Planetes#Manga

{{Short description|Japanese manga series}}

{{Distinguish|Planets}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox animanga/Header

| image = Planetes manga vol 1.jpg

| caption = First {{Transliteration|ja|tankōbon}} volume cover

| ja_kanji = プラネテス

| ja_romaji = Puranetesu

| genre = Hard science fiction{{cite web|author1=Foxe, Steve|author2=Edgar, Sean|author3=The Paste Comics Crew|title=Required Reading: 50 of the Best Sci-Fi Comics|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/comics/required-reading/required-reading-70-of-the-best-sci-fi-comics/?p=4|publisher=Paste|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125164453/https://www.pastemagazine.com/comics/required-reading/required-reading-70-of-the-best-sci-fi-comics/?p=4|archive-date=January 25, 2022|date=January 6, 2017|url-status=live}}

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Print

| type = manga

| author = Makoto Yukimura

| publisher = Kodansha

| publisher_en = {{English manga publisher

| NA = {{ubl|Tokyopop (former)|Dark Horse Manga}}

}}

| demographic = {{Transliteration|ja|Seinen}}

| magazine = Morning

| imprint = Morning KC

| first = January 1999

| last = January 2004

| volumes = 4

| volume_list =

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = TV series

| director = Gorō Taniguchi

| producer = {{ubl|Yoshitaka Kawaguchi|Atsushi Yukawa|Tomoyuki Uehara}}

| writer = Ichirō Ōkouchi

| music = Kōtarō Nakagawa

| studio = Sunrise

| licensee = {{ubl|Crunchyroll|{{English anime licensee

| BI = Anime Limited

}}

}}

| network = NHK BS2

| network_en = {{English anime network

| BI = AnimeCentral

| US = ImaginAsian TV

}}

| first = October 4, 2003

| last = April 17, 2004

| episodes = 26

| episode_list = List of Planetes episodes

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Footer|portal=yes}}

{{nihongo|Planetes|プラネテス||Puranetesu; {{langx|grc|Πλάνητες}} Planētes, "Wanderers"|lead=yes}}{{LSJ|pla/nhs|πλάνης}} (ἀστήρ); cf. {{LSJ|planh/ths|πλανήτης|ref}}. is a Japanese hard science fiction manga written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. It was serialized in Kodansha's Seinen manga magazine Morning between January 1999 to January 2004, with its chapters collected into four {{Transliteration|ja|tankōbon}} volumes. It was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series by Sunrise, which was broadcast on NHK from October 2003 through April 2004. The story revolves around the crew of a space debris collection craft in the year 2075.

The manga was published in English in North America by Tokyopop, and the anime was distributed in North America by Bandai Entertainment. Both the manga and anime received the Seiun Award for best science fiction series.{{cite web| url=http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/list.html| title=日本SFファングループ連合会議: 星雲賞リスト| language=ja| access-date=January 26, 2008| archive-date=October 10, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010165758/http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/list.html| url-status=live}}

Plot

{{Main|List of Planetes characters{{!}}List of Planetes characters}}

File:Debris-GEO1280.jpg

The story of Planetes follows the crew of the DS-12 "Toy Box" of the Space Debris Section, a unit of Technora Corporation. Debris Section's purpose is to prevent the damage or destruction of satellites, space stations and spacecraft from collision with space debris in Earth's and the Moon's orbits. They use a number of methods to dispose of the debris (mainly by burning it via atmospheric reentry or through salvage), accomplished through the use of EVA suits. On a routine debris collection run, Yuri Mihairokov finds a compass, the only keepsake of his deceased wife, and is rescued by Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino. Pilot Fee Carmichael stops the terrorist plan by ramming the Toy Box into the satellite and knocking it off course, sacrificing the Toy Box in the process. Hachimaki, Yuri, and Fee return to Earth, where Yuri stays with Hachimaki's family. On their return, Hachmaki is diagnosed with Deep Space Disorder, a mental disorder that can cripple an EVA astronaut. Yuri and Fee take Hachimaki to a space engine manufacturing facility and show him the Tandem Mirror Engine, which will be installed in the Von Braun for the Jupiter Exploration Mission. Seeing this, Hachimaki resolves to join the Mission and gets over his Deep Space Disorder.

