Planetes

-Details-Genre: Drama
Company: Bandai Visual/NHK/Sunrise
Format: 26 episodes
Dates: 4 Oct 2003 – 17 Apr 2004

-Visuals- 9.0/10
The easiest way to describe the visual style is a realistic attention to detail. The backgrounds, various environments and machinery all look wonderful. The use of light and darkness is also often very profound, and as this is a anime set in space this wonderful distinction in color and lack thereof is simply incredibly done. I definitely felt I was a part of the world myself and not a mere viewer. The character animations themselves were also well done but certainly while they portray their emotions wonderfully they are not the main focus. Instead the focus is more on the story and drama as opposed to how good or bad the people look. Having said that they still look exceptionally good.


-Sound- 9.0/10
Be prepared for a very eclectic soundtrack. The music is anywhere from techno beats to orchestral movements to simple ambiance sounds, and to be honest some of the best are the ambient sounds, or more especially the lack of in the space scenes, it is an utterly magnificent portrayal of space with no sounds but the breathing, wonderfully done! This sis simply a wonderful anime to listen to, everything from the very distinctive voice acting to the use of the various genres of music is all so very, very well done.

-Characters- 10/10
I felt their happiness. I felt their pain. I felt their anguish. I felt their elation. I felt the joy of a dream fulfilled and the agony of a dream crushed. What more can I say other than I felt this to be the single best ensemble cast I have ever seen in any anime to date. Ai Tanabe is the eternal optimists who believes love conquers all, Hachimaki, the driven young man pursuing his dreams and being chased by his nightmares. Yuri, who hides his past and yet manages to grow beyond the pain. The cast is rounded out by several main and/or recurring characters each of whom adds more life, love and pain to an all star assortment of people.


-Story- 10/10
This is at first glance a science fiction story concerning a group of people who clean up debris which orbits the Earth, hence causing problems for space travel. At first glance that is. What it actually is is a story dealing with the trials and tribulations of everyday life and how we as humans both act and interact with those around us. The story sums up all of our fears, pains and triumphs and tells it in such a way that you will feel joy, elation and wrenching heartache as the story unfolds. I was simply captivated from Episode 1 until the very end.


-Overall- 9.5/10
This anime is not for everyone. To be honest while it does have it's comedic points they, for the most part, mesh with the story and people and their everyday lives. Not everyone will enjoy this type of drama. For those who want something a little more serious however, I simply cannot recommend this highly enough!