Uchuu Kyoudai 宇宙兄弟

2012 spring | Episodes: 99 | Score: 8.5 (54686)

Updated every Sundays at 07:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Yomiuri Telecasting | Trinity Sound

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

On a fateful summer night in 2006, Mutta Nanba and his younger brother Hibito witness what they believe to be a UFO flying toward the Moon. This impressing and unusual phenomenon leads both siblings vowing to become astronauts, with Hibito aiming for the Moon and Mutta, convinced that the eldest brother has to be one step ahead, for Mars. Now an adult, life hasn't turned out how Mutta had pictured it: he is diligently working in an automotive company, whereas Hibito is on his way to be the very first Japanese man to step on the Moon. However, after losing his job, Mutta is presented with an unexpected opportunity to catch up to his younger brother when the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, commonly known as JAXA, accepts his application to participate in the next astronaut selection. Despite self-doubts about his prospects, Mutta is unwilling to waste this chance of a lifetime, and thus embarks on an ambitious journey to fulfill the promise made 19 years ago. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Hirata, Hiroaki

Sawashiro, Miyuki

KENN

Sanpei, Yuuko

News

Reviews

Kewpie2001
07/22/2023, 09:37 PM
Space Brothers is an anime series about two brothers who both dream of becoming astronauts and going to space. The story follows them as they work towards their dream, and it also explores the themes of friendship, determination, and hard work. I think it is a really heartwarming and inspiring series, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an uplifting anime to watch. The series is a really well-made that has a lot of heart, humor, and emotional moments. I enjoyed watching both main characters grow and learn throughout the series, and I like how their journey is not just about goingto space, but also learning life lessons and becoming better person. The story also touches on some interesting scientific topics, and it is really inspiring to watch. All in all, I think it is a great anime series that is worth checking out.
adhi01
08/15/2020, 10:27 PM
First the positive side of things is the anime is very well researched , the amount of work put by the manga author is just incredible. Its amazing to see how realistic these depictions are. If you are not bothered by the story or characters and are just interested in space then this anime is for you. But as for me the anime is painfully average despite having good production and realistic depiction of NASA and how they work and look. The main problem for me lies in the story and character writing, which is way too one dimensional. The premise for the story is great where themain protagonist has his life ruined and is envious of his younger brother of becoming an astronaut. It seems like the main protagonist is very unlucky and has to face problems and every level and gets humiliated in comparison to his brother. But the story tackles his problems in a way to boring manner. He just breezes through his problems as kind of a genius or pure luck. My point being the story isn't realistic at all in terms of the difficulty of being an actual astronaut while trying to be realistic. Even if we keep that aside, the character writing is way too one dimensional and boring to keep this story going. Overall : 5/10 (Average)
Eisigerhauch
11/27/2018, 05:04 AM
Contains minor structural and narrative spoilers; All links used are for educational purpose. The main-error of Uchuu Kyoudai is its state of inconclusion. This series is a journey through the life of two brothers who are much different in appearance but share the same yearning for space, and the fascination for space shared by many. It features a plot derived from contrived storytelling, accurate implementation of nonfictional science (or extrapolating from current technology), and realistic development. If that were all, then it would be unconventional on these merits alone. Uchuu Kyoudai does not rest on a premise of realism, detailed accuracy, and logical progression. It delivers in executionand manages to wave a mundane journey filled with droughts together with lighthearted comedy. The comedy brims with variety. It features everything from referential comedy to Buster Keatonesquece physical comedy. Most of it is well-executed with its highs being the observational comedy and its lows being the running gags in multiple arcs. Arcs are handled carefully and offer enough room to build and reduce the suspension to flow into a coherent style. The pacing throughout the story is phenomenal. Good pacing serves its narrative. Action, as a genre, is conveyed through quick cuts and few descriptions. The merit is a tempo that serves movement and builds excitement. Life is not goal-orientated it always focuses on the very next step/stage. Dreams are ideas that inspire us to move in a particular direction. Sometimes this results in storylines being out of focus. The impact that out of focus storylines have in the world emphasises on the living world that continues to move without the main cast. Main characters change things in the world, but they aren't the centre of the universe. Side characters have, at times, a more predominant influence on current events. This treatment, however, doesn't take away from the stakes and importance of the main cast. The diverse cast of well over 50 characters sparks with interactions, with most of them having some level of backstory and character development. Their fears and motivations make sense and are consistent with their actions. Every further explored character has some character-flaws and comes off as relatable. Character development and events have sequential consequences. The conflicts are relatable and never forced. From not meeting expectations to death of loved ones, it covers the full plethora of conflicts and ties them into an ever progressing overarching narrative. Topics like age-gap romance, anxiety and terminal disease are explored in various arcs and handled with appropriate respect and care. The immense craftsmanship that it put into the arrangement of the story, what Aristotle would call mythos, and details of contraption construction (supervised by NASA and JAXA), has very few contenders. The character design is simple and distinctive, albeit slightly cartoonish to emphasis. Colour palettes amplify the lighthearted aspect without interfering in dramatic moments. The realistic object design and reconstruction of real places stand out and further support the grounded nature of the series. The animation is functional and serves the atmosphere. There are very few exceptional scenes, most of them include the launch of spacecraft, other moving objects or a situation of grave peril. The voice acting and sound design are stellar. Hiroaki Hirata as Mutta delivers goofy comedy antics and drama with seemingly effortless elegance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTwBfMGsfR0 from episode 25 is one of my favourite snippets, showcasing Hiroaki's abilities. The rest of the cast does a good, up to a fantastic job. Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide provided his voice in the 31st episode, recorded and performed from space. Multiple engine sounds and launch sounds were recorded at Tanegashima Space Center, improving viewer immersion. The opening and ending themes change with each course. Most of them are either referential or lighthearted and inspiring - fitting the overall mood of the series without being exceptional for the majority. All of them highlight either interaction or separation of the main cast and their current attitude towards their dream. The one exceptional outliner is the first opening "Feel So Moon" which also has a great music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcNcYk-qYtc The soundtrack itself is good but lacks any innovation at all. It has tried and tested music, traced in the style of major movie productions. The first arc of Uchuu Kyoudai is a character and motivation introduction. It deals with Mutta's reaffirmation of his dreams and introduces one of his main struggles - with anxiety and the fear of failure/meeting expectations. The second arc of Uchuu Kyoudai is a realistic journey through the first two of JAXA's three astronaut-tests. Many characters get introduced, we learn about their dreams, fears, and motivations. Backstories and character development tie in the daily task and hurdles set by JAXA. The answer to the appeal and benefit of space-travel appear naturally woven into JAXA's testing. We see a variety of differently motivated answers, ranging from altruistic to self-interested. At the start line of the journey, nothing gets decided yet. Mutta deals with job hunting and pressure due to his family. An adventure story would likely streamline this, but for a slice of life story, it is imperative. I don't want to spoil further story arcs. Go ahead and experience what the series has to offer!
TheXchidori
08/12/2016, 11:21 AM
"What took a very long time to build takes moments to destroy. But you can always start over." Uchuu Kyoudai is a touching story about two brothers, who aspire to become astronauts and reach the moon as children. Now, years later, older brother Mutta (33) traces his younger brother's footsteps in an attempt to fulfil their seemingly idle dream. STORY: While at first, one may think this anime to be simply about two brothers going to space and doing space stuff, I assure you that it is much more than that. Space Brothers portrays the hardships of life in a very realistic and relatable manner whilst also exploringthe concepts of determination and dreams, teaching the viewer important lessons that can be applied even in the real world. The protagonist of the series is Mutta, the older brother, who— plagued, though inspired, by his younger brother's overshadowing achievements— struggles to cope with the harsh procedure of becoming an astronaut and fulfilling his promise with his younger brother Hibito. Despite his goofy appearance and comedic demeanour, we quickly learn that Mutta is more than he seems, and he often appears to be used as author surrogate at several points of the story. Whilst the story is primarily centred around Mutta, the younger Hibito also plays a major role throughout the show as the deuteragonist of the series. Similar to his older brother, Hibito's careless personality and childish behaviour are often contrasted by his abilities and determination that make him the driving force of the show; his influence on Mutta is evidently significant as a method of moving the show forward and is the initial factor that gives life to the show. Mutta's and Hibito's characterisation is essential in depicting the difficulty of achieving one's dreams and sustaining that dream, whilst also helping to convey what I deem to be the moral of the story: the painfully realistic fact that not everybody is able to achieve their dreams, but, even so, it is never too late to try again. ART: Uchuu Kyoudai's art is not the flashiest of art styles and, at several points, the show appears to have slacked or perhaps been low on budget, though this is unnoticeable to most people and does not affect the performance of the anime. Overall, I believe the art to be decent, though what really stands out is the precision with which some real life places have been illustrated, such as the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Personally, I perceive the show to be one that focuses on the plot and character development, rather than an extravagant art style, an idea that I believe to be axiomatic with the development of the series. SOUND: Similar to the art, the show does not heavily rely on flashy soundtracks, but the music in Uchuu Kyoudai is very fitting and beautiful nonetheless. My personal favourite soundtrack of the series, 'Wasureteita Akogare', is a great example of music that strengthens and aids the building of a mood through its appropriate use, unlike some soundtracks in other anime that are used incorrectly and force an emotion upon the viewer. Likewise, the openings are fitting of the series, and most are comical and enjoyable to watch. Regardless of this, the most significant aspect of sound in an anime is the voice acting, which is greatly implemented in the show. Whilst many may not be familiar with most or any of the voice acting cast, the show does not fail to deliver when it comes to bringing the characters to life, making any viewer love the realistic intonation and likeable voices of the characters. CHARACTER: As mentioned previously, Space Brothers is a show that revolves around character development and its truly masterful plot. Every character has a lot of thought put into them and none of the characters that are significant to the story are left undeveloped. Many of the characters presented have a considerable amount of impact on the story line and some of the characters that may appear insignificant at first are still mentioned and developed in later arcs. When assembled, the 'puzzle' of characters comes together beautifully to build the story. Another way in which the show shines when utilising characters is by often presenting the thoughts and experiences of different characters from their perspective, along with their hardships. This gives the audience an insight into the dreams and emotions of various characters, which has a major impact on the reality presented throughout the series; it gives a voice to the smaller characters, rather than filtering their behaviour through the main character's perception of them. ENJOYMENT: Space Brothers is definitely an enjoyable series. A wonderful plot is presented alongside a massive load of comedic content, making it a delight to watch whether you're looking for great comedy or a heartwarming story. Both of these aspects are greatly executed throughout the show, making it enjoyable to a wider audience. OVERALL: An amazing story that teaches the viewer real-life lessons and immerses the audience into its overwhelmingly inspiring story. Sheer brilliance.
Jordan_Brown
06/17/2016, 09:41 AM
This anime is great up until around episode 21. After that supporting cast members start having their life stories fleshed out. Most of these episodes are quite boring, the motivations provided are often bland and even when they aren't they feel drawn out. Around this point is when the tone becomes an issue. I'm sure most anime veterans are used to the same music being used for every "dramatic" or "inspiring" moment in an anime. Sometimes well, sometimes not but it always feels a bit like the creators are cheating a little to add emotion to a scene that doesn't otherwise earn it. This animetakes that to the next level. By the end of it you will be rolling your eyes every time you hear one of the same three songs played for some inane plot point. This is especially frustrating by the end of 99 episodes. What really creates this issue is the overuse of flashbacks and recaps. It feels like you are being treated like an idiot. Many episodes will recap on content used just 5 minutes prior and most episodes will reuse scenes from earlier in the series. When you reach the three recap episodes in a row this becomes painful. I highly recommend skipping those episodes if you choose to watch this. There are a few plot holes here and there but over all it is an enjoyable anime that is ruined through being dragged out. The main character is interesting, the MC's brother is OK the rest of the cast is OK to good with a few annoying characters that don't really detract from it. If you can find a fan edit or omnibus this would be a great watch. As is it feels like a chore too often. 5/10
Elegence
12/26/2015, 08:44 AM
This anime might not have the prettiest drawings, but if you're looking for an anime with a good story, some comedy, and make you watch over 20 episodes a day, then here it is. (Btw, I'm currently on episode 25) Also my first review.. cause it's just too good... don't want y'all to miss out :) I once again reminded myself "DON'T JUDGE AN ANIME BY IT'S ART" Before I watched this anime, I passed on this anime based on the cover's art. After watch 400+ anime, and running out of stuff to watch, I decided give this anime a try. And I can't believe Ididn't watch this earlier.. anyway.. here's why I give this anime a 10. First it has a unique story, like how many anime talks about astronauts? Second characters, the MC, Mu-chan is not some good looking, rich, strong, young character. He's 31, quite old you might think, but young at heart, and still chases after his dreams. And the other characters you encounter through out the anime, it makes you feel sympathy for them. It's not just throwing in some random people and tossing them out after a few episodes. There's a link between them and Mu-chan. Art, sound, they're not bad.. it's considered an old anime, so the art and sound is quite good. The art isn't flashy or anything which matches well with the slice-of-life genre. Story is great. About two brothers who's going to keep their promise they made when they're kids. There's a nice flow throughout the anime, not much filters or random side-stories in this anime. Enjoyment.. if you want a bit of everything, wanna laugh at times, cry at times, see some romance, sympathy, or whatever it is you're looking for, you'll probably find it in this anime. (No ecchi though.. ok maybe a little? ) I'm not a fan of space, astronauts, aliens, UFO, or any of that, but I found this anime quite enjoyable. So yeah.. Overall I give this a 9. To be honest I'm only on episode 25, which is where I ended on the first day of watching this anime. And I'll watch more after this review. Anyway all I have left to say is.. Don't miss out on such a good anime.. and DON'T BASE AN ANIME BY IT'S ART. Bye bye :)
wsDems
09/10/2015, 04:03 PM