Werner Locksmith finds Hachimaki while looking for Hachimaki's father, Goro Hoshino, to recruit him as the captain of the Von Braun. Fresh recruit Ai Tanabe is added to the crew of the Toy Box 2 as a replacement for Hachimaki when he leaves to become a Jupiter Mission candidate. At the trials for the Jupiter Exploration Mission, Hachimaki learns his friend Hakim Ashmead is a terrorist bombing of an elevator. Hachimaki subdues Hakim, but is stopped from killing him by Tanabe. After being accepted in the Jupiter Exploration Mission, Hachimaki and his co-pilot Leonov crash on to the Moon's surface. Leonov is badly injured in the crash, and Hachimaki tries to carry him to safety before being rescued by Toy Box 2.

Tanabe runs experiments with several animals on behalf of a university, as well as another ship's pet cat, on the Toy Box 2. Alarmed by his new stoicism, crewmate Sally offers herself to him, but Hachimaki realizes he desires Tanabe instead. He proposes to her to which she accepts. Tanabe meets and befriends The Baron, a fellow debris hauler who claims he is an alien from the planet Retikle on a mission to make a hundred friends on Earth. Werner Locksmith visits the grave of his associate killed in the Tandem Mirror Engine explosion, where the associate's sister threatens to kill him. After returning from a holiday on Earth, Fee and the crew of Toy Box 2 find a piece of classified debris, a United States Navy orbital mine. With a space war looming, Fee leads an anti-war movement to prevent Kessler Syndrome and becomes a media sensation when Colonel Sanders uses her as a hero of the anti-war movement, without her consent.

Fee recounts her experience with her uncle in the American South, particularly the racism that he encountered as an unemployed, reclusive black man living in the woods. The crew of Toy Box 2 are returned to Earth, where Fee goes home to her family and attempts to resume her life as a mother. She crashes her motorcycle while avoiding a dog, but she befriends the dog and drags her motorcycle back home. The captain of Von Braun struggles with the speech he will give when the ship reaches Jupiter, resulting in him being hospitalized with a stomach ulcer. Hachimaki makes his speech when Von Braun arrives at Jupiter, concluding that he is perfectly satisfied with what he already has, and giving up on his dream of owning his own spaceship.

Production

File:TT061130A Makoto Yukimura.jpg

After working as an assistant for Shin Morimura, Makoto Yukimura started his manga.{{cite web|url=http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|title=『幸村誠先生』 その1 まんが☆天国|publisher=manganohi.com|language=Japanese|access-date=March 7, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080108094600/http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|archive-date=January 8, 2008}} According to manga author Makoto Yukimura, the conception of Planetes was simple. One day in a library, he came across a scientific book that talked about the remains of spacecraft and satellites that were in Earth orbit. Yukimura found it interesting to know that these debris were dangerous for us, and that, at some point in life, he meant, a few years from now, these debris would be seriously disturbing the progress of the planet. Upon finishing the book, Yukimura decided to write a manga about this concept. There were no major influences other than Arthur C. Clarke. While their works are not the same, he was moved by the dilemmas of his theories. He then researched Japanese writers and was moved by Kōshū Tani. Planetes could have dozens of volumes, if he were to count the work carried out daily by space garbage collectors. However, his only goal was to show the characters' daily lives in a futuristic setting. He liked to tell the whole story with a beginning, middle, and end, and when he saw that it already had enough content, he finished it, regardless of how many volumes there are.{{cite web|url=https://leituraoriental.blogspot.com/2015/09/entrevista-makoto-yukimura-autor-de.html|title=Entrevista Makoto Yukimura – Autor de Planetes e Vinland Saga|language=Portuguese|website=Leiturao Oriental|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=November 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123053655/https://leituraoriental.blogspot.com/2015/09/entrevista-makoto-yukimura-autor-de.html|url-status=live}}

