Planetes Vol. # 1
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December 22, 2005
by: Ray Almeda
A good storyline and character development make this space drama a memorable experience.
Written by: Michael Bartholow
Review Hardware Used: Sanyo 30 Inch 4:3 TV, Cyberhome DVD Player, 12” iBook G4
Disc Description
2075 AD. In this age, living and working in space is commonplace. Regular commercial flights can take you to cities on the moon or space stations orbiting the Earth. But there exists a threat that may seem trivial but left unchecked can prove fatal: space debris. In orbit around the Earth are millions of pieces of space trash, including derelict satellites, spent fuel tanks, and discarded pieces of space station.
The diligent members of the Debris Section based at the space station ISPV-7 don’t get the credit they deserve. Debris collection is a money-losing venture for the corporations and so the Debris Section only gets half the personnel and half the budget, thus they are derogatively called the “Half Section”.
Hachirota “Hachimaki” Hoshino is one of these debris-collecting wage-slaves with dreams of one day buying his own spaceship. Normally, he’s a hotheaded troublemaker but once he ties on his headband and gets into space, he’s a talented EVA (extravehicular activity) worker. It will be his job to knock some sense into and train the new recruit Ai Tanabe; who believes that love can solve all the world’s problems.
Disc Features
2-Disc Special Edition
Animated Interactive Menus
English & Japanese Language tracks, English Subtitles
Commentary Track with Director and Voice Actors
Bonus Disc includes: Audio Dramas, Interview with Scientists at Nasa’s Orbital Debris Program, Interviews with English ADR Director & Cast, Orbital Debris Gallery
Disc Review
Content: (This section may include spoilers)
Based on the manga by Makato Yakimura, Planetes is best described as an Office Drama. The show follows Ai Tanabe, new recruit of the “Half Unit” (Half-funded, Half-staffed) crew of an Interstellar garbage disposal corporation. The group of colorful characters in the ward includes some wacky managers, a levelheaded captain, a staunch temp secretary, and gruff young rebel debris retriever Hachirota Hoshino.
All great science fiction focuses on the lower class in the not-so-distant future; Luke in Star Wars lives on a poor moisture farm, the best of William Gibson’s seminal characters were down and out hackers. Planetes follows nicely in those footsteps, exploring the blue-collar side of space living. Following a group of garbage men for five episodes is a great experience.
Over the course of those episodes, Tanabe learns the importance of the task at hand, as any floating bolt or junk can rip a high-speed space ship to shreds. We also begin to learn the motivations of rebellious Hachirota, who since being a young boy, has yearned to own a space ship of his own.
Character designs are simple. Spacesuit designs are very interesting, combining the practicality of the orange 1960’s NASA gear with a touch-screen helmet interface.
Planetes is a character-driven drama with some light moments of slapstick tossed in for good measure. From the first episode the drama is engaging and the characters are likable. There is a bit too much proselytizing about the dire importance of the work a space debris retriever engages in, but not enough to distract from the enjoyable narrative. Planetes is very enjoyable if you’re into Science Fiction, but there are few other ploys to suck you in if not; a lack of action scenes, fan-service, etc.
Video:
Animation is smooth and slick without being showy. The joy of Planetes really comes across in the story, and the visuals don’t try to hard to distract from that. The space scenes are full of depth and simple beauty.
A special mention can be made about the opening and end credit montages. Interesting shots of the history of space travel pepper the opening, while a montage of Hachirota’s life-long dreams of space travel come together in a wonderfully sentimental end montage.
Audio:
We get crisp and clean sound while watching on the TV and the music is very decent and synergizes well with the storylines. Open & End songs are fun too! However, the audio presentation is not one to knock your socks off, Planetes is not very demanding on your speakers. I had a minor issue with the volume level raising and lowering by itself while watching the disc on my iBook, but nothing that would deter me from recommending the disc to a friend.
Menus:
Menus were both responsive and simple to navigate. The animated menu designs on the episode disc nicely mimic the HUD of the spacesuits. The Bonus disc has a non-animated menu, but still presents features in a simple way.
Extras:
A Bonus disc is included in the Special Edition of Planetes. There is actually a wealth of interesting features present, most notably a visit to NASA to explore the real-life reality of space garbage.
Interviews with NASA directors are informative and fun to watch. Who would have thought space was already full of lens caps, unspent fuel and rocket bodies?
Also included on Disc 2 are Interviews with English staff, Audio Dramas, Bandai Trailers, and a very cool gallery with shots of actual recovered space debris.
Dialogue:
I found myself watching the disc with the English Language track selected. The Japanese Dub is typical, serviceable and decent, but the English Dub really brought the characters to life. I think the somewhat simple dialogue is responsible for this. The English cast is able to create believable characters in part because they are not reciting lines of trite grandiosity, but simple work banter, hopes and dreams, etc.
The Bottom Line:
This 2-Disc SE set of Bandai’s Planetes is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon for those interested in space dramas. The DVD is well thought out with its solid menus, enjoyable English dub, plentiful extras, and nice slipcase packaging.
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Content |
Planetes is a very enjoyable space series, and is a wonder for those who really love anime. Still, some action-fianados may be disappointed. |
9.5 |
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Video |
Simply said, animation is slick and smooth without being showy. |
8.0 |
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Audio |
The music syncs well with the storylines, but the overall sound is just lacking from a technical standpoint. Maybe because we're in space too much? |
7.0 |
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Menus
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The spacesuit HUD menu is a nice touch to the DVD's presentation and does wonder for the easy-to-navigate buttons. |
9.0 |
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Extras
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There's plenty here - including an entire DVD filled with extras. Remember, it's only the first volume! |
9.0 |
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Dialog
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The English audio is much more believable and portray the characters better than the Japanese audio. Gladfully, both versions do the job rather well. |
8.5 |
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Verdict
If you're looking for a space drama filled with action, you're going to be disappointed with this release. However, those more suited to watching artsy anime suited to the more critical form such as Wings Of Honneamise will be clapping for joy. The Planetes series may have only begun, but there's much to learn in this increasingly intriguing space series from Bandai. I can't wait to see more.
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9.3
[not an average]
+ Terrific story line
+ Good character development and spacesuit design
+ Very touching End Credit Montage; Awesome extras
- Not very subtle about importance of space garbage
- Very little razzle-dazzle to intrigue the non Sci-
- Minor Audio issues
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