History Manga / GalaxyExpress999

* SignatureHeadwear: If someone is parodying Leiji Matsumoto's female characters, they will almost certainly be wearing Maetel's fur hat.

* LimitedDestinationTime: The policy of the train is to stay at each planet for one day of that planet's time; this can't be changed, so passengers only have that long to be on the planet.
** Though on occasion the Conductor can find ways of delaying take off by minutes, or even return when plot demands, but generally this is treated as an ironclad rule.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the original manga and TV series, Tetsuro was depicted with a rather cartoonish appearance. In the 1979 film, he was given more realistic features that were more in line with most shounen protagonists at the time. Tetsuro's original appearance was used for his younger self in a flashback.

* ''Galaxy Railways: Letter from an Abandoned Planet'', a four-part OVA series released from December 2006 to January 2007, is a {{crossover}} between the original series and ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'' – all three lead voice actors from the 1978 series reprise their roles here.[[note]] This was one of the last performances by Kaneto Kimotsuki, who voiced The Conductor.[[/note]]

[[caption-width-right:350:The main ensemble.[[note]]From left to right: Anime/CaptainHarlock, [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]], Tetsuro Hoshino, Maetel and the Conductor [[/note]]]]

->''Galaxy Express Three-Nine will take you on a journey, a never-ending journey… a journey to the stars!''
-->- opening lyrics for a [=GE999=] TV special

->''"…I keep expecting some Film/DoctorZhivago-lookin' shiksa to scoop me onto a train for an endless, Oedipal journey through the cosmos."''
-->- '''[[Manga/ExcelSaga Koshi Rikdo]] ([[{{Woolseyism}} via Carl Horn]])''', on ''Galaxy Express''.

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen King (and later Shonen Big Comic) from 1977 to 1981, ''Galaxy Express 999'' (pronounced "Galaxy Express Three-Nine") is part of Creator/LeijiMatsumoto's [[Anime/LeijiVerse larger universe]]. The story centers on Tetsuro Hoshino, an orphaned street urchin who dreams of catching a ride on the titular space-train in search of a mechanized body and eternal life. He gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Maetel offers him a ticket …if he lets her travel with him along the way.

The 18-volume original manga run spawned several TV shows, movies and {{OVA}}s, spanning nearly three decades:

* ''Maetel Legend'', a prequel to the original series (but not the films, which take place in a different continuity), was released in 2000 as a two-part {{OVA}}.

* ''Galaxy Railways: Letter from an Abandoned Planet'', a four-part {{OVA}} series released from December 2006 to January 2007, is a {{crossover}} between the original series and ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'' – all three lead voice actors from the 1978 series reprise their roles here.[[note]] This was one of the last performances by Kaneto Kimotsuki, who voiced The Conductor.[[/note]]

Only parts of this franchise have made it to the English-speaking world. For a long time, only the first two movies (originally dubbed in Vancouver and released by Creator/VizMedia …we will NOT mention the [[{{Macekre}} rather loose adaptation by New World Pictures from 1981]]), a small portion of the second manga series (also by Viz), and ''Maetel Legend'' (via Creator/CentralParkMedia) had any real general release.

Thankfully at Otakon 2018, Discotek finally came to the rescue and [[https://twitter.com/discotekmedia/status/1028670754668326912 announced]] a [[https://twitter.com/discotekmedia/status/1028670999515078656 release of the series on Blu-ray,]] which they followed through on in 2020 – complete with subtitles tweaked from the older translation on Crunchyroll, the missing 114th episode (a series retrospective not included in official episode counts) and restorations of three of the four TV specials which had been given English dubs by Harmony Gold. Shortly thereafter, Discotek re-released all three ''[=GE999=]'' movies on Blu-ray.

Another series in the Anime/{{Leijiverse}}, ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'', further explores the trains-as-spaceships theme, but isn't really interwoven into the ''Galaxy Express'' continuity (except for the OVA mentioned above). ''Galaxy Express'' features cameos from a few other Leijiverse characters (from ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'', ''Anime/QueenEmeraldas'', and ''Anime/CaptainHarlock'').

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Captain Harlock and [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] both bear scars under their left eyes.

* SpaceIsAnOcean: The 999 runs through outer space as if on tracks (so do all other Galaxy Railways trains). Harlock commands a battleship, while Emeraldas gets a bit more… bizarre: a wooden galleon suspended from a giant… space-dirigible sort of… thing.

** InformedAttribute: Maetel is universally considered the less dangerous of the two sisters, yet Emeraldas has a lower body count, at least since [[spoiler:Maetel blew up a planet in response to an attempted GrandTheftMe]].

