[Digital] Galaxy Express 999 Review / Discussion Thread

[Chris Beveridge]

http://cdn-www.mania.com/content_pics/000005/25/50/6f7c9d67fbc4529f_thumb.jpgOverall Series Page (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999_series_10925.html)

Due to the length of this series and that it is an older one, I'm making one thread and will add episode by episode reviews with proper titles for sub-thread discussions.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-001_article_114758.html)

In Summary:
Galaxy Express 999 sets itself apart from a lot of shows out there these days with the concepts and ideas used in its visuals. I can’t say how radical they were at the time, it was the seventies after all, but the show has left a lasting impression on a generation of fans and it connects, loosely and more directly, with a number of other shows. Fans of Galaxy Railways and Harlock in general will want to dig into this and take advantage of having so much of the show available legally, even if just streamed. Thankfully, it’s a breeze to view it on the PS3 (though I’d love to see some sort of optimization to make it easier to access from their browser) and I get to settle into discovering this classic for the first time. The characters are familiar from other versions over the years, and there’s a certain love and affection for it. This is a solid opening episode with a lot more to come that I can’t wait to dig into. Classic anime at its best starts right here.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-002_article_114764.html)


In Summary:
This story starts off things for Tetsuro in starting to see more of what life is like for those that are cyborgs. His dream of becoming one and living the good life is a perfectly natural one for someone who is a child like him as he doesn’t realize all that it really entails. He sees it as the promised land and he does have the golden ticket to achieve it. But as we can see, there’s a lot going on with those that have become cyborgs that isn’t pleasant and many of them have lost their humanity. Tetsuro’s opinion hasn’t changed in the slightest with the results of what happens here, which is a big plus, since he’s going to be slowly shaped by what the galaxy is really like. There are no easy solutions or sudden revelations here that will change his course. The Galaxy Express 999 continues on to new worlds and new people for him to meet, which is what will slowly shape him and guide him to be who he will be.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, that's one way to start off a series. All things considered, it's a decent first episode. That being said, it's hard to say how much I'd be watching in the long term. 113 episodes is quite a lot to take in. Actually even if I do watch more, I may or may not have something to say on a given episode. Still I figured it couldn't hurt to try at least one episode of it. Just to get some idea of what it looked like in action.

As for the actual episode itself, I find the very idea that people even want to give up their human bodies for the sake of becoming machine to be rather depressing. For some reason the whole concept just doesn't sit well with me. Granted I assume part of that may be intentional.

[djanss]

As for the actual episode itself, I find the very idea that people even want to give up their human bodies for the sake of becoming machine to be rather depressing. For some reason the whole concept just doesn't sit well with me. Granted I assume part of that may be intentional.

The series story itself becomes episodic, as each train stop becomes its own self-contained Leiji Matsumoto "space fairy tale", with each planet allegorically showing its own Sliders-like disregard for science (one planet has no gravity, one planet is being mined away in chunks until nothing left, etc.), teaching Tetsuro a New Lesson About Humanity.

At which point, we abandon any larger attempts to put the show into "Science fiction", and just accept it as, well...Matsumoto's own version of "Pinocchio In Reverse"--And Maetel makes one hot Blue Fairy. :cool:

(The OP lyrics 70's-groan about "searching for your Blue Bird", which brings up another classic-literary comparison theory, but that's for another time.)

[Suwako Moriya]

The series story itself becomes episodic,

Given the number of episodes, I can't say I'm surprised by this. Still sometimes episodic anime can be good. As I've learned from personal experience.

