Space Brothers - Episode 67

T-38 flight training continues apace for Mutta, but despite his boasts to brother Hibito it seems that he's still struggling to get to grips with the whole thing.

More specifically, Mutta is surprised to find himself struggling with the multitasking required to fly the jet - surprising, given that multitasking is something that he usually finds to be one of his fortes.  This isn't helped by Deneil's incessant chattering in the cockpit, as Mutta's tutor loves nothing more than to spend all of his time quizzing his student on various random and frivolous thing or otherwise engaging in idle banter.  Mutta's mood isn't helped by the fact that all of the other students seem to be having a far easier time behind the stick than he is.

Little does Mutta realise that all of this is part of Deneil's cunning plan - by overloading his student with information at all times, and by pushing their limits with constant aerobatics and the like, individuals who can actually cope with the early rocky days of this overload ultimately come out ahead, just as Deneil promises, finding themselves far more capable of handling the multitude of instruments and thought processes required to fly a jet with mental capacity to spare.  There's a sobering side to the hardships of this training too, in the form of some prospective astronauts who never made it to achieving their dream as accidents at this stage of their progress cost them their lives.

This is another of those instalments of Space Brothers that really serves as a reminder of what this show is so good at - its core tenets are so simple, yet so effective (and indeed affecting) that you're quickly drawn into the trials and tribulations of characters both new and old to the series while watching their progress and personal growth with a sense of satisfaction and fascination that is second to none.  It doesn't always hit the mark, certainly, but episodes like this one deliver in spades, pure and simple.