Galaxy Railways, The 3/10

I really tried to like this show. I overlooked the freaky old lady and cat character designs. I tolerated retarded time travel. I forgave a sub-plot about not carrying a sidearm that only lasted a handful of episodes. I put up with a mysterious woman who ran the Galaxy Railways but never DID anything. I rolled my eyes at the idea of trains that fly through space. But I CANNOT FORGIVE EPISODE 13. I just couldn't get past that one.

OK. The 26 episodes of The Galaxy Railways aired between 2003 and 2004. I liked the music but HATED the OP and ED. It's like they're sung by the Japanese Pat Boone or something. I liked the backgrounds, CG and animation and I really liked most of the character designs but I HATED the freaky ones that don't match the rest of the show.

Why must Matsumoto insist on having a couple of freaky looking characters in every series? What have we done to deserve it? To wrap the technical side up, I liked the VA's. Any small quibbles I have with the technical aspects of this show are VASTLY outweighed by the HORRIFIC plot problems.

This series starts out introducing Manabu Yuuki, the son of a famous Galaxy Railways (GR) captain who dies ramming his space train into an invading spaceship from another dimension. Fast forward ten years or so and Manabu is off to join the Galaxy Railways to make a name for himself. He gets assigned to Sirius platoon and they operate the same space train his father once captained, the Big One.

Manabu starts off as a whiner that won't carry a gun and he manages to piss me off very quickly along with most of his teammates. The show pretty much meanders along giving each of the crew members an episode in which to get to know them and dedicating the others to Manabu's various issues with gunplay, his dead brother, and other annoying character traits.

The series only hints at the overall plot of the aliens from another dimension until about episode 18 or so and in the meantime we're forced to endure Manabu discovering his inner strength and overcoming obstacles. Again and again. Some of the dialogue in these episodes made me want to scream. If fact episode 13 DID make me scream. YOU CAN'T HAVE AN EPISODE THAT BAD SO FAR INTO THE SERIES. AIEEEEEEEEEEEE!

As the show gets past episode 18 the ending starts up and it's actually pretty good though they practically kill all the guys but Manabu (whom I wish they HAD killed) and not a single girl dies. It's a little odd.

This show has so many stupid little things about it that really bugged me. An example is the head of the Galaxy Railways (I can't remember her name). All they do is show her in the same pose and shedding a single tear while she laments the fates of the people in the current episode. We get no explanation as to who she is or what freaky powers she has. THEN right near the end of the series she falls over. It's pretty dumb.

I can't recommend this. It's just got too many dumb parts and Manabu is way too annoying a main character. Make a girl the lead next time maybe. Like Yuki.

Did I mention 2 people in the Sirius platoon are addressed as Yuki? Manabu Yuuki and Yuki the nurse girl. WHAT THE HELL!? MINUS ONE MORE POINT YOU STUPID SHOW!!! NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!!