Planetes

The protagonist in Planetes is Ai Tanabe a young woman with ideals that seem naive to some, if not many, of the other characters in the series. The series centers around her newly acquired job and all that follows in Debris Section aka. Half Section because it has half the employees it should have. Due to an accident involving space debris and a spacecraft Debris section was formed. Planetes has been described as being one of the most realistic animes science-wise. While this may be true Planetes is so much more than just a science based anime. The series progresses really neatly throughout the 26 episodes it spans and at first the episodes are about general debris retrieval, but later develops into other subjects like the gap between the poor and rich down on Earth due to space exploration etc. and what consequences this may lead to. Furthermore it is a love story between Tanabe and the male protagonist Hachimaki and their struggle to maintain their relationship through hardships since they both (especially Hachimaki) have some existential problems to solve. The animation is great and the mood is even greater, it is a joy to watch a scene when the characters float in zero-G or when they are out in space in total silence. A series that shouldn't be missed if you like love stories and Space or just one of those two. You Copy!

This is anime for those who liked 'From the Earth to the Moon', 'The Right Stuff' and perhaps 'The Office'. It really is the most realistic and enjoyable sci-fi/comedy/drama film ever, beating out both '2001: a Space Odyssey' and the excellent sci-fi mock-documentary 'Voyage to the Planets' (known in England as 'Space Odyssey') in terms of its devotion to realism.

Although the series is set 70 years in the future, the show uses only the science we use now and that we can be fairly sure will exist at that time. No warp drives or matter transporters here, only good old fashioned rockets and good old Newtonian physics. I think I've learned more about the realities of space exploration from a few minutes of viewing this series than I ever have from years of keen interest in space documentaries and NASA TV. In my view, this show should be required viewing for astronauts in training - yes, it's that realistic and that informative.

This show proves that realism can make for truly great science fiction. We don't need di-lithium crystals when the real story is where it's always been (whether we're talking about Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001 or indeed Planetes itself) - in the interactions of well-written characters.

The show starts off a little over-the-top (more like 'The Office' in space) and there are a couple of episodes in the first few that are more than a little corny, but there are also a couple of episodes that are hilarious - the one where they meet ninjas on the moon is classic! After the first seven or eight episodes it settles into more of a thoughtful and well-written drama with the occasional humorous scene. I enjoyed the dramatic episodes equally as much as the comedy episodes - there's a lot to like in this show, and watching the characters grow is definitely a big part of that.

If I have any criticisms of the show, it's with the English dubbed version that can be found on US DVD releases. In some ways it's better than the Japanese version (e.g. Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino's voice sounds more age appropriate in the English dub), but all the characters speak with an American accent - every single one - and this comes across as very odd, since it's quite obvious that at least two of the characters are Japanese and one is Russian. Now I can understand giving the Japanese characters American accents, since the DVD is intended primarily for an American audience which is meant to identify with the leads, but the choice for the Russian is just strange. But I'm not going to make too big of a deal of it - once we get to know the characters, their accents (or rather the lack of them) kinda fade into the background.

Altogether, Planetes is an excellent show that can be enjoyed by anyone who doesn't have an aversion to cartoons. Some episodes may not be entirely suitable for kids though - not because there's any unpalatable sexual content or violence, but because some of the issues discussed are more serious (i.e. the real effects of poverty, death, disease etc.). Like many Japanese anime movies and shows, this is definitely geared towards for teens and adults.

In my view this is the best show for space fans since HBO's 'From the Earth to the Moon'. Anyone who loves space exploration should take a look at this show.

As an old sayings go "Shoot for the Moon." or "Tis better to aim high and miss then aim low and hit.", the common human trait is that of the desire to aim high whether it be career or just simply life itself because of our constant belief that things will get better that tomorrow will be a better day. No matter how much time has gone by even if the settings changed desire never will.