Do you have a dream for your future? If you do, watch "Space Brothers." It is truly inspirational in a unique way. Let me start by stating that this anime is NOT for everyone, despite how amazing and motivating it is. This being said, I believe that everyone has something to gain by experiencing this legendary story. "Space Brothers" is a mature anime, not because of inappropriate content or overly complex scenarios, but because I imagine it would be hard for some younger viewers to connect with the entire complexion of its characters. On the other hand, anyone of any age with a dream for theirfuture – one that brings chills down your spine as you close your eyes and imagine it – will love and benefit from this story. STORY: "Space Brothers" is realistic and simple. It follows the journey of a pair of adult brothers who dreamed of going to space as children. It is renowned for its accuracy in telling the story of an astronaut, and effectively portraying the challenges faced the entire way. Its important to note that the story is only half of what makes "Space Brothers" incredible. The other half is because of the characters and their relationships (which I will discuss in more detail later). While the story is great, its important to note that there is literally zero action. If you are a person who NEEDS action, then maybe this anime isn't for you. I would discourage abandoning the prospect of watching it however, as the action is replaced by a constant emotional tug in all directions! The story makes you FEEL like no other. Why did I rate the story a 9? Well its fantastic, and very little could be done to make it better. That being said, there is a bit of a lull in the middle where they start to use repetitive flashbacks that are not entirely necessary. This does not make the story frustrating to watch, but the time used on those flashbacks would be better used closing up a few elements of the story that I feel go unfinished at the end. Many promises were made and set into motion simply are not addressed by the ending. Due to the nature of the show, the open-ended conclusion works quite well, but I would have appreciated a little more, especially concerning what happens to Hibito. CHARACTERS: In short, the characters make up half of the beauty of this anime. If character development is as essential to you as it is to me in how you regard anime, then look no further: this one is a masterpiece. The characters are amazing. The way "Space Brothers" develops the relationship between Hibito and Mutta is flawless. As an older brother (of a talented brother), I feel that every part of how Mutta feels about his little brother is INCREDIBLY real. Mutta and Hibito are not the only characters that are very fleshed out and developed however. There are many support characters that are important, and each one is explored perfectly over the course of the show. Their relationships with Mutta feel essential to his progress as both an astronaut and a human being. Even the parents, who don't play as large a role as may be expected, are absolutely hilarious and a treat to have present when they show up during the story. PRESENTATION: As for the art, "Space Brothers" does a good job of keeping things very clean and real. A review I read before watching this anime claimed that heredity was well portrayed throughout, and I couldn't agree more! The stylistic choices for characters are great, as they add to both their individuality and realism at the same time. There are neither perfectly sculpted women wearing almost no clothes, nor exaggerated features to emphasize specific personality traits (such as a greedy character being far too fat). Probably the weakest part of the show is the music. It isn't bad, and more importantly, it isn't distracting, but my god it is repetitive. They have like three tracks that they play over and over again. On the other hand, all of the openings/endings were good enough to watch, and I LOVED the 1st OP/3rd OP/3rd End. CONCLUSION: Here's the short version: "Space Brothers" depicts an incredibly difficult journey in an unexpectedly realistic and beautiful way. The characters are developed perfectly in a well-paced manner, and contribute to what I consider to be one of the best stories of character relationships ever shown through the medium. There are few stories that I can empathize with as well as I can with "Space Brothers." In my own personal rating system: Masterpiece **Near Perfect** Enjoyable Sub-Par Do you have a dream for your future? If you do, watch "Space Brothers." It is truly inspirational in a unique way.
ktulu007
09/09/2015, 09:43 AM
Uchuu Kyoudai is an ongoing, award winning manga from Koyama Chuya. From 2012 to 2014 it got an anime adaptation from A-1 pictures. It also had a live action film adaptation that was released shortly after the anime started. I don't really know what to expect from this one so let's dive right into it. Story: The narrative opens in 2025, Nanba Hibito is poised to become the first Japanese astronaut to land on the moon. His older brother, Nanba Mutta, isn't doing so well. He recently lost his job when he head-butt his supervisor for insulting his little brother and he's moved back in with hisparents while looking for a new job. Oddly enough, places seem hesitant to hire a guy who head-butt his supervisor. While Mutta is struggling, his mother, under the advice of Hibito, sends his resume to Jaxa and he finds himself on the list to take the astronaut exam. If he can make it past several tests, he can fulfil his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and, eventually, travelling to space. While that is a compelling premise for a slice of life work, Uchuu Kyoudai does have some narrative problems. The biggest one is definitely the filler. There's a pretty significant amount of time wasted reiterating information they've already given and most of the episodes waste a good thirty seconds with recaps. The series also has a couple of recap episodes, one right after the other. Altogether, that results in a good chunk of time getting wasted. It also hurts the pacing, since it slows things down. The series also inappropriately introduces pseudo-scientific elements. There's a portion where we're randomly introduced to a character who possesses the power to see the future. This isn't just some scam artist, like every person who claims that they can see the future in reality. In the context of the show, she actually can tell the future. Basically, the entire purpose of her having this power is to foreshadow something. There are much better ways to do that. Random psychic powers might work for some pieces of fiction, but they really, distractingly, don't work in a series like this that's heavily grounded in actual science. I will say, it's not a huge plot tumour since it's only used for a brief arc, but it still manages to hurt the series. There are also some unfortunate choices when it comes to the portrayal of black characters that can read as a bit racist. To be fair, none of them seem malicious or deliberate. It's more that it uses some really unfortunate stereotyping. On the positive side, the story itself is really compelling and it has a lot of good moments, both dramatic and comedic. It also manages to constantly, and naturally, introduce new sources of tension. Normally, I would take issue with a series being set this close to present time, but Uchuu Kyoudai actually handles that aspect very well. Most of the technology they have is stuff we have already or slightly modified versions where the alterations are pretty plausible. There is a little bit of new technology that gets introduced and all of it seems pretty conceivable. There's nothing that you see introduced that makes you stop and question how they developed something like that in the near future. The humorous elements largely work pretty well and the blending of drama and humour is effectively done. Koyama knows when to be serious, when to inject a little bit of humour into a serious moment and how to transition from one mood to the other so as not to diminish either. Characters: The characters are, largely, well written. The major, and most of the side, characters get developed and fleshed out enough to have verisimilitude. A lot of them have humorous quirks, but they're not quirks that seem out of place or that get exaggerated to the point of being unbelievable. The interactions are also well handled. The friendship between Mutta and Kenji is pretty stellar. As is the dynamic ’twixt the brothers. Art: The artwork and animation are good. The series has a pretty massive cast of characters and they manage to make all of them look pretty distinctive. The backgrounds and various objects are nicely detailed and the animation is fluid. Really, my only issue is that the series does recycle a lot of scenes. It's almost certainly done to pad the story and not because the animators are lazy, but it still gets annoying seeing the same images time after time. Sound: The performances are all well done. Kenn and Hirata Hiroaki give solid performances as the brothers. Sawashiro Miyuki is a boss in this, taking on multiple roles, Serika, young Mutta, Apo & Fuuka, and making them all sound distinctive. Sure, one of those is a pug but it's still impressive. The music is also pretty solid. Ho-yay: We really don't get any. There's not much romance in the series, and most of it that does appear is pretty under-stated, but all of it we do get is het. Final Thoughts: Uchuu Kyoudai does suffer from some problems. The repeated scenes, random psychic bullshit and unfortunate stereotyping being the big ones. Still, it is an overall entertaining, compelling story. If you have an interest in space exploration from a fairly realistic perspective, you should definitely give it a try. If you're fond of slice of life works and think that following astronauts and their families would make for a good premise, you should also give it a go. My final rating is going to be a 7/10. Next week, I'll move on to the second series of Love Live.
NonaryGames
05/31/2015, 01:32 AM
Space Brothers is one of those shows that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Even if I never happen to re-watch the series, the vast amount of thoughtful analogies, metaphors and quotes throughout the show has left a lasting impression on my psyche. A positive one, if you must ask. A very positive one. First of all, before you begin watching this, you're going to want to know what you're getting yourself into. This is a pretty unique series, as far as anime goes. If you're expecting an epic space adventure, I'm afraid to say that you will be sadly disappointed, asit's a lot more down to Earth than that, no pun intended. Space Brothers is, in a nutshell, a story about never giving up hope, and always striving to achieve your dreams, no matter what life throws at you. It may sound cliché, but it does it so very, very well, and in such a believable, realistic way that got me engrossed from the very first episode. The character development is superb, and it's one of the things this series really shines in. Our main protagonist, Mutta Nanba, is such a great, well-written character, whom was extremely likable right from the first episode. So much so that I had to add him to my "favourite characters" panel after less than 10 episodes into the series. The thing that makes him so likable? He's flawed. Right from the beginning, we see that Mutta hasn't got it easy: He's behind his younger brother whose already become an astronaut, he's unemployed, he's somewhat shy and he's a tad bit eccentric. Of course it's not all gloom and doom, Nanba has just as many positive traits that make for a good, well-rounded character. Not least of which is how great of a big brother he is. Although some jealously is obviously displayed at times, Mutta genuinely seems proud of his younger brother's accomplishments, and supports him greatly right from the outset when we see the brothers as children. A lot of contemporary anime these days tend to feature a protagonist that is often already blessed right from the start. Be it a guy in a harem genre that has a million girls swarming over him for no obvious reason, or a character that is vastly more powerful than those that have been doing the same thing for a much longer time in a Shounen or action anime. Having a character already handicapped from the start is a breathe of fresh air, and it just makes Space Brothers feel all that more realistic and mature. Mutta makes for a very relatable character. Regardless of your age and current life experiences, what Nanba goes through is something we can all sympathise with. We've all had those periods of feeling like we're behind in life, or feeling like we don't compare to our siblings or peers. We feel like we've failed in some kind of way, either to ourselves or to our family when we don't achieve the things we hoped to. And that's where Space Brothers' shining message comes in: "Never give up" What takes place after the first episode is a journey on a very inspiring tale that tells us that no matter how old we are, how behind we are or how many failures we've accumulated, you can still strive to achieve your goals. Speaking of which, one of my favourite quotes from the series is "an earnest failure has meaning." The training required to become an astronaut is presented in a very realistic way. This anime reaches a level of maturity that a lot of animated shows fail to. There isn't much you can fault on the setting or plot, and the characters we are introduced to as the series progresses are all about as well-written as Mutta. I can't really think of a single person in the series that I disliked or found annoying in any kind of way, which is somewhat rare for me. Perhaps my only complaint is that some of the episodes feel like they drag on longer than is necessary. We're not talking boring, standard Shounen filler, but it does feel like this series could have been made shorter, if only they cut out a few unneeded scenes. The ending (which I won't spoil for you) also leaves on somewhat of an unsatisfactory note. Regardless, I had a lot of enjoyment watching this. The comedy was excellent, it had some very thoughtful and inspiring messages, and the cast of characters were incredibly likable. I don't think I've ever watched anything before that was quite so motivating. Ironically, sitting on my backside watching this, often inspired me to get off my backside and try to achieve those dreams I long thought were either lost, or just pipe dreams. The pacing is also relatively slow, which may put off those looking for something more action-packed. But I'd recommend this to just about anyone. Even if astronauts aren't quite your thing, or you're into more the fast-paced, I'd suggest that you at least try out the first couple of episodes and see what you think. You may be pleasantly surprised. This is one of those shows that is so lovable, it's pretty much impossible to hate it, unless you're part-demon.
Ethangon
05/15/2015, 07:13 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction I'd say this anime is one of the best choices I have made. After clicking through websites, I found a top one-hundred list for anime targeted towards a more mature audience. I had recently discovered that I should not judge an anime by the picture or general idea, and if I hadn't... I'm not going to go there. Nanba Mutta, the man who brings the inspiration and beauty of this anime, should leave you smiling episode to episode. In order to watch this, I even suffered through crunchy roll's painful ads. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORY 10/10 As children, Nanba Mutta made a promise to his younger brother,Nanba Hibito, to travel into space. Nanba Mutta strives to be the best older brother he can be. When both brothers were young, Mutta would always push to be one step of his younger brother; however, eventually Mutta lost hold of his dream. Meanwhile, Hibito has become an astronaut chasing after his well earned dream. Given the rare opportunity, Mutta is provided an invitation to audition for the job of his dreams. After motivated by the people around him, Mutta begins his journey to become the older brother he once was. Throughout the anime, the explanations of everything are concise and understandable to even a younger audience while being very interesting towards a mature one. I found the factual details, physics, and overall story to be very clean and believable. CHARACTER 10/10 The characters in this anime are very well developed, and I found myself loving specific parts of every one of them. This characters in this anime should prove motivational and relatable. As astronauts, each of them chase their dreams without giving up. In another anime, I sometimes found the backstory episodes of side characters to be unimportant; therefore, I quickly became uninterested. Space Brothers has beautiful backgrounds that kept me attached to each one of them. I found myself slowly diving into a world where not a moment was wasted-every episode kept my interest peaked and my smile broad. ART 9/10 The simplicity of the art makes this anime beautiful in its own way. While being realistic in certain aspects, it brought an atmosphere that sucked you into the story. My favorite part about the art in every episode was Mutta's beautifully sculpted afro. Nothing is better. SOUND 10/10 I don't often obsess over music throughout an anime, but I believe this anime deserves the rating above. The music perfectly fit the mood and beauty of the anime. Even the months after listening to the music from each episode, I still haven't gotten tired of it. OVERALL 10/10 There isn't a person I wouldn't recommend this anime to. It definitely isn't a genre everyone would be interested in if given a brief explanation. If you give this anime a chance, I believe it could strike the heart of anyone reading this. This anime is beautiful, inspirational, interesting, and funny. Most people can relate to the desire to chase your dreams, but many never do for countless reasons. They become involved in other things, and forget about their dreams because they seem too difficult. I know that's the case for me, and this anime is sure to be the inspiration for many future astronauts of tomorrow. I really wouldn't be surprised if I became an astronaut in the future... (: I personally believe this anime deserves such high marks. Even while I feel people will roll their eyes at my perfect ratings for this, I cannot let this anime be reviewed less than it deserves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you enjoyed my review, please tell me what you loved. This is my first review, so please do criticize it as well. Thank you!
triangulor
05/11/2015, 10:37 AM
Space brothers is about two brothers' journey to space. Its a feel good comedy about reigniting your passions in life and chasing dreams you thought were impossible. Namba Hibito is cool, carefree and about to become the first Japanese person on the moon while his older brother Mutta is down on his luck, having been fired from his job designing automobiles. He gave up on his dreams years ago but a little nudge from his little brother starts him on the journey to realise his childhood dream of joining his brother in space. So first off this is not a show about adventures in space. There isof course some space travel but it is more of a character driven comedy that showcases a lot of training as well as the grueling selection process on the road to becoming an astronaut. But even though that may sound boring it does manage to keep interesting plots happening most of the time, and its a pretty funny show so I think that makes up for it. It has a bit of a lull around the 25 episode mark but if you keep going it ramps up again, it is a very fun series and will make you (in the words of the opening song) feel so good. So as I mentioned this is a character driven show. There are a lot of great characters. I particularly enjoyed the cringeingly awesome parents, and Lowry the American Weeaboo astronaut who is always misusing Japanese phrases but the whole cast is pretty colourful. Our hero Mutta is a loserish 30 something year old with hidden talents. He is the perfect hero for people in their thirties (or late twenties like me) who want to start dreaming again. It is a bit more mature that a lot of the anime out there but still has those awesome Japanese elements I love like a celebration of lofty dreams and the determination and resolve to realise them. As for the art I felt like this wasn't a focus for the creators. The individual pictures are a bit more on the realistic side and while they mostly look ok on their own the animation itself is often stilted and awkward. After a while I stopped noticing it most of the time but every now and then there would be some really awkward movement, for example there is a particular dance scene that looks borderline creepy. But for the most part you are just watching simple animation and it does the job. One negative thing I will say for this show is that although the ending is good it kind of ends in an unsatisfying place. The last episode was exciting and resolved stuff and didn't feel rushed, but you will see when you get there (if you watch it) that it doesn't end where you want it to end. I do sort of hope they start the anime again because even though I liked the ending there were some things I wanted to see happen. This show is incredibly feel good. It has some more real moments but overall its the kind of show that is always a bit warm and fuzzy. They are basically a bunch of lovable space nerds fulfilling their dreams, and triumphing thanks to determination and hard work. So yeah if you are turned off by things that are too happy, or where things work out too well for the cast you might find that annoying. Personally I found it suspended disbelief really well. However it did have the unfortunate side effect of making me wish I was an astronaut. So be warned.
