Why I Love Stellvia

Stellvia is the story of the folks who live and work on the space station Stellvia.  In this world, a star went supernova, and the initial blast almost totalled Earth.  The time for the second wave (this one containing debris that would finish the destruction of Earth) is near, and the cooperating Earth governments have a plan to save the world.

As our story begins, a new probationary class of trainees is on their way to Stellvia, and they end up taking part in a lot of important events during the second wave and beyond.  I think I've seen this show three (maybe four) times now, and it delights me every time.  One of these days I'm going to get around to watching it in Japanese, but I've enjoyed the English dub well enough so far that I just keep watching that (eases multi-tasking, too, I must admit :).

So just what do I like about this show?

• It's a mix.  Part sitcom, part school story, part drama, part romance, part coming of age story.  When something gets tedious, usually the next episode is completely different.
• It's clean.  A little swearing here and there, some scary moments, and some violence, but overall, it's just a fairly PG show.  Even the fanservice is pretty toned down (at least not quite as obsessively focused on as it could be).
• It's genuine.  There's a fair amount of interpersonal work that gets done, some of it frustrating and some of it hilarious, all of it somewhat universally relatable.  The romance is often cute, but it's never idealized (and it's basically a minor part of the show, often completely absent).  The romantic conflicts are realistic for kids this age in this kind of situation. 
• It's gentle.  Difficult things happen.  People fight for stupid reasons with their friends, with their parents, with their boyfriends.  They're clumsy.  Sometimes they screw up.  Sometimes badly.  They get frustrated; they're under too much pressure.  Sometimes you just want to smack them, but you still root for them, and you feel the loving worry of watching over people you care about as they face challenges and make decisions you can't help them with.
• It's hard sci fi.  Some folks might argue with me because it has a giant robot, but it's only really able to work in zero G, where its ridiculous shape isn't quite so ridiculous.  I argue for the hard sci-fi designator because so much of the premise is hard science and so much of the execution is, too.  I only really know of one other show where programming skills are so important to the fate of the universe, but that one is a fanservice extravanganza and sometimes incoherent and has a frustrating ending.  (I have too many reservations to recommend it to a general audience.)
• It has adults.  And they are not stupid.  And they care about the kids and work through adult problems while interacting with the kids as they mature and stumble into new problems.  And they have personalities and backstories and interaction with each other and not just the kids.  I know, novel, right?  I rather like the adults.
• It moves fast but still takes plenty of time with its characters.  The Great Mission is what you think it's all about, but that's only the first half.  The second half is where things really start to get intense (interpersonally, politically, strategically, etc.), and the friendships and relationships built in the first half get to try out their legs.  And look at 'em go!

I like shows with good re-watch value, and I've found this one to have it in spades.  Not for the complicated plot or mind-bending special effects or confusing events.  I just like hanging out with these folks every so often.  Maybe you should give it a try.

Have you seen the show?  Your thoughts?