This is a criminally underrated and overlooked anime gem that is one of my personal favorite animes but also one of my favorite tomorrows world sci-fi's. This shows is similar in vein to Arthur C. Clarke sci-fi, it shows a believable world of tomorrow that looks possible and plausible. The rich mix of both 3-D computer animation and the usual but sophisticated Japanese anime which makes all the characters and settings look almost real. The music is superb it's a calm orchestra tone to make the scenes in space almost feel like an opera or even fit what the characters are going through. We see how advanced civilization has got but also see how beaten up and exhausted it has became on itself. We witness how despite certain advancements in science they've also paid a severe price by becoming careless in how they treat their enviorment in space. Even the politics involved have put too many barriers on sometimes the smallest things. Nothing always works right, even some of the spaceships some people have look like their days are nu8mbered. There is also a sense of boredom and how space travel has became reduced to nothing but an everyday commodity taken for granted instead of a frontier of endless possibilities.

However its really the characters in the show and the drama involved which make the show truly work. Mainly the duo dynamic between Hachimake and Ai Tanabe whom are another of my favorite anime couples. Hachimaki I think is awesome, he's young, brash, unsmooth, a loner, rebellious where he doesn't just break the rules but he bends and breaks them, and obeys the rules he writes in his book. He's also borderline selfless and selfish, but has a strong ambition of traveling out into space and exploring the untouched frontier. He's also an underdog as he is kinda a blue collar worker struggling to make his dream come true but also some thing that happened in his past which made me respect him even more and angry at those that have abandoned or shunned him for no good reason. Ai Tanabe is also young, pretty, naive, brave, selfless which can make her never very realistic when it comes to certain matters however that turns out to be a strength that Hachimaki very much needs. Both of them have a slightly shaky but close friendship,they both agree or disagree with one another and but both do have one thing in common and that is they deeply love each other as more than just friends whether they know it or not. We feel pathos for both of them from what they go though and their feelings for each other evolve but so does their career.

In a strange way the career their in starts to look bigger and more important; the Debris Haulers aren't janitors in space but are like Firefighters or Emergency Workers doing the best they can to make space safe fore everyone. Indeed it really is the Debris career that matters the most, and personally I think it's a cool job, getting to go out into space and working with lots of technical equipment. Even though the careers below are considered the higher up careers, they start to look smaller and not as important; those careers are a little lame in my book what the heck else do they even do other than just monitor.

The show has ethical themes like enviormental ethics and why science and human politics must learn to act responsibly for human progress. But also deep post modern philosophy on heroism, ambition, love, man's place in the universe, and how much more a person can be.

The universe is vast and big, enough room for dreams and love.

Rating: 4 stars

For anyone who loves good story-telling and perhaps most of all SPACE! This show cannot be beat. I was genuinely moved by many episodes, and as a space geek I was VERY impressed by how accurate the science was (not perfect but damn good).

The themes that are explored and the development of the characters is much closer to that of an hour long American drama. In this case it's Firefly in anime.

Indeed I would say that the writer, Makoto Yukimura is the Joss Whedon of Japan. The writing is that good.

Don't pay any attention to people who complain about how well the show was dubbed. This is not important. A good story is a good story. This series is so good that I was able to easily overlook production shortcomings.

It's been a very long time that I've loved a TV series this much. It's smart, funny, genuine and nerdy all at once. This is a show for people with a head and a heart. Most shows require neither to be "enjoyed".

Planetes is exceptional, and I only regret it was so short lived. I love it. I love it. I love it.

There are no aliens here. There are no FTL drives and no giant mech suits. This is Planetes.

Following a small space junk recovery team, Planetes gives insight to what living in space would really be like, gracefully balancing the personal issues of crew members, just living their lives, with the tremendous impact that space colonization would have on human civilization as a whole.

No science fiction has left me more wondrous with the concept of space life, more bewildered at the fact we aren't there yet, or more flattered simply for being the same species as minds that created this fantastic anime.

This is the near future of space travel and it doesn't need action or fantasy to tell the story of humanities first steps into the solar system. This is the greatest science fiction drama ever made.

This is Planetes.