Galaxy Railways Vol-1: Ahead Full! (2003)
Released by: Funimation
Animation Production: Planet
Running Time: 125 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

This has been a pretty good year for us as far as covering works by legendary manga artist Leiji Matsumoto with coverage of such notable works as Arcadia of my Youth, Harlock Saga and the subject of today’s review, Galaxy Railways, the artist’s 50th anniversary project. As big fans of his work it would be a major understatement to say that we are not extremely happy to check this latest show out!

With Galaxy Railways Leiji Matsumoto brings together the universe he has created over the past decades and adds yet another layer of depth to it that while in place before, is now, thanks to this show, more broadly fleshed out.

Story

"Carrying on his deceased father and brother's will, Manabu Yuuki joins the Space Defense Force to protect the safety of the Galaxy Railways. Manabu faces many challenges as he rises from the ranks of the SDF, dealing with accidents, natural disasters, rescue operations and space pirates along all lines of the railway. The fleet of the Galaxy Railways transports countless galactic citizens from one exotic planet to the next, protected by the SDF, the elite force protecting the Railways Fleet against terrorists, meteor storms, and malicious alien life. These are the stories of those that travel the Galaxy Railways system and the people that are sworn to protect it. No one knows these stories better than Layla Destiny Shura, the leader of the system with the uncanny ability to see the fates of all those who travel on the Galaxy Railways. " -- DVD Box

Review

This first volume in Funimation’s release of Galazy Railways features episodes one through five in the series, which include:

Episode 1: Sacrifice
Captain Wataru Yuuki is a fearless leader that is respected by everyone onboard his train, Big One, but no one looks up to him more to the captain than his two young sons.

Today the Captain has returned home after a long absence and is eager to spend time with his wife and children, but a crisis in the Galaxy Railways demands his immediate attention and he must once more take off to the stars, this time though both of his sons somehow manage to get inside his train and follow him to the crisis that is at hand. No one could have prepared them for what they would experience however, as their father makes the ultimate sacrifice to safe everyone onboard his train. With this tragic experience in their hearts the boys decide to one day take on the same path their father did, but where will this road ultimately lead to?

Episode 2: Knot in Time
Having lost his father and later his brother to the Space Defense Force that protects the Galaxy Railways Manabu, the youngest member of the family, decides that he will follow in their footsteps and travel into space to join the SDF himself. His mother while opposed to this decision knows that she can’t stop him, because he is too much like his father.

With his first trip to space though Manabu ends up in the world of the past, a world in which his brother is still alive and where a chance encounter will show him the path for which he is destined.

Episode 3: Wheel of Fate
Manabu is now a full-fledge member of the SDF and for his first mission he is going to work with the rest of the Big One crew to help stop a hijacker who has taken over one of the space trains. Will he help bring success to the mission?

Episode 4: Eternity
Somewhere in space a ghost trains travels for infinity carrying the souls of those who have passed on. When a photographer jumps inside the train in the hope of finding his deceased girlfriend the SDF is called on to investigate the situation. What will they end up finding though?

Episode 5: Hijacked
The Big One train has been hijacked and if the pirates who took it are not stopped there will be no other option but to destroy the train! Can Manabu and the rest of the crew move quickly enough to save their train?

Going into this series I didn’t really have any high or low expectations as I generally really enjoy anything Matsumoto, but the show turned out to be deeper and more interesting than anticipated. Basically what he has done here is to open up his universe and show us some its inner workings via the Galaxy Railways and the organization that protects those trains, the SDF. Through these trains he connects the many worlds that populate his galaxies and lets his characters (or as he refers to them during the press conference that’s featured in the extras section, his children) pursue their dreams in a way that parallels the author/artist’s real life road to becoming who he is today.

At the center of the story is young Manabu Yuuki, the son of one of the most highly regarded train captains in the SDF organization. After seeing his father sacrificed himself and losing his brother in some type of accident in the rails, he decides that despite the dangers that lie ahead he has to follow in the footsteps and accept his destiny. His father told him to follow whatever path he wanted right before taking off to meet his demise and in doing this Manabu feels he is doing what he was meant to do. He wants to live his dream and pursue it to his fullest. Ultimately it’s this desire, this drive to do what your heart tells you to do that is the focus of this series.

In addition other favorite topics and themes of Matsumoto such as honor, friendship and love are explored via a variety of situations and challenges that Manabu comes head to head with while on the job with the SDF. In this aspect the series shares a lot with many of the author’s other popular works and space operas such as Harlock as our young hero strives to do the right thing in a world where everyone seems to be out for themselves and unquestioned violence is the preferred choice of communications.

As such this series has that definite Matsumoto flavor to it that feels rich and romantized. There are not cute anime girls, juvenile humor, or any of the elements that have come to represent modern anime here, Galaxy Railways is in many ways a journey back in time, to a moment when anime was simpler and more expressive. A time when a broader range of themes was deemed worthy of exploration and shows were given the opportunity to blossom. If you are a fan of the author’s works or have had the chance to experience some of his older TV series like Galaxy Express 999 or Space Battleship Yamato you know exactly what I mean.

These being the first set of episodes the main driving forces plot-wise revolve around the circumstances that surround Manabu’s entry into the SDF. These take up the first two episodes and then starting with episode three we get a better feel for what is to come as the story takes a more episodic approach, with each chapter focusing on a different mission or scenario that Manabu and crew have to resolve. These stories while being confined to one episode were still fun to watch and gave us a glimpse at new corners of the Matsumoto universe. The struggles they provide are also the basis for much of the character development we begin experiencing here.

Production-wise I have to admit that prior to seeing this DVD I was nervous about the potential of really ugly CGI being used for the train mecha the title is filled with, but thankfully that fear was quickly dispatched of when I saw the final product. Simply put this is an absolutely beautiful anime series that shines through brilliantly. I know that the notion of a steam powered train flying through space might seen odd to say the least, but somehow the team here makes it seem like a great adventure that you absolutely need to be a part of. From the perfection that are Matsumoto’s character designs to silky smooth animation everything in Galaxy Railways is exquisite in terms of overall quality.

On the audio front I was happy to hear several BGM pieces that were reminiscent of various pieces of music from past works by Matsumoto, which really added to the flavor and uniqueness of this series. The voice acting was right on target, with the actor who plays Manabu’s father putting in a particularly powerful performance (too bad he only in for the first episode, I would have loved to see more of him). The opening theme song is also worthy of being part of anyone’s theme song collection, heck I want the whole soundtrack from this show on CD! It’s that good!

On the DVD front Funimation manages to put together another great product here. Extras within the DVD include an interview with creator Leiji Matsumoto, the recording session for episode 2 (filmed in Japan), the press release for the announcement of this show, character profiles, clean copies of the opening and closing themes and previews for other Funimation releases. In addition there is a small booklet included inside the box with more info on other releases from the company. Audio and video transfers are crystal clear with no defects to speak of.

Final Thoughts

This title is not a must see, Galaxy Railways is required watching for all anime fans! This is a unique series that goes to areas that contemporary anime releases rarely if ever go to. Between that, the fun stories and amazing character designs there is so much to see and enjoy here that if you’re an anime fan you really need to make it a point to check this show out.

Very highly recommended.

Jeffrey Couto