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REVIEW: Space Brothers Episodes 27-38 Streaming


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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:40 am Reply with quote
Hmm, let me see.

First off, that repetitive score, which has worn out its welcome so thoroughly I can see the Earth's mantle.

Secondly, and following on with our repetitive theme, the recycling of animation (especially during the cold open) to pad out episodes is getting extremely grating.

Thirdly, the plot is stretched out far too long. This is a very difficult show to watch weekly, because so little happens each episode.

Fourthly, some glaring mistakes in the realism. Apparently lift-off causes the astronauts to need critical medical attention, the ignition timing was wrong, and the Solid Rocket Boosters and first stage were left attached far too long into the spaceflight.

Fifthly, Serika is still totally appealing.

Sixthly, somehow this show, despite its flaws, still has me hooked on it like a junkie is hooked on their drugs. Space Brothers is basically crack. No matter what my backlog is looking like, whenever a new episode is available I immediately watch it.

Yeah, that sums up the main points.
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jymmy



Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:30 am Reply with quote
Pacing is generally my one biggest problem with series - while I'll read the newest seventeen mediocre pages of Naruto each week, I gave up watching the anime because it bored me to tears even when I was a kid and still actually liked Naruto - but when the product is as good as Space Brothers I can let it slide. While today I would laugh and give up after the second episode of Goku fighting Freeza and getting exactly nowhere, the three episodes of Hibito in Oxygen Trouble kept me glued to the screen the whole time. It's playing a damn dangerous game but, repetitive score aside, is always the right side of slow-as-all-hell. Serika's phone call episode would have made or broken (the idiom I now find doesn't work as well in the conditional past perfect) the arc for me, but it was so excellent I was won over again.

It's a bit cheesy, a bit saccharine, very almost too slow, but damn I love this show.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:33 am Reply with quote
I'd argue that it's better you only have 1 episode a week to watch, I cannot fathom marathoning Space Brothers and keeping any level of excitement going for more than an episode or two at a time.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2632
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:50 am Reply with quote
I am not saying the series is perfect and yes it can be very slow at times but we don't often get such heartfelt stories with adult characters. And although not everything space wise about the series might be realistic, I think the feelings of the characters definitely are. No I have never tried to be an astronaut but as an adult I can't tell you how many times this series has resonated with me. Personally I think the series strengths outweigh its flaws.

This series now has an unknown episode count, normally I would drop a series at that point but I just can't say goodbye to Space Brothers.

And also I love Serika.
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Alunimus



Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 117
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:09 am Reply with quote
Meh, it's still best show of the season for me.

Oh, and the last couple of episodes were very awesome, intense and unlike anything we saw in the series so far.
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
Posts: 4210
Location: Towson, Maryland
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:32 am Reply with quote
It basically has the pacing of a long running battle shonen, especially since its going to go 50+ episodes now. Thats what happens when you have a long runner.. I'd rather take that then have the show end in like 26 episodes.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:38 am Reply with quote
^
I'd rather have a brilliant show of twenty-six episodes than a stretched-out repetitive creatively poor show of fifty.
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:43 am Reply with quote
Well its just an advertisement for the manga anyway, which has become one of the top 5 selling manga since the anime started. Its in their best interest to keep it going for as long as possible to keep the manga sales high.

Plus its timeslot forces it to be a year run at least, and they wouldn't have been able to boost the manga sales the way they have if it was airing late night. And now with its timeslot being moved next to Conan in the Spring, I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Thats about as good of a timeslot as you can get for an anime.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:02 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
^
I'd rather have a brilliant show of twenty-six episodes than a stretched-out repetitive creatively poor show of fifty.


I agree with you in theory and actually I expect this show to last longer than 50 episodes at this point.

But I don't think this is a stretched out repetitive creatively-poor show at all. While I won't argue that at times the series can feel a bit slow (although certainly not with the latest Hibito episodes) I also think the longer format of this series allows ample room for the type of character development that you don't see in shorter formats. Also with what Mutta is trying to accomplish, it does take time. This is again something better portrayed in a longer series. We are going on a journey with Mutta and the other characters and well it is a long journey. Honestly I think it is all how you use your format. But Space Brothers is certainly not your average long battle shounen series which just feels like it is ongoing for the sake of it. I think my only real complaint is when they dragged out the exam results.

And sure for the Japanese we can say they can always read the manga but for us international fans who may not have access to the manga, sometimes I am glad when a series decides to animate as much of the manga as possible.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:13 am Reply with quote
@RyanSaotome:

Yes, I know that. But I don't read any Manga, I watch Anime. And as a fan of Anime, I want the shows to be as good as possible. You act like it's impossible to promote the Manga while still making a good show. But the two aren't exclusive.

I am reminded of what the Anime staffers behind Polar Bear Cafe did. Specifically, where they created Anime-original content. Not filler, but actually expanding characters and rewriting things to allow for more stories to be told. Yes yes, I realise it is much easier to do that in a largely episodic Comedy series than in a serialised Drama. However, I then point you to Seirei no Moribito, which turned a slim novel into a twenty-six-episode series by the same process.

