First of all, before you begin watching this, you're going to want to know what you're getting yourself into. This is a pretty unique series, as far as anime goes. If you're expecting an epic space adventure, I'm afraid to say that you will be sadly disappointed, as it's a lot more down to Earth than that, no pun intended. Space Brothers is, in a nutshell, a story about never giving up hope, and always striving to achieve your dreams, no matter what life throws at you.
It may sound cliché, but it does it so very, very well, and in such a believable, realistic way that got me engrossed from the very first episode. The character development is superb, and it's one of the things this series really shines in.
Our main protagonist, Mutta Nanba, is such a great, well-written character, whom was extremely likable right from the first episode. So much so that I had to add him to my "favourite characters" panel after less than 10 episodes into the series.
The thing that makes him so likable? He's flawed. Right from the beginning, we see that Mutta hasn't got it easy: He's behind his younger brother whose already become an astronaut, he's unemployed, he's somewhat shy and he's a tad bit eccentric.
Of course it's not all gloom and doom, Nanba has just as many positive traits that make for a good, well-rounded character. Not least of which is how great of a big brother he is. Although some jealously is obviously displayed at times, Mutta genuinely seems proud of his younger brother's accomplishments, and supports him greatly right from the outset when we see the brothers as children. A lot of contemporary anime these days tend to feature a protagonist that is often already blessed right from the start. Be it a guy in a harem genre that has a million girls swarming over him for no obvious reason, or a character that is vastly more powerful than those that have been doing the same thing for a much longer time in a Shounen or action anime.
Having a character already handicapped from the start is a breathe of fresh air, and it just makes Space Brothers feel all that more realistic and mature.
Mutta makes for a very relatable character. Regardless of your age and current life experiences, what Nanba goes through is something we can all sympathise with. We've all had those periods of feeling like we're behind in life, or feeling like we don't compare to our siblings or peers. We feel like we've failed in some kind of way, either to ourselves or to our family when we don't achieve the things we hoped to.
And that's where Space Brothers' shining message comes in: "Never give up"
What takes place after the first episode is a journey on a very inspiring tale that tells us that no matter how old we are, how behind we are or how many failures we've accumulated, you can still strive to achieve your goals. Speaking of which, one of my favourite quotes from the series is "an earnest failure has meaning."
The training required to become an astronaut is presented in a very realistic way. This anime reaches a level of maturity that a lot of animated shows fail to. There isn't much you can fault on the setting or plot, and the characters we are introduced to as the series progresses are all about as well-written as Mutta. I can't really think of a single person in the series that I disliked or found annoying in any kind of way, which is somewhat rare for me.
Perhaps my only complaint is that some of the episodes feel like they drag on longer than is necessary. We're not talking boring, standard Shounen filler, but it does feel like this series could have been made shorter, if only they cut out a few unneeded scenes. The ending (which I won't spoil for you) also leaves on somewhat of an unsatisfactory note. Regardless, I had a lot of enjoyment watching this. The comedy was excellent, it had some very thoughtful and inspiring messages, and the cast of characters were incredibly likable. I don't think I've ever watched anything before that was quite so motivating. Ironically, sitting on my backside watching this, often inspired me to get off my backside and try to achieve those dreams I long thought were either lost, or just pipe dreams.
The pacing is also relatively slow, which may put off those looking for something more action-packed. But I'd recommend this to just about anyone. Even if astronauts aren't quite your thing, or you're into more the fast-paced, I'd suggest that you at least try out the first couple of episodes and see what you think. You may be pleasantly surprised. This is one of those shows that is so lovable, it's pretty much impossible to hate it, unless you're part-demon.
