Review of Astra Lost in Space

Kanata no ASTRA is, I think, like a proverbial overachiever underdog (especially of its specific season): one that nobody really expects to shine in any way, but everyone can come to like very easily, and then time and time again it surprises people with one thing or another. It's not perfect, but it does everything it sets out to do very well, and then sprinkles it with several extras. It's sci-fi, but it's more fiction than science; and while it does a good job of skirting several serious issues on several occasions, it never really goes deep into any of it. Personally, I think allof these characteristics are perfectly fine, as it really doesn't feel like something that was intended to be "mature entertainment". Indeed, if anything, this is sci-fi for - well, perhaps not for kids, but younger teens for sure, those who want a somewhat typical space adventure with a bit of Robinson Crusoe / Star Trek Voyager splashed into it.

Voyager actually seemed like a great parallel at the beginning, as being flung into a far, unknown part of space is definitely something that holds infinite possibilities for an immense amount of content. Ie. a series based on that could run for several seasons. I really couldn't imagine how a story like this could end in 12 episodes, especially when the main cast grew on me pretty fast, despite their initial bland impression. Much like how there's a common feat they all share, which might make them feel "all the same", they're all equally loveable as well. But that doesn't make them boring: they also each have their own story and background, which are perhaps not overly unique but definitely more than enough to make them their own distinct selves - this opens up doors to being relatable. I'm pretty sure everyone can find at least one thing in at least one of these kids that they can personally relate to, setting and circumstances notwithstanding, whether that's a weird quirk or a past trauma.

Which is pretty much what makes ASTRA great and greatly enjoyable. Despite the silly jokes and quirks, despite the sometimes questionable science, despite some potential plot inconsistencies, despite some really ridiculous details, despite the abrupt shifts in tone from very heavy and dark into outright moronic and vice versa - it manages to realise its core concept: it's a camp experience (turned space adventure). A bunch of random kids who don't really have anything to do with each other, apart from being in the same group, growing up as they go through hurdles and fights, share tears and laughter, as they discover space in a fight for their survival - and, in parallel, discover the shared secret of their existence, which they also find themselves having to fight for. Personally, I've never had much of a great camp experience myself as a kid, and yet this anime managed to put some rose-tinted glasses on me and give me fond thoughts of reminiscence. If that's not spectacular enough, it's still a great space adventure with quite a lot of plot twists to even make for a rather consistent suspense.

As a sidenote, something we shouldn't pass by without mentioning: I think the biggest takeaway from this entire anime is the fact that you cannot tell a good story well enough in just 12 episodes, which seems to have been such a default for almost every series for years. It's way too restrictive, especially with a greater cast; it doesn't leave enough time for proper characterisation or dramatisation; and if you even factor in the openings and endings and previews and fanservice, it's clear that it's actually detrimental. Look at how ASTRA handled it: the first and last episodes are double length, effectively making it 14 episodes; both the OP and the ED were skipped several times, because even that extra one and a half or three minutes mean that much more time for fleshing things out - or when not skipped, they actually provided additional material for the episode in the form of extra shots or "photographs" of scenes we didn't get to see; there was one episode that provided some fanservice in a mostly organic, well integrated way; and I'm not even sure previews were a thing at all. Now, with all this, there still remained quite a few events that were glossed over way too quickly. There still were details that didn't make sense because they were poorly set up (if they were set up at all). There still were plot points that felt like miniature black holes - which just don't feel right, however appropriate black holes might be for the genre. As great as ASTRA is, with these in mind, it's also a very good case against the 12-episode standard, exactly because the smaller glitches are that much more noticeable in something that's overall rather high quality.