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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best comics I've ever read - builds and expands on the initial two volumes in ways I never could've expected. So so beautiful.
3.5 stars. Still more dragging parts, but great universe and good character development.
I found the storytelling really disjointed and the ending was a huge let down. Where everyone left off, really. Minus a star for that.
Not what I expected from Volume one. But this continues the story of those who live and work in orbit of Earth. And the first manned journey to Jupiter.
Such a. Great read. Highly recommended
Such a. Great read. Highly recommended
There's something enticing reading a story where characters face the same struggle you do. In Makoto Yukimura's Planetes, despite the technological advances of mankind, many of the same problems persist in its members: the elusiveness of love, the pain of working a dead-end job, the uneasiness of trying to live in an apathetic universe.
And yet, despite the depression the main characters feel, they consistently choose love over apathy, they choose optimism over nihilism, and they choose to struggle despite the pain of the struggle. Like Yukimura's later work, Vinland Saga, Planetes is ultimately a life-affirming piece that reveals its author to be a thinker -- showing just as much interest in asking the bigger questions about life as he is in the small personal relationships of the cast.
As a (momentarily) young person, it was easy to be swept up into the characters. The main character, Hoshino, is an emotionally-stunted young man determined to avoid love and focus only on his work in a desperate bid to be considered for a dangerous trek to Jupiter. His devotion to studying and passing an impossible test felt like I was looking into an alternate version of myself; I am currently studying for my CPA exam, a test that could shape my entire professional future. Since I have to spend so much time studying, I, too, have had to neglect my social life in exchange for academic solitude, much to my shame (I'm going to make it up when I'm in my mid-twenties by going on an epic month-long club bender). What I liked about Planetes is that is shows that difficult questions such as, "what should I do with my life? Am I doing the right thing?" don't just disappear over time. It doesn't matter if humanity builds a rocket ship right out of Gene Roddenberry's imagination; it won't make these questions every person ask themselves disappear, nor will it make these questions less important to ask.
Hoshino ultimately tries to balance his professional passion with his romantic passion, a character choice that feels autobiographical in nature (Yukimura is open about his personal life and his affinity for his wife and family. The long journey to Jupiter could be seen as a metaphor for manga creation itself and its priority over spending time with loved ones).
My favorite character is Fee -- a married woman with kids with a fierce dedication to smoking despite its growing obsolesce. Fee is mostly comic relief in the first omnibus collection, but her role expands in the second omnibus with us being exposed to more of her family and childhood. Regarding her childhood, I liked how Yukiumura was not afraid to address racism. It seems prejudice is another quality of mankind that we are unlikely to shed. More often than not, black characters in manga and anime are either portrayed in bad taste or are not portrayed at all. Here, Yukimura makes a strong-willed, funny, charismatic character in Fee, portraying her with just as much sympathy and vulnerability as the rest of the cast (it makes me happy that my two favorite manga authors, Kentaro Miura and Makoto Yukimura, happen to be very progressive with depiction of female characters. With Yukimura, the female characters often act with more maturity and common sense than their male counterparts (Perhaps, this is another insight into the author's personal relationship with his wife).
The plot is relatively subdued. There are things happening, such as the Jupiter mission and the never-ending job of cleaning up space trash, but these events don't drive the manga. Instead, it's about character and atmosphere, both of which are brought to life with gorgeous illustrations. Yukimura has a pleasant art-style, every character having a distinct visage with descriptive eyes that seem to pierce you while you're reading, made even more effective when that style is contrasted against the more realistic depiction of environments. Yukimura's art is so flawless, it's not uncommon to burst out laughing just from the way he draws expressions. It's fun to take your time with any given page, soaking up all the details. Something about realistic tech in manga/anime really makes me smile, and there's lots of that here.
It didn't shake my very being like Vinland Saga did, but Planetes is still a journey I don't regret embarking on. It made me feel less alone. And isn't that what art is here for?
And yet, despite the depression the main characters feel, they consistently choose love over apathy, they choose optimism over nihilism, and they choose to struggle despite the pain of the struggle. Like Yukimura's later work, Vinland Saga, Planetes is ultimately a life-affirming piece that reveals its author to be a thinker -- showing just as much interest in asking the bigger questions about life as he is in the small personal relationships of the cast.
As a (momentarily) young person, it was easy to be swept up into the characters. The main character, Hoshino, is an emotionally-stunted young man determined to avoid love and focus only on his work in a desperate bid to be considered for a dangerous trek to Jupiter. His devotion to studying and passing an impossible test felt like I was looking into an alternate version of myself; I am currently studying for my CPA exam, a test that could shape my entire professional future. Since I have to spend so much time studying, I, too, have had to neglect my social life in exchange for academic solitude, much to my shame (I'm going to make it up when I'm in my mid-twenties by going on an epic month-long club bender). What I liked about Planetes is that is shows that difficult questions such as, "what should I do with my life? Am I doing the right thing?" don't just disappear over time. It doesn't matter if humanity builds a rocket ship right out of Gene Roddenberry's imagination; it won't make these questions every person ask themselves disappear, nor will it make these questions less important to ask.
Hoshino ultimately tries to balance his professional passion with his romantic passion, a character choice that feels autobiographical in nature (Yukimura is open about his personal life and his affinity for his wife and family. The long journey to Jupiter could be seen as a metaphor for manga creation itself and its priority over spending time with loved ones).
My favorite character is Fee -- a married woman with kids with a fierce dedication to smoking despite its growing obsolesce. Fee is mostly comic relief in the first omnibus collection, but her role expands in the second omnibus with us being exposed to more of her family and childhood. Regarding her childhood, I liked how Yukiumura was not afraid to address racism. It seems prejudice is another quality of mankind that we are unlikely to shed. More often than not, black characters in manga and anime are either portrayed in bad taste or are not portrayed at all. Here, Yukimura makes a strong-willed, funny, charismatic character in Fee, portraying her with just as much sympathy and vulnerability as the rest of the cast (it makes me happy that my two favorite manga authors, Kentaro Miura and Makoto Yukimura, happen to be very progressive with depiction of female characters. With Yukimura, the female characters often act with more maturity and common sense than their male counterparts (Perhaps, this is another insight into the author's personal relationship with his wife).
The plot is relatively subdued. There are things happening, such as the Jupiter mission and the never-ending job of cleaning up space trash, but these events don't drive the manga. Instead, it's about character and atmosphere, both of which are brought to life with gorgeous illustrations. Yukimura has a pleasant art-style, every character having a distinct visage with descriptive eyes that seem to pierce you while you're reading, made even more effective when that style is contrasted against the more realistic depiction of environments. Yukimura's art is so flawless, it's not uncommon to burst out laughing just from the way he draws expressions. It's fun to take your time with any given page, soaking up all the details. Something about realistic tech in manga/anime really makes me smile, and there's lots of that here.
It didn't shake my very being like Vinland Saga did, but Planetes is still a journey I don't regret embarking on. It made me feel less alone. And isn't that what art is here for?
Reread the first two/thirds to reacquaint myself with everything. It was quite good. I should and will reread the two volumes again and soon.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
