Planetarian is a five episode anime that is based on the PC visual novel of the same name. Since the game was only around two to four hours long (depending on your reading speed), it is not long enough for a whole season of episodes. However, the anime was released over ten years after the game. As it is an original net animation, the length of each episode is not the same. Each episode spans from 13 minutes long to 25 minutes long, depending on the part of the story that it wants to tell.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where biological warfare has caused various cities to be inhospitable. “Junkers”, humans who scavenge to survive, search these abandoned cities to find objects to sell for a high price. However, this way of work is dangerous as there are still functioning armed robots patrolling the cities that will not hesitate to shoot and kill anyone that appears. One of these Junkers finds his way into a city. The opening shows how he was trying to escape the robots chasing after him and he hides himself in a building that looked like a military installation. It turns out it was only a department store, and when he heads to the roof, he finds a planetarium there. Despite having only two characters, the star of the anime is the robot Hoshino Yumemi. Yumemi is a lifelike robot in charge of the reception of the planetarium, as well as the coordination and hosting of the presentations.
Despite all odds, Yumemi is still functioning, 30 years after the war forced the city’s inhabitants to flee. The Junker stays there for a few days, and this is the bulk of the anime. Yumemi is extremely talkative, and even though she is a robot with limitations, she manages to break those shackles at times. The Junker is initially annoyed, but surprisingly, Yumemi carries a lot of charm with her innocence, naivety and her strict adherence to her duty.
The constant chatter from Yumemi and the replies from the Junker are insightful to how the world used to work, and how it is currently working. Over the course of two episodes (roughly 30 mins), you feel that you have already developed a bond and affection for the characters. It’s such that when you see the disappointment of Yumemi, you feel disappointed too. You want to cheer her up, and when she expresses joy at doing the thing that she loved (or is programmed to do, really), it does give you a sense of happiness too. The fact that Yumemi is stuck in a different time is charming. Her faith in humanity never falters. This is accentuated thanks to the subtle but powerful music that plays in the background.
The visual novel has a lot of text dedicated to the inner thoughts of the Junker, but unfortunately we had to lose that in the anime adaptation. The writers have tried to incorporate that so it doesn’t impact the tone of the story much. Despite the short length of the series, it does a great job at making you care so much for Yumemi. Her speech in the last episode is rousing. As she finally speaks of her thoughts and feelings over all those years of dutifully waiting for customers to come, it is unbelievably powerful. The way about how doubts had started forming, and then how hope was restored with the Junker arriving to become the first customer in 30 years, and then speaking of the future, it was emotionally moving.
Overall, Planetarian is a fantastic anime that does the story of the visual novel justice. In some ways, it has further improved upon the story. Yumemi is a charming character that makes her likable to everyone, and she is clearly the strongest aspect of the story.
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