Planetes - Reviews

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Daleheart's avatar
Dec 25, 2012

Story  8/10

Planetes is unique in that the attention to technical detail in the plot un unsurpassed.  It presents a very realistic story set in a very believable future where mankind is beginning to expand into the outer planets of the solar system. It is this same convincing attention to detail that can make the show seem a bit too burdensome.  Every now and again the dialogue falls into a spew of technical details that flies over the head of anyone that isn't a hard core space geek.  But for those who are familiar with many of these concepts, it makes the story all the more believable.  

One major downside, is that a vast majority of the first 20 or so episodes are all build up for the end.  Some of the episodes really should have been left out as they don't provide much for the main plot (an episode featuring moon ninjas comes to mind).  Despite the vast amounts of buildup, the climactic finish is great, but it comes suddenly and hits hard. Then again, life's difficulties often sneak up on you and in a sense that adds to the realism.

Animation  8/10

This anime does an amazing job of blending CG and hand drawn animation, especially for the backgrounds.  The blend is so great that is is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.  As with the storytelling, the art design sticks to a sense of realism.  My big complaint is that the character animation seems flat compared to the detailed world around them. The characters themselves are well designed in that they are distinctive and memorable, but very flat in both color and appearance. 

Sound 7.5/10

As with all other aspects of the show, realism is at the core of the sound design, and for this show that means utilizing silence when needed.  I was very relieved that for the first time I can remember, I was watching a show that takes place in space that is truly silent as it is in reality.  Often the only sounds heard while the heroes are on their space walks is the sounds of their intercom, and the clicks of their computer interface as they type out with their gloves. This faithfulness to science is welcome to those like me who are bugged by the fact that in movies like Star Wars you hear the sounds of ships flying, shooting, and exploding when in reality you wouldn't hear a thing. 

When it comes to the opening and closing themes, I was very disappointed.  The animation for the opening is a great montage paying tribute to the history of space exploration, but the music for both it and the closing sequence are uninspiring and forgettable.

The character voice acting was pretty good for the main characters, but there are  few of them that are painful to listen to.  One character comes to mind, a certain Ravi Arvind, but I almost think they did it intentionally to match his annoying personality and I will get more into that in the next section.

Characters 8.5/10

The character design is, once again, founded in realism.  The characters are believable and throughout the show, we learn the depths and motivations of each. Some are pressed on by a troubled past, others by hope in the future.  As mentioned earlier, a few characters are quite annoying and just flat out weird like the moon ninjas that appear quite out of the blue in one of the earlier episodes, but don’t let that detract you from watching this show.   The main cast itself is quite memorable, and after learning a bit of each of the main bunch, by the end of the show they almost feel like close friends.

Just as important as character design is character development.  One of the key aspects of Planetes is the growth and development of the bond between the main characters.  This is where the storytelling shines. The bond between the main characters Tanabe and Hoshino is pressed as opportunity arises and as events unfold.  In this way the characters are quite dynamic.  

Overall 8/10

Despite being a bit drawn out and a few annoying characters Planetes really shines in it’s attention to detail and presentation of realistic view of the future, be it the political ramifications of events unfolding, or the simple lack of sound in space.  I did notice that since the show was released in 2006, a year before the first iPhone came out, the author’s view of futuristic communications are a bit lacking even compared to what we have today.  That aside, if you have any interest in space exploration, there is no better show to watch.  It really stands apart from anything else that I have seen so far.

8/10 story
8/10 animation
7.5/10 sound
8.5/10 characters
8/10 overall
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AnimeFreakMiva's avatar
Mar 11, 2015

 I know what people may be thinking when hearing about the anime for the first time. "Oh really, a mecha show,Oh how original!" But no, nope, nein! This is not so. Yes I may have had that thought in my head when I first layed my eyes on this little series and I've never really enjoyed them, really just staying away from anything that has meches in it at all. But then I saw a review of it and damn, did I get excited about it then. It was not your typical cyberpunk space adventure,no it's something totally different! How?

The Story:

What would happen to a spaceship if a screw came flaying through its windows? Well all air would disappear and all passangers would be didely dead. And that is why there needs to be someone willing to clean up space! 

The year is 2075, the people of earth has finally expanded into space and now people both work and live out in the great black oceane of stars. We follow a crew of the Space Debris Section at Technore Corporation, and with their Debris collecting ship Toybox they work hard doing a poor paid work so that others may stay safe is space! 
And it's bloody amazing! The whole setting of the show is so good because it's not something that feels unrealistic, like many mecha shows out there. The way the anime is built up it really feels like, if we ever enter space on a grander scale than we already have today, it would be something like this. The deepness of the series is what drives the plot forward, we follow characters that does the most important jobs of them all, after all, they make sure that people don't get killed by something as small as a marbel. They do stuf that not a single other person would, and they don't earn much money from doing it, and yet the stay on! And I must say that the work the Toybox crew has seems to be the most beautiful looking and the most fun, they can go out into space and take in the beauty of it all. Nothing seems so peaceful as that, you know, when you just ignore the pending danger of disappearing into the dark nothingness. I like how everything changes making the characters keepon changing as well. 

