In 2075, space travel is no longer just a dream, but an everyday reality for mankind. Advancements in science and technology have led to the colonization of the moon, the commercialization of outer space, and the formation of large space corporations. Ai Tanabe, an upbeat woman whose interests lie in the cosmos, joins Technora Corporation as a member of their Debris Section, a department dedicated to the removal of dangerous space junk between the orbits of the Earth and Moon.
However, Ai soon discovers how unappreciated her job is. As the laughingstock of Technora, the Debris Section is severely understaffed, poorly funded, and is forced to use a dilapidated spaceship nicknamed the "Toy Box" for debris retrieval. Undeterred, Ai perseveres and gradually becomes acquainted with the strange personalities that make up the Debris Section's staff, such as the bumbling but good-natured chief clerk Philippe Myers; the mysterious and tight-lipped temp worker Edelgard Rivera; and the hotheaded and passionate Hachirouta Hoshino, who longs for a spaceship to call his own.
Planetes is an unconventional sci-fi series that portrays the vastness of space as a backdrop for the personal lives of ordinary people—people who may have been born on Earth, but whose hopes and dreams lie amongst the stars.
First, I feel I need to mention something that I think a lot of people have overlooked with this show. Planetes has romance. Quite of bit of romance in fact. It's packed full of drama and action along with that too. So, drama, action and romance. What more could you ask for (yeah, boobs, I know)?
With that being said, on with the review.
Story: Planetes starts off rather slow. In fact, the "main" story doesn't even really pick up until about episode 10 or so. Before that, you're introduced to character personalities and dreams/motives. This is absolutely necessary though, because without this strong intro, the latter...part of the show wouldn't have had nearly the same kind of effect.
Animation: The animiation is pretty well done. CGI is used in quite a few scenes and I didn't notice any problems. My only beef is that I didn't fall in love with the character designs too much. They're good, but I think a few characters got shafted.
Sound: Probably the most lacking area in the series in my opinion. The intro is decent, but hardly anything special. The background music throughout the show is bland and never really stands out. The only music that ever really caught my attention was the ending theme, and it's not wonderful either. I should mention that the Seiyuu's did an excellent job though.
Character: Characters are definitely the biggest plus to Planetes. Hachimaki and Ai are excellent leading characters. The other crew members are nearly equally as interesting as them too. Everyone, like most shows, has their own problems and own ambitions. Planetes does a great job at detailing each character.
Enjoyment: Took me 4 days to complete the show (could have done it sooner if school wasn't taking my time). 26 eps in 4 days usually constitutes hard core enjoyable watching. :) This is a feel good Anime (well, most of it is at least), so what's not to enjoy?
Overall: This needs to become more popular! It deserves better than only a couple hundreds watchers. Take the time and watch it.
Reading the synopsis and reviews, I really wanted to like "Planetes". Even given how slow the first ten episodes were, I kept hope alive and watched to the end, waiting for the magic which seemed to have charmed so many viewers. There is a lot to be said for the series: its vision for the future is exceptional, for one. Yet in spite of it all, I did not particularly enjoy Planetes and consider it a middling series. Overall, I would recommend giving it a try!
There were several major issues with Planetes which dulled its overall efficacy. First, like much anime, the show attempts too...many different genres. At first, it displays the everyday trappings of life as a space janitor much like a slice-of-life, and then it delves into drama with action/survival elements, and finally plays with political and philosophical themes. All this while trying to work a romantic subplot. By tossing so many things in the air, they inevitably fall flat.
Story [7/10]: Described in general terms, the plot of Planetes covers quite a bit of ground. The story follows a new space janitor Tanabe and her mentor Hachimaki during an time when space exploration and settlement is monopolized by a few world superpowers. During all this, a romance blossoms between the two lead characters, one which is infuriatingly riddled with anime clichés - love triangles, lack of communication, etc.
Pacing [4/10]: Considering the vast scope of the story, precious little is meted out in each episode - especially early on, where the episodes are spent exploring the characters with only minor hints toward grander themes. I personally had a hard time with how dialogue-heavy the show is, especially with its abrupt scene changes.
Art [9/10]: The artwork was movie quality. It takes a realistic approach to the animation - none of the pointed faces, overlarge eyes, or exaggerated body shapes - and doesn't skimp on the environment either. The details in movement allow the show to communicate subtly.
Sound [7/10]: The music in Planetes was rare and forgettable (I don't remember a single scene with accompanying music), but otherwise the sound work was very well done.
