Planetes
I can't believe I took so long to get around to watching Planetes. It has all I could have hoped for: engaging, lovable characters brought to life by top-notch voice acting; a compelling plot that hits all the right notes; a novel and realistic sci-fi setting; a fantastic soundtrack; and an ending that feels just right.
As a random aside, every time I heard Gigalt speak, I couldn't get the image of "Chiyo-chichi" from Azumanga Daioh out of my head, which sometimes made it hard to take him seriously. Okay, it wasn't actually a big deal at all, but I had to find something negative to say. Planetes just jumped into my all-time favorites list, along with gems like Crest of the Stars and His and Hers Circumstances.