Concepts like momentum in weightlessness are early plot points and are always illustrated naturally. Director Goro Taniguchi stated in the DVD commentary that he learned much about orbital mechanics in the course of making the series. This can be shown in showing specific orbital energy, through changing orbits by applying thrust throughout the series.Episode 1 Cast and Directors' Commentary Even the necessity for the retrieval of space debris that is central to the plot is rooted in the serious and growing problem with space debris today.{{cite news|title=Space Junk Cleanup Needed, NASA Experts Warn|date=January 19, 2006|publisher=National Geographic News|first=Stefan|last=Lovgren|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_space_junk.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206084716/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_space_junk.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 6, 2006}} The Japanese space agency JAXA served as a technical consultant to the series.JAXA is credited for technical advice at the end of the credits of the anime.{{cite web| author=Guanche, Chris| date=March 7, 2005| title=Interview: Jerry Chu, Marketing Manager, Bandai Entertainment| publisher=Mecha Anime HQ| url=https://www.mahq.net/archives-bandaient/| access-date=March 6, 2006| quote="It's funny, the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) scientists actually duped the show off TV there and send their colleagues at NASA a copy to check out."| archive-date=April 7, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407072937/https://www.mahq.net/archives-bandaient/| url-status=live}} The US version of the DVDs featured interviews with two scientists from NASA's Orbital Debris Section. However, both scientists stated that the premise of having to rendezvous with debris in orbit is highly unlikely as it would take an extravagant amount of energy for a relatively small amount of salvageable material.Planetes Vol. 2, supplementary DVD, NASA Orbital Debris Section interview. One of the scientists stated that the previous director of the NASA Orbital Debris Section was in fact Donald J. Kessler, the scientist who proposed the eponymous Kessler Syndrome, which is cited and used several times in both the anime and manga.{{cite journal| author=D.J. Kessler| title=Collisional Cascading: The Limits of Population Growth in Low Earth Orbit| journal=Advances in Space Research| year=1991| volume=11| issue=12| pages=63–6| doi=10.1016/0273-1177(91)90543-S| bibcode=1991AdSpR..11l..63K }} The final settlement of the conflict is also unique in that it is not resolved by any of the main protagonists or antagonists, but by a compromise struck between powers above their heads.Planetes Ep. 24: Goro attempts to break into the hacked system but the system is restored without his intervention.

Media

= Manga =

Written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura, the twenty-six chapters appeared as a serial in the Kodansha's Seinen manga magazine Weekly Morning from January 1999 to January 2004. Kodansha collected the chapters into four {{Transliteration|ja|tankōbon}} volumes, and published them from January 23, 2001, to February 23, 2004.{{cite web|url=http://bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3287351|script-title=ja:プラネテス (1)|publisher=Kodansha|access-date=January 29, 2014|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201192046/http://bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3287351|archive-date=February 1, 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3289370|script-title=ja:プラネテス (4)|publisher=Kodansha|access-date=January 29, 2014|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191924/http://bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3289370|archive-date=February 1, 2014 }} It was licensed for an English-language translation in North America by Tokyopop. It published the series in five volumes by splitting the last volume in two parts from October 7, 2003, to February 8, 2005.{{cite book| title=Planetes, Book 1| isbn=1591822629 }}{{cite book| title=Planetes, Vol. 4: Part 2| isbn=1595324674| last1=Yukimura| first1=Makoto| date=February 8, 2005 }}{{cite web| url=http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1120/Planetes/1.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611032157/http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1120/Planetes/1.html| archive-date=June 11, 2008| title=Planetes Volume 1| publisher=Tokyopop| access-date=January 29, 2014}} The translation was rereleased in two omnibus volumes by Dark Horse Comics on December 22, 2015, and May 10, 2016.{{cite web| url=https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616559217/| title=Planetes Omnibus Volume 1| publisher=Amazon.com| access-date=July 17, 2018| archive-date=June 20, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620204040/https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616559217/| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616559225/| title=Planetes Omnibus Volume 2| publisher=Amazon.com| access-date=July 17, 2018| archive-date=June 20, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620204039/https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616559225/| url-status=live}}

== Volumes ==

{{Graphic novel list/header

| LineColor = 009

| Language = Japan

| SecondLanguage = North America{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1120/Planetes/1.html|title=Planetes|publisher=Tokyopop|accessdate=February 11, 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611032157/http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1120/Planetes/1.html|archivedate=June 11, 2008 }}

}}

{{Graphic novel list

| LineColor = 009

| VolumeNumber = 1

| OriginalRelDate = January 23, 2001

| LicensedRelDate = October 7, 2003

| ISBN = 978-4-06-328735-6

| LicensedISBN = 978-1-59182-262-2

| ChapterList =

  • 01. {{nihongo|"A Stardust Sky"|屑星の空|Kuzuboshi no Sora}}
  • 02. {{nihongo|"A Girl From Beyond the Earth"|地球外少女|Chikyū-gai Shōjo}}
  • 03. {{nihongo|"A Cigarette Under Starlight"|ささやかなる一服を星あかりのもとで|Sasayakanaru Ippuku o Hoshiakari no Moto de}}
  • 04. {{nihongo|"Scenery for a Rocket"|ロケットのある風景|Roketto no aru Fūkei}}
  • 05. {{nihongo|"Ignition"|点火|Tenka}}

