Space Brothers
Entry updated 5 January 2026. Tagged: TV.
Japanese animated tv series (2012-2014; vt Uchuu Kyoudai). Produced by A-1 Pictures. Directed by Ayumu Watanabe; written by Makoto Uezu and Yoichi Kato; music by Toshiyuki Watanabe. Based on the Manga by Chūya Koyama (2007-current). Voice cast includes Hiroaki Hirata, KENN, Miyuki Sawashiro, and Masayuki Katou. 99 25-minute episodes. Colour.
Brothers Mutta (Hirata) and Hibito Nanba (KENN), are inspired as children by witnessing what they believe to be a UFO (see UFOs) flying away towards the Moon, vowing to follow it into space by becoming astronauts. By 2025, the younger brother Hibito has fulfilled his dream, joining JAXA and NASA and preparing for a lunar mission, while his elder sibling's life has stalled. After losing his engineering job, Mutta, now in his 30s, gains a second chance at his childhood dream (which for him is going to Mars) by entering Japan's astronaut-selection programme, where he meets other candidates, such as his soon-to-become best friend Kenji Makabe (Katou) and love interest, Serika Itou (Sawashiro). The series follows, intercut with Hibito's mission and its consequences as well as flashbacks to the protagonists childhood, primarily follows Mutta's uncertain path to catch up to Hibito, showcasing resilience and growth at an age often considered late for career change. The story's focus in on his realistically but lengthy portrayed astronaut testing and training – with the stress on long. By the anime's final 99th episode, Mutta has still not left for space, although he has become a CAPCOM. Meanwhile, Hibito successfully returned from his lunar mission, but suffered a trauma he is trying to overcome. The series takes place in either Alternate History or the very Near Future (the story's main arc takes place in 2025 and continues over several years), and portrays a realistic if more robust and advanced space programme (with the early stages of the first Moonbase construction).
Space Brothers is notable for its unusually detailed and optimistic depiction of contemporary spaceflight, aligning it with Hard SF traditions. Real agencies (JAXA, NASA) and real hardware are depicted under their actual names, with extensive consultation to ensure technical accuracy. Several real astronauts even took part in the production of the anime and its related projects, voicing their characters.
The narrative emphasizes procedure, teamwork and psychological endurance over spectacle, presenting space exploration as a slow, demanding but deeply human endeavour. The emotional core lies in the brothers' relationship: the bond between Mutta and Hibito drives the narrative and provides its emotional core. Their interactions range from comedic (Mutta's wry, self-deprecating humor versus Hibito's breezy confidence) to deeply supportive. Through the focus on rivalry, tempered by the need for teamwork (both personal and international), encouragement, and shared aspiration rather than competition, the storytelling is likely a nod to Asian collective spirit rather than Western individualism, which many Western SF fans may associate with pulpy space heroics.
The anime adapts the Manga through early mission arcs and concludes before the story's ultimate resolution; later manga chapters – written by Chūya Koyama, published in Morning magazine, and collected in 45 volumes so far (2007-current) – extend the narrative considerably. Related media includes an anime prequel film Space Brothers #0 (2014) and a live-action film Space Brothers (2012) starring Shun Oguri, directed by Yoshitaka Mori, and featuring a cameo by Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The manga series is set to end with its 46th volume, and Koyama stated that the anime is planned to resume after the manga ends.
The reception was positive, with praise for realism, character writing, and inspirational tone. However, some critics noted slow, if deliberate pacing, and an idealized view of near-term government-funded space development and related international cooperation (particularly between the US and Russia). In 2011, the manga won the general category at both the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award
Tonally warm and lightly Humorous, the series balances slice-of-life character drama with credible extrapolation of lunar bases and Mars planning (see Space Habitats; Colonization of Other Worlds). Unlike works that focus on action or serve as fronts for stories warning about Dystopias or tackling other Clichés, it foregrounds perseverance and cooperation.
In the realm of Hard SF anime about contemporary Space Flight, deeply concerned with scientific accuracy, Space Brothers is often discussed alongside two earlier series: Planetes (2003-2004) and Moonlight Mile (2007). All three share a commitment to plausible technology and near-future settings, yet each approaches the theme differently. Planetes focuses on orbital debris collection and gradually delves into socio-political commentary, making it a slightly more cynical or questioning take on the future of space development. Moonlight Mile, on the other hand, is even more pessimistic (and action-oriented): it follows two adult friends as they strive to reach the Moon amid an international, increasingly militarized space race for energy and survival. Space Brothers, meanwhile, is distinguished by its more humanist and optimistic outlook on humanity's future beyond Earth. The show treats the drive to explore space as an expression of curiosity and hope rather than geopolitical necessity, and effectively affirms the idea that astronauts and space exploration are cool, are happening right now, and humanity could achieve more – if it could get its priorities right.
The spirit of Space Brothers also invites comparison with Western space-exploration dramas. The series' earnest, detailed depiction of astronaut training and test protocols evokes the same fascination as Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff (1979) and its 1983 film adaptation, which similarly dramatized the trials of would-be astronauts (indeed, Space Brothers includes affectionate visual homages to that film's iconic scenes). Likewise, the commitment to realistic spacecraft operations and orbital physics resonates with fans of films like Apollo 13 (1995) and Gravity (2013) – though unlike Gravity, which emphasizes survival peril in space, Space Brothers is more about the journey toward space rather than a crisis during a mission. In tone and outlook, the anime hews closer to the optimistic ensemble-driven narrative of The Right Stuff or the NASA-centric miniseries From the Earth to the Moon (1998), highlighting the camaraderie and sheer determination of those who dream of the stars.
In the end, Space Brothers is a celebratory chronicle of "ordinary" people achieving extraordinary dreams, and likely the longest, most uplifting and realistically detailed work about near-future space exploration ever made. [PKo]
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