Space Brothers

This review is done 7 episodes in:

Space Brothers is about a middle aged man trying to get to the moon by becoming an astronaut. It won't be easy, since he has bad luck beside him, and a lot of younger and tougher competitors to become astronauts. Strangely enough I find this tale to be intriguing... and I can't quite figure out why that is. Yet, the show is captivating with the story of how this man could follow his younger brother's path to be an astronaut.

The show's music is very space oriented (as it should be) and is fitting. The animation isn't stellar but it is hard to show off animation in a show that is all about passing exams to be an astronaut and such. The characters are all captivating in how they all have reasons for what they do and some of them you just want to know more about.

Don't let this show slip right by, it is very heartwarming about how you are never too old to try and follow your dream. There may not be any demons or large breasted females fighting over a guy, but that isn't needed... which makes Space Brothers even more captivating. Check it out.

I hope our review will help introduce you to some awesome anime, or help you avoid the more mediocre junk that’s out there! If you don't want to read the written review, you can watch our video review of Space Brothers over here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpjKOBGJux8

When they were young boys, brothers Mutta and Hibito witnessed a UFO and decided that they wanted to go to the stars after it. Flash forward about twenty years, and younger brother Hibito is an astronaut, while older brother Mutta is failing miserably at job hunting. This is the setting for Space Brothers – a twenty volume and counting manga, an ongoing anime (with 56 episodes currently free to view on Crunchyroll.com), and a live action movie.

Donell's Opinion: I love Space Brothers for being different from other slice of life Anime series. You don't have the typical story of following a high school boy or girl and the troubles they face when being a teenager. I'm not saying those stories are bad, it's just with Space Brothers it's a breath of fresh air when watching a new Anime series. The big thing for me is, can I connect to the main characters? I can proudly say, I can! Mutta and Hibito are a type of characters that feel real and genuine. An older brother that wants to be ahead of his younger brother because of his belief on being a great brother, while a younger brother who doesn't care about who comes in first, he just wants to live the dream with his brother by his side. There are funny moments that increase the "like" factor for Mutta and encourages you to root for his dream of being an astronaut.

The pacing for Space Brothers starts off very good, but towards the much later episodes the pacing slows down and the storyline decreases my engagement for the show. The animation is average, sometimes it can look very simple with nothing speical about it, but other times when they focus on Space and the Universe the art direction is breath taking and beautiful. Overall, I would recommend seeing this Anime and experience a story that is new and fresh from your average Anime series. Even though, later down the road after the Moon incident, it slows down, I would still recommend seeing Space Brothers because it will inspire you to reach for your dreams and/or tell you to keep going when things get tough.

Kari's Opinion: The art style is on the simple side (nothing too exaggerated, though not lacking detail) and the color palette is dominated with light colors which matches the domestic feel of the show. Many people seem to really enjoy the show, but personally, it is kind of ok. Animation has limitless potential, so anything this “simple” seems boring to me. Yes, there are exceptions, but that is generally my opinion. I may watch a few more episodes to see if anything new grabs me, but so far, I’m not overly impressed.

If you’ve decided to check the show out, let us know what you think on Neo-Cinema!

Space Brothers truly is a gem. I looked at this anime and was a little hesitant to watch it, but I gave it a shot. Boy, was I glad I did. It is fantastic. When it seemed to get emotional, I got emotional. When it got lighthearted and funny, I lauched. But what made this anime one of the best, besides great fitting music and great storyline, was the characters in my opinion. The way that they acted was so realistic, that I found myself sympathizing throughout the whole anime. Even the most annoying of characters turn out to be truly great people in this series. But enough of that, stop reading this review and watch it, for goodness sake!
10/10

Space Brothers isn't just another slice-of-life it's a Slice-of-Space! An enthralling space story that follows two brothers who manage to become astronauts. Space Brothers draws the viewer in with an attention to detail that borders on obsessive. Character development is achieved through masterfully written dialogue and incredible character design. Each character is highly unique and wonderfully relatable; even those who seem to have only a fleeting presence. Accompanied with fantastic music, a wonderful plot and the stories ability to weave fiction with reality. Space Brothers comes Highly Recommended.

Spacebat Approved

To keep this brief, this anime is very different than any other I've seen. It's a realistic sci-fi anime that takes place in the near future, and it really touches on a lot of things in life: everything from following your dreams to changing how you think about the world. It's both interesting and fun, as well as very humorous too. It's one my favorite animes to watch before going to sleep, because it puts me in a good, relaxed mood. This anime is highly recommended!

Other reviewers have mentioned that the characters are very relatable and easy to identify with. I'd say it's more like the author is the Orson Scott Card of anime, which is to say that you will feel as if the writer has really walked a mile in your shoes. I certainly did. There were moments throughout this series that I could identify with so well it was scary. I'm astonished (and relieved) that something with no gimmicks, special powers or ultra explosions has grabbed and held my attention this way.

The story really locked in for me with the Hoshika character. I have met people like him and we need more of them in this world. His character restored my faith in humanity a bit. For some reason, watching this anime has been like having someone put their hand on my shoulder and say, "dude, I understand, things are going to be fine. All that worrying you're doing; you can stop".

I'd highly recommend this who want to brighten their view of the world or who want to laugh so hard they cry. Sorry Naruto and HunterX, but Space Brothers now has the #1 spot.

Space Brothers is an anime with an original concept. It also manages to keep you on the edge of your seat and keeps you coming for more. I like it’s focus on human relations and personal dreams in a relatively normal setting. On the flip-side of this however is that this is a big part in (a little) to many anime which causes it to come of as rather formulaic as well. You know the stuff, follow your dreams, friendship is very important, etc., etc.. We’ve seen it before. There are plot twists that feel familiar as well.

As far as other negative points are concerned, I think the story doesn’t need a UFO as a motiviation at the beginning of the series. Just wanting to become an astronaut and go into space is enough in my opinion. Another thing is that even though he’s supposed to be smart storywise, the protagonist comes across as rather dumb. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me at times. I’m sure the creators just wanted to make him human and relatable. They just seemed to have gone overboard with this at times. I mean I often felt like I'd feel ashamed if alien visitors would stumble on him in space and take him to be representative of our species. That can’t be good thing. Jokes aside though, Mutta’s a likeable character and I’m sure that many viewers will be able to relate to him.

So, in summary, it’s fun and interesting, although a little too formulaic at times. Also it takes its’ subject matter very seriously to great effect. I don’t know if you’ll like it if you’re not into astronauts and space at all, though. I’d urge you to try it anyway.

What’s most important however is that I’m at episode 18 and as of yet I still can’t stop watching.