The first one isn't very interesting (from my point of view). It brings up the subject, the characters, but it was kind of superficial. No aim, little stories not so interesting... I almost gave up on watching this anime, but I forced myself considering some comments saying it was going to be more interesting.
It was pretty long but I admit, it was worth it. Quietly, the story came up with interesting issues, describing what's going to be likely our futur. Space debris, poverty, spatial conquest, all these topics emerged and have been treated in an excellent way. Even the romance aspect is well made.
In brief, I think Planetes require a good self-abnegation. If the beginning looks like common and boring, the rest is very interesting, far away from some sort of manichaeism in the way it treats the differents subjects. It would have needed maybe just 15 episodes, but the important is that when you have just watched the end, you really enjoyed this space journey.
