If you liked
Stratos 4
|
...then you might like
Rocket Girls
|
The similarities lie in the choice of characters and setting. In both series, the protagonists are high schoolers who are chosen to undergo pilots'/astronauts' training. The setting is on a sub-tropical island for both, with a remarkably similar choice of supporting characters (a slightly slutty but fearsome female instructor, a chinese inn where the protagonists stay, some otaku (not anime) at the base where they are stationed). That is not to say that they are entirely the same, though. For instance, Rocket Girls is far more realistic depicting the technical aspect of the show (bar a few nonsensical things), while Stratos 4 sometimes foregoes technical accuracy for dramatic effect (which is all well and good, but it might tick off sticklers like me for a bit).
If you liked
Planetes
|
...then you might like
Rocket Girls
|
Both are slice of life, both are about space travel. There are some fundamental differences between the two series, naturally, since Planetes is geared rather towards the seinen/josei public, while Rocket Girls rather aims at shounen, but both feature women as important, irreplaceable members of space development. The degree of realism in Planetes is a bit higher than that in Rocket Girls, but this does not diminish the fun of watching either of the series, in my opinion. That said, both have also very good animation