Astra Lost in Space Episode 2 Review: Wilderness

Astra’s crew may be lost in space but they are determined to return home. The first planet they encounter, Vilavurs, is not without its dangers. Here’s what happened in Episode 2.

Plot

Before you roll your eyes reading the next sentence; I know this is fiction. Nevertheless, I was so jealous seeing the group explore this strange new world and that’s exactly the feeling I was expecting to get when I signed up for Astra Lost in Space. What a treat. A new planet; new colors; new life. I am not going to spoil the fun by adhering to hard SF rules and I’ll just assume that these planets were already surveyed for survivability; they were on the star chart after all. They may not have known if the food is edible, but the computer should have provided them with the basics: you can breathe the air, the water is good, and there are no lethal pathogens. Now, let’s go find 20-days worth of food and water. By the end of the episode they get even more than that (how about some dragon steak?).

Part 1 of the episode took the time to establish everything the upcoming drama needed. We have Jack checking out the console and then, at the end of the episode, telling Kanata that someone has tampered with the communication device. We have the trampoline trees, the parachute plants, and the weapon-like leaves. All three were used in Funi’s rescue. And we had the Big Bad Ball coming back to suck them into outer space. Its appearance foreshadows something greater that will probably be revealed later in the anime (at least I hope so).

Apart from the action, the character drama focused on Quitterie and Kanata. Quitterie, a troubled young woman with bonding issues, has never allowed herself to come closer to the people who care for her. Her childhood friend, Jack, goes through her childhood: only child, neglected by her rich doctor mother, never met her father, her sister is adopted. As a result, she has never allowed anyone to get too close to her and to risk hurting her, disappointing her, leaving her alone. But all it takes is one moment, one real struggle to get your head around and admit who you are and how willing you are to change. Quitterie, seeing her sister in real danger, allows herself to be vulnerable. She opens herself up to her new crew, one whose bonds can only get stronger. After all, they are lost in space.

Episode Highlights

Yummie: A sensor to test the edibility of food? I wish we had one that tests every food for pesticides and stuff.

Credit Scene: I respect credits. There are so many people who work in anime and we at least owe them 2 minutes of our time to go through the opening and closing credits. Astra made the process worthwhile since it made the credit sequence part of the episode.

Captain’s Log: Aries log entries remind me of the captain’s log in the beginning of its Star Trek episode. Nice touch.

LOL: As someone who has been made fun of his laughter for as long as he’s alive, I empathize with Aries and her weird laugh (mine is weirder).

Tur-gon: Poor little dragie. Your fate was sealed by visitors from outer space. To be fair, however, you did try to eat that little girl.

Themes & Trivia

Vilavurs: The name of the planet is an anagram of ‘survival’. I am waiting for the next planet to confirm my hypothesis that all planet names will be anagrams.

Comments

Astra doesn’t care much for technobubble. Things either work or don’t and it’s up to our characters to make sure they do (or don’t). We allow our belief in their expertise -even if they are just highschoolers- to inform every decision they make and every new gadget they create. It’s always useful to know a few things about the characters: Kanata was trained by a world-class athlete and Jack is a genius who probably knows enough about nutrients and chips to create that edibility sensor. Unless you are a hard SF fan, it’s ok to just take it on their word (and expertise).

To the Next Planet

Class B5 is slowly becoming a fine crew. They may just be teenagers, inexperienced, and most likely bound to more adventures they are not prepared to face, but they are also becoming better people in the process. What awaits them on the next planet?

Did you like Episode 2 of Astra Lost in Space? Don’t forget to check the rest of our Summer 2019 reviews. The anime is also part of our weekly anime previews.