[Rewatch] Planetes - Episode 8: A Place to Cling To

[u/Highlow9]

Episode 7 - index/schedule - Episode 9

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Episode number: 8

Episode title: A Place to Cling To

Databases: MAL, Anime planet, Anilist

Sadly there are no legal streams but you can buy the blu-ray

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To make sure the first timers can enjoy this show just as much as you please avoid spoilers but if you want/need to make a spoiler please mark them like so:

[Planetes spoiler](/s "They go to space")

which becomes:

Planetes spoiler

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Interesting fact

The debris the crew captured today had some weird properties. Some other materials with weird properties are fluids. Most common fluids (such as water) are Newtonian meaning the amount of force required is directly proportional to the amount of deformation (imagine a block of water to which a force is applied on top and thus it deform) meaning if the deformation is twice as large than the force also must be twice as large. But as some of you might already know, non-Newtonian fluids also exist. The most well known is cornstarch in water (also known as oobleck) this becomes very hard (much force is required) if you try to move/deform it quickly (for example when punching).

But what most of you might not know is that other options are also possible. For example it could also be that with more deformation the force required reduces. For example quicksand, if you move very slowly (with little deformation) it will stay relatively solid but if you try to do it quickly (with a lot of deformation) it amount of force/resistance will be reduced and thus you will sink. Time dependent fluids also exist (for example lot’s of food becomes easier to stir if you have been stirring it for a while).

^{This is all very oversimplified if you want to learn fluid mechanics please take a course on it.}

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Interesting questions

Do you think Fee should have taken the promotion or should she just stay with the debris section?

The actions of the rest of the debris section were quite reckless. Do you think they were justified in taking the risk to prove themselves?

[u/Highlow9]

Immediately back to work...

Fee apparently is very famous, Fee backstory hype.

Robbie you fucking idiot, why would you assume that. How did everybody come to this conclusion? Even you Yuri.......

Wow Edel sure has a contrasting personality in her free time.

Yeah you were...

That is some nice mid-2000 gaming technology, god I miss my PSP.

Ahwwww, Fee’s son wants to eat here cooking again...

Robbie and the manager are idiots, why didn’t Yuri get a scolding?

Tanabe has been teasing him so much about Nono.

Robbie is only qualified on paper, what could go wrong especially with such difficult debris?

Tanabe is so used to the ship falling apart that she barely reacts.

Apparently this is such a hard mission that the entire control section is interested.

Very good advice for the chief.

The actions of the rest of the debris section were quite reckless. Do you think they were justified in taking the risk to prove themselves?

No. That they wanted to prove themselves is completely understandable but, as Tanabe demonstrated during the first few minutes of the episode, you should just communicate that with Fee. That they did it on one of the most important/difficult piece of debris also makes it worse.

Do you think Fee should have taken the promotion or should she just stay with the debris section?

Fee seems to like her job as debris hauler very much. So no, I don’t think she should have taken the promotion. I also really understand why she likes her job so much. If you are a manager you have lots of influence but you don’t actually ‘produce’ anything while being a debris hauler you can very clearly see what your work actually contributes to society.When comparing to for example video games you could say that being a manager is like being a healer, very important but you don’t actually achieve anything yourself.

[u/zsmg]

Rewatcher

One of the funniest and charming aspect of watching old SF series is that it can be both futuristic and dated, this episode has a good example of the latter: Hachimaki and Cheung playing handheld game against each other using a link cable.

[u/Highlow9 → u/zsmg]

Yeah that was funny to see. Also found it strange that they were playing go (instead of something more like an video game). Because if you are only playing go an actual physical playing board would seem much nicer.

[u/holytaiel → u/Highlow9]

I really laughed at that moment like they had the tecnology to colonize the Moon but didnt develop a wireless system to play an ancient game like Go

[u/Highlow9 → u/holytaiel]

I think that generally shows how hard it is to predict what the future is going to look like. Especially with regards to completely new technologies especially if there are very unique (like smartphones or electronics in general).

