Planetes

The protagonist, Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino, is an ordinary employee. His job is that of a spacecraft pilot, tasked with collecting space debris known as Debris at the space station. To earn enough for his own ship, he works hard every day alongside his colleagues Yuri and Fee, and their new teammate Tanabe. After four years on the job, now 25 years old, he is beginning to reconsider his way of life. The story is set in 2075, when traveling between Earth, the space stations, and the Moon via passenger ships has become commonplace. The narrative follows Hachimaki's thoughts and his personal growth. Debris originally means fragments. These are artificial objects constantly orbiting in space, created from collisions involving abandoned satellites, rocket parts, and similar discarded items. This anime is adapted from a manga by Makoto Yukimura, which was serialized irregularly in the Morning magazine. The work won the Seiun Award in 2002. Established in 1970, the Seiun Award is presented annually to works selected by attendees of the Japan SF Convention, with past recipients including Leiji Matsumoto, Hayao Miyazaki, and Katsuhiro Otomo.