Rocket Girls is one of the latest releases from Bandai and it comes hot on the heels of other highly successful licenses they've acquired. While Code Geass and Gurren Lagann have been making their own waves the upcoming Ghost Slayers Ayashi looks equally promising and epic. With such a pedigree in their lineup is there room for an unassuming and relatively unheard of series such as Rocket Girls? At first I was rather skeptical about the series, but after sitting through it I must say that Bandai was on to something when they picked this little show up.

Mook Animation and relatively unknown director Hiroshi Aoyama worked on Rocket Girls, which is based on the light novel series by Hōsuke Nojiri. The novels began in 1995 and the animated version saw the light of day in 2007 so it's worth noting that there's a bit of an audience in Japan for the show. Twelve episodes were produced for the series and after watching it, I must say that worked out to be the perfect length. Rocket Girls never feels too rushed and it never feels stretched out, it's just right.

The show follows the exploits of a young girl named Yukari Morita, who is a high school student on a summer break. Though she seems like your normal high-spirited and energetic school aged girl at first, Yukari has actually had something of a tough life. Her father ditched her mother on their honeymoon and Yukari has made a mission out of tracking him down. This summer's trip took her to a place called Solomon Island, which is a rather expansive territory with a whole lot of people. Naturally finding her father is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. What she does find, however, is something else entirely.

While on Solomon Island she comes across someone involved with an organization known as the Solomon Space Agency. The SSA has been having trouble as of late and they appear to be in dire straits for something to go right. When one of the higher ups sees Yukari he changes his mind about the direction of the program and goes down another path entirely. Yukari is invited to become an astronaut for the SSA and work with a team of fellow teenage girls to train, perform missions, and ultimately head up into space. Naturally this is rather a daunting task for a kid on a summer break, but where there's a will there's a way and Yukari still has to find her father on Solomon after all.

It's not long before Yukari actually does come across her dad (it all happens in the second episode), but circumstances being what they are he's not about to come quietly. Thus Yukari is joined by her step-sister Matsuri, who follows her to the SSA and becomes a part of the crew. From then on Yukari is considered to be the lead astronaut and Matsuri is training to be her back up. Seeing this as an opportunity to get out of it the show follows as Yukari tries to weasel her way out of the program. Things become even more convoluted when she learns that some tests on the ship she's going to be flying haven't been going so well. Who wants to go to space in a hunk of junk?

After a few episodes of dealing with problems Yukari's character grows quite a bit and she even forms a relationship with Matsuri. The two become popular with the media, but the SSA's latest team isn't complete until the third wheel, Akane, is introduced. Each of the main characters compliments each other quite nicely, though Yukari is definitely the main reason to watch this show.

At the beginning she's extremely reluctant to be a part of the SSA and it certainly seems like she's being forced into it at times. As I mentioned earlier she spends quite a bit of time trying to get out of the program, but after a while she actually warms up on the idea of it all. Yukari goes from being angry about position to being excited and she grows so much in the short span of these episodes. It's all handled very well and is paced out quite nicely with the development of the other girls and the overall plot.

By the time the twelfth episode came to a close I must admit that I actually wanted more. Rocket Girls is a very simple show with an easy to adore cast and plot that doesn't take many risks. It's definitely a laid back affair and the manner with which it handles the space travel and technology is much more relaxed than other space faring anime efforts. There's certainly a no-frills mentality when it comes to Rocket Girls, but it's that sense of ease that gives this series a unique voice. Though it may not be for everyone I felt it had enough strength to warrant a recommendation.

Rocket Girls is presented with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. As I already state this show is simple with its approach to telling the story, but I didn't mention that it's also easy on the eyes. The character designs and look of the world are very clean with less detail than we typically see in other shows. This gives Rocket Girls a unique look that sets it apart from other anime on the market. The video quality thankfully keeps in step as well and the transfer is clean for the most part. There are some areas where grain is noticeable and aliasing crops up, but otherwise this is a solid looking release by Bandai. Though not outstanding Rocket Girls doesn't disappoint.

Some people may disappointed by Rocket Girls' audio presentation, but in my opinion the Japanese only stereo treatment works just fine, then again I typically listen to my anime in Japanese anyway. The no-frills presentation sounds good for what it is and since this isn't really a show where you need to have a blasting surround mix the stereo works well enough. The dialogue is clean and clear and there are no problems with the quality of the sound itself. It would have been nice if the track packed a little more punch, but it's suitable enough. English subtitles are included.

Clean opening and closing animations, trailers, and a crudely animated pilot episode are all you're going to find here for bonus features.

Rocket Girls was actually a surprise. This little show has a lot of heart and the girls make up a perfect cast. From start to finish this one was a treat that never took itself too seriously, offered plenty of lighthearted moments, and was simple and clean cut. If you like anime about spaceflight or simply are looking for a show that's easy to get into and not very demanding, then this is one to consider. Despite its low-key nature it hit many right notes and because of that I'm going to recommend it.

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