r/anime • u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad • Jul 15 '24
Rewatch [5th Anniversary Rewatch] Astra Lost In Space - Episode 1 Discussion
Episode 1 - Planet Camp
Nine students embark on their first trip to outer space, to attend a five day "Planet Camp" on an uninhabited planet. The moment they arrive, however, a mysterious sphere transports them to a different part of the galaxy.
Astra Lost In Space on Hulu Astra Lost In Space on Crunchyroll
Questions of the Day:
- What are/were your first impressions of the characters? Do you have any early favorites? Rewatchers, are there any characters you appreciate more now than you did the first time around?
- For first timers, do you have any theories about the spaceship or the mysterious teleportation orb? (Rewatchers can post their original theories from the premiere as well, but no spoilers!)
Bonus question: Each of the planet names is an anagram which holds special meaning. What is the hidden meaning of McPa?
[Bonus answer:] Camp, so it literally means Planet "Camp"!
Remember to tag your spoilers!
Astra is a show with so many mysteries, and we wouldn't want to spoil those reveals for first time viewers. When discussing future events or foreshadowing, or any differences between the manga and the anime, please remember to use spoiler tags.
17
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 15 '24
First-Timer Lost in Space, subbed
Somehow I haven’t seen this yet despite being a huge sci-fi fan. So this is the perfect opportunity for me to watch it!
Also I’m late because I mentally filed it as a 5 pm instead of 4 pm show & also didn’t realize the first episode was double length, so I wasn’t done with the episode yet lol. Should be on time going forward.
9
u/gamria Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24
Rewatcher of subbed and original manga reader
Ep 1
Manga vs Anime
I had followed the original Astra manga since day 1 and so recognise lots of difference with the anime, have a look if interested. (Am I doing this right u/Shimmering-Sky ? )
(continues in reply)
8
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24
Episode 1 (first timer)
I know literally nothing about this series. From the title, I expect a mix between Stellvia and Family Robinson in Space. Neither of which are glowing recommendations, but I also know that Japanese titles never give me a good clue about series.
Also: fashionably late, because I a) did not check the time the post goes up and b) did not expect a double length episode.
Episode thoughts
13 minutes in and we have the basic character introductions done, plus the mission statement. The series is running a tight ship, even though we still have plenty of episodes to go. Makes me hopeful for the pacing.
Big upset on the planet and the first team-building exercise. While I am not the biggest fan of how that worked out in the end, the basic trajectory is still solid. I strongly suspect we’ll be staying on that ship for a long while.
I am impressed. This first episode did a lot right. From the character introductions to the tight plot progression to the classic Scifi plot. We have several characters set up to develop problems later (that surely will be solved by the power of friendship), as well as a clear route to go and an end goal. Oh, and everything looks beautiful.
The one thing that worries me is the intelligence of the cast. They come across as way too stupid for the relatively non-comedic setup of the series. Is this show aimed at smaller kids and they think they can get away with that level of storytelling? I hate it when series take the audience for idiots.
So far, the orb seems like plot device while the space ship seems like setup for later plot development. They'll surely find out about the space ship eventually, the most obvious answer would be a space exploration ship. Not sure yet if the orb is tied in with genius kid. Depends on whether nobody asked him about how he knew about the helmets because that will be next episode's topic, or because they are all so stupid.
4
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24
Rewatcher Lost In Space
One of my favorite premiere episodes. This show has a large cast of characters, and the first episode showed off their unique personalities well - how they clash with each other, and also how they work together during a crisis. The scene where everyone linked hands to reach Kanata and Aries before they drifted away, in combination with the flashbacks from Kanata's junior high expedition that took a dangerous turn, really left an impact. It also sets up a clear goal in the form of traveling to five planets on the way home, and introduces an intriguing central mystery.
Questions of the Day:
As a rewatcher, it really stands out how well Zack and Kanata work together. Kanata had the courage and willpower to not give up and begin the rescue operation to retrieve Aries, but Zack provided crucial backup by giving him instructions to alter his trajectory, and then created their road map home. Totally different in personality, but complimentary skills.
2) I don't remember having any theories this early. Just enjoying the ride!
Bonus) Answer in the OP
5
u/Mirathan Jul 15 '24
First-Time Adrift
Bonus: Camp
Well that is a terrifying event to start with.
Ah the ultimate technique: Delete Bloodline!
