Captain Harlock

Now that I’ve finally completed all 113 episodes of Galaxy Express 999 (1978) I can understand creator Leiji Matsumoto’s ideal of heroism. Matsumoto anime has been entertaining audiences for thirty years now and I can understand the appeal. Matsumoto’s stories are full of strong heroes fighting against impossible odds but that’s not the whole of the stories’ appeal. Matsumoto is a person who tries to get to the bottom of the concept of heroism. What motivates a hero? What does a hero give up when he faces evil?

Hoshino Tetsuro, hero of Galaxy Express 999

Most of Matsumoto’s heroes are lonely, quiet souls who wander the stars tirelessly carrying out their vows to help those in need. Although these stories have a timeless appeal Tetsuro, the hero of Galaxy Express 999, shows us a different kind of hero that helps us see Matsumoto’s true ideals of heroism.

Every hero needs a villain but a hero that holds to his ideals for a lifetime needs more. A lasting hero needs a rugged frontier – a place where danger is the order of the day and people in need are numerous. Matsumoto grew up watching American Westerns on Japanese television. Wild west themes are constantly cropping up in all of Matsumoto’s science-fiction adventures but the cowboy hats and six shooters aren’t the only thing Matsumoto borrowed from the genre. Matsumoto understood that the stories he took in as a youth took place in a wild frontier. A less civilized place where society’s order was difficult to enforce and strong-willed people could have their way. Matsumoto decided space would be that frontier for his stories. Whether it’s Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock or any other Matsumoto science-fiction story space is where adventure is to be found.

Young Tetsuro soon learns that only the tough survive the 999′s journey through a vast and lawless frontier that lies between the few civilized planets of the galaxies. Forged in the furnace of mankind’s last frontier, Tetsuro develops into a hero that can stand tall next to Captain Harlock and others. But a ten year old boy such as Tetsuro could never hold his own in any kind of fight with Captain Harlock. If the ability to mop the floor with enemy troops doesn’t make one a hero what does?

For Matsumoto, the two qualities every hero must possess are compassion and determination. Determination enables a hero to develop the qualities needed to save others. Compassion is necessary to motivate a hero.

Thoughout the episodes of Galaxy Express 999 we see how misguided people can become if they fail to develop both of Matsumoto’s cardinal virtues. Those who have determination but lack compassion become tyrants. Pursuing their dreams without concern for others makes them into dictators that oppress whole planets or schemers that travel between the stars ruining people’s lives. Those with compassion but without determination are sacrificed thoughlessly by tyrants or manipulated by schemers. Though their hearts may be right, people who lack determination can never attain their dreams and have to watch as their lives go nowhere.

Captain Harlock didn’t start out as an unstoppable warrior. He was a man with compassion in his heart who saw others suffering. His determination allowed him to set his mind on gaining the skills needed to become the person other people needed – a warrior. His great determination allowed him to develop great skill in combat, stategy, leadership and all the other qualities he brought to bear on the Mazones and other villains.

Hoshino Tetsuro from Galaxy Express 999 may seem like a different sort of person than Captain Harlock but to Matsumoto he was equally a hero. Tetsuro had a big heart and simply couldn’t stand still when he saw people suffering. Constantly throughout the show Maetel is telling Tetsuro to mind his own business and stay out of trouble but Tetsuro doesn’t listen. He just can’t ignore people in need. Tetsuro discovers during his journey between the stars that the determination needed to stand up to evil was in his heart. Although a boy of only ten years he acquires a warrior’s pistol and uses it fearlessly along with his wits. His courage never falters in the face of danger. He stands by those who need him and always finds the solution needed to save the day.

It isn’t being tough that defeats evil. It isn’t a desire for adventure that leads people to bravery. Compassion for others and the determination to never give in makes a person into a hero. That’s what Matsumoto was really trying to say in his stories. It’s a lesson I hope we all take to heart.

Well, Gundam fans, it’s out. The latest edition of the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia. This time it’s called Mobile Suite Illustrated 2009. This is at least the 6th edition. The earliest edition I have is the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia which appears to have been published in 1989 and claimed to have 370 mobile suits. After that came the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia Ver. 3.0 (1992) which claimed 559 mobile suits. 1998, 2003 and 2006 saw new editions.

Now we’ve got the 2009 edition that weighs in at 472 pages (200 in color). If you’re a Gundam fan then you can’t convince yourself that this purchase isn’t worth it. It rounds up mobile suit designs from most of the Gundam franchise (certainly all the ones that were animated). Many designs from manga and video games show up too. It’s divided into chapters called Universal Century, Experimental and Event Movie, Another Century, and Games Variation.

At this point, Gundam fans are no doubt discussing how much it too much. It’s nice to have so many mobile suit designs in one place. However, the book is growing so enormous that I think it’s high time they separated out the Universal Century material from the alternate setting material. I’m not recommending this just because the book is growing so thick and heavy. In order to fit so much into one book many images are reduced in size or removed altogether. The majority of mobile suit designs have only small “front” and “back” images. The detail images showing their weapons, special parts and so on are largely discarded.