[Digital Boy]

Is there any way I can legally buy this show and make a DVD or stream it to my PS3 because there is no way in Hell I am watching 110 eps on my PC monitor

[Chris Beveridge]

Is there any way I can legally buy this show and make a DVD or stream it to my PS3 because there is no way in Hell I am watching 110 eps on my PC monitor

We're reviewing the series while watching it on the PS3. Hence the review equipment part of the review. :)

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-003_article_114972.html)



In Summary:
Galaxy Express 999 moves through a rather good episode in parts but leaves you feeling less than thrilled in others. Tetsuro’s side of the story was really the best as he dealt with the waitress and her unusual situation as well as the things he learned about the 999 and space travel itself. He also grew in visual design with this episode as he gained a few items that will help define him for a long time to come. The Titan side of the story itself was fairly weak as it doesn’t detail things well enough to showcase how it would truly work, but it’s a nice enough idea in that it continues to show the diversity of humanity as it spreads out to the stars. Hopefully we’ll get some much better designed worlds and locations in episodes to come.

[zaldar]

How does the plot of the movie compare with that of the series and if you enjoyed the movie but were not overwhelmed by it is it worth it to watch 113 episodes of the series? The ending of the movie seemed lifted from another sci-fi series to me (will not talk about which to avoid spoilers). Considering this but not sure I can commit that much time...

[djanss]

How does the plot of the movie compare with that of the series and if you enjoyed the movie but were not overwhelmed by it is it worth it to watch 113 episodes of the series? The ending of the movie seemed lifted from another sci-fi series to me (will not talk about which to avoid spoilers). Considering this but not sure I can commit that much time...

The series didn't try to hedge its bets with constant Captain Harlock tie-in cameos (although Queen Emereldas does show up in a TV episode)...
Also, the series isn't directed by Rin Taro, and bears none of his more hamhanded attempts to string the story arc together with "message".

Like Macross: DYRL vs. the Series, the GE999 Movies can be a serviceable shortcut for quick story study, but not necessarily meant to represent the actual theme or quality of the genuine article.
To paraphrase the old saying, there is no royal road to long-run Old School Anime--You want the classics, you gotta dive in. :)

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-004_article_115001.html)

In Summary:
I’m not quite sure what to make of this episode of the series as it doesn’t really seem to have a point to it in general. Even worse, it doesn’t seem to really have much of a morality issue to it other than to show a scoundrel of sorts with a real dislike of cyborgs. Showing a bit of the prejudice side of the galaxy certainly isn’t a bad thing but Antares just comes across as too gruff but at the same time too simplistic to really be a good foil or representation of it. With his self serving nature and the callous side in regards to his wife, you can’t really feel sympathetic towards him even with the kind of home life he apparently has. This isn’t a bad episode but it’s very weak compared to the start of the series and almost feels like a misstep overall.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-005_article_115002.html)

Galaxy Express 999 gets back on track in a positive way with this episode as the stop at Pluto is quite engaging. It adds a new dimension to those who are gaining cyborg bodies and what they do to their bodies afterwards. The challenges they face, emotionally over time, is something that I’d love to see explored more and I suspect we will as the idea is to showcase that side of it to Tetsuro over time to get him to change his mind. Maetel isn’t fleshed out much more here but there are hints of bigger things going on as she looks towards what she calls her friend and she seems a bit more emphatic in trying to change Tetsuro’s mind about getting a cyborg body for himself. Her mission is plainly clear but the reasons for it still aren’t and the journey is far from over for either of them. An episode like this is quite solid and enjoyable though as it brings in some neat ideas and visual design for the characters to interact with, building the overall mythos even more.

[Tofusensei]

It should be noted, as this show is now on Amazon Unbox, it can be easily streamed to TV via a Roku or Tivo set-top device.

They also offer downloads (along with direct2drive, Crunchyroll, etc) which can be played back on Windows Media Center.

There are lots of convenient ways to watch this on TV,

My suggestion is get the 80 gig tivo that is selling for under $150 these days. Or you can get a Roku for $99. It's quite affordable and pennies compared to what the Japanese have to pay for this classic.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-006_article_115057.html)

In Summary:

