That kid’s going to be an astronaut when he grows up.
Perceptions of America
I guess I’ll continue this since people seemed to like it, but there isn’t quite as much to say this episode.
[INACCURATE] Americans have never seen Japanese people, are openly rascist and refer to all Japanese people as samurai. No, they will think nothing of Japanese people, especially employees of NASA working in Houston. And if people are racist towards Hibito, they’ll probably assume he’s Chinese.
[ACCURATE] Jennifer. Based on her appearance, I was almost certain this was going to be a racist caricature. Fortunately she’s not at all.
[ACCURATE] Johnston Space Center. If we ignore the fact that this road is way too wide, this is pretty much what I remember it looking like (although I haven’t been there for about fifteen years). Lots of open space. There’s a separate museum section which Mutta visited when he did the bungee jump, but you can take guided tours of the back area where the work gets done.
[INACCURATE] The talk show hosts would bow to Hibito. No. Many people would consider this condescending and offensive.
[INACCURATE] The talk show host would ask Hibito what he should call him. No, he would just call Hibito whatever he felt like.
Hibito’s Qualifications
This episode was, again, a bit slow without much going on. But we did learn a good deal about why Mutta is qualified to become an astronaut.
The first thing that stands out is his absurd attention to detail. He noticed that the screw on the chair was loose. He noticed a two second difference in Hibito’s lap times without a clock (frankly, I don’t even know how this is possible). This attention to detail would serve an astronaut well, I presume.
The other thing we are reminded of again is Mutta’s courage. He’s the only one who isn’t afraid to headbutt his boss. I’m not entirely convinced that’s a good thing, but whatever.