Once upon a time, there was a boy named Li'l Jonny. He was a nice, overly innocent and naive boy, who loved vanilla ice cream. One day, he was sitting down to watch TV in the early 90s, in search of anything that seemed worthwhile. Little, did he realize that on that day he would be embarking on a journey that wouldn't end for 15+ years. Flicking through the channels, he spotted many different kinds of TV shows, but when he reached channel 6, he discovered something that wasn't like anything else he had ever seen before. It was animated, this much was for sure, but it was done in a strange style unlike anything, he found on YTV. At this point in life, Li'l Jonny loved to watch animated things, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Batman The Animated Series, but the subject matter to this mysterious film was, like it's animation, very different. The story was tragic, and serious. About a young boy in a futuristic world who watches his mother being gunned down in front of him, but a group of hunters. Then he searches for a way onto a space train (Yes, a train that goes through space), where he can go to a planet to get a Mechanically enhanced body, so he can kill the men, who took his mother from him. This is seriously heavy stuff for a young boy. It was sad, but it was also exciting and adventurous. Li'l Jonny watched, hoping his mother wouldn't notice what he was watching, because it had lots of very mature subject matter, and he didn't want to get in trouble. After the movie was over, he had a strange feeling. Perhaps it was the first time that he was emotionally engrossed with a film. Li'l Jonny went to sleep that night, feeling sad, for the little boy in the film, but amazed all the same.
Many years later, Li'l Jonny was no longer Li'l. He was then known as Jonny. One day he was sitting around with his best friend Boone, talking about cartoons they watched when younger. They discussed many shows that were good, great, or terrible, many of which the other one didn't remember, but then Jonny tried to explain the mysterious movie he saw when he was so much younger. Clayton, being brilliant as always, with a recall like an elephant, knew exactly what it was, that Jonny was talking about. Clayton, apparently, having also seen it, on TV that fateful day, from his own home. This movie left a special feeling for him as well, but for him, with his memory so mighty, he remembered many more things about it. They decided they needed to see this movie again. They jumped onto the internet in search of a copy immediately, to see if they could purchase a copy, but were deeply saddened to find that it was only possible to find on VHS for a lot of money, or via a Korean bootleg. They didn't want a bootleg, nor did they have a VCR to play the other option. Alas, this was the beginning of the waiting for Galaxy Express 999.
Many years had gone by. In fact, it had been at least 15 years since the initial viewing of that movie. With so many years having passed, Jonny was no longer Jonny, as the harshness of the world had managed to beat the ny off of his name. He was only Jon at this point. One day, when ol' Jon had gotten home from work, he received a phone call. It was his lifelong pal Clayton, with shocking news. "Galaxy Express is for sale on amazon.ca", shouted Clayton. Jon, couldn't believe it, and checked for himself. There it was, with a notice that only 4 copies were left. Jon could almost see a window back to when he was Li'l Jonny, being mesmerized by the film. Jon ordered, with little hesitation, both a copy for Clayton and himself. Now the question lied, in how would the film have held up, after the decade and a half that had passed.
The day finally came when it arrived, and Clayton and Jon were ready to watch the show. They invited their ol' pal Gary along to check it out too, to see if it was a decent movie, without nostalgia. What they got proved to be much more than they bargained for. The movie itself, proved to be viewable in multiple ways, with lots of symbolism. It is the story of a boy, starting the big journey of life. To take his own risks, and experience adventures that could never be predicted, however it also was about something else. The movie had a hidden message, specifically directed to people the age of Jon and Clayton, in the present. The movie was about nostalgia. To have moved forward in your life, and experienced so much of the world, but to remember what it was like to be a kid before growing up ever happened. Clayton and Jon, both stared at the screen with a mesmerized look on their face. Gary too, seemed intrigued by the movie. As much as they had enjoyed the movie, nothing prepared them for the final line of the movie, and it was very simple. "Farewell my childhood." Such a simple thing to say, but in the context of how it hit Jon and Clayton, it was overwhelming. When the end credits passed, and Gary stood up and turned on the light, Jon was surprised to find that tears had run down his face. The three friends enjoyed the unique film, as an experience that couldn't be found anywhere else.
As the movie itself, so proudly declares, a journey has ended, and a new journey begins. Who knows what the future holds for us, but here is to the movie of my childhood, Galaxy Express 999.
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