Planetes Volume 4: Part 2

I aint good with words so here it is in just a few of them. A must read for any lover of sci-fi. Light hearted but not childish in nature. Mature but a good read for younger readers. Good near future sci-fi.

This last installment of Planetes sets Hachimaki, who I had thought was the main character of the series, up as more of a backstory, much as in Part I. The most important part of this volume concerns the character of Fee as she comes to terms with her lack of parenting skills when it comes to her young son. Her character is further fleshed out as she remembers events from her childhood about an uncle who was falsely accused in the disappearance of a little girl simply because of his odd character. Werner Locksmith, the creator of the Van Braun ship is already moving on to other projects, already trying to recruit the brighest minds to begin work on a Saturn expedition. And while all this is going on, Hachimaki and crew finally reach Jupiter, but who is going to write the speech that needs to be delivered back to Earth, a speech that will inspire everyone to continue exploring the stars? Why Hachi or course! Part II of Volume 4 made up for the immaturity of execution and plot in Part I. The story of Fee's uncle was touching, even though it reminded me of The Green Mile and Man Without A Face at times. We really got down into the belly of Fee's character and it was a great experience. It did seem a tad unrealistic that Tanabe was going to wait 7 years for Hachi to make it back. I doubt either of them will be the same people after that length of time. I thought that too little time was spent on the Jupiter mission and that Planetes needs more volumes to fully tell the story. I do feel that this series was a step above most manga in terms of plot, character, art, and depth. You should check it out.

The small epic of planetary exploration comes to a close after only five volumes. It is difficult to say much about events and developments without giving away the story. Let it suffice to say the final volume continues the character-driven plotlines, is intelligent, well-written, poignant and logical. Drawings are well and carefully done, clear and more free of ambiguity and difficulty of comprehension than in most manga. A supplemental section gives some of the backstory of the Planetes world, including some scientific speculation and timelines. I look forward to the next work from Makoto Yukimura, and hope to someday see the anime adaptation of this fine graphic novel.