Set in an alternate future where the government spends more on space exploration instead of military hardware, Planetes explores a different genre of the manga community where the slice-of –life invaders have not yet reached. Categorised as hard sci-fi, Planetes which offers a bulk of information, presents it in an enjoyable format and leaves you hungry for more.


The story revolves around the crew of Toy Box, a ship which collects debris revolving around the earth. (Take a minute to appreciate how imaginative this concept is.) It tackles the life of the crew (Garbage men) and their struggles with space and themselves. Presented with a scholar’s panache, this sci-fi is based on realism of the space industry and gives us a peek into the expertise of these explorers. Not everything though is about the vast universe, the manga talks of finding yourself, being true to your feelings, overcoming your own limitations. It brushes with racism, environmentalism and politics. Planetes balances between individual conflict and larger than life questions with the grace of a figure skater. Although the story is not as juicy as Makato Yukimura’s recent, Vinland Saga, I found the scientific backup of Planetes more appealing than the mythological inventions of the Vinland Saga.


The strongest suit of the manga is the characters. It’s important to acknowledge how the characters are NOT divided and labelled into their generic roles, i.e. the potential love interest, the goofy protagonist or the tsundere. This manga depicts the best female characters I’ve ever seen. For example Fee Carmichael, who might appear to be just a hot tomboy at first but these misgivings are decimated with swift development. Fee is debris collector and a mother, while she works in space her husband takes care of their child back on earth. Fee struggles with her world view and steps up to what she believes. The manga brilliantly touches her struggle with racism. In short Fee is a BAMF who rides a hog, provides for her child and fights the system.

Although the bane of hard sci-fi is its rigorousness, the comic relief provided by Planetes balances it out. The artwork is commendable. Skilful depiction of movements is awe-inspiring. The details in artwork along with detailed story make the manga enjoyable and easy to digest. Planetes manga makes you sonder. You forget about your worries in comparison to this incomprehensible universe.