Uchuu Kyoudai

On a fateful summer night in 2006, Mutta Nanba and his younger brother Hibito witness what they believe to be a UFO flying toward the Moon. This impressing and unusual phenomenon leads both siblings vowing to become astronauts, with Hibito aiming for the Moon and Mutta, convinced that the eldest brother has to be one step ahead, for Mars.

Now an adult, life hasn't turned out how Mutta had pictured it: he is diligently working in an automotive company, whereas Hibito is on his way to be the very first Japanese man to step on the Moon. However, after losing his job, Mutta is presented with an unexpected opportunity to catch up to his younger brother when the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, commonly known as JAXA, accepts his application to participate in the next astronaut selection. Despite self-doubts about his prospects, Mutta is unwilling to waste this chance of a lifetime, and thus embarks on an ambitious journey to fulfill the promise made 19 years ago.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nanba, Mutta Main

Hirata, Hiroaki Japanese

Nanba, Hibito Main

KENN Japanese

Apo Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Itou, Serika Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Makabe, Kenji Supporting

Katou, Masayuki Japanese

Young, Deneil Supporting

Ishida, Tarou Japanese

Bold, Vincent Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Nasuda, Shigeo Supporting

Aoyama, Yutaka Japanese

Jay, Brian Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Kaneko, Sharon Supporting

Ikeda, Masako Japanese

Nagai, Kouji Producer, Planning

Watanabe, Ayumu Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kobayashi, Katsuyoshi Sound Director

Ishii, Toshimasa Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Feb 10, 2014

xspookydarknessx

Recommended

At first glance Space Brothers seems to be an anime about two brothers that just go space and do astronaut things, but oh ho, dear reader, it is so much more than that. It is a realistic journey delving into one of the most difficult professions ever conceived by man. Now that the series has concluded [for the time being], a proper review is in order. But first, we better shake hands.

STORY:
Space Brothers cleverly depicts the pursuits of Mutta and Hibito, converging their storylines at some times and following them separately at others. This structure is beneficial to the flow and progression, and earns ... top marks from me. It also uses an intriguing method of linking the past to the present, showing the audience how the brothers' upbringing helps them with the challenges on the path toward fulfilling their dreams.

This leads me to the most notable aspect of Space Brothers – its insanely realistic plot. The amount of research that author Koyama Chuuya had to have done is mind-boggling. In fact, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) actually helped out on it, which is noticeable throughout. Plainly stated, you just can't make some of this stuff up! Which brings me to an important question potential viewers always ask: why is it so long?? It takes a lot of time and effort to become an astronaut, and it is quite clearly portrayed in this anime. To condense any of what is shown would be an insult to real astronauts. As a rare "long seinen," I approve.

Additionally, it's difficult to NOT be impressed with immense detail that the mangaka put into the setting. For instance, whenever the main characters travel to the United States, American fans are simply blown away by the accuracy of the places illustrated, such as the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Texas. Though I've never been to either of these locations, it almost feels like I've been on a virtual tour, just by watching an anime.

This leaves me with the literary brilliance of its themes. As is evident from the title, family plays an important role, and not just the Nanba family; though it is crucial to note that "family" is not limited by blood. Although this is a comedy [and it can be pretty funny at times], it is well balanced by its serious moments. Furthermore, this is an anime about going to space.. which is a very scary place where the consequences of failure are colossal. This anxiety gives the experience an even keener flavor. Of course it deals with moral issues and other difficulties in life as well. Sacrifice and the test of friendship is a prevalent theme as the journey to the top requires leaving many behind – not everyone can be a winner. The anime also tackles psychological and neurological hardships, in addition to exposing the stress put on the families of the astronauts. However, the theme that Space Brothers always comes back to is that hard work and guts [and a lot of luck] will always pay off, even if the immediate results appear unfavorable.

ART:
Though there isn't very much "action" in this anime, A-1 pictures does a great job in the animation department. Movements are fluid and expressions are believable, to say the least. In terms of art style, Space Brothers uses an interesting blend of intrinsic "anime-ness" along with the natural proportions and appearances of.. well.. real life. Something that caught my eye was the attention to heredity. Characters of the same family tended to look like each other and/or their parents, which is an uncommon trait in anime. It's a nice addition to the realism this seinen provides. Hair is also quite interesting. Each character's hair style/color stays within the bounds of reality while still remaining unique from other shows. Bonus points to Serika's hair for somehow making me smile every time she's on screen.