}}

{{Graphic novel list

| LineColor = 009

| VolumeNumber = 2

| OriginalRelDate = October 23, 2001

| LicensedRelDate = January 6, 2004

| ISBN = 978-4-06-328778-3

| LicensedISBN = 978-1-59182-509-8

| ChapterList =

  • 06. {{nihongo|"Running Man"|走る男|Hashiru Otoko}}
  • 07. {{nihongo|"Tanabe"|タナベ|Tanabe}}
  • Extra Phase: {{nihongo|This Is a Happy Life, From a Certain Point of View|或いはそれこそが幸せな日々|Aruiwa sore koso ga shiawasenahibi}}
  • 08. {{nihongo|"A Black Flower Named Sakinohaka" (Part 1)|サキノハカという黒い華 (前編)|Sakinohaka to iu Kuroi Hana (Zenpen)}}
  • 09. {{nihongo|"A Black Flower Named Sakinohaka" (Part 2)|サキノハカという黒い華 (後編)|Sakinohaka to iu Kuroi Hana (Kōhen)}}
  • 10. {{nihongo|"Lost Souls"|惑う人達|Madou Hitotachi}}
  • 11. "{{lang|ru|СПАСИБО}}"

}}

{{Graphic novel list

| LineColor = 009

| VolumeNumber = 3

| OriginalRelDate = January 24, 2003

| LicensedRelDate = June 1, 2004

| ISBN = 978-4-06-328863-6

| LicensedISBN = 978-1-59182-510-4

| ChapterList =

  • 12. {{nihongo|"A Cat in the Evening"|夜の猫|Yoru no Neko}}
  • 13. {{nihongo|"Windmillville"|風車の町|Kazaguruma no Machi}}
  • 14. {{nihongo|"Boy and Girl"|おとこのコとおんなのコ|Otoko no ko to Onna no ko}}
  • 15. {{nihongo|"A Day of Kyakurai"|却来の日|Kyakurai no Hi}}
  • 16. {{nihongo|"Hachimaki"|ハチマキ|Hachimaki}}
  • Extra Phase: {{nihongo|"Red Star/White Ball"|赤い星、白いタマ|Akai Hoshi, Shiroi Tama}}

}}

{{Graphic novel list

| LineColor = 009

| VolumeNumber = 4

| OriginalRelDate = February 23, 2004

| LicensedRelDate = November 9, 2004 (part 1)
February 8, 2005 (part 2)

| ISBN = 978-4-06-328937-4

| LicensedISBN = 978-1-59532-208-1

| LicensedISBN_note = (part 1)
{{ISBNT|978-1-59532-467-2}} (part 2)

| ChapterList =

Part 1

  • 17. {{nihongo|"How to Make a Hundred Friends"|友達100人できるかな|Tomodachi 100-nin dekiru ka na}}
  • 18. {{nihongo|"Just Like Guskou Budori"|グスコーブドリのように|Gusukō Budori no Yō ni}}
  • 19. {{nihongo|"Dog Days"|犬の日々|Inu no Hibi}}
  • 20. {{nihongo|"Man's Best Friend"/"Pet Dogs"|飼犬|Kaiinu}}
  • 21. {{nihongo|"Little Girls and Underdogs"|少女と負け犬|Shōjo to Makeinu}}

; Part 2

  • 22. {{nihongo|"A Crying Dog"|泣く犬|Naku inu}}
  • 23. {{nihongo|"A Running Dog"|疾る犬|Hashi ru Inu}}
  • 24. {{nihongo|"A Barking Dog"|咆える犬|Hoeru Inu}}
  • 25. {{nihongo|"45 Minutes at the Speed of Light"|光の速さで45分|Hikarinohayasa de 45-fun}}
  • 26. {{nihongo|"What a Wonderful World"|What a Wonderful World}}

