UCHUU KYOUDAI - PROFOUND POWER OF PEOPLE

MAX R. - Writer, 4th Year, Japanese

Imagine being someone who doesn't have Uchuu Kyoudai as their favorite manga. Couldn’t be me.

SPOILERS FOR UCHUU KYOUDAI

While I’ve generally been more vocal in pushing my favorite anime, Aikatsu!, Uchuu Kyoudai has shared a similar honor atop a comparable pedestal as my favorite manga, as well as perhaps the most overwhelmingly powerful work I’ve encountered in the medium, holding the record for the most times I’ve been forced to shed tears by a singular work of fiction. It not only ties into my love for astronomy, which does further its case, but features perhaps some of the greatest depictions of the collective power of humanity in action. It showcases myriad different people from all corners of the world and walks of life in varying roles, all working in tandem to achieve greatness and further the reaches of mankind. A distant dream for a middle-aged salaryman evolves into a heartwarming tale of the dedication it takes to actualize childhood aspirations on the grandest stage imaginable, as he becomes increasingly interwoven into a vast network of individuals whose job is to constantly push the envelope for what defines ‘feasible’. Uchuu Kyoudai stands out as the paragon of the secret formula I value in storytelling that also just so happens to be centered around a subject I’m interested in. I find it difficult to properly word my thoughts given the resounding inspirational impact that it has left on me, but nonetheless I’ll try.

Uchuu Kyoudai’s cast is nothing less than spectacular, a glue that holds it together to say the least. Namba Mutta is both an amusing guy and likable protagonist to root for, but he’s also stupid on occasion, especially in headbutting his boss, though that ended up as a blessing in disguise. There are initially numerous comparisons made between him and his brother, Hibito, who had adamantly strived to become an astronaut in accordance to his childhood dreams, something that contrasts Mutta, who strayed to pursue the automotive industry instead. Due to this, Mutta feels ashamed, and in a sense, surpassed by his younger brother, contradicting his belief of needing to always remain a step ahead as the older sibling. Even so, he endeavors to eventually catch up to Hibito and become an astronaut. While he had always had a strong interest in space, there’s still so much that he ends up having to learn. Mutta is also introspective, ruminating on his own progress since the starting line in how he could better himself and his chances, never throwing in the towel. He confronts important figures across adjacent industries, fostering the soft-skills to deal with all sorts of eccentric personalities, and even befriends some of them. Mutta’s automotive background isn’t thrown out the window either; after being assigned to an engineering team, his experience and unique skill set inspires him to help devise a lunar navigation system that projects a holographic road onto the moon’s surface for more effective traversal, as well as the Sharon Lunar Observatory that he, himself, ends up implementing on the Moon. Mutta is the perfect storm of flawed and charismatic, inadequate yet capable, and jovial while simultaneously sincere. He’s a character who has earned my respect as easily one of the better protagonists I’ve come across.

This sort of thing extends well beyond just Mutta though. Essentially every character in Uchuu Kyoudai, including those who initially appear minor or off-putting, ends up layered and fleshed out to a reasonable extent. There is always more to their story, and they very much feel like, well, actual people; this may be the only manga where I can confidently claim that. Deniel Young just seems like some random-ass old geezer who almost kidnaps Apo, but he’s revealed to be a peculiar veteran pilot instructor who acts as an early mentor who teaches Mutta the ropes of flying. Vincent Bold may be strict and aloof, but it’s largely because he takes his work seriously with a no-nonsense approach, recognizing that externally expressing the slightest ounce of panic, even if only through something as subtle as one’s tone of voice, can be enough to seal someone’s fate. Beneath his poker-face exterior however, he is surprisingly passionate and shows genuine care for those he deems to be allies, acting as another insightful mentor to Mutta in his own way, and going so far as to personally guide him as communication liaison from Earth upon finally reaching the Moon. Walter Gates comes off as an antagonistic figure, as one of the final hurdles for Mutta before his departure, but he’s hardly one-dimensional. The opposition he displays towards the Jokers stems from having grown jaded over the years, finding failure to be absolutely intolerable, not approving of anything in which he lacks full confidence of success, a realistic and sensible outlook that’s integral when dealing with people’s lives. Ivan Tolstoy serves as an instrumental figure in Hibito’s rehabilitation arc, working closely with him in therapy to overcome his newfound limitations, to the point where it’s difficult to determine whether Hibito would have ever been able to return to the Moon without Ivan’s assistance. Meanwhile, Eddie Jay is an indispensable comrade, as well as, once again, mentor, for Mutta, a rational, experienced astronaut who had previously undertaken missions to space, providing a level of much needed security for said Jokers, the rest of whom are first-timers. Having to leave the Moon early, he bestows a memento upon Mutta along with a promise to have it be returned, imbuing him with the determination to live on and see things through. Some characters, such as Eddie’s brother, Brian Jay, and Rick Turner, remain deceased even prior to the beginning of the series, yet still manage to be fleshed out, transcending the grave as inspirational motivators. There are countless fantastic side characters who act as different means of invaluable support for Mutta, Hibito, and everyone around them.

