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Year: 2019
Genre: Adventure, Award Winning, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 12
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Space has always been an exciting topic. Exploration has influenced the imagination of humankind for a long time. The thought of going to different planets and meeting different alien races has been fascinating. Many anime series like Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z, Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing, and so many others have increased and influenced the ideas of space travel. To be amongst the stars would be a fun ride. How fun would it be to do a trip through space? Have a class through the unknown reaches. What would happen when the class trip turns into an adventure of survival? Astra Lost in Space is an anime where a class gets lost in space and must survive and find a way back.
Overview
In the not-so-distant future, in the year 2063, space travel has become possible and a new way of life. Nine students from Caird High School are elected to go to a nearby planet of McPa for their Planetary Camp. Everything is what the students dream of until they encounter a mysterious but unique sphere of light. Thinking nothing of it, one of the students decides to touch it when the sphere becomes hostile and attacks them. The sphere transports all the students into the distant depths of space. Floating in orbit, the students quickly discover an old and abandoned spacecraft. Learning that the ship can still fly, they resolve a plan to return home. They soon realize they are more than 5000 light years away from home. They set a course of visiting different planets to help them replenish all their meager supplies.
As the students set out on their long and dangerous journey, they soon realize there is more to the sphere and who they are. During their trip, secrets are revealed that will change how they see their lives.
Review:
I must admit that this anime surprised me. Like in Star Trek, I thought it was some space anime where many people explore the vast universe. I was utterly thinking that this anime was a version of Star Trek, but I was wrong, and it became an anime where shit went down.
The story is interesting and excellent to watch, even though it is only 12 episodes long. This anime moves fast and gets straight to the point. A group of high school students go out to explore a nearby planet for a school trip. Everything is cool until they see this black ball come towards them, and they are thrust into space. It is a race for survival and to get back home. I think for the students, it was like three months away. What I like about the story and anime is that the first six or seven episodes revolve around the students trying to return to Earth. During this time, they run into significant troubles from a planet filled with man-eating plants or trying to find edible food or water. The students were very resourceful.
After about the seventh episode, this is when the drama unfolds. Chrace tells the group he is royalty and was the reason for the black ball of light that placed them in space. When Zack ran tests on one of the girls, he found that the two of them have the same exact DNA, which is impossible. Why do they have the identical DNA? It’s because the students are clones of their parents and only used for transplants. This is highly illegal, and they threw them out in space not to be caught. That is some cold-blooded shit right there. Yet, one of the parents loves her daughter and does everything possible to get her back. I like it when a parent never loses hope in finding their child. Even if they might be a clone. Hey, one of the craziest scenes was when Kanata sacrificed his hand. I wasn’t expecting it, but Homeboy did it for his friends/classmates.
The animation of this anime is high quality, and you will not be disappointed. I love it when anime series are crisp and appealing to the eye. What I like is that this one doesn’t use any of that awful CGI crap to show the space scenes or different areas. I will say that it does follow the pattern of having different characters with bright ass hair color to distinguish between them. It helps to identify each character, but, in the end, you really know each person’s personality. I like how the anime drew all the different planets and made sure they were distinguished uniquely. The planet with the spores was incredible to look at because it had this yellow filter over it.
I will only talk about the students because they were the show’s stars. First, was Kanata Hoshijima. When Kanata first came on screen, he was a little over the top and loud. We learn that he is a very optimistic person with extreme athletic ability. Dude long jumps a valley like it was nothing. He was voted the captain of the Astra ship. Next up is Aries Spring. Aries was somewhat annoying throughout the series, as she seemed like an airhead. She has a major background story that shook her to her core. She is also one that brings the crew together when things really get bad. Next, Luca Esposito is the one who I call the group’s fixer and is cool. He can repair anything and everything on the ship. His dad is a very controversial senator, and later on, we learn that Luca is intersex, having an androgynous body with sexual characteristics of both sexes.
Another character is Charce Lacroix. Charce is a pretty boy, an intelligent student botanist. He is the ship’s cook but also Kanata’s first mate. We learn that homeboy is a member of the royal family of Vixia and was sent to assassinate everyone. Next, there is one of the characters I couldn’t stand, and that is Quitterie Raffaëlli. She is a wealthy heiress who is freakin spoiled, and I can’t stand that. She served as the ship’s doctor and almost had a mental breakdown when hearing the secret. Rolling with Quitterie is her adopted sister, Funicia. Funi, for short, is one of the most cheerful and optimistic people in the series and ship. She usually carries around a puppet named Beego, but it is revealed that she is actually a clone of Quitterie, and that causes some drama. One of my favorite characters was Zack Walker. He was cool and intelligent and just wanted to be a space explorer. Sign this man up for Star Trek.
For the last three characters, there is Ulgar Zweig, who is a quiet, antisocial, but brilliant person. He really doesn’t get along with anyone on the crew and is the only one who knows how to use a gun. His brother was a journalist whom he really looked up to, but after his brother’s death, he took up the mantle that his brother left. Next up is Yun-Hua Lu. Yun-Hua is a shy, quiet girl who reminded me of a former co-worker because she always apologizes for everything. The reason is because her mother was a freakin BITCH and talked down to her as she wanted to be a singer. As the show progresses, she finds her voice and becomes a loyal crew member. Finally, there is Paulina Levinskaya. Paulina is a beautiful woman who was found on an older model of the Astra. She is in cryosleep, and when she awakens, she realizes that she has been asleep for 112 years and tells the crew about the old history line, which rocked them to their core.
Astra Lost in Space is one of those anime series that is fun to watch, even though it is short. Think of this anime as Stra Trek combined with Lost in Space. You almost get the best of both worlds. It is fun to watch as the first couple of episodes are survival, and the last couple of episodes is where the drama really unfolds. I highly recommend watching this show when you want to learn about space travel.
