I can’t believe they brought back Q&A Talk. Of all the one-off jokes to bring back, I would not have expected that one. The continuity in this show is airtight. The real question, though, is this: which brother actually likes that show enough to turn on the radio? I’m sure the answer would be worth another 500 words worth of personality contrast analysis, minimum. Ah well, Mutta’s anticipation of Hibito’s response to how clean his bike was was rich enough. I do think this show would benefit from a whole episode devoted to the two of them just talking real talk or having a day off together.

This really was an episode for clever tangents. Deneil’s stories about the various U.S. Presidents were one of clever pieces of side fluff. All they needed to do was fill space with Deneil’s voice and provide a convincing distraction for Mutta while he struggled to multitask. But they actually ended up having a pretty witty punchlines, making them a fun addition to the playful mood Deneil flies by. It’s just one example among dozens of Space Brothers nailing the little details.

The pilot training arc, while eventually touching and a necessary step forward for Mutta along his path to space, ultimately ran a bit too long and felt a bit too much like other arcs in the series for me to really call it great. It was a good bit of TV, but I do hope future bits of astronaut training will be a bit less cookie-cutter.