Manga
Picked by our editor, Nico.
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About
Two brothers looked to the starry skies as children and made a promise ... Now, in the year 2025, the younger brother, Hibito, is carrying his out. He is an astronaut who has been selected as a crew member for mankind’s first long-term base on the moon. Meanwhile, the older brother, Mutta, has just been fired from his job and is unemployed, but decides to trust himself just one last time. A text message from Hibito sends him applying to be an astronaut too and shooting for the stars …
Character analysis
Mutta is the older brother, but he feels left behind. As kids, he and his younger brother Hibito made a promise while looking at the stars. Hibito became an astronaut. Mutta became a car designer, then lost his job after headbutting a manager who insulted his brother. Instead of a young hero full of talent, the story follows a grown man full of doubt who still decides to try. That makes his small wins feel big.
Hibito is everything Mutta thinks he is not: talented, popular and already living the dream. But he is not a rival who looks down on his brother. He really wants Mutta to become an astronaut too, and it is his message that pushes Mutta to apply. The love between the two brothers, not competition, is what drives the story.
Serika takes the same astronaut exam as Mutta. She loves foreign food and Star Wars, and Mutta develops a crush on her almost right away. She brings a warm, lighter side to the story. She is also another candidate with her own serious reasons for wanting to go to space, which reminds us that Mutta is not the only one chasing a dream.
Kenji becomes friends with Mutta just minutes after finding out they are the same age. He is calm and dedicated, lives with his wife and daughter, and often cheers Mutta up. In a story about a tough selection process, Kenji shows that the other candidates are not only competitors. They can also be the people who help you keep going.
Status evaluation
Clear, warm art with careful detail in the training scenes and space equipment.
A grown man chasing his childhood dream is simple but powerful. It won the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award (general category).
Mutta's awkward thoughts and bad luck add a lot of gentle humor.
The bond between the brothers and the hard work of every candidate make many chapters very moving.
Space can be dangerous in the story, but nothing is meant to scare you.
There is almost no violence in this series.
It explains astronaut training and space missions in detail, but always through the characters, so it stays easy to follow.
It started in 2007, and AniList lists it at 46 volumes and 432 chapters. This figure has not been verified against a current source and should be treated as approximate.
“It is never too late to chase a dream. Watching Mutta keep going, even when he doubts himself, made me want to try harder at my own goals.”