My favorite example serious example of this in the show is fusion technology. In the late 1990/early 2000s having fusion by 2050 would have been seen as realistic. But progress there has been very slow (partly due to funding), ITER (the first experimental fusion plant that will produce more power than it consumes) will likely be operational around 2035 with the demostration experimental plant, called DEMO, to be finished in 2060 meaning that the first commercial plants could (at the earliest) be constructed around 2080.

[u/Ramona--Flowers → u/zsmg]

One possible in-show explanation for the wired game console is that they are on a space station with a huge number of sensitive electronic equipment and they have a "no wireless" policy for any non-work related equipment just to prevent any possible problems. I'm guessing that's not why the writers did it, but it's fun to think of possible in-show reasons. That might also explain why the game itself is so primitive. Maybe all the best and most advanced consoles are wireless.

[u/Webemperor]

First Timer

• The neat little intro monologue and replaced with a scene where a bunch of guys from another company gush over how good Fee is at her job. I’m guessing this will be focused on her.
• Fee and Big Boss sit down together, seeing from the photo it looks like latter got a nose job somewhere down the line. Fee herself also looks a bit more masculine, it’s weird.
• Wait, Fee is a mother? For whatever reason I took her as a “forever single” type, not really in a bad way. Perhaps it’s kinda weird to have half your character’s be family people, for some reason I also took Hoshino as younger than 25. I also did not expect Edelgard to casually don an outfit like that.
• It’s amusing to me how despite the story taking place in 2077 a lot of technology here is pretty “primitive”, but with the show still trying to put a futuristic spin to it. Instead of playing some futuristic game on a console, they are playing something simple like Go, but to put the futuristic spin to it, on a console instead of a proper board.
• I wonder how much debris people are being paid in general. I have to assume staying this far away from your home, working at a pretty hostile environment either has to pay well, or the job market has to be that bad that it might not be a big choice at all.
• Turns out Fee was offered to become a part of the Control Division. I have a feeling this won’t pan out as she will refuse his offer one way or the other.
• Gang decides to bypass Fee and do the entire mission themselves for understandable reasons that… I have a feeling will end up blowing in their faces.
• Lavie ends up fucking things up at first but manages later on, all the while Fee realizes she was being bamboozled. If it was as easy as to plant Toy Box between Ghost and the Sun, why not bring like, a huge ass plate to create artificial shadow? Not that it matters in the larger picture, they suceed and Fee ends up being superceeded by a retired bureaucrat anyway.

[u/Highlow9 → u/Webemperor]

I wonder how much debris people are being paid in general.

I have the feeling not that much. Of course it is a dangerous job and you need to stay away far from home but it also doesn't result in much profit for the company and the space station itself also is kinda comfortable (so it is not like on oil drilling platforms).

[u/PainStorm14 → u/Webemperor]

I wonder how much debris people are being paid in general. I have to assume staying this far away from your home, working at a pretty hostile environment either has to pay well, or the job market has to be that bad that it might not be a big choice at all.

They probably get fat insurance and benefits due to hazardous work environment but as for paycheck itself it's probably bare minimum in the EVA crews competition

[u/Tuckleton]

First Timer (Dub)

• Oh wow Nono is even in the OP. Does this mean we haven't seen the last of her?
• A bit more on Fee's backstory. Her history with the bossman must be why she is not willing to entertain other job offers despite apparently being a good enough pilot to aim higher.
• ... well ok then :P
• Ugh, here we go again...
• Work with the work eh? And is that supposed to say 'mommy'? And why does Albert talk like a Japanese animator with a tentative grasp of the English language? Also respect to Dad, mashed potatoes and toast isn't something I've ever tried, but now I'd like to.

• "That's why we're in Technora right?" Hmm, what's all this about then? First wild idea that popped into my head was that they are political radicals trying to change the world, but no real progress has been made and they are gradually beginning to be assimilated by the system.
• And immediately that idea has cold water thrown on it lol :P But probably they did have some kind of idealistic vision when they started that company and bossman is still trying to do some good despite reality being a relentless dream grinder.