sayan002
05/03/2015, 11:42 AM
Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers) is one of those anime that will leave you glad after having watched it. It is not merely a story of an older sibling having fallen behind, but is much more intriguing. The challenges of realising your dream, working hard to achieve it, finally fulfilling it, and even some of the difficulties that arise for you to sustain it, all of these are beautifully depicted in this anime. Sure, it is almost 100 episodes long; but, by the end of the anime, you would merely treat it as another number. Stunning visuals and voice acting are probably the best aspects of thisanime; you can completely understand the emotions in dialogue. The characters are a joy to watch, and the story itself is decently paced and interesting. If you do decide to give this a watch, you will not be disappointed. I honestly hope there's a continuation, as there are several things that can still be explored with the series.
ChokeBee
02/14/2015, 12:22 PM
I've been a member of MAL for three years now. Since then I haven't done much of a forum crawling, post-making progress; generally I've been using MAL as a place to search for new titles, as, of course, most, if not all of us here, and I didn't contribute to the community around here much. So, why would my first review be for Uchuu Kyoudai? That question should, no, it must be answered. First of all, those of you who are still uncertain as to whether or not should you watch this series, you have to be made aware of what should you expect with Space Brothers. I could ofcourse compare it here to several different in both genre and plot settings animes or mangas, but that won't do - since Uchuu Kyoudai is a hidden gem that doesn't sparkle with flashy cliche invitation. It gives a different kind of vibe, which you can only feel when you're already watching it, and only then does that gem starts to shine - a feeling of mutual appreciation for both the viewer, and the anime itself. While watching more and more episodes, you will start to wonder, how was it possible for this gem to be hidden away for so long from you, and in turn the anime itself will amaze you with how much more it has to offer right till the end. That is of course - if you're into something, that does not need unnecessary panty shots, overpowered main characters with "the chosen one" history to keep itself entertaining. (Not that the above is wrong. Nothing wrong with panty shots, or even overpowering, though, lately its been used so many times, that it's became the biggest cliché of animes, ever.) All of that aside, what is Uchuu Kyoudai, and what should you expect, beside for a promise of a good long show? The anime emphasises heavily on the struggle of a grown 31 y.o. man, who has long lost his resolve to fulfill his childhood dreams, putting them aside as impossile to accomplish. Have you ever looked up to the night sky, and pondered how great it would be to explore the universe, discover new possibilities, and breach what was previously thought impossible? Our main hero, Namba Mutta - a rather undecisive and cowardly character, along with his younger brother, Hibito, sure did. Though, they have put their dreams in different words. As kids, Mutta and Hibito both saw UFO, which, in that moment resulted in younger brother's promise, that one day he'd become an astronaut who would fly to the Moon. Mutta's belief, that "the older brother must always be ahead of the younger," resulted in response, that if Hibito's going to the Moon, then he must reach for the Mars, thus making a promise between themselves, that they would both one day become astronauts. However, years later in 2025 it seemed as if only Hibito was able to fulfill that promise, leaving his older brother behind. Uchuu Kyoudai follows Mutta, as he overcomes many different hardships, such as dozens of body-stress tests and interviews (and we all know, how hard job interviews can be, let alone an astronaut-job one!), and countless of other tests that a normal human being would ran off from. Being a slice of life and a seinen type, this anime also heavily emphasises on the everyday lives of the other individuals, who also dream of becoming astronauts, which also puts Mutta in a situation, where his friends become the enemies. As well as focusing on the main character, you'll be shown the people who work behind the curtain - engineers who create all of the equipment used in space, old timers, who once walked on the Moon's surface, and became jet pilots, despaired drunks who can't get over deaths of their friends, and the crew of the control mission without which a mission wouldn't be possible to do. Constant tests, training, overcoming many obstacles, and rising above the normal people in psychical and mental strength, decision-making and multitasking are one of many traits that an astronaut must have - all of which is exactly and spot-on explained, and shown in a way not many animes can be proud of. With its accurate and realistic approach to how the future space program would look like, even for the people who don't swing into space opera-like genres, Uchuu Kyoudai is, most certainly not only the best anime in sci-fi so far, but also one of the best titles, though at the same time heavily underrated. So, answering to the question as to why did I want to write a review for Uchuu Kyoudai, I'd say, that after 99 episodes of anime, 244 chapters (at the time of writing this), and a drama movie I feel that even though the anime ended well, I should show my appreciation for it with at least this review to show how much I'd like to see the continuation led to the finale. As to my personal score, I think that you already know which number it'll be. 10/10, would watch ten more times.
Kashirou
08/09/2014, 10:25 PM
Uchuu Kyoudai ,this is a anime for the ones who really thinks big and want the sweet taste of success and victory. I would like to tell you that this anime is a life changer, if you are really stressed of how to make things big you gotta see this. Alright, enough of philosophy now coming to the main point , first of all this is not at all a kiddy show this a genuine anime in its genre, it has all the good points like good characters ,amazing plot and most of all amazing character development (you would know when u will watch theshow :p),the art is nice and suits the plot & environment . Also I know that u might back out after seeing the no. of episodes but plz just try & watch it because it's each & every episode is amazing. I would like to mention this that I've got a lot of experience & hell good choice so plz just try to take up my advice and carry on it... If you want a nice time and a break from all supernatural and other genres ,give it a try I would strongly recommend this.
kaeeeeee
06/28/2014, 11:23 AM
This show is a hidden gem. Having always avoided shows with lengthy and seemingly boring settings, I found some extra time on my hands during the summer break. So I decided to use it and pick up the first few episodes of Space Brothers without expecting much. I was immediately proven wrong, thinking again and again that you should truly “never judge a book by its cover”. (I try not to but it still happens. I can’t help it when there are too many choices ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) Story My first thought after reading the synopsis was why the hell are 99 episodes dedicated to these random siblings tryingto go to space. Not to mention the fact that one of them has an afro. Is this entire series a joke? The sci-fi genre with “space” in it is so commonplace that we often associate it with aliens, laser beams blasting out of gigantic humanoid robots, or imperial planetary empires attempting to take over galaxies; we often forget that astronauts/cosmonauts in reality are one of the most dangerous and strenuous professions in the world. As a requirement, all astronauts must be genetically and physically healthy all around, have to dedicate their minds to proficiency levels of engineers, and have to work long hours to maintain the fitness ability of athletes. Even then, only the very few with exceptional abilities are the ones that are accepted as those that are able to go to space. Forget the ridiculous afro for now. This is a truly inspirational journey about the challenges that the siblings overcome to fulfilling a persistent passion (mostly just about the guy with the afro though). Characters It’s always very challenging to express characters realistically in anime but this one has particularly done an outstanding job. The depth of the characters continued to grow and develop throughout the series. The background stories of every character along with the inflections of tones and conversations entwines into their personalities and career pursuits as astronauts or engineers. The mini-stories also added gravity to each character's dedication. Sound La di la di la. Amazing classical music when needed :) Enjoyment Some pretty good comedy alongside the inspiring story of our friendly afro dude. Art The scenes and color are framed well and appropriately montaged, giving decent mis-en-scene. Symbolic coloring and framing or artistically beautiful shots are not the highlight of this show. I would say this has a lot more going for it in the story and character development than anything else. The style of art is “meh” but that is largely subjective. 10/10 Overall a hidden masterpiece.
Hootja
04/25/2014, 04:04 PM
-Summary- Story: 10 Art: 9 Sound: 8 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 10 Overall: 10 -Details-Story: 10 Genres: Drama, Seinen, Slice of Life, Sci-fi, Space As far as slice of life anime go, the pacing of Space Brothers is slightly slower than average. It has a continuous narrative, mostly told from the point of view of one of the two main characters/brothers. The story is slightly non-linear in that there are many juxtapositions of the main characters' past and present experiences. You get to see the main characters when they are about 12 or so and see how those experiences shaped who they are at the present, in their late 20's-early 30's. One of the only things that stuck out to me as negative was that almost every episode opens with one or two minutes of recap, even when it didn't seem necessary. There were also a couple of recap episodes along the way. The story itself is mostly about the process of becoming an astronaut and the setting is earth/NASA for most of the story. A major appeal of this story is seeing the "behind the scenes" aspects of becoming an astronaut, which is something you don't always see in stories about NASA and space. The story seems very realistic and is very character driven. There are moments of comedy and drama sprinkled throughout the story; both the comedy and drama elements are well done and work well. Overall the story is simple and straightforward, and you can easily sit back and enjoy watching the main character work towards becoming an astronaut. Another aspect of this show is that it is set slightly in the future--the main part of the story takes place in the 2020's. Thus there is a bit of a sci-fi element involved in predicting what kind of technology we will have at the time. Overall I think the predictions seem very reasonable and it's actually very cool seeing stuff that we might actually have in the near future. The anime was catching up to the manga at the time it ended. Rather than coming up with some alternate ending, the anime basically just stopped at a point that seemed reasonable to stop. So the ending doesn't really wrap things up like a true ending; it seems like another season could potentially be tagged right onto the end of it in the future. The ending doesn't seem like a negative aspect per se but it will leave you wanting more and hoping for more adaptation of the manga in the future. Art: 9 Studio: A-1 Pictures The art is good and clean, and the style of rendering the characters is realistic. Every character looks unique and is easily identifiable (even by their hair, which the series itself pokes fun at). The quality is fairly consistent throughout the whole series; there are one or two arcs where it gets a little better during more dramatic parts of the series. Overall I would say the art does what it needs to do in order to tell the story effectively. It's not super amazing but it's not bad either. It gets the job done. The openings and endings look good as well. There are times when CGI is used for things like airplanes and rockets. The CGI is done quite well and I think it works well when used and doesn't hinder the effectiveness of any specific scenes. I've never been to NASA but many fans say the backgrounds are rendered very well and very realistically. If you've been to NASA then you might feel like you're there again while watching this show. Things like the rockets and space-suits also look really good. Overall there really isn't anything bad about the animation. Sound: 8 The openings and endings are pretty good--for many fans the first opening theme stands out as a favorite. They capture the mood of the series pretty well. The voice acting was well done and posed no problems. The voices all work well for the realistic setting. There are moments of comedy and when those occur the voice actors do a good job of making it funny as well. There were no stand out negative performances. I think the voice actor of the main character did a particularly good job, which is important for this show since he gets a ton of screen time. I can still remember what he sounds like in my head, and I personally really like his voice. Sounds effects are good. Nothing ever stuck out to me as out of place. They are good enough to aid in the immersion factor. The mood of the OST fits with the show well. There is some good slice of life music. The show itself is also quite inspirational at times and the music usually reinforces that feeling quite well. The OST didn't really have any stand out tracks that I would feel compelled to go listen to for fun. But it's not like there was any terrible music either. One thing which is pretty noticeable is that many of the tracks repeat quite a bit--I think there's even one piece which appears in nearly every episode. This is something you will very likely notice especially if you tend to binge watch shows. It's not a bad track so this isn't necessarily a negative, but I would have liked more variety. Character: 10 This show is meant to be very realistic and the characters end up feeling like real people so that is a big plus. There is no narrator except for recap moments/episodes. Characters in this show are all in their mid 20's or older. No high schools students. Given the name of the series it's not surprising that the two main brothers get the most screen time, and of those two the main character, Mutta, gets by far the most screen time. This story is really all about Mutta trying to grow and become an astronaut while he chases his brother Hibito who is already an astronaut. Mutta is a very likable guy. He starts out a little depressed because he was recently fired from his job, but things start to turn around for him as he begins the process of becoming an astronaut. You gradually learn more about him--why he's qualified to become an astronaut, what his personality is like--and you see him grow in confidence quite a bit. His character development is realistic and you get to see him in all sorts of life situations, like at parties, at home, etc, so you get to learn a lot about him, and personally I got really attached to him and he is one of my favorites characters from anime. I cheered for him every step of the way because he is a genuinely likable and good guy. Hibito is energetic but he also seems a little more reserved, so you don't get to know him as well as Mutta. He is still a likable character though and, at least to me, he felt like a genuine little brother even though career-wise he would be Mutta's "senpai" so I think they got this balance down quite well. Hibito gets two arcs in the spotlight and they are two of my favorite arcs for spoiler-y reasons, so I'll leave it at that. Another important character is the brothers' "aunt" Sharon, who isn't technically their aunt but is like a mother-figure to the boys. She's a well-known astronomer and helped cultivate the boys' enthusiasm for space while they grew up. It's very cool to see scenes from their past and present juxtaposed and how Sharon helped them grow into who they are. Later on Sharon becomes more important to the actual plot of the story as well. The supporting cast includes the brothers' parents and mostly other astronauts. There are many different personalities and they are all quite unique and stand out in my mind. I remember most of them really well and fondly. The diversity of the cast and the skill with which their personalities are crafted and developed are comparable to works of Naoki Urasawa if you happen to be familiar with those works. There isn't really a main antagonist either. Sometimes there are higher-ups in NASA who potentially pose a threat to some astronauts' career advancement but there is no character that everyone is working against or anything. Basically like real life. Enjoyment: 10 / Overall: 10 A big factor in enjoyment is whether or not you tend to like slice-of-life, highly character driven stories. I do so I was all over this, especially since I really like space and science. I think that anyone who can enjoy slice-of-life and has an interest in space or science would definitely like this show, since you get to see a lot of cool "behind the scenes" type things at NASA, as well as some cool space travel. The cast of characters is pretty amazing and I enjoyed spending time with them. This anime can also be inspirational and awe-inspiring, which I really appreciated and enjoyed for myself. I think that this series would be something a non-anime fan could enjoy, but only if they would be okay with something slice-of-life and slower paced. I say this mostly because of how realistic the series is and that there is no anime weirdness and no fanservice, so it is quite accessible. I'm not sure this show has the best re-watch value since it's so long and kind of slow paced. I'm not sure if that will be my final verdict though since I haven't re-watched it yet. I would definitely like to own this show at some point if I am ever able to do so, and overall it's a very memorable show. Details of this show definitely stand out in my mind and left a positive impression on me. Overall I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks this show sounds like something they've enjoyed before.
Rootz
03/23/2014, 04:49 PM
