Planetes.

No cover

Planetes. (2004, Tokyopop)

225 pages

English language

Published Jan. 6, 2004 by Tokyopop.

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3 stars (1 review)

Hachimaki has been hired onto the first manned mission to Jupiter. However, his elation belies an emotional heaviness that he can't quite shake. He seeks solace from his spiritual malaise in the company of young Tanabe, the very girl he found exhaustingly irritating just a few short months ago.

11 editions

Bad science, odd characters

3 stars

This tries to do the »hard SF« thing, and fails. It tries to combine space debris with Earth-bound garbage collectors, and throws out orbital mechanics at the very start. That’s not the only example.

When Hachimaki actually gets any kind of character, i found it rather off-putting. »Space, space, space. No love. I must land on Jupiter (!) to get money. Nothing else matters!«

Also, the ship’s name, »von Braun« (or, going by the Uniforms, »VON BROWN«. Ugh. They had to pick the literal Nazi. »›Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down. That’s not my department.‹ says Wernher von Braun.« »›Maybe I’m just like him (von Braun). Some people will do anything to get into space.‹« Well, don’t be that way! But in the manga that’s it. End of discussion. He is that way. Just like the Nazi. (That is from volume 2, but meh, whatever)

Subjects

  • Graphic novels.
  • Comic books, strips, etc. -- Japan.