SOUND:
Now, I feel this is the weakest part of the show. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, just less so in comparison to its strengths. The music is used to enforce and empower the displayed emotions and elicit the intended feels from the viewer, but the anime reuses the same songs... over and over. I actually made it a game to see how many episodes it could go without playing the same "feel this now" song. I guess you get used to it after a while, but it is worth mentioning. The last third of the anime gets better at diversifying its music. The OPs and EDs are pretty good though, my favorite being ED5, "BEYOND" by Miho Fukuhara [yea, the same Fukuhara that did Brotherhood ED2].

CHARACTER:
My favorite part of this anime is the incredible characterization! Practically every character is memorable due to the depth in which each is described. Their motivations and actions logically follow the person that they've become. You can easily fall in love with any number of them, and palpably feel heartbroken if things don't go their way. Viewers with weaker hearts be wary, though I never cried myself, I acknowledge that much of the anime can bring you to tears. There are several instances in which a character's reactions and facial expressions deliver far more emotion than any amount of words could. This attribute alone makes Space Brothers stand out from other anime. Simply put, the entire cast is a rainbow of personality. I don't really want to go much further into detail.. that would ruin the magic!

ENJOYMENT:
This is a great show, easily one of my favorites. Whenever I found myself in an anime rut, I just sat back and watched a couple episodes. Another thing that's worth noting is that the anime is very inspirational. Seeing Mutta go through so many tribulations gave me hope for my future, and that my efforts in the present will yield fruit down the road. Maybe that's just me though.

CONCLUSION (TL;DR):
Space Brothers is an excellently constructed anime that combines a heartwarming story with delightful comedy, using realistic characters to show the audience just how difficult it is to become an astronaut.

Oh yea, we can end that handshake now.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 17, 2016

Jordan_Brown

Mixed Feelings

This anime is great up until around episode 21. After that supporting cast members start having their life stories fleshed out. Most of these episodes are quite boring, the motivations provided are often bland and even when they aren't they feel drawn out.

Around this point is when the tone becomes an issue. I'm sure most anime veterans are used to the same music being used for every "dramatic" or "inspiring" moment in an anime. Sometimes well, sometimes not but it always feels a bit like the creators are cheating a little to add emotion to a scene that doesn't otherwise earn it. This anime ... takes that to the next level. By the end of it you will be rolling your eyes every time you hear one of the same three songs played for some inane plot point. This is especially frustrating by the end of 99 episodes.

What really creates this issue is the overuse of flashbacks and recaps. It feels like you are being treated like an idiot. Many episodes will recap on content used just 5 minutes prior and most episodes will reuse scenes from earlier in the series. When you reach the three recap episodes in a row this becomes painful. I highly recommend skipping those episodes if you choose to watch this.

There are a few plot holes here and there but over all it is an enjoyable anime that is ruined through being dragged out. The main character is interesting, the MC's brother is OK the rest of the cast is OK to good with a few annoying characters that don't really detract from it.

If you can find a fan edit or omnibus this would be a great watch. As is it feels like a chore too often. 5/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 21, 2025

RainyAura

Not Recommended

If you're looking for a neverending, light-hearted slice-of-life about pursuing and training for space, this might be the anime for you! If you are looking for the day-to-day life of actual space activities, this is NOT the anime for you.

Space Brothers is about the journey to becoming an astronaut through trials that the real astronauts might have gone through, outlining some authentic experiences, risks and sacrifices along the way. It frames itself as an inspiring journey so that you too may undergo the trials to become an astronaut someday.

The comedy of the series was okay (4/10) but fades and doesn't do enough to carry it ... through the lengthy recaps and flashbacks you may see 3 to 10 times and overall glacial story pace. The characters (5/10) are adequate. The music (5/10) contains a triumphant guitar riff that you will hear over 100 times, but is otherwise standard.

The art is adequate (5/10) with nothing notably low quality, but it doesn't stand out either. However the story is a crawl (3/10) and expectations should be minimal. What is the strange light that flew to the moon? Will Mutta make it to Mars? Will the two brothers be in space together? If you find yourself asking these questions following the first few episodes, this is not the show for you.

There are some profound life lessons to learn from Space Brothers and wisdom to gain from the experiences of the characters. Parts of the show continued to fuel my awe and wonder for the things above us. However, these moments are sparse and the show in total was an agonizing viewing with no mainline payoff.

Please consider these before embarking on the series and look past the glowing user score. The show should be avoided if it's not something you are specifically looking for.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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