プラネテス

PLANETES

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
4
RELEASE
January 8, 2004
CHAPTERS
28

DESCRIPTION

Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job.

(Source: TokyoPop)

CAST

Hachirota Hoshino
Ai Tanabe
Fee Carmichael
Yuri Mihalkov
Nono
Werner Locksmith
Goro Hoshino
Danshaku
Kyutaro Hoshino
Colonel Sanders
Harry Roland
Hakim Ashmead
Albert Carmichael

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO PLANETES

ANIME DramaPlanetes

REVIEWS

AdmiralNyan
90/100
A Brilliant Hard Science-Fiction Seinen with Extraordinary Artwork
Planetes is a seinen, science-fiction manga series that is written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura (Vinland Saga). It follows a small group of astronauts who are tasked with keeping near-Earth’s orbit clean of debris. In the four volumes of the series, or two omnibus editions, we get familiarised with the individuals who are doing the disgusting jobs no one else wants to do. We see them as professionals in their trade, and as regular human beings with everyday, normal problems in their personal lives as well.

The chapters within Planetes tend to be very episodic in nature, with a few of these “episodes” spanning multiple chapters depending on the arc that is currently being examined. This works superbly because it allows the reader to get to know each of the characters individually. We do see all five to six of these folks working together, but the ultimate focus of each arc falls on a specific person at a time.

Even though it’s categorised in such a means, the writing is extraordinary. As someone who understands complex and difficult sciences rather well, I understand that being an astronaut and doing this mundane occupation of “trash gathering” is actually extremely dangerous and intricate. You have to be absolutely brilliant with many, many subjects in order to be able to complete the tasks assigned to them safely and successfully. While we learn about each person, it’s done in a highly intimate manner. The reasons that everyone has for wanting to have a career out in the void of space is uniquely personal to them. Some of those reasons as terribly emotional, while others are as simple as mere curiosity. This creates a dynamic for diverse personalities and unpredictable storytelling. Each crew member’s plight in various forms, no matter how subtle or forthright, helps to create a much bigger picture: the family they have all become. Every aspect is tied together by one piece of thread or another. So yeah, the chapters are episodic, but the narrative is quite cohesive in the grand scheme of things.

In addition to being highly character-rich, the examination of space-life is fantastically realistic. Some motifs include political strife; emotional, physiological, and psychological stresses; and the families of the astronauts who are being affected by their prolonged absences from Earthly lives. This in turn evokes an array of emotions. There were at least three times while reading this manga serial where I had to take a break because I began to cry. The focus on family is so heart-wrenchingly relatable. Everyone has a dysfunctional home-life. But it’s still a home, a place they’ve left behind that is filled with warmth and love. It was beautiful. As well as crying, there were many moments where I was completely awed by the physics, astronomy, and engineering that went into creating the bulk of the what the astronauts are charged with doing.

The manga is sensationally smart and profoundly intelligent, not to mention meticulously technical, in regards to living in space. This includes dealing with gravity within a space station, the affects of cigarette smoke within space communes, settling on a planet for mining, etc. My brain felt so wonderfully invigorated and completely immersed; it was a very interactive type of reading experience for me. All of it is further amplified by the masterful illustrations.

To say that Planetes is one of the most breathtaking manga series’ that I have ever read would be, quite frankly, one hell of an understatement. I’ve read a lot of gorgeous manga, and comics, but nothing on a scale that can truly compare to this seinen story. One of the most terrifying parts of being in space, whether you reside there or are exploring its depths, is how overwhelmingly vast and empty it is. It’s a black void filled with trillions of stars and other gaseous creations. There’s no oxygen, no light, no sound, etc. It is fucking frightening how lonely space truly and utterly is. The mangaka does an exceptional job of bringing this horrifying concept to life with his drawings. When I look at a page that is nothing but a single man standing on a planet, looking out at the blackness before him, I get chills. I can feel the anxiety and panic of it all seeping into my bones. It’s an all-encompassing sort of mastery that creates a strong foundation for the series. Without the art, Planetes would have been lost to its potential. But it wasn’t and I’m so damn grateful for it.

Speaking of being grateful, while there are a myriad number of motifs that are exhibited in Planetes, my favourites are the ones that have to do with life being what you make of it and the people that you share it with. No matter who you are, or what your trade consists of, a life without these two distinct qualities isn’t really a life worth living. It’s a notion that I know I have taken for granted and have forgotten on my journey thus far, and it feels marvellous and comforting to be reminded of it every now and again.

