Planetes Volume 4

Planetes #4 begins with Half-Section returning to work after their warm and fuzzy vacation on Earth; the air between Hachi and Tanabe is still uncomfortable with romantic doubt but their attentions are soon thrust upon Half Section’s shiny new spaceship- a reward for Fee heroics in saving mankind’s future and all!

It’s not long before Hachi remembers his and Tanabe’s kiss though, and so he finally plucks up the courage to ask her out the proper way. They date for a few weeks but tragedy strikes when Hachi’s typically gung-ho approach to collecting debris nearly gets him killed by an unforeseen solar flare, exposing him to potentially deadly amounts of radiation. Hachi made it home without any physical damage, blind luck that is not lost on his colleagues (especially Fee, who is visibly racked with the guilt of a captain losing a precious subordinate), but the hours of isolated floating in space without a savoir in sight have caused him to develop an intense psychological fear of space that threatens to end his career as an astronaut.

Amidst much soul searching, we are introduced to the gigantic Van Braun spaceship which is being pioneered to carry astronauts on an epic seven year journey to Jupiter to mine it’s endless supply of vital resources. Also up for the ride is Hachi’s scruffy father; who’s lust for space and engineering genius have built him into a wanted man the world over.

If you have followed Planetes up until now, this volume is simply a natural progression for a series that’s all about life and the many questions we are forced to ask ourselves every now and then; ambition over romance, dreams over reality. With Hachi’s inevitable pairing with Tanabe now mostly sealed, the series is moving into another phase- that of sacrifice, of chasing dreams at the expense of loved ones. His potentially obvious decision to try out for a place on the Von Braun journey carries a romantic glory; for someone who loves space and loves adventure, this is a once in a life time chance to reach ever further into the endless depths of legend and come back a hero. Seven years is a long time though, especially to be away from a wife or a girlfriend.
Consider that Hachi has been waiting all his life for this chance and giving up now would haunt him with failure for the rest of his days. He could be happy with Tanabe, living a quiet life and doing menial jobs, but will he be satisfied wondering what could have been? Planetes is raising the kind of human questions many other series skirt around- a hero is a hero, they never doubt themselves, they just do the right thing. Hachi’s problems aren’t so easy to solve though.

In Summary

Planetes #4 takes the series in interesting new directions as the romantic comedy element of the show takes a backseat to life long ambitions and dreams. This is no mere anime series that sells itself on the basis of being set in space, it will endure for years because of the characters and its continued relevance to anyone who ever dares to try and make their dreams a reality.