Kazamatsuri has been a place for me to really discover my identity and I’d like to share that with all of you. I’ve been meaning to write a post in this topic for over a year. I remember @Naoki_Saten telling us about his topic idea and I already knew what to write but it’s taken literally a year. I didn’t write in that time span though so don’t expect anything too high quality.
The Key character I most identify with is an easy answer for me. Of course, the character would be from a story about stars, words, God, and robots. And that character is the Junker/Hoshi no Hito. From here on are spoilers for planetarian and Hoshi no Hito.
There are seven main similarities I can think of between him and I. A lot of these I’ve even talked about in my analysis. So, check those out too. I categorize these into pairings. What the Junker has experienced vs what I have experienced. These things are Rain (Sin), Invitation (Grace), Repair (Transformation), Projection (Faith), Sacrifice (Salvation), Mission (Purpose), and Reunion (Promise).
Rain – Sin inevitably ruins everything
In planetarian, the Rain never ceases. One can wear a waterproof cloak but that will not stop you or your possessions from being rendered useless or just uncomfortably soaked. The Junker himself experiences pains of many kinds in the Rain. He says, “The Rain continued to fall without regard for dar or night, snatching away even the sunlight from this world and obliterating the seasons. It poisoned the soil and the water, withered the plants, cracked concrete, and turned steel into rusty garbage.” A little later he finds that even his cigarettes, which are some of the few reasons he has to live at this point, are ruined by the Rain. But there was a time before the Rain. In Yumemi’s memories of the pre-war era, we see that there was a time of peace and beauty all over. Sure, it showed signs of collapse but in that time, mankind was fulfilling its supposed purpose to spread their wings to the stars. But due to greed and other prideful reasons, people fought and destroyed each other. Soon after, an eternal rain started falling, almost as if it was judgment. This is just like sin in our world. According to Genesis 1 through 3, there was a time and place before sin. It was called the Garden of Eden. What made it special was that it was a space in which both God and man could dwell. Man, or Adam, was created to be an image of the creator God and rule alongside him. He was still made to work, but his work was fulfilling and he was generously given all he needed. But it all comes to ruin when in greed and pride, the first humans take the forbidden fruit which is their desire to rule themselves on their own terms and everything falls apart. Because God is holy, he cannot allow them to stay in Eden and so casts them out and pronounces judgements like how work will no longer be as fulfilling or easy. Yet he still desires a relationship, which is symbolized later in both stories. Their sin has polluted our world just like the Rain of planetarian. We make mistakes of many kinds. We can’t avoid it. I, myself, have been selfish, told lies, rebelled against my parents, hated other people, and cursed frequently. I still do have a lot of these issues. There are some things that I’ve done that at times have overwhelmed me with regret. This is the world we live in now. And we would be stuck in this ruined world if not for the hope of a refuge. Just as the Junker finds his shelter at the planetarium, so do I find refuge in the knowledge of God.
Invitation – Grace beyond measure
In planetarian, the first thing we hear is “Why don’t you come to the planetarium? The beautiful twinkling of eternity that will never fade no matter what. All the stars in the sky are waiting for you.” But I also hear “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to the Lord in prayer.” Who am I that I should have this privilege? And who is the Junker that he should be treated as a special customer, the long awaited 2,500,000th, even though he isn’t? This is all grace for both the Junker and me. It’s an undeserved gift.
Repair – Transformation of the heart
“How did I even get here?” is the impression I get from the Junker as he repairs Jena. The VN just cuts from him leaving to him being back in the planetarium again. It’s abrupt, unexpected, and oddly enough, relatable. There’s something about Yumemi and this enclosed world of the planetarium that changes him. Initially he is on guard against Yumemi and freaks out when Yumemi introduces Jena. He expects nothing good from this place, yet Yumemi’s actions are a window into a world that used to be. A world of peace and life. The constant chatter and hope for new customers which is originally annoying becomes almost endearing after just a day or two. As he repairs Jena, his heart is also repaired by Yumemi. And as a reader, so was mine. Not in the exact way nor in the exact time, but my heart too was transformed and softened. When I was a kid, I believed in all the things I thought necessary. “When I die I want to go to heaven and not hell.” I believed I was a Christian and that was enough. I didn’t really do the Christian things all that well though. Planetarian itself was a wake-up call to me. It made me revisit what I really believe. I had to wrestle with the logic of Christianity. Why should I be allowed into the presence of a holy God? Surely, it’s not my own goodness. I had to hear that invitation and receive it. The invitation for me came through a college fellowship. Many dinners, Bible studies, and hang outs later, I knew my heart had changed. Because of this I’ve gone to places I never would have expected, done things I never would have done, and written things I never would have written before. This is one of them.
