Hello all and welcome to both the finale of Planetes and the first run of Throwback Thursday. This week we learn what became of Tanabe and Claire, Hachi and Hakim, and wrap everything up with a nice big bow. Lets jump in!
Starting off, I want to say I think Planetes closed out the series well. It managed to resolve almost every plot thread. Every character got some kind of resolution to their story, and yet not a single one of them died. That takes some talent to pull off. The big one that I thought had absolutely no reason to work, but did, was Tanabe and Hachi’s 2nd attempt at romance. I said before that their romance felt forced, that they simply weren’t compatible. Planetes managed to take their differences though and through their growth, have them reconcile those differences in a way that does fit together. Tanabe got brought down to Earth, losing some naivete, while Hachi got rid of his loner attitude. Both through well done, believable sequences.
Now onto the episodes themselves, first with Episode 25 The Lost. As per the fitting episode name, this was almost entirely focused on Hachi and how he is dealing with the terrorist attack. With 6 months having passed, a lot has changed and Planetes leaves us waiting to hear about Tanabe until right to the end.And in that time, Hachi seems to have taken a nose dive. He can’t reconcile his attempt to kill Hakim, how if he had bullets, the deed would be done. Either that, or he hates that he was thankful he wasn’t directly responsible. I can’t quite decide which. Either way, it appears Hakim’s words affected him and he is questioning just what he has given up to get where he is. Considering how happy he was while with Debris Section, and how unhappy he has been since joining the Von Braun, its a good question.
Meanwhile, it turns out that Tanabe did in fact survive her stint on the moon, though not unscathed. While I find the idea of her giving up on her ideals an effective twist, I do think Planetes made the right choice. Having her face adversity, question her beliefs, and reaffirm them works in Planetes greater themes. The strength of people and their connections overcoming their situations. On top of that, Planetes didn’t let Tanabe off that easy. She chose to hard way and Planetes, in the short term, rewarded her with brain damage. I love that there were consequences for her making the hard choice. And in the end, Planetes rewards her via the personnel connection with Hachimaki. She grew as a person, and in the end, managed to better their relationship.
Next up is the grand finale, episode 26, And the Days We Chance Upon. If episode 25 resolved Hachimaki and Tanabe’s story, this resolves everyone else’s. I thought the opening as a letter home to Tanabe was a smart inclusion, as it lets us recognize that time has passed. Letting Planetes then cut right to other characters, such as Chen Shin and Claire. Then from her we see Dolph going solo, Edle getting full-time and even Nono convincing a terrorist to lay down arms. I must say I was terrified for Nono in that scene, as Hakim raised his bolter. But it ended in such a wholesome manner, it quickly became one of my favorites of the series. Hakim’s hatred for the larger countries, defused as Nono shows him that the next generation’s won’t even know those borders exist. That Humanity is expanding. Beautiful and matching Planetes greater globalist theme.
It even managed to end on one of the best marriage proposals I have seen in anime. Granted, that is a small list, but still. Going into space for the first time in months for Tanabe, finally back on her feet. Playing a word game, all alone in the place you both spent so much time in. Then as the sun crests the horizon, you ask them to marry you mid word game. It was beautiful. There was one more segment, during the Ninja’s mass funeral, that also hit me hard emotionally. Yes, the funeral itself was nice, along with his wife’s little “ninpo” sign. But the important part of it for me was the juxtaposition of the Ninja who didn’t die in the explosion. Overweight, alone, working a dead-end job as he watches his best friends funeral on TV. It was a minor tragedy presented in a great finale.
So all in all, I think this was a fantastic conclusion to an otherwise imperfect but rightfully loved series. Every character got a conclusion of some kind. The themes present at the start of the series were carried through and examined throughout. With every episode hitting this from another angle before bringing it all back together and referencing it for one final hurrah. As to be expected from the man who authored Vinland Saga.
With that, the first season of Throwback Thursday is complete! Before I leave I wanted to let you all know the plan for these coming weeks. First off, I will be getting the full Planetes review out soon. However to give me time for this, and to let me relax for a week, Throwback Thursday will start up again on the 24th, so 2 weeks! However, I would hate to leave you with nothing, so next week Helgast Killzone, another writer, has volunteered to post a full series review of Gundam: Unicorn for you all! So make sure to be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, here is a poll for what the next Throwback Thursday series will be. Whichever has the highest votes by the 24th is the one that will be selected.
See you then, and thanks for reading!
looking forward to the review