Planetes

Sometimes an anime story comes along that manages to push exactly the right combination of buttons to appeal to nearly everyone. Planetes is an example of this most rare and thoroughly enjoyable experience. If you know nothing about this program the premise may seem a bit, um unimpressive in its rather narrow scope of vision. The concept of Planetes centers on junk- no, really- space junk to be exact. As the second half of the 21st century witnesses a humanity capable of traveling and living in space, debris that we left behind to eternally orbit the Earth has become a serious safety hazard.

Just like the men today who come around to collect our refuse from garbage cans on the street side curb each week, so too does the garbage zipping around the planet require human beings for the task of collection and disposal. Enter our lead characters, a group of very unique individuals who come together in the stuffy office space of a large orbiting space station with the common goal of ridding the solar system of man-made debris, one piece at a time.

If the prose sounds a bit under-whelming, take heart in the fact that following along against this seemingly menial job in the grand scheme of things is perhaps the show's greatest strength. The viewer is treated to a near-endless succession of interesting, realistic science fiction but as only the backdrop to the monotony and routine of a futuristic daily job. Additionally the interaction between the lead cast is incredibly accurate and lifelike thanks to the fact that the nature of their jobs is established early on in terms of social status. Pilots, managers, and just about anyone else in the organization seem to look down on the lowly debris collectors (in fact labeling the whole unit Half-Section) despite the fact that without them, space travel would be severely stifled.

The true beauty of Planetes lies simply in its realistic interpretation of the near future and a painstaking attention to small detail. The gains made in space travel are near science-book accurate for the setting of the year 2075. Yes, humans travel into space via pressurized aircraft (not unlike a beefed up version of a jumbo jet) and enter into pre-established orbits from there. Sure the average person can take a vacation to the lunar surface, but it's still a four-day trip to the moon just like it is for astronauts today. More impressive still is that the moon's distance to the planet earth is chillingly accurate as viewed from the lunar surface. So often in fiction, the moon is portrayed as a celestial body just above the clouds. Add the fact that earth appears a distant blue sphere from the moon's surface to the four-days travel time (at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour) and the scope of the galaxy starts to look dauntingly immense (just like it really is).

Another beautiful little scientifically correct touch is the fact that all of the external space shots are devoid of sound (since sound is after all, vibrations carried through air). Every space scene doesn't feature a panoramic backdrop of perfectly twinkling distant stars either. Sun light reflected from the earth's (or moon's) surface often drowns out such views in favor of simple silent blackness.

The level of technical detail is exceptional and impressive, making this one of the best of science fiction series of all time and is rivaled only by the interesting character development in the foreground. The story focuses on Tanabe, a naïve and idealistic rookie debris collector, and her budding love interest in the almost comically cynical Hachirota (who has more names than a phone book).

The high point of the show is the inner office political strains as some of the work-environment struggles take cues from classic pop-culture staples The Office and Office Space. Couple that to a chief who knows he's useless, a die-hard temp-worker, a tough, chain smoking, and yet oddly attractive female pilot, and you have the formula for some solid interaction dynamics.

Unlike most anime, the look and shading of the characters is particularly unique. The colors aren't especially vivid or bright but rather earth-toned and subdue which works well with the drab backdrop of life within a space station. Those accustomed to giant, glassy eyes may be surprised to find much more realistically proportioned (and dare I say Asian) peepers here.

Like most Bandai Anime Legends collections, the set is a bit light on extras but makes up for this by offering up the entire show across 6-discs for a great price. My only complaint about Planetes is that the show comes to an end. Concluding the 26th episode had me craving another 26.