Planetes, Book 1

I discovered this by luck, and I was very pleased. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that some small parts of the story were things I did not particularly like (I tend to dislike bratty younger siblings of main characters, for instance). However, that small detail aside, this is an excellent manga with a very strong hard science fiction element. The premise is very good as well. Space exploration is a given. It has left a lot of trash and debris in space, and someone has to pick it up. Our protagonist is one of those space garbage men. The author writes very good stories of this character and his team mates. There are moving moments, some action, and it is all presented in a good science fictional setting that pays attention show more to the science as we learn a bit about astronauts and how space affects them mentally and physically.

On investigating a bit, I learned this manga is out of print, so I may have to scour a bit to find the other four volumes in the series. This is a series I definitely want to continue following. Even if you do not like mangas, if you like science fiction, this is a pretty good series. Definitely a very pleasant discovery for me. show less

Three space debris clean-up workers, one of whom lost his wife tragically, one of whom is an ambitious young man, and one of whom becomes a hero because she very very much wants to smoke a cigarette, try to figure out what they want out of life (at least the first two do; the woman has a family back on Earth and seems to know exactly what she wants) and struggle with the constant physical dangers of space. There was a fair amount about the Meaning of Life and the virtue of Striving, but this manga wasn’t for me.

I can't believe this is a debut manga! Dynamic artwork accompanies a sophisticated near-future SF story that's part space adventure, part slice-of-life comic.

Seriously, this is so beautifully drawn. After I finish Planetes, I'm looking forward to checking out Vinland Saga.

This is my favourite manga series, bar none. It's not wacky and it's not fantasy; it's hard science fiction, but not space opera. This is low sf, about garbage collectors. I would love it if it were a novel. I wish there were more manga in this subgenre.

Planetes is a perfect hard science fiction entry into a manga market which seems to be overcrowded with absurdist comedies and romance books. Set ine 2074 this book tells the tale of a crew of astronauts who orbit the Earth collecting all the junk humanity has managed to place in orbit. Through these tales Yukimura manages to find the right balance between action and character to keep the story moving while quickly building the characters into three-dimensional, if perhaps a bit cliched, characters. If I have one complaint about this book it is that besides Fee (one of the main characters) I have trouble telling female characters apart as they all seem to have the same face. Still, even with this, it is nice to have some hard science show more fiction to enjoy in manga format as this is the genre which brought me to anime in the first place. show less

I loved this manga. its a great read that is more adult than the typical manga available in the US. The characters are more than just lovestruck teenagers.

A character-driven, low-action manga series detailing the lives of orbital trash collectors. Less a continuous story and more a series of linked vignettes. Recommended for lovers of hard SF, excellent artwork, or detailed characters.