1 I understand.  It's really work to get through those first few episodes. I thought it was just me having a reaction over how strongly it reminded me of my workplace, but seeing you go through it also, and hearing echoes from everyone else makes me wonder.... is the problem with Planetes that it's first few episodes are too real? 

Are we seeing the idealistic rookie stereotype, whom we just know will be brought up short by reality?  Or are we seeing ourselves?

2

I think what we're seeing is the classic "gizmo obsession" pitfall. The writers are too entranced with their situation and their equipment and setting up their story. There's character stuff going on, too, but mostly the characters don't yet really interest me.

They left out most of the fun.

3 I just breezed through the first five episodes of Tenchi Muyo GXP and that didn't feel like work. It may not be a deep story, but they concentrated on making it fun. Plenty of gizmos in this one, too, but they don't fall for the gizmo obsession pitfall. The story is about people, not about technology.

4 I dropped the show around episode six for slightly different reasons - I thought it wasn't going anywhere.

Some shows are better in marathons, and some aren't. Pick it up again when/if you're in the mood - it's not like this is your job.

For what it's worth, Planetes is ultimately about the people, and not about the shiny gizmos. The writers do spend an awful lot of time establishing the plausible tech and physics (longer, probably, than most shows which are using variant physics) up front, just as they spend a lot of time establishing the situation for those working in the Half-Section. The payoff is worth the setup, and the payoff isn't in gizmos - it's in the characters. This is a show that never forgets a character, be their role however so minor.

5 Maybe you could watch one episode a week as if broadcast.  You can handle one a week right?  While not a certainty I think most of feel you'll love the show once past episode 8.

6

It's not a question of what I can handle. I can "handle" watching straight through.

It's a question of whether I'll be enjoying myself. Your suggestion is exactly what I was talking about: it means that watching this is work, not pleasure. (At least until the 8th episode.)

That's a sign of poor series construction. It's not uncommon for long series to start slow, but in this case it appears to be a pathology.

I haven't given up on this series. I do intend to come back to it. But yesterday I picked up the package, looked at it, and my reaction was, "Why am I wasting my time on this?" If that was my feeling, then it was the wrong time to watch more of it.

7

(what I shoulda said)

If I have to force myself to watch a series, then that series is a failure. It's their job to pull me in. It shouldn't be my job to force myself to watch. As mentioned, this is a hobby for me, and hobbies are supposed to be fun.

8

I've only watched the series once, it doesn't really hold up to repeat viewing. If you're a fan of 'new space' its great, if not its pretty dull (I'm a space enthusiast and would take the barman's job if I got to live in orbit)

The Space nut in me loved it, but the anime fan thought 'meh' At the end of the day when picking a nights viewing i'd rather watch cute girls than realistic spacecraft

Andy

9 I've watched the last two episodes several times. The beginning of the series is glacial, as others have noted, but the second half is great.