Specific Examples: Galaxy Express 999

Material presented at MCAD's 2001 "Girls and Mobilesuits" Anime Seminar. All images are properties of their respective artist, publisher, or distributor, and used for academic purposes only.

Short-story format
About a boy on a quest to get a "free" mechanical body that grants immortality
His traveling companion is a mysterious woman named Maetel, who seems to be immortal
The settings range from:

The familiar inside of the train
...to Wild West style towns on other planets
...to gentle summery fields on other planets
...to high-tech wonderlands
...to vast star-scapes
More than hard Science Fiction, the stories are parables about the psyche:

Warnings about the effects of selfishness, greed, cowardice, and arrogance
The power of courage, hope, dreams, determination, and compassion
Our hero's personality and character is his greatest strength
...our hero learns that immortality is not all that it's cracked up to be, and that he already has the qualities that really matter.

Next... Final Fantasy