Category: Uchuu Kyoudai

Well, this episode finally revealed the reason why Mutta will pass the test. Heck, it was nearly entirely dedicated to that in some way or the other. And seriously, these writers are awesome. It yet again put more depth into the two lead characters, answered a whole bunch of questions and yet makes perfect sense.

I really wasn’t surprised with the revelation that Nanba and Mutta spent as much time as possible at JAXA. After seeing that UFO, it was the perfect motivation for the two of them, and it also perfectly explains why Nanba got the cards to become an astronaut. Mutta was the same, only he gave up on it while in high school, while Nanba continued.

I also love how we’re still not exactly sure what Nanba thinks: we never go inside his head. I think that we’ve had only three characters do that so far: Mutta, Serika, and with this episode Masa. Mutta meanwhile spent the entire episode moping, but he did that so well and it showed even more about His and Hibito’s relationship that it doesn’t really matter.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

So… much…. character-development.

I can’t believe how well the creators made use of this episode where Mutta pays a small visit to Hibiki. It just shows how much the two changed over the years. And it’s not a simple change either: the two of them evolved multiple times over the years and are by far the two most dynamic characters of the entire season. The bond between the two of them in this episode was also just amazing to watch. And that for an building up episode.

I loved how Mutta kept criticizing the tiny things that Hibiki did wrong throughout this episode in order to distract from his own inferiority complex. But really, it also showed that Mutta is a perfectionist, unlike his brother. This perfectionism probably lead to his car being a success. And really: it’s not like Mutta is your average Joe with no accomplishments either. Mutta continues to look over it, but pulling off such a thing is no small feat either. Hibiki in any case can’t boast to have created something like that.

I also loved the dialogue in this episode, and the way in which Mutta and Hibiki talk to each other: it really feels like these two knew each other for their entire lives. This episode also finally revealed the identity of that dog in the OP, and it turns out to be Hibiki’s. At first I really feared it to be this series’ annoying animal mascot. And yeah, it was annoying for a while, but the great thing about it: it knew when to quit.
Rating: **+ (Excellent+)

More about the romance in this series: there are actually other guys who try to hit on Serika. And it’s in a non-creepy way. After watching so many “will they won’t they”-romances, it’s so refreshing to see one that actually handles it well. Every part of the romance in this series feels natural instead of contrived.

In any case, I love how this show plays around with its narrative and keeps its viewers in the dark. There are certain scenes that this show blanked out on purpose, only to reveal them later when it fit in better. Or take the part in the interview when after it finished, everyone stopped by a certain alley, of which we later learned contained a series of portraits of Japanese astronauts. This series has a ton of small touches that tell so much about the characters like this.

Mutta also was as hilarious as usual. Again the details around his crush on Serika are hilarious (that photo!), but the interview question when one of the interviewers suddenly started talking in very bad Engrish. The cotnrast between Kenji’s answer couldn’t be bigger. I also love how insightful the discussions with him after each test are: the creators use his character well for that.

Furthermore, after this we’re in for something completely different.. This series doesn’t linger in endless exams, because the next few episodes show a small side-trip to Hibiki at NASA in order to show a different side of the astronaut business. And to keep us in the dark for a bit longer on whether or not Mutta made the exam…
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Okay, with this this show also has the best romance of the season. The one thing that I hardly ever buy from anime is the moment in which the couple actually falls in love. They either do so for no reason, they pull the childhood friend trick, or pull one superficial reason, or they just stuff the main couple together for a while and they automatically start to develop feelings for each other. This episode was the first time since ages since this actually caught my attention.

The build-up was perfect:there were a few scenes here and there of Serika catching Mutta’s eye, and at the end of this episode the creators threw in something quite funny that both had in common. Both Mutta’s characterization as hers was great in this. Overall though, I really think that Mutta’s voice actor is giving off a wonderful performance in this series.

This episode was mostly focused on the physical exams. Though it also raised an interesting question: how on earth is Mutta going to make it? I mean, Serika excelled everywhere, while Kenji is a great example of someone who is very solid at everything he does, yet doesn’t excel at any specific point. Mutta however… there doesn’t seem to be a reason for him to stand out, both in his average performance as in his physical abilities, mental abilities or knowledge. The only mystery is how on earth he managed to design such a hot selling car. The creators are probably going to use that somewhere later in order to make him pass.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

As for the series I’m not going to blog:
– Hiiro no Kakera’s female lead is an idiot and the side-characters are all one-dimensional stereotypes.
– Accel World would have been nice if it wasn’t for the main couple who is way too forced and unlikable.
– Saint Seiya Omega lacks context for me, not being familiar with the rest of the franchise. Also it suffers from overacting.

Uchuu Kyoudai however, is a no-brainer. Out of all the new episodes that premiered this season so far, it was the best, and it has by far the best characters out of any other show. Mutta in particular is just awesome. He’s not just incredibly likable, but within 2 episodes we’ve already seen so much of his character, both from when he was young and his 31 year old version.

This episode introduces us to his two aunts who live together, who also had a lot of influence on him with a giant telescope they have on in their attic. It really feels like they knew each other very well, but what’s also special here: Mutta has two parents who are alive, plus a great relationship with his aunt. It’s really rare to see a family that is this close and intact in anime. Mutta’s parents also really feel like parents. I’m only saying this based on 2 episodes, but based on how well the characters are done already: I actually think that the characters in this series could beat those of Tiger & Bunny. They’ve got this delightful extra touch of realism to it.

Also, with instruments: when characters start playing instruments in anime, usually they are either completely terrible, or amazing. Mutta’s trumpet solo was so refreshing. You could see that he knew the basics, yet had not played in a long while, and the sound really reflected that.

This series by far doesn’t have the best graphics of the season, but even then: the character designs have soul. This series doesn’t care about characters looking completely pretty, and to be honest, I’d much, much rather have characters that look like this, rather than the same moe and bishie designs you see repeated over and over again.

My one fear for this series would be Makoto Uezu, the guy behind the series composition. This guy just is not a very good writer and adapter, with adaptations like Seikon no Qwaser, Kore wa Zombie and Eiyuu Densetsu behind his name, among many mediocre others. Here however, the script was wonderfully translated to animation, getting the best out of the characters. At the moment there are a ton of rumours going around for the total number of episodes for this series. Please let it be 51, because that would just be amazing.
Rating: **+ (Great)