The characters:

The characters is by far the main reason to watch the show, because you really have a great bunch of characters leading the story on. 
Our female main lead is Ai Tanabe, the Rookie, that in episode one arrives at her new workplace in hope of making a change, and upon realizing that her place of work really is treated like the poohouse of the company one would think that she would hate her life there. However from the start we understand that, out of all the characters there, she seems to love her work the most, respecting and understanding the importance of their assigment. She takes great pride in being part of the Debris Section and let's no one talk shit about it. She have a tendency to be a bit naive at times though saying that the most important thing is love, and that without it people is poor. And sure sometimes we share her crewmate Hachiman's annoyence of her love rambelings, but in the end you can't help but kind of agreeing with her, because it's love overall (for a lover, a friend,family, etc.) that makes one stay and support eachother. To have the willingness to fight for them.

Then we have Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino, the young man whom's main goal in life is to own his own spaceship one day, making him the laughingstock of the company, after all with such poor income, how would he have the money to ever get that one dream to become reality. He is the funny guy, but not because he really wants to himself, it's just the way he acts and the things he does, that makes him funny. However he ends up being one of the most deep characters of the show, because he starts to realize that if he don't make a change in his life he wont ever be able to get his speceship and however much he cares for his job, that is not what he wants to do for the rest of his life. He starts of as being a colder person, stating that Tanabe is naive and wont ever become anything greater because she stays satisfied with what she has now, and being naive considering her belief in the power of love, but slowly and one could say brutaly, he start to actually understand her point and the true power in life. 

Of course we have all the other characters, most importantly the crew of Toybox. The Chief clerk of the Debris section Philippe, that spend his time in the office eating and just enjoying his calm existence,while worrying about his retirement at the same time. 
Robbie, the assisstent chief clerk, that loves to joke around and perform with props as a comedian. He has a tendency to be a little bit of a kissass to the higher ups of the company, of course because he also worries for his job, afterall he has 7 children to pay for all the way back in India.
We have the giant man Yuri that after an accident in space, lost his wife, and decided that he wanted to make sure that something like that never happend to anyone else. He works as the backup pilot of the Toybox. He is a very gentle and nice man that always tries to help others, actually taking care of the pets of fellow residents at Technora, and he has a way with them, much thanks to his soft nature. 
Of course we can't forget Fee! Fee is the Main Pilot of Toybox and that little shit collecting ship is her little baby. She is a heavy smoker and whenever she's not out on the field one could find her in her smokebox where she's enjoying her cigrattes. She's a though lady with a big temprament,especially when not being able to smoke, but she's a supporting person that cares for people a lot. 
Of course the cast don't end there but It would take forever to write everyone down and really, these poeple right here are the best and the most important of the show.

The music is by far the best thing this show has to offer! Because it is BEAUTIFUL! You can just about listen to any song from the soundtrack and love all of them. Reason being that they all are so elegant and mirrors the shows feelings and setting so well. Whenever I hear them now, I fall in love all over again and find a huge urge to rewatch the show one more time. 
I love the dub for the show, and because of the setting being a place where so many different people work, from all over the world, them speaking english seemed to be the most fitting version. A fun fact is that, when speaking of sound one has to mention the thing about space, that their exists no sound. And the anime actually respects that. Whenever the crew is working outside, all that can be heard is their radios, and of course the beautiful music!

The animation is a little dated but concidering the fact that it was made 2003 it's not something to really nitpick on, after all, there are so many anime out there that are ugly, some even made today. And really she show is not ugly at all. The background is so pretty and well done, nearly all the animation is pretty. The only thing that makes this anime feel as old as it is, are the characters design, they don't have the typcial anime look to them, seeming more human then most. That is not a bad thing, the show stays realistic all the way, so it would not feel natural with cute and multicolored rainbow haired boys and girls running around.

Overall and lastly.

This show is amazing, touching and so well done! Characters are relatable and you really start to care for them,and for an 24 episode long series, that's kind of amazing. The beauty of space is so well captured and at the same time tou understand the dangers of it. It makes you see that even the smallest and poorest job may be the most important and that everything has a reason to be. 

AMF

8/10 story
8/10 animation
10/10 sound
9/10 characters
9/10 overall
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Crua9's avatar
Mar 3, 2019

If you're into space, then this is worth a look. It's not so out there that isn't not relatable to what is going on today. But it is out there enough that you don't see it yet. Like this follows a number of people's struggles to achive their dream, and it shows what they will give up to get it.

I highly recommend this one.

