PlanetES

Full Title: PlanetES
Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Slice of Life
Episodes: 26
Uploaded By: Penad8
My Age Rating: PG (Language, Violence)

I came to this anime not really knowing what to expect. I was bored, had just plowed through about ten or so action and/or romance based anime, saw this series listed among someones top five favorites, and decided to give it a try. In all honesty, it blew me away. Took me for a ride from start to finish I won't soon forget.

Ai Tanabe is the newest recruit into the Space Debris Section of Technora Corporation, a company that bases most, if not all of its operations, in space. The year is 2075, a time of great development and strife for humanity. Space is the new frontier, and every company/country is pushing to see just how far into the vast emptiness they can go. Tanabe wants to be part of the movement but is disappointed to learn that she has been recruited into the bottom of the barrel "Half Section" as her new department is called, a department that deals with junk floating around in Earth's orbit. On her first day, she meets a most peculiar crew she'll call her team, and more importantly the bizarre man she will operate under known as Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino. Although she has rather strong initial misgivings, she gradually eases into her situation and eventually comes to terms with just how important her new job is to the welfare of everyone in space.

The show itself, although it revolves around a bunch junk disposers in space, finds a way to incorporate many different themes into its rather impressive storyline. The most prevalent of these is the relationship between humanity, individuals, and space. This show goes for hyper-realistic space travel, and because of this, it really puts an emphasis on how scary the dark void Earth floats around in really is. It also has a lot to say about greed, ambition, and the ingrained ability man has to look to the sky and miss the starving / disease-stricken / dying people standing right in front of him. It also touches on other subjects like suicide, racism, mental/physical impairments, and death. Another thing I love about this show is the romance that develops between the two main characters, one of the best in any anime ever in my honest opinion. One thing that bothered me, and the thing that lowered this shows scores the most, is the times where you have no choice but to suspend your disbelief. (Such as the two main characters later chance reunion on Earth, it's downright unbelievable, and not in the good way...) In a normal anime, I wouldn't care, but this one is too realistic for such shoddy twists. (You'll see what I mean.)

The budget for this series was huge. I'm just going to get that out of the way right now. Because the show wants to be realistic in its depiction of zero gravity movements, every animation is silky smooth. The art goes for a realistic style as well (except for Tanabe's reddish eyes... but they make her look hotter during the intimate moments, so I guess I'll let it slide...). The dialog for this show is fantastic, and the voice acting is superb too. The opening sequence is downright awesome, and the ending sequence fits the show as well (the different ending sequence at the series end is absolutely breathtaking). The music is, like most of the show, top notch. Finally, the show was definitely not written by amateurs, excellent storylines interweave brilliantly. This series is a definite must see for any one who enjoys anime, and although I bashed the shows instances of long odds treated like everyday occurrences, I can't really find another fault. Therefore, I declare this one a masterpiece.

My Rating: 9.1/10 (Masterpiece)