KANATA NO ASTRA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME AdventureKanata no Astra

REVIEWS

• 

  oreo2201

  98/100
  A manga about how being stranded in space can be the best journey you'll have

  I am seldom a fan of stories regarding space, yet this is a manga that i can't help but recommend, the basic premise is something cliche a bunch of students for some reason get caught up in a vortex that leaves them stranded several planets away from their planet, thankfully they find a ship in which they aboard and managed to make a plan so they can go back home, the kicker? there's a murderer planning on killing all of them and that's how kanata no astra basic premise is

  Due to the way the plot works it starts in a certain basic way, if i could say for certain what kind of genre it has it would be adventure, yet... at some point that point fizzles out and the twists start coming and let me tell you, there's a lot of twists to this story, some of them could be foreseen with a little bit of common sense while others... just gave me the chills due to how amazing they are, of course not everything is perfect, due to the nature of the story (them hopping from planet to planet until they get to earth) it can get episodic in nature and some people might not be as into it, every planet is interesting from their topography to their own nature even the food they eat might be foreigner to them and it shows

  If i were to say one negative thing about the main plot it would be how convenient it gets for the characters at times, of course the ride to their planet is full of danger and all of them come close to getting killed more than once but some devices or as some people call it deux ex machina can happen and will happen to help the characters when they are in a position where's everything is hopeless, but don't let this shy away from how interconnected and how much they struggle.as people

  The characters are the best part of this manga, due to the nature of it and how there's someone trying to kill them they always have to stay on guard with each other but this is where the Main protagonist comes and acts as a beacon of trust for them, you see the MC is cliche loud guy that always see everything in a positive light is not exactly the most weird or unique thing yet it works here, he is not this cardboard box character that only exists to help further the plot or simply wants to be friends with everyone, no, he knows when to take action and how to proceed yet he can be flawed, the other characters are full of life and it caught me by surprise by how human they are, all of them have a legitimate reason to go back home, all of them have their flaws yet they help each other even if the circumstances never call for it not to say i don't have any problems with them, most people at a glance would call them cliches but there's so much underneat and they tackled a lot of strong themes on what they are and even gender issues and this is something some people might be concerned about but one of the characters is intersex but again it is handled with an amazing care to the character and does so in a respectful way without being a one time issue or just being there for pandering

  The art is noteworthy, the essence of this manga is space and the variety of life it contains albeit not human, the mangaka managed to capture the isolism of space, the nature of it and how vast and unexplored it is, every planet is a new experience and it adheres to its own rules, there's no weird physics or plain weird species, everything of alien life can be explained and there's a reason everything is like that, the equipment and how futuristic as well is something that i personally like and i have grown fond of the mangaka art by his previous work sket dance, but i disgress some of the panels shown here are amazing and the art is not a deterrent from you, the viewer to read it

  In general this is one of my favorite works i have read, the pacing, the characters, the story and how well done the ending is, i have to say, read it or watch it as the anime adaptation is also masterfully done, it is amazing, something i can say from the heart is that i'm thankful for reading this

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• 

  GGShang

  70/100
  More like Astra Lost Me in the Last Volume

  Astra Lost in Space is a little bit of an interesting case when it comes to manga since you can both easily guess what is going to happen next yet still be curious to the mystery of it all. The manga itself tells the audience that it is both a romcom and a space mystery thriller. On one hand, I could tell you exactly what happens at each point in the romcom portion of the series in my sleep while on the other hand the mystery aspect of it all was genuinely puzzling. Since I'm not one to dislike generic romcoms, this all totaled up to a relatively enjoyable time... that is until I hit the last volume. But we'll get to that eventually.

  So the plot is a fairly simple one that allows for a lot of creativity. Having 7 kids go from planet to planet with the hopes of returning home gives a lot of room for different situations to arise to challenge the kids and to help them bond with each other. The only potential drawback to it all is the limitations of the mangaka's own imagination. And fortunately I think that most of the scenarios presented here are pretty fun and unique. Each new planet essentially serves as its own mini-arc, with a whole new set of challenges compared to the other planets that give time for characters to interact and form bonds. In all actuality it's a simple formula that may become repetitive for some, but that serves it's job well. While all this planet hopping is going on, there is a parallel plot line of figuring out why the crew is out here in the first place. There are two mysteries to be solved here: what ties the seven members of the crew together, and who is the potential murderer within the crew (if there is one at all). Now, I personally thoroughly enjoyed the first mystery. It was one that I didn't see coming that was able to fully bring together a lot of the little bits of information we get from each character as the story progresses. This is the reason why I'd give this series a much higher rating than just your typical romcom or space adventure. It gave me a reason to stay invested and to continue reading. We'll talk about the second mystery later.

