Planetes: 1-4

[AndrewGPaul]

This is the only anime series I was ever sufficiently interested in to spend money on, so I’m glad Chuck seems to like it.

ISTR Ain’t getting less annoying as the series goes on, but perhaps it’s just that she becomes less of a focus in later episodes.

[Trinary]

This series was looking interesting to me, but the business with Ai and the corpse was a huge turn-off. I really hate characters that smug and self-righteous and that the episode decided to bend things so that it validated her B.S. behavior really annoyed me.

[Mickey_Rat15]

"Dirty Jobs" in Space, where is Mike Rowe?

[CrypticMirror]

This series was looking interesting to me, but the business with Ai and the corpse was a huge turn-off. I really hate characters that smug and self-righteous and that the episode decided to bend things so that it validated her B.S. behavior really annoyed me.

I wonder if there is maybe a Japanese cultural context we might be missing out on, on that. It does seem a little bizarre from a Western cultural position, but I know in Japan they have a lot of beliefs and practices about their shrine buildings which might change how Ai's actions were perceived?

[Kendrakirai]

This series was looking interesting to me, but the business with Ai and the corpse was a huge turn-off. I really hate characters that smug and self-righteous and that the episode decided to bend things so that it validated her B.S. behavior really annoyed me.

I wonder if there is maybe a Japanese cultural context we might be missing out on, on that. It does seem a little bizarre from a Western cultural position, but I know in Japan they have a lot of beliefs and practices about their shrine buildings which might change how Ai's actions were perceived?

Not really. The body is cremated, and put in a family grave, but burials elsewhere - like at sea, or space - while unusual, aren’t really looked down on or anything.

The location of the body isn’t all that important, it’s where the spirit is that matters. Kind of like Klingons, except the body is still treated with respect rather than just dumped into the recycler or something.

So, no, there’s no cultural or religious aspect to Ai’s Self-centered bullcrap, it was just her being emotional about having to make out her will when she’s only in her 20s and forcing her romantic viewpoint of death on others with *completely different* religious beliefs and crapping all over somebody’s own last wishes.

The guy was already dead when he was sent up, too! It’s not like they loaded him into a rocket, still alive, and sent him up to die in the void of space, so why would him SMILING or not matter?? And the picture, what, did they think he pulled it out of his pocket like ‘boy, I wish I could go home to earth’. It was a simple trajectory error that brought his coffin back.

(Incidentally, what madman would actually send up whole intact bodies, in specially made coffins with transparent covers, costing tens of thousands of dollars, minimum, rather than cremated remains in a sealed container for probable *pennies*? Your profit margin is going to be *nil*!

[Beastro]

So, no, there’s no cultural or religious aspect to Ai’s Self-centered bullcrap, it was just her being emotional about having to make out her will when she’s only in her 20s and forcing her romantic viewpoint of death on others with *completely different* religious beliefs and crapping all over somebody’s own last wishes.

I find this show very interesting, but I wouldn't watch it precisely because of her. Her naive idealism goes beyond typical fictional idealism in how arrogantly egocentric it is.

This position more than the others Chuck covered simply boil down to: "This is my position on the matter and it's the right one because it's my position! How could anyone dare disagree with it???"

I mean, this is a character even Janeway would slap for being so self-absorbed in her views.

This series was looking interesting to me, but the business with Ai and the corpse was a huge turn-off. I really hate characters that smug and self-righteous and that the episode decided to bend things so that it validated her B.S. behavior really annoyed me.

The thing with spy sat is worse for me and is blood boiling. The burial is simply that final moment when you realize someone is psychotic after they shocked you by doing something really objectionable.

I have strong issues with pacifism, but I'm willing to try to understand the positions of many, but Ai's mentality is one that makes me think of CS Lewis' quote that pacifists only "help create a world in which there are no pacifists" and that I would eagerly wish to be the one to spare the world her presence by putting the bullet in the back of head myself if she was real.

[SYLOH]

I love this series.
Good thing they really turned down Ai's danger-to-herself-and-others tendencies in later episodes.

Still that Intro.
I feel that Planetes intro sequence is Star Trek: Enterprise's done right.
Here's history of space flight, here's an appropriate song, here's the characters.

[Mecha82]

I have strong issues with pacifism, but I'm willing to try to understand the positions of many, but Ai's mentality is one that makes me think of CS Lewis' quote that pacifists only "help create a world in which there are no pacifists" and that I would eagerly wish to be the one to spare the world her presence by putting the bullet in the back of head myself if she was real.

Personally I don't see anything wrong with pacifism itself. It's good ideal in world that's history is full of wars, bloodshed and cruelty. I do question would you really be willing to commit murder just because some one's way of thinking irks you. I mean I don't see how that would be worth it for being put away behind bars or possibly being executed.

[brokentorpedo]

First with the military satellite, then the dead astronaut's body...
Ai is a Self-centred asshole!

[ORCACommander]

anyone else notice the trigun link is broke and i can not recall chuck actually publishing a trigun review....

and yep Ai is completely insufferable and I am not sure if i even want to watch additional reviews of this show.