Moonlight Mile

The distance between a hero and his destiny is only a moonlight mile.

Based off a manga by Yasuo Otagaki, about two mountain climbers Gorou Saruwatari and Lostman, who decide to become astronauts. Each takes a different route: Gorou becomes a construction worker to gain multiple operating licenses, whilst Lostman becomes a pilot for the US navy.

Whilst NASA, Russia, Europe and Japan have integrated their space agencies, the second season sees a secret divison of the US seeking military buildup as well as a rival emerging in China, all building towards a new cold war in space.

The series takes a very realistic viewpoint on space travel, and yet manages to make the vehicles, robots and building designs impressive and distinctive.

Tropes used in Moonlight Mile include:

• Conspicuous CG: The vehicles and larger mechanical objects.
• Cool Ship: Most of the spacecraft we see.
• Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: Lostman, who has become rather jaded and cynical, using his influence to give Malik, who's being chased by the FBI and local police who think he's a terrorist, a chance to launch the rocket he and his friends made into space.
• Crowning Moment of Awesome: In the first episode, Goro and Lostman make it to the top of Everest. Solely as a two-man team. Without supplemental oxygen. In winter. The story begins in earnest when they personally witness a phenomenon less than a hundred people have had a chance to; from Everest's peak, it is possible to see satellites with the naked eye. As in, the International Space Station. They all but grin at each other and yell, "Race you!"
• Humongous Mecha: Tested underwater first because of the dangers of it falling over.
• Robot Buddy: A camera robot shows up in season 2.
• Mohs Scale of Sci Fi Hardness: The least realistic thing in this show is the US somehow managing to build a huge orbital installation without anyone noticing.
  • Of course, "huge" means an entirely different thing in space. Space Station "Enterprise" is the size of a city, but also located within the Van Allen radiation belt - non-visual sensors just get static, far enough away that a telescope only gets a black dot. Shielding must be a cast-iron bitch, however.
• No Export for You: The manga has reached 21 volumes in Japan, yet the anime was canceled with one of the most exasperating Cliff Hangers in history; We finally discover what happened to the woman who ran several hundred miles across the moon, only to run into soldiers and get a Laser Sight on her forehead, She's taken prisoner by the American Space Force, and will remain there for the foreseeable future, as they are not willing to reveal the extent of their military buildup to the world. Last image of the series: Year 2017: History begins on the moon. Only twelve of the twenty-six episodes have as-of-2011 been released abroad(Goro hasn't even left for the Moon!), so most viewers don't even get that. And no volumes of the manga have been translated at all. Needs More Love!
• The Pornomancer: Gorou and Lostman, who's first scene is them having sex with a pair of women as "good luck ritual" before climbing Mt. Everest by themselves. This trend continues throughout the series.