"Astra Lost in Space" Review: A youthful sci-fi anime about an adventure in an unknown universe

"Astra Lost in Space": A story of friendship and hope found at the edge of the universe

Astra Lost in Space is a 2019 anime TV series based on the manga of the same name by Kenta Shinohara. Set in a near future where space travel has become commonplace, the series follows the adventures of nine boys and girls as they set off on a planetary camping trip. It aired from July 3 to September 18, 2019, and consisted of 12 episodes. It aired on AT-X and TOKYO MX, with each episode lasting 30 minutes. Animation was produced by Lerche and the series was directed by Masaomi Ando.

story

The story of "Astra Lost in Space" begins in the near future, when space travel has become commonplace. Nine boys and girls set off into space to participate in a special program called Planet Camp. They are excited about their space trip, but they end up facing an unexpected situation. The story depicts the difficulties they encounter on an unknown planet and the friendship and wisdom they use to overcome them.

Commentary

"Astra Lost in Space" won the Grand Prize at the Manga Taisho 2019 Awards and attracted attention as a sci-fi survival story written by Kenta Shinohara. This work, created by Kenta Shinohara, who is also known as the author of "SKET DANCE", was finally made into a TV anime and gained many fans. In adapting it into an anime, the staff and cast worked together to bring out the charm of the original work to the fullest.

cast

The cast members playing the main characters in "Astra Lost in Space" are as follows:

• Kanata Hoshijima: Yoshimasa Hosoya
• Aries Spring: Minase Inori
• Zach Walker: Shunsuke Takeuchi
• Kitri Raffaelli: Tomoyo Kurosawa
• Funicia Raffaelli: Kino Hina
• Luca Esposito: Risae Matsuda
• Wolger Zweig: Kouki Uchiyama
• Yun-Fat Lu: Saori Hayami
• Charles Lacroix: Nobunaga Shimazaki
• Polina Livinskaya: Hitomi Nabatame

The cast members brought excitement to the story with their performances that made the most of the individuality of their characters. In particular, Yoshimasa Hosoya, who played Kanata Hoshijima, realistically portrayed the protagonist's passion and drive, leaving a strong impression on viewers. Inori Minase, who played Aries Spring, charmed many fans with her adorable portrayal of a natural and cheerful character.

Main Staff

The following main staff members are involved in the production of "Astra Lost in Space."

• Director: Masaomi Ando
• Series Composition: Norimitsu Kaiho
• Character design and main animation director: Keiko Kurosawa
• Sub-chief animation director: Yumiko Yamamoto
• Mechanical design: Hiroshi Arisawa
• Prop design: Hiroyuki Honda
• Space creature design: Tomohito Hirose
• Assistant Director: Yusuke Shibata
• Art director: Masatoshi Kai
• Art setting: Toshun, Hane Hiroshu
• Color design: Saki Tada
• Director of photography: Junko Sakai
• CGI: Larks Entertainment
• CG Director: Daisuke Kato
• 2D design: Imamura
• Monitor design: Kanako Yamada
• Edited by: Naoki Miyazaki (Morita Editorial Office)
• Music: Masaru Yokoyama, Nobuaki Shinzawa
• Music Production: KADOKAWA
• Sound Director: Satoki Iida
• Sound effects: Iki Okuda
• Animation producer: Yuji Higa
• Animation production: Lerche
• Production: Astra Lost in Space Production Committee

Each of these staff members demonstrated their high level of skill and sensibility in their respective fields of expertise, which raised the quality of the work. In particular, director Ando Masaomi faithfully reproduced the worldview of the original work while adding expressions unique to anime, providing new excitement to viewers. Additionally, character designer Kurosawa Keiko created designs that brought out the best in the characters, enhancing the visual appeal.

Main Characters

The main characters of "Astra Lost in Space" are as follows.