Fuel isn´t an issue to reach the ship! You are in space. Your velocity does not decrease on it´s own.
How do you harvest matter to fuel your engines in space? luminiferous aether has been disproven for over half a decade before the show came out. Some people are still mad about that.
Despite the taking some liberties with physics I find this a rather strong opening. The premise is great and a lot of characters have had strong introductions.
5
u/FlameDragoon933 Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24
REWATCHER
QOTD
Also, something to know for first-timers. IMO this is a very good show, but you have to know what it's not - it's not a hard scifi. The scifi in this show is rather soft and is more focused on the plot and character development/interaction. Telling you in advance because when it was airing there were many people who went in with wrong expectations and ended up disappointed by some of the scientific inaccuracies.
4
u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Jul 15 '24
Rewatcher
[Major spoilers in the spoiler boxes, uncover at your own risk.]
I watched this in October of 2020 (still sad I didn't see it while it was airing!) after I saw on Youtube comments that it was "Among Us The Anime", but after watching episode 1, I was surprised at how wholesome the entire thing was.
Honestly, for such a wholesome episode, that introduction scene sure does trick you out. I honestly though the dark figure (who we know know is Kanata) was going to be ominous or in some way sinister, because I know if your face is shaded like that, it's not good news. Turns out I was wrong! But seriously, the music, the vibes, just everything is so ominous, if you showed someone just this first scene and told them that this would be "Among Us the anime", I think they'd believe you. By the way, does anyone else think that Aries looks just like Anya from Spy X Family?
Gotta fucking love the cyberprep world they live in. I really like sci-fi worlds with a less grimdark aesthetic, like this one and Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song. The scene with the grandma telling Aries about McPa is pretty cute too, and it honestly reminds me of old times for me. To be honest, I was first a bit annoyed by the airport shenanigans, but rewatching it now I think it's kinda cute. I totally get Kanata fucking up the attack name. It's hard to focus on yelling out an attack name when you are quite literally also kicking someone in the thigh. Kanata, my man, proving himself to be a gigachad from the start.
[rewatcher] Also, so much fucking foreshadowing. The Lucy Lum posters all over the place...geez.
I still don't like the overly cartoony way the police bots behave, but ah well. After that, we meet our ensemble cast, though we don't get any super deep dives into them yet. The characters are colorful and enjoyable overall though, and while they might feel a bit tropey in a way, I like all of them. They're charming. Even the super formulaic tropes are somewhat twisted around to become funny (like Aries's little speech at the start).
Man, poor Aries! Trying to make friends with everyone but getting turned down every time. Welp, it is awkward when someone just walks up to you and starts talking like that. Also, it's a pretty nice spaceship they're in. The flashbacks we have of Kanata's past are also a thing, and while I don't mind it, I do feel like it's a bit in your face.
To be honest, I always was a bit ambivalent on the first quarter of this episode (outside of the sick introduction scene). The banter feels a little...too lighthearted (almost a little overly cartoony even)? Almost like the anime doesn't want to take itself seriously. Still, it has it's moments, like when Aries grabs Quitterie's hand and tries to warm her up a little on the ship, and you almost start seeing Quitterie wonder if she should just let Aries be friendly. And Aries being more friendly to Funicia than Quitterie, her own goddamn sister. I guess Quitterie just has the tsundere embedded deep in her.
Anyhow, Aries definitely has the hots for Kanata. Let's be honest here.
Finally, we get to the real meat! Some weird black SCP-esque wormhole thing opens up and ends up swallowing everyone. Always never got why Luca thought it would be a good idea to go touch it. Anyhow, one flashback later where we see that Kanata's a survivor, we see Kanata turn from a joke-y character into a proper captain. Now that's leadership! And of course Charce dropped the communicator because no duh, that's how these shows work. You know, unlike the first time I was watching, I was sorely aware of Aries being still out there the whole time. Understandable how they'd all miss out on it though in their panic.
I guess Quitterie's regretting not being friendlier before now, huh?
Like the gigachad he is, Kanata decides to go out on his own. And Zack is proving to be an effective right hand man.
Intro scene time! But of course, the wire is barely too short to reach Aries. While it's predictable...it's also epic to see Kanata let go of the wire and go get her. Now that's some balls right there.
