Canned Mackerel Heads to Space

Shunichi Asano arrives in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, as a rookie teacher at Wakasa Fisheries High School, a school proud of the canned mackerel produced as part of its curriculum. However, none of the disengaged students pay attention to him, and fellow teacher Masaki Kurose delivers bleak news: the school is slated for imminent closure due to declining enrollment. On his way home, Asano catches sight of student Nami Sugawara dancing with pure vitality—a striking contrast to her dull apathy in the classroom. Inspired, Asano tries connecting with his students, only for an offhand remark—"Couldn't we make space food?"—to ignite an impossible dream, even as JAXA official Makoto Kijima begins drafting strict domestic space-food safety standards.

Asano begins researching the rigorous requirements set by space agencies and quickly discovers that obtaining NASA's HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food hygiene certification is an absolute prerequisite. However, the school's old processing lab is severely outdated, and local fishermen face hardship from massive jellyfish blooms damaging fishing nets. While Asano scrambles to find solutions and secure funding, the first-generation students step forward, realizing they must take responsibility for transforming their own cannery if their dream is to stand any chance.

More than six months after submitting their detailed application to achieve HACCP certification, Nami and her classmates reach a crossroads where they must decide their post-graduation careers. Amid personal doubts, Asano finally brings them the monumental news: the school has officially earned HACCP approval! Filled with excitement, Nami drafts an email in English directly to NASA: "We want to send our canned mackerel into space"—only to be met with dead silence. As graduation approaches, the 1st-generation students entrust their unfinished dream to their teacher and the younger students.

With the first generation departed, a new class of 2nd-generation students takes over the research lab. Unlike their predecessors, these newcomers enter with wildly different motivations and clashing personalities, leaving Asano bewildered about how to unite them. Just as the team begins troubleshooting practical zero-gravity canning problems—such as seasoning density and gravy viscosity—the prefectural board of education delivers a crushing announcement regarding the timeline for the school's termination and merger.

As the impending merger threatens to erase Wakasa Fisheries High School and terminate their canning program entirely, local Obama port residents, canning artisans, and students organize a community campaign to protect the school's heritage. Torn between his responsibilities as a faculty employee and his duty to his students' aspirations, Asano must find a way to prove to the board that their specialized research holds unprecedented academic and regional value.

Technical barriers escalate when prolonged shelf-life tests fail microbial stability and moisture retention requirements. Under immense pressure, tempers flare among the students, breaking down teamwork and causing friendships to fracture. When school authorities issue an order to freeze external project activities to focus on standard testing, Asano takes a drastic risk to rekindle the students' faith in themselves and in one another.

The school is reorganized as the Marine Science Department of Wakasa Obama High School. A key figure from the project's earlier years re-enters the picture, crossing paths with the 4th-generation students, led by Ruka Terao. Doubts emerge over whether a newly formed high school department can fulfill promises made over a decade ago. Asano brings the past and present classes together, reminding them that true progress lies in passing the baton across generations.

JAXA opens evaluations for the "Japanese Space Food" certification program. The Obama canned mackerel is officially shortlisted as a candidate! However, JAXA inspector Makoto Kijima enforces uncompromising standards: zero spillage risk during microgravity consumption, extreme vibration resilience during rocket launches, and guaranteed 1.5-year room-temperature preservation without preservatives. Asano and the students find themselves challenged by the cold reality of aerospace engineering.

With a critical certification testing deadline looming, unexpected test results threaten to invalidate years of documentation and sample data. Overwhelmed by the accumulated weight of 15 years of student labor, Asano breaks down in tears. Seeing their teacher's vulnerability, the latest generation of students rallies around him, demonstrating surprising resourcefulness to rework the recipe and packaging within days.

The culmination of over a decade of research is entrusted to the 5th-generation students. Carrying sample batches containing Obama's signature mackerel, the team submits their final inspection prototype to JAXA's central evaluation board. As the agency deliberates, graduates from past generations and townspeople anxiously await the verdict on whether a small-town high school project can officially be certified for the International Space Station.

Fifteen years after Asano first stepped into the classroom, the miracle happens: JAXA officially certifies their canned mackerel as an authentic Japanese Space Food! The canned food is scheduled to be launched to the ISS aboard a resupply cargo spacecraft from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima. Former students from all generations, fellow faculty members, local fishermen, and townspeople gather to watch the rocket ascend into the night sky, celebrating the dream that connected an entire community from the coast of Fukui to the stars.