アストロノオト

ASTRO NOTE

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
12
RELEASE
June 21, 2024
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

Takumi, a gifted chef, was just let go from his job. He lands a gig at an old boarding house called Astro-sou, but hesitates to accept after learning he must also live there full-time. That is until he meets the beautiful and charming caretaker, Mira, and he’s sold. The two begin to work together and their connection deepens. But Mira has a secret: she isn’t from this world!

(Source: Crunchyroll)

CAST

Mira Goutokuji
Maaya Uchida
Takumi Miyasaki
Souma Saitou
Aoi Kamimachi
Yui Ogura
Naosuke
Junichi Suwabe
Teruko Matsubara
Ai Furihata
Shoin Ginger
Jun Fukuyama
Tomihiro Wakabayashi
Tomokazu Sugita
Shoukichi Yamashita
Shinichirou Miki
Ren Wakabayashi
Rie Kugimiya
Adara
Kikuko Inoue
Obaa-chan
Kujira
Tasuke Shimotakaido
Eisaku Kubonouchi

EPISODES

Dubbed

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REVIEWS

Daemonplay
86/100
Delightfully silly but with tons of heart
While not as densely filled with top-tier series like some of the recent seasons noone would deny that spring 2024 is home to quite a number of prominent shows. It is therefore even more likely for lower profile ones to get lost and fly under the radar. I think it's fair to assume this is the case for Astro Note as well. Not least because it actually is an original anime, meaning there's no source material to speak of and therefore no existing fanbase to draw from. However despite its rather silly premise I was already very excited for it towards the start of the season (maybe I'm simply too much of a sucker for the romance tag). Safe to say this has not diminished. To the contrary I think it has actually become my favorite series this season. Let me tell you why:

Premise, Story, Characters
In summary I'd say Astro Note hits the sweetspot between the eccentricity of japanese comedy and authentic warmth. It has a lot of "heart" for lack of a better word. In terms of comedic aspects it's hardly anything groundbreaking but it plays its tropes well. Let's just take a look at the premise:
Our protagonist Miyasaka Takumi is searching for a job as a chef but ends up as a breakfast cook for the titular lodge "Astro Note" because he falls for the resident caretaker. A normal lodge would be boring though, therefore "Astro Note" is filled with many eccentric characters. Turns out Miyaska's new found love is actually an alien, just like her talking poodle. The supporting cast then features everything from underground idols to jobless bums. Not a serious premise right? But it fits the exaggerated and over-the-top nature of japanese comedy very well, both in content and in presentation. To me, a lodge-based romcom was actually quite new (though not the first time I've come across it) but I'm well aware that I'm simply too young to have really witnessed how prevalent this setting seems to have been.
Without going into detail for both the story and its characters I think it's quite clear where and how the comedy comes into play. What about the heart of the story though? Despite only being 12 episodes long, Astro Note actually manages to create rather satisfying character arcs for basically every single one of the main cast. These arcs are actually played very straight and serious both in terms of subject manner and execution. The comedic timing and the lack therefore are really quite fittingly chosen. Unfortunately, because this aspect of the show is in my opinion so essential to its character and success, I can't go into any detail but every thread manages to be paid and tied off. With only 12 episodes to work with I find that to be very commendable. I want to note though that one or two episodes more would not have hurt the show and maybe would have let this aspect shine a bit more as the pace is quite brisk at times.

Music, Presentation
In terms of music and soundtrack I don't have much to say other than that the OP and especially the ED have become staples of my playlist in recent weeks. At first it took some time for them to grow on me (specifically so for the OP) but with a bit of time I grew to like them a lot. Here, I have to note, that both are sung by some of the voice actors from the show, giving it all a more wholesome and self-contained touch.
The very bright, colorful and stylized art style obviously fits the whacky nature perfectly. Animation-wise there's not much to complain about. Towards the end it seems partly insufficient in certain scenes but I can't quite decide if this is due to budget limitations and the direction only tried to hide them behind purposefully simple scene design or if all of it was exactly intended this way as it aids the comedy quite well. Either way it doesn't detract from the show's quality.

Overall it's a shame that the show seems to have been quite unpopular. One look at its MAL score (at the time of writing: 6.61) or its score here on Anilist (at the time of writing: 64%) speaks volumes. I too have some criticism mainly due to the portrayed messaging at the end of some characters arcs but this seems a bit excessive to me. Despite all of that I can and do stilll obviously recommend it to anyone that likes japanese style romcoms (or can at least handle that style of comedy). It's the show I've been looking forward to the most this season and really, at its core, it's filled with tons of heart.
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tsukikoko
75/100
aliens, irritating old women, talking dogs, chefs, WOKE INDOCTRINATION, stalkers, and idols, oh my!
I think I am the only person on my anilist friends list who actually COMPLETED this show. in fact, this was the only show that I did complete last season. i'm not entirely sure what kept me watching as every time the old woman appeared i wanted to ram my fist through my computer but alas, i did finish it! i'm not very experienced in reviewing shows so i'll just run through by things i think people might care about.

characters:
this is where astro note shines. most of the characters are likable, and the astro lodge is full of quirky and unique characters. my favorite would have to be teruko aka terurun the idol because i love the contrast between her idol personality and real life personality, and as an idol performer myself, i found her dedicated episode to be extremely relatable. i think she adds a lot to the show as a side character. one of the most (undeservingly) controversial characters in this show, and probably the reason for the low scores based on comments i saw was Ren. how is a little boy so controversial you ask? because he likes to wear a skirt. yep. that's it. if that for whatever reason makes you uncomfortable, you should probably reevaluate your priorities and get out of the comment sections of anime calling this show "woke indoctrination". ren is just a kid exploring his identity and has found something that makes him happy. the characters in the show understand him, so everyone else should too. however, the old purple haired woman sucked shit and ruined every scene she was in. i don't care if it's a common trope she should be exterminated

music:
not too much to say here. it was pleasant, but nothing really stood out to me too much. i do like the retro vibes of the opening and ending though, and the opening dance is very cute (it's also an ai furihata song so that's an instant win for me).

plot and ending:
without spoiling much, the plot is decent. it's a slowburn romcom with a lot of wacky antics. and by slow burn i do mean slow... but i didn't mind too much. the plot was pretty easy to predict, but i still thought that the episodes dedicated to individual side characters were well done. that being said, it did at times take away from our main couple, which i think led to the ending feeling a bit abrupt, and a lot of things happened extremely fast in the last 2 episodes. The ending did feel quite rushed. i was satisfied with how it ended though. I don't think it needed more than 12 episodes. It concluded nicely.

overall: 7.5/10 (anilist score is a 7 because i don't do decimals, but i will here for this review.)

I liked this show! i went into it expecting it to be similar to arakawa under the bridge, one of my favorite weird shaft shows from the early 2010s, and while it didn't quite live up to that show i do think it was decent and worth a watch. the low ratings are not deserved, and are likely from people made uncomfortable by a young kid questioning his gender throughout the show.
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