Planetes

planetes is an anime very particular.

the genus to which it belongs is sometimes referred to as "hard sci- fy " a fiction that has no scientific errors and inconsistencies , and then describes a possible world and in the case of planetes would say even likely. The series is about a near future, after fifty years, the central theme is the colonization of Earth's orbit. some details are very interesting: devices to be able to spin in space taking into account the center of gravity, propulsion with liquid helium, lunar installations etc. ...

I must say that I really do not understand why it is a genre so little explored, for once, you can even do without aliens headless demons of death and time travel. I felt the lack of an anime of this type, I was very impressed 8/10

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!

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.

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.

Some Japanese animes have this style of starting silly and happy, then suddenly turning all serious and philosophical. This is one of them, and, if it weren't for those stunts in the very last episodes, when they left the outcome of very tense moments for the next two episodes, I would have marked it with a 9.

Anyway, this is all about humans exploring (finally) space and the people that venture doing it. In the end, it becomes clear that the point of the series was not technology or space, but human nature, the way we all connect to each other, and what we can accomplish together.

All in all it is a cute anime. It starts really silly, but ends very well. And for a 26 episode anime, it certainly kept me on my toes. A word of mention about the soundtrack, which I found good towards very good for an anime, with mostly Japanese songs (even if sprinkled with the now customary English words).

Bottom line: worth seeing.