PLANETES｜Anime

2022.04.14

PLANETES is a Japanese manga by Makoto Yukimura, creator of the historical manga Vinland Saga, serialised irregularly from 1999 to 2004 in four volumes. Also, a TV animation series directed by Goro Taniguchi, based on the manga.

Synopsis

The time period is the 2070s (after 2075). The protagonist, Hachirouta Hoshino (nickname: Hachimaki), is a salaryman. He is a professional astronaut whose job is to collect debris from the space station. He spends his days collecting debris with his colleagues Yuri and Fee in order to get his own spacecraft. Now 25 years old and in his fourth year, he is beginning to think about how he wants to live his life.
Then, a new employee is assigned to the debris section where Hachimaki works. Her name is Ai Tanabe. At first, the two are repulsed by each other in some way, but eventually they are drawn to each other.
The year is 2075. How will Hachimaki and his friends think and grow up in a world where passenger planes commonly travel between the Earth, the space station and the moon?

PLANETES | Recommendations

‘PLANETES’ is an unquestionable masterpiece. It poses squarely the question of what it means to achieve something in life. Socially and philosophically, it perfectly encapsulates every element of human emotion and motivation – it is, after all, good animation.
It is an excellent film that makes you wonder if this is how we will interact with space in the near future. The anime is set in space from an interesting angle of non-war, and social, political, romantic and family issues are interspersed with the development of the main character. It is a masterpiece that, when you finish watching it, you won’t know where to turn this excitement.