Galaxy Express 999 Episode 001

## **Departure Ballad**

**Departure Ballad**  (*Tabidachi no Ballad*) is the pilot episode of the animated series *Galaxy Express 999.*

## Summary

On his way to Megalopolis Station, Tetsuro is attacked by a mechanical count and loses his mother. However, he is saved by a mysterious beauty, Maetel, who looks just like his late mother, and together they set off on the Galaxy Express 999. Together, they travel on the Galaxy Express 999, aiming for a planet that will give them mechanical bodies...

> "*The Galaxy Express 999 that Tetsuro has boarded has begun rushing along on its never-ending track. As to what planets he will go to, where he will be, or what he will look like when he returns here to this place...Tetsuro has no clue. All he knows is that the rails span throughout this dazzling, endless sea of stars."*
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## Mechanisms

Laser Gun

Weapon given to Tetsuro by Maetel as his only requirement to accompanying her onto the 999. He uses it to kill Count Mecha and his peons. He uses it until going to Titan, where he receives the Cosmo Dragoon. It isn't known what happens afterward to the Laser Gun, though it was likely discarded.

Sled

A sled used by Maetel to rescue Tetsuro from Count Mecha's burning mansion. In the anime, there is a visible Cyborg Police threat that is chasing Tetsuro, while in the manga there is no police seen. The sled is moved by mechanical horses, similar the ones Count Mecha's crew use. Maetel uses the whip that she tradionally carries on the horses.

Taxi

The most popular means of transportation on Megalopolis, Tetsuro and Maetel use this on their way to boarding the Galaxy Express 999.

Snowmobile

Seen only in the anime, this vehicle chases Tetsuro after he kills Count Mecha. A two-man vechicle, it can also shoot lasers. Maetel helps Tetsuro escape from the Cyborg police and to safety at a Megalopolis Hotel before they board the 999.

## Gallery

Title card
* Galaxy Express 999 LD-BOX 1 "Megalopolis BOX" (21 July 1995)
* Galaxy Express 999 COMPLETE DVD-BOX "Eternal Departure" (19 September 2002)
* DeAGOSTINI DVD Volume 01 (13 March 2012)
* Avex Blu-ray Box 01 (5 March 2014)
* Discotek Blu-ray Box "Departure" (24 December 2019)

## Changes

* In the anime, after the appearance of the 776, the narrator briefly xplains Earth's situation and how its inhabitants live. This is not shown in the manga.
* In the anime, Count Mecha is clearly shown firing his gun and killing Kanae, while in the manga, a laser-shot randomly appears, and it is unknown who fired it.
* In the manga, Maetel removes her clothes, asking Tetsuro what he thinks the difference between a machine body and a human body is. Being the wholesome boy he is, Tetsuro covers his eyes.
* In the anime, Tetsuro is forced to escape quickly from Mecha's mansion by police and police dogs. In the manga, Maetel is just sitting outside waiting for him.
* In the anime, Tetsuro and Maetel are forced to escape from the hotel by police that followed them from Mecha's house.
* In the anime, the scene involving the smoke bomb and Tetsuro losing his pass is removed.
* In the anime, the scene involving the woman who is eventually thrown of the train is removed.
* Tetsuro's mother being used as a trophy in Count Mecha's house is from the anime, but was used in the film version.
* In the manga, there is no scene where Tetsuro looks at the life of those without mechanical bodies.