For those that have considered space travel and maybe hope in a few decades to travel to the moon and beyond, put the anime series Planetes on your wishlist. Sure, I think the name is a little messed up (it's like a French spelling of "planets", I think.) Anyhow, I want you to think about what the world and galaxy would be like in 2075. As of 2006, we are sending people into space to explore and robots are collecting photos and samples from planets we can't reach in a manned craft. Exploration is all about pushing the boundaries and, as Armstrong would say, taking that next "step."Planetes is less science fiction than science reality pushed forward a few advancements. The series centers on the lives of the people in "half-section" or debris section. You see, with all these missions we send into space, things get dropped or abandoned and continue in Earth's orbit. Space junk. One dire accident involving a lone screw colliding with the glass window of a shuttle changed mankind's perception of it. Half section (nicknamed because it is given half the budget it needs to do the work and little respect since it isn't revenue generating) is sent out to clean up the messes created from our interplanetary advancement. But, the series isn't all about cleaning but throws out science "what if's" like what happens when a human is born and raised on the moon (essentially, less gravity means 6 foot tall 13 year-olds with frail bones.)
Now, what's in the series to ensnare someone uninterested in the geekiness of science and space advancement? Human drama... which unfolds between the characters while depicting very realistic relationships in a futuristic setting. It seems there are still terrorists, bureaucrats, love triangles and silliness on Earth as in the future of space. This is a terrific series to consider watching at some point. The artwork is different from most animated series but grows on you as the storyline progresses. I'm just waiting for the final DVD to be released to find out how they wrap this up. For a better explanation and a few photos, check out Tokidokijournal.
3 comments:
This kins of projection of space travel many years into the future is really tough--and in recent decades, way off.
I recall the Arthur Clarke novels like 2001 and 2010. Supposedly, we're able to send manned missions to Jupiter these days. But NASA is still flummoxed by getting to Mars. Oops.
-- david
And don't forget you can't "let loose" in the space shoot. That was on my some true some urban list post thing I did.
You told me about this before right?
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