I just finished watching the first dvd of Planetes, and this might sound strange, but have you ever watched an anime series where you can tell it’s “good” and it should be really interesting but for some reason you just aren’t hooked on it? Maybe it was just too slow-paced for me, I’m kind of a drama-addict, so when there’s lots of subtle la la la watch the characters float around thinking about space I kind of zone out. I think this is the first anime I’ve watched though about space, so I feel bad not liking it more…I do like space and space exploration…
Oh so I forgot to say what the anime is about ! Planetes is set in the slight future where space travel has become commonplace, and as a result all the space debris left by old satellites and launch vehicle boosters etc. is a serious safety hazard. There’s a great intro lead-in showing the history of space travel from it’s humble beginnings of rockets to the great things humans have accomplished (and the future). The anime focuses on the work and lives of the under-appreciated crew of “Toy Box” (their ship) who collect the space debris. They’re astronauts, but at the same time they are looked down upon because their job is basically collecting trash. But that doesn’t stop them from dreaming of owning their own ships, or making the world a better place…
I like the main character Hachimaki (Hachi) the most, he’s the jaded kind of sarcastic guy that has always dreamed of owning his own ship. But he worries that he’s in a dead-end job and tries to come up with other ways to make tons of money so he can afford a ship. He’s pretty much the complete opposite of newcomer Tanabi, an extreme idealist who kind of gets on my nerves because she’s so naive and acts like everyone else should be as goody-goody as she is. Like the episode where they find a coffin of somone who was “buried at space” who loved space and wanted to travel to the edge of the universe- but neglected his family back home. She thinks his coffin was trying to come home, and when the crew tries to send his coffin back out to space like the family wants to honor the guy’s wishes, she doesn’t want to let them because she wants to make the family take him home. I guess it’s ok that the family changes their minds and brings him home, but why does she think she knows better than the family what the guy wanted, when he gave specific instructions for his burial?? geez. Well anyway I’m not crazy about Tanabi but I like the interaction between her and Hachi because they’re different and argue with each other, but also learn from each other and respect their differences.
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