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beccastareyesWhat ship had the best proposal? Part 2: Ai and Hachimaki
Planetes is an awesome show -- hard SF which doesn't scrimp on its characters, something that can both be funny, kick-ass and sad, and a show that knows how to write a 25 minute episode that both has a story and furthers the arc. So let me tell you about the two leads.
Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino and Ai Tanabe are both EVA specialists at Technora Corporation. After a horrendous space accident involving a screw going through a suborbital plane's window, space-based industries employ debris haulers to clear the orbits -- mostly for PR and legal reasons. Ai and Hachi are two of these people.
Hachi basically was the speed-demon son of a famous astronaut. He's got some difficulties relating to people because his father was never around -- or maybe he's just rude and brash because that's how he is. Anyway, he has the goal of owning his own spaceship so he can go fast and where-ever he wants, despite the fact that a spaceship is still an expensive piece of equipment and Hachi's job isn't well-paying.
Ai was a girl adopted by a quirky set of parents (a hard-rock musician and an elementary-school teacher) -- though her backstory was only mentioned in the manga. The first we see of Ai is her arrival on the space station, where she mistakenly walks into Control to introduce herself instead of her actual assignment, then Hachi freaks her out by wandering into the office half in his space suit and with only a diaper on below the waist.
Hachimaki was Ai's teacher in the ins and outs of debris collection. Which led to epic arguments, as Ai is a strong believer in Love and Dreams, while Hachimaki has dreams but is cynical about love. On the other hand, as they work together they become friends -- albeit friends who bicker a lot -- and a trip down to Earth* makes them figure out they also are attracted to one another. So then they decide to try dating (awkward in a small-town setting where everyone knows everyone)...
... then an accident, and a revelation causes Hachi to quit his job to try out for the Jupiter mission. And, being an emotionally-stunted idiot, he decides that other people are distractions. It takes Hachi nearly breaking down from his mentor's death and his friend being a terrorist for him to figure out that the reason he's miserable is because he has friggen no one left. So he goes to seek out Ai (on Earth for medical leave) and apologizes.
The two next see each other on a visit back to their old worksite, and Fee lets them borrow suits to go outside to catch up. They talk about everything, and eventually just start sitting out, staring at Earth and playing shiritori. Most of the words are space-based**, and Hachimaki complains about how Ai keeps picking words that end in 'ke':
Hachi: Kessuraa Shindoromu (Kessler Syndrome)
Ai: Mujuuryou-you jiku-uke (Zero-gee ball bearings)
Hachi: Keresu (Ceres)
Ai: Supin-nuke (Spin release)
Hachi: Keiki hikou (Instrument flight)
Ai: Uindou ake (Window opener)
Hachi: Kenedii Uchuu Sentaa (Kennedy Space Center)
Ai: A? A, huh? (The dub has her ask if that counts...)
Hachi: Yeah.
Ai: Ananke! Jupiter's moon.
Hachi: Ke... Kenban haamonika (Keyboard harmonica)
Ai: Kami no ke (hair)
Hachi: Gees, what's with all the 'ke' words?
Ai: You can't think of any more, can you?
Hachi: Ke, huh? (pause, and he maneuvers to face Ai, the night-side Earth in the background) I got one. Kekkon shiyou. Marry me. That's 'u' to you.
Ai: Un.
Hachi: Gotcha! You lose!
So friggen cute. Plus the nice thing about the spacesuits is that the dubbers could actually translate the shiritori by having the dub actors repeat the word in English, since the lip flaps could be covered by the suits. Which means the scene works in the dub as well as the sub.
* After Fee, the captain, breaks the spaceship saving the space station from eco-terrorists (in a nicotine-withdrawal rage, since the terrorists were previously planting bombs in the smoking lounges).
** And, thus, in a mix of Japanese and English loan words.
Previous Days
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? Anthy/Utena
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? Jadzia/Worf
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? Snow/Talia
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry? Lina/Gourry
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? Anakin/Padmé
Day 06 - The best kiss? Eleanor/Gerard
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene? Harry/Susan
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage? Sarasa/Shuri
Day 09 - The most believable relationship? Kaylee/Simon
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life? N/a
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing? Dhulyn/Parno
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding? Magrat/Verence
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing? Amelia/Zelgadis
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing? Dag/Fawn
Day 15 - What is your favorite game pairing? Link/Zelda
Day 16 - What is the pairing that is annoying me right now? Ed/Roy
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did? Mai/Zuko
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing? Sheska/Winry
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning? Sokka/Suki
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing? Jinto/Lafiel
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why? Sylphiel/Zelgadis
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why? Filia/Xellos
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great? Van/Hitomi/Allen/Millerna/Dryden
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly? Cecil/Rosa/Kain
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out? Midna/Zelda
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving? Ginny/Harry
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating? Katara/Zuko
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand? Azula/Sokka
Planetes is an awesome show -- hard SF which doesn't scrimp on its characters, something that can both be funny, kick-ass and sad, and a show that knows how to write a 25 minute episode that both has a story and furthers the arc. So let me tell you about the two leads.
Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino and Ai Tanabe are both EVA specialists at Technora Corporation. After a horrendous space accident involving a screw going through a suborbital plane's window, space-based industries employ debris haulers to clear the orbits -- mostly for PR and legal reasons. Ai and Hachi are two of these people.
Hachi basically was the speed-demon son of a famous astronaut. He's got some difficulties relating to people because his father was never around -- or maybe he's just rude and brash because that's how he is. Anyway, he has the goal of owning his own spaceship so he can go fast and where-ever he wants, despite the fact that a spaceship is still an expensive piece of equipment and Hachi's job isn't well-paying.
Ai was a girl adopted by a quirky set of parents (a hard-rock musician and an elementary-school teacher) -- though her backstory was only mentioned in the manga. The first we see of Ai is her arrival on the space station, where she mistakenly walks into Control to introduce herself instead of her actual assignment, then Hachi freaks her out by wandering into the office half in his space suit and with only a diaper on below the waist.
Hachimaki was Ai's teacher in the ins and outs of debris collection. Which led to epic arguments, as Ai is a strong believer in Love and Dreams, while Hachimaki has dreams but is cynical about love. On the other hand, as they work together they become friends -- albeit friends who bicker a lot -- and a trip down to Earth* makes them figure out they also are attracted to one another. So then they decide to try dating (awkward in a small-town setting where everyone knows everyone)...
... then an accident, and a revelation causes Hachi to quit his job to try out for the Jupiter mission. And, being an emotionally-stunted idiot, he decides that other people are distractions. It takes Hachi nearly breaking down from his mentor's death and his friend being a terrorist for him to figure out that the reason he's miserable is because he has friggen no one left. So he goes to seek out Ai (on Earth for medical leave) and apologizes.
The two next see each other on a visit back to their old worksite, and Fee lets them borrow suits to go outside to catch up. They talk about everything, and eventually just start sitting out, staring at Earth and playing shiritori. Most of the words are space-based**, and Hachimaki complains about how Ai keeps picking words that end in 'ke':
Hachi: Kessuraa Shindoromu (Kessler Syndrome)
Ai: Mujuuryou-you jiku-uke (Zero-gee ball bearings)
Hachi: Keresu (Ceres)
Ai: Supin-nuke (Spin release)
Hachi: Keiki hikou (Instrument flight)
Ai: Uindou ake (Window opener)
Hachi: Kenedii Uchuu Sentaa (Kennedy Space Center)
Ai: A? A, huh? (The dub has her ask if that counts...)
Hachi: Yeah.
Ai: Ananke! Jupiter's moon.
Hachi: Ke... Kenban haamonika (Keyboard harmonica)
Ai: Kami no ke (hair)
Hachi: Gees, what's with all the 'ke' words?
Ai: You can't think of any more, can you?
Hachi: Ke, huh? (pause, and he maneuvers to face Ai, the night-side Earth in the background) I got one. Kekkon shiyou. Marry me. That's 'u' to you.
Ai: Un.
Hachi: Gotcha! You lose!
So friggen cute. Plus the nice thing about the spacesuits is that the dubbers could actually translate the shiritori by having the dub actors repeat the word in English, since the lip flaps could be covered by the suits. Which means the scene works in the dub as well as the sub.
* After Fee, the captain, breaks the spaceship saving the space station from eco-terrorists (in a nicotine-withdrawal rage, since the terrorists were previously planting bombs in the smoking lounges).
** And, thus, in a mix of Japanese and English loan words.
Previous Days
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? Anthy/Utena
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? Jadzia/Worf
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? Snow/Talia
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry? Lina/Gourry
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? Anakin/Padmé
Day 06 - The best kiss? Eleanor/Gerard
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene? Harry/Susan
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage? Sarasa/Shuri
Day 09 - The most believable relationship? Kaylee/Simon
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life? N/a
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing? Dhulyn/Parno
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding? Magrat/Verence
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing? Amelia/Zelgadis
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing? Dag/Fawn
Day 15 - What is your favorite game pairing? Link/Zelda
Day 16 - What is the pairing that is annoying me right now? Ed/Roy
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did? Mai/Zuko
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing? Sheska/Winry
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning? Sokka/Suki
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing? Jinto/Lafiel
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why? Sylphiel/Zelgadis
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why? Filia/Xellos
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great? Van/Hitomi/Allen/Millerna/Dryden
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly? Cecil/Rosa/Kain
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out? Midna/Zelda
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving? Ginny/Harry
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating? Katara/Zuko
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand? Azula/Sokka