Something to add. It gets into the danger of space junk and I see some here doubting it. As someone who has been around NASA, I highly incourage you to look up what a single paint chip did to the orbital window. Look at how deep a single paint chip went into it 

10/10 story
9/10 animation
9/10 sound
10/10 characters
10/10 overall
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Melourn's avatar
Aug 28, 2011

 

Planetes Space Suit

Story: 7

Planetes offer a variety of good aspects in it's storyline, but I wouldn't call them engrossing until perhaps 3/4 of the way through the series. The show incorporates action, comedy, sci-fi, slice-of-life; as well as a little drama and suspense. While Planetes does not start off with a real plot or anything, it is episodic mini-adventures up until around the 15th episode. I found each one entertaining and several had me laughing like an absolute idiot. However, once I reached the 15th episode, the tide turned and a deeper, more meaningful plot took the place of the first half of the show. The antics of the "Half Section" are all over the place, but each one of the characters has a heart of (perhaps rough and unrefined) gold.

 

Animation: 9

Planetes Toy Bix

Planetes' animation leaves a lot to be wanted for those looking for amazing graphics or fantastic visuals, but it's retro-style gets ME through and through. I can't help but think of the TNMT animation from the 90's, which I watcfed religiously as a kid, so this show takes me back a bit. The characters are drawn much like animated show's characters around that time were drawn. I'm not saying that this style is superior, but I really liked it! I was impressed with the level of detail that they put into the spaceships and some of the backgrounds. Although, when I talk about detail, I'm not talking about the incoherent lines and sparkly lights that one can find in just about every other anime. The artists took the time to draw definite shapes, purposed lines, and I don't remember seeing sparkly lights anywhere they shouldn't have actually been. Even when animating a zoom-in feature of a handheld camera that one of the characters uses to take a picture of the Earth, they managed to make it very realistic.

Planetes Cargo in Hold

 

Sound: 9

The music selected didn't particularly stand out to me, mainly because I'm not one of those self-proclaimed officionados that try to make themselves out to be music history majors fresh out of college with something to prove, but also because every sound was in it's correct place (if that makes sense). I would like to note that unlike most anime based in outer-space, Planetes's directors decided to make it feel a bit more realistic by turning off all sounds (as it truly would be in space) when not inside vehicles, space stations, space suits, or the like. I loved that, because every time I watch an anime with a space setting they try to make every explosion, scrape, and shattering of glass as noisy as possible even though we all know that in space sound doesn't travel because there isn't anything (aka air) for it to vibrate.

Each voice actor fits perfectly with his/her character as well. I hate it when there's a character that SOUNDS out of character from how he/she looks. I get used to it, but it bothers me. In Planetes, everyone sounds as natural as you might imagine them sounding, even the odd characters from the moon have normalized voices, which is great, because it helps to make the show easier to watch and listen to.

 

Characters: 8

Planetes Half Section crew members

The characters of Planetes are fairly well developed for an episodic anime. Back-story on each is given right at the beginning to give you a jump-start, and throughout the show they not only grow the characters as persons, but they also delve a little deeper into each character to help you develop stronger feelings and attachments to them as the show continues. The writers did an excellent job of unifying the cast of characters through the use of the ever-popular tsundere-male and bumbling-female lead roles as well as the, strong-minded-but-reserved female-ship-captain, panicky-manager, and cool-headed side characters.

 

Overall: 8.25

Planetes makes a great show to watch between other shows, unless you are like myself and can't wait if it's all right there in front of you. There aren't any real cliffhangers as everything gets wrapped up in every episode and like I said before, each episode is a new adventure. Whether clearing the night skies of debris or filandering about the city on the moon, the characters of Planetes are bound to deliver a delightfully fun experience with a belly full of laughs.

Besides, if you love anime- you just love anime! Enjoy!

7/10 story
9/10 animation
9/10 sound
8/10 characters
8.3/10 overall
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Jackoeb's avatar
Dec 26, 2014

SECRET SANTA REVIEW

Story

This story began in 2075, where the human race had developed life in the space.They found a new mineral on the moon that can be used to produce energy but only the powerfull nations have the rights to use it as they please. With all the space launches that had been made through history, a big amount of space trash called debris made even more dangerous space travels. This is where our main characters appears. Tanabe Ai is a newcomer in Tecnora Company that works at debris section, the ones that keep the space clean of space trash. Here she met Hoshino Hachitora "Hachimaki" and the rest of the crew. Eventhough the rest of the company called them "A half section" they are happy with their job.

Things became complicated when The Space Defense attacks began. This terrorist organization is against space development because it makes the gap between poor nations and those who have profits from the expeditions wider. Off course, our main characters get involved between both factions and make themselves doubt about their own decisions. They have to fight with their on selves and all this hardships to came to a conclusion about their future.

Animation

Well...Sunrise did a good job on this one. We are talking about 2003 animation and it wasnt so bad.

Sound

The music fits with the main concept of the space. Also with the emotional moments.

Characters

Cant say i love them all but they where all unique in their own way specially Edelgard, Yuri and Fee.

Overhall

It was a good anime, some parts where slow paced but it really fit the concept of the human problems with space development.

8.5/10 story
8.5/10 animation
9/10 sound
10/10 characters
9/10 overall
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