What They Say:
Hibito manages to bring Damian back to the surface by using Gibson, but he’s running out of time as his oxygen supply dwindles. Will Freddy and Buddy find him in time?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Hibito having managed to use his wits pretty well to get things going when it comes to saving Damian, he’s utilized what was available to him in a good way and is on the move. Rather than juts sit somewhere and wait to be rescued, which is what most people would do in this situation, he intends to keep moving and do what he can to close the gap between where he is and where the potential rescue could be. Using Gibson definitely makes things a whole lot easier, but there are also dangers to it as the stress and exhaustion of the whole experience is getting to him and mistakes are starting to be made, which could cost both of their lives.
While Mutta hasn’t had a lot to do with this arc, something I’ve rather liked since he was so central for so long, we do get some good bits with him here. With his long history with his brother, we do see that there have been worrying moments over his life with him and the family and understanding why Mutta is taking it in stride, at least a little, is made clearer here since they’ve dealt with things of this nature before, just not to this degree. The flashback also adds a nice bit of lightness to the episode in the middle of some fairly serious material as things are getting worse and worse for Damian. Even Buddy and Freddy have a bit of levity in their ride out to save them s Freddy questions whether Buddy believes the pair are on the move after being scared into action by seeing some silvery aliens. It’s a cute joke to be sure but is one that has Buddy playing it rather straight.
The journey from the ravine to the surface has a fair number of problems along the way and seeing the science behind it and the understanding of the situation that Hibito has makes it fairly exciting since they do play it largely realistically. With so much of it taking place in the ravine, getting to the surface definitely feels like the significant change that it should be, but one that’s just as tense because of the oxygen supply that’s left. What’s surprising though is what Hibito does when he knows there’s just a little time left for himself. With the thought that the end is pretty much here, he goes on a walk on the moon by himself after protecting Damian so that he can just enjoy the utter beauty and majesty of it all, choosing the way that he wants to die. It has an intriguing little twist to it as it goes on here, including answering something that has been there since the start of the lunar arc, making for a very good sequence overall.
In Summary:
Space Brothers continues on the lunar arc really well here, though it doesn’t bring the story to completion just yet. Things are getting closer though because of the efforts of Hibito, who is down to his final minutes of oxygen and his life. With the heavy focus on what’s going on with Hibito and Damian, largely told from Hibito’s perspective, we get a pretty good survival story unfolding here in one of the harshest elements for man to deal with. The challenges are well laid out, the quirks are definitely appropriate and you can feel the tension rising pretty well with it, though you have that bit in the back of your head that you know he’ll be rescued at the last second. The show also brings in a number of other characters, either on earth or through flashbacks, that helps to flesh the story out more and add more nuance to it in a really engaging way. The show may feel like it’s dragging in some instances with this, but it’s painting a great picture of just how problematic all of this really is.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
