Planetes Season 1 Episode 1 Outside the Atmosphere
- October 4, 2003
- 25 min
-
7.6 (103)
Planetes is an anime series that follows the story of a group of space debris collectors in the year 2075. In the first episode titled "Outside the Atmosphere," the audience is introduced to the main characters and their mission.
The show initially sets its premise by highlighting the importance of space travel, explaining how it plays a significant role in the everyday lives of people in the future. The audience is given a brief introduction to the difficulties and challenges of space exploration and how it's a dangerous field that requires bravery and technical prowess.
The episode opens with an introduction to the main character, Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino, who works as a debris collector for a space transport bay. As he performs a spacewalk operation to collect debris, a rookie astronaut, Ai Tanabe, attempts to stop a drifting piece of the satellite that they were supposed to collect from entering the Earth's atmosphere. However, Ai's actions result in the destruction of their collection ship, and she's forced to accept responsibility for the damages she caused.
The episode then shifts to the present time, where Hachimaki is working on a team with Yuri and Fee. They're tasked with retrieving a piece of space junk, which is dangerously close to the Earth's gravitational pull. The mission is a success, but the team's celebration is cut short when a rogue satellite nearly collides with them.
Hachimaki, Yuri, and Fee try to avoid it, but despite their best efforts, their spacecraft is hit, and they begin to lose power. It falls to Hachimaki to try and restore the ship's control systems, and he takes on the task with determination and courage.
As the team's ship spins out of control, Hachimaki tries to restore the power systems to prevent the ship from crashing to the Earth. In the meantime, Yuri and Fee attempt to stabilize the craft. The tension throughout the episode builds as the team faces new challenges at every turn.
The episode concludes with another brief scene of Tanabe, who is still grappling with her guilt for the damage she caused. The show ends with the team's ship barely surviving the incident and Hachimaki realizing how much his job means to him.
Overall, the first episode of Planetes sets a tone of excitement and adventure, highlighting the inherent dangers of outer space and the dedication and bravery required to take on its challenges. It offers an intriguing glimpse into the world of space exploration, introducing complex characters who will potentially evolve over the course of the series.
Without a doubt, this opening episode effectively establishes the show's themes and central characters, laying out a solid foundation for the episodes to come. Fans of science fiction and adventure will undoubtedly find themselves hooked from the start and eager to watch as the series progresses.