The Irresponsible Captain Tylor

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor (無責任艦長タイラ) is a 26 episode sci-fi comedy anime based on the light novel series The Most Irresponsible Man in Space (宇宙一の無責任男) by Yoshioka Hitoshi.  The anime originally aired in Japan in 1993.

    Justy Ueki Tylor is a 20 year old slacker living in the far future of mankind’s expansion into space.  One day he decides to join the United Planets Space Force to live the easy life of a military desk jockey.  Tylor's only goal in life is to go through it easily and on his own terms.  After obliterating the militaries recruit AI through innocent coercion and Tylor logic, he is assigned to the pension department.  His first assignment sends him to deliver delayed pension payments to a retired, ill and historically loved admiral.  At the same time the admiral and his daughters are being held hostages.  The captures are an anti-war group trying to stop an imminent war with the alien civilization, the Raalgon Empire.  Tylor, carefree, stumbles his way into saving the admirals life.  In doing so the military promotes him to lieutenant commander and assigns him as the captain of the destroyer, Soyukaze.  The Soyukaze is the reject ship in the fleet, used as a holding pen for the trouble in the UPSF, those not quite able to be discharged.  Trouble starts immediately as various factions in the crew attempt to kill Tylor and his 2^nd in command, Lieutenant Yamamoto, who struggles to deal with the carefree captain.  Yamamoto is a by the book military man, not very bright, but dedicated to the career.  Tylors almost hippy like nature confuses and angers him.

    The ship takes off for its first mission under Tylors command and the crew begins to mutiny; fighting against each other and command.  Tylor tells them to do whatever they want to, enraging and confusion everyone else on the bridge.  Eventually the crew chills out, due in part to Tylors lack of action, and he assumes control of the ship.  Just as he does tension boils between both civilizations, with commanding personnel in both factions itching for war.  The UPSF commanders behind their half of the aggression are equally enraged at Tylors existence and position in the military.  At every turn the try to use him to advance their plans all out war while at the same time trying to kill him.  Quickly the unique captain earns a reputation among the Raalgon, who are intrigued by his unique way of doing things.  Through his laid back attitude, lack of action and insurmountable luck Tylor again and again avoids destruction and begins to garner the respect of his crew.  The Soyukaze, due to commands hatred of Tylor and Tylors’ own bumbling nature, finds its self in the middle of the eminent war to end one or both civilizations.

    Tylor is the penultimate bumbling genius.  Everyone around him is confused if he is truly as idiotic as he seems or some calculating genius.  The truth is a little of neither and a whole bunch of insane luck.  Tylor is the ultimate Zen master, letting everything happen around him, having absolute faith in events to resolve themselves in a desirable manner.  In Tylor I see the template for Oe Kintaro from Golden Boy.  According to Wikipedia/The Anime Encyclopedia Tylor is directly based on the main character of a 1960’s live action movie titled Japan’s Irresponsible Age.  The character in this movie is a slacker, carefree and bumbling salaryman who ends up lucking his way up the ladder of success; much in conflict with his boss’s wishes and plots.  At the same time this series is also an homage to the classic space opera anime of the 70’s, most notably Space Battleship Yamato.  The series encompasses many elements popular in the anime of the 80’s and I see it as an expose on that era of anime.  While mostly comedic the last few episodes become rather melancholic.  The ending is nothing surprising but there isn’t any better way to end it. 

    I really enjoyed this series and have no idea why it took me so long to watch it.  I have been meaning to watch it since about 1999…so I slacked off quite a bit on this one.  But, maybe I was just following Tylor’s way without knowing it!  Anyways, this is an enjoyable and entertaining series.  There are parts that seem to be rote and annoying; such as a ghost story episode, but much like the title character, nothing is as it seems with this show.  For its time the animation is well done and hell, a good portion of the English dub cast works really well for the show. So if you are a fan of a classic fun story with some eccentric and loveable characters this is a great one to see, if like me, you've been asleep.  This series fits in nicely with fans of Patlabor and Dominion Tank Police.

    The anime has been available in North America since the 90’s.  There is also 10 episode follow up OAV series which is also readily available.  It does not appear the light novels are available though.