Manga Review – Planetes Omnibus, Vol 2 by Makoto Yukimura (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Manga/Science Fiction/Seinen
Length: 524 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Release Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1616559229
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Planetes Omnibus series
Source: Birthday Gift
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Mankind has established a base on the Moon and manned missions to Mars, and now prepares to travel further into space than ever before. Fulfilling his lifelong dream of space exploration, young Hachimaki makes the cut for the Von Braun Jupiter mission, forcing him to confront his own limitations beyond the farthest frontier. Back home, his compatriots Fee, Yuri, and Tanabe stare down the United States military, refusing to abandon their mission clearing space debris in the face of a war that threatens to set off the Kessler syndrome, trapping Earth forever behind a wall of deadly space debris!”
Series Info/Source: This is the second omnibus volume in the Planetes series, there are two volumes in this omnibus series. I received this volume as a birthday gift.
Story (5/5): This continues to be a very “day in the life type of” story mainly focused on Hachimaki and Tanabe. We get to see Hachimaki realize his dream of going to Jupiter. We also find out a lot about Tanabe’s history and watch her realize her dream to work in space. We also get to spend time with Fee and other characters. The story was very well done and much more mature than the beginning of the previous omnibus. I really enjoyed it.
Characters (5/5): As mentioned above the story focuses on Tanabe and Hachimaki. We start out learning a lot about Tanabe’s childhood and then get to watch as her and Hachimaki start to form a relationship. We also get to spend quite a bit of time with Fee and her family, which was highly entertaining. I absolutely loved the characters in here, they are so well done and have so much depth.
Setting (5/5): I love the space setting here. This is a fully realized world where living and working in space is just a day to day part of human life. It is complex and beautifully designed and I really loved it!
Writing/Drawing Style (5/5): You can really see how Yukimura has grown as both an artist and a writer over the course of this series. The drawings are much more detailed and polished in this volume. The story seems much more cohesive and well put together. I really enjoyed it all a ton.
My Summary (5/5): Overall this was an amazing continuation and conclusion to the Planetes Omnibus series. This is a very “day in the life” type of manga series but set in the extraordinary setting of space. Illustration and writing were both incredibly well done. I enjoyed the amazing world-building and the characters who had a lot of depth and were easy to relate to. I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in sci-fi manga or a fan of Vinland Saga.