Everyone wanted to be an astronaut someday, that must be the reason they are so praised in our hero-lacking world. In SB we don't have the super powered hero, a beautiful damsel in distress or whatever stereotype we may find in all shows we have nowadays. We have people, complete pessimists, total optimists, worrywart ones and let-it-go ones as well. Each one sometimes strong, sometimes weak. That's what makes SB really appealing as an slice-of-life, its characters. STORY: Someone famous in our world history said once: "I have a dream". Someday, whether we were kids or gramps, we all could answer this quote with "Yeah, me too,I wanna be an astronaut!!!". When a kid, Nanba Mutta wanted to be one, but society had other plans for him and, watching his dream gets farther away while his little brother, Hibito, gets closer to be the first Japanese to step in the moon. His own brother helps Mutta get closer to his dream, and with lots of sweat and tears, Mutta gets accepted into NASA. Anyone reading this must be thinking "ok, another shounen-like anime". You might be right, but as I said, this is not your stereotypical anime, this is one of a kind. What makes this unique is the fidelity it shows...the real life. Mutta is skilled, but skill don't get you anywhere if you are not putting your all into it. He's a pessimist, and almost always look into what he done with bad eyes, while always looking to other ones as "people more apt than me". But he doesn't give up, he keeps trying to get closer to his ideal, the moon (or Mars, as he said in the beginning). If there is any bad thing I can say to the story is that it is slow paced, but all long-term animes are like this. I don't know if the anime follows the manga, for the story sometimes really stops, gives the "filler looks" into it. But most of it is well told, and it couldn't finish in a better spot for a sequel, that I'm looking forward to. ART: Not that much can be said about art, except that a well drawn anime episode cost tons of money, a 24 eps series cost TONS of money. 99 eps? The only thing I can say is that it was well done when it should be, but lacked when it could, flawless in its own flawed way, beautiful huh? But I can give some good points for the opening and ending sequences, mostly all of them were quite well drawn. SOUND: The openings were awesome, I had some doubts about the show when I first looked into it, but that "Feel so mooooon" cast all doubts aside. That was the first time I cried watching an Op (remember that I have a dream stuff? It got me in that spot). If the first Op was awesome, the others that came after weren't any way worse, they did a great job keeping the "I wanna go to the moon" feels, and the ending sequences also gave the vibe of what this anime would be. Not a show for space zealots with lots of space stuff, but for real people fans that like real people stuff (nothing against space zealots, please keep your asteroids in your belts). SB must be quite hard for a seiyuu, 99 eps for starters, and all characters had quite the screen time. If it couldn't get harder, SB had humor, drama, sadness, happiness, anger and everything else. Anyone can scream stuff like a shounen anime, but a sad whisper, that "I'm really happy for you" that makes you think that he's really happy, or that well done laugh, are for the greatest seiyuus. Honorable mention to Hiroaki Hinata, Mutta's seiyuu. I can't remember a show where the MC had so many humor fluctuation. CHARACTER: I never, EVER, rooted for someone as much as I did for Mutta, and for the other characters in a lesser extent. I cried lots because of him (damn you Hiroaki this is embarrassing!) and for other characters, sometimes. But at the same time there were times that I really felt that some characters flashbacks were only for filling the 24 minutes, sometimes quite useless, and I had the feeling that half of the episode was stupid flashbacks that got in the way more than it helped. Again, I don't know if the anime followed the manga, if they really had to fill in stuff as to let the manga get farther in the story, or even if those flashbacks were in the manga (I doubt it) as usually as in the anime. I get the feeling that SB could be made into a 40 or 50 eps show. ENJOYMENT: Hell yeah I did, this show got me hooked up for 2 years (though I really wanted to quit 2 times in the middle of it, for the aforementioned reasons), but it is not the kind of anime that makes you crazy for a rewatch (well, there are 99 eps after all), since it have its good and bad parts in the seasons. Good and bad parts apart, it was quite a nice rollercoaster. OVERALL: 8/10, took some points out of the art and the slow paced story, the rest is great as it is! You should definitely watch it!!! I hope you like this review.
ggultra2764
03/22/2014, 01:43 PM
Space Brothers is focused on the challenges faced by Hibito and Mutta with their involvement in JAXA and NASA with Hibito being a NASA astronaut and Mutta trying to work his way into becoming one with the two having promised to be on a space mission together someday. Being a shounen series with such an optimistic promise between the brothers, you would think this would spin an idealistic take on the two working together to get what they want. However, the series doesn't go this route as the title's first half is mostly focused on Mutta struggling through the evaluation and training stages to bean astronaut, with the second half focusing on Mutta working to get in a position where he could finally earn the right to have a mission while Hibito gets focus on overcoming a panic disorder he sustained during a mission that has effectively sidelined him from future NASA missions. The series has a rather large cast consisting of those part of Hibito and Nanba's personal life, other trainees, instructors, and JAXA and NASA staff. Many of these characters get a good amount of fleshing out for one to know of their backgrounds and what led them to making the decisions that got them their positions with JAXA or NASA, even at possible risk of their lives if they are astronauts. Plus for the most part, the series does believably explore the challenges and preparations that have to be made in training as an astronaut and accounting for all possible scenarios for a mission involving equipment and any hazardous conditions in space. The series takes place in a near-future setting and does believably incorporate future developments that are being considered by NASA such as decommissioning the International Space Station and setting up a research center on the moon. That isn't to say this baby's all perfect with what it offers, with some elements to its storytelling being a double-edged sword. While the slow pacing of the series allows decent buildup of suspenseful moments involving the cast and allowing one to take in developments explored with the cast, it does lead events to drag at points (particularly during one of the stages in Nanba's evaluation and on Hibito's moon mission) and there are a few episodes straight of recap episodes during the middle of the show's run. While the comedy helps to lighten the mood of the title's more serious moments, I found its delivery to be hit or miss at many points of the show which mostly consisted of odd quirks and mannerisms with Nanba and others. Some other general issues I had with the show included some plot developments seeming a bit too convenient to occur and the series lacking a proper ending as a number of lingering plot developments involving the characters of the series are left hanging. Visually, the presentation for the series is decent for what it offers sporting vivid scenery shots and a good amount of diversity in the character designs drawn that sport a decent amount of visual detail. CG animation is used in the rendering of rockets, space stations and other manned devices used by astronauts which do stick out quite prominently from the regular animation and animation shortcuts are employed quite often with still shots and resorting to reused scene shots to conserve on animation budget. Despite what issues I do have to express though, Space Brothers is still a decent watch in its focus on Hibito and Mutta dealing with their issues in aiming to be or making sure they can still be astronauts. With a good amount of depth on its large cast and mostly believable exploration of the technologies and preparations employed for space exploration, this is worth a watch provided you are willing to commit to it for a long haul with its 99 episode length.
xspookydarknessx
02/10/2014, 05:55 PM
At first glance Space Brothers seems to be an anime about two brothers that just go space and do astronaut things, but oh ho, dear reader, it is so much more than that. It is a realistic journey delving into one of the most difficult professions ever conceived by man. Now that the series has concluded [for the time being], a proper review is in order. But first, we better shake hands. STORY: Space Brothers cleverly depicts the pursuits of Mutta and Hibito, converging their storylines at some times and following them separately at others. This structure is beneficial to the flow and progression, and earnstop marks from me. It also uses an intriguing method of linking the past to the present, showing the audience how the brothers' upbringing helps them with the challenges on the path toward fulfilling their dreams. This leads me to the most notable aspect of Space Brothers – its insanely realistic plot. The amount of research that author Koyama Chuuya had to have done is mind-boggling. In fact, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) actually helped out on it, which is noticeable throughout. Plainly stated, you just can't make some of this stuff up! Which brings me to an important question potential viewers always ask: why is it so long?? It takes a lot of time and effort to become an astronaut, and it is quite clearly portrayed in this anime. To condense any of what is shown would be an insult to real astronauts. As a rare "long seinen," I approve. Additionally, it's difficult to NOT be impressed with immense detail that the mangaka put into the setting. For instance, whenever the main characters travel to the United States, American fans are simply blown away by the accuracy of the places illustrated, such as the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Texas. Though I've never been to either of these locations, it almost feels like I've been on a virtual tour, just by watching an anime. This leaves me with the literary brilliance of its themes. As is evident from the title, family plays an important role, and not just the Nanba family; though it is crucial to note that "family" is not limited by blood. Although this is a comedy [and it can be pretty funny at times], it is well balanced by its serious moments. Furthermore, this is an anime about going to space.. which is a very scary place where the consequences of failure are colossal. This anxiety gives the experience an even keener flavor. Of course it deals with moral issues and other difficulties in life as well. Sacrifice and the test of friendship is a prevalent theme as the journey to the top requires leaving many behind – not everyone can be a winner. The anime also tackles psychological and neurological hardships, in addition to exposing the stress put on the families of the astronauts. However, the theme that Space Brothers always comes back to is that hard work and guts [and a lot of luck] will always pay off, even if the immediate results appear unfavorable. ART: Though there isn't very much "action" in this anime, A-1 pictures does a great job in the animation department. Movements are fluid and expressions are believable, to say the least. In terms of art style, Space Brothers uses an interesting blend of intrinsic "anime-ness" along with the natural proportions and appearances of.. well.. real life. Something that caught my eye was the attention to heredity. Characters of the same family tended to look like each other and/or their parents, which is an uncommon trait in anime. It's a nice addition to the realism this seinen provides. Hair is also quite interesting. Each character's hair style/color stays within the bounds of reality while still remaining unique from other shows. Bonus points to Serika's hair for somehow making me smile every time she's on screen. SOUND: Now, I feel this is the weakest part of the show. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, just less so in comparison to its strengths. The music is used to enforce and empower the displayed emotions and elicit the intended feels from the viewer, but the anime reuses the same songs... over and over. I actually made it a game to see how many episodes it could go without playing the same "feel this now" song. I guess you get used to it after a while, but it is worth mentioning. The last third of the anime gets better at diversifying its music. The OPs and EDs are pretty good though, my favorite being ED5, "BEYOND" by Miho Fukuhara [yea, the same Fukuhara that did Brotherhood ED2]. CHARACTER: My favorite part of this anime is the incredible characterization! Practically every character is memorable due to the depth in which each is described. Their motivations and actions logically follow the person that they've become. You can easily fall in love with any number of them, and palpably feel heartbroken if things don't go their way. Viewers with weaker hearts be wary, though I never cried myself, I acknowledge that much of the anime can bring you to tears. There are several instances in which a character's reactions and facial expressions deliver far more emotion than any amount of words could. This attribute alone makes Space Brothers stand out from other anime. Simply put, the entire cast is a rainbow of personality. I don't really want to go much further into detail.. that would ruin the magic! ENJOYMENT: This is a great show, easily one of my favorites. Whenever I found myself in an anime rut, I just sat back and watched a couple episodes. Another thing that's worth noting is that the anime is very inspirational. Seeing Mutta go through so many tribulations gave me hope for my future, and that my efforts in the present will yield fruit down the road. Maybe that's just me though. CONCLUSION (TL;DR): Space Brothers is an excellently constructed anime that combines a heartwarming story with delightful comedy, using realistic characters to show the audience just how difficult it is to become an astronaut. Oh yea, we can end that handshake now.
Kynov
06/25/2013, 09:33 PM
"An older brother must step ahead against his younger brother" - Nanba Mutta. Lately, i haven't found any good anime to watch.. then i meet Uchuu Kyoudai/Space Brother, at the first i was like oh just an average anime which have sci-fi and bla bla bla. since i didnt have any anime to watch, i thought i could try it for just one episode. and then seems like i had learned my lesson. "Dont ever judge anime by its cover, genre, or anything else before you watched it" - Me, after watching this. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORY The story was simple, its about Nanba Mutta as the older brother who had promisedwith his younger brother, Nanba Hibito. to become an Astronaut together. But, then the life changes them. Now, Nanba Hibito is on training for becoming an astronaut and as for the older brother, he is just being fired from his company. And until then Mutta as the older brother have a motto that older brother must take a step ahead against his younger brother, luckily, there was an audition for becoming an astronaut. and so Mutta without hestitate sign for the audition. Simple? yeah... its kinda remembering me about Bakuman. and so, whats make this so special? first of all, is the story itself. like bakuman does, the story was father kinda in slow paced. we're not just gonna see the Nanba Mutta struggle for being an astronaut, but we're gonna see too the flashback about him and her younger brother, boring? I dont think so, since all that flashback was really touching. You cant help to shed your tears (that was what i feel). Well, its not all about melancholic situation, Uchuu Kyodai have great jokes too. Usually when Nanba Mutta mumbling or speak with himself, he always comments on what he feel or what he see. It just feels so natural, you cant help to not to laugh when he does that. and not just that, the detail of the way they tells us about space, NASA, and the outer things was really perfect. when i watching this anime, i cant help myself to google some of the fact in this anime, like "did you know that Moon's sand was so sharp as a shard of glass?" and not just that, the details about space and NASA is really increasing our knowledge about it. CHARACTER Second, the character. what makes appeal me a lot was all of the character in space brother. i am not exaggerating. because in this anime, there isnt any bad guys with a weird reason to do something bad. they're just people like us, who do something for some reason, behind every act they made, they have a reason. I think thats the good point, since as far as i have seen, rarely any anime made this thing (act) so naturally. They're just doing by what they're believe. And what surprise me a lot was the each character have a scene to develop. either by flashback or by their experience. and its kinda lame to said that the story was so slow (because of the flashback), YES its slow but the slow itself because they want to the viewer knows "what kind of character it is?" and surely, to make us, being attracted by the character. ART Third, the art. i am not gonna said to much on this section. but, if you see it carefully, you will see why this anime was so appealing, like how many anime that have a male lead which have an afro hair? then, the draws for the character was well made, yet is so slice of life anime. Not excessive on the background coloring neither the character does. When usually some anime use so many gradient or shading in coloring to make more appealing but not in space brother, they make it simple but yet its charming. Its really the style of Sentai Filmworks SOUND The Last, Sound. honestly, when i heard the opening songs (especially the first OP, "Feel so Moon") i am really attached to it, not just attached it, i realize that the OP was really fit with the anime, its about outer space. not just the first OP, the other OP was really - really well made. Even i had to replay the OP, just for hear the song. The background song or BGM is also perfectly fit with every scenes that appears. Like when there was something amazing happen, "Sora e No Michi" songs plays and its really hyping up the atmosphere and makes the scenes twice more epic! Not just the OP and BGM, the seiyuu voice was really deserves an award. They really fits with each character that being voiced. especially when Nanba Mutta talking to himself or when he sighing about his life, its like they (the seiyuu) really put their feelings into it. Of course not just seiyuu for Nanba Mutta, but all the character. CONCLUSION When everyone focus and talk about Shingeki no Kyojin or any anime that airing in that season, They forgot to bring this anime as topic to be discussed. Oh, poor you Space Brother. But well, honestly i am happy that not many people to know this anime. I can be a hipster! lol Anyway, this anime was still airing. until i write this review, the anime had just airing their 63 episodes but it has been on my top 5 anime,Yeah, so why i had to risk on my top anime place for this airing anime? as for me, its too early for judging anime if you havent watched the whole episodes, but who cares? this anime was awesome. and its enough reason for me to put this on my top anime. if you're looking for a motivational , then you might try this anime... and one message for me, CATCH YOUR DREAM! *Thanks for reading my review! If you found this review was not helpful or doesnt good enough,please message me. I really appreciate any feedbacks*