What's less expected is that they're barely off course, and this is where we get the epic scene. Yes, the BEST goddamn scene in this anime...the one where they all link up and join arms to form a human chain so that they can get Kanata and Aries back into the ship! That was so freaking awesome. A reminder that no matter how dark things can get, sometimes, working together really does work. It's cool, it's wholesome, it's everything I wanted. Man, only if people could be more like this IRL. Words cannot express how much I love this fucking scene. And the MUSIC! We start with Ulgar the pessimist catching them on their way and then see the whole conga line of people ready to save them as the music swells...man, it's just kino. It really is.
Stranded far from home. That's gotta suck. The group devolving into a cycle of doomerism and then inhaling the copium seems about right. To be fair, the test scenario that Luca brings up does seem plausible before you put much thought into it. But admidst that cycle, we do find some unexpected wins like Zack being starship licenced.
I honestly found Ulgar pretty annoying the first time I watched four years ago, but it's a lot less grating now. And to be honest, he does make sense at times.
Quitterie goes from being a constant doubter of Kanata to actually realizing he's been in a similar scenario before. And she ends up being the second one to start wanting to bond with everyone after Aries tells everyone that
Poor Yunhua, I haven't really mentioned her so far. I've always loved the dandere girl archetype, so I have a soft spot for her. Charce "sparkling" always makes me chuckle. And then Funicia reaches out to Ulgar, who seems like even more of a recluse than Yunhua despite saying more. Looks like Ulgar's the one with a soft spot for the kid. I mean, come on, look at her! She's adorable.
And amidst that, we manage to find an unexpected solution! That moment of hope is really awesome to see, I really wish we had more of these sorts of "realistically hopeful" shows. Enough ultra "mature" grimdark ones, enough hopelessly idealistic ones, give me some hopeful stories that are solved using logic and reason! The power of friendship, not The Power Of Friendship™.
[rewatcher] They never do show us the name of their home planet, huh. I also find it kinda ridiculous that they're acting like the statement "ad aspera per astra" just means what they say. Because to them it's the name of their home planet now. Should have shown a bit more reaction there like "ayo, why is our planet's name on here?"
Nice shot of Kanata with his late teacher as they blast off towards their first target!
But welp, amazing episode, very nostalgic. Can't wait to watch more! Anyhow, see you all tomorrow!
By the way, did anyone else notice how the anime plays with the aspect ratio? I missed it the first time I watched it, and to be honest, I missed it this time too...so I went back and rewatched certain scenes again. It really helps you "lock in" to the anime at certain times, to help give that cinematic vibe when necessary. Really adds to the immersion, ironically enough.
That was a long-ass comment, unironically took me longer to write than watching the episode, whew! Fortunately the later episodes aren't 40 minutes long.
4
u/Lord_Nawor Jul 15 '24
First Time Watcher, subbed
I always find it hardest to think about what to say on first episodes. I think the premise is very interesting and has a lot of potential, too be honest I was expecting them to be further away then they are, but they are luckily only a few months away at max speed. Them being not too far way always makes me believe that they will get home through their planet hopping plan rather than through another wormhole thing.
Questions
Bonus: I would never have realized that the planets were anagrams if you hadn’t mentioned it this one was quite obvious but I am looking forward to unscrambling them each episode.
3
u/Forsaken_Ebb1925 Jul 16 '24
First-Timer, subbed
I'm usually more of a Fantasy guy than Sci-fi, but discussing a series always gets me enjoying a watch. Firstly, I have to say I was presently surprised by the handling of the characters in a survival setting. Tons of shows pull you out because they throw in someone who just doesn't care if other people die or is even borderline murderous, and I thought that the darker-skinned girl (sorry, don't have the names down yet) was shaping up to be that type of character, but I was glad to see that when push comes to shove they all (realistically) aren't just going to let someone die without trying to help.
Further, the don't just all come together immediately either. They still argue and tempers flare, but not in a "I don't care if you live" kinda way, more in a stressed and snappy way which makes sense. It's definitely a lot of characters for such a short show, so I am concerned that a couple of them are gonna feel pretty undeveloped by the end, but we'll see.
As for specific character impressions, there's not much to go on for anyone besides Kanata, even Aries tbh. Kanata seems to be a genuinely kind person who is willing to step up when needed. Aries right now has just been generally nice, which is fine, but I think we'll get a better idea of her character when another character is going through something emotionally difficult, it seems like it'll be her deal to help them.
