Space Bros 04 — The Simple Pleasures

Much of the reason I enjoy this show so much is not because of any deep or complex reason. It’s not the story, with the friendly rivalry between the brothers, the great characterizations, or the skillful scene composition. It’s how the show manages to make the everyday, simple things Mutta does so interesting. He can even make taking a picture exciting!

Remember from before how Mutta looked in the astronaut’s helmet to envision himself there? Again, it’s such a simple act. But most shows wouldn’t even think of something so simple. They’d have Mutta give a soliloquy about his dreams, or have someone talk to him. But Space Brothers can elicit meaning from the simplest of moments.

The key though is how they make these simple things so amusing, while also revealing much about Mutta. Who would tell an interviewer about the bubbles their hair makes in the shower, or fiddle with a screw during an important interview? Only Mutta, and it’s his attention to and appreciation for these small details which will likely become his strengths as an astronaut.

Same thing with his NASA song. Boy can we tell he’s exciting! But also this is hilarious because it’s such a terrible song.

Further Thoughts

Who can’t love someone with that smile?

Even the guys in suits are like Mutta deep down.

I wonder if the interviewers put a secret camera here. It’s interesting how all three of the candidates given the most attention imagined their own picture going into the next space. But Mutta is likely the only one who greeted all the other astronauts first, as if they were old friends. He is more humble, and his imagination is perhaps more limited than the others: he only imagines himself next in line after he sees his brother.

WHAT A BRO AMONG SPACE BROS.

2 thoughts on “Space Bros 04 — The Simple Pleasures

  1. The show really does know how to make the small stuff work. It still has its indulgences like the twinkly piano music, but just watching the little things that Mutta and the others do on their road to space is a blast. Mutta is derpy and kind of a perv, but in a down to earth way? I guess it just feels like that’s the kind of guy he is and not that his traits are exaggerated to suit the plot, and that helps him feel more like a competent professional who has his own quirks instead of a wacky guy who shouldn’t be allowed within 30 feet of a spaceship.

    Motion to make Kenji an honorary Space Bro?

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