In conclusion, if you like hard science-fiction, and you are a fan of technically, complex narratives that concentrate on being in space, then I recommend this manga series to you. It’s positively brilliant.

9 pocket watches outta 10!
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GGShang
85/100
No matter how far from Earth we get, we'll never stop being human
Before I begin, I want to preface this review with two things. The first is that I will admit that I did not necessarily 'enjoy' this manga too much, though I do have a deep appreciation for it and recognize how well written it is. I just wouldn't want to read it again. The second is that the review of YonNyan will probably do a better job of summing up the series as a whole than this one. I really just wanted to focus one one aspect of the story.

I originally wasn't going to write a review on Planetes for the reasons I stated above, but recently I had a discussion with my friend, who coincidentally was part of the team that imaged the first black hole, about what is the most important thing for us in this universe: is it the consistency of the universe that will never change irregardless of whether people are here or not, or is it merely focused on humans and the life we live here in our little pocket of the universe? This is, in essence, the very question that Planetes strives to ask. It's setting is very key to this point. Space represents a whole lot of things to mankind, but the biggest one is the that of infinite possibilities. For as long as humans have been here on Earth, they have been confined here, knowing nothing of, yet dreaming about what it would be like to be more than just human. And space opens that possibility up. Freed from the constraints of Earth, humans have the possibility to leave and explore, to find new life and new opportunities, to be something more than just human. But space is also completely terrifying for that very same reason. To leave the Earth and humanity is to leave all of the joys and comforts of it that we are so used to behind. That is the very problem that Hachirota Honisho finds himself facing: to leave behind all family and relations to chase after the vast possibilities and opportunities of space was his dream, until he realized that he couldn't do it.

For a manga that takes place in the most future facing setting possible, Planetes takes its time to deal with the most human problems possible. It's like it's saying that no matter how far into the future or how far away from Earth we go, we can't run from the fact that we are, at the end of the day, just human. We may be freed from the confines of the Earth, free to pursue the endless reaches of space, but we'll still find ourselves going on in mundane lives, doing our work and bantering with friends. No matter how technologically advanced we become we will still be shacked by the same greed and irrational behavior we have today. No matter how far away we try to go we still find ourselves scared to be alone, scared of death and scared of leaving things unfinished before we're gone. Planetes reminds us that no matter how much we advance as a people, some things will always stay the same. We'll always find ourselves coming back to family, no matter how dysfunctional, we'll always be reminded that growing up is never what we expect it to be, that the past will always be a part of us but need not control us, and that even the smallest things like a glimpse at the star filled night sky can be enough to inspire us to move forward.

We humans are a race that never ceases to strive forward, to move on towards the next discovery, the next landscape or frontier. Our desire to know and to experience the unknown is part of what makes us human. Yet in all of that, despite how far we may travel from our homes we can never run away from the fact that we are, at the end of the day, just human, and everything that title gives to us, both the good and the bad, make us who we are. We are beings who will work dull and mundane jobs for the goals we have planned in the future, who love spending with friends or family, who are profoundly touched by the smallest of things, who love, lose and move forward despite it all. Planetes was a treasure to read and think through and fully deserves the praise it gets.
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hamzafezzaz12
91/100
a deep reflexion about life and human beings in a sci-fi space setting.
With no spoilers:

When i watched vinland saga and after that read the manga, i thought i've seen too much of yukimura's greatness i won't be surprised by his works anymore. But man i was wrong, this mangaka kept blowing my expectations and never ceased to amaze me with his incredible ideas and art work. In this essay i'll be reviewing another masterpiece of probably my favorite mangaka (along with urasawa), a piece of art that managed to achieve, in only 4 volumes, what most of manga are unable to do in 15 volumes. This is a review of Planetes written by Makoto yukimura.

Before getting into the heart of the matter, i want to clarify something about the adaptation of the manga done by sunrise studio. The anime and the manga are in my opinion two different pieces of art, sur the anime did adapt almost half of the manga and picked up a lot of yukimura's ideas, but the way things were done are completely different : the anime focused more on the plot, made things more thrilling with the terrorists plot line and added a bunch of new characters for more comedy and enjoyment, while the manga was more about the characters and their problems, and through their development the writer made of his manga a philosophical reflection about life and humain beings. For my standards, the anime was good, but it was lacking the depth of the manga and some new content was unnecessary. The manga in my opinion is way better in almost every aspcet, but this is a matter of preference, so i will recommend who ever reads this review to see both of them and then decide which one is better for him.

As for why people should give this manga a try, i think planetes contains a bit of every thing that people except to see: it has realistic characters that reflect human condition , great character development, amazing atmosphere in a futuristic setting that is not that different from our current world, incredible world building with the use of some elements of physics, very good use of drama and comedy, incredible art work, and most importantly an amazing take on life problems, on human nature, and several themes such as space exploring, the meaning of one's existence, where do people belong in the universe, loneliness and the influence of the others, racism, human evolution, love and what it truly represents.... The manga may not contain a lot of enjoyment elements but for those who are looking for quality writing, for great story telling and for some real subjects of reflection i highly recommend this manga.

With potential spoilers:

Planetes, unlike other space stories , isn't about exploring new places in the universe nor about space battles and stuff like that. It's actually a reflection on the world as we know it in a space setting. it's a take on human situation and life problems that we face every day transmitted in a futuristic fictional universe that reflects and incarnates a lot of aspects of human nature.

The setting in which yukimura chose to tell the story represents the desire of humanity to find better places where to live, her will to unravel the mystery of the unknown, her greed to control everything, her continuous march towards evolution. It incarnates one's desires and regrets and shows the insignificance of his existence compared to the whole universe, but also his value among the other humans. The space, as yukimura portrayed it, can have different meanings depending on the character :

for Hachimaki, it's the place where he finds out what truely matters to him, it's the place that showed him the lies he was blindly pursuing, it's the place that taught him that earth is space and that wherever you are in the universe you can't stop being a human who loves other people.

For Tanabe, it's the place where she can overpass her limites and show what she is capable of, it's the place that incarnates her freedom as a human being and where her philosophy of love impacts the others in the best way possible.

For Fee, space is the place where she can finnaly be herself, it's the place where she can express her rebellion against how things are and the place that got her rid of all the regrets she had about her life.

For Yuri, it's the place that taught him that one should always go on living no matter what happens, even if you loose your loved ones, life always has something for you, and even if you can't find answers to your questions you can continue living without having to answer all of them.

For Locksmith, it's the place where his ego and his ambition of a scientist find no limits. For Goro Hoshino, it's the place where shines his nature of taking new adventures. For some random astronauts it's the place where they truly belong, and for others it's the place where they escape from the hell they were living in.

It's incredible how rich Planetes world is, how it reflects every character's nature and personality, and how much connections between characters it provides for the writer.

Now talking about characterisation and character development, and unlike the anime, yukimura gave a lot of time to show the back stories of the characters, their motivation and their thoughts about the world. He focused on every one's problems and develop them to find potential solutions, with simplistic plot lines and very natural events.

He managed to show Hachimaki's psychological struggle against the fear of being alone in space after the accident while collecting debris. he brilliantly portrayed his inner conflict between his egoistic desire to let everything behind him and go to jupiter, and his attachment to earth and Tanabe. He also done a fantastic job showing Hachimaki's realistic depression in space, his reflection about his existence and how he was able to surpass this situation and find the right answer to his problem.

We also got to see Tanabe when she was little, how she was adopted by the Tanabe who gave her love and tenderness, how she impacted their life and how she intuitively developed affection for others the same way she was given unconditional love.

Fee's backstory with her shunned uncle gave her character more depth and served as a back-up to her development when she was fed up with the futility of her work as debris collector and when she started her rebellion against her superiors and her old life.

Besides, another thing that shows the greatness of this manga is the huge amount of themes discussed in this 26 chapters: i'm still impressed of how yukimura was able to touch on a lot of life questions and problems in only 4 volumes leaving the reader in deep reflection about the matters . The idea of belonging to a place, to an ideology, to a religion, to humanity, to the universe is brilliantly presented in harmony with the narrative. The idea of love being what truly defines human beings, the fact that people can't change everything in the world, the limits of one's ambition, the absurdity of war, the injustice and the racism that still exist in the world, how people can live outside the social standards.... All these ideas and questions are present in the dialogues between characters and their monologs, in a way to portray their personalities and to conlude their character arcs meaningfully.

There is also some great amount of physics and scientific knowledge in this manga. You can find the Kessler syndrome, the zero gravity, the impact of low gravity on the body, cosmic radiations, spacial leukemia...
So for science lovers, Planetes is a real treat.

To finish this review, in my opinion Planetes is nothing short of a masterpiece, i don't think there is plenty of other short manga that can be so rich of themes and messages, with incredible setting and world building, drawn with so much details and care, and telling impactful stories with well written and developed characters . Such a manga is created only once in a long period of time, and i think we should be grateful we had the chance to witness this piece of art.
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