Uchuu Kyoudai 宇宙兄弟

2012 spring | Episodes: 99 | Score: 8.5 (54686)

Updated every Sundays at 07:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Yomiuri Telecasting | Trinity Sound

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Hirata, Hiroaki

Sawashiro, Miyuki

KENN

Sanpei, Yuuko

News

Reviews

Kewpie2001
07/22/2023, 09:37 PM
Space Brothers is an anime series about two brothers who both dream of becoming astronauts and going to space. The story follows them as they work towards their dream, and it also explores the themes of friendship, determination, and hard work. I think it is a really heartwarming and inspiring series, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an uplifting anime to watch. The series is a really well-made that has a lot of heart, humor, and emotional moments. I enjoyed watching both main characters grow and learn throughout the series, and I like how their journey is not just about goingto space, but also learning life lessons and becoming better person. The story also touches on some interesting scientific topics, and it is really inspiring to watch. All in all, I think it is a great anime series that is worth checking out.
adhi01
08/15/2020, 10:27 PM
First the positive side of things is the anime is very well researched , the amount of work put by the manga author is just incredible. Its amazing to see how realistic these depictions are. If you are not bothered by the story or characters and are just interested in space then this anime is for you. But as for me the anime is painfully average despite having good production and realistic depiction of NASA and how they work and look. The main problem for me lies in the story and character writing, which is way too one dimensional. The premise for the story is great where themain protagonist has his life ruined and is envious of his younger brother of becoming an astronaut. It seems like the main protagonist is very unlucky and has to face problems and every level and gets humiliated in comparison to his brother. But the story tackles his problems in a way to boring manner. He just breezes through his problems as kind of a genius or pure luck. My point being the story isn't realistic at all in terms of the difficulty of being an actual astronaut while trying to be realistic. Even if we keep that aside, the character writing is way too one dimensional and boring to keep this story going. Overall : 5/10 (Average)
Eisigerhauch
11/27/2018, 05:04 AM
Contains minor structural and narrative spoilers; All links used are for educational purpose. The main-error of Uchuu Kyoudai is its state of inconclusion. This series is a journey through the life of two brothers who are much different in appearance but share the same yearning for space, and the fascination for space shared by many. It features a plot derived from contrived storytelling, accurate implementation of nonfictional science (or extrapolating from current technology), and realistic development. If that were all, then it would be unconventional on these merits alone. Uchuu Kyoudai does not rest on a premise of realism, detailed accuracy, and logical progression. It delivers in executionand manages to wave a mundane journey filled with droughts together with lighthearted comedy. The comedy brims with variety. It features everything from referential comedy to Buster Keatonesquece physical comedy. Most of it is well-executed with its highs being the observational comedy and its lows being the running gags in multiple arcs. Arcs are handled carefully and offer enough room to build and reduce the suspension to flow into a coherent style. The pacing throughout the story is phenomenal. Good pacing serves its narrative. Action, as a genre, is conveyed through quick cuts and few descriptions. The merit is a tempo that serves movement and builds excitement. Life is not goal-orientated it always focuses on the very next step/stage. Dreams are ideas that inspire us to move in a particular direction. Sometimes this results in storylines being out of focus. The impact that out of focus storylines have in the world emphasises on the living world that continues to move without the main cast. Main characters change things in the world, but they aren't the centre of the universe. Side characters have, at times, a more predominant influence on current events. This treatment, however, doesn't take away from the stakes and importance of the main cast. The diverse cast of well over 50 characters sparks with interactions, with most of them having some level of backstory and character development. Their fears and motivations make sense and are consistent with their actions. Every further explored character has some character-flaws and comes off as relatable. Character development and events have sequential consequences. The conflicts are relatable and never forced. From not meeting expectations to death of loved ones, it covers the full plethora of conflicts and ties them into an ever progressing overarching narrative. Topics like age-gap romance, anxiety and terminal disease are explored in various arcs and handled with appropriate respect and care. The immense craftsmanship that it put into the arrangement of the story, what Aristotle would call mythos, and details of contraption construction (supervised by NASA and JAXA), has very few contenders. The character design is simple and distinctive, albeit slightly cartoonish to emphasis. Colour palettes amplify the lighthearted aspect without interfering in dramatic moments. The realistic object design and reconstruction of real places stand out and further support the grounded nature of the series. The animation is functional and serves the atmosphere. There are very few exceptional scenes, most of them include the launch of spacecraft, other moving objects or a situation of grave peril. The voice acting and sound design are stellar. Hiroaki Hirata as Mutta delivers goofy comedy antics and drama with seemingly effortless elegance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTwBfMGsfR0 from episode 25 is one of my favourite snippets, showcasing Hiroaki's abilities. The rest of the cast does a good, up to a fantastic job. Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide provided his voice in the 31st episode, recorded and performed from space. Multiple engine sounds and launch sounds were recorded at Tanegashima Space Center, improving viewer immersion. The opening and ending themes change with each course. Most of them are either referential or lighthearted and inspiring - fitting the overall mood of the series without being exceptional for the majority. All of them highlight either interaction or separation of the main cast and their current attitude towards their dream. The one exceptional outliner is the first opening "Feel So Moon" which also has a great music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcNcYk-qYtc The soundtrack itself is good but lacks any innovation at all. It has tried and tested music, traced in the style of major movie productions. The first arc of Uchuu Kyoudai is a character and motivation introduction. It deals with Mutta's reaffirmation of his dreams and introduces one of his main struggles - with anxiety and the fear of failure/meeting expectations. The second arc of Uchuu Kyoudai is a realistic journey through the first two of JAXA's three astronaut-tests. Many characters get introduced, we learn about their dreams, fears, and motivations. Backstories and character development tie in the daily task and hurdles set by JAXA. The answer to the appeal and benefit of space-travel appear naturally woven into JAXA's testing. We see a variety of differently motivated answers, ranging from altruistic to self-interested. At the start line of the journey, nothing gets decided yet. Mutta deals with job hunting and pressure due to his family. An adventure story would likely streamline this, but for a slice of life story, it is imperative. I don't want to spoil further story arcs. Go ahead and experience what the series has to offer!
TheXchidori
08/12/2016, 11:21 AM
"What took a very long time to build takes moments to destroy. But you can always start over." Uchuu Kyoudai is a touching story about two brothers, who aspire to become astronauts and reach the moon as children. Now, years later, older brother Mutta (33) traces his younger brother's footsteps in an attempt to fulfil their seemingly idle dream. STORY: While at first, one may think this anime to be simply about two brothers going to space and doing space stuff, I assure you that it is much more than that. Space Brothers portrays the hardships of life in a very realistic and relatable manner whilst also exploringthe concepts of determination and dreams, teaching the viewer important lessons that can be applied even in the real world. The protagonist of the series is Mutta, the older brother, who— plagued, though inspired, by his younger brother's overshadowing achievements— struggles to cope with the harsh procedure of becoming an astronaut and fulfilling his promise with his younger brother Hibito. Despite his goofy appearance and comedic demeanour, we quickly learn that Mutta is more than he seems, and he often appears to be used as author surrogate at several points of the story. Whilst the story is primarily centred around Mutta, the younger Hibito also plays a major role throughout the show as the deuteragonist of the series. Similar to his older brother, Hibito's careless personality and childish behaviour are often contrasted by his abilities and determination that make him the driving force of the show; his influence on Mutta is evidently significant as a method of moving the show forward and is the initial factor that gives life to the show. Mutta's and Hibito's characterisation is essential in depicting the difficulty of achieving one's dreams and sustaining that dream, whilst also helping to convey what I deem to be the moral of the story: the painfully realistic fact that not everybody is able to achieve their dreams, but, even so, it is never too late to try again. ART: Uchuu Kyoudai's art is not the flashiest of art styles and, at several points, the show appears to have slacked or perhaps been low on budget, though this is unnoticeable to most people and does not affect the performance of the anime. Overall, I believe the art to be decent, though what really stands out is the precision with which some real life places have been illustrated, such as the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Personally, I perceive the show to be one that focuses on the plot and character development, rather than an extravagant art style, an idea that I believe to be axiomatic with the development of the series. SOUND: Similar to the art, the show does not heavily rely on flashy soundtracks, but the music in Uchuu Kyoudai is very fitting and beautiful nonetheless. My personal favourite soundtrack of the series, 'Wasureteita Akogare', is a great example of music that strengthens and aids the building of a mood through its appropriate use, unlike some soundtracks in other anime that are used incorrectly and force an emotion upon the viewer. Likewise, the openings are fitting of the series, and most are comical and enjoyable to watch. Regardless of this, the most significant aspect of sound in an anime is the voice acting, which is greatly implemented in the show. Whilst many may not be familiar with most or any of the voice acting cast, the show does not fail to deliver when it comes to bringing the characters to life, making any viewer love the realistic intonation and likeable voices of the characters. CHARACTER: As mentioned previously, Space Brothers is a show that revolves around character development and its truly masterful plot. Every character has a lot of thought put into them and none of the characters that are significant to the story are left undeveloped. Many of the characters presented have a considerable amount of impact on the story line and some of the characters that may appear insignificant at first are still mentioned and developed in later arcs. When assembled, the 'puzzle' of characters comes together beautifully to build the story. Another way in which the show shines when utilising characters is by often presenting the thoughts and experiences of different characters from their perspective, along with their hardships. This gives the audience an insight into the dreams and emotions of various characters, which has a major impact on the reality presented throughout the series; it gives a voice to the smaller characters, rather than filtering their behaviour through the main character's perception of them. ENJOYMENT: Space Brothers is definitely an enjoyable series. A wonderful plot is presented alongside a massive load of comedic content, making it a delight to watch whether you're looking for great comedy or a heartwarming story. Both of these aspects are greatly executed throughout the show, making it enjoyable to a wider audience. OVERALL: An amazing story that teaches the viewer real-life lessons and immerses the audience into its overwhelmingly inspiring story. Sheer brilliance.
Jordan_Brown
06/17/2016, 09:41 AM
This anime is great up until around episode 21. After that supporting cast members start having their life stories fleshed out. Most of these episodes are quite boring, the motivations provided are often bland and even when they aren't they feel drawn out. Around this point is when the tone becomes an issue. I'm sure most anime veterans are used to the same music being used for every "dramatic" or "inspiring" moment in an anime. Sometimes well, sometimes not but it always feels a bit like the creators are cheating a little to add emotion to a scene that doesn't otherwise earn it. This animetakes that to the next level. By the end of it you will be rolling your eyes every time you hear one of the same three songs played for some inane plot point. This is especially frustrating by the end of 99 episodes. What really creates this issue is the overuse of flashbacks and recaps. It feels like you are being treated like an idiot. Many episodes will recap on content used just 5 minutes prior and most episodes will reuse scenes from earlier in the series. When you reach the three recap episodes in a row this becomes painful. I highly recommend skipping those episodes if you choose to watch this. There are a few plot holes here and there but over all it is an enjoyable anime that is ruined through being dragged out. The main character is interesting, the MC's brother is OK the rest of the cast is OK to good with a few annoying characters that don't really detract from it. If you can find a fan edit or omnibus this would be a great watch. As is it feels like a chore too often. 5/10
Elegence
12/26/2015, 08:44 AM
This anime might not have the prettiest drawings, but if you're looking for an anime with a good story, some comedy, and make you watch over 20 episodes a day, then here it is. (Btw, I'm currently on episode 25) Also my first review.. cause it's just too good... don't want y'all to miss out :) I once again reminded myself "DON'T JUDGE AN ANIME BY IT'S ART" Before I watched this anime, I passed on this anime based on the cover's art. After watch 400+ anime, and running out of stuff to watch, I decided give this anime a try. And I can't believe Ididn't watch this earlier.. anyway.. here's why I give this anime a 10. First it has a unique story, like how many anime talks about astronauts? Second characters, the MC, Mu-chan is not some good looking, rich, strong, young character. He's 31, quite old you might think, but young at heart, and still chases after his dreams. And the other characters you encounter through out the anime, it makes you feel sympathy for them. It's not just throwing in some random people and tossing them out after a few episodes. There's a link between them and Mu-chan. Art, sound, they're not bad.. it's considered an old anime, so the art and sound is quite good. The art isn't flashy or anything which matches well with the slice-of-life genre. Story is great. About two brothers who's going to keep their promise they made when they're kids. There's a nice flow throughout the anime, not much filters or random side-stories in this anime. Enjoyment.. if you want a bit of everything, wanna laugh at times, cry at times, see some romance, sympathy, or whatever it is you're looking for, you'll probably find it in this anime. (No ecchi though.. ok maybe a little? ) I'm not a fan of space, astronauts, aliens, UFO, or any of that, but I found this anime quite enjoyable. So yeah.. Overall I give this a 9. To be honest I'm only on episode 25, which is where I ended on the first day of watching this anime. And I'll watch more after this review. Anyway all I have left to say is.. Don't miss out on such a good anime.. and DON'T BASE AN ANIME BY IT'S ART. Bye bye :)
wsDems
09/10/2015, 04:03 PM
Do you have a dream for your future? If you do, watch "Space Brothers." It is truly inspirational in a unique way. Let me start by stating that this anime is NOT for everyone, despite how amazing and motivating it is. This being said, I believe that everyone has something to gain by experiencing this legendary story. "Space Brothers" is a mature anime, not because of inappropriate content or overly complex scenarios, but because I imagine it would be hard for some younger viewers to connect with the entire complexion of its characters. On the other hand, anyone of any age with a dream for theirfuture – one that brings chills down your spine as you close your eyes and imagine it – will love and benefit from this story. STORY: "Space Brothers" is realistic and simple. It follows the journey of a pair of adult brothers who dreamed of going to space as children. It is renowned for its accuracy in telling the story of an astronaut, and effectively portraying the challenges faced the entire way. Its important to note that the story is only half of what makes "Space Brothers" incredible. The other half is because of the characters and their relationships (which I will discuss in more detail later). While the story is great, its important to note that there is literally zero action. If you are a person who NEEDS action, then maybe this anime isn't for you. I would discourage abandoning the prospect of watching it however, as the action is replaced by a constant emotional tug in all directions! The story makes you FEEL like no other. Why did I rate the story a 9? Well its fantastic, and very little could be done to make it better. That being said, there is a bit of a lull in the middle where they start to use repetitive flashbacks that are not entirely necessary. This does not make the story frustrating to watch, but the time used on those flashbacks would be better used closing up a few elements of the story that I feel go unfinished at the end. Many promises were made and set into motion simply are not addressed by the ending. Due to the nature of the show, the open-ended conclusion works quite well, but I would have appreciated a little more, especially concerning what happens to Hibito. CHARACTERS: In short, the characters make up half of the beauty of this anime. If character development is as essential to you as it is to me in how you regard anime, then look no further: this one is a masterpiece. The characters are amazing. The way "Space Brothers" develops the relationship between Hibito and Mutta is flawless. As an older brother (of a talented brother), I feel that every part of how Mutta feels about his little brother is INCREDIBLY real. Mutta and Hibito are not the only characters that are very fleshed out and developed however. There are many support characters that are important, and each one is explored perfectly over the course of the show. Their relationships with Mutta feel essential to his progress as both an astronaut and a human being. Even the parents, who don't play as large a role as may be expected, are absolutely hilarious and a treat to have present when they show up during the story. PRESENTATION: As for the art, "Space Brothers" does a good job of keeping things very clean and real. A review I read before watching this anime claimed that heredity was well portrayed throughout, and I couldn't agree more! The stylistic choices for characters are great, as they add to both their individuality and realism at the same time. There are neither perfectly sculpted women wearing almost no clothes, nor exaggerated features to emphasize specific personality traits (such as a greedy character being far too fat). Probably the weakest part of the show is the music. It isn't bad, and more importantly, it isn't distracting, but my god it is repetitive. They have like three tracks that they play over and over again. On the other hand, all of the openings/endings were good enough to watch, and I LOVED the 1st OP/3rd OP/3rd End. CONCLUSION: Here's the short version: "Space Brothers" depicts an incredibly difficult journey in an unexpectedly realistic and beautiful way. The characters are developed perfectly in a well-paced manner, and contribute to what I consider to be one of the best stories of character relationships ever shown through the medium. There are few stories that I can empathize with as well as I can with "Space Brothers." In my own personal rating system: Masterpiece **Near Perfect** Enjoyable Sub-Par Do you have a dream for your future? If you do, watch "Space Brothers." It is truly inspirational in a unique way.