* FanService: Iconic as it is, Maetel takes off that coat pretty regularly. One of the eyecatches is her swimming in a bikini alongside a train in space.
** FanDisservice: Count Mecha disrobing and admiring the new human trophy that is Tetsuro's mother.

* [[SpaceIsAnOcean Space Is A Railroad]]: The 999 runs through outer space as if on tracks (so do all other Galaxy Railways trains). Harlock commands a battleship, while Emeraldas gets a bit more… bizarre: a wooden galleon suspended from a giant… space-dirigible sort of… thing.

* WhipItGood: Maetel's pretty handy with that whip she carries.

* {{Hypocrite}}: A recurring failing of Tetsuro is his inability to grasp the dangers of getting a mechanical body, even as he encounters and lectures travelers or locals on similarly doomed journeys. Maetel initially tries to gently help Tetsuro recognize [[NotSoDifferent how similar he is to the]] VictimOfTheWeek, but he's often too preoccupied with living up to his mother's wishes to take her words to heart.

* PinocchioSyndrome: Inverted by Tetsuro's quest for a machine body.

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen King (and later Shonen Big Comic) from 1977 to 1981, ''Galaxy Express 999'' (pronounced "Galaxy Express Three-Nine") is part of [[Anime/LeijiVerse Leiji Matsumoto's larger universe]]. The story centers on Tetsuro Hoshino, an orphaned street urchin who dreams of catching a ride on the titular space-train in search of a mechanized body and eternal life. He gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Maetel offers him a ticket …if he lets her travel with him along the way.

[[caption-width-right:350:The main ensemble [[note]] from left to right Anime/CaptainHarlock, [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]], Tetsuro Hoshino, Maetel and the Conductor [[/note]]]]

* NiceHat: Tetsuro wears an old straw hat that he obtained during his adventures on the moon colony Titan. The hat originally belonged to [[Anime/CaptainHarlock Tochiro Oyama]].

->''Galaxy Express Three-Nine will take you on a journey, a neverending journey...a journey to the stars!''

->''"...I keep expecting some Film/DoctorZhivago-lookin' shiksa to scoop me onto a train for an endless, Oedipal journey through the cosmos."''

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen King (and later Shonen Big Comic) from 1977 to 1987, ''Galaxy Express 999'' (pronounced "Galaxy Express Three-Nine")is part of [[Anime/LeijiVerse Leiji Matsumoto's larger universe]]. The story centers on Tetsuro, an orphaned street urchin who dreams of catching a ride on the titular space-train in search of a mechanized body and eternal life. He gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Maetel offers him a ticket - if he will travel with her along the way.

The 21-volume original manga run spawned several TV shows, movies and {{OVA}}s, spanning nearly three decades:

To date, only the first two movies, a portion of the second manga series and ''Maetel Legend'' have had a widespread release in the U.S./Region 1. (The TV series was subtitled by Nippon Golden Network and available in areas of the US with a high ethnic Japanese population.) A... somewhat [[{{Macekre}} liberal]] translation of the first movie was released in 1981, but we aren't going to talk about that. The translation work since then has been considerably more faithful to the source and (big surprise) much more enjoyable for it. Crunchyroll is currently streaming a subtitled release of [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/galaxy-express-999 the entire original 1978 TV series]] and you can also find it on another streaming service called Tubi.

S'more Entertainment announced that they'd release the Galaxy Express 999 TV series as a sub-only DVD release in North America, but it turned out to be a BadExportForYou much to the chagrin of many fans.

Thankfully at Otakon 2018, Creator/DiscotekMedia (who already released the movies) came to the rescue and [[https://twitter.com/discotekmedia/status/1028670754668326912 announced]] that they'll be [[https://twitter.com/discotekmedia/status/1028670999515078656 releasing the series on Blu-ray]].

Another series in the Anime/{{Leijiverse}}, ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'', further explores the trains-as-spaceships theme, but isn't really interwoven into the ''Galaxy Express'' continuity (although there is a 4-episode {{Crossover}} OVA where the two meet). ''Galaxy Express'' features cameos from a few other Leijiverse characters (from ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'', ''Anime/QueenMillennia'' and ''Anime/CaptainHarlock'').

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the original manga and tv series, Tetsuro was depicted with a rather cartoonish appearance. In the 1979 film, he was given more realistic features that were more in line with most shounen protagonists at the time. Tetsuro's original appearance was used for his younger self in a flashback.

%%* AnimationAnatomyAging
* AwfulTruth: The free mechanical bodies distributed on Andromeda? [[ExactWords It's genuine]], if by genuine you mean [[spoiler: being transformed into a mechanized component of said planet]]

** InformedAttribute: Maetel is universally considered the less dangerous of the two sisters, yet Emeraldas has a lesser body count, at least since [[spoiler: Maetel blew up a planet in response to an attempted GrandTheftMe]].