  I probably won't be talking too much about the characters here since they really aren't anything special. They all have fairly stereotypical character types with one or two special talents tacked on and a 'sad' backstory. Of course they change a little bit as the story progresses, but it's never in a way that sets them apart from the vast amount of shounen manga that have come before and after Astra. Simply put, they are passable. You could have fun with the tropes but don't expect too much.

  So now, let's talk about this last volume. I believe Astra was a solid 8/10 for the first four volumes of the series for the reasons I talked about before: the mystery aspect was thoroughly captivating, and everything else was fun and interesting, albeit not the deepest or most well written. But the last volume hits the audience with some hallmarks of bad writing/storytelling. Some minor spoilers ahead. The last volume of Astra Lost in Space does two major things wrong. The first is its handling of the second mystery, the one of the murderer. Now, this may be a more personal take on the issue but I think that the way the mystery was tackled at the end here was essentially unneeded in terms of overarching arcs within the story. It also allows for some of the most shounen conflict resolution I've seen in a hot minute (which is not a good thing). However, the more important grievance here is that of the heavy exposition dump at the end. This in and of itself has a lot of problems: first, the heavy pushing of themes that were not present for the rest of the series makes no sense overall; second, exposition dumps in general are not the best way to convey information as it halts all momentum up to that point; and third, who the heck does an exposition dump in the last 20% of a series? Almost everything the series had built up until that point was slowly broken down for me as pages upon pages of bad writing choices piled up. If this were to have happened in the beginning of the series or to a series I had liked less then that wouldn't have been a problem. But it's the fact that it happened at this exact point in a manga that thoroughly did not need it that makes me so sad.

  So was Astra Lost in Space good? Yeah... or it was at least. If I could make any recommendation, it would be to leave out the entire last volume from your read. It adds very little to the story as a whole when looking at the first 4 volumes and it does a lot more harm than good. I can understand if some people like the ending because it gives some sort of extra stuff to think about after completing the series, but if that's what you're looking for you're better of searching elsewhere. It's rare for me to get so heated about the ending of any particular series, but Astra Lost in Space really did it for me.

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• 

  AnotherBadger

  77/100
  A densely packed sci-fi that tries to do a lot in its short run

  “I was so scared before but, now that I have a hand to hold on to, space suddenly looks much more beautiful to me”

  • Aries Spring, Chapter 1

  Kanata no Astra is a sci-fi series that has a lot of interesting ideas that are difficult to summarise without spoiling the narrative that constantly twists and turns. The characters are interesting, although at times they can feel a little bit flat; especially those who find themselves being less central to the main plot. Those who fall to the back become more clichéd, with their personalities being reduced to one or two basic characteristics and, while this can make remembering them easier, it also makes them feel less important. Even the more regular characters also find themselves falling victim to these aspects of their personalities, but the plot bolsters them.

  Shinohara creates a narrative that has a lot of threads, with each leading to satisfying answers; especially when earlier events are shown to be of importance. This makes the overall narrative a satisfying read, despite a few issues which will be focused on later. The art style is also good for the genre and, while some of the planet designs can feel empty, it can be seen as echoing the main themes of Kanata no Astra. However, it is a shame that the landscapes aren't utilised more.

  One of the biggest issues with the series is the relatively short chapter count for the type of story it is trying to tell. Establishing the sci-fi narrative, with unfamiliar mechanics and characters, is done well; with the lost-in-space plot allowing for a more gentle introduction. To create a fully functioning world in such a short space of time is definitely a strength of this series. However, this can also lead to a few exposition-heavy scenes later on in the story which can be a little stilted.

  This isn’t helped by the number of plot twists and revelations that happen so closely together. Some are handled well but others can fall flat, making Kanata no Astra a rather inconsistent read at times. Part of the reason some fail is that there is very little time for the reader to comprehend a revelation before another is being made. This also causes the emotional impact to be lost. If given more time, then I am sure that most of the plot twists would have worked better than they do. By the time these flaws become apparent, however, the story is well-established and have less bearing on whether the series, as a whole, is enjoyable.

  Overall, Kanata no Astra is an interesting sci-fi story that is an enjoyable read that rises above its flaws to deliver an intriguing story that asks some very interesting questions about how far humanity could go to survive.

  
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