ktulu007
09/09/2015, 09:43 AM
Uchuu Kyoudai is an ongoing, award winning manga from Koyama Chuya. From 2012 to 2014 it got an anime adaptation from A-1 pictures. It also had a live action film adaptation that was released shortly after the anime started. I don't really know what to expect from this one so let's dive right into it. Story: The narrative opens in 2025, Nanba Hibito is poised to become the first Japanese astronaut to land on the moon. His older brother, Nanba Mutta, isn't doing so well. He recently lost his job when he head-butt his supervisor for insulting his little brother and he's moved back in with hisparents while looking for a new job. Oddly enough, places seem hesitant to hire a guy who head-butt his supervisor. While Mutta is struggling, his mother, under the advice of Hibito, sends his resume to Jaxa and he finds himself on the list to take the astronaut exam. If he can make it past several tests, he can fulfil his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and, eventually, travelling to space. While that is a compelling premise for a slice of life work, Uchuu Kyoudai does have some narrative problems. The biggest one is definitely the filler. There's a pretty significant amount of time wasted reiterating information they've already given and most of the episodes waste a good thirty seconds with recaps. The series also has a couple of recap episodes, one right after the other. Altogether, that results in a good chunk of time getting wasted. It also hurts the pacing, since it slows things down. The series also inappropriately introduces pseudo-scientific elements. There's a portion where we're randomly introduced to a character who possesses the power to see the future. This isn't just some scam artist, like every person who claims that they can see the future in reality. In the context of the show, she actually can tell the future. Basically, the entire purpose of her having this power is to foreshadow something. There are much better ways to do that. Random psychic powers might work for some pieces of fiction, but they really, distractingly, don't work in a series like this that's heavily grounded in actual science. I will say, it's not a huge plot tumour since it's only used for a brief arc, but it still manages to hurt the series. There are also some unfortunate choices when it comes to the portrayal of black characters that can read as a bit racist. To be fair, none of them seem malicious or deliberate. It's more that it uses some really unfortunate stereotyping. On the positive side, the story itself is really compelling and it has a lot of good moments, both dramatic and comedic. It also manages to constantly, and naturally, introduce new sources of tension. Normally, I would take issue with a series being set this close to present time, but Uchuu Kyoudai actually handles that aspect very well. Most of the technology they have is stuff we have already or slightly modified versions where the alterations are pretty plausible. There is a little bit of new technology that gets introduced and all of it seems pretty conceivable. There's nothing that you see introduced that makes you stop and question how they developed something like that in the near future. The humorous elements largely work pretty well and the blending of drama and humour is effectively done. Koyama knows when to be serious, when to inject a little bit of humour into a serious moment and how to transition from one mood to the other so as not to diminish either. Characters: The characters are, largely, well written. The major, and most of the side, characters get developed and fleshed out enough to have verisimilitude. A lot of them have humorous quirks, but they're not quirks that seem out of place or that get exaggerated to the point of being unbelievable. The interactions are also well handled. The friendship between Mutta and Kenji is pretty stellar. As is the dynamic ’twixt the brothers. Art: The artwork and animation are good. The series has a pretty massive cast of characters and they manage to make all of them look pretty distinctive. The backgrounds and various objects are nicely detailed and the animation is fluid. Really, my only issue is that the series does recycle a lot of scenes. It's almost certainly done to pad the story and not because the animators are lazy, but it still gets annoying seeing the same images time after time. Sound: The performances are all well done. Kenn and Hirata Hiroaki give solid performances as the brothers. Sawashiro Miyuki is a boss in this, taking on multiple roles, Serika, young Mutta, Apo & Fuuka, and making them all sound distinctive. Sure, one of those is a pug but it's still impressive. The music is also pretty solid. Ho-yay: We really don't get any. There's not much romance in the series, and most of it that does appear is pretty under-stated, but all of it we do get is het. Final Thoughts: Uchuu Kyoudai does suffer from some problems. The repeated scenes, random psychic bullshit and unfortunate stereotyping being the big ones. Still, it is an overall entertaining, compelling story. If you have an interest in space exploration from a fairly realistic perspective, you should definitely give it a try. If you're fond of slice of life works and think that following astronauts and their families would make for a good premise, you should also give it a go. My final rating is going to be a 7/10. Next week, I'll move on to the second series of Love Live.
NonaryGames
05/31/2015, 01:32 AM
Space Brothers is one of those shows that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Even if I never happen to re-watch the series, the vast amount of thoughtful analogies, metaphors and quotes throughout the show has left a lasting impression on my psyche. A positive one, if you must ask. A very positive one. First of all, before you begin watching this, you're going to want to know what you're getting yourself into. This is a pretty unique series, as far as anime goes. If you're expecting an epic space adventure, I'm afraid to say that you will be sadly disappointed, asit's a lot more down to Earth than that, no pun intended. Space Brothers is, in a nutshell, a story about never giving up hope, and always striving to achieve your dreams, no matter what life throws at you. It may sound cliché, but it does it so very, very well, and in such a believable, realistic way that got me engrossed from the very first episode. The character development is superb, and it's one of the things this series really shines in. Our main protagonist, Mutta Nanba, is such a great, well-written character, whom was extremely likable right from the first episode. So much so that I had to add him to my "favourite characters" panel after less than 10 episodes into the series. The thing that makes him so likable? He's flawed. Right from the beginning, we see that Mutta hasn't got it easy: He's behind his younger brother whose already become an astronaut, he's unemployed, he's somewhat shy and he's a tad bit eccentric. Of course it's not all gloom and doom, Nanba has just as many positive traits that make for a good, well-rounded character. Not least of which is how great of a big brother he is. Although some jealously is obviously displayed at times, Mutta genuinely seems proud of his younger brother's accomplishments, and supports him greatly right from the outset when we see the brothers as children. A lot of contemporary anime these days tend to feature a protagonist that is often already blessed right from the start. Be it a guy in a harem genre that has a million girls swarming over him for no obvious reason, or a character that is vastly more powerful than those that have been doing the same thing for a much longer time in a Shounen or action anime. Having a character already handicapped from the start is a breathe of fresh air, and it just makes Space Brothers feel all that more realistic and mature. Mutta makes for a very relatable character. Regardless of your age and current life experiences, what Nanba goes through is something we can all sympathise with. We've all had those periods of feeling like we're behind in life, or feeling like we don't compare to our siblings or peers. We feel like we've failed in some kind of way, either to ourselves or to our family when we don't achieve the things we hoped to. And that's where Space Brothers' shining message comes in: "Never give up" What takes place after the first episode is a journey on a very inspiring tale that tells us that no matter how old we are, how behind we are or how many failures we've accumulated, you can still strive to achieve your goals. Speaking of which, one of my favourite quotes from the series is "an earnest failure has meaning." The training required to become an astronaut is presented in a very realistic way. This anime reaches a level of maturity that a lot of animated shows fail to. There isn't much you can fault on the setting or plot, and the characters we are introduced to as the series progresses are all about as well-written as Mutta. I can't really think of a single person in the series that I disliked or found annoying in any kind of way, which is somewhat rare for me. Perhaps my only complaint is that some of the episodes feel like they drag on longer than is necessary. We're not talking boring, standard Shounen filler, but it does feel like this series could have been made shorter, if only they cut out a few unneeded scenes. The ending (which I won't spoil for you) also leaves on somewhat of an unsatisfactory note. Regardless, I had a lot of enjoyment watching this. The comedy was excellent, it had some very thoughtful and inspiring messages, and the cast of characters were incredibly likable. I don't think I've ever watched anything before that was quite so motivating. Ironically, sitting on my backside watching this, often inspired me to get off my backside and try to achieve those dreams I long thought were either lost, or just pipe dreams. The pacing is also relatively slow, which may put off those looking for something more action-packed. But I'd recommend this to just about anyone. Even if astronauts aren't quite your thing, or you're into more the fast-paced, I'd suggest that you at least try out the first couple of episodes and see what you think. You may be pleasantly surprised. This is one of those shows that is so lovable, it's pretty much impossible to hate it, unless you're part-demon.
Ethangon
05/15/2015, 07:13 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction I'd say this anime is one of the best choices I have made. After clicking through websites, I found a top one-hundred list for anime targeted towards a more mature audience. I had recently discovered that I should not judge an anime by the picture or general idea, and if I hadn't... I'm not going to go there. Nanba Mutta, the man who brings the inspiration and beauty of this anime, should leave you smiling episode to episode. In order to watch this, I even suffered through crunchy roll's painful ads. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORY 10/10 As children, Nanba Mutta made a promise to his younger brother,Nanba Hibito, to travel into space. Nanba Mutta strives to be the best older brother he can be. When both brothers were young, Mutta would always push to be one step of his younger brother; however, eventually Mutta lost hold of his dream. Meanwhile, Hibito has become an astronaut chasing after his well earned dream. Given the rare opportunity, Mutta is provided an invitation to audition for the job of his dreams. After motivated by the people around him, Mutta begins his journey to become the older brother he once was. Throughout the anime, the explanations of everything are concise and understandable to even a younger audience while being very interesting towards a mature one. I found the factual details, physics, and overall story to be very clean and believable. CHARACTER 10/10 The characters in this anime are very well developed, and I found myself loving specific parts of every one of them. This characters in this anime should prove motivational and relatable. As astronauts, each of them chase their dreams without giving up. In another anime, I sometimes found the backstory episodes of side characters to be unimportant; therefore, I quickly became uninterested. Space Brothers has beautiful backgrounds that kept me attached to each one of them. I found myself slowly diving into a world where not a moment was wasted-every episode kept my interest peaked and my smile broad. ART 9/10 The simplicity of the art makes this anime beautiful in its own way. While being realistic in certain aspects, it brought an atmosphere that sucked you into the story. My favorite part about the art in every episode was Mutta's beautifully sculpted afro. Nothing is better. SOUND 10/10 I don't often obsess over music throughout an anime, but I believe this anime deserves the rating above. The music perfectly fit the mood and beauty of the anime. Even the months after listening to the music from each episode, I still haven't gotten tired of it. OVERALL 10/10 There isn't a person I wouldn't recommend this anime to. It definitely isn't a genre everyone would be interested in if given a brief explanation. If you give this anime a chance, I believe it could strike the heart of anyone reading this. This anime is beautiful, inspirational, interesting, and funny. Most people can relate to the desire to chase your dreams, but many never do for countless reasons. They become involved in other things, and forget about their dreams because they seem too difficult. I know that's the case for me, and this anime is sure to be the inspiration for many future astronauts of tomorrow. I really wouldn't be surprised if I became an astronaut in the future... (: I personally believe this anime deserves such high marks. Even while I feel people will roll their eyes at my perfect ratings for this, I cannot let this anime be reviewed less than it deserves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you enjoyed my review, please tell me what you loved. This is my first review, so please do criticize it as well. Thank you!
triangulor
05/11/2015, 10:37 AM
Space brothers is about two brothers' journey to space. Its a feel good comedy about reigniting your passions in life and chasing dreams you thought were impossible. Namba Hibito is cool, carefree and about to become the first Japanese person on the moon while his older brother Mutta is down on his luck, having been fired from his job designing automobiles. He gave up on his dreams years ago but a little nudge from his little brother starts him on the journey to realise his childhood dream of joining his brother in space. So first off this is not a show about adventures in space. There isof course some space travel but it is more of a character driven comedy that showcases a lot of training as well as the grueling selection process on the road to becoming an astronaut. But even though that may sound boring it does manage to keep interesting plots happening most of the time, and its a pretty funny show so I think that makes up for it. It has a bit of a lull around the 25 episode mark but if you keep going it ramps up again, it is a very fun series and will make you (in the words of the opening song) feel so good. So as I mentioned this is a character driven show. There are a lot of great characters. I particularly enjoyed the cringeingly awesome parents, and Lowry the American Weeaboo astronaut who is always misusing Japanese phrases but the whole cast is pretty colourful. Our hero Mutta is a loserish 30 something year old with hidden talents. He is the perfect hero for people in their thirties (or late twenties like me) who want to start dreaming again. It is a bit more mature that a lot of the anime out there but still has those awesome Japanese elements I love like a celebration of lofty dreams and the determination and resolve to realise them. As for the art I felt like this wasn't a focus for the creators. The individual pictures are a bit more on the realistic side and while they mostly look ok on their own the animation itself is often stilted and awkward. After a while I stopped noticing it most of the time but every now and then there would be some really awkward movement, for example there is a particular dance scene that looks borderline creepy. But for the most part you are just watching simple animation and it does the job. One negative thing I will say for this show is that although the ending is good it kind of ends in an unsatisfying place. The last episode was exciting and resolved stuff and didn't feel rushed, but you will see when you get there (if you watch it) that it doesn't end where you want it to end. I do sort of hope they start the anime again because even though I liked the ending there were some things I wanted to see happen. This show is incredibly feel good. It has some more real moments but overall its the kind of show that is always a bit warm and fuzzy. They are basically a bunch of lovable space nerds fulfilling their dreams, and triumphing thanks to determination and hard work. So yeah if you are turned off by things that are too happy, or where things work out too well for the cast you might find that annoying. Personally I found it suspended disbelief really well. However it did have the unfortunate side effect of making me wish I was an astronaut. So be warned.
sayan002
05/03/2015, 11:42 AM
Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers) is one of those anime that will leave you glad after having watched it. It is not merely a story of an older sibling having fallen behind, but is much more intriguing. The challenges of realising your dream, working hard to achieve it, finally fulfilling it, and even some of the difficulties that arise for you to sustain it, all of these are beautifully depicted in this anime. Sure, it is almost 100 episodes long; but, by the end of the anime, you would merely treat it as another number. Stunning visuals and voice acting are probably the best aspects of thisanime; you can completely understand the emotions in dialogue. The characters are a joy to watch, and the story itself is decently paced and interesting. If you do decide to give this a watch, you will not be disappointed. I honestly hope there's a continuation, as there are several things that can still be explored with the series.
ChokeBee
02/14/2015, 12:22 PM
I've been a member of MAL for three years now. Since then I haven't done much of a forum crawling, post-making progress; generally I've been using MAL as a place to search for new titles, as, of course, most, if not all of us here, and I didn't contribute to the community around here much. So, why would my first review be for Uchuu Kyoudai? That question should, no, it must be answered. First of all, those of you who are still uncertain as to whether or not should you watch this series, you have to be made aware of what should you expect with Space Brothers. I could ofcourse compare it here to several different in both genre and plot settings animes or mangas, but that won't do - since Uchuu Kyoudai is a hidden gem that doesn't sparkle with flashy cliche invitation. It gives a different kind of vibe, which you can only feel when you're already watching it, and only then does that gem starts to shine - a feeling of mutual appreciation for both the viewer, and the anime itself. While watching more and more episodes, you will start to wonder, how was it possible for this gem to be hidden away for so long from you, and in turn the anime itself will amaze you with how much more it has to offer right till the end. That is of course - if you're into something, that does not need unnecessary panty shots, overpowered main characters with "the chosen one" history to keep itself entertaining. (Not that the above is wrong. Nothing wrong with panty shots, or even overpowering, though, lately its been used so many times, that it's became the biggest cliché of animes, ever.) All of that aside, what is Uchuu Kyoudai, and what should you expect, beside for a promise of a good long show? The anime emphasises heavily on the struggle of a grown 31 y.o. man, who has long lost his resolve to fulfill his childhood dreams, putting them aside as impossile to accomplish. Have you ever looked up to the night sky, and pondered how great it would be to explore the universe, discover new possibilities, and breach what was previously thought impossible? Our main hero, Namba Mutta - a rather undecisive and cowardly character, along with his younger brother, Hibito, sure did. Though, they have put their dreams in different words. As kids, Mutta and Hibito both saw UFO, which, in that moment resulted in younger brother's promise, that one day he'd become an astronaut who would fly to the Moon. Mutta's belief, that "the older brother must always be ahead of the younger," resulted in response, that if Hibito's going to the Moon, then he must reach for the Mars, thus making a promise between themselves, that they would both one day become astronauts. However, years later in 2025 it seemed as if only Hibito was able to fulfill that promise, leaving his older brother behind. Uchuu Kyoudai follows Mutta, as he overcomes many different hardships, such as dozens of body-stress tests and interviews (and we all know, how hard job interviews can be, let alone an astronaut-job one!), and countless of other tests that a normal human being would ran off from. Being a slice of life and a seinen type, this anime also heavily emphasises on the everyday lives of the other individuals, who also dream of becoming astronauts, which also puts Mutta in a situation, where his friends become the enemies. As well as focusing on the main character, you'll be shown the people who work behind the curtain - engineers who create all of the equipment used in space, old timers, who once walked on the Moon's surface, and became jet pilots, despaired drunks who can't get over deaths of their friends, and the crew of the control mission without which a mission wouldn't be possible to do. Constant tests, training, overcoming many obstacles, and rising above the normal people in psychical and mental strength, decision-making and multitasking are one of many traits that an astronaut must have - all of which is exactly and spot-on explained, and shown in a way not many animes can be proud of. With its accurate and realistic approach to how the future space program would look like, even for the people who don't swing into space opera-like genres, Uchuu Kyoudai is, most certainly not only the best anime in sci-fi so far, but also one of the best titles, though at the same time heavily underrated. So, answering to the question as to why did I want to write a review for Uchuu Kyoudai, I'd say, that after 99 episodes of anime, 244 chapters (at the time of writing this), and a drama movie I feel that even though the anime ended well, I should show my appreciation for it with at least this review to show how much I'd like to see the continuation led to the finale. As to my personal score, I think that you already know which number it'll be. 10/10, would watch ten more times.
Kashirou
08/09/2014, 10:25 PM
Uchuu Kyoudai ,this is a anime for the ones who really thinks big and want the sweet taste of success and victory. I would like to tell you that this anime is a life changer, if you are really stressed of how to make things big you gotta see this. Alright, enough of philosophy now coming to the main point , first of all this is not at all a kiddy show this a genuine anime in its genre, it has all the good points like good characters ,amazing plot and most of all amazing character development (you would know when u will watch theshow :p),the art is nice and suits the plot & environment . Also I know that u might back out after seeing the no. of episodes but plz just try & watch it because it's each & every episode is amazing. I would like to mention this that I've got a lot of experience & hell good choice so plz just try to take up my advice and carry on it... If you want a nice time and a break from all supernatural and other genres ,give it a try I would strongly recommend this.
kaeeeeee
06/28/2014, 11:23 AM
This show is a hidden gem. Having always avoided shows with lengthy and seemingly boring settings, I found some extra time on my hands during the summer break. So I decided to use it and pick up the first few episodes of Space Brothers without expecting much. I was immediately proven wrong, thinking again and again that you should truly “never judge a book by its cover”. (I try not to but it still happens. I can’t help it when there are too many choices ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) Story My first thought after reading the synopsis was why the hell are 99 episodes dedicated to these random siblings tryingto go to space. Not to mention the fact that one of them has an afro. Is this entire series a joke? The sci-fi genre with “space” in it is so commonplace that we often associate it with aliens, laser beams blasting out of gigantic humanoid robots, or imperial planetary empires attempting to take over galaxies; we often forget that astronauts/cosmonauts in reality are one of the most dangerous and strenuous professions in the world. As a requirement, all astronauts must be genetically and physically healthy all around, have to dedicate their minds to proficiency levels of engineers, and have to work long hours to maintain the fitness ability of athletes. Even then, only the very few with exceptional abilities are the ones that are accepted as those that are able to go to space. Forget the ridiculous afro for now. This is a truly inspirational journey about the challenges that the siblings overcome to fulfilling a persistent passion (mostly just about the guy with the afro though). Characters It’s always very challenging to express characters realistically in anime but this one has particularly done an outstanding job. The depth of the characters continued to grow and develop throughout the series. The background stories of every character along with the inflections of tones and conversations entwines into their personalities and career pursuits as astronauts or engineers. The mini-stories also added gravity to each character's dedication. Sound La di la di la. Amazing classical music when needed :) Enjoyment Some pretty good comedy alongside the inspiring story of our friendly afro dude. Art The scenes and color are framed well and appropriately montaged, giving decent mis-en-scene. Symbolic coloring and framing or artistically beautiful shots are not the highlight of this show. I would say this has a lot more going for it in the story and character development than anything else. The style of art is “meh” but that is largely subjective. 10/10 Overall a hidden masterpiece.
Hootja
04/25/2014, 04:04 PM
-Summary- Story: 10 Art: 9 Sound: 8 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 10 Overall: 10 -Details-Story: 10 Genres: Drama, Seinen, Slice of Life, Sci-fi, Space As far as slice of life anime go, the pacing of Space Brothers is slightly slower than average. It has a continuous narrative, mostly told from the point of view of one of the two main characters/brothers. The story is slightly non-linear in that there are many juxtapositions of the main characters' past and present experiences. You get to see the main characters when they are about 12 or so and see how those experiences shaped who they are at the present, in their late 20's-early 30's. One of the only things that stuck out to me as negative was that almost every episode opens with one or two minutes of recap, even when it didn't seem necessary. There were also a couple of recap episodes along the way. The story itself is mostly about the process of becoming an astronaut and the setting is earth/NASA for most of the story. A major appeal of this story is seeing the "behind the scenes" aspects of becoming an astronaut, which is something you don't always see in stories about NASA and space. The story seems very realistic and is very character driven. There are moments of comedy and drama sprinkled throughout the story; both the comedy and drama elements are well done and work well. Overall the story is simple and straightforward, and you can easily sit back and enjoy watching the main character work towards becoming an astronaut. Another aspect of this show is that it is set slightly in the future--the main part of the story takes place in the 2020's. Thus there is a bit of a sci-fi element involved in predicting what kind of technology we will have at the time. Overall I think the predictions seem very reasonable and it's actually very cool seeing stuff that we might actually have in the near future. The anime was catching up to the manga at the time it ended. Rather than coming up with some alternate ending, the anime basically just stopped at a point that seemed reasonable to stop. So the ending doesn't really wrap things up like a true ending; it seems like another season could potentially be tagged right onto the end of it in the future. The ending doesn't seem like a negative aspect per se but it will leave you wanting more and hoping for more adaptation of the manga in the future. Art: 9 Studio: A-1 Pictures The art is good and clean, and the style of rendering the characters is realistic. Every character looks unique and is easily identifiable (even by their hair, which the series itself pokes fun at). The quality is fairly consistent throughout the whole series; there are one or two arcs where it gets a little better during more dramatic parts of the series. Overall I would say the art does what it needs to do in order to tell the story effectively. It's not super amazing but it's not bad either. It gets the job done. The openings and endings look good as well. There are times when CGI is used for things like airplanes and rockets. The CGI is done quite well and I think it works well when used and doesn't hinder the effectiveness of any specific scenes. I've never been to NASA but many fans say the backgrounds are rendered very well and very realistically. If you've been to NASA then you might feel like you're there again while watching this show. Things like the rockets and space-suits also look really good. Overall there really isn't anything bad about the animation. Sound: 8 The openings and endings are pretty good--for many fans the first opening theme stands out as a favorite. They capture the mood of the series pretty well. The voice acting was well done and posed no problems. The voices all work well for the realistic setting. There are moments of comedy and when those occur the voice actors do a good job of making it funny as well. There were no stand out negative performances. I think the voice actor of the main character did a particularly good job, which is important for this show since he gets a ton of screen time. I can still remember what he sounds like in my head, and I personally really like his voice. Sounds effects are good. Nothing ever stuck out to me as out of place. They are good enough to aid in the immersion factor. The mood of the OST fits with the show well. There is some good slice of life music. The show itself is also quite inspirational at times and the music usually reinforces that feeling quite well. The OST didn't really have any stand out tracks that I would feel compelled to go listen to for fun. But it's not like there was any terrible music either. One thing which is pretty noticeable is that many of the tracks repeat quite a bit--I think there's even one piece which appears in nearly every episode. This is something you will very likely notice especially if you tend to binge watch shows. It's not a bad track so this isn't necessarily a negative, but I would have liked more variety. Character: 10 This show is meant to be very realistic and the characters end up feeling like real people so that is a big plus. There is no narrator except for recap moments/episodes. Characters in this show are all in their mid 20's or older. No high schools students. Given the name of the series it's not surprising that the two main brothers get the most screen time, and of those two the main character, Mutta, gets by far the most screen time. This story is really all about Mutta trying to grow and become an astronaut while he chases his brother Hibito who is already an astronaut. Mutta is a very likable guy. He starts out a little depressed because he was recently fired from his job, but things start to turn around for him as he begins the process of becoming an astronaut. You gradually learn more about him--why he's qualified to become an astronaut, what his personality is like--and you see him grow in confidence quite a bit. His character development is realistic and you get to see him in all sorts of life situations, like at parties, at home, etc, so you get to learn a lot about him, and personally I got really attached to him and he is one of my favorites characters from anime. I cheered for him every step of the way because he is a genuinely likable and good guy. Hibito is energetic but he also seems a little more reserved, so you don't get to know him as well as Mutta. He is still a likable character though and, at least to me, he felt like a genuine little brother even though career-wise he would be Mutta's "senpai" so I think they got this balance down quite well. Hibito gets two arcs in the spotlight and they are two of my favorite arcs for spoiler-y reasons, so I'll leave it at that. Another important character is the brothers' "aunt" Sharon, who isn't technically their aunt but is like a mother-figure to the boys. She's a well-known astronomer and helped cultivate the boys' enthusiasm for space while they grew up. It's very cool to see scenes from their past and present juxtaposed and how Sharon helped them grow into who they are. Later on Sharon becomes more important to the actual plot of the story as well. The supporting cast includes the brothers' parents and mostly other astronauts. There are many different personalities and they are all quite unique and stand out in my mind. I remember most of them really well and fondly. The diversity of the cast and the skill with which their personalities are crafted and developed are comparable to works of Naoki Urasawa if you happen to be familiar with those works. There isn't really a main antagonist either. Sometimes there are higher-ups in NASA who potentially pose a threat to some astronauts' career advancement but there is no character that everyone is working against or anything. Basically like real life. Enjoyment: 10 / Overall: 10 A big factor in enjoyment is whether or not you tend to like slice-of-life, highly character driven stories. I do so I was all over this, especially since I really like space and science. I think that anyone who can enjoy slice-of-life and has an interest in space or science would definitely like this show, since you get to see a lot of cool "behind the scenes" type things at NASA, as well as some cool space travel. The cast of characters is pretty amazing and I enjoyed spending time with them. This anime can also be inspirational and awe-inspiring, which I really appreciated and enjoyed for myself. I think that this series would be something a non-anime fan could enjoy, but only if they would be okay with something slice-of-life and slower paced. I say this mostly because of how realistic the series is and that there is no anime weirdness and no fanservice, so it is quite accessible. I'm not sure this show has the best re-watch value since it's so long and kind of slow paced. I'm not sure if that will be my final verdict though since I haven't re-watched it yet. I would definitely like to own this show at some point if I am ever able to do so, and overall it's a very memorable show. Details of this show definitely stand out in my mind and left a positive impression on me. Overall I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks this show sounds like something they've enjoyed before.
Rootz
03/23/2014, 04:49 PM
