This is specifically about the television anime, not the upcoming film, not the manga, but the show – which just came to it’s conclusion this week on it’s 99th episode. This is not my full review of the series but rather my ‘review’ of the finale, however this ending managed to retroactively effect the rest of the show as well. And yes, this will contain spoilers given it’s about the last episode specifically.
WOOO WE’RE GOIN TO SPAAAA- oh wait, nobody relevant is in there? Shit.
I’ll just say it right off the bat, the ending made what was an easy 10/10 series for me into a 6 or 7 at best – it was beyond unsatisfying, it was just a plain bad ending. Nothing was concluded, a group of non-characters were sent to the moon (Vince being the only named character in that mission, I’d be surprised if you even know who that is off the top of your head) while Mutta sat on his ass at NASA HQ and Hibito is going around the US like a bum.
To top it all off, we have one of the worst openings and endings the show has had in all 99 episodes in the finale. Why didn’t they leave this shit OP for second to last? The prior OP was incredible and perfect for the series and all the trials they’ve gone through and people who have helped them, yet, no, let’s go with the shitty pseudo hip-hop and retarded joke shit giant flying mutta rocket with afro included. And the ending? Lets go with that emotionless one with stupid shit flying over a still image and a boring song. Great.
This is not what I sat through 99 episodes for.
Let’s see what closure we’ve had:
This happened in like episode 50. Should have ended there and let us imagine the rest, woulda been better than this ending at least.
- Mutta and Serika? No, they haven’t even talked in ages aside doing some stupid fucking square dance together during an episode focused on Kenji. The final episode is no exception, not a single word between them.
- Hibito x That Moe Russian Girlfriend of his? Well, he’s going back to Russia to be a cosmonaut…so this might actually develop, I really like these two and they are pretty much together as it is, so that’s about the only positive here.
- Mutta and Hibito going to space together? Not even close. Mutta is working at a computer station in NASA HQ as a backup (meaning it could be 30+ years before he’s in space, IF EVER) and Hibito ran away like a little girl once NASA made it clear they think he’s not fit for space anymore.
- Kenji and Nitta got a mission to go to an asteroid, that’s the last time they were relevant – they’ve been around and have not gone on said mission, so we didn’t even get to see them go to space.
- Serika and Ena also have a mission to go to the ISS, however, much like Kenji and Nitta they were never launched on said mission within the show and we never see them in space.
- That stupid old bitch who made the worst arc in the series happen still isn’t dead. Her stupid goddamn moon telescope isn’t made either.
- Still no explanation about the UFO that Mutta and Hibito saw as kids.
Hibito is literally the only main character ever to actually leave the atmosphere, and he only does so because he was an astronaut from the beginning of the fucking series and only does earlier on in the show before being sent back to Earth and stuck there. Along with all that – here’s a fucking question: what was the point of all those shitty new characters in that last arc? Those people literally existed for around 3 episodes, got ‘developed’ like they were sticking around and we were supposed to care, then they just phased out of being anywhere in the show randomly.
Once Michelle Rodriguez showed up, I should have known to drop any expectations of the show being worth watching any longer.
I can say one fucking thing for this show: It got the realism right. This whole group will probably never actually go to fucking space, let alone two brothers which would take a miracle to get them to be put together on the same mission – and that miracle never came. This series has no payoff, not even one you can create yourself with this ending. There is nothing that makes any of this show worth watching anymore, and I can only regret the past 99 episodes worth of time I’ve wasted. 2 years of watching these characters, knowing that by the end they will achieve the title – the Nanba brothers will be in space together – and in the end you get nothing.
May as well have called it “NASA Training: The Animation”, because that’s all we fucking got.
ROCKETS GO INTO SPACE. THIS MAKES AT LEAST HALF THE TITLE CORRECT, BUT NOT THE OTHER
Uchuu Kyoudai can take this fucking rocket and shove it right up it’s own ass unless the upcoming film gives full closure to every single loose major plot string. That or this better just be a hiatus, otherwise I can feel nothing but massive disappointment in this series for promising so much and delivering absolutely goddamn nothing. I felt so attached to this show, to the cast, and to their dreams – to the things the show promised from episode one, and I feel unbelievably let down by this so-called ‘conclusion’. I have a feeling the movie won’t do much in fixing that.
