Tuesday 28 May 2013

Space Brothers - Episode 59

Having set out its stall last week, our dive into the back stories of Pico and Vincent Bold continue in this week's Space Brothers to teach us an important life lesson.

Put simply, the story of these two characters revolves around their friendship with fellow space-lover Rick - after all of their failures working on homemade rockets, it seems as if the harsh realities of life are about to be brought to bear on them as thoughts of careers and the future loom large.  At least, this is the case for Pico and Bold, whereas Rick refuses to have his dreams cowed - a decision that leads to friction and ultimately a fracturing of this previously close relationship.


Of course, this being anime Rick dies soon afterwards in an accident, leaving Bold and Pico to live with a lifetime of regret, yet simultaneously the realisation that there is no time in life for simply getting by and doing whatever you feel you have to do rather than what you want to do - motivation that ultimately has led them both onto their current paths.

With this evening of drinking and socialising done, it's back to the Comeback Challenge, and even with Azuma about to take over from Hibito on the Moon there's little time for excitement as this challenge offers up an unexpected and potentially hugely problematic issue for Mutta's team.

Overall, I'm a little torn on the flashback which has dominated the past couple of episodes - while I absolutely love the sentiments and philosophy it discusses, it brings them about via a narrative that is a little too heavy-handed for my liking; I'm sure Pico and Bold could still have found their motivation without the death of their friend.  In the grand scheme of things, this is perhaps a minor gripe for a series that absolutely has its heart in the right place, and with a return to the present day it seems as if we can enjoy our fascination with Mutta and his team's current challenge again next week.

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