Locke struggles to save the Infinite 1.
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The Infinite Project (page 2 of 5)
The best way to explain the LOCKE manga is to
provide a brief synopsis of one episode:
"The Infinite Project."
This is the earliest story in the
LOCKE universe (but not the first story about
LOCKE that Yuki wrote.)
This story begins the new calendar that is used
in all of the LOCKE stories - The Cosmic Year.
In this story, man develops inter-stellar travel. It begins with
young Locke MacMillan in middle school. At this time "scanners" are
first being discovered and put to use as secret agents and the like.
Locke shows a very high potential for being such a "scanner" (what are
later referred to as 'espers' in the story.) Because of his potential,
many international factions begin to vie for the chance to capture
Locke.
It was at that time that his foster father was
summoned to Ganymede to work on the Infinite Project: a spaceship to
fly to Alpha Centauri. Irina Malkelov,
a scanner working for a European agency attempts to gain Locke's help
and tells him that the Infinite 1 is not a ship but a weapon for mass
destruction. Locke helps her at first, but when he discovers that the
Infinite 1 is indeed what it claims to be, and not what Irina said, he
manages to save the ship. Irina is betrayed by her employers and left
for dead in space near Ganymede. Locke recovers and heals her. Here
he tells her that despite what she thinks, the Infinite 1 was not
destroyed. Irina is left dumbfounded that Locke alone could move the
ship out of a decaying orbit to safety.
Locke realizes that he can no longer live as a
child with his foster parents, so he uses his powers to make them
forget about him. After settling his
score with the leader of the Infinite Project (read the story to find
out why), Locke moves along with humanity in (what will become) his
usual role of a loner.
Humanity And History
The brief synopsis above shows several elements
that exemplify Locke. He attempts to maintain an aspect of normalcy. He
wishes to be a normal human. He will sometimes do this by appearing
as an orphaned child and getting adopted. Locke also has a certain
innocence. He believed that Irina Malkelov's heart was basically good
so he helped her. When he found that he was not told the truth he went
after the source.
Locke also exhibits great power. His power may
truly be infinite but that does not show through unless it is
absolutely necessary. There seem to be other powers
greater than his. Locke will prevail not through his might but
through his friends and the choices he had made in the past. For
instance in "The Red Serpent,"
Locke's kindness saves his life twice over.
The story also shows the greater picture.
Here we have a pivotal moment in human history—the reaching out
beyond Earth's solar system. One of the amazing things about Yuki's
story is that even though it spans over 1,000 years he manages to
maintain a universe that fits together. The discovery of new
technologies balances the need for them. The wars and conflicts that
occur seem to follow naturally from the players involved in each of
the stories. Locke acts as if he were some universal guidance for
the growing human race.
The order in which the stories were written is
not chronological. As episodes come out they seem to concentrate on
one part of the universe or another, bringing into greater view details
parts of the great struggle and how Locke is involved in it. This gives
the story itself immediate longevity—instead of the readers becoming
tied down with the tedious plodding of time and history, they are treated
to interesting moments in history. Many things are left unsaid and the
readers are left wanting to hear how things got to a certain point or
where some things originated. Sure enough, over time, these little
missing bits are woven back into the tapestry of the story.
Sometimes there are surprises as well—we get
stories that occur in times when we thought we knew all that happened.
For instance in the "New World Command" two part OVA's
we are treated to two short stories that put caps around the
OVA detailing
"Elana"
and "Azelia."
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Locke's physical power is eclipsed only by the
strength of his own heart.
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The Reluctant Hero
The only way such a hero could survive through so many years of
living, fighting, helping and caring is through the strength of his
heart. Most people would grow weary of the world they are in as
everything around them dies and changes. Locke does not want to be a
universe-shattering power. He frequently wishes that he could just be
a normal person leading a normal life, such as a child growing up in
some quiet family setting or raising sheep on a farm. Locke's life is a
lonely one. He is frequently asked if he has a family, a wife,
a lover, and he does not. For brief periods he has settled down and
attempted a normal life. Sometimes he succeeded but inevitably the
people he was with would die or the outside world would intrude,
demanding that Locke assert his influence upon human history again.
When confronted with Locke's situation many
characters are overcome with a sense of loneliness that Locke must
feel.
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