Everyone wanted to be an astronaut someday, that must be the reason they are so praised in our hero-lacking world. In SB we don't have the super powered hero, a beautiful damsel in distress or whatever stereotype we may find in all shows we have nowadays. We have people, complete pessimists, total optimists, worrywart ones and let-it-go ones as well. Each one sometimes strong, sometimes weak. That's what makes SB really appealing as an slice-of-life, its characters. STORY: Someone famous in our world history said once: "I have a dream". Someday, whether we were kids or gramps, we all could answer this quote with "Yeah, me too,I wanna be an astronaut!!!". When a kid, Nanba Mutta wanted to be one, but society had other plans for him and, watching his dream gets farther away while his little brother, Hibito, gets closer to be the first Japanese to step in the moon. His own brother helps Mutta get closer to his dream, and with lots of sweat and tears, Mutta gets accepted into NASA. Anyone reading this must be thinking "ok, another shounen-like anime". You might be right, but as I said, this is not your stereotypical anime, this is one of a kind. What makes this unique is the fidelity it shows...the real life. Mutta is skilled, but skill don't get you anywhere if you are not putting your all into it. He's a pessimist, and almost always look into what he done with bad eyes, while always looking to other ones as "people more apt than me". But he doesn't give up, he keeps trying to get closer to his ideal, the moon (or Mars, as he said in the beginning). If there is any bad thing I can say to the story is that it is slow paced, but all long-term animes are like this. I don't know if the anime follows the manga, for the story sometimes really stops, gives the "filler looks" into it. But most of it is well told, and it couldn't finish in a better spot for a sequel, that I'm looking forward to. ART: Not that much can be said about art, except that a well drawn anime episode cost tons of money, a 24 eps series cost TONS of money. 99 eps? The only thing I can say is that it was well done when it should be, but lacked when it could, flawless in its own flawed way, beautiful huh? But I can give some good points for the opening and ending sequences, mostly all of them were quite well drawn. SOUND: The openings were awesome, I had some doubts about the show when I first looked into it, but that "Feel so mooooon" cast all doubts aside. That was the first time I cried watching an Op (remember that I have a dream stuff? It got me in that spot). If the first Op was awesome, the others that came after weren't any way worse, they did a great job keeping the "I wanna go to the moon" feels, and the ending sequences also gave the vibe of what this anime would be. Not a show for space zealots with lots of space stuff, but for real people fans that like real people stuff (nothing against space zealots, please keep your asteroids in your belts). SB must be quite hard for a seiyuu, 99 eps for starters, and all characters had quite the screen time. If it couldn't get harder, SB had humor, drama, sadness, happiness, anger and everything else. Anyone can scream stuff like a shounen anime, but a sad whisper, that "I'm really happy for you" that makes you think that he's really happy, or that well done laugh, are for the greatest seiyuus. Honorable mention to Hiroaki Hinata, Mutta's seiyuu. I can't remember a show where the MC had so many humor fluctuation. CHARACTER: I never, EVER, rooted for someone as much as I did for Mutta, and for the other characters in a lesser extent. I cried lots because of him (damn you Hiroaki this is embarrassing!) and for other characters, sometimes. But at the same time there were times that I really felt that some characters flashbacks were only for filling the 24 minutes, sometimes quite useless, and I had the feeling that half of the episode was stupid flashbacks that got in the way more than it helped. Again, I don't know if the anime followed the manga, if they really had to fill in stuff as to let the manga get farther in the story, or even if those flashbacks were in the manga (I doubt it) as usually as in the anime. I get the feeling that SB could be made into a 40 or 50 eps show. ENJOYMENT: Hell yeah I did, this show got me hooked up for 2 years (though I really wanted to quit 2 times in the middle of it, for the aforementioned reasons), but it is not the kind of anime that makes you crazy for a rewatch (well, there are 99 eps after all), since it have its good and bad parts in the seasons. Good and bad parts apart, it was quite a nice rollercoaster. OVERALL: 8/10, took some points out of the art and the slow paced story, the rest is great as it is! You should definitely watch it!!! I hope you like this review.
ggultra2764
03/22/2014, 01:43 PM
Space Brothers is focused on the challenges faced by Hibito and Mutta with their involvement in JAXA and NASA with Hibito being a NASA astronaut and Mutta trying to work his way into becoming one with the two having promised to be on a space mission together someday. Being a shounen series with such an optimistic promise between the brothers, you would think this would spin an idealistic take on the two working together to get what they want. However, the series doesn't go this route as the title's first half is mostly focused on Mutta struggling through the evaluation and training stages to bean astronaut, with the second half focusing on Mutta working to get in a position where he could finally earn the right to have a mission while Hibito gets focus on overcoming a panic disorder he sustained during a mission that has effectively sidelined him from future NASA missions. The series has a rather large cast consisting of those part of Hibito and Nanba's personal life, other trainees, instructors, and JAXA and NASA staff. Many of these characters get a good amount of fleshing out for one to know of their backgrounds and what led them to making the decisions that got them their positions with JAXA or NASA, even at possible risk of their lives if they are astronauts. Plus for the most part, the series does believably explore the challenges and preparations that have to be made in training as an astronaut and accounting for all possible scenarios for a mission involving equipment and any hazardous conditions in space. The series takes place in a near-future setting and does believably incorporate future developments that are being considered by NASA such as decommissioning the International Space Station and setting up a research center on the moon. That isn't to say this baby's all perfect with what it offers, with some elements to its storytelling being a double-edged sword. While the slow pacing of the series allows decent buildup of suspenseful moments involving the cast and allowing one to take in developments explored with the cast, it does lead events to drag at points (particularly during one of the stages in Nanba's evaluation and on Hibito's moon mission) and there are a few episodes straight of recap episodes during the middle of the show's run. While the comedy helps to lighten the mood of the title's more serious moments, I found its delivery to be hit or miss at many points of the show which mostly consisted of odd quirks and mannerisms with Nanba and others. Some other general issues I had with the show included some plot developments seeming a bit too convenient to occur and the series lacking a proper ending as a number of lingering plot developments involving the characters of the series are left hanging. Visually, the presentation for the series is decent for what it offers sporting vivid scenery shots and a good amount of diversity in the character designs drawn that sport a decent amount of visual detail. CG animation is used in the rendering of rockets, space stations and other manned devices used by astronauts which do stick out quite prominently from the regular animation and animation shortcuts are employed quite often with still shots and resorting to reused scene shots to conserve on animation budget. Despite what issues I do have to express though, Space Brothers is still a decent watch in its focus on Hibito and Mutta dealing with their issues in aiming to be or making sure they can still be astronauts. With a good amount of depth on its large cast and mostly believable exploration of the technologies and preparations employed for space exploration, this is worth a watch provided you are willing to commit to it for a long haul with its 99 episode length.
xspookydarknessx
02/10/2014, 05:55 PM
At first glance Space Brothers seems to be an anime about two brothers that just go space and do astronaut things, but oh ho, dear reader, it is so much more than that. It is a realistic journey delving into one of the most difficult professions ever conceived by man. Now that the series has concluded [for the time being], a proper review is in order. But first, we better shake hands. STORY: Space Brothers cleverly depicts the pursuits of Mutta and Hibito, converging their storylines at some times and following them separately at others. This structure is beneficial to the flow and progression, and earnstop marks from me. It also uses an intriguing method of linking the past to the present, showing the audience how the brothers' upbringing helps them with the challenges on the path toward fulfilling their dreams. This leads me to the most notable aspect of Space Brothers – its insanely realistic plot. The amount of research that author Koyama Chuuya had to have done is mind-boggling. In fact, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) actually helped out on it, which is noticeable throughout. Plainly stated, you just can't make some of this stuff up! Which brings me to an important question potential viewers always ask: why is it so long?? It takes a lot of time and effort to become an astronaut, and it is quite clearly portrayed in this anime. To condense any of what is shown would be an insult to real astronauts. As a rare "long seinen," I approve. Additionally, it's difficult to NOT be impressed with immense detail that the mangaka put into the setting. For instance, whenever the main characters travel to the United States, American fans are simply blown away by the accuracy of the places illustrated, such as the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Texas. Though I've never been to either of these locations, it almost feels like I've been on a virtual tour, just by watching an anime. This leaves me with the literary brilliance of its themes. As is evident from the title, family plays an important role, and not just the Nanba family; though it is crucial to note that "family" is not limited by blood. Although this is a comedy [and it can be pretty funny at times], it is well balanced by its serious moments. Furthermore, this is an anime about going to space.. which is a very scary place where the consequences of failure are colossal. This anxiety gives the experience an even keener flavor. Of course it deals with moral issues and other difficulties in life as well. Sacrifice and the test of friendship is a prevalent theme as the journey to the top requires leaving many behind – not everyone can be a winner. The anime also tackles psychological and neurological hardships, in addition to exposing the stress put on the families of the astronauts. However, the theme that Space Brothers always comes back to is that hard work and guts [and a lot of luck] will always pay off, even if the immediate results appear unfavorable. ART: Though there isn't very much "action" in this anime, A-1 pictures does a great job in the animation department. Movements are fluid and expressions are believable, to say the least. In terms of art style, Space Brothers uses an interesting blend of intrinsic "anime-ness" along with the natural proportions and appearances of.. well.. real life. Something that caught my eye was the attention to heredity. Characters of the same family tended to look like each other and/or their parents, which is an uncommon trait in anime. It's a nice addition to the realism this seinen provides. Hair is also quite interesting. Each character's hair style/color stays within the bounds of reality while still remaining unique from other shows. Bonus points to Serika's hair for somehow making me smile every time she's on screen. SOUND: Now, I feel this is the weakest part of the show. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, just less so in comparison to its strengths. The music is used to enforce and empower the displayed emotions and elicit the intended feels from the viewer, but the anime reuses the same songs... over and over. I actually made it a game to see how many episodes it could go without playing the same "feel this now" song. I guess you get used to it after a while, but it is worth mentioning. The last third of the anime gets better at diversifying its music. The OPs and EDs are pretty good though, my favorite being ED5, "BEYOND" by Miho Fukuhara [yea, the same Fukuhara that did Brotherhood ED2]. CHARACTER: My favorite part of this anime is the incredible characterization! Practically every character is memorable due to the depth in which each is described. Their motivations and actions logically follow the person that they've become. You can easily fall in love with any number of them, and palpably feel heartbroken if things don't go their way. Viewers with weaker hearts be wary, though I never cried myself, I acknowledge that much of the anime can bring you to tears. There are several instances in which a character's reactions and facial expressions deliver far more emotion than any amount of words could. This attribute alone makes Space Brothers stand out from other anime. Simply put, the entire cast is a rainbow of personality. I don't really want to go much further into detail.. that would ruin the magic! ENJOYMENT: This is a great show, easily one of my favorites. Whenever I found myself in an anime rut, I just sat back and watched a couple episodes. Another thing that's worth noting is that the anime is very inspirational. Seeing Mutta go through so many tribulations gave me hope for my future, and that my efforts in the present will yield fruit down the road. Maybe that's just me though. CONCLUSION (TL;DR): Space Brothers is an excellently constructed anime that combines a heartwarming story with delightful comedy, using realistic characters to show the audience just how difficult it is to become an astronaut. Oh yea, we can end that handshake now.
Kynov
06/25/2013, 09:33 PM
"An older brother must step ahead against his younger brother" - Nanba Mutta. Lately, i haven't found any good anime to watch.. then i meet Uchuu Kyoudai/Space Brother, at the first i was like oh just an average anime which have sci-fi and bla bla bla. since i didnt have any anime to watch, i thought i could try it for just one episode. and then seems like i had learned my lesson. "Dont ever judge anime by its cover, genre, or anything else before you watched it" - Me, after watching this. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORY The story was simple, its about Nanba Mutta as the older brother who had promisedwith his younger brother, Nanba Hibito. to become an Astronaut together. But, then the life changes them. Now, Nanba Hibito is on training for becoming an astronaut and as for the older brother, he is just being fired from his company. And until then Mutta as the older brother have a motto that older brother must take a step ahead against his younger brother, luckily, there was an audition for becoming an astronaut. and so Mutta without hestitate sign for the audition. Simple? yeah... its kinda remembering me about Bakuman. and so, whats make this so special? first of all, is the story itself. like bakuman does, the story was father kinda in slow paced. we're not just gonna see the Nanba Mutta struggle for being an astronaut, but we're gonna see too the flashback about him and her younger brother, boring? I dont think so, since all that flashback was really touching. You cant help to shed your tears (that was what i feel). Well, its not all about melancholic situation, Uchuu Kyodai have great jokes too. Usually when Nanba Mutta mumbling or speak with himself, he always comments on what he feel or what he see. It just feels so natural, you cant help to not to laugh when he does that. and not just that, the detail of the way they tells us about space, NASA, and the outer things was really perfect. when i watching this anime, i cant help myself to google some of the fact in this anime, like "did you know that Moon's sand was so sharp as a shard of glass?" and not just that, the details about space and NASA is really increasing our knowledge about it. CHARACTER Second, the character. what makes appeal me a lot was all of the character in space brother. i am not exaggerating. because in this anime, there isnt any bad guys with a weird reason to do something bad. they're just people like us, who do something for some reason, behind every act they made, they have a reason. I think thats the good point, since as far as i have seen, rarely any anime made this thing (act) so naturally. They're just doing by what they're believe. And what surprise me a lot was the each character have a scene to develop. either by flashback or by their experience. and its kinda lame to said that the story was so slow (because of the flashback), YES its slow but the slow itself because they want to the viewer knows "what kind of character it is?" and surely, to make us, being attracted by the character. ART Third, the art. i am not gonna said to much on this section. but, if you see it carefully, you will see why this anime was so appealing, like how many anime that have a male lead which have an afro hair? then, the draws for the character was well made, yet is so slice of life anime. Not excessive on the background coloring neither the character does. When usually some anime use so many gradient or shading in coloring to make more appealing but not in space brother, they make it simple but yet its charming. Its really the style of Sentai Filmworks SOUND The Last, Sound. honestly, when i heard the opening songs (especially the first OP, "Feel so Moon") i am really attached to it, not just attached it, i realize that the OP was really fit with the anime, its about outer space. not just the first OP, the other OP was really - really well made. Even i had to replay the OP, just for hear the song. The background song or BGM is also perfectly fit with every scenes that appears. Like when there was something amazing happen, "Sora e No Michi" songs plays and its really hyping up the atmosphere and makes the scenes twice more epic! Not just the OP and BGM, the seiyuu voice was really deserves an award. They really fits with each character that being voiced. especially when Nanba Mutta talking to himself or when he sighing about his life, its like they (the seiyuu) really put their feelings into it. Of course not just seiyuu for Nanba Mutta, but all the character. CONCLUSION When everyone focus and talk about Shingeki no Kyojin or any anime that airing in that season, They forgot to bring this anime as topic to be discussed. Oh, poor you Space Brother. But well, honestly i am happy that not many people to know this anime. I can be a hipster! lol Anyway, this anime was still airing. until i write this review, the anime had just airing their 63 episodes but it has been on my top 5 anime,Yeah, so why i had to risk on my top anime place for this airing anime? as for me, its too early for judging anime if you havent watched the whole episodes, but who cares? this anime was awesome. and its enough reason for me to put this on my top anime. if you're looking for a motivational , then you might try this anime... and one message for me, CATCH YOUR DREAM! *Thanks for reading my review! If you found this review was not helpful or doesnt good enough,please message me. I really appreciate any feedbacks*

Uchuu Kyoudai 宇宙兄弟

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Uchuu Kyoudai 宇宙兄弟

North American Anime & Manga Releases for April

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News Briefs for Mar 3 - 9

News Briefs for Feb 3 - 9

Animated Movie for 'Uchuu Kyoudai' Announced for Summer 2014

Sentai Filmworks Announcements at Anime Expo

Crunchyroll Announces Spring 2012 Simulcasts

TV Anime of Manga 'Uchuu Kyoudai' Announced