Space Brothers Episode 69
What They Say:
To follow his brother Hibito to the moon, Mutta will attempt to become an astronaut at the age of 32. Unaware of his own talent, Mutta chases his dreams to get back in front of his younger brother.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While there’s a lot of background things going on with Mutta when it comes to his concern about Sharon, something that Hibito has managed to help her through with in some ways and to help alleviate some of Mutta’s concerns, Mutta is very much focused on the here and now when it comes to his flight training with Deneil. Learning that Deneil is retiring after finishing with Mutta is still a secret from Mutta, but it makes you appreciate the way he’s working with him so well at this point and that he intends to help Mutta achieve his dream in the way that he can. The two have a bit of a history that goes back to the prior time that Mutta was there in a couple of different ways and the way lives orbit each other in this series continues to be one of the highlights for me.
Mutta is still pretty much being a bit pervy when it comes to his dream girl and it’s comical when they do their underwater training time and we see them in the bulk spacesuits but he gets all stupid and grinning about “swimming” with her and the like. His interest in her continues to be adorable and you really want to see him try and nudge things forward in a tangible manner. But the show likes its small moments and quiet progress, and we see that as the various training exercises go on and even Hibito returns from Japan, making the acknowledgement that he really does feel more at home in America than Japan now. That’s a big moment in a small way but one that really does work well for showing us how he’s changed over the years. Similarly, as we get Deneil going through his last flight mission, we get to partake in his bit of closure as well.
As events do progress, we get to the graduation and certificate side of things for those that have passed, which is a good number of them outside of a few that had to depart the program. For Mutta, it’s a huge moment since he’s not going to be known as just Hibito’s brother, but can now forge his own path as an astronaut as well. These are wonderful little moments as you see them go through the progress, including the photography side of it, as there is just a whole lot of tradition they’re all stepping into. It’s not reverential, but it’s hugely respectful in how they approach it and what it all means, especially for Mutta. Mutta does get some interesting things coming his way though, mixed in with a whole lot of criticism, but the fact he gets slotted as a backup team so quickly is hugely surprising to him and something that changes his course in an instant.
In Summary:
Space Brothers rolls right along here but it makes for some quick and significant changes as it does so. While it could have stretched out events more I’m sure and had some bigger things happen, it moves to the closure of Deneil’s arc as an instructor, pushes the group through graduation and brings Hibito home all before offering Mutta the chance of a lifetime. It’s slow paced yet it feels rushed and I’m not quite sure how to feel about the episode. It does a lot of things right and I’m hesitant to call the rushed aspect wrong since it will open the show to the next phase of progress. But it just feels like certain elements come out of the blue too quickly and without enough pomp and circumstance.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.