Astra Lost in Space Episode 4 Review: Star of Hope

Astra’s crew is in a dire situation. Shummoor’s food source is not suitable for storage, and they have to replenish their storage if they want to make it to the next planet. Here is our review for Episode 4 of anime Astra Lost in Space.

Plot

Day 25 of Astra’s exploration finds them in Shummoor, a rocky desert planet with little to no vegetation. The crew easily finds water inside the indigenous cactuses but food proves to be a challenge. The only animal they have encountered is not edible (and they do look like Chocobo so it is a sin to kill them) and the only edible plant that comes in large quantities gets spoiled incredibly fast. The stakes are high, but amid the jokes and the weak writing, I couldn’t really empathize with the crew. From the beginning of the episode I felt like a kid taken by the hand, guided to the route of salvation. Last episode, the crash was imminent and I felt that the danger was real. This time, I was confident that the solution was not far away. Not even Yunhua’s note disturbed me. I mean, come on, this is your definition of sacrifice? Just because you are ‘not good enough’? I am a little tired of these weakling tropes, maybe because we have seen them so many times.

I appreciate stories about psychological violence. Yunhua is a troubled young woman who was programmed from a young age to stay out of the spotlight in fear of failure. She has no confidence in herself and believes that she has no special talents that can help the crew. Thus, she prefers to sacrifice herself so that the crew can make it to the next planet. That sacrifice, however, is not born out of courage but of cowardice. Deep inside, she needs love and attention and she will go to unimaginable lengths to find it. Is this just a gimmick? Maybe. Is it just a manifestation of her deep-seated misery? Most probably. If not for anime and their almost hopelessly unbelievable optimism, Yunhua would probably have already hurt herself in some way. Now the real question is: who wants to kill her and why?

Her time to shine comes from a not too unexpected danger: the main plant where they found the animal carcasses is poisonous and the crew is about to become food for the green. As Kanata risks his life AGAIN, she takes the role of the ship’s idol! Yes! Her secret skill is singing. Not a bad skill, if you ask me, but not extremely useful. I mean, we can all have a useful skill and an artistic skill, right? Yet, I do agree with Yunhua in something: Singing can be very soothing.

Episode Highlights

Astra: It’s not the best ship design I’ve seen, but it looks cool in CGI and I was a little awed seeing it opening the episode. I am a sucker for spaceships. Do you have a favorite one? Let me know in the comments.

Shower Scene: I know that many frown upon the customary shower scene, but this is the fan service fans expect. You want to shake the foundations of tropes? Many do. Astra doesn’t. Not a bad scene, to be honest. Just unnecessary to the plot unless you count Jack’s indifference to boobs as important.

Aye Yeah! I can think of less funny ways to say ‘Understood’. At least they are bonding as a team (and to be honest, we all had our coded messages, even vocal, when we were at school).

Old Manga: I can’t really tell you if the TASTY scene was a reference to any old manga, but the style definitely suggests that.

Moon: The series is full of space eye candy. I have often wondered what the moon would like from the surface of the Earth if it was just a tad bit closer.

Carnivores? Charce is a little too excited about meeting the natural predators of this planet. Instead, they find what I can only describe as Astra‘s Chocobos.

Bones: Quitterie is the ship’s doctor? Well, not bad.

Now to find some food

They were cured from the poison, but they have yet to find more food. Will they get to the next planet?

Did you like Episode 4 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.