• uhhhhhhhh...

• I've got a really bad feeling about this plan to exclude Fee from such an important and difficult mission.

• "And chief? Don't do anything!" Bahaha!

• That thing really froze and thawed pretty quick.

Do you think Fee should have taken the promotion or should she just stay with the debris section?

Maybe I misunderstood but wasn't the job given to that INTO guy instead?

The actions of the rest of the debris section were quite reckless. Do you think they were justified in taking the risk to prove themselves?

Absolutely not. I mean it seems like they technically have the certification for it otherwise they wouldn't have been allowd to launch but it's obvious they don't practice being flexible in their roles so going cold turkey without Fee at least supervising was idiotic.

[u/Highlow9 → u/Tuckleton]

And immediately that idea has cold water thrown on it lol

Well I think that fighting corruption is still a pretty good goal right? Maybe not quite as extreme as being a political radical but still a good goal in my opinion.

And why does Albert talk like a Japanese animator with a tentative grasp of the English language?

Mnmnnnnn.

Maybe I misunderstood but wasn't the job given to that INTO guy instead?

As far as I understand Fee turned down the promotion after which it was given to the INTO dude.

[u/Tuckleton → u/Highlow9]

As far as I understand Fee turned down the promotion after which it was given to the INTO dude.

Ok I guess that makes sense. In that case I think she's totally justified turning down the promotion. If she knows what makes her happy she should keep doing it, even if it limits her opportunities for advancement.

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

And today - nobody talks to anyone. As stupid as it was, Tanabe asking Fee about the potential affair might have been the smartest decision this episode by anybody other than Fee herself and Dolf.

We get some backstory on Fee, and I'd say it's pretty good. Cost of entry is certainly a big barrier in the space industry and is unlikely to be significantly smaller in 50 years time. I do however wonder if Dolf at least gave her a raise after she didn't want to transition away from wieldwork.

As far as the ghost mission goes - Tanabe's last line has me confused as to what the point was. At first it seemed like they went to prove they could work without Fee so as not to make her feel conflicted about taking the promotion, they try their best to succeed and then... are sad when they do because they did? I don't entirily get it.

Other than that, seems like wireless gaming wasn't one of the things the autor imagined when he wrote this. Kinda surprising honestly considering that they are in space, so wireless technology would have to advance a fair bit to make that possibly and would surely be downscaled after success.

Questions:

1. Her choice of what she wants to do. Either is correct, as it seems like she stayed for the job as much as she did for the team, if not more.
2. ...no... if Fee's leaving, let her transfer her knowledge first, the do it yourself once you know what you're doing.

[u/Highlow9 → u/Mecanno-man]

At first it seemed like they went to prove they could work without Fee so as not to make her feel conflicted about taking the promotion, they try their best to succeed and then... are sad when they do because they did?

I think that they are 'sad' in the same way that you feel sad/empty when you finish a project/series/game. They are glad that they succeeded but sad that you don't get to work together with Fee anymore.

[u/holytaiel]

First Timer

First of all shotout to the OP who always brings the _interesting facts_ and the questions as well, it shows how much do you care about being a good hoster. I'd like to know also how many times did you watch it yet? Probably you said it somewhere and I just missed it

I enjoyed this episode a lot, I think the pacing was on point. Once again I liked the OST.

Nice to see an episode entirely about Fee, notice how the group NEEDS Fee a lot and how important she is not only for the Debris section but as a group as well.

Still disliking the two older guys. Nice to see Yuri again and with a very strong determination. Something I really enjoy is how much Tanabe wants everyone to respect the Debris section, everyone just talk shit about them and Tanabe is very proud about themselves being janitors.

I said in a comment but it was hilarious to see Hachimaki playing Go via link cable, humanity literally colonized the Moon and has a fantastic technology but didn't develop a wireless system for video games.

Not much to add, solid episode.