I’m enjoying the book and recommend it not just to any Gundam fan, but any mecha fan as well. I got my copy from Hobby Link Japan.

More Best of FSS
20th Feb
price: 2500 yen
size: A4
pages: 196

It’s available for preorder at Hobby Link Japan:
http://www.hlj.com/product/TYP161

Content Details (Japanese): http://www.toyspress.co.jp/storystore/detail/parcel/CHS-521.html

the advertisement

“Don’t Shoot Sopp” heh heh…

The interesting thing is that shuttle bus in the book cover will be sold as a model kit:
http://www.toyspress.co.jp/storystore/index.html

FSS:MODEL KIT
1/72 DRAGON ROAD SHUTTLE BUS
size：120mm×40mm
release date：20th March 2009
price：4,800yen

pre-orders start on 1st March 2009

Those of us who have been sampling entertainment from Japan for a while know there is a much greater variety of stories and even genres in manga than can be found in anime or live-action shows. Many of the real gems never make it to the anime studios. It isn’t long before a good conversation at an anime convention turns from the screen to the printed page.

If I listed my “favorite” manga titles it would be a list so long none of you would invest the time to read it and I have no doubt your lists would be even longer. Still, idle Sunday afternoons lend themselves well to idle chatter so I thought I’d list the manga titles that influenced my thinking the most in an attempt to get some of you to do the same.

Even though I almost busted my gut laughing at Johji Manabe’s Caravan Kid and was fascinated by Masamune Shiro’s Orion I’ve boiled my list down to the 4 titles that I both enjoyed the most and spent the most time considering after finishing.

Appleseed (Masamune Shiro)
Fist of the North Star (story by Buronson aka Fumimura Sho, art by Hara Tetsuo)
Five Star Stories (Nagano Mamoru)
Sanctuary (story by Fumimura Sho, art by Ikegami Ryoichi)

Appleseed

Saying Shiro’s art is superb is like saying the sky is blue but his technical art hooked my interest in particular. His machines and devices not only look uncommonly cool but plausible as well. How often do you find a mix like that? Appleseed is a mix of “hard nails” action (of which there isn’t enough in this world, if you ask me) and true science fiction. It shows a near-future world where politicians and thinkers grapple with how to integrate new technologies into society while the police and SWAT teams on the street test how realistic those policies are. These issues are handled in a refreshingly pragmatic way. Shiro does a great job of conveying the idea that we won’t be saved or doomed by technology but by those who see it for what it really is and use it wisely.

Many people will never see the saga of Kenshiro as anything more than pointless skull-bashing and macho posing. I’m not going to tell people what they should appreciate but I got a lot more than that out of reading Viz’s translation and then picking through the original volumes with my own limited knowledge of Japanese. In a post-apocalyptic world that makes Mad Max look mild people have to fight for daily survival among a blasted landscape of roving gangs and cruel tyrants. With almost no technology to scavange and few communities in which to dwell, men must rely on their strength and their friends. Bravery and friendship are the two principles this manga portrayed again and again in memorable ways. I don’t find many stories that deal with deep male friendships from a male perspective (the majority of movies and TV shows showing male friendships with any depth are usually written by women who, while they mean well, just aren’t men).

A sci-fi/fantasy epic deserving of both the slash and the word “epic.” This sweeping story of the Joker Star Cluster takes both the broad and personal view of unfolding events with a skilled hand. A deity’s awakening and humanity’s next step in its destiny is the ultimate conclusion but the stories that lead us there would be first-rate even if they weren’t part of a greater whole. Nagano’s creation is an interesting setting that manages to incorporate a large range of elements from both science-fiction and fantasy without sacrificing consistency. On the sci-fi side of the fence we have genetic engineering, cloning, giant robots, space travel, inscrutable aliens and high-tech warfare while the fantasy side gives us knights, dragons, kings, gods, sorcery and sword-play. The grand scale of the story and the bravery and dedication to duty of many of the characters make this manga a classic. Many of the volumes end with insightful dialogue between characters that emphasize the very real issues that are dealt with in stories that seem only fanciful at first glance.

Although it’s debatable which genre best captures the essence of the Five Star Stories, I believe it is fantasy. Kings and knights guide society and have access to the best technology and magic, the ruling classes are made up of people born with the right characteristics to make them combatants and mentalists and the main character throughout the stories is a god. Fantasy is the better of the 2 genres for dealing with questions of morality and personal responsibility amid the dramatic events unfolding. The elegance and grace of centuries-old noble houses which color most of the stories wouldn’t shine as well with a stronger sci-fi emphasis.

This story of 2 men in modern Japan struggling to change society for the better struck a chord with me from the first volume. One goes into organized crime while the other enters politics as they seek to gain the influence they need to shake the halls of power and wake up a generation of apathetic dreamers. This story doesn’t illustrate how 1 or 2 people can make a difference. It illustrates how anyone with the right vision and dedication can bring together a group of friends and allies who can change things that too many people think are set in stone. Patience, insight and dedication to one’s friends set this story above a host of other organized crime and political intrigue manga.