}}

{{Graphic novel list/footer}}

= Anime =

{{Main|List of Planetes episodes{{!}}List of Planetes episodes}}

A 26-episode anime television series adaptation aired on NHK BS-2 from October 4, 2003, to February 23, 2004.{{cite web| url=http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/flyingdog/-/Animedata/M1252.html| script-title=ja:プラネテス| publisher=Victor Entertainment| access-date=January 29, 2014| language=ja| archive-date=September 3, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903185554/https://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/flyingdog/-/Animedata/M1252.html| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=http://www.planet-es.net/TECHNORA/story/story001.html#01| script-title=ja:ストーリー: #01| publisher=Planet-es.net| access-date=January 29, 2014| language=ja| archive-date=September 7, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907140413/http://www.planet-es.net/TECHNORA/story/story001.html#01| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=http://www.planet-es.net/TECHNORA/story/story026.html#01| script-title=ja:ストーリー: #26| publisher=Planet-es.net| access-date=January 29, 2014| language=ja| archive-date=July 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718224514/http://www.planet-es.net/TECHNORA/story/story026.html#01| url-status=live}} Produced and animated by Sunrise, it was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and scripted by Ichirō Ōkouchi.{{cite web| url=http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/planetes/| title=NHKアニメワールド:プラネテス| publisher=NHK| access-date=January 29, 2014| language=ja| archive-date=February 27, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227114853/http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/planetes/| url-status=live}} The anime began development and production before the end of the manga serialization. In the beginning and middle of the series, the writing and production staff only had the first three volumes of the manga as source. To fill the entire 26-episode run of the anime, new characters, new settings and new relationships between characters were made to increase dramatic tension, reinforce themes introduced in the manga, and introduce new themes that were compatible with the manga. While the manga deals more with existential themes, and humanity's relationship with space, the anime further expands the political elements of the story.

The music score was composed by Kōtarō Nakagawa and produced by Victor Entertainment. The opening theme is "Dive in the Sky" by Mikio Sakai, and the ending themes are "Wonderful Life" by Mikio Sakai for episodes 1–25 and "Planetes" by Hitomi Kuroishi for episode 26. There are two insert songs, "A Secret of the Moon" by Hitomi Kuroishi, used in various episodes, and "Thanks My Friend" by Mikio Sakai used in episode 13.

Crunchyroll added the series to its streaming platform on October 15, 2024, and it is set to be released on a Blu-ray Disc set on November 5 of the same year.{{cite web|last1=Tai|first1=Anita|title=Crunchyroll Adds Planetes Anime With English Dub|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-16/crunchyroll-adds-planetes-anime-with-english-dub/.216813|website=Anime News Network|access-date=October 16, 2024|date=October 16, 2024|archive-date=October 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241031075420/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-16/crunchyroll-adds-planetes-anime-with-english-dub/.216813|url-status=live}}

Reception

Both the manga and the anime were critically acclaimed. According to Anime News Network, the manga has a "solid, engrossing storyline and well-developed characters".{{cite news| author=Cooper, Liann| year=2004| title=RIGHT TURN ONLY!! – Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails| work=Anime News Network| url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/columns/rightturnonly.php?id=4| access-date=April 11, 2006| archive-date=September 16, 2004| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040916034539/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/columns/rightturnonly.php?id=4| url-status=live}} Anime News Network also proclaimed Planetes to be the best science fiction anime series of 2005.{{cite news| last=Martin| first=Theron| year=2004| title=2005 Year in Review – Key's Best of 2005| work=Anime News Network| url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=226| access-date=April 11, 2006| archive-date=June 20, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620204048/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2006-01-11/3| url-status=live}} Both the manga and anime received the Seiun Award for best science fiction series, the manga in 2002 and the anime in 2005. The manga was nominated for a Angoulême International Comics Festival award in the Raja Eco-Fauve Selection category in 2023.{{cite web| title=Official Selections 2023| url=https://www.bdangouleme.com/selections-officielles-2023/79| access-date=February 16, 2023|publisher=Angoulême International Comics Festival}}

