Space junk cleanup and goofy-coworker-slice-of-life antics is what gets you in the door, but there's much, much more going on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pl

Space junk cleanup and goofy-coworker-slice-of-life antics is what gets you in the door, but there's much, much more going on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetes#Themes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetes#Themes I'd say it is something of a response to doe-eyed futurism over space exploration that was so prevalent in the 80's and 90's