At first, the story is about Tetsuro visiting several planets where he learns about various aspects of life, especially about the relationship between humans and machines. In a certain way, it is similar to Kino no Tabi but unlike that anime, where the stories are not connected, Ginga Tetsudou 999 has an overarching plot and a goal the protagonist is moving towards. The experiences Tetsuro makes on the different planets greatly affect how he thinks about machines and moreover create a new path the plot then follows. While the story might be slightly predictable, this film is more about the characters' relationships with one another and their respective development, which, in turn, result in some interesting twists at the anime's end.
Next to Tetsuro, there is Maetel, a mysterious woman who seems to be somehow connected to the young boy's past. While you watch the anime, you are constantly wondering about her, her motives and who she really is. At the same time, the viewer can see how her relationship to Tetsuro grows in a completely believable manner. Additionally, she does not only affect the main character's growth but also plays a central role in the anime's plot.
The antagonist has no motive to be evil other than for his own amusement but in the context of the setting, there is nothing wrong with his behaviour. There are several supporting characters who also affect where the anime is going and who all have distinguishable personalities. Unfortunately, some of them suffer from unrealistic character development, which sometimes leads to incomprehensibly awkward scenes.
Being a two-hour film rather than the 113 episodes TV anime it originally was, Ginga Tetsudou 999 has some severe pacing issues. The beginning as well as the ending are unjustifiably protracted and at the same time, there are some subplots that reach their conclusion disturbingly fast.
The animations are fluid for the most part and at no point horrible. In fact, it is better than some of Toei Animation's modern work, such as Dragon Ball Super. Moreover, the backgrounds are well-detailed and create a distinct feeling for every planet Tetsuro visits during his journey. However, the character design is laughably bad. Not only are the characters indescribably disproportionated but they moreover look different from scene to scene. You accustom yourself to it as the film goes on but this does not change the fact that the creators could have done a much better job.
The background music is not very memorable but there is also no huge issue with it. However, from time to time the music is too loud so that it is difficult to hear the characters' voices. The protagonist's voice actress is Nozawa Masako, who is famous for lending her voice to Dragon Ball's Goku as well as Digimon Tamers' Guilmon. While she does a splendid job, Maetel's voice actress, Ikeda Masako, unfortunately lacks in comparison. Her voice might be fitting but it sometimes sounds as though she would not make an effort.
As a whole, Ginga Tetsudou 999 is an enjoyable film dealing with some very interesting topics, accompanied by a good and loveable cast. If you do not have any issues with the character designs and can accept some pacing issues, you will more than likely enjoy this film.