• Kanata Hoshijima : A boy with outstanding athletic and survival skills. After getting lost in the mountains, he started training and dreams of becoming a space explorer. He has a straightforward and passionate personality, but often ends up spinning his wheels.
• Aries Spring : A girl with the ability to perfectly remember anything she sees once. She was born with heterochromia and is a cheerful and natural girl. She loves eating, laughing, and sleeping, and often makes mistakes when speaking.
• Zach Walker : A genius with an IQ of 200, he majors in space science. He has a spaceship pilot's license and is knowledgeable about machines. He leads those around him with his calm judgment, but he can also be insensitive in human relationships. He is Kitri's childhood friend.
• Kitri Rafaeli : A young lady studying medicine with the aim of becoming a doctor. Although she has a wealthy medical background, she has a strong and selfish personality and is unable to open up to those around her. Funicia is her step-sister.
• Funisia Rafaeli : Kitri's step-sister, whom she adores like a real sister. She cleared the task of "bringing a 10-year-old child along" to participate in the planet camp. She has a puppet called "Vigo" that expresses feelings with the voice of the character.
• Luca Esposito : An artistic guy with dexterity and great taste. Cheerful and friendly, he can get along with anyone right away. He has a unique way of speaking, using "oira" as his first-person pronoun and adding "ssu" to the end of his sentences.
• Wolger Zweig : A surly, sarcastic man who refuses to get too close to the other members. He is skilled in all types of shooting, and is adept at using handguns and bows and arrows. His distinctive features are his knit cap and long bangs that cover one eye. His catchphrase is "Shut up, you idiot."
• Yun-Fa Lu : A girl with black hair and glasses. She is not the type to proactively step out in front of others or express herself. She feels inferior to the members with strong personalities and behaves in a way that doesn't stand out.
• Charles Lacroix : He has a wealth of knowledge about living things and is a great asset in planetary exploration. His love for living things is so strong that when his curiosity is heightened, his behavior becomes perverted. He is also a disappointingly handsome man.
• Polina Livinskaya : Ark 6's engineer. She was in cold sleep for about 12 years before Kanata and the others arrived.

Each of these characters has a different personality and background, enriching the story. In particular, the relationship between Kanata and Aries symbolizes the central themes of the story, friendship and hope. In addition, each character's special skills, such as Zack's calm judgment, Kitri's medical knowledge, and Luca's artistic sense, contribute greatly to the progression of the story.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode of "Astra Lost in Space" are as follows.

• Episode 1: PLANET CAMP
• Episode 2: WILDERNESS
• Episode 3: METEOR
• Episode 4: STAR OF HOPE
• Episode 5: PARADISE
• Episode 6: SECRET
• Episode 7: PAST
• Episode 8: Lost and Found
• Episode 9: REVELATION
• Episode 10: CULPRIT
• Episode 11: CONFESSION
• Episode 12: FRIENDSHIP

These subtitles symbolize the content of each episode and give a hint of how the story will unfold. In particular, subtitles such as "STAR OF HOPE" and "FRIEND-SHIP" emphasize the themes of hope and friendship in the work. Subtitles such as "SECRET" and "CULPRIT" hint at the mysterious elements of the story.

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for "Astra Lost in Space" are as follows.

Opening Theme

• Period: Episodes 1-12
• Song title: star*frost
• Lyricist: Fumio Yasuda
• Composed by: Naoki Echizentani & Fumiya Taguchi
• Arranged by: Naoki Echizentani & Fumiya Taguchi
• Sung by: nonov

Ending Theme

• Period: Episodes 1-12
• Song Name: Glow at the Velocity of Light
• Lyricist: Tanaka Rei
• Composer: Nazca
• Arrangement: the Third
• Sung by: Azuna Riko

The opening theme, "star*frost," features nonov's powerful vocals and a grand melody that conveys the adventure and hope of the story. Meanwhile, the ending theme, "Glow at the Velocity of Light," features Azuna Riko's gentle vocals and beautiful melody that bring out the story's moving scenes. These songs helped viewers empathize more deeply with the story.

Evaluation and Impressions

"Astra Lost in Space" was highly praised as a sci-fi survival story. It was especially praised for faithfully recreating the appeal of the original work while adding expressions unique to anime. The story, which depicted the individuality and growth of the characters, also left a strong impression on viewers. Furthermore, the beautiful visuals and music also contributed to the appeal of the work.

Viewers' reactions included many positive comments such as, "I was moved by watching the characters grow," "I was touched by the story of friendship and hope," and "The beautiful visuals and music were amazing." Additionally, many fans of the original work commented that they were satisfied with how the worldview of the original work was faithfully reproduced.

Recommendations and related works

"Astra Lost in Space" is recommended for those who like science fiction and survival stories, and those who want to be moved by stories of friendship and hope. It is also perfect for those who want to enjoy character growth and changes in human relationships. In particular, it has elements in common with the following works, so we recommend watching them together.

• "Made in Abyss" : An adventure story about exploring an unknown world. Beautiful visuals and a deep story.
• "Dr. Stone" : A work filled with elements of science and survival, depicting character growth and friendship.
• "Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-" : A work that depicts friendship and wisdom to overcome difficulties. It has a deep story and character growth.

These works, like "Astra Lost in Space," depict themes of adventure, survival, friendship and hope in unknown worlds, and are sure to impress viewers. They also share beautiful visuals and music, making them a visual treat.

Conclusion

"Astra Lost in Space" touched many viewers with its story of friendship and hope found at the edge of the universe. While faithfully recreating the appeal of the original work, the quality of the work was raised by adding expressions unique to anime. The individuality and growth of the characters, as well as the beautiful visuals and music, left a strong impression on viewers. We highly recommend this to anyone who likes science fiction or survival stories, or who wants to be moved by a story of friendship and hope. You can also get even deeper emotions by watching it together with other related works.