What are we watching: Planetes
What’s it about: 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.
Studio: Sunrise
Director: Taniguchi, Gorou
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakRYsUIiIE
Where can I watch it: https://twist.moe/a/planetes/1 , https://thepiratebay.org/description.php?id=10060322
Spoilers beyond the current episode are :haram: . Please use the spoiler tag if you would like to discuss past the current episode. Everything in this episode and before are fair game.
I'm behind on the episodes but I WILL CATCH UP don't worry
I'm just glad there's some character exposition here. This series can't sustain itself without an explainer as to why the characters do what they do. Hachi being the pissed off senior could only last for so long before they had to expand on it.
I really enjoyed the scene with Yuri and Hachi's brother where he talked about how the boundary between earth and space is entirely constructed because earth is also a part of space.
You know I thought I'd hate the romance scenes in this, but it's portrayed decently, if not kind of tropey. I do wish they were more fleshed out though. Maybe I just don't know storytelling as well as I should.
I did like how this episode subverted what I thought was going to be the message towards the end. Instead, we got an "aspire for greatness" narrative rather than the all consuming "nothing can or should change" themes that were prevalent throughout this episode.