UPDATE: The movie IS A FUCKING PREQUEL so it will factually do nothing to fix this ending. Well shit. The only hope now is that this is just a hiatus so they can focus on the film – however there are no official statements even implying that this is just a hiatus and the only mention that this would be the finale pretty clearly stated it is ‘the end’ of the show.
24 Frames Per Second 
shalom, commanding blog on blubbery loss. suchlike helped.
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Dude, i totally agree with you, this show has no payoff. I like Sharon tho, don´t be so rough with her.
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Hey Tallon, you seem a bit frustrated, and it’s understandable, if you imagine the end of episode 99 of this anime is the end of the story, which is not. I see you are the kind of person that will not think of the possibility of the anime continuing unless there is official linkable evidence straight from the producers that there is gonna be more episodes, so I won’t waste my breath, or rather fingers.
However, regarding your closure points:
If you have not read the manga and are interested in reading or waiting for the rest of the story to come out in anime form, stop here please as it will spoil stuff for you. Go read the manga, or just hang tight for the anime, my estimation is another 3-4 years between them finishing the manga and starting on with the first episodes of the Anime, but it’s just an guess, on one hand I hope it’s less since I want to watch it now, but on the other I hope they take as long as it will take to make a story as awesome as the one that has been created up until this point.
If you have not read the manga and can’t be bothered, read ahead and maybe it will help you get some peace of mind.
If you have read the manga, then you already know what I will write.
**********MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD**********
Mutta and Serika? Yeah, they still talk, they have their moments, and the relationship is developing. They actually “meet” while Serika is at the Space Station and Mutta is on his way to the moon. And also at the space station she realizes what Mutta drew with Max (Daniel’s modified jet, in case you don’t remember). Things are definitely moving forward.
Hibito and Olga? Not yet approached in the Manga, your guess is as good as mine, they have actually not shown much of what Hibito is doing, probably to keep people guessing, but I am pretty sure they will end up together, as she only had a little over a year to be 18, and that’s probably as long as it’ll take for Hibito to come back to the picture (in SB universe time, not real time)
Mutta and Hibito going to space together? Yeah, in the Manga Mutta has already gone to the moon, so no 30+ years there, my guess is they will both go to the moon together on a JAXA rocket built by Fukuda (Mutta’s friend from the exam, the old one, who builds rockets.). Remember Hoshika being vague about the agreement reached by Jaxa and the Russians?
Kenji and Nitta. Still not gone through that one either.
Serika and Enna at the ISS. Yes, they go, Serika goes through some bad publicity from the people of the pharmaceutical who’s product she didn’t take to space but comes through in the end after making progress towards a cure for ALS (here’s hoping Stephen Hawking makes it to 2028).
Lovely old lady Sharon is still alive (and thanks to Serika now has hopes to remain so for a while longer). Mutta is building her Sharon Moon Observatory, on the moon.
About the UFO, I don’t think it will be explained, I don’t think it has to, it was just something that two brothers saw that changed their lives, don’t overthink things, it’s not an alien encounter series.
And the people who appear at the last part will definitely be important, they are Mutta’s team, the Jokers. Interesting bunch of people too (btw, “Michelle Rodriguez” is Brian Jay’s widow, show some respect).
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By the way, it ended when it ended, because right after that they start a new arc, simple as that. It doesn’t feel final because it isn’t.
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First off, I’m not gonna respond to the latter half of your comment because I’m gonna take your advice and not read it due to spoilers rather than ignoring it or anything like that. In my post I’m not angry because I hate the show, rather because I loved it and they ended up with a lot of sub par episodes leading to an awful lack of any sort of conclusion, or even leaving it off with any positive IMPLICATIONS. I understand the manga is ongoing and I’m sure the staff HOPES to continue the anime, but even then they should have made an ending that at least felt good “for now”. Not just a complete cliff hanger with absolutely nothing implying the brothers get to space together or that Mutta EVER does, instead it feels like he’ll never make it rather than at least a positive “he will some day”. I mean I have to ASSUME he will, but the show gives absolutely ZERO reason to believe that based on the ending. Thanks for including the warning though, a lot of people wouldn’t bother and I would have just read it all and spoiled myself for what seems to be a lot (sorry I can’t read it for now).
