Review of Astra Lost in Space

Kanata no Astra delves into the much debated psychological discussion of nature vs nurture. Using its diverse cast of interesting characters it creates many good points through the actions of each person. Space can be a cold, treacherous place and this show doesn't shy away from that but rather embraces it. Uses this engaging theme to tell a story through multiple perspectives, all culminating into one decisive conclusion. But as appealing as its narrative is the show isn't without faults. While excelling in its character story telling making the viewer want more by the end of every episode, there are many downfalls. One of these glaringissues being the inconsistency of its art. While crisp, contrasting lines are shown in one scene the other they display broken, muted ones. The shift from 2D to 3D animation is quite blaring as well when used in zero gravity situations. Almost all detail is lost when characters appear to be somewhat farther from the view resulting in moving blobs of color. The pacing in interest garnered from the viewers is also something that has shown to be inconsistent.

The first episode was great in its introduction of the characters along with the narrative that the show is going to take. The second episode however over uses the backstory of a certain individual to great annoyance. After coming to the conclusion that they are being attacked by some unknown entity and should keep their suits on. They immediately take them off with no explanation as to why it is done other than lazy writing. How one of the characters explained that the ship they found was powered by the space around them had me baffled as it was such an easy, convenient way of saying that they didn't want to deal with fueling it.

In conclusion the show excels in its intriguing story telling through its characters but suffers from many downfalls that could have been avoided. If more money was placed into the budget of the show to make it look and feel nicer it would have scored higher. But a higher budget alone cannot change the fact that things can become slow and uninteresting at times only to pick up later. Definitely worth the watch but far from perfect.