| Astra Lost in Space | |
 Firsttankōbon volume cover, featuring Aries Spring (left) and Kanata Hoshijima (right) | |
| 彼方のアストラ (Kanata no Asutora) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kenta Shinohara |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics+ |
| Magazine | Shōnen Jump+ |
| Original run | May 9, 2016 –December 30, 2017 |
| Volumes | 5 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masaomi Andō |
| Written by | Norimitsu Kaihō |
| Music by |
|
| Studio | Lerche |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | AT-X,Tokyo MX,TVA,KBS,SUN,BS11 |
| Original run | July 3, 2019 – September 18, 2019 |
| Episodes | 12 |
 Anime and manga portal | |
Astra Lost in Space (Japanese:彼方のアストラ,Hepburn:Kanata no Asutora) is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated byKenta Shinohara. It was serialized online from May 2016 to December 2017 via Shueisha'sShōnen Jump+ website/app. It was collected in fivetankōbon volumes.Viz Media published the series in English. Ananime television series adaptation produced byLerche aired from July to September 2019.
In 2063, space travel has become possible and commercially viable; a group of students from Caird High School departs to the nearby planet of McPa for their Planetary Camp. Soon after the group arrives on the planet, the nine children encounter a mysterious and unforeseen intelligent sphere of light; it attacks them, transporting them into the distant depths of space. Floating in orbit around an unknown planet, they discover an old abandoned spacecraft nearby. Finding it in working order, they resolve to use the ship to return home. To do so, they must cross the 5,012-light-year gulf of space separating them from home by visiting alien planets, the names of which are all anagrams, harboring life to replenish and manage their limited resources.
The long and dangerous journey home aboard their vessel, which they nameAstra, brings with it new character revelations, strengthening the bonds they share, and the eventual realization that the stakes of their journey are far higher than any of them could ever have realized.
Shinohara originally intended to serializeAstra Lost in Space inWeekly Shōnen Jump, but the proposal was rejected. Unwilling to abandon a story for which he had already conceived a core plot twist, he sought to publish it in another format. The manga was subsequently serialized onShōnen Jump+. Initial popularity was limited; however, following the reveal of its central twist, the series gained more recognition.[8]
Seeking to create a work tonally distinct from his previous series,Sket Dance, Shinohara integrated elements of fantasyscience fiction andclosed circle mystery.[vol. 5] His initial concept was directly inspired by the 19th-century novelTwo Years' Vacation, featuring a group of 15 children. This was scaled down to a core cast of nine characters to better suit a planned shorter serialization of four to five volumes, with some characters' personalities being merged.[8] The narrative retains several elements from the novel, including internal conflicts, banishment, changes in leadership, and character development.[vol. 5]
Astra Lost in Space, written and illustrated byKenta Shinohara, was serialized onShueisha's digital magazine app and websiteShōnen Jump+ from May 9, 2016, to December 30, 2017.[9][10] Shueisha collected its chapters in fivetankōbon volumes, released from July 4, 2016, to February 2, 2018.[11][12]
In North America, the manga was licensed for English release byViz Media.[13]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 4, 2016[11] | 978-4-08-880843-7 | December 5, 2017[14] | 978-1-4215-9694-5 | |
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| 2 | November 4, 2016[15] | 978-4-08-880869-7 | March 6, 2018[16] | 978-1-4215-9695-2 | |
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| 3 | April 4, 2017[17] | 978-4-08-881065-2 | June 5, 2018[18] | 978-1-4215-9696-9 | |
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| 4 | August 4, 2017[19] | 978-4-08-881144-4 | September 4, 2018[20] | 978-1-4215-9697-6 | |
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| 5 | February 2, 2018[12] | 978-4-08-881314-1 | December 4, 2018[21] | 978-1-4215-9698-3 | |
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Ananime television series adaptation was announced in February 2019. The series was animated byLerche and directed by Masaomi Andō, withNorimitsu Kaihō handling series composition, and Keiko Kurosawa designing the characters.Masaru Yokoyama and Nobuaki Nobusawa composed the music.[5] It aired from July 3 to September 18, 2019, onAT-X,Tokyo MX,TVA,KBS,SUN, andBS11.[3] The first and last episodes aired as one-hour specials.[22][23]Nonoc performed the series' opening theme song "star*frost", while the ending theme, "Glow at the Velocity of Light", was performed byRiko Azuna.[24]Funimation licensed the series in North America and the British Isles, and streamed it in both subtitled and dubbed formats.[25]
| No. | Title [26] | Original release date [27] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Planet Camp"[b] | July 3, 2019 (2019-07-03) | |
