Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to hop back aboard the Galaxy Express 999, whose recent cliffhanger has left Tetsuro kidnapped by the mysterious Ryuz. Curiouser still, it appears that Maetel possesses some knowledge of this woman; Ryuz explicitly stated that Maetel was \u201cbeyond her grasp,\u201d and though Maetel attempted to dissuade her, she ultimately put up little resistance to Ryuz\u2019s kidnapping of our poor boy.<\/span><\/p>\n What all of this means is still a mystery, largely owing to our fragmentary understanding of Maetel herself. It\u2019s clear she is connected with the Galaxy Express\u2019 parent organization, most likely an heir of its manager or creator, and that she is herding Tetsuro towards some ominous secondary objective. The fact that Ryuz couldn\u2019t claim her could point to her political importance, her secretly metal body, or something else entirely; regardless, I am perhaps most intrigued to further explore Ryuz\u2019s time-distorting powers, which offer an interesting counterpoint to the story\u2019s prior thoughts on time. We have mostly focused on the loneliness of eternal life within a metal shell, but the brevity of a human life offers its own sort of terror, particularly given the absurd scale of space travel. So is it more tragic to embrace such a brief flicker of existence, or to be the one left to mourn the passage of those who do? Let\u2019s find out!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 8<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThe Graveyard At The Bottom Of Gravity\u201d remains a perfectly Matsumoto title. Scientifically inscrutable, but profoundly evocative \u2013 that\u2019s the scifi fantasy way<\/span><\/p>\n I remain charmed by Tetsuro\u2019s relative helplessness within this narrative \u2013 Ryuz grabs him without difficulty, and then we get some lovely animation of his wobbly little limbs windmilling uselessly against her strength. I appreciate that this show lets its protagonist be a fragile boy within a vast, terrifying world \u2013 it makes space feel all the more overwhelming, and seems more honest than a take-action shonen lead would feel<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHowever, Maetel did not even attempt to stop her.\u201d Even the recap draws attention to Maetel\u2019s seeming powerlessness in the face of this woman<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s not like the Galaxy Express itself is any sort of benevolent institution. The train demands sacrifice and promises a false idol; it is only Tetsuro\u2019s association with Maetel that allows him to enjoy its wonders at no cost<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMoving time and moving yourself are two entirely different things.\u201d Ryuz\u2019s space ship is apparently a bit of an antique. One detail at a time, we seem to defining her as in total opposition to the gilded cage of the Galaxy Express<\/span><\/p>\n Ooh, love this mournful vocal melody as we return to Maetel. The distinct convergence of synths and popular vocal styles of the \u201860s and \u201870s offers us a specific sonic aesthetic of mid-century science fiction, with melancholy, warbling vocals and lots of ostentatious synth noises. The original Star Trek offers a similar conception of \u201cspace music,\u201d which over time has come to evoke space fiction even in the abstract; you hear synths and theremins, you think aliens<\/span><\/p>\n Maetel informs the conductor that Tetsuro \u201cwent on a trip for a little while.\u201d She sits comfortably on the 333, undeterred by the threat of aging, seemingly confident that Tetsuro will return. Is this how she expresses her faith in him?<\/span><\/p>\n Tetsuro arrives at Ryuz\u2019s planet, landing in a bog next to an ominous raised cabin, like a tiny chapel lost deep in a bayou. If what you are offering your audience is compelling, you often don\u2019t need to concern yourself with \u201cjustifying\u201d it in a worldbuilding sense. Audiences suspend their disbelief so long as they\u2019re enthralled; keep showing them new wonders, and they likely won\u2019t stop to ask who built all this stuff<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, that\u2019s distinct from \u201cwrite whatever you want.\u201d Stories demand <\/span>internal<\/span><\/i> consistency, and Galaxy Express has maintained a pretty consistent fantastical tone<\/span><\/p>\n Evocative yet minimalist compositions as Tetsuro approaches, offering little more than barren tree trunks rising out of heavy mists. You don\u2019t need intricate details if you\u2019ve got alluring core concepts \u2013 and of course, for a horror episode, obscured implication actually makes the scene more frightening<\/span><\/p>\n The stairs to her home are littered with skeletons. \u201cThese are all people who didn\u2019t listen to what I said. So I moved time forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sick because of the skeletons? You have one, too.\u201d I\u2019m reminded of their visit with the Space Pirate Antares, and how he drew attention to the bullets in his body that would one day kill him. The emphasis on our mortal flesh and bones serves as a perpetual reminder of mortality; there is little that separates us from those who have passed, only the briefest spark of life<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut why did you turn them into skeletons?\u201d \u201cBecause none of them liked me and I didn\u2019t like them either.\u201d Well, that settles that<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no God in space. Only the truth of creation and the flow of time.\u201d Ryuz has apparently seen some shit<\/span><\/p>\n The center of Ryuz\u2019s house is a vast control room with monitors revealing \u201cthe whole flow of space\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It seems like Ryuz may know too much to be happy \u2013 she has witnessed the overall flow of space and time, she understands completely that every human journey ends the same way, and thus she cannot feel the same thrill of discovery and potential that draws Tetsuro forward. To know everything is a terrible fate; without curiosity to draw us onward, we are as ghosts watching the world pass by. Oddly, it is a sense of being <\/span>incomplete<\/span><\/i> that makes a human complete \u2013 a sense that there is more to discover, further mountains to climb<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo two places have the same flow of time.