Makoto Yukimura
Planetes

Feeling empty.

I think it must have happened to everyone, losing sight of everything. As if someone had pressed an invisible reset button. After all, what is really important in the world? And why are you here? You have already asked yourself the question. Every human being has asked it since walking the earth, in any time, in any nation. Answers have obviously been formulated by the billions. If one wants to give credit to the "very weak" ideology thesis, we might even say that every mind has a valid answer, and as for me, that's exactly what I think. All and none. The same question must surely have been asked by Yukimura-san while admiring space. That cold, dark, and dead expanse of nothingness. Now, I don't exactly remember his words on the cover notes, and I somewhat pity myself for it. Yet the answer Yukimura gives to these questions in the work is so understandable and clear even after just one reading that it might be considered oversimplified: but what answer wouldn't be, since everyone sees life differently? But let's proceed in order.

"Planetes," it's better to clarify well to put some unfortunate reader at ease, is a manga divided into four volumes, exactly a Seinen. Far from me to explain manga classifications (and after all, anyone with preconceived notions certainly won't read further), I will simply say that Seinen generally refers to a work appreciable even by an adult audience, often characterized by considerable attention to the protagonists' psyche. In reality, how truly adult this work is, I wouldn't know, considering it's conceived in a world, the Japanese one, so different from ours that it possibly contemplates different meanings of "adult." And obviously, I'm not interested. Yet, it also surprised me that from such a heavy philosophical narrative premise, which is the existential disorientation of the main protagonist, Hachimaki Hoshino, the author arrives at such a damned ending... well, you will judge. But let's turn to the plot: the beginning of the story shows us the life and work of a group of space garbage collectors, who perform the (poorly paid, even in space) task of cleaning Earth's orbit by collecting the so-called "space debris," space junk. As it unfolds, the plot will better focus on various characters, developing different subplots to the extent the limited number of volumes might allow.

It doesn't seem very exciting, does it? Yet it's true, Planetes doesn't really have a true plot, and its major flaw lies precisely in wanting to tell and tackle various themes within 4 "measly" volumes (actually, they're hefty volumes, especially the last one). In the end, everything feels compressed in a sometimes clumsy or contrived manner, which is a pity, because otherwise (I wouldn't be here talking about it otherwise) Makoto Yukimura borders on perfection, both formal and substantive. Planetes gets inside you because, beyond the narrative uncertainties, it has a great message to convey, and it does so with such meticulousness for details that it's hard not to be amazed. It's no coincidence if you can find various sources on the web comparing this work to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," such is the scientific and visual rigor, such is the passion that exudes from every glimpse, every ship, suit, and space gadget.

But it's mainly its profound content, beyond the mere narrative presentation, that is unsettling. Faced with such immense, empty space, with which all characters must reckon, the protagonists discover themselves to be so small and insignificant yet at the same time so human that it's almost impossible not to feel a sense of identification with someone, or to be moved by some particular subplot. The immense void, almost palpable in the dark pages, spares no one, leaves no character indifferent whether they are a protagonist or a supporting character because in it, as will be shown multiple times, one can easily get lost, and this is why each "actor" will have their own very personal motivation to act, their personal values which they will never forsake and will remain consistent until struck by what Joyce would call an "epiphany," a recurring motif in practically all stories. The space we will visit (by the author's own admission) will thus not only be external but above all "internal," that belonging to each character, each of whom is portrayed in a completely peculiar way, and the unfolding of various "adventures" will almost always be based on the man-space dichotomy, on man's need to reflect on himself, encouraged by that all-encompassing immensity. Therefore, the most disparate situations are examined: space eco-terrorism, anomie, exaltation, existential crises, nostalgia, disillusionment about the world, God, and man, even love is framed in this perspective thanks to the character of Ai Tanabe, another protagonist. And since I've written even too much, I leave you with Ai's words ("love" in Japanese), who will ultimately be the cause of that damned ending... I'll let you decide, as you probably have had a better love life than mine. But in the end, I guess she too has her reasons to say:

"Space is too vast for one person alone."

PS: An anime of Planetes has been made which is miraculously as beautiful as, if not even more than, the work from which it's derived (being more extended and thus not suffering from "compression"). I therefore recommend everyone to watch it; the space loses a bit of charm but the narrative becomes more definitive. I am reviewing the manga anyway because I read that first. Several times. And it left something inside me that was worth having for 17 euros.

PPS: Makoto Yukimura is currently working on a pseudo-historical work about Vikings. Just for completeness. I bought that too; it came out this month (for posterity, 2/2010)