hen last fans saw the irrepressible Captain Tylor, he was heading off to captivity in the Raalgon Empire, where he faced immediate execution. But Tylor once again proved he was the luckiest man in space, as a chance encounter with Raalgon Empress Azalyn turned him into a privileged pet. (Continued life being one of the main privileges.) As the series continues, his increasingly dedicated crew manages to free him and bring him home, but he's not alone--he's got a Raalgon microchip in his brain and the Empress by his side.
The microchip provides a setup for the first authentic look into how Tylor's mind works, as Azalyn and Yuriko literally travel into Tylor's brain to break the Raalgons' hold. But Azalyn's decision to sacrifice her freedom and accompany Tylor back to the Soyokaze proves far more significant. With her as a prisoner, the United Planets Space Force could conceivably win the war against the Raalgons once and for all.
Of course, Tylor has other plans--and as usual, they're in motion before the UPSF can get in his way. Soon he's facing execution again, this time at the hands of his own commanders. All he has to do to wrap up this series is stay alive, end a massive interstellar war, deal with the death of the man he most respects, teach everyone around him how to live their lives without compunctions or consideration--and cope with the spontaneous confessions of love from most of the female crew.
It's over already?
This 26-episode series ends with a huge bang rather than a whimper, but the slow crescendo beforehand is far more powerful than the explosion itself. The series' real action--the Raalgon war--is resolved by the end of Volume 7 in a taut, triumphant, exquisitely choreographed sequence that clearly shows the difference between Japanese and American ideas of animated story pacing. Volume 8, by contrast, is a lengthy and sometimes frustrating denouement that strains the suspension of disbelief with its struggles to bring all the characters back together for an in-jokey class reunion.
But all three of these videos do contain genuine treasures--the surreal but charming trip inside Tylor's brain, and the remarkably silly "love confessions" sequence in Volume 6, the proud battle resolution in Volume 7, and the quiet and awesomely beautiful philosophical musings in Volume 8. And it's no surprise that all three videos continue the series' habit of veering wildly between slapstick comedy and poignant, serious space drama. Tylor's mercurial, unpredictable nature guarantees that no one mood is held too long.
Which is why it's a bit of a disappointment when he goes staid and serious throughout Volume 8, then devolves into screaming incoherence in the last episode. The series' final moments, in particular, are shrill and jarring compared to the wit and grace that lead up to them. But any ending would probably have been something of a letdown--it's going to be hard to let go of such an exceptionally profound and funny series.