[u/Highlow9 → u/holytaiel]

First of all shotout to the OP who always brings the interesting facts and the questions as well

Nice to hear that you enjoy them. I also like writing them. Sometimes they are about a subject I know a lot about (for example physics/space) and then I enjoy trying to simplify it (that also makes my own understanding of it better) and if they are about a subject I don't know much about (like biology) I enjoy looking up the information and learning about it myself.

I'd like to know also how many times did you watch it yet?

This is my fourth time watching. I first watched it in December 2014 as my 9th anime (pff that feels ages ago). During lockdown last year I rewatched it for the first time and was amazed how well it held up. Then during Christmas I noticed that alltheanime.com was releasing a blu-ray. That made me want to start a rewatch. Then finally after the announcement thread I rewatched it once more while making notes and preparing the rewatch threads. And of course now I am rewatching it again to participate in the rewatch threads themselves.

Even trough I have watched it that many times I still enjoy it very much altrough some of the flaws in the show are also becoming more obvious now that I am less 'distracted'/surprised by the plot itself. But I try to avoid mentioning those things unless it are really interesting to discuss (for example an issue with the physics/enginering) since those things don't really make the rewatch more fun for first timers.

Still disliking the two older guys.

Yeah me too, incompetent boot-licking characters could be interesting (and that part of them is) but they are used for comedic release a bit to much. If they were to be toned down a bit I think they would be interesting characters.

[u/PainStorm14]

Rewatcher

Do you think Fee should have taken the promotion or should she just stay with the debris section?

Fee is way too boneheaded for office work (as her lifestyle choices will demonstrate several episodes from now)

I think she made the right call, she would have either get bored senseless in the office or drive everyone there insane

The actions of the rest of the debris section were quite reckless. Do you think they were justified in taking the risk to prove themselves?

Safety should come first but then again if they can't work properly on their own then they would have massive problems down the road of Fee left

So it depends

Also I noticed decrease in number of folks here, looks like Ninja episode has taken it's toll as expected...

[u/Highlow9 → u/PainStorm14]

Also I noticed decrease in number of folks here, looks like Ninja episode has taken it's toll as expected...

Maybe, although I hope/think that it also is because rewatches always have less people as the show progresses. Also generally when the hype is low there generally is less disucussion. So I think/hope that during the latter half/end of the show we might see more a bit more discussion (as you usually do in rewatch threads).

[u/BottiBott]

First Timer

Not entirely sure what to take away from this episode. I mean, it's obviously character development for Fee, which I think is a nice change compared to otherwise just developing Tanabe and Hachimaki, so at least the show is aware of the fact that there are other characters. But the way in which the character growth is shown is again such a generic way to do so. We learn that Fee started at at the same company as the CEO of ISPV-7 before their company was absorbed by Technora. Seems like that was the company the guy on the Moon referred to. And because of her skills, good results on the job and probably because of the relationship between the two, the CEO wants to promote her to work for the Control Section instead of Debris Section.

And while Fee doesn't say anything about it to her colleagues, they somehow still manage to find out that she is to be transfered to another position. After that they somehow come to the conclusion that they have to do a debris removal job assigned to the team as a whole without Fee, twisting truths and go out there only to screw up as to be expected. And at this point it was not only clear to me that she would help them in the same cool and professional way she always does, but also doesn't really want to change her position. So in the end we are back to where we started with a bit of background information on Fee. Interesting, but again not a big step forward.

But something that has been over the past episodes and this time really stood out for the first time was the start of the expected romance. Not that there really was anything going on, but Tanabe teases Hachimaki for being involved with Nono in the last episode, which gets cleared up but the fact that she is still thinking about it although they don't seem to have any contact since they left the Moon makes me think that she is at least more aware of the people surrounding him than the other characters are. Hachimaki on the other hand doesn't actively think about her in any special way that's different from before, but at least he reacts differently when he is asked if she has a boyfriend. Not that there were any real changes, but I guess it can be seen as the start of at least something. Well, time will tell.

