By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

I have not looked this up, but I’m sure others have written something like the topic of this post (luck as a skill in Captain Tylor) before. Still, I’ve wanted to write this post for a while and to give my take so… here we go!

In the vast and unpredictable expanse of anime, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a show I have a hard time forgetting. In high school, it was one of the older anime that I remember watching on my dad’s old couch while looking for a space epic to stream at the next anime club meeting. I had been searching for something different to show so that we would have more variety, and often picked up works in various genres, but had been on a space-kick that ended up with me becoming a Mecha-fan. That aside, I happened upon an upload of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor on YouTube at the time. (By the way, you can watch it legally on YouTube here or on Crunchyroll.) The first episode was not for me, but I was committed to giving everything a three episode chance and by that third episode I was hooked—thus began a 26 episode binge through the night.

After watching, I couldn’t help being reminded of Star Trek despite the very different storylines I encountered in this particular anime. Star Trek, another sci-fi love of mine, seems to have this running idea, you see, and that idea is that not just anyone can be the captain of a starship. It’s not just merit, it’s not just science or people skills. To be a captain, you need luck too. Of course, this is not exactly a stated thing but captains in a Star Trek show are always at risk and needing to test the odds. In situations where 99/100 would have died or lost the ship—the Starfleet captain is able to succeed due to sheer luck, and this idea seems to be something that Captain Tylor has in spades, which makes me think that his luck is not merely a twist of fate or a sign of some hidden genius, but rather a skill. So, if you haven’t seen this 1993 anime comedy, then allow me to enlighten you. 

The series follows Justy Ueki Tylor from the point of him joining the space-military to his rise through the ranks. At first glance, Captain—a title he gets relatively early in the show—Tylor appears to be the epitome of irresponsibility, hence the name of the series. He’s got an easygoing attitude, a knack for unintentional chaos, and a perpetual grin that he carries around while foiling the plans of crew and enemies alike. He is hardly the right fit for the conventional image of a heroic space captain in a space opera. 

Beneath his smile and the carefree demeanor that upsets the serious military officials surrounding him seems to be a somewhat surface-level understanding of people and a unique approach to leadership. Tylor’s laissez-faire attitude prompts many viewers, and the characters within the show, to question the traditional notions of leadership and success. Is there merit in embracing unpredictability, or does success require meticulous planning and adherence to rules? The series depicts success through merits in the side characters, but success by seemingly luck alone in the leading protagonist which, while both entertaining and lighthearted as an experience, leaves one questioning and trying to apply logic to the illogical. 

Is he a genius? A lot of characters that spend prolonged periods of time around him seem to think so after a while. However, rather than a genius, I think he just has a profound amount of luck on his side. 

Tylor’s adventures aboard the Soyokaze, the United Planets Space Force’s vessel that he’s given command of, are a testament to the idea that luck, in his case, is not a random occurrence but also not a matter of genius either. Whether narrowly escaping a dangerous situation or stumbling into a leadership role, Tylor’s journey is entirely guided by embracing the unexpected and turning it into a stroke of luck. His unorthodox methods, such as holding a solute with an enemy commander until both sides pass each other, and the seemingly haphazard decisions he makes like regifting the bomb his subordinates gave him in a poorly masked present to removing himself from the enemy ship, everything consistently leads to favorable outcomes challenging the conventional belief that success is solely derived from skill and strategy.

That’s not to say that he doesn’t have some skills, he is arguably a very persuasive person. We see him often use persuasion to his advantage with other characters. He’s not argumentative by any means, but uses a lot of pathos-style persuasion to convince those around him to let him be free and to do what he wants. So while Tylor may appear careless, there is a method to his madness sometimes. For example, his unshakeable confidence and adaptability enable him to exploit the opportunities that luck presents, such as how he enters the military by flirting with a malfunctioning machine, turning serendipity into a strategic advantage that leaves someone watching in a sort of awe.

His ability seems very much like that of Domino from Marvel, a character that subconsciously generates a psionic aura around herself which alters probabilities, causing her to receive “good luck” while her opponents suffer “bad luck.” This causes improbable (but not impossible) things to occur around her, which seems to be how Captain Tylor’s story works as the series cleverly weaves instances where Tylor’s seemingly random actions actually end up serving a grander purpose with the best possible outcome. 

In Tylor’s world, luck isn’t just chance; it’s a skill that he has mastered to navigate the complex challenges of space exploration and I think a big selling point to this idea is that, at the end of the series, he throws a dart behind him which lands on the bullseye. That’s not a skill, that’s just luck. (It’s seems like its even in his name, as “Justy Ueki,” in English, sort of sounds like “Just Lucky.”)

Is he secretly some well-prepared, resilient man? Or is his positive mindset and strong will to live a life freely and happily warping the reality around him? That’s, I think, what the series wants you to question, particularly that concept of whether or not luck is really as skill because, if you think about it, we’re all lucky sometimes. 

I’ve been lucky more than a few times—times when nothing could have prepared me for what happened. Like, getting hit by a car on the way to school, but ending up with just a large bruise (happened in high school). Saving my friend’s little brother from accidentally falling off a ledge (he was three and climbed up where he shouldn’t have). 

Almost everyone I know has a lucky-story of some sort, and Tylor’s ability to thrive in chaos and emerge unscathed from seemingly every dire situation seems a testament to how these stories add an element of unpredictability to what life throws. As if the message is that, sometimes, you can survive just by moving forward, by not panicking, and by trusting yourself to do the best that you can in that moment.

I think that, in the end, as far as the series is concerned, luck is a skill of its own and, beyond that, the series demonstrates a powerful message about embracing the unexpected can lead to both hilarity and success–letting the viewer know or reminding them that preparation and merit are still good things but you should also do the things you want and not worry about whether that comes with success and merit which, I believe, is a pretty good message. 

Tylor’s innate ability to navigate through challenges before him, from kidnappings to hostage negotiations and full on warfare, with uncanny luck that turns the traditional hero’s journey on its head, makes him a truly unique and unpredictable protagonist. So, if you haven’t seen the series yet, I think that it is a series that will still keep viewers entertained and engaged. I’d definitely recommend it for that purpose alone! Before watching, keep in mind that this series came out in the early 90s though because some of the jokes definitely don’t hit the same now.

Currently, this series is streaming on Crunchyroll and YouTube, so you may want to consider checking it out for yourself.

Copyedits by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow