Undersea Super Train: Marine Express

Lore & Background

The plot of Marine Express is described in two parts. The first and longer part focuses on the people boarding the train and the problems they encounter on it. The second part takes place after the train has stopped at its half-way point, an island that used to be home to an ancient civilization millennia ago. The story takes place in the year 2002, when construction of the Marine Express is complete. The train can take passengers from Los Angeles, California to Japan through glass tunnels. To celebrate the completion, a test run is arranged with many of the train's founders and their families on board.

Reader's Guide

Marine Express was created for the Nippon Television Network's annual 24-hour charity program, following two previous Tezuka Productions films for the same program: One Million-Year Trip: Bander Book (1978) and Fumoon (1980). The film contains a veritable 'Who's Who' of Osamu Tezuka's notable characters, each with an important role. The film's central theme aligns with the charity program's emphasis on environmental destruction and cooperation. The film's narrative includes a time-travel element involving the ancient Mu Empire and a villain named Sharaku. The film is notable for its use of Tezuka's star system, bringing together characters from various Tezuka works such as Black Jack, Shunsaku Ban, and others.

Did You Know?

• The film was created for the Nippon Television Network's annual 24-hour charity program, Ai wa Chikyū o Suku.
• The train travels from Los Angeles, California to Japan through glass tunnels.
• The film's plot includes a time displacement of the train and its passengers 30,000 years into the past.
• Two previous Tezuka Productions films for the same charity program were One Million-Year Trip: Bander Book (1978) and Fumoon (1980).