Pop Matters described Planetes as one of the best sci-fi manga due to the setting chosen and how Yukimura executes the characterization of the main characters.{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/planetes-by-makoto-yukimura-first-mission-to-mars-2495416537.html|title='PLANETES' SHOULD BE REQUIRED BAGGAGE ON THE FIRST MISSION TO MARS|website=Pop Matters|date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705001920/https://www.popmatters.com/planetes-by-makoto-yukimura-first-mission-to-mars-2495416537.html|url-status=live}} Mania Entertainment initially praised the handling of Hachimaki and Tanabe who possessed their own unique dreams and traits in the manga despite working together and enjoyed Yukimura's artwork, standing not only for the character designs but also backgrounds.{{Cite news|last=Beveridge|first=Chris|url=http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-1_article_77060.html|title=Planetes Vol. #1|work=Mania|date=May 16, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017090301/http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-1_article_77060.html|archive-date=October 17, 2012|url-status=dead }} In a following review,{{Cite news|last=Beveridge|first=Chris|url=http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-2_article_77263.html|title=Planetes Vol. #2|work=Mania|date=August 31, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017090331/http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-2_article_77263.html|archive-date=October 17, 2012|url-status=dead }} Otaku USA liked the artwork for the detailed character designs, most notably their expressions and also recommended the manga due to its focus on human relationships.{{cite web|url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/review-planetes-omnibus/|title=[Review] Planetes Omnibus|website=Otaku USA|date=February 11, 2016 |access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705223619/https://otakuusamagazine.com/review-planetes-omnibus/|url-status=live}} Comics Worth Reading recommended the manga, praising the execution of the several themes the characters deal with such as space isolation or conflicts with terrorists which helps to develop Hachimaki and his relationship with the supporting characters.{{Cite web|author=Carlson, Johanna Draper|url=http://comicsworthreading.com/2005/12/23/planetes-recommended-series/|title=Planetes – Recommended Series|work=Manga Worth Reading|date=December 23, 2005|access-date=November 27, 2011|archive-date=January 19, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119165515/http://comicsworthreading.com/2005/12/23/planetes-recommended-series/|url-status=live}} Animefringe noted that despite Planetes being a seinen manga, the manga is still accessible for young readers due to lack of overthetop violence and nudity being kept to the minimum.{{Cite magazine|author1=Crocker, Janet|author2=Bevers, Mandy|author3=Fay, Shannon|url=http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/2005/08/short/02.php|title=Manga Shorts|magazine=Animefringe|volume=6|issue=8|page=28|date=August 2005|access-date=November 27, 2011|archive-date=January 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125084520/http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/2005/08/short/02.php|url-status=live}} For the climax, Mania enjoyed the new conflicts Hachimaki's career faced and how he still fought to decide what to do with his life alongside Tanabe. The Techora side of the story also met similar response by Mania.{{Cite news|last=Beveridge|first=Chris|url=http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-4_article_77714.html|title=Planetes Vol. #4|work=Mania|date=December 15, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017090543/http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-4_article_77714.html|archive-date=October 17, 2012|url-status=dead }}

The anime was praised by Mania for the focus on Hachimaki and Tanabe's relationship as the apparent love triangle with the young Nono helped to expand more on the knowledge about Lunarians' growth and how her condition was not treated as a disadvantage as Nono enjoys living in the Moon.{{Cite news|last=Morton|first=Bryan|url=http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-2_article_78003.html|title=Planetes Vol. #2|work=Mania|date=January 3, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113214757/http://www.mania.com/planetes-vol-2_article_78003.html|archive-date=January 13, 2014|url-status=dead }}

In terms of sales, the manga was only a modest success in North America, with volume 3 reaching 81st place on the Diamond US sales top 100, selling about 1100 copies through the distributor.{{cite web| date=July 6, 2004| title=Top 100 Graphic Novels Actual—May 2004| publisher=ICv2| url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/5133.html| access-date=April 12, 2006| archive-date=January 7, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107061053/http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/5133.html| url-status=live}} Volume 4 reached 93rd place, selling about 1400 copies.{{cite web| date=December 21, 2004| title=Top 100 Graphic Novels Actual—November 2004| publisher=ICv2| url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/6162.html| access-date=April 12, 2006| archive-date=March 17, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317071912/http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/6162.html| url-status=live}}

See also

{{Portal|Anime and manga|Space}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

Further reading

  • {{cite web|author=Beard, Jeremy A.|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=713|title=Planetes|work=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews|date=May 14, 2004}}
  • {{cite news|author=Solomon, Charles|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/tv/anime-planetes-complete-collection-bandai-new-dvd-nao-nagasawa/|title='Planetes': NASA could use these misfits to clean up space junk|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 6, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130708180417/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/tv/anime-planetes-complete-collection-bandai-new-dvd-nao-nagasawa/|archive-date=July 8, 2013|access-date=July 8, 2013|url-status=live}}