Projection – Faith to see
There are things in this world that we cannot see, yet we trust that it is present. As we live, we learn about a few of these things. Gravity, atoms, Australia. I’ve never really seen any of these things but I know they’re there. Then there are things whose existence is debatable. God, spirits, a real purpose in life. We cannot truly say that things unseen exist, but we can’t fully deny them either. This is where we must trust, or have faith, in the person who informs us of such things. The Junker’s trust in Yumemi models this exactly. After spending a few days with her, the projection is shown to him. When he first sees the stars, he can’t even believe his eyes. He even suspects that the projector is broken. But it’s perfectly operational. As he takes it all in, he realizes that he has heard about the stars before but could never imagine them being this beautiful. After the regular projection finishes, Yumemi moves on to the commemorative projection for the 2,500,000th customer. “Mankind Spreading its Wings.” Then the power abruptly goes out, never to come back on ever again. The Junker can no longer see the stars, but he asks Yumemi to continue the projection with the assurance that he can still see the stars if he closes his eyes. The Junker surprises both Yumemi and himself with this statement. But the projection continues with the Junker imagining the stars. It’s even more beautiful than before. He trusted in Yumemi’s words completely to paint him an even more magnificent picture, one that would guide him through the rest of his life. For me, I do not have a picture of my Lord. I do have words written by many authors over the course of thousands of years though. People like Moses and Isaiah and the disciples of Jesus attest to the glory, holiness, and beauty of God being more spectacular than measurable or imaginable. For me, this is the starry sky I can see when I close my eyes at any time. I may not be able to convey it in the same way I see it, but if the Junker can imitate Yumemi’s projection, then I can share the gospel of Jesus the Christ.
Sacrifice – Salvation from sure death
Soon after the projection, the Junker and Yumemi leave the planetarium. As they walk, they talk about prayer, specifically Yumemi’s, “Please do not divide heaven in two.” She wishes to serve humans both in life and after it. Wait is this a death flag? The Junker then encounters a fiddler crab mech blocking the breach in the city, his only way of escape. He engages in his final battle but due to bad rng, his grenade launcher misfires and puts him at a disadvantage. At the end of the battle he is sure to die before Yumemi steps in to distract the mech and take machine gun fire before the mech is destroyed. Yumemi knew all of this would happen, but to save her valued customer, she set her own body and life between the two. In a similar way, Jesus took the bullets for sinners. On the cross he faced all the judgement and wrath of the Father so that towards us, he could be both loving and merciful. He can forgive my sin and still be a fully just God. Not only am I pardoned, but I am also given an inheritance of abundant life. Not necessarily materially abundant, but a life now and later where I can say for a fact that yes, I feel alive. So, for me, I am in the position of the Junker, awaiting the consequences of my screw ups and the influence of the Rain, until someone able steps in.
Mission – Purpose in a broken world
Starting a little before the battle, the Junker contemplates a career change. As he aims down the sights at the fiddler crab, he thinks about travelling with Yumemi from colony to colony showing the stars. After the fight, he takes in Yumemi’s last words, thoughts, wishes, and memories. In her last act, she ejects her memory card which he places in a waterproof case on his chest. Then he leaves his grenade launcher behind because he will no longer need it. And that’s the end of the main story. In the Hoshi no Hito drama CD and movie, we see that he really has changed careers. He was picked up by a patrol after the fight and was no longer a Junker, but a Starteller/Stargazer/Storyteller of the Stars/Hoshi no Hito. He says himself that he is like the generations of fools before him obsessed with the stars. This is all who I am as well. Sure, I didn’t have a dramatic fight to the death against a giant robot, but after becoming a follower of Jesus, it became more imperative that I was meant to do something different with my life. I ended up travelling with friends to a foreign country on the other side of the world to do missionary work. I never would have expected to do that even a year prior, but I was doing it and I felt the most alive there than ever before. We became friends with students our age and hung out with them and eventually would share our personal stories of following Jesus with them, just like I am doing now. This is the purpose I have found. To many, I will seem as a fool. But that’s my theme. “For God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise,” is a key phrase from my favorite passage of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. As the Hoshi no Hito travels to tell of the stars, I tell about my creator and Lord.
Reunion – Promise
Throughout his life, the Junker held on to the hope of seeing Yumemi once again. It could be assumed that his wishes, or his prayer, would have aligned with hers, that heaven would not be divided in two. There are some differences between the drama cd, novelized short story, and movie that change it up a bit but in all three, the Junker and Yumemi are glad to see each other once again, and this time, he joins the planetarians of generations past. This is the reunion. It’s the epilogue of his long, long journey. In the movie specifically, Yumemi expresses that she is finally able to give him the bouquet and thanks him for telling so many people about the stars. The bouquet, as I have written about a bit before, symbolizes a promise that Yumemi would not abandon, even when the Junker himself thought it was a wasteful burden. There are several promises that have been given to me as well. They are too wonderful for me. I absolutely do not deserve them. Yet in sending his Son to live the perfect life, die as a criminal for my sake, and be raised from the dead, the faithful God of the stars (and more) has shown me the evidence I need to believe that I would one day be reunited with him. Not only that, but that he will be my God and I will be his child. Finally, just as Yumemi thanks the Junker for his work, I hope to hear my Lord say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
Through planetarian and in the character of the Junker, Suzumoto, whether he fully intended it or not, wrote of a sinner saved. And well, thats me. This has been my personal journey to know Christ and hopefully make him known here on Kazamatsuri. My name is CJ and I have been your presenter, or perhaps your planetarian for this time. I thank you for reading and if you have any questions at all, please, ask away, either in the post or in dms. Just as the Junker loved to answer the questions of Levi, Job, and Ruth, so I will happily answer anything relating to my faith or even just my life in general.
Verse references:
Rain/Sin: Genesis 1-3, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-3, Hebrews 9:27
Invitation/Grace: Ephesians 2:4-5, Revelation 3:20, Matthew 4:19
Repair/Transformation: Ezekiel 26:36, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:6-7
Projection/Faith: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12, Hebrews 11:6
Sacrifice/Salvation: Isaiah 53:6, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8
Mission/Purpose: Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Reunion/Promise: Isaiah 41:10, Mark 10:45, Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 25:21
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