For anyone who loves good story-telling and perhaps most of all SPACE! This show cannot be beat. I was genuinely moved by many episodes, and as a space geek I was VERY impressed by how accurate the science was (not perfect but damn good).
The themes that are explored and the development of the characters is much closer to that of an hour long American drama. In this case it's Firefly in anime.
Indeed I would say that the writer, Makoto Yukimura is the Joss Whedon of Japan. The writing is that good.
Don't pay any attention to people who complain about how well the show was dubbed. This is not important. A good story is a good story. This series is so good that I was able to easily overlook production shortcomings.
It's been a very long time that I've loved a TV series this much. It's smart, funny, genuine and nerdy all at once. This is a show for people with a head and a heart. Most shows require neither to be "enjoyed".
Planetes is exceptional, and I only regret it was so short lived. I love it. I love it. I love it.