Character [5/10]: A large portion of the show is spent on the characters, from both the Debris Department (that is, the space janitors) and assorted friend groups. However, with this large cast, only a few are given more than a defining trait. More detrimental to the show, however, was that I could not stand the male lead Hachimaki. It was infuriating to spend so much time watching his stubbornness lead to one problem after another, when he has no redeeming qualities. This is exacerbated by the weak attempt at romance. How can we to understand the main character Tanabe's attraction to this loathsome creature?
By the end of the series, I no longer really cared if the characters died.
Enjoyment [5/10]: I found Planetes ambitious and impressive, but ultimately unfulfilling. This in large part has to do with the characters (read: Hachimaki) and their lack of redeeming qualities. That being said, I would still say that the series deserves a try; annoyances aside, the show has a lot to offer.
A mature low sci-fi drama set in space? "Sign me up!," or so I was thinking when I started this series. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed within the first episode. The plot in a nut shell is fine; it's a simple slice of life set in space, musing on various aspects of the human condition. Zoom in any closer than that, though, and the cracks start to appear. The show is preachy, to say the least. Every episode is some vehicle for the author to set up straw men and knock them down to carry a shallow message across.... Every character that stands opposite the crew of Debris Section in some way is a cartoonish caricature of a human. Expect antagonists to be obese, old men with shockingly little tact, to a self-destructive point. They will say the worst possible thing with little care for advancing their own cause only to make it that much easier for the heroes to rebuke them (and how they do!) It's almost as if the author has a bias! The only unfavorable conflict in which both sides even come close to being given a fair shake is the major one toward the end, Hachimaki's inner-turmoil regarding loneliness. However, this conflict is resolved with a deus ex machina that completely invalidates the entire point. Now, I should mention at this point that most of the stances the show takes on various issues are generally agreeable. People ought come before money, it's not good to shut yourself off from others, and all the other self-evident sentiments that are repeated ad nauseum in Japanese media. I'm not particularly taking issue with the show regurgitating these themes you've doubtless seen hundreds of times before (though it IS a point against it.) What makes this so infuriating is the way in which these themes are presented. I've already mentioned the straw men that unfairly and poorly convey the opposing viewpoints, but what makes it so much worse is that the heroes that topple these effigies are the most obnoxious, sanctimonious naifs you could write. Tanabe is a self-righteous, nosy, bitch who constantly intrudes into others' lives and can't let anything go without making sure everyone knows her opinion on it, and won't leave it at that, either. It's not just enough for her to make her beliefs known, she won't drop an issue until everyone else kowtows to her. The worst thing is that she is almost unfailingly portrayed as "correct." Same with basically any other member of DB-12, although she is by far the worst. I'm not saying you can't create holier-than-thou characters, in fact, it would be odd if characters didn't have some flaw. But when you put them on a pedestal and are completely oblivious to the fact that their flaw is grating, you shouldn't be surprised when the audience is turned off.
To make matters worse, the show makes a grand blunder that the authors probably didn't foresee. The show supposedly takes place in an international setting where all the nations are coming together, but the business and social climate is distinctly and emphatically Japanese. The series spends it's entire time tearing down traditional Japanese norms such as the extremely rigid adherence to hierarchy and caste, notions that have long since evaporated from Western civilization. A foreign audience will plainly see the ills that the showrunners, being stooped in such a society, must think are some hidden truth. The show acts as if these refutations of Japanese society are some revolutionary theses. It would almost be quaint if the show weren't so damn pious about it, as mentioned previously.
One final note, is that there (unsurprisingly) is a romance between Hoshino and Tanabe. This plot thread raises its foot and firmly stamps its boot upon your head. It's obvious, it's unoriginal, it's absolutely uninspired and bland, yet it's given the full treatment of any romance. It's presence is constant and will keep coming up to make your eyes roll, and it NEVER goes away. If you decide to watch this, despite my firm insistence that you not, at least understand that I tried to warn you.
The soundtrack is not so great either. It's mostly serviceable, save for one thing: cringe-worthy Engrish vocal tracks. It's easy to ignore or even appreciate the ambient music, but when these silly songs come around, it's hard to hold back laughter.
To it's credit, the anime LOOKS spectacular. The Blu-Ray specifically is absolutely gorgeous, and if it weren't for the artstyle, you'd think it was made just this year. The clean visuals are an undeniable glimmering star in an otherwise vacuous sea of nothingness.
To summarize in case you just want the bottom line, this anime is an immature treatise the author(s) cooked up, conveyed via mostly insubstantial one-off short stories that are a dime a dozen. It could have been so much more but it's brought down entirely by the pompous egos of the dewy-eyed writers.
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