October 29th, 2018 
Charles Solomon 
The dystopic science fiction tale Planetarian began as a kinetic or visual novel by “Key” in 2004. Twelve years later, it was adapted to five-part ONA (Original Net Animation). The story opens long after a biological/nuclear war devastated most of the Earth; the few surviving humans lead a hardscrabble existence, scavenging the ruined cities for batteries, weapons, liquor and any other usable relics of civilization they can find.
The Junker (voice by David Matranga) stumbles into a crumbling building that once housed the lavish Flower Crest department store. A back-up generator still puts out a little electricity. On the top floor is a planetarium, built to show customers the stars they can longer see through the perpetual rain and cloud cover. Hosting the show is Yumemi Hoshino (Jill Harris), an android who looks a bit like “Belldandy” in Ahh My Goddess. Yumemi repeats her standard welcoming spiel, although years have past since any visitors came—and the massive projector, which she calls Miss Jena, has ceased functioning.
Junker fails to convince Yumemi that the lower levels of the store—and the surrounding city—are deserted ruins, but he somehow manages to repair Miss Jena. For one brief show, he savors the glories of the stars. Although he grows impatient with her formula responses, Junker warms to Yumemi. His attempt to take her to a new home beyond the desolate city fails, and their overly long farewell sinks from poignancy into bathos.
What sets Planetarian apart from many other anime sci-fi stories is the character of Yumemi. Like all robots, she was built to serve humans, but she is not a female doormat/slavey like the characters in Chobits or Hand Maid May. In the series’ better moments, Yumemi may remind viewers of the lichen-encrusted robots in Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky or the automaton house in Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” in The Martian Chronicles. Devoted electronic servants who have outlived their purpose–and their masters.
Barely three months after the Net videos appeared, a theatrical feature of Planetarian was released. The original footage was intercut with a grim framing story. The ceaseless rains of the initial story have given way to snow; the now aged Junker slogs through the drifts, dragging a sled behind him. He collapses near a tiny village, where a few dozen individuals live amid windmills and old cathedral where they worship “the Goddess.”
The Junker is now The Storyteller of the Stars; he schleps around a smaller version of Miss Jena and a hand-cranked generator, telling people about the stars their ancestors knew. The village’s three children are intrigued by the visitor and his visions: They decide they want to replace him as Storytellers of the Stars. Their elders disapprove. Although all the adults are women and the three kids represent the village’s last generation, they see no reason for them to travel, bringing knowledge to the scattered remnants of humanity.
In a moment that feels both manipulative and hokey, the Junker discovers the goddess in the cathedral is a robot of the same vintage and model as Yumemi. She’s at his bedside when he passes on to a heaven shared by humans and androids, where Yumemi awaits him.
Director Naokatsu Tsuda and his artists fail to integrate the framing story with the original tale. Why has snow replaced the depressing rain all over the planet? Where and how did the Junker find a mini-planetarium projector—and learn how to use it? And how did he evolve from cynical scavenger to proselytizer of hope?
The ONA of Planetarian wavers between being a touching fable and a three-hanky weeper, but it’s the best way to experience this story. The feature is simply too on-the-nose in its dialogue and additional story to be entertaining.
Planetarian: OVA’s & Movie
Funimation: $49.98 4 discs, DVD and Blu-ray
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