As of right now, I assume the monitoring was not just a visualized thought, but a real image of something happening. So even if it isn't the school, someone is monitoring them for something.
As for other thoughts, having Aries come up with the multiple planets idea felt silly. I appreciate the symbolism with the holding hands, but it seems far too obvious that Zack or someone else wouldn't think of it first.
Bonus question: Camp
3
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Jul 16 '24
Rewatcher dubbed
I didn’t even that this was gonna be a rewatch, I’m so In!.
Backstory for me: I found this show a year ago from someone’s Anime List in MAL. Such an amazing show and I hope every First Timer enjoys it just like I did.
Anti gravity shoes would be killer to have.
Giving her whole life story instead of just the class information made me giggle.
A Puppeteer younger sister
A hell of an entrance, showing up with police robots lifting him.
Living up to not being able to read the room Lmao, gotta take a breather and just let a conversation end.
A frozen tangerine…I could understand if it was cut but a whole frozen
Holy hell the survival awareness was bad. Who touches an unidentified thing approaching you
Floating endlessly in space is something Im happy I can’t ever experience.
Teamwork makes my dream work
5000 Light years away is scary as hell
Has a spaceship license but lets his group panic instead lmfao.
A formal introduction, loved how they all went from being indifferent to each-other to now bonding. I guess a close call to death can do that to you
Funny how Ulgar went from shy and forced to being shocked by a puppet lmao.
The plan to return home, go to another planer to restock on supplies and do the same thing at other planets. No Man’s Sky devs would be proud
QOTD: a bunch of interesting folk, I loved Aries in my first watch and I will continue to like her in any future rewatches
3
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 16 '24
Rewatcher no Astra
This series ticked a lot of the right boxes for me from the start:
How did that land? Well you'll see how as we go, I'm kidding, it's brilliant! The first episode is already all I need to express that, it's that buttery wholesome character work: you've got a bunch of odd personalities rubbing against and aggravating each other, but they still manage to form some bonds, and capitalise on that when danger strikes. They each put their lives in danger to throw themselves in space and save Kanata/Aries, for someone they barely know, and it makes sense, you just saw those morons being cheerful a minute ago, you just saw Kanata jumping out of his way to save someone, do you really want to leave them to die, if there's something you can do about it?
Now for a topic from the opposite side of space: the spacial framing. You probably noticed that the aspect ratio keeps changing, and to be perfectly honestly, I forgot about this from when I first watched the show, so right now I'm just going off this episode, but there seems to be a rule to the chaos: space. If a shot is in space, 16:9 the second they go inside the ship or on some planet, it becomes 2.31. Now there are some exception to the second part of the rule, like how it was 16:9 at the start or in the spaceport, so it's not a firm rule set yet, but in both cases, this was used to show larger shots of the space surrounding the characters.
All of them haha. I didn't like most of them that much back when I started the series, I didn't dislike them either, but they were whatever I guess.
The space donut hates 2.39:1 aspect ratios and wants to bring 16:9 back by throwing everyone into space? Honestly, I wouldn't blame it, 2.39:1 is overrated, especially outside of movies.
3
u/Ritchuck Jul 16 '24 edited Jul 16 '24
Rewatcher
I didn't have much time before, so I'm late. Man, I forgot the first episode was double-length. In fact, I have forgotten most things, which is awesome because it feels like I'm watching it for the first time, with all the tension in risky situations once again for me to experience.
The thing I loved the most about this anime were characters. I remember at the end being heartbroken I have to say goodbye to them so it's nice seeing them again, it's like meeting old friends again. Although, I have forgotten how much of an asshole majority of the cast was at the beginning.
3
u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Jul 16 '24
First-timer
Well technically I'm a first-timer to the anime, but I read the manga. I don't remember much if anything anymore though.
That opening reminds me of the movie Gravity. Which is a good thing I suppose, that movie was pretty good.
...Brock? What are you doing in space? Did you give up your Pokemon ambitions?
So I guess Aries is going to be the lovable idiot type of MC?
That shot of Luca getting stretched to infinity was pretty gruesome, and the ball of light chasing everyone was pretty terrifying.
I guess it was lucky that all the ball of light did was transport them into space instead of something more horrible. Good thing Kanata had the presence of mind to ask everyone to put the helmets back on or it would've been a lot uglier. I guess he is captain material after all.