As for the part I can safely read, my complete refusal to accept more is coming is pretty much part of what I just said too. I can’t give myself hope of something I really want to happen when there’s not any hint from the actual staff or mangaka or publisher that that’ll ever happen, at least not yet. I don’t want to assume because there are literally THOUSANDS if not TENS of thousands of series that ended like this and never did continue – including popular ones. I’ve been burned plenty of times from that situation and assuming it’d keep going (not thousands but a lot) and would rather avoid being that disappointed again. It’s not stubbornness but more fear of that disappointment and that’s also the same reason I’m so upset with how this series chose to end (*possibly just for now).
I agree too that they shouldn’t rush the anime, I just wish they’d put some kind of sign out that it is being planned at all. I wouldn’t mind waiting that 3-4 years in that case, but as it stands 10 years could pass and there could still be absolutely nothing, it’s not like FFXV where it was “being made” officially since over a decade ago or something where you at least know it exists or the IDEA of it existing does. On top of that, again, the WAY they ended it really bothers me a lot, there are a thousand ways to make this at least FEEL more conclusive FOR THE TIME BEING without making anything up, changing the story, rushing things, etc. Instead the final episode feels like any other and doesn’t provide you any vision or outlook of what may be on the horizon for the cast or make you feel alright saying goodbye to them for the time being. You just feel like you can’t find the next episode rather than like they’re taking a break/ending it here for now.
I’m not saying “it needs to feel final”, I’m saying they did a fucking awful job of making a final EPISODE whether more is to come or not. I don’t want them to timeskip and say HERE THEY ARE IN SPACE TOGETHER or whatever you’re imagining, I just wanted them to make it feel less like a generic random episode and more like “okay well this is all for now/forever for the anime” and give some hope or at least a way for the VIEWER to not feel like it just drops off randomly. Plenty of shows manage to do this without fucking anything up, there’s no reason space brothers has to be an exception to that.
Hell, they didn’t even have the two titular characters appear in the final episode – not together but AT ALL – only Mutta.
I’m not totally sure I will, but here’s a question: if I were to start reading the manga WOULD you recommend just starting where the show left off? Was the series super faithful to it or would I get a lot of extra even small character building with the manga in earlier parts that’d be worthwhile? I’m thinking about going to the beginning for a refresher but also to buy more time so hopefully when I’d catch up there WOULD be an anime related announcement but it might be hard to push through that much story I’ve already gone through if there’s nothing new to me.
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Wow man, you type a lot.
The last words on the episode being Hibito saying “I still have a future. Until next time Mutta. See you on the moon” and then Mutta saying “Ok Hibito. See you on the moon!” is not enough implication for you? To me at the end of episode 99 it was very clear that both Mutta and Hibito were taking steps towards them going to the moon together or meeting there or something. They really couldn’t have done more than that without radically changing the manga, since as you say, it feels like the next episode is coming next week, because in the manga that is actually the case.
I agree, there’s no guarantees, I still cry over Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken, which I grew up with and always wondered what happened next, only to find out that it was just left unfinished. If you refuse to accept more anime is coming and refuse to hang on to that hope, you should seriously consider following the manga.
A purist would tell you to just read all of it, but I’m not a purist, so if you want to start where the anime ended, go to 187. Then again, since it’s been a while since you saw the show you can go to the begining of the manga, worst case scenario, you skip stuff. Regarding character development, I think the anime does a great job. I found it translated on mymanga, but I’m sure it’s available elsewhere. If you loved the story and you loved the characters you will enjoy it. At least you know that they do have intentions of finishing the story there.
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First of all, it would be really unfair if you are reviewing this anime just on its own because it should be review as a whole.
The production company has already stated that this anime will be continued at some point so can you just be a little positive instead of saying “Fuck” at every sentence and every point you are trying to prove?
As I quote you – “Please link me the source for that last part where the publisher of the manga or a production studio has officially stated this, otherwise don’t leave me stupid fucking comments like this again. Though if you really want an answer to your question you could always use basic logic and come to your own. ”
Yup. That’s the answer I have for you. Use basic logic and find the source on your own.
“Nothing was concluded, a group of non-characters were sent to the moon (Vince being the only named character in that mission, I’d be surprised if you even know who that is off the top of your head) while Mutta sat on his ass at NASA HQ and Hibito is going around the US like a bum.”
If you actually did sit down and watch 99 episodes, you wouldn’t write this piece of garbage and just come up on conclusions on your own. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERS.
