I love Planetes; hard science fiction is right up my alley. I haven't read the manga, so I don't know the differences between the mediums, but the anime is beautiful with consistent animation, wonderful music, and a good story. Give it a chance.
There are other great modern anime: Redline, Hunter x Hunter 2011, Sword of the Stranger, Psycho-Pass, Gundam Build Fighters, Iron Blooded Orphans, Baccano!, and Black Lagoon, to name a few. Don't let nostalgia skew your view.