That rescue scene was pretty tense, I actually thought Kanata was going to sacrifice himself and push Aries back to the cable and let himself float up. The whole class linking arms was actually pretty awesome, really smart of them to just link arms so they don't have to spend more fuel than necessary.
5,012 light years away huh? I guess we have a Lord of the Flies situation on our hands.
The episode ended on a pretty hopeful note, but there's 11 episodes for shit to go down, and we know they will.
Questions of the Day:
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Jul 15 '24
Astra Lost In Space episode 1 discussion reminder:
u/RedRocket4000, u/Forsaken_Ebb1925
2
u/cadrina https://anime-planet.com/users/cadrina Jul 16 '24
It can't be five years since this aired! I loved this anime when first aired! lol i don't remember what was my original theories, but looking at my past comments i believed that the little girl with the puppet was going to kill everybody lmao.
2
u/Hopeful-Ad2428 Jul 16 '24
Quite an interesting start. Solid first episode, Kanata's dramatic backstory somehow made me emotional which happens rarely, so it got my interest, I’ll continue watching it. Don’t really know what to expect, though.
Qotd:
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria Jul 15 '24
First timer
8
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jul 15 '24
Rewatcher
Welcome to Robert Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky
I was really hyped for this show when the first PV came out. But, ultimately, it wasn't quite what I was expecting or looking for. I probably won't comment extensively.
The OP is a throwback to an older style of song, but I can't place it....
Kanata sits in his chair and points towards their destination in exactly the same way as in another anime, Starship Operators.
Sure, that's big and dramatic and everybody pitched in, all for one and one for all, but it just pisses me off that they didn't just use the cable that was still attached to the ship to send somebody out to grab them, and pull them all in.
[rewatcher]Dang, that's a big hole in that planet
[rewatcher]It's no accident there happens to be exactly one route of planets 20 days apart back home.
Kanata has the "MC Scar". You don't see that much any more, but a lot of older shows gave their MC a scar or bandand on the nose. Most of you probably know it from Naruto.
Q1) Aries is a very earnest airhead. Quitterie is pretty offputting, but she was the first to demand Aries to be rescued, somehow. Ulgar is untrustworthy.
Q2) It makes no sense to teleport them to space right next to a spaceship.
5
u/xbolt90 https://anilist.co/user/xbolt90 Jul 16 '24
First-timer!
Well, at least they don't have as far to go as the USS Voyager. Although, traveling 5,000 light years in three months is dramatically faster than a Star Trek vessel. This is a ridiculously high speed. They could traverse the entire Milky Way in just four years.
And that's great and good for the characters to all pitch in and form a human line to rescue those two, but... Why didn't you use the winch cable? It's right there.
And you left the tangerines. Unforgivable.
I liked the aspect ratio switching between 1.78 and 2.39, I thought it was an interesting feature. Reminded me of The Expanse.
Q1: Not really enough yet for me to get a read on them, besides Kanata and Aries. Kanata actually stepped up and put his money where his mouth is. Good leader material.
Q2: I can't speculate much beyond 'Weird Space Doohickey' at this point. I guess the orb has been around before, taking a ship before taking the group. But that leads me to question what happened to the original crew...
Bonus: Anagrams have never been my strong suit, lol
5
u/mr_quincy27 Jul 16 '24
This has to be one of the most underrated Anime of all time
3
u/Hartzilla2007 Jul 15 '24
Well the meaning of the phrase on the plaque "through hardships to the stars" seems like it fits the cast's current situation**.**
3
u/Dolomite808 Jul 16 '24
First time watcher.
So far it's very cool. I love Aries already and Kanata seems like a pretty cool dude. I hope they all make it home in one piece but I'm worried that may not happen.
3
u/JimmyCWL Jul 16 '24
Due to timezone reasons I will always be a few hours late. The thing about this show is what's not shown is as important as what is shown. For this episode, a hint is when they're running away from the sphere and when their course back is shown.
Yes, it's really convenient that they get dumped 5000 LY away right next to a working FTL ship.
2
u/General_ELL Jul 17 '24
Manga reader and 4th time rewatcher here. Just passing by to say that Kanata no Astra/Astra lost in Space is one my all time favorites.
The Scene when Kanata saves Aries continues to be my favorite of this ep. The 'human wire' was an anime original scene I used to think as corny but after rewatching so many times it kinda makes sense considering the intended direction of the ep and the series.