** Darqueen and Metanoids in the Eternal Fantasy series.
* BigFatFuture: The StarterVillain in the second manga conquers Earth by offering enough free food to cause this. There is also a planet where robots have taken over all menial tasks. Leaving people to do nothing but laze about and grow fatter and fatter until they completely fill houses that have to keep being rebuilt around them as they keep growing.

-->'''Count Mecha''': I don't know you.
-->'''Tetsuro''': My name is Tetsuro Hoshino and you killed my mother, you metal bastard!
-->'''Count Mecha''': I kill a lot of mothers. Let me guess: you want vengeance, blah blah blah . . .

* ContinuityReboot: The Ultimate Journey manga loosly follows the Eternal arc, but with different problems and adventures.

** A planet named Imbecile is apparently the worst of the lot, according to Maetel. Thankfully we never saw it...

* CutShort: The movie Eternal Fantasy ends with a StarKilling, EarthShatteringKaboom, vows to find a mysterious person that will fix everything, and a "To Be Continued in 1999". We're still waiting.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Tetsuro is a great warrior, but his kindness often manages to end conflicts non-lethaly.

* DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody: In an episode, Tetsuro watches from afar as his enigmatic guide and companion Maetel weeps over a dead body under ice on Pluto. It is later more or less confirmed that it is [[spoiler:Maetel's own original, pre-robotization]] body.

* EarthShatteringKaboom: [[spoiler: Maetel's response to two doctors plotting to steal her and Tetsuro's bodies.]]
* ExcessiveSteamSyndrome: Brought to the logical extreme by Creator/LeijiMatsumoto: the titular CoolTrain is a spaceship that looks like a train pulled by a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JNR_Class_C62 C62 steam locomotive]], smoke included. Justified out of universe by AuthorAppeal and in-universe by RuleOfCool (Maetel quickly points out it was built with that look because people preferred it to more modern-looking space trains).

* FullConversionCyborg: Humans are able to put their minds in machine bodies, to achieve a form of immortality. It is very much a case of CyberneticsEatYourSoul. Some people, realizing this, or tiring of immortality, can return to their human bodies, which are stored on Pluto in the Graves of Ice.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen:

** InvertedTrope for the queen of the Dark Africa Nebula, where she is the one who is reasonable and kind, by contrast of her subjects who are genocidal maniacs.

* HateSink: The villains like Mecha are made to be hated.
* HatesBaths:
** Testuro often uses "lions don't take baths" as an excuse to avoid them. Sometimes even Matel can't take it and makes a stop at the nearest bathhouse so Testuro would do something with his smell.

* HeroicSacrifice: Claire in the anime and first movie [[spoiler: Metalmena]] does this twice in ''Adieu''. Obviously being a waitress on the 999 is a dangerous job.
* HiddenVillain: Testuro doesn't figure out until he gets there, that the capital of Machine Empire that offers mechanization for free and holds cultural influence in both galaxies, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor may have ulterior motives]].
* HonorBeforeReason: 999 leaves stations by a precise schedule even if a passenger is seconds late, will kick out anyone without a valid ticket, and won't change course even under a threat of bombardment. The conductor is willing to make exceptions, but rarely.
* InformedAttractiveness: Many characters remark how beautiful Maetel is; considering how many other female characters [[OnlySixFaces look very similar to her]] makes it a very good example of the trope.

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Faust, to Tetsuro]] in ''Adieu''.
** LukeYouAreMyFather: Queen Prometheum, ruler of the Machine Empire and [[spoiler: Maetel's mother]].

** Maetel's a pretty complicated one. Because of the [[JapaneseRanguage L/R ambiguity in Japanese]] it can be interpreted as either coming from the Latin word for mother, or the English word metal (or possibly the Creator/{{Mattel}} toy company) [[spoiler: both of which hint at her artificial nature]].
** Word of God says that her name was meant to read "Maeter" and derived from the Latin word "mater," which means "mother."

* OnlySixFaces: Suffers from this quite badly. Practically every young female character is a clone of Maetel and all old people have the strange body quirk of having their eyes above their forehead. While Tetsuro looks pretty distinct, there's approximately one face (and haircut) for every other young male of his age. Possibly lampshading this trope, Tetsuro does meet a man who has his exact face and almost an identical name. The only sort of plot relevance it has is to note how odd it is and make them fast friends.

