This is one incredible anime, more a straight science fiction story, than a normal anime (though it does have some anime elements such as the female lead Tanabe, who is all heart, and ideals, and creates the love story that while central isn’t actually the main focus). This is an amazing character piece set in space with a group of the lowliest space workers who collect space debris after a horrible accident 8 years before when a passenger liner lost most of it’s passengers to a screw going through a window. It turns out to be a psychological study of the astronaut Hoshino as well as a treaties on sharing the wealth and technology around the world instead of keeping it in the hands of the wealthiest nations that can afford the spoils. While I have been enjoying SAMURAI CHAMPLOO of late, this tops it for me (I am a lover of true sci-fi, and this is so true, with it’s accurate depictions of zero g and low gravity), and is right up their with LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES, though unfortunately not nearly as long at only 26 episodes. I am really sad it is over.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…. 

Plantes starts out with a passenger ship in space being hit by a stray screw in a window and killing most of the passengers, which starts a worldwide movement to start cleaning up space. Then we cut to 8 years later, where yes, they have space recyclers, but they are the lowest of the low at the corporations in space. At TECHNORA the recycle devision is called Half Section, since it makes so little money, it gets half a staff, half the money and half the resources of any other group. Even the spaceship Toy Box they use is more than 20 years old. The young and idealistic girl Tanabe has always wanted to get into space, and this is the group that she joined, and is the first member to join in 3 years, since their now experienced EVA specialist, Hoshino, joined. Hoshino wants to purchase his own spaceship, but that is a pipe dream, since they are way too expensive for anyone but a company chairman to own anyhow, but he is really the best of the best when it comes to EVA and recycling, and while he is gruff he does train Tanabe very well, and she starts to fall in love with him. Of course he has a pilot friend who falls for her and complicates things at first, and her friend loves the pilot so gets mad at her. The rest of the Debris section is a strange crew, the captain Fee is the best of the best, and is a smoker, and has to smoke in a special room she has, and has more trouble trying to smoke in space than you would think was worth it, and she used to be in a company with their section 2 leader, who eventually moves to a semi-seperate organization that will run the Jupiter mission, a hugely controversial mission to send men to Jupiter that will take 7 years, but secure enough energy for mankind to survive indefinitely. The fact that the largest and richest companies are the ones who will get it causes much strife, and a terrorist organization wants to ruin space travel (it is called the Space Defense Line) so the money can be used to help the people of the impoverished nations who are starving to death and dyeing in futile wars. The crew is rounded out by a white guy that had a Japanese wife, that turned out to be the husband of the woman who died at the start of the show, and who became a debris recyceler to find her compass she wore, which he eventually does, but the wall stays up around him until it is destroyed by Hoshino’s younger brother who is busy making rockets, and wants to be an engineer. Then their is the silly old manager, and the assistant manager who is always pulling magic tricks, and the contractor a young and strict functionary, who it is eventually learned not only wants to become a full employee, but her husband who she hadn’t seen in 5 years used to prostitute her out to make money for them.

As I said eventually a romance develops between Tanabe and Hoshino, but with everything going on including a terrorist attack against their space station that Fee stops in Toy Boy (destroying it, but earning them a brand new one), they do nothing but kiss. Then Hoshino is almost lost in space, and he has a mental breakdown and can’t pass the 6 hours of being in an isolation tank that is required for his EVA license. He really starts losing it, and talking to himself. His old teacher who is dyeing of leukemia from being in space too long, has an idea to show him the Jupiter ships engine which is being built, and it does snap him out of it enough to pass the test, but he is now obsessed with being one of the 18 to go to Jupiter, and even quits his job, and tries to break things off with Tanabe, though she doesn’t give up on him. Tanabe is with another student of his teacher who used to be in the defense corps, but quit to try and join the mission, but eventually he tries to destroy the ship, as he is a terrorist with the space defense line. Tanabe becomes even less stable, and really flips out at Tanabe when he learns she knew of his teachers cancer. Finally their is a huge terrorist attack on the jupiter ship as is Tanabe who is trying to see Hoshino, and Hoshino’s ex-girlfriend Claire who has joined the terrorists after losing her position in the control section since she is from a small nation ravaged by war (she actually broke up with Hoshino because of his father being so famous, or of such good blood). Tanabe ends up saving her when she is shot, but they end up on the moon, without communications, and must walk 40 kilometers in 10 hours, with Tanabe carrying Claire, but she uses her oxygen up to quickly. They are rescued but Tanabe has neurological damage from lack of oxygen and must be rehabilitated. Hoshino tries to kill the other student, but is out of ammo, and while he is chosen for the mission he has pretty much lost it, and his father decides to take him back to earth. he is on his way to go find Tanabe when he crashes his motorcycle and almost dies in the water, realizing he is not alone, but actually connected to so many people in the universe, and when he comes out he finds Tanabe in a wheelchair. He has broken his wall, and they promise to meet in space, which they do before he leaves for Jupiter, and take on more recycling mission, where he asks her to marry him. Then we see all of what is happening in quick flashes, and finally see Tanabe pregnant and living with Hoshino’s mother and brother, as Hoshino and his father will be leaving on the jupiter mission, but have promissed to return.

WOW I LOVED THIS SHOW! What a great depiction of our present, with the rich countries controlling all the resources, and stifling other nations from excelling. Excellent. Excellent!