The Orbital Children (Hepburn: Chikyūgai Shōnen Shōjo) is a Japanese anime science fiction series created and helmed by Mitsuo Iso. It was released on January 28, 2022. The anime is set in 2045, where technology like the Internet and artificial intelligence are pervasive even in outer space. It revolves around a group of kids who become stranded there following a serious disaster on a space station. The animation style focuses on dense motion while using simple character designs, which effectively conveys the complicated movement of drones, gravity, and orbital vehicles aboard the space station. There were a lot of mixed emotions according to the fans and critics. Well, I personally enjoyed the thrill The Orbital Children had to offer.
Part 1 of the film was released on January 28, 2022, followed by Part 2 on February 11, 2022. The movies will presumably be 1.5 hours long in sets of three episodes, with the series version having half-hour episodes. Netflix announced in November 2021 that it had acquired the global distribution rights, and it was released as a six-part series on January 28, 2022, to coincide with the debut of Part 1 in Japan.
With that being said let’s dive into what the anime is about!
PLOT of The Orbital Children
So Here’s what goes down in The Orbital Children – A comet collides with the recently opened Japanese commercial space station Anshin in geocentric orbit in the near future in 2045. Three kids from Earth arrived at the commercial space station at the same time. They were going to meet Touya Sagami, a young boy who is the last surviving member of the space baby generation. To prepare their bodies for a move to Earth’s gravity, Touya and Konoha, two other space-born humans, are receiving physical treatment aboard the space colony. They resolve numerous situations by utilizing social media, a drone they can control with smartphones and narrowband technology.
The collision with the comet in causes the space station’s computer systems to fail. Isolated from the majority of the station’s adult staff, the children navigate the early stages of the disaster using local narrowband connections, limited-intelligence AGI, and drones controlled by dermal devices similar to smartphones.
CHARACTERS
Chikyūgai Shōnen Shōjo offered us a bunch of interesting and out-of-this-world characters (pun intended). Let’s take a quick look at all the characters.
Touya Sagami
The protagonist and a 14-year-old “edgelord” hacker. Touya, the most famous of these “moonchildren” and one of the first and last human kids born on the Moon, despises Earthlings and is disgusted by their unjustified prejudices. He violates UN regulations, particularly with regard to his personal drone, Darkness Killer, or Dakky (, Dakk) for short.
Konoha Б Nanase
Touya’s childhood friend, a 14-year-old girl. Isn’t she kawaii? However, She is weaker than Touya and in conclusion is accompanied by Medi, Secondly, a medical drone that monitors her heart rate and breathing. Evidently, Konoha has a vague sense of nostalgia
Taiyo Tsukuba
Next is Taiyo Tsukuba, a 14-year-old junior UN2.1 official and white-hat hacker patrolling for unlawful activities with his personal drone, Bright. He treats everyone politely and with a gentle attitude, but his sense of righteousness is so strong that he occasionally adopts a fierce demeanor. He was drawn to Anshin by Deegle’s underage space experience campaign.
Mina Misasa
Then we have the cheerful Mina. 14-year-old SNS influencer who calls herself a Space Tuber and aspires to have 100 million followers. She constantly speaks to her followers in an idol-like manner, but she panics when the Internet goes down. She dislikes space, but sees it as an opportunity to gain followers, so she participates in Deegle’s underage space experience campaign by visiting the space station Anshin. Mina owns Selfie, a pink heart-shaped drone that specializes in live streaming video.
Hiroshi Tanegashima
Mina’s 12-year-old younger brother, though their family names differ due to their parent’s divorce. He is travelling to Anshin with his sister, and unlike her, he enjoys solitude. He is particularly fond of the space-born Touya and is well-versed in various conspiracy theories.
Nasa Houston
A 21-year-old Anshin space station crew member. Houston, who despises children, works as a reluctant nurse and caregiver for Touya and Konoha, attending to the children invited by Deegle’s campaign and later discovered to be members of the John Doe group.
Where to Watch The Orbital Children
You can watch The Orbital Children on Netflix, and it consists of 6 episodes. So sit back and get ready for an orbital thrill.
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