It should be noted that the director explicitly meant the series as a tribute to Heinlein and it was dedicated to him when it launched (Heinlein had died during production) so there was a clear intent.
That being said it was a mini-series and there was only a limited amount of things they could cram into it. It’s a pretty complex book with a lot of detail.
There’s also the fact that a faithful adaptation would have been pretty hard to sell to the Japanese public. They have different sensibilities from the Western public and some of the symbolism would have been completely lost on them or appropriated to very different meanings.
A son who joins the marines and goes to war while regretting the rift with his parents is easy to understand in most markets. Add some cool SciFi imagery and action scenes, a touch of romantic interest, it’s sufficient for 6 episodes.
It should be noted that the director explicitly meant the series as a tribute to Heinlein and it was dedicated to him when it launched (Heinlein had died during production) so there was a clear intent.
That being said it was a mini-series and there was only a limited amount of things they could cram into it. It’s a pretty complex book with a lot of detail.
There’s also the fact that a faithful adaptation would have been pretty hard to sell to the Japanese public. They have different sensibilities from the Western public and some of the symbolism would have been completely lost on them or appropriated to very different meanings.
A son who joins the marines and goes to war while regretting the rift with his parents is easy to understand in most markets. Add some cool SciFi imagery and action scenes, a touch of romantic interest, it’s sufficient for 6 episodes.