What They Say:
“A Small Note and a Big Lucky Charm”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Space Brothers had some good but difficult material the previous time around as it dealt with not just Mutta getting his mission assignment and doing backup work but also seeing how Kenji and Nitta were put in a different place that has them on track but with a lot longer wait. Combining that with seeing Hibito moving himself forward finally and making it clear to Chief Butler that he wants to get back in and will do anything provided us with a lot of ups and downs. It’s the kind of show that can make management decisions in a large agency interesting since there are so many personalities and little things going on. It also helps that we have some good characters and connected moments between them and the management side that it’s easy to see how they weave in and out of their lives.
The first half works some good small bits of material like this into it as it leads us into Hibito gearing up for his test, which has a lot of people observing it in order to see if he’s actually capable of coming back into the program in a full way. There’s some cute moments, such as the PD pug mirror that he gets as a lucky charm with a note in it that helps reassure him. While there aren’t a lot of those there that are big boosters of him since they’re on their own tracks, he gets some good support along the way that helps him remember that he’s not alone in this and that others do want him there. Amusingly, Rolly is the one that is really on hand to help inspire him, which is comical since he’s largely gotten his inspiration from Mutta on how to support him in a way and it’s the usual American trying to inspire in Japanese fashion while not doing it well.
While Hibito does do pretty well for a good chunk of this as the test gets underway, there’s a lot of concern by those on the panel as to whether he’s well enough for active duty, even while questioning whether he really does have a panic disorder. What we see is that Chief Butler has put in a good test to work out the kinks, both to prove to Hibito that he has conquered his issue and to the panel as well. There’s so much investment in astronauts that you can’t toss one aside casually, but you also can’t keep the wrong ones in. Nicely, as he works through this, we also get some fun and cute little bits from his childhood with Mutta that plays up the spacesuit angle that helps to provide that reminder that you know is in the back of his head for how he deals with things. It’s simple but very effective.
In Summary:
While Hibito has been a supporting player the last few episodes, he gets to dominate here as the test gets underway and we see the kinds of challenges that are being thrown at him. The lead-up is nicely done as he does get some support but is largely set to face the trial on his own, which is what should happen. I liked the commentary by the panelists as they hashed out parts of it while Butler sets things up for the real challenge that will make clear whether Hibito is really up for the job or not. It’s a bit drawn out, but it’s also kind of important since it helps to show us what Hibito is struggling with and some of the politics and management aspects of it all as well.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
