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MANGA REVIEWS

Story and Art by Matsumoto Leiji
Original Publisher: Hit Comics (Shonen Gahousha)
Re-released by: Big Comics Gold (Shogakukan)



Tetsuro and his mother enjoying the night sky.





Maetre gives Tetsuro the pass.





The Galaxy Express pass... Is it the answer?





Tetsuro and Maetre make plans to leave.



—by Eri Izawa

Matsumoto Leiji is perhaps best known in the US for the animated series known here as STARBLAZERS, or UCHUSENKAN YAMATO to the initiated; it's a space adventure centered around a huge space battleship and its heroic crew. He's also known as the author of CAPTAIN HARLOCK, whose tall handsome pirate hero flies around in (you guessed it) a huge space ship. But perhaps his best work overall is GINGA TETSUDOU 999 ("three-nine"), which has neither sexy space battleship nor tall handsome protagonist. Instead, GINGA TETSUDOU 999 features the less martial but more memorable image of a space-faring steam locomotive and a short, squat hero with a heart of gold.
  Many of Matsumoto's other characters, such as Captain Harlock and Emeraldas (who both appear briefly in the GINGA TETSUDOU 999 manga series), are adults weighed down with sorrow and loneliness (e.g., the TV Harlock's morbid fascination with finding a place to die). In addition, they tend to be weighed down with hefty philosophies about freedom, life and death, and the meaning of true manhood. Hoshino Tetsuro, however, stands squarely apart with a refreshing openness and hopefulness. And although some other of Matsumoto's less well-known works provide other lively young characters (e.g., MILLENNIAL QUEEN, OTOKO OIDON, and even the newer GINGA TETSUDOU 999 series), none provide the same clear and concise impact as these classic, original stories.
  So who is Hoshino ("field of stars") Tetsuro? He starts off the series a poor, penniless boy, living with his mother on an Earth of the distant future. His mother, when mortally wounded by a band of mechanized people, tells him to get on the Galaxy Express 999 and go to a planet where he can receive a free mechanical body and thus become immortal. Tetsuro is rescued by a mysterious, beautiful woman named Maetre ("Mae-te-ru"). She offers him a strange deal: if he will accompany her, she will give him—for free—a pass to ride the Galaxy Express 999. And so (after Tetsuro wreaks revenge on his mother's killers), Tetsuro comes to the station and sees the Galaxy Express itself: a top of the line space-traveling vehicle in the shape of a vintage Japanese steam locomotive. There, in the plain passenger seats of this train, Tetsuro and Maetre will travel across space and time to the distant Andromeda Galaxy, wherein lies the planet that gives away immortality.
  And so begins the journey.
  A person who has never read GINGA TETSUDOU 999 may be surprised to hear it described as being a bit like a cross between Ray Bradbury and a Wild West movie, but that is one way of describing it. Nearly every episode brings Tetsuro and Maetre to a new planet and new people, and new lessons and observations on humanity. While Tetsuro has to use his gun a great deal, he just as often has to use his heart. Some planets and their people are shallow and selfish; others are unpleasant but decent at heart; some are full of despair; some are full of life and laughter. They are caricatures of human nature, often emphasizing the extremes that can result if people let their vices (or virtues) hold sway. One planet, for example, is overrun by beggars, descendants of people who were beaten by the odds and who gave up their will to work; Tetsuro and Maetre wind up happily surprised by a couple beggars who have the guts and determination to do something for themselves, even if it involves robbery. Another planet's mechanized people became so fond of eavesdropping that their super-sensitive hearing could no longer tolerate loud noises; Tetsuro is nearly hanged for making noise, but luckily finds that escaping can be as simple as shouting.
  But the caricatures also hold a light to an even darker side of human nature. Another planet, one almost completely made of water, hosted a race of aquatic people that had brought the planet to ecological ruin; these people were now fleeing the planet (and its angry natives) by forcing their way onto the Galaxy Express to get to a new planet. Yet another planet has a terrible elite who entertain galactic visitors by hosting meaningless bloody wars just for entertainment; Tetsuro meets some of the young soldiers and cries for them when their rebellion against their heartless masters is defeated. There are even young planets still wrapped in greenery, clean air and hospitality, but whose people are sometimes restless for bright lights, fame, fortune, and longevity — the very way Earth used to be, before its transformation into a world of cold and dreamless machinery.
  There are some constants to Tetsuro's travels (aside from the ubiquitous appearances of glowing machine dials, beautiful women, and steaming bowls of ramen). For example: the train pass, freely given to Tetsuro by Maetre, turns out to be coveted by just about every unhappy or desperate soul in the universe. Maetre's mysterious past is another frequently-glimpsed puzzle: She is in constant communication with an unknown person; she is a revered personage known to the Galaxy Express Headquarters and to the governments of many planets; she is supposedly of flesh and blood but she is much more than she appears to be; and she apparently has been and will continue to travel with young people through space and time. But perhaps most importantly, Tetsuro also learns about the power of his compassionate and hopeful spirit. Though many of his adventures teach the Matsumoto Leiji motto "Show no mercy to your enemies," Tetsuro's mercy upon his enemies sometimes is the very thing that saves him and his friends. And his determination and hope for the future are the elements that remind other people of their own long-ago hopes and dreams.
  But why is Tetsuro traveling? His travels teach him more and more that immortality through mechanized bodies may not be what he wants. Most of the mechanized people he meets have somehow lost their souls; many of them are just as cruel as the ones who killed his mother. The flesh-and-blood people he meet seem to be kinder, wiser, and more alive, despite their limited life spans. Yet, here he is, traveling to the planet where he can get a mechanized body for free. Although the manga series, TV series, and the movies touched upon what occurs when he arrives at his destination—of Maetre's true nature and the terrible fate that is nearly forced upon him—to an extent, Tetsuro's journey remains unfinished even after the ending. It has been said that Tetsuro's journey is an allegory of growing up, with Maetre as the guide and guardian of the passage into adulthood. But surely what Tetsuro experiences—hoping, dreaming, fighting, losing, winning, crying, rejoicing—belongs to more than just the transition to adulthood.
  Like any work, this series has its flaws: repetitive plotlines, some loose ends, a few inconsistencies. For those unfamiliar with the author's drawing style, the squiggly lines used to draw people may be irritating; however, as is standard for Matsumoto, the drawings of machines, spaceships, stars and planets are wonderful. Moreover, the quality of the stories more than makes up for any flaws.
  Although the original series ended in the early 1980's, there have since been numerous re-printings, films, and even the beginnings of a new series. GINGA TETSUDOU 999 is clearly a recognized classic of the manga world. Yes, its core is a memorably romantic image of a train traveling through the vastness of space. Thankfully, it lives up to that powerful image through its wonderful cast of characters, entertaining action, rich drama, and profound insights.
  Note on terminology: GINGA TETSUDOU 999 literally translates to "Milky Way Railroad 999"; however, the 999 is supposed to be an express train. The author's own English version of the title is the more catchy "GALAXY EXPRESS 999." Also, please see the article on the children's classic story GINGA TETSUDOU NO YORU .


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