Being a long-running series that has continued for over a decade and a half, Uchuu Kyoudai adeptly utilizes continuity to its advantage; numerous characters who are focused upon early on fade into the background later, and for a while they may seem like an afterthought, yet they aren’t forgotten about, with many of these familiar faces reappearing dozens of chapters later with newfound significance and relevance. Naoto Fukuda, who served as another rival candidate during the JAXA entrance exams, stands as an example, returning having evidently succeeded in his dream of designing rockets; the same could be said for Yasushi Furuya, who later reemerges in similar fashion. This is a characteristic that I’ve come to value in works of media, as it’s definitive proof that a series seeks to remember itself and make the most of even its minor pieces. On the other hand, Sharon Kaneko is special to the Namba brothers, recurring frequently as someone close to them from their childhoods, as well as an individual responsible for helping further cultivate their love for space as in their younger years, they routinely visited her and peered through her telescope. Afflicted with an incurable disease, Sharon’s condition steadily degenerates, and she’s soon rendered unable to speak or communicate whatsoever, yet still remains a motivational cornerstone for Mutta, who, as mentioned, completes a functional lunar observatory dedicated to her. Her face may not be capable of expressing it, but regardless, she’s surely smiling on the inside whenever she hears of what the siblings are up to and what they desire to achieve going toward. You can just tell that she’s incredibly proud of both of them.

The series is brilliant in following each and every step of Mutta’s journey towards becoming an astronaut, everything from the JAXA application process of interviews to entrance exams, to experiencing high-G flight practice in preparation for withstanding the force of rocket launches, to survival exercises and underwater zero-gravity training, to mission simulations, all while learning to adapt to various forms of unexpected difficulty that may arise whihe Moon, reinforcing the rigor and extensive patience that accompanies one of the world’s most difficult career paths. While space is depicted as a goal to aspire towards for many, it isn’t over glorified. There exists contention with the media and public regarding the prospect of space development as a whole where it may seem that large funds are being funneled into projects that produce no tangible results, something that the series is self-aware of and seeks to justify. There’s obviously also a very real risk of death that must come to be acknowledged, hence the wills left behind by those selected as astronauts. As briefly mentioned, Hibito has a near-death experience after depleting his oxygen supply on the lunar surface, an event which leaves him deeply scarred and nearly compromises his entire future as an astronaut, as from thereon, even merely wearing a space suit is enough to send him into a panic attack. Even so, through strong resolve and good fortune in meeting the correct people, he takes small steps to gradually conquer this trauma.

Being on the Moon itself brings about its own series of challenges with an amplified risk of death. Limited food and water means that astronauts can’t hope of staying at camp forever and have to proactively plan their days on the Moon. Then again, leaving base on EVA missions is always another gamble. For one, the lunar surface is difficult to safely navigate given the uneven terrain and abundance of craters, some descending miles deep; the same crater ends up endangering both Mutta and Hibito. Secondly, limited amounts of fuel means that vehicles can only travel a set distance before being rendered unusable, and limited oxygen supplies creates rigid time limitations for any assignment. Solar flares pose other types of danger, scattering hazardous radiation and generating an EMP effect, potentially devastating electronics and in turn disrupting communications. Injury and damage to space suits prove more fatal than ever due to the lack of access to the same resources and caliber of medical treatment found on Earth. Miniscule gashes in a suit’s lining is enough to cause Eddie to pass out in his attempt to rescue Mutta, and Betty’s case is more unfortunate, as she’s left critically injured after a tank ruptures. With the lunar base lacking the mandatory medical technology to treat her, the Jokers are sent into a state of emergency, dividing into a return team who departs for the ISS to receive the first-ever remote surgery, while Mutta and Phillipe stay behind to continue work and await rescue. Even while having been incessantly trained for the worst, real, unexpected situations are still bound to occur, and one must figure out how to tackle them with the resources at one’s disposal. This process of creative problem solving and quick-thinking forms the foundation of what it takes to be an astronaut, and the series captures these aspects remarkably.

Uchuu Kyoudai should definitely be read rather than watched, as the anime adaptation is bloated and visually dry; I honestly may find it detrimental to the consumption of the series as a whole. While much of the content still technically lines up with the manga, at least for a while, that’s where the similarities end; the sense of flow, presentation, atmosphere, and entire ‘feel’ of the series are all noticeably off. I’ll reiterate that Uchuu Kyoudai is perhaps the most moving work I’ve encountered in manga, delivering so many powerful moments that connect back to presumably trivial details and phrases that were subtly foreshadowed and later built upon, such as in finally understanding the greater meaning of the series' title, over 370 chapters in. Small moments such as these accumulate to form a comprehensive emotional journey that leaves its perennial mark on the reader. Mutta’s accomplishments are brought about through his own hard work of course, but they’re by no means his alone. He has been enabled to achieve his goals through the assistance of, again, countless other individuals. It takes his family, his parents who have supported him throughout the entirety of his life and sent his resume into JAXA to begin with, as well as Hibito who acts as an obvious driving force for his development, not to mention the entire legion of mentors who have taught him all that he has learned, his peers such Kenji and Serika, as well as comrades such as Eddie and Vincent, who he entrusts his life to. On top of this, there’s also the entirety of the world in-universe, who provides the necessary funding to make space development possible in the first place, and the factor of luck, perhaps the most important element of all.

Going to space is a colossal milestone for humanity and for a series to so painstakingly focus on such is breathtaking to witness. As far out as its setting is, it manages to remain grounded due to the very ‘human’ characters it provides. Uchuu Kyoudai has come so far and done so much since its inception, and yet it’s still not even complete. While it has been in its final stretches for quite a while, and feels like many plot points either have been or are being wrapped up, who knows how many years it’ll take to finally end. All I know is that the series has provided quite an unforgettable experience, and the smallest inklings of hope for the potential of humanity as a collective. It has most certainly earned its rightful spot as undoubtedly, my favorite manga of all time.