On her way to the planetary camp, Aries Spring has her bag snatched at a spaceport, but fellow student Kanata Hoshijima intervenes. Nine students from Caird High School arrive on the planet McPa for their camp. Shortly after landing, a mysterious sphere appears and transports them adrift in space, where they find an abandoned spaceship. Everyone except Aries boards the vessel. Risking being lost in space with limited fuel, Kanata rescues Aries but exhausts his own fuel; the other students form a human chain to save them both. Safely aboard, the students introduce themselves, and Zack Walker discovers the sphere has moved them 5,012 light-years from home. As paranoia sets in over their impossible situation, Kanata inspires hope by recounting a similar survival experience after a fatal hiking accident. Zack also identifies nearby planets for resupply and a route home. The students unanimously elect Kanata as captain and name their ship theAstra after discovering a plaque bearing the phrasePer Aspera ad Astra. | |||
| 2 | "Wilderness"[b] | July 10, 2019 (2019-07-10) | |
The students arrive at the wilderness planet Vilavurs for their first resupply stop. They encounter strange wildlife, including parachute plants and trampoline trees. While gathering resources, they spot the mysterious sphere again but successfully evade it. During their time on the planet, Kanata begins eating impulsively, and Quitterie becomes distressed, recalling her unloving wealthy family and resenting her adopted sister, Funicia. When a trampoline tree suddenly rises at night, a winged beast snatches Funicia. Kanata jumps onto the tree, using a javelin left by Luca to rescue her. The incident leads Quitterie and Funicia to reconcile. Kanata later reveals his past training as a world-class athlete by his father. As they prepare to leave Vilavurs, Zack confides to Kanata that theAstra's communications system was deliberately sabotaged, suggesting the culprit is among them. | |||
| 3 | "Meteor"[b] | July 17, 2019 (2019-07-17) | |
theAstra travels to the next resupply planet, Shummoor. Kanata secretly investigates the saboteur but lacks sufficient information. When Funicia recounts how a mysterious man in sunglasses arranged her adoption, Kanata theorizes that someone intends to kill them all and warns the group. Ulgar reveals he is the son of their school's vice principal, drawing immediate suspicion. Suddenly, micrometeorites strike the ship, breaching the hull and disabling the main power. Without power, theAstra is caught in Shummoor's gravity and plummets uncontrollably. The group frantically seals the hull and connects the gravity controller to a backup generator. The controller's safety mechanism activates upon detecting a small alien creature, forcing Ulgar to immobilize it with a glue gun. Power is restored, allowing Zack to execute a perilous landing. It is later revealed that Ulgar secretly carries a real handgun. | |||
| 4 | "Star of Hope"[b] | July 24, 2019 (2019-07-24) | |
Following their collective effort to avert the crash, the students reason that the saboteur must also wish to survive and agree to suspend their investigation. They land on Shummoor and begin foraging, encountering large, friendly bird-like aliens they call Gruppies. They discover that most edible plants spoil almost instantly, and the Gruppies are inedible, leaving them without sufficient supplies for the next journey. Yun-Hua then abandons the ship, telling the others to leave without her. Kanata finds her, and she reveals her mother emotionally abused her and taught her to avoid attention. Suddenly, giant mushrooms release poisonous spores, infecting everyone except Kanata and Yun-Hua, who were in spacesuits. Charce explains an antidote mushroom must exist, prompting Kanata and Yun-Hua to recall curing a sick Gruppie with a yellow mushroom. While Kanata gathers the antidote, Yun-Hua sings to soothe her friends, encouraged by Kanata to pursue her dream. Kanata returns with the cure, and Yun-Hua gains newfound self-confidence. | |||
| 5 | "Paradise"[b] | July 31, 2019 (2019-07-31) | |
After recovering, the group credits Yun-Hua’s singing with helping sustain them and learns she is the daughter of famous singer Lucy Lum. Symbolizing her growth, Yun-Hua cuts her hair short. They secure a stable food source and depart Shummoor. Meanwhile, authorities on Earth have nearly abandoned the search for the students after finding nothing on McPa. The parents meet, with most quickly accepting a proposal to declare their children legally dead; only Aries' mother shows genuine concern. The mysterious man in sunglasses Funicia described observes silently from the side of the room. Luca’s father, Marco, a powerful and controversial government official, is absent. The group later lands on the oceanic planet Arispade, which they consider a paradise due to its abundant food. Charce discovers all life there reproduces viaparthenogenesis. Quitterie teases Aries about her feelings for Kanata, encouraging a confession that Kanata misunderstands, upsetting Aries. While fishing, Luca attempts to connect with Ulgar, who is shocked to learn Luca’s father’s identity. That evening, during a farewell picnic, Ulgar appears with his gun and holds Luca at gunpoint. | |||
