Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume Visual Novel Review
In a post-apocalyptic world where it's hard to find trustworthy companionship, deep within a destroyed city's planetarium, there exists a single robot with a simple wish; one more customer.
PRODUCTION INFO
Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume; literally, Planetarian: The Dream of a Little Planet, is a visual novel that was produced by the company Key and released in 2004. It was Key's fourth visual novel. There is no adult content or any choices, making it a kinetic visual novel. A light novel was released in April 2006, and there are also three audio dramas for it.
SUMMARY
The nameless protagonist is a junker (also known as Kazuya), an illegal scavenger who has been scoping out ruined cities ever since the nuclear warfare took place 30 years ago and destroyed the planet. From his point of view, it's better to do something than nothing, and he continues to push himself forward through tough times. While he searches in a city for parts he can pawn off to make some cash, he finds a female robot that is somehow still functioning. She apparently worked for the planetarium 30 years ago, and manages to still strive to please any customer that may or may not appear. Needless to say, she has not had a customer in 30 years, so when she sees the junker, she invests all her efforts into making sure he has a pleasant stay at the city's local planetarium.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This is a short VN. It shouldn't take you more than 3 hours to complete it. Still, it is intriguing and cute, and as per the norm with Key works, it's touching enough to make tears well up in your eyes. It is, however, unusual for Key to release a VN that takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting like this, but its usual charm still applies, even in this short of a story. There are no clear romantic elements in this title, but I would still recommend it for romance fans due to the emotional touch it gives you. Do not expect any adult content in Planetarian, because there is none.
MAIN CHARACTERS
The junker's name is never revealed in the VN. All we know is that he is trying to survive in a very harsh world, gathering usable items for selling or using himself. He displays an easily-irritated personality in front of Yumemi, but if he were really that annoyed, he probably wouldn't choose to spend time with her. This suggests that despite Yumemi's existence as a robot, the
junker may have feelings for her, or perhaps that he is just enjoying the general company of another being that is almost human. It becomes apparent later in the story which possibility is true.
The female robot identifies herself as Yumemi Hoshino. She is persistent in making sure the junker stays in her planetarium and enjoys watching the stars displayed by Jena, which is what Yumemi calls the projector. The junker initially attempts to leave, but Yumemi convinces him to stay, insisting that he will have a good time viewing the stars. She is very grateful to the junker for staying, so she presents him with a makeshift "bouquet", which is actually made of electronics parts. It is obvious from many such incidents that Yumemi is malfunctioning, and she won't be existing much longer, which further persuades the junker from abandoning her. The fact that she was able to remain after 30 years of destruction is an amazing feat itself, and it would be a waste to lose such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relax with her.
OPINIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Planetarian was short and sweet. I liked it. It wasn't amazing, but it is definitely worth your time. Both the art as well as the story are beautifully done. Yumemi's character design is not easy to forget; especially that ribbon! Her actions are really cute, too. I felt that the relationship between the junker and Yumemi strongly resembled that of Hideki and Chii from Chobits, and so I believe that is a suitable recommendation for this title, despite the fact that it isn't actually a visual novel. I would also recommend the visual novels Moonshine and Clannad, though.
RATING
★8/10★