What is this show portraying? slice of life, realism, and what you want is beyond realistic!!! You can’t expect both brothers to walk on the moon straightaway right after 99 episodes? The whole anime is respecting the author by not changing the original story. Can you actually for once, use your sorry goddamm brain, and understand the author and the animation company from their perspective?
Clearly, you don’t. Actually, this isn’t about the anime anymore. Its’ about you. I screened through your posts and most of it are you being angsty and rude to all the commenters.
I just don’t like you as a person even though I haven’t seen you yet or even know you. Let me guess. You are probably a sad, sad, sad person with either a lot of friends that secretly hate you or probably a handful of friends who also secretly hates you although I conclude the latter would be the real case. And you judge every passerby you see and overall you can’t accept comments that are beyond your reasoning. You only accept the ones you believe in.
What are you working as? An animator? Or a bum? Like um. Hibito?
I can’t believe you called him a bum. For someone to work so hard, to save his fellow comrades on a mission that almost killed him – dude, he deserves so much more than a bum.
Perhaps, if you paid a little more attention and actually learn how to empathize with the characters, you would like Space Brothers a lot more.
” That stupid old bitch who made the worst arc in the series happen still isn’t dead. Her stupid goddamn moon telescope isn’t made either.”
Do you have a mother? I hope you don’t call her a stupid old bitch and I sure hope you don’t wish she’s dead soon.
“To top it all off, we have one of the worst openings and endings the show has had in all 99 episodes in the finale. Why didn’t they leave this shit OP for second to last? The prior OP was incredible and perfect for the series and all the trials they’ve gone through and people who have helped them, yet, no, let’s go with the shitty pseudo hip-hop and retarded joke shit giant flying mutta rocket with afro included. And the ending? Lets go with that emotionless one with stupid shit flying over a still image and a boring song. Great.”
I have a conclusion for you. Come up with your own series of space brothers and animate every single frame on your own, come up with all the OSTs on your own and sing them on your own. You have no absolute respect for the animators and the singers and that my sad lowly friend, is a poor review.
I understand that the show has its ups and downs but your reason for it being a shitty show is way beyond what i would deem acceptable.
You are just criticizing the show not for its story but for its “boring” song and “retarded joke shit animation.”
People like you are a joke. Really.
You can criticize everything all you want but you are probably nowhere achieving something as great as the characters in the show or even the people who created this show.
I won’t read your reply to this comment because your reply will probably be filled with plenty of “fuck” or even something that’s very defensive
good luck pal hope u r happy with yo lyf
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Would love to read all that, but the moment you said “The production company has already stated that this anime will be continued at some point” then followed it up by refusing to actually prove it I stopped reading because you made the fact that you are a retard incredibly hard to miss.
You don’t get to tell someone “it’s a fact I can prove it – BUT I SIMPLY CHOOSE NOT TO AHA!” and expect anybody to give a shit what else you have to say or to take that statement as more than just wishful thinking (which, again, is all it is – as there has been absolutely ZERO official word from ANYONE on ANY of the staff at the anime studio, publishing company for the manga, creator, or anyone else that would have a position to make any promises of such a thing. The most that’s been said was by a seiyuu directly after the final episode saying he’d love it if the show continued and he could reprise his role.)
I ask you again, please – and i also ENCOURAGE you to – link me a verified 100% official and completely reliable (works there themselves – which any news site would also cite so that’d be easy to find) source stating that Space Brothers/Uchuu Kyoudai will 100% factually have more of it animated and has already been greenlit (making it officially happening at some point, as anything not “greenlit” is simply rumor, speculation, and hope) – and make sure that source is dated prior to when this review was made, though honestly given they still have said nothing of the sort you’re free to give me a more recent source as well, though it will diminish your point substantially given my review wouldn’t reflect things said ages later. I’d just personally be interested in knowing if it is indeed true, plus it’s also an impossible task because such a thing does not exist and so I don’t have to hear from you again.
Until you can do so, I can only (from now on) copy paste either this or that other reply to that other commentor (I’m not going to bother checking if the IPs match) until one of you actually realizes you are goddamn delusional and arguing with someone over your wishful thinking versus the sad truth you refuse to accept. For you specifically though, I’m truly sorry my review of a cartoon managed to genuinely make you livid and even – in your own words – become about more than the anime, and even pushed you to randomly assume things about me based on my thoughts on one television show. I don’t write my blog to give people personal anguish, so I hope you can get over the damage I’ve done in the near future as it was completely unintentional.
