Kari’s Anime Corner: First Impressions Of ‘Space Brothers’
Hi! My name is Kari Lane, and I’ve been an anime lover since I was a little girl. Those good old days when classics like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z, Card Captor Sakura, Digimon and Monster Rancher were on the most basic of cable.
Over the years, I have expanded my anime repertoire and have attended numerous anime conventions. I’m currently a host on Neo-Cinema, a web-based anime and Japanese live-action movie review show. Recently, I’ve been watching the first few episodes of various anime series’, and thought it an excellent idea to write reviews based on my “first impressions”. Of course, you’ll have many unanswered questions after viewing just 4, 5, or 6 episodes, but you can get a feel for the show and decide if you want to continue watching! I hope my reviews will help introduce you to some awesome anime, or help you avoid the more mediocre junk that’s out there!
When they were young boys, brothers Mutta and Hibito witnessed a UFO and decided that they wanted to go to the stars after it. Flash forward about twenty years, and younger brother Hibito is an astronaut, while older brother Mutta is failing miserably at job hunting. This is the setting for Space Brothers – a twenty volume and counting manga, an ongoing anime (with 56 episodes currently free to view on Crunchyroll.com), and a live action movie.
The show has a slice of life feel as we follow Mutta in his struggles to find a job after being fired for head butting his boss (who insulted his younger brother, Hibito). Mutta believes the older brother is supposed to lead the way for the younger brother, but life has proven otherwise. This has put Mutta in a funk and he returns home to sulk. Secretly, his mother and younger brother send in an application on his behalf to be part of the space program in Japan. Much to his surprise, Mutta is accepted and proceeds to participate in the grueling tests and interviews one needs to pass to become an astronaut. Mutta does relatively well, but will that be enough to get him in? Will he be stuck living in the shadow of his younger brother? Will he find the drive he needs to finally succeed?
The art style is on the simple side (nothing too exaggerated, though not lacking detail) and the color pallete is dominated with light colors which matches the domestic feel of the show. Many people seem to really enjoy the show, but personally, it is kind of a meh for me. It is not very funny, and I do not care for slice of life or “domestic” (everyday life) anime. Animation has limitless potential, so anything this “simple” seems boring to me. Yes, there are exceptions, but that is generally my opinion. I may watch a few more episodes to see if anything new grabs me, but so far, I’m not overly impressed.
If you’ve decided to check the show out, let us know what you think!
