Galaxy Express 999

The movie, was directed by Rin Taro (Astro Boy, Captain Harlock), while the series was directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa (Slam Dunk, Zatch Bell); so it makes sense the movie was more action oriented than the series. Tetsuro gets an upgrade in his character design, which was a big boost, and the overall art gets an upgrade as well. There was even some music added that the original series really lacked, but hey, it was anime in the 70’s. So, how do you compress a 113 episode series into two hours? Basically, you take all of the important events, planets with the best lessons, the characters thatimpacted Tetsuro the most, and take away all of the “filler” planets. Many questions are answered outright instead of wandering through space and slowly forgetting the original question, and there is even an overlap with Emeraldas and Captain Harlock that makes sense as opposed to the series. The only thing that is missing is the true mother to son sense between Tetsuro and Maetel that the original series developed. The movie is great, plain and simple. It really captures almost everything the series has and gives the viewer more in the sense of action.

You can't buy this film in this country and I'm not even sure you can get it on import in the USA but I managed to track it down on youtube and I'm very glad I did. This is a retro golden oldie that condenses the main plot of the TV series (which was 113 episodes long) into an easy to digest feature film. It's one of those rare films that can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of age or sex. The dated visuals and music might put some off but I think it actually added to the retro charm and a low budget productionlike this was never meant to be a feast for the senses anyway. A film like this hardly needs eye melting spectacle or to bombast you with incredible sound when it's filled with so much imagination and heart. It's no masterpiece but then it was never meant to be. What it is is a fun, engaging coming of age adventure in a sci-fi setting (though it's actually very light on any actual science in a Star Wars kinda sense) that will make you smile from start to finish and able to ignore any of its technical flaws, which again I think actually add to the charm and appeal most of the time anyway. In an age where most family entertainment is disposable, interchangeable, unoriginal, technically superb but ultimately boring it might sound cliche to say it but they really don't make family films quite like this anymore. As always it's better to watch with the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles.

Story 9/10 The story is bery straightforward and simple. Yet it contains a lot of depth. But what's great is that all of it's deep philosophical ideas are explained in a very easy to understand way. It gets profound messages across without confusing the viewer. The story is about a young boy, determined to avenge his mother, who rides the Galaxy Express 999 on a pursuit to have a mechnical body and to kill the machine who took his mother. Without spoiling anything, he goes through a deep journey and discovers what it means to be human. He learns that the temporary nature in life makesit valuable. Art 8/10 The art style is pretty good. The animation is great for 1979, and the character designs are really awesome. For the most part, the main character's eyes looks weird at times, and some characters are a little exagerated. Most of the female characters and the robots have really great designs. I think Matael, Shadow, and the glass chick were some of my favorites. But the art really shines when it comes to the world around them and all the amazing designs in the background. Each planet they visit in unique and looks great Sound 8/10 The sound is pretty good. The overall score is kinda typical, but still well done and works well in such an emotional anime. Characters 9/10 The characters are really great. Tetsudou, our main hero, is determined to avenge his mother as well as other goals. You see him question himself and the world around him as his journey goes on. He's a very brave character, and definitely thinks he's too big for his britches. I've heard complaints he was too brave and not very emotional. I disagree. It seems like people want non-stop sobbing and lamenting to show the characters emotion. I feel that's equally unrealistic as making them super tough. I think the character shows plenty of emotion, but just not in loud bombastic ways. Matael on the other hand I can't talk to much about without spoiling anything. She's one of the best characters here. She has this warm motherly tone, and develops a sort of mother-son relationship with the main character. But there's also a quasi-romantic thing going on as well. Bottom line she's a very tortured and interesting character. You feel for her throughout the anime, but I can't explain why without spoiling stuff. As for everyone else, I think each of the minor characters have awesome, funny and memorable personalities. Enjoyment 9/10 Much of the enjoyment you get is in the style. I can tell this anime came out around the same time as the movie Star Wars and it shows. The story doesn't rip off that movie, it just probably had some stylistic influence. The action is well done. It doesn't go on non-stop, which allows you to appreciate the atmosphere. There's a sense of adventure with the train stopping at all these different planets. It doesn't rush itself either, after the movie is over 2 hours. That's what's impressive about the pacing. It get's a lot done, but doesn't rush and doesn't linger on anything. The last thing I need to point out is that this is a very emotional anime. This works for the dark tone that it has, and provides some contrast with the action and adventure. Many people call this a tear jerker. With the story and characters, I'd say that it can be that way. After seeing Tesudou and Matael bonding you get strong feelings for these characters. Overall 9/10 Overall this is easilly one of the best anime films I've seen. You should check it out in a heartbeat.

Based on the TV anime of the same name, Ginga Tetsudou 999 plays in the distant future and follows Tetsuro, who wants to avenge his mother by killing the person responsible for her death. In order to reach this goal, he wants to ride the Galaxy Express 999, an intergalactic locomotive. What may seem like a really simple and predictable concept at the beginning, develops into a way more intriguing and complex tale as the film goes on. At first, the story is about Tetsuro visiting several planets where he learns about various aspects of life, especially about the relationship between humans and machines. In acertain way, it is similar to Kino no Tabi but unlike that anime, where the stories are not connected, Ginga Tetsudou 999 has an overarching plot and a goal the protagonist is moving towards. The experiences Tetsuro makes on the different planets greatly affect how he thinks about machines and moreover create a new path the plot then follows. While the story might be slightly predictable, this film is more about the characters' relationships with one another and their respective development, which, in turn, result in some interesting twists at the anime's end. Next to Tetsuro, there is Maetel, a mysterious woman who seems to be somehow connected to the young boy's past. While you watch the anime, you are constantly wondering about her, her motives and who she really is. At the same time, the viewer can see how her relationship to Tetsuro grows in a completely believable manner. Additionally, she does not only affect the main character's growth but also plays a central role in the anime's plot. The antagonist has no motive to be evil other than for his own amusement but in the context of the setting, there is nothing wrong with his behaviour. There are several supporting characters who also affect where the anime is going and who all have distinguishable personalities. Unfortunately, some of them suffer from unrealistic character development, which sometimes leads to incomprehensibly awkward scenes. Being a two-hour film rather than the 113 episodes TV anime it originally was, Ginga Tetsudou 999 has some severe pacing issues. The beginning as well as the ending are unjustifiably protracted and at the same time, there are some subplots that reach their conclusion disturbingly fast. The animations are fluid for the most part and at no point horrible. In fact, it is better than some of Toei Animation's modern work, such as Dragon Ball Super. Moreover, the backgrounds are well-detailed and create a distinct feeling for every planet Tetsuro visits during his journey. However, the character design is laughably bad. Not only are the characters indescribably disproportionated but they moreover look different from scene to scene. You accustom yourself to it as the film goes on but this does not change the fact that the creators could have done a much better job. The background music is not very memorable but there is also no huge issue with it. However, from time to time the music is too loud so that it is difficult to hear the characters' voices. The protagonist's voice actress is Nozawa Masako, who is famous for lending her voice to Dragon Ball's Goku as well as Digimon Tamers' Guilmon. While she does a splendid job, Maetel's voice actress, Ikeda Masako, unfortunately lacks in comparison. Her voice might be fitting but it sometimes sounds as though she would not make an effort. As a whole, Ginga Tetsudou 999 is an enjoyable film dealing with some very interesting topics, accompanied by a good and loveable cast. If you do not have any issues with the character designs and can accept some pacing issues, you will more than likely enjoy this film.