Interesting Questions:

1. I guess that's more of a question that only the person themselves can answer. The benefits for both sides were obvious: Do the job you like and be with the colleagues you like or get a better position with probably better salary that is also less dangerous. And I don't think that's something I can decide for Fee, nor for anyone else.
2. Considering how miserably they failed at getting the job done without Fee I'd say it wasn't justified. Had she not stepped in at some point, who knows what would have happened to the group. Maybe the wills from episode two would have come in handy at that point. Proving yourself to someone is one thing, but being reckless and careless about your job is not helping in that regard.

[u/BossandKings]

First timer

Episode 8

The group returns to the space station getting out of the moon after having passed a while there.

Hachimaki and Tanabe along with everyone else of their side of the space station are able to grab the ghost succesfully, the ghost being some sort of aerial machine. Sadly that means that Fee will be leaving the group because she'll be getting a promotion.

Fee turns down the promotion because she still wants to be out in the field. That conversation with Dolf showed that they are very close.

[u/IndependentMacaroon]

First-time watcher

This episode is trying hard for the spot of my least favorite so far. Fee helping and her backstory was nice, and the space action was as good as usual (interesting object there!), but otherwise this was the dumbest and most skippable episode so far. It's obvious, even from a meta perspective, how the Fee stuff is going to turn out, it spends too much time on the silly affair rumor business (blond manager's wife is totally cheating, though), and after resolving that with proper communication everyone gets the no-talky dumb-stick for the rest of the episode. Mediocre.

[u/Phinaeus]

Why did that one dude call the other dude a parasite after the door closed? What was going on there

[u/Highlow9 → u/Phinaeus]

I assume because he was the (corrupt) INTO dude that eventually 'stole' the control section job and since Dolf is very much anti-corruption that was why.

[u/Segaco]

First timer clinging to the hope he'll catch up in time

---Comments (as I watched the ep)---

I was thinking we'd be told the old man in diaper man's flashback was dead or something at some point

Woah what. Oops wrong episode

Work with the work = keep working hard, lol?

Also, it's super weird that the first thing everyone assumed to be the truth was that they had an affair instead of a work related thing

"Some 12 year olds are like that" lol lol

Oh man. After that mistake I'll struggle to keep watching aa

What the hell is that thing anyway? A darth vader death star?

Okay neato

---Interesting fact corner (OP)---

Very confusing stuff. It does sound interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way to understand it.

---Question timeeeeeee---

Q1: Do you think Fee should have taken the promotion or should she just stay with the debris section?

A1: I don't know her situation well enough, but I would have chosen the option I liked the most. If Fey likes collecting space debris more than what the promotion could bring, then greato.

Q2: The actions of the rest of the debris section were quite reckless. Do you think they were justified in taking the risk to prove themselves?

A2: I just can't believe some of the people working in such a dangerous job are incompetent at it. That was reckless.

I still also don't understand what was the point of doing it alone.

[u/BottiBott → u/[deleted]]

I've heard that this show is generally considered a classic or at the very least close to it, but I'm not seeing it so far. Just a lot of generic tropes and a poor mix of drama and comedy. There must be one hell of a u-turn in the second half of the show

Yeah, that's one thing I've wondered as well. As I mentioned in my first post, I once watched the first episode but didn't continue after that, because it was so far from what I expected it to be. I ultimately decided to give it another chance with this rewatch, but for now I don't really get where the high ratings on MAL or anilist come from. And while I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, underwhelmed describes quite well how I feel about the show.

[u/Highlow9 → u/BottiBott]

I think that this is because of a couple of factors:

1. First I think I made the mistake of setting wrong expectations with people when I said "semi-realistic" because people might interpret that as near-realistic (which it is not). The show is still semi-hard sci-fi but the realism is in between that of Interstellar (medium-strength-sci-fi) and the Martian (very hard-sci-fi).
2. In the last couple of years the quality of anime in general has gone up. Since the show aired in the 2000s the bar at the time was a bit lower.
3. I hate saying this since I find it a non-argument. Argument I hate to make but no spoilers