| 6 | "Secret"[b] | August 7, 2019 (2019-08-07) | |
Ulgar reveals he believes his older brother was murdered by Marco for investigating government corruption and seeks revenge by killing Luca, Marco's presumed heir. Luca discloses he isintersex and was disowned by his family after his younger brother was born, making him an outcast rather than an heir. Ulgar, recognizing a shared alienation, stands down. A sudden earthquake and ensuingtsunami strike the island. While most reach theAstra safely, Ulgar and Luca are swept away. Ulgar attempts self-sacrifice to save Luca, but Kanata rescues them both. After departing Arispade, Ulgar apologizes to Luca and vows to survive and investigate his brother's death. Zack suggests the brother may have uncovered a deeper conspiracy, explaining why the group was targeted. Ulgar decides to become a journalist like his brother, and Kanata allows him to keep the gun. Later, Aries notices an inconsistency in Charce's story regarding a biology class and confronts him alongside the group, suspecting he is hiding something. | |||
| 7 | "Past"[b] | August 14, 2019 (2019-08-14) | |
Charce reveals he is a transfer student from the Vixia Royal Quarter, the planet's last nation ruled by nobility. He concealed his past out of reluctance to discuss it. He befriended a commoner girl named Seira and once smuggled her into the nobles-only sector. When caught, a guard pushed her during a struggle, and she fell from a building into a coma. Her family later left Vixia with her, and Charce departed as well, vowing to study biology to one day find and heal her. The group is moved by his story, and Charce notes Aries reminds him of Seira. They then arrive at Icriss, a tidally locked planet with one scorching hemisphere and one freezing; the only habitable zone is the narrow terminator line. While seeking a landing spot, a massive carnivorous plant attacks theAstra, inflicting critical damage that traps them on the planet. Zack explains they lack the parts for repairs, resigning them to remain on Icriss. Later, Charce discovers a second, heavily damaged ship of the same model. Investigating the derelict craft, they find someone preserved in its hibernation pod for twelve years and open it to reveal a young woman inside. | |||
| 8 | "Lost and Found"[b] | August 21, 2019 (2019-08-21) | |
The group revives the woman, who identifies herself as Paulina Livinskaya, an astronaut from the shipArk VI. She explains her mission was to find habitable worlds, but her ship crash-landed on Icriss. When her crew never returned from exploration, she entered the hibernation pod to survive. Aries proposes replacing theAstra's damaged reactor section with the intact one from theArk VI, as both ships share a modular design. Meanwhile, Yun-Hua informs Paulina the year is 2063, causing Paulina to panic without explanation. The repair is successful. While foraging, Zack confides in Quitterie, expressing his desire not to emulate his father, who grew detached due to memory transplant research, and his wish to pilot Kanata's future ship. Quitterie admits she wants to marry him, and he reminds her of their childhood promise. Before departing, the group investigates and finds Paulina's crew was consumed by subterranean carnivorous plants. After leaving Icriss, Quitterie notes her and Funicia's blood types are an exact match, an extreme rarity for adopted siblings. Zack conducts a DNA test and privately reveals to Kanata that they are genetically identical. | |||
| 9 | "Revelation"[b] | August 28, 2019 (2019-08-28) | |
Zack and Kanata reveal to the crew that Funicia and Quitterie areclones, leading to the theory that all of them, except Aries, are clones created as younger vessels for their parents' memories using technology developed by Zack's father. Concurrently, the parents—excluding those of Aries and Charce—are shown meeting, lamenting how the Genome Control Act would expose their children as clones, which motivated stranding them in space to ensure the bodies were never found. Aboard theAstra, the crew is distraught, but Kanata reassures them that their shared journey has forged a true family and gives them a new purpose: to return and bring their parents to justice. He consoles each crew member individually, and most find closure regarding their pasts. Zack and Quitterie announce their engagement. After Zack repairs the space telescope with parts from theArk VI, he projects an image of their home planet. During the celebration, Paulina becomes confused by the planet's appearance, and when the crew identifies it as Astra, not Earth, she becomes hysterical. | |||
| 10 | "Culprit"[b] | September 4, 2019 (2019-09-04) | |
Through discussion, Paulina and the group learn that the histories of Earth and Astra diverged after theCuban Missile Crisis, which on Astra escalated into World War III and led to a unified global government. Paulina explains that on Earth, scientists predicted an asteroid impact in 2057. The Ark ships were dispatched to find habitable worlds, with the plan to evacuate Earