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Planet ES
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Animation - 8.9 |
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Sound - 8.6 |
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Story - 9.2 |
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Character - 9.3 |
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Value - 9.2 |
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Enjoyment - 9.3 |
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Average - 9.1 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This is a special animation with very good and interesting story, if you are looking for fights and weapons; this is not your anime. This anime take place at year 2075, the mankind has the technology to live at moon and the travelling between Earth and space stations is now part of everyday life. The story takes place in a debris collecting section (half section) of a space station where the main characters all work (is like the scavengers of the planet earth space area). The core of the story is all about the characters relations, but the story has many morals and talks about perceptions of live, justice, love and friendship. The development of the main characters, Hachimaki, Tanabe is perfect and also with Fii and Yuri and with all the others and with this great story….well is all time classic, and I can explained my self, the animation art is very good the sound is good too, the story development is a masterpiece, and the characters are perfect. Buy it, see it and you will love it.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This was a wonderful show to get your hands dirty in anime. the story isn't fantasmic, and the animation is crisp and clear. The whole story revolves around characters instead of plots, which makes the show just that much better. Onto the review.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This is anime for those who liked 'From the Earth to the Moon', 'The Right Stuff' and perhaps 'The Office'. It really is the most realistic and enjoyable sci-fi/comedy/drama film ever, beating out both '2001: a Space Odyssey' and the excellent sci-fi mock-documentary 'Voyage to the Planets' (known in England as 'Space Odyssey') in terms of its devotion to realism.
Although the series is set 70 years in the future, the show uses only the science we use now and that we can be fairly sure will exist at that time. No warp drives or matter transporters here, only good old fashioned rockets and good old Newtonian physics. I think I've learned more about the realities of space exploration from a few minutes of viewing this series than I ever have from years of keen interest in space documentaries and NASA TV. In my view, this show should be required viewing for astronauts in training - yes, it's that realistic and that informative.
This show proves that realism can make for truly great science fiction. We don't need di-lithium crystals when the real story is where it's always been (whether we're talking about Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001 or indeed Planetes itself) - in the interactions of well-written characters.
The show starts off a little over-the-top (more like 'The Office' in space) and there are a couple of episodes in the first few that are more than a little corny, but there are also a couple of episodes that are hilarious - the one where they meet ninjas on the moon is classic! After the first seven or eight episodes it settles into more of a thoughtful and well-written drama with the occasional humorous scene. I enjoyed the dramatic episodes equally as much as the comedy episodes - there's a lot to like in this show, and watching the characters grow is definitely a big part of that.
If I have any criticisms of the show, it's with the English dubbed version that can be found on US DVD releases. In some ways it's better than the Japanese version (e.g. Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino's voice sounds more age appropriate in the English dub), but all the characters speak with an American accent - every single one - and this comes across as very odd, since it's quite obvious that at least two of the characters are Japanese and one is Russian. Now I can understand giving the Japanese characters American accents, since the DVD is intended primarily for an American audience which is meant to identify with the leads, but the choice for the Russian is just strange. But I'm not going to make too big of a deal of it - once we get to know the characters, their accents (or rather the lack of them) kinda fade into the background.
Altogether, Planetes is an excellent show that can be enjoyed by anyone who doesn't have an aversion to cartoons. Some episodes may not be entirely suitable for kids though - not because there's any unpalatable sexual content or violence, but because some of the issues discussed are more serious (i.e. the real effects of poverty, death, disease etc.). Like many Japanese anime movies and shows, this is definitely geared towards for teens and adults.
In my view this is the best show for space fans since HBO's 'From the Earth to the Moon'. Anyone who loves space exploration should take a look at this show.
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0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Zero |
(2008-04-01 22:59:49) 2008-04-01 00:32:18 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| In my opinion, most science fiction animes are more fantasy than reality. PlanetES is one of the few, if not the only, sci-fi anime I've seen that is a very possible reality and does it well. PlanetES offers a very real scenario of what the world could be like in 2076. It addresses political, social, and even economical issues that could arise in the future. A very original story about how a group of rag tag employees for a large corporation try to achieve their own dreams even while working for the lowest part of the company had me very interested in this series from the very beginning!
PlanetES takes this small Debris Section from space station "Seven" everywhere from a basic routine of space debris collecting, to revealing corporate scandals, to even foiling terrorist plots. Along the way, we are given an indepth look at most of the characters from the series. After watching each character, you may find yourself relating to one or more of them in some sort of way. Each of their stories gave me a myriad of human emotions that really made me reflect upon my ownself at certain points.
Overall, if you are looking for a truly wonderful anime that gives a realistic approach to future space development in a science fiction universe. I highly recommend it!
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Number Two Anime on my list. Probably the greatest space age anime I have ever seen. Kinda inspires one to do something! Overall this was an excellent anime. Great adventure great drama great setting! Whats better than romance AND space. uuh... nothing! Totally objective btw... I don't want the anti-space terrorists after me..
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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midas |
(2008-01-02 05:23:44) 2008-01-02 05:21:35 |
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| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Ultimately I didn't care too much for this one. If you are into space at all you will possibly like it. There are other series out there that are in space, but this one is said to be realistic. For me this took away from the fun factor though. I watch cartoons to get away from realism. There is a lot of space babble that I fast forwarded through.
The plot has love and romance. I'm not sure if this series is categorized under that or not. I'll go into detail in other sections. Overall--this is a somewhat serious anime. If you are into more mature series then go for it. But don't expect any fantasy or fun filled adventures.
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0 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Hikikomori |
(2007-10-19 06:30:15) 2007-10-19 06:22:20 |
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This is a very original story, at least in my opinion. I've never seen or even heard of a story about a crew of garbage collectors, much less a bunch of SPACE GARBAGE COLLECTORS!!! That is a very novel concept! This just goes to show the ingenuity of the Japanese when it comes to storytelling and how they are capable of spinning a tale from just about any subject matter. I recommend this type of show if you don't want to watch a show with 7000 characters and overly complex story lines. This show has a small cast and gives the viewer time to get to know each of them thru the hardships and humor as the come.
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8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Apper |
2007-10-05 03:17:38 |
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| Average |
4.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
2 |
| Character |
2 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| If you are considering watching this anime, read the good reviews below very carefully. "realism", "somebody did their research", "relativly few action scenes". If documentaries about trash collection interest you, and if you don't mind hating the main character, then maybe this anime is for you. The reason I can think of that would cause people to give this series a high review is the attension to detail.
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1 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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eyeresist |
(2007-08-29 21:22:19) 2007-08-23 00:37:05 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Well, I'd built up such hopes for PLANETES that I bought the box-set without having seen an episode! When I finally sat down to watch it, I found that it was rather different to the image I had in my head. I had imagined a fairly grim, low-key story, with a very modern high-gloss look. It took a while to reconcile with what the show actually was...
...
Overall this is a very good anime, and I recommend it to all, bearing in mind the old-school style and a couple of annoying characters.
(I have to point out that the Western spelling of this show's title as "Planet ES" is wrong. The title "Planetes" is one word, a Greek word meaning "wanderers", from which the modern word "planet" was derived.)
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Dear God yes, finally something to remind me why I started watching anime in the first place. I had begun to think anime itself was becoming tiresome and I had seen so much that it was all now unoriginal and full of cliche anime moments but along comes Planet ES to blow me out of the water. There were times throughout the series that I wanted to cry, times where I laughed aloud, times where I was surprised and times where I was in awe. The characters in this show are what really shine and make it great, they're all done beautifully and distinctly, developed very well and you find it difficult to decide who is in the right when ideals clash. It was just superb and that is all.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Not just another sci-fi anime. Not just another anime period.
A must watch.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Pakxenon |
(2007-07-13 12:00:11) 2007-01-31 20:46:47 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| So you think humans getting into space is that easy, huh? One cannot simply waltz into the Earth's orbit and start expanding like crazy (and putting the USA national debt even deeper lol!). Nor can one own a spaceship in the same generation.
As much as even I wished that were the case (damn the timeline I was born in!), space exploration will take a damn hell long amount of time, along with all the dangers and vacuum that can crush humanity's dreams within milliseconds as one single nail flies thousands of kilometers per second relative to a target spaceliner, killing hundreds of people and creating more potentially hazardess by-products. And this is what PlanetES builds on - an all-too-realistic view of mankind 70 years later, when millions of pieces of debris orbit the Earth and space exploration provides its benefits to mankind, at a slow pace. Taking the realism, turning it into fiction, and adding to it one extremely wonderfully fabricated plot, PlanetES is a jewel among the sci-fi genre and should not be missed for any of its assets.
The realism in this anime is taken to a whole new level - somebody did their research. The situations are engaging, from views on capitalism to third-world countries, and from various transportations to daily mishaps. Space physics is, of course, not ignored as people actually float around in zero-g environments (...how I wish I was born later in time...). The introduction of the "big overlord" plot is not unfamiliar at all, and adds to the experience of the already-too-real experience from just watching it.
The views on issues are extremely varied and makes the anime very much neutral. Each character shows a different view on life in space, each with an enormous amount of depth in addition to their quirky personalities. Tanabe is all about humanity and love, while Hakim shows a dangerous side from his origins of a third-world country; the ninjas show poverty from a supposedly high-quality colony, and the lone Lunarian tells what it feels like to never be able to be on Earth, her parent's home planet. It seems more like the portrayal of this realism is just to get a glimpse of what could be said in 70 years, and perhaps how to prevent the bad from happening.
Of course, with all this talk about realism and point of views, how the heck can this anime show this and not get boring? The arching storyline and a quirky cast of characters really makes this show come to realism. EVERYTHING in every episode is connected, just like how Hachirouto says they are. Tanabe, as annoying as she can get (and for some people, really piss them off :P), is a fantastic female lead. Her opposite, Hachirouto, is always seen around wearing his Hachimaki, and his revelations are hauntingly dawning. The debris crew really makes the job of being a debris collector interesting and fun. Even the higher-ups are likeable, like Dolph and his maniacal ways of pushing the company past its limits. Hakim is a very unexpected character, but even he is likeable (oh, and this is Sunrise: IF YOU DON'T SEE A DEAD BODY, THEY AREN'T DEAD. There - he won't die (so technically I'm not spoiling the non-fact that he's dead). :D). The whole daily-life-to-overarching-plot setup has been done many times over, but here it still works because of the exploration of as many realistic aspects as possible. Everything is very dead on target and you will fail to find any flaws, if there even are any at all.
For all sci-fi fans, and maybe even some politicians.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Over the past six months I've tried many new animes from Black Lagoon to Ouran and others, and I was starting to think I exausted all the good animes, that there was nothing left in the anime world that could trully move me in a good way.... then after 2 tough college exams I just picked a random anime from my colection that was there for over 6 months, PlanetES... and I'm glad I did, cos it made me realise that there still are good animes to watch.
Description: PlanetES is a character driven anime, with relativly few action scenes but realistic development of story with some great turning points and plenty of socio-political issues affirmed and psychological thoughts over humans and the relations between them.
Animation: Perfect for the anime, it has a more realistic character design that fits with the general plot so that it can acomodate different races and ages of people but it still keeps an anime trait to it. The spece ships and the rest of the mechs were also very well designed, aldough I have to say I have a problem with the huge ammount of paper and paper documents in the ISPV7 because I don't think it was an accurate description of the future in space since all that paper is to ostly to pull up in space and get rid of and people would probably just use computers.
Sound: There was nothing special about it, i didn't like the OP/ED but then again I never judge an anime by it, the BG was appropiate for space and the general mood it wanted to create, voice acting was ok too, but overall nothing worth remembering
Story: It starts off slow and episodic and probably boring to some people, like most animes, even great animes like NGE, but it uses this method to develop the characters and the relations between them, so It's not actually a filler... And on the last half it turns from debry collecting to the race towards jupiter, terorism, and the boilling point of the most important characters switching from a lightharted mood to a dramatic, psycholocical anime, somewhat reminescent of Infinite Ryvius.
The anime also uses it's development to point out the opression of the powerful nations over smaller ones, the suffering and injustice of poor, and the overall race for resources and root of terorism.
Characters: A character driven show, their development, from their way of thinking to the life and death situations at the end of the show that made them change their point of view, well developed with good and bad sides to good and bad characters, exept for the politicians that only had a bad side:)) Overall I would have to say Ai and Chihaku were my favorite characters, since they retained most of their humanity in the thoughest conditions, aldough Yuri, Dolf, Fii also were quite interesting but now well enough developed.
Value: High due to the good and consistent animation, story and character.
Worth watching by people who enjoy good character development, a decent story with plenty of socio-political messages over action packed animes... So Gundam fans, don't watch this.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Sergio |
(2006-12-18 14:42:27) 2006-12-18 14:39:00 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Conozco muchas personas que subestiman este anime por el inicio que tiene, piensan que todo es recoger basura y que por lo mismo es una serie estupida. La verdad es que no pueden estar mas equivocados, encontramos en PlanetES un excelente anime de ciencia ficcion cuya singularidad reside en que no es tan exagerado como muchos otras series del genero.
La animacion es lo suficientemente buena para narrar la historia, tiene algunos buenos efectos de computadora por aqui y por alla pero tampoco nada apantallante.
El sonido tambien es bueno, y algunas canciones son buenas.
La fortaleza de este anime reside en el argumento y en los personajes, ahi es donde realmente brilla, pues nos muestra lo que podria suceder en un futuro cercano, cuando el ser humano habite otros planetas bajo las perspectiva de unos astronautas que recogen basura.
Conocer un poco de las experiencias por las que pasa un astrounata sin tantas exageraciones fue lo que mas me llamo la atencion, resulto un tema muy atrayente porque la verdad, casi todos los hombres en nuestra infancia nos paso por la cabeza el querer ser astrounauta.
En verdad estamos ante un anime muy original y arriesgado tal como Hikaru no Go, uno no lo puede juzgar solo por la trama inicial que por cierto, conforme avanzan los capitulos deja de lado eso de andar recogiendo basura flotante.
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Summoner |
(2007-06-10 11:44:03) 2006-12-03 03:17:47 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Abandoned artificial satellites. Tanks jettisoned from shuttles. Refuse generated during space station construction. The vast amount of junk floating in space, space debris, is a very serious threat. This is a story of 2075, a time in which this space garbage has become a problem.
In other word the story of this show is fixed upon... uhm, space garbage men, whose work is to pick up debris and make space a safer place. Even though the show started lousily, being a monotonical, filler filled character driven series, it picked up in the latter half, where the story suddenly shifted from space garbage to a legendary first human flight to Jupiter. Even though I did enjoy the latter half quite much, I can not discard the first half, whom I clearly detested. Anyway, if you are like me, watching the first half of the show and thinking about dropping it, don't do it, the latter half is quite good. Actually, it feels as if a different person would've been working on the first and the second half of the series.
Even though the story has its downsides, the characters of the show are really well done. Since the first half of the show was monotonical and character driven, characters had a lot of time to develop. Even though I outright disliked Tanabe, one of the main characters, I still can do nothing, but to agree that the development of the characters in this show is definitely marvelous. Unfortunately, even if the development is marvelous I can't rate the characters score perfectly if there were characters, who were, well, downright annoying.
If you have a liking of space, sci-fi shows then you wont make a mistake by chosing this. If you prefer character driven series, you'll like this quite a lot as well. On the other hand if you can't stand fillers, or a lousy, nearly random story, then the first half of the show might kill you. Overall it's not a bad show, though it could have been better.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Garbage men in space. Sounds boring doesn't it? Well this anime blows this perception out of the window. My personal number one anime and a masterpiece.
Animation - Character design is decent, animation is good for 2003 standard although there is not much action.
Sound - Op Ed songs are ok nothing more.But the song at the end of the last episode is breathtaking and beautiful. Not much music but the sound effects really bring out the desolation of space very well.
Story - Excellent, starts of with filler episodes which introduce and develop the characters and then ties it all up in a intriguing plot involving loneliness, love, ambition, and terrorists.
Character - The shining light of the anime. Everyone of the main characters has good and bad sides which are fully explored. Characters are put in situations which take them to the brink of their sanity. Even the "bad guys" have some redeeming qualities. Is space an escape from problems on earth? How to cope with the loneliness space brings? Why are we fighting for things on earth which seem insignificant in space?
The characters question themselves and grow, some finding peace with themselves others going another path.
Thankfully none of the characters are so annoying or dumb as to spoil the experience.
Value - Excellent value, I have watched this anime 5 times and find something new to ponder each time.
Enjoyment - Really enjoyed this anime. I laughed , cried, felt anger, sadness, joy. In short I was immersed in their world and felt totally satisfied at the end.
BTW the ending is one of the best of any anime I have seen.
Overall - Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys character driven anime. Not a lot of action so action junkies may be disappointed.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| PlanetES is a surprising anime. Who would have thought that a space sci-fi anime without mechs, spaceships fighting action, aliens, etc. can be so entertaining as well. Of course, it really depends on the individual. If one is really a hardcore action fan who does not like life dramas, this will probably disappoint him/her.
PlanetES's story about space debris collectors is very original and creative. Its strongest point comes in telling a relative realistic tale about the lives and ambitions of blue collared workers, who despite failing to gain much recognition and rewards for their work, perservere in their work which is important for the safety of space travellers.
I cannot recommend this anime enough to everyone who loves dramas. This is truly an exceptional anime. I would really like to thank the former reviewers whose reviews made me pick this up.
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|
black26 |
(2006-08-17 19:30:57) 2006-07-07 06:39:25 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Planet ES is a truly amazing and magnificent anime. As a matter of fact i can honestly say that this anime knocked me on my ass. I have heard so much about this anime, but the concept of garbage men in space just never appealed to me.
Can you believe i had this on my computer for 2 months without watching it because i just didnt feel the urge or motivated to. Then couple of days ago, i was just like wut the hell, i'll try it. And can you believe that ui watched the entire series, all 26 episodes in a row that saturday.
Not since Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain and Berserk has an anime just shattered me. And how glorious it was. I was overwhelmed with exhileration, joy, anger, sadness, contemplation so many emotions. I wish i could meet the production team and shake their hands for this masterpiece.
The animation is perfect in every single way. No hyper-realism in emotional expressions and no exagerrations. Just plain reastic art of perfection. The Space scenes are just breath taking.
The sound is also realistic because they take into account the concept of a vacuum unlike star wars. The music was just incredible and blended perfectly with every scene.
This anime is about the characters and the concept of space and the future itself. Believe me when i say you can honestly relate to each and every character, because you either experienced their emotions or no someone like them. These characters grow and u live their lives... their joy, fears and pain.
The Value of this anime is not only treasurable but it also has a great rewatchablity concept. like i said i watched every single episode in a row. from 5pm to 2 am.
The story is the greatest part of this anime. words cannot describe its greatness... JUst absolutely perfect in every way. You will laugh, you will awe, you will thrill, and you will cry.
Give this anime a chance... open your mind, Not only is this masterpiece intellectual, its also funny, touching, exhilerating, breath taking, heart breaking, entertaining and fun.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| **Update**
I've decided to up the score to the 9 range (I gave an extra point to the story), since this anime really has an exceptional ending. To be honest, I can't really think of any other anime that has a more complete feeling, which speaks a lot for Planetes.
**End of Update**
Life; we all live differently, we follow and chase various dreams, we might not know about each others existence, but we are all connected, one thread that connects us all, and that is life. Planetes is an anime that tackles almost all the problems and issues in our world. From personal dreams to humanities’, terrorism to love, death and eventually to life itself, this is an anime masterpiece that will be remembered for a long, long time to come.
Animation: Real people are different, and that is exactly the objective of this anime in this aspect; to demonstrate that difference. It doesn’t shoot for anything fancy, nor any fast paced super natural movements. Instead, it tries to make the characters look as real and as natural as possible, and it pulls it off with a huge success. Sometimes though, I wished for more emotions from the faces of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I think they were much above average, and better than most of the other animes. But, I treat this show with a high standard, so I’ll allow myself to have this minor complaint.
Sound: OP and ED were decent, but they really don’t fit the series very well, especially the final third of it. I also think they could’ve enhanced them by bringing an actual singer; seriously the guy who sings the two songs has a beyond awful voice. BGM was nice, but they really could’ve used it more efficiently to evoke even deeper emotions. By the beginning of the last episode, I was ready to give the sound a ‘6’, but BOOM, here comes the final theme in the last episode, named “Planetes”, and done by the amazingly talented Hitomi. This song is simply incredible, conveying to us the true spirit of the series. Also, I have to say that it was placed at the perfect time, making it all the better. Voice Acting was also commendable, with some intense performances by almost the entire cast. You really feel like you’re listening to professional voice actors/actresses at work when watching this anime.
Story: The flawless organization and execution is the most notable aspect of the story. The anime starts episodic, moving slowly but steadily towards the final third. In each episode in the first two thirds of the series, we get to know one or more of the characters better. New dimensions in most of the characters, especially the lead ones, are built by the minute. But unlike many other animes with the episodic nature, Planetes knows how to provide sufficient development for the cast, and by the time the viewer is done with two thirds of the series, the connection with most of the characters has already been established on solid basis. I was ready by that time to sympathize and feel for the characters, and that is exactly what happens; An emotional and a deeply moving finale kicks in the last third of the series, and I genuinely felt for the characters and responded to their acts. Planetes manages to carefully organize the story, and places the right situation at the right time, and by the end, the result is extremely rewarding. It is also worth mentioning that the ending was strangely satisfying, and almost all of the threads that started at the beginning connect into a very conclusive ending. Other animes should really learn from this, since sadly, it is a much known fact that most good animes’ endings leave something to be desired. Back to Planetes, I’ll have to say that if it wasn’t for the slow pacing at the first 5 episodes, the story would be perfect. You just need to bear with it for a short while, since it requires some time before you start to feel for it. Trust me though; it’s very much worth the wait.
One final note on the story, I think that this anime easily wins the competition of "the series that contains the most themes about life”. There are ENOROMOUS hints and references to many issues that directly relate to our lives. You have the issue of dreams, and the struggle in this life to accomplish your dreams instead of ending up with a lousy office job. Also, you have the issue of humanities dreams, and who is really included in the term “humanities”, as some countries and groups get left behind in ignorance. Moving into more political themes, you have the very important issue of terrorism, and how it might relate to our life in the future. Racism in professions is also heavily emphasized, as some people really don’t care for the others in the “lower” ranks. More importantly however is the issue of life itself, and the value of it in the eyes of other people. I can go on and on about each little detail, but you really have to experience it yourself in order to get the bigger picture.
Characters: It’s amazing how every single character in this anime feels like a human, and I mean EVERY one of them. Not only that, but I found that EVERY character, whether minor or major, had some redeeming aspect that made him/her a likable character in my eyes. I really couldn’t hate any of them, but at the same time, they all had their bad personality traits. By creating this fine personality balance between the good and the bad, the series accomplishes its goal successfully; presenting a very human cast that is easy to relate to. As much as I loved the characters, there are some minor issues, mainly in the beginning. At the start of the series, till about 5 or 6 episodes, most of the characters seemed to be very basic, and had little to no distinguishing features. Some of them, like Yuri, seemed even generic and totally unnecessary. However, things do start to slowly change, and by episode 18, the whole cast seems much more alive, and each of them gets treated to some analysis, on much deeper levels (a few of them are not very deeply explored, like the chief). Also, all of the major characters go through some moral testing, having their ideals and values examined and put in actual applicable situations. I really thought the whole process of building the characters was extremely rewarding, just like a real building; at the early days of constructing a building, you can only see the basics, which all look very similar and fairly standard. As progress occurs, the building starts to shape up into many unique parts, each having their own blocks constructed in various shapes. Assuming that it is well constructed, the result will be really satisfying for all the people who witnessed the whole process of the construction.
In general, despite some minor issues and goofiness at the beginning of the series, the series comes as a breath of fresh air to me, and really renews my hope for more original and realistic shows to come in the future. As far as recommendation goes, you’ll have to be more on the patient side to really appreciate the series. If you look for realism and real human drama, this IS the anime for you. On the other hand, if you NEED action and a fast paced story, then you might not like it very much. Still, I think anyone should at least give it a try, as its charm might eventually wins you over.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| A very nice slice-of-life anime that gradually transitions into a thrilling drama, with strong, lovable characters and a realistic futuristic setting.
I would say, it's the little things that add up to make a great anime. Taken apart and digested individually, these little things don't mean all that much.
Animation wasn't top notch, but still good enough. The music was a bit old-style, but quite timeless and should stand up to repeated listening.
The story started out episodic and more comical than serious. But the transition to drama was done very nicely and the story became more serious with each passing episode.
It all ends on a high note and it was a very satisfying series to watch.
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