Kanata no Astra (Astra Lost in Space) – Surviving The Journey Through Space

• Title: Kanata no Astra (Astra Lost in Space)
• Genres: Sci-fi, Adventure, Space, Shounen
• Studios: Lerche
• Episodes: 12 – 24min (Completed)
• Date: 3 July 2019 — 18 September 2019
• Source: Manga

Summary

In the year 2063, space travel is feasible and commercially available. As part of a school learning trip, a select group of teenage students are brought to a camping excursion on the distant planet McPa to camp on their own for about a week.

Upon arriving at their campsite, the group encounters a dangerous unexplained phenomenon with the sudden emergence of a strange sphere of black light that devours and exiles them into the vast reaches of outer space. Stranded in the emptiness of space with seemingly no hope, they chanced upon an abandoned ship nearby that provides them refuge. However, they soon discover that they are not as close to their campsite as they initially thought, but are in fact thousands of light-years away from home.

To survive, the nine members must now cautiously manage their resources, maintain their strength, and unite as one to journey and conquer the treacherous darkness of space together. What exactly happened that caused them to be sucked many thousands of light-years away? How are they going to survive with depleting resources? These are questions that the group must confront if they wish to somehow return back home.

---

My Review

Destination: The Unknown! If that phrase doesn’t spell out adventure then I don’t know what does. Indeed, Kanata no Astra is a story about the adventure of a lifetime, in space! Except that the circumstances of their journey is different. Their journey isn’t an excursion, but a survival. Not only is it a show about fantasy and adventure in space, it is essentially a thrilling survival series. Better yet, it even tackles a handful of mysteries and surprises that give the anime the never-ending thrill, suspense and drama!

Story

The anime Kanata no Astra has a wonderfully well thought out and well written story. The meticulous details in the writing and the mind-boggling complications that set up the suspense, thriller and drama does an absolutely great job to keep the viewers constantly intrigued and constantly guessing. By episode 2 of this series, I was addicted and kept hoping it would never end. I love my survivals, better yet one with adventure! There were so many interesting and complex plot twists as well, that made their trip through space all the more fascinating. The anime felt fresh, exciting and wholesome. I was left dying for more from such a fun and exciting story that explores the fascinating mysteries of space. A tale of friendship, adventure and the unknown.

Characters

But the story isn’t the only thing that deserved praise. In fact, the characters were also well-designed and nicely fleshed out. The characters in Kanata no Astra each have their own distinct energy and personality that they encapsulate with charisma. The resulting chemistry and interaction of these characters were hence so much fun to watch. They each impacted the story in their own individual ways. No two characters were the same person, truly. But also, the anime made time for every character to have their own spotlight and character development that explores their background stories. As a result, the entire cast is fleshed out and become people we start to care for. By the end of it all, I grew attached to every single one of the characters, and feel so much for each of them. The story shows all the beautiful and ugly bits of their survival that go on to transform them from a group of survivors to a family. There’s even ample developments of romance for us lovebirds to indulge in.

Art

Kanata no Astra’s art was pleasantly comfortable to see. It blended CGI and traditional artwork well to make it a smooth viewing experience overall. The characters each had beautiful designs that were charming and attractive, that brought life to their personalities. Even the various unique environments of the planets were designed to look fascinatingly beautiful and aesthetic. Honestly, everything was great, and was really neatly done.

But with such a good story and concept, my expectations are naturally higher. It would’ve been the perfect cherry on top if the nature and environments in the various planets had been given more emphasis and limelight, to allow us more time to feel the different magical charm of each new planet even more. Perhaps like in Made in Abyss, where the allure of the fantastical world felt crystallised into an environment that roars itself to life.

Looks amazing, but lacking that bit of pizzaz

Sound

In terms of an auditory allure, I believe Kanata no Astra delivered. The opening music was able to create this magical, romantic and exciting notion of adventure with slight undertones of a struggle. Meanwhile the ending music fills me with a sense of hope in the face of despair. I didn’t even try to understand what the words in the song meant, but I felt such various strong emotions whenever I listen to both songs. Even the tracks and sounds during the mid-scenes were appropriately powerful and enchanting, allowing me to immerse myself within the emotional tones of a scene.

As for the voice acting, I absolutely loved the voice acting of the characters. They’re able to personify their identities so well, comfortably matching their looks, while also being able to evoke various emotional tones from their voices when necessary.

Overall

Kanata no Astra is an absolutely amazing anime. It has such a wonderfully planned out story that kept me engaged and surprised throughout. It also has well developed characters that lead me to connect with them on a deeper level. The world in Kanata no Astra is very interesting, packed with mysteries and adventure that make exploring it extremely fun and fascinating. I’ve rarely ever indulged in space anime because personally I never thought space anime could be as attractive and interesting as I would’ve wanted it to be. This anime are among the few that proved me wrong and broadened my horizons.

---

Should I Watch Kanata no Astra (Astra Lost In Space)?

As a mega fan of the adventure and survival genres, I believe that Kanata no Astra will undoubtedly be able to please fans of these genres. It is a must watch if you enjoy an adventure in a fantasy setting and with the elements of survival. But more importantly, the story in Kanata no Astra is interesting and wholesome, and does well to captivate most ordinary anime enthusiasts. There are also no cliffhangers as the anime ends as a complete whole. It is definitely worth a watch.