Makoto Yukimura is a masterclass mangaka, which has been made obvious through the success of his historical epic Vinland Saga, a seinen series that’s had a solid run ever since it began serializing in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2005 before moving to Monthly Afternoon. While Vinland Saga is nothing short of a masterpiece, it isn’t Yukimura’s only incredible series – but, until recently, it was the most accessible to English readers.
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As announced on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, Dark Horse Comics has announced that they will be publishing a hardcover Deluxe Edition of Planetes in a 7″ x 10″ format – the same dimensions as the recently released Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition. The first volume of the Deluxe Edition is set to release on July 29th, 2025, and will retail for $49.99. Dark Horse described Planetes as: “Astronaut Hachimaki “Hachi” Hoshino dreams of breaking out from his famous father’s shadow and joining the Jupiter mission. For him, being an astronaut is about cleaning up space, not exploring its vastness… Amidst a dangerous and unappreciated job, Planetes reveals that the lives of those who fly amongst the stars are filled with the drama of family, romance, and ambition.”
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Planetes, Despite Being Sci-Fi, Is an Out of This World Character Study
Staying true to how the publisher describes the series, Planetes does a phenomenal job exploring the intricacies of the human mind and how we process our emotions when physically distanced from the rest of the world. Despite the series only running from 1999 – 2004 and having four collected volumes, each and every character in its narrative is explored with incredible care.
Planetes doesn’t shy away from commentary about how grim the future could potentially be for planet Earth, either, going into great detail about how grimy the reality of being an astronaut in the world of Planetes truly is. The poignant, powerful writing found in the manga proves that Yukimura has a knack for developing deeply complex themes in his work.
Planetes was the mangaka’s first serialized work after being an assistant under Shin Morimura (Manzai Highway, Aishiteru), and he decided he wanted the story to focus predominantly on the characters’ psyches and personal lives instead of their day-to-day life cleaning up space debris. The manga received an initial English print run from Tokyopop in 2003 and was eventually rereleased using the same translation by Dark Horse Comics in 2015. The upcoming Deluxe Editions from Dark Horse, which feature a new English translation from Yuki Johnson, will be the first time the series has been reprinted in English in ten years.
Story confirmed via the official Dark Horse Comics X account.