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What the heck .. What are they supposed to do if they have no material to adapt anymore ? They will continue the anime at some point.
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Please link me the source for that last part where the publisher of the manga or a production studio has officially stated this, otherwise don’t leave me stupid fucking comments like this again.
Though if you really want an answer to your question you could always use basic logic and come to your own. Perhaps just maaaaybe they shouldn’t have made 99 episodes of a show they knew very well they had no chance of finishing because the manga was still planned to continue for years even before the anime went further than being greenlit. Or, perhaps, they could have maybe done what absolutely every other publisher who wants to get their content adapted or every other animation studio adapting such and actually planned ahead to make sure they didn’t make 99 episodes and then just randomly end without anything for the viewer. Not even a single implication of more, not even a single statement of more, not a single plot string tied up or implied it will ever be, even the main character being – as far as the show ever bothered to present – stuck never able to go to space. Hell, maybe they could have ended it earlier given the last 30 fucking episodes are made up of every episode being 90% recap and 10% fucking nothing happening that’s even remotely interesting.
There are plenty of ways to end – even “just for now” – a story that isn’t over. Novel series do it between each release of a new novel, movies do it between each release of a movie (for example the new Star Wars film feels complete and yet it leaves you without a conclusion at all), other anime, games, manga, television shows, fucking stage plays – everything manages to deal with the SAME EXACT SITUATION SPACE BROTHERS FACED. This is not a unique situation by ANY MEANS, especially not in terms of adaptations.
Name an anime and chances are it ended without telling the actual full story, especially if it was made in the past 5 years or so but even prior, and chances are also that it’s fully over never to be continued. Yet, it will feel a thousand times more complete than this did. Not only did this end on a random episode out of nowhere without even anything different about the finale, it outright presented itself as a story that will never live up to what it’s promised by pretty much saying it outright that it’ll never happen instead of hinting that their dreams and wishes will come to fruition one day. Not to mention it died a very slow painful death going from amazing to one of the worst slogs imaginable with most episodes not even having new content by the end.
People like you are exactly why “elitism” in the anime fandom is misunderstood so often. You’re an idiot, you clearly know fucking nothing about the medium and have no history with it aside a very fucking tiny pool of experience, otherwise you’d understand why this is such a common situation and yet one that is RARELY HANDLED AS PATHETICALLY AS SPACE BROTHERS HANDLED IT. People like you need to shut the fuck up and understand you are an ignorant little shit before trying to act like you know a goddamn thing. It’d be one thing if you were asking without all that other bullshit around it and were genuinely asking a question, but instead you sit there pretending you’re some high and mighty know it all who is looking down upon poor little me who just doesn’t get how anime works and that this was the only option for them. Pointing out that you are a stupid piece of shit does not mean I’m an elitist, it just means you’re a stupid piece of shit. There are a thousand fucking things they could have done instead of what they did, don’t ask such a dumb fucking question to anyone again.
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Thanks, i was on episode 33 and started to get bored as hell, i’ll drop it before wasting more time in this shit
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Wow you are both fucking RETARDs.
The Manga continues EVERY 2 weeks.
It was officially stated that the Anime pauses until the Manga gains some lead…. Typically 3 Chapter make 1 episode….. They already have enough chapters for 40 more episodes.
Seriously you are 2 fucking retarded to do 1 minute research. Kill yourself you are way too stupid for this BREATHTAKINGLY ANIME. This is one of the best Animes EVER. Fuck off you deserve to watch shit like dragonball.
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Citation needed.
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I hope for your sake this is a troll post because if it’s not I feel really bad for you.
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Don’t listen to another person’s opinion, it may be worth for you to watch the whole thing. However, if you get bored by awesome character development and need more senseless action, yeah, you are probably better off looking for another series, or just a short one.
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Vince Bold, the blonde guy who has no expressions likes to cut people off and drive fast up to the safety limit. Ya I know who he is. I agree with everything, but you forgot to add that Hibito did not appear at all in the last two episodes even though he’s one of the main characters.
Why the fuck did they end it at 99 and not 100? To be continued ending ~
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Oh shit, you’re right – I totally forgot he hasn’t even been shown whatsoever lately. The ending had so much bad to it that I forgot something so basic that’s an equally big deal. He’s not even just ‘one of’ the main characters, he’s one of the two the show’s title is about. I mean damn, what were they thinking?
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