\u201d I wonder if she\u2019s referring to time dilation or some more mystical concept \u2013 or speaking purely in metaphorical terms, reflecting on how the \u201cpace\u201d of life in different locations is always different<\/span><\/p>\n Back on the 999, the conductor states he\u2019s going to start separating the 333 from their train. Maetel replies that this won\u2019t help given the gravity situation, to which he quotes the employee manual, stating \u201cin any situation, the crew has to do its very best to ensure the safety of the passengers.\u201d An interesting exchange, seemingly implying that <\/span>trying<\/span><\/i> to take action has value in its own right. The dividing line between them seems similar to that between Ryuz and Tetsuro \u2013 both Ryuz and Maetel know too much to believe the world can be changed. In contrast, it is ignorance that makes Tetsuro strong, and which compels the conductor to struggle on in an impossible situation<\/span><\/p>\n Ryuz reveals she controls the flow of gravity that\u2019s keeping the 999 trapped<\/span><\/p>\n She also reveals she has a metal body of her own, though she hides its glimmering interfaces beneath her rough cloak<\/span><\/p>\n She offers to give Tetsuro one as well if he will stay with her<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have dozens of mechanical bodies. They used to belong to train passengers.\u201d Love that his motives are being directly challenged so early. So what is truly the purpose of your journey, Tetsuro?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to get a mechanical body at the cost of my freedom.\u201d So that\u2019s his complaint. And yet, everyone who has actually acquired a metal body seems to view it as a cage, an absolute restriction on their freedom<\/span><\/p>\n A flashback reminds us that it was Maetel who specifically promised Tetsuro that his eventual mechanical body would come with no strings attached. Yet it\u2019s clear Maetel has other plans for him, meaning this might actually be Tetsuro\u2019s best chance<\/span><\/p>\n Ryuz reveals she\u2019s been alone for five hundred years. The length of time these mechanical people have been left to their devices points towards an ominous stagnancy in the galaxy at large. Has culture really not changed for five hundred years? Has the Galaxy Express been offering its false promise all that time, its overseers having essentially frozen time into a perpetual wage-slavery present? At a certain point, cultural and scientific stagnancy would actually be preferable to those who seek only to acquire wealth; actually, \u201ccultural stagnancy\u201d is what Disney is already pursuing, a perpetual assembly line of the same cultural products<\/span><\/p>\n A flashback reveals that Ryuz was actually a flamenco dancer back when she was still human. The color design is overwhelmingly red, the red of vital, living blood, the symbol of biological humanity<\/span><\/p>\n Some nice shots here conveying Ryuz as increasingly trapped as she dances towards a man bearing a monocle, caught in narrowing spotlights or the reflection of a glass<\/span><\/p>\n The man is named Baron Clock. He awaits a decision from Ryuz, but she cannot decide<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you really love me, you\u2019ll do what I want and change the way you look.\u201d Ah, the truest sign of devotion, demanding someone change their whole identity<\/span><\/p>\n Thus she accepted a mechanical body to maintain the Baron\u2019s love. The last shot of the flashback is her again trapped in glass, reflected in the Baron\u2019s monocle<\/span><\/p>\n When other women claim similar mechanical bodies, the Baron is furious. He never wanted Ryuz, only the novelty of a unique lover<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour fashion is now old and doesn\u2019t do anything for me.\u201d Even in his cruelty, he embodies mankind\u2019s search for novelty, while Ryuz is now permanently trapped in that one moment of curiosity<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe threw me to the curb like some beat-up car!\u201d Interesting, Ryuz framing those in mechanical bodies as aging tools<\/span><\/p>\n Ryuz reveals that her mechanical body was \u201caccidentally\u201d equipped with the power to manipulate time. I am persistently in awe of the fantastical conceits that Matsumoto will just happily declare without further explanation; the man is an inspiration<\/span><\/p>\n Tetsuro says he can\u2019t stay here because \u201cthere are still so many things I want to do. I want to decide my future for myself!\u201d He still possesses agency and an unknown future, even though he is ultimately seeking the same cage as Ryuz<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I had possessed a heart like yours back then\u2026 Even though the person I loved asked me to do it\u2026\u201d She admires his spirit, and he in turn feels nothing but sympathy for her plight. Just another lonely victim of our fleeting passions and eternal consequences<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMaetel or freedom\u2026 one day, you will have to choose painfully.\u201d Ryuz offers one final warning as she departs<\/span><\/p>\n Maetel reveals she knew Ryuz\u2019s true nature all along, and that she would not harm Tetsuro. He pledges to one day see her again, once he has a mechanical body of his own. Our idle pledges to meet again, the threads connecting us across a lonely galaxy<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/b><\/p>\n Thus another lonely soul imparts their tale of love and loss upon Tetsuro, warning again that a mechanical body will not answer his heart\u2019s cry. And yet, as these vignettes stack atop each other, it feels increasingly clear that Tetsuro\u2019s yearning for a mechanical body is paradoxically the essence of humanity itself; for nothing is more human than to strive in vain, to reach towards the heavens in wonder, to seek greater understanding of the galaxy and of the self. To complete this journey of discovery is to stagnate, and eventually be left behind; it is the unsatisfied seekers who are always moving forward, inspiring others through their quest for reinvention and enlightenment. Is fulfillment even possible, or is the realization of a dream merely the prelude to a life of dreamless isolation? Tetsuro journeys on, his very ignorance of these questions reflecting the brightness of his spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/January08104203.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n