets off, but the voice then tells Tetsuro she’s the only one allowed off and he must stay on board the 999. The Conductor holds Tetsuro from getting off and says he has an unpleasant feeling. The Locomotive says to be careful, as there is a life reaction here. It is as if they have been swallowed up by the station.

Maetel is instructed to go down an escalator into the center of the station. Maetel asks the voice if it is the prankster who turned the gravity back on. The voice claims that the one who did that was its sister. Maetel asks where its sister is now and it says on the train; she wants someone to play with. The Locomotive identifies that this station is effectively a mechanized person. We hear the voice of the station and its little sister, which plan on each having their own person to deal with. Tetsuro and the Conductor start hearing giggles from the other train car. The footsteps resume and the door opens, revealing a tiny, ghost-like little machine girl. She says her name is Crosalis and that Tetsuro has a funny face. Tetsuro starts making funny faces for her, causing her to laugh really hard.

The Locomotive meanwhile claims the life reaction can only be felt by Tetsuro and the Conductor; whatever is on the 999 isn’t really a living thing. It is a soul that is lost, without a body. The Conductor becomes frightened of there being a ghost on board. Meanwhile Tetsuro continues to make Crosalis laugh, by pulling off his clothes and proclaiming himself an underwear monkey. The Conductor worries as Maetel is still inside the station. The Locomotive tells the Conductor that a destruction order has been issued. The Central Administration of the Galaxy Express has decided to blow up the station.

Beams of light start heading through space towards the station. The Locomotive says they must leave here. Crosalis says she has to leave; her brother is calling her. Maetel appears again and the 999 takes off from the station. The beam blasts are coming, and the 999 doesn’t have the time to get out of the way. The station moves itself in front of the 999 and is struck, blowing up. Afterwards, Tetsuro asks Maetel if that was a machine person or a ghost. Maetel claims they were a brother and sister; their lives had come to an end but they longed for the 999 to come so she’d have a friend. Tetsuro wonders if the station protected them because he played with Crosalis, and Maetel thinks that was the case.

TV Episode Summary:

The TV episode is mostly faithful to the manga chapter, just adding in a few more details. The episode begins with the brother and sister talking to each other about how no one comes to where they are and how she wants a friend to play with. They spot a space train in the distance and wished it would stop here. The big brother, called Aron in the episode, tells Crosalis that he’ll stop the next train that comes by. After seeing Tetsuro and Maetel we again see Aron and Crosalis talk to each other. Aron has now become Station No. 13. Crosalis transfers herself into the station, it then travels through space.

Aron is represented by a glowing light within the station once the 999 makes it there and teleports Maetel away rather than having her go down an escalator. Maetel is kept captive at the center of the station by Aron. Aron requests Maetel help his sister. Aron needs the psycho-magnetic waves within Maetel’s body in order to enable Crosalis to have a physical form.

From here things proceed similarly to the manga chapter. While Tetsuro is goofing around, the Conductor worries that he’s been possessed by a ghost! We have more time with Tetsuro and Crosalis together; in particular we see Tetsuro and Crosalis eating with each other in the dining car; Crosalis also asks him to read her a book. When it decides to blow up the station, we see the Galaxy Express Administration fire its shot. The Conductor tells Tetsuro about the incoming destruction of the station, and Crosalis starts crying. Maetel is told by Aron that she’ll be released and is transported back to the 999. Crosalis’ physical form also disappears at this time.

TV Episode Cast:

Tetsuro Hoshino – Masako Nozawa

Maetel – Masako Ikeda

Conductor – Kaneta Kimotsuki

Crosalis – Fuyumi Shiraishi

Brother – Toru Furuya

Mechanical Car Voice – Kouji Totani

Narrator – Hitoshi Takagi

Fuyumi Shiraishi previously appeared as Suru in episode 11. Toru Furuya previously appeared as Zeda in episodes 47 – 48 and Tetsuo in episode 86. Beyond the 999 Locomotive, Kouji Totani has played a variety of minor characters in the show.

Non-Spoiler Analysis:

This chapter begins with an extended period on the 999 with nothing to do. Tetsuro finds himself incredibly bored and Maetel makes a reference back to the boredom test she had Tetsuro undergo back in the “C6248’s Rebellion” chapter. This leads to a rather funny scene where the Conductor turns off the gravity and he and Tetsuro compete by swimming throughout the 999. From here we go to the heart of the chapter, which involves the spirits of a deceased brother and sister. The brother, Aron, has become a space station somehow (or maybe he was always that in the manga; the TV episode explains that he became the station but wasn’t always in that form) and is able to force the 999 to land inside it. By drawing upon Maetel’s energy (at least in the TV episode, her purpose of going in the station is unexplained in the manga), the sister, Crosalis is able to appear in a physical form.

Crosalis is very cute, coming off as a 4 or 5 year old girl and its fun to see her spending some time playing with Tetsuro. This is especially the case in the episode where they spend some more time together and get to do more things like eating in the dining car and reading a book. The episode also gives us some really bizarre and funny faces from Tetsuro. It is rare for Tetsuro to have another kid to play with, so it was nice to spend some time with this in this storyline. I wish it had lasted longer!

Alas, all good things must come to an end. The Galaxy Express administration decides to destroy the station, although does so rather impatiently while the 999 is still inside it. This could have resulted in the end of the 999, and even with it escaping, there isn’t enough time to get off the path of the oncoming blasts. Aron decides to sacrifice himself in order to save the 999, being thankful towards Tetsuro for spending time playing with his sister. Overall this was a pretty fun and light hearted storyline that I enjoyed a lot.