Oh Space Brothers. You are so evil. This episode finally showed the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the rock paper scissors game that everyone has been waiting for. The episode got to it very quickly… only to then hide its results. Especially since it afterwards became clear what the selection procedure meant: a ticket to the next round. It’s not concrete: JAXA will select a few more people they feel are worthy, and if you got selected and they don’t like you you probably also won’t survive that round, however it does give you an extra chance to show yourself off. Plus you get to go to Houston and meet real astronauts.
So all we know right now is that Furuya and Mutta didn’t make it. This episode didn’t say a word about the other three though. Instead, it went full background on Furuya. It’s like saying: “You thought that this was the end of the arc? Hah! We haven’t even started yet!” – That background by the way was really good and definitely puts Furuya on a different perspective.
There also is this bit of news that really intrigued me. It’s a list of the most viewed anime on TV, and if you take a look there, then you’ll see that Space Brothers is actually amongst them! This usually is a list for either kids’ shows or shounen series, and yet here this series about all adults has managed to place itself in it! This shows that there is an audience for these kinds of series, which will allow to draw in more interest from advertisers. The series airs on 7am on sunday morning, so there probably are a lot of kids who watch it, but even then this is a wonderful development, because it shows that there is interest in series that take themselves and their audiences seriously. Compared to the usual kiddie shows which just try to see who can rip each other off the most.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)
You forgot to mention that Kenji also didn’t make it, which begs the question: who was selected from Team B?
But yeah, this is such a great show. And there is still hope for Japan if Uchuu Kyoudai is among the most watched.
I suspect Team C will provide more characters to further develop the main ones. I can really see this filling 50 eps – and I hope we’ll get more series this length soon.
If they actually used then the timid guy Teshima passed and Kenji already said that Mizoguchi passed. About group C, we already could see some of them in the bus trip. Maybe they will be the ones who passed the test.
Thankfully a new arc is going to begin, the last 2 episodes dragged a bit.
I feel cheeeaaated!
haha was waiting the whole episode to find out who got the places, and then it doesn’t tell us!!
I was moved by furuya’s background story, I really enjoyed the episode with all its little details. Like the bit when the old couple are discussing mutta and if he had a dae and all their expressions. It’s those little things that makes this show great!
About the ranking of SpaceBros. I think this may be in big part the goal of the series: Jaxa is financially producing the show so if we take in consideration the air time and those photos at the end of the episodes then I guess Jaxa IS actually trying to inspire kids to become astronauts.
But as you said Psgels, “the series is that good”. And the topics addressed are identifiable for both kids and adults.
The next episode preview seems to hint that the relationship between Mutta and Kenji is going to take a dramatic turn.
Space Brothers is also a popular manga and had a live action film. It’s a mainstream series hence why it is on during the day and not late night unlike other series aimed at adult Otaku.
I don’t drag about they again got an episode were not really much happened, but this time it felt good.
I am happy to see that I was right that the selection indeed is a major advance to be an astronaut in the end. And in the preview the next shock, only one additional person is selected by JAXA, shit there are so many good characters be gone 🙁
What bothers me is what kind of astronauts they will have to use. Normally they are specialists in one topic. And if the JAXA is having there own space program or work with NASA together, which will mean that only one or two will make it into space in the end.
But please now speed up.
I would be surprised if Kenji didn’t make it, but also keep the following in mind: Mizoguchi and Kenji are both leader-types, they are kind of at odds with one another. Selecting both is… fine, but honestly I don’t think JAXA would do it. But then again, maybe not. I don’t know. I just don’t know. Mutta did do a great job at relieving stress and pressure in his group, he became somewhat of an outlet. But he is also somewhat… irregular, so not sure if JAXA would take a chance on him. I don’t know, I just don’t know.