Galaxy Express is closing its first chapter with this episode as the rest of the galaxy is in front of Tetsuro and the 999. At the edge of the system we are given to explore some of the wonders that mankind has tapped into with the Comet Station and we see the beauty of the comets themselves as Tetsuro takes it in. At the same time, we have a somewhat awkward and rushed story involving a pair of con artists that are trying to strong arm people into taking mechanical upgrades so they can spend their lives working it off. With the way humanity has spread to the stars, you almost aren’t sure what kind of people would remain at a station like this, whether they’d be honorable shepherds or low ranking scum. Galaxy Express 999 continues to be a fun series but it’s still setting about finding its real course. With the galaxy wide open going forward, I’m excited to see what they have in story for the visuals and the creativity of the worlds we’ll see.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-007_article_115100.html)

In Summary:

With this being the first part, it’s all about the setup of the storyline. There’s a fair bit of “classic” storytelling stuff here that just feels awkward by today’s standards with how it plays out, but it fits within the context of shows of the time, such as the pacing of the story and the awkward revelations about what’s going on. Suspense isn’t exactly high here, but there’s a curiosity about what’s really going on and how it’ll all play out so that Tetsuro and Maetel can move on with their journey. I’m curious to see how the rest of this two part story works out as it gives us an idea of how future ones will and whether they’re worth the extended pacing and story time compared to the single episode stories. So far it’s just felt like it’s dragged out a bit more than a regular episode.

[brycec1701]

I've been marathoning a bunch of these episodes as I am hooked on Galaxy Express 999. Galaxy Railways is what really sold me on Matsumoto's story telling. It's fun going back to see what he did way back when...

I never understood the whole need for the Potato Heads and why Matsumoto put them in, but I finally found the answer as it lies in the early parts of Galaxy Express 999.

Tetsuro even calls out people as being "potato heads"....

The sad thing is that he doesn't realize he's a potato head too!!! ;)

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-008_article_115458.html)

In Summary:

I’m not quite sure what to make of this two part storyline because it feels like it’s like so many other shows in that it doesn’t really take advantage of the extra time to tell its story. It feels padded out and filled with more quiet exposition moments than anything else, particularly in the first part. This one does provide more time for Ryuz to give us her back story but it’s not something that really required as much time as it did. It does show us more growth for Tetsuro as he’s faced with an opportunity to leapfrog a lot of trouble and quite a few challenges, but I felt the whole thing could have been tightened up and a lot more enjoyable in different way. Plus, it had less Maetel and that’s never a good thing.

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge (http://www.mania.com/galaxy-express-999-episode-009-010_article_115882.html)

In Summary:

Compared to the two part storyline that came before this, I rather liked this Galaxy Express 999 one a lot more. It introduced us to an interesting world with lots of people on it, something we haven’t seen all that often. The worlds and locations introduced here feel more alive, more like what you’d expect to see out in the galaxy. The previous tale was more solitary, which isn’t bad, but after a few episodes of places with few people, it’s really good to see a big bustling of poor society in action. The flow here works better and the story didn’t feel like it was being dragged out over two episodes but rather took the time to tell a longer story without the pressure of a single length episode. Tetsuro’s still got a lot of growing up to do, but at least he’s already making the rounds of getting married…

[Tetsuro124]

It is so worth it to watch this show but only if you can stop your mind from setting up preconceived modern ideas and go with the lyrical, beautiful fantasy of it, it's more fantasy, morality, and fairy tale than sci fi...

Don't know if this is the right place to post this or not or if I've already asked this some years ago but...having seen the ending again...




SPOILERS
















Okay did Maeter/Maetel bring other boys before Tetsuro who then met a bad fate? Was she responsible for them/that? Also: is she part machine herself or all machine? Is she or does she have anything to do with Tetsuro's mother's spirit or something?

[Digital Boy]

Is there any way I can legally buy this show and make a DVD or stream it to my PS3 because there is no way in Hell I am watching 110 eps on my PC monitor

We're reviewing the series while watching it on the PS3. Hence the review equipment part of the review. :)

How?

[Chris Beveridge]

Is there any way I can legally buy this show and make a DVD or stream it to my PS3 because there is no way in Hell I am watching 110 eps on my PC monitor

We're reviewing the series while watching it on the PS3. Hence the review equipment part of the review. :)

How?

The internet browser on it. FUNimation's pages typically load and play fine on it.