I fully accept that Space Brothers has to be on air, because it is so profitable in terms of increased Manga sales. But it doesn't have to be a poorly-paced adaptation; there are options available to staff. Certainly I'd like to see Space Brothers get a higher budget, which should be a cinch if it is so successful. First on the list; hiring a composer to come up with some new music for it.

----------

@Maidenoftheredhand:

While I very much enjoy how the series can sit back and enjoy the quieter moments, to soak in the atmosphere/tone being exuded, I definitely believe that it has been massively dragging its heels. From the recaps to how every shot is shown for a bit too long to how the show is now permanently stuck in first gear, it just wants to move at the slowest possible pace. Other shows cover years - decades, even - of a person's life in just a couple of cours without suffering for it. And yes, there has been lots of character development, but they went overboard on it. Sounds strange to say but in this case it's true. Every scrap of development and every theme and every parallel between the brothers (or between one of the brothers and someone else) is hammered incessantly in like nails to the brain. I'm all for developing characters and expanding on themes and whatnot, don't get me wrong. But even by the episode that something is introduced it has gotten old, such is the mindless repetition that elements are brought up.

I will say this though; Space Brothers is the first Anime to ever make me regret not taking up the sciences at university and applying to NASA to become an astronaut. The show really does invoke a sense of wonder about space and humanity's potential for it. Too bad it also invokes frustration at how repetitive and badly paced it is.


Last edited by dtm42 on Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:28 am; edited 1 time in total
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:14 am Reply with quote
The only other options instead of being poorly paced is filler arcs... And I dunno, I prefer shows like One Piece that focus on just the canon stuff while stretching it out over a Naruto which adds constant filler arcs.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:34 am Reply with quote
^
One Piece has filler arcs too. They're short, yes, but they're there.

Once again you seem to be ignoring the other ways to adapt an Anime. It's not a binary "do this" or "do that" situation; there are options. The problem is, hiring someone to write Anime-only canonity (as opposed to pure filler) means spending money. Of course, as I said in my previous post, money should not be much of an issue. The show has increased Manga sales by a significant margin, and it's not like they're spending much money in the first place on animation and music.
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
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Location: Towson, Maryland
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:38 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
^
One Piece has filler arcs too. They're short, yes, but they're there.

Once again you seem to be ignoring the other ways to adapt an Anime. It's not a binary "do this" or "do that" situation; there are options. The problem is, hiring someone to write Anime-only canonity (as opposed to pure filler) means spending money. Of course, as I said in my previous post, money should not be much of an issue. The show has increased Manga sales by a significant margin, and it's not like they're spending much money in the first place on animation and music.


What you want is still filler. Anything thats not part of the original source material is filler. Theres different quality levels of filler, but it doesn't change what it is.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:56 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:

While I very much enjoy how the series can sit back and enjoy the quieter moments, to soak in the atmosphere/tone being exuded, I definitely believe that it has been massively dragging its heels. From the recaps to how every shot is shown for a bit too long to how the show is now permanently stuck in first gear, it just wants to move at the slowest possible pace. Other shows cover years - decades, even - of a person's life in just a couple of cours without suffering for it. And yes, there has been lots of character development, but they went overboard on it. Sounds strange to say but in this case it's true. Every scrap of development and every theme and every parallel between the brothers (or between one of the brothers and someone else) is hammered incessantly in like nails to the brain. I'm all for developing characters and expanding on themes and whatnot, don't get me wrong. But even by the episode that something is introduced it has gotten old, such is the mindless repetition that elements are brought up.


I agree with you in some respects, yes the series can be a bit too slow at certain points. But I disagree with others.

I actually think the fact that they are not skipping ahead years at a time is one of the series strengths (and who knows perhaps they will skip ahead a bit later). But I think we are really feeling what it takes to become an astronaut. I am personally enjoying the journey we are taking with the characters.

So while I might feel certain moments/scenes are too slow & dragged out, I don't feel this way about the overall story.
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seiichi-san



Joined: 20 Apr 2011
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Here is my spin on this series. I love it and I really don't mind the pace. I'm not a film geek and so the things that would bug someone like that don't stick out to me. I think any normal anime consumer will enjoy this show, especially since it has adults in it and just not the normal kids in high school theme. It is not a fighting show, it's not a romance comedy, and there are no magical girls in it. It is a nice dependable drama with a good mix of comedy.

This is my opinion of course and I will watch it to the end. There are many times it gets me crying, but I an older anime fan so what I find enjoyable is different that other people, so if anyone hasn't seen this show and is thinking of checking it out. I would personally recommend it. I would give it higher ratings, but I will repeat again I'm just average consumer sucked in the story. I really don't care if it realistic. I love the characters and where the story is going.
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