* PrecisionFStrike: In the first movie, when Tetsuro finds out that the mechanized homeworld is called Planet Maetel.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Tetsuro's relationship with Maetel has aspects of this, especially when it's revealed [[spoiler: that she's using a replica of the body of Tetsuro's mother]].

* SilkHidingSteel: Maetel is well-mannered, well-educated, refined and cultured, and if you force her into a physical confrontation, on your own head be it.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Surprisingly, despite the age difference, more than a few characters assume that Tetsuro and Maetel are a couple, Tetsuro is always flustered by it and repeatedly denies it.
* StrictlyFormula: The Conductor announces the next PlanetOfHats and [[ExactTimeToFailure how many hours the train is allowed to stay there]], Testuro and Matel find the local hotel and [[AnthropicPrinciple one or all things happen right away]]: somebody steals their documents, Testuro gets into a fight ([[ChronicHeroSyndrome willingly]] or [[CultureClash unwillingly]]) or Maetel gets kidnapped. Tesuro resolves the conflict with his display of bravery just in time and the {{Narrator}} comments on the experience.
* TheSoftHeartedWarrior: Antares. He's carrying around bullets from various wars on various planets. But he also makes it a point to look after the orphans on Titan, and is friendly and jovial...once you prove you're not a machine man, that is.
* [[SpaceIsAnOcean Space Is A Railroad]]: The Three-Nine runs through outer space as if on tracks. Harlock commands a battleship, while Emeraldas gets a bit more... Bizarre: A wooden sailing ship, suspended from a giant... Space-blimp sort of... Thing.

** Not to mention people [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace walking along the outside of spacecraft without protection]]. {{Lampshaded}} when Tetsuro is baffled to hear the sound of distant church bells as the 999 approaches a planet. Maetel explains that the inhabitants are so arrogantly pious that they assembled a vast array of gravitational wave emitters on the surface, which broadcast an intense graviton carrier wave precisely modulated to induce a resonant vibration in the bulkheads of passing spacecraft which replicates with perfect fidelity the sound of distant church bells. Impressed, Tetsuro rolls down the window and sticks his head out to get a better look.
%%* SpaceOpera

** One planet was literally split in half by its inhabitants so that one half contained the modern civilized citizens and the other, the primitive savages; almost immediately after doing it, the "civilized" half exploded by collapsing on its own mass, and the other half also explodes before the episode ends.
** Despite actively avoiding becoming an obese blob-like her husband and the rest of the planet's inhabitants, Saborina still puts on a fair bit of weight due to robots taking over all forms of physical labor.
** At the end of both the anime and the 1979 movie, Tetsuro blows up planet Maetel and then goes back to Earth to take arms against the Machine People in the capital... So in both ''Adieu Galaxy Express 999'' and ''Captain Harlock: Dimension Voyage'' the authorities consider him a dangerous terrorist, with Shizuka Namino in the latter openly warning Faust about the danger posed by him to the leader of the Machine Empire when he visits Megalopolis.

* TerminallyDependentSociety: With defeat of Queen Promethium, the Machine Empire not only collapses, but is implied to be the source of energy for mechanoids. Despite being based on the idea of immortality, in the sequel a functioning mechanoid is considered a rarity.

* TranshumanTreachery: A major recurring theme in all of Matsumoto's stories is that CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul, and once you succumb to the temptation of living forever in an inhumanly strong and fast mechanical body, you will quickly lose your connection to humanity and become its worst nightmare. It's not universal, but even characters who accept cybernetics for the noblest of intentions often turn into the worst villains, e.g. Queen Promethium, as depicted in ''Maetel Legend''.

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[WellIntentionedExtremist Queen Prometheum]] is perfectly willing to [[spoiler: harvest organic beings as an energy source for mechanized citizens]].

* WagonTrainToTheStars: The titular 999 and all other Galaxy Express trains are shown to be capable of traveling through deep space without a problem.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The point of [[spoiler:Metalmena's second]] HeroicSacrifice in ''Adieu''. [[spoiler:After TakingTheBullet for Tetsuro once she's forced to comprehend the [[HumanResources dark secret of how the energy capsules the Machine People eat are made]], she manages to drag herself back aboard the 999. However, when the NegativeSpaceWedgie in the finale threatens to drag anything with a mechanical consciousness to be destroyed, she willingly abandons the 999 to save everyone else -- even though nobody on board realized that she was back aboard.]]

* AWorldHalfFull: Surprisingly the Angry Planet is this: Its inhabitants are [[HairTriggerTemper extremely easy to anger]] and constantly get themselves into violent fistfights at the slightest provocation; however weapons are forbidden, the people in general are always helpful towards strangers, and we see a family that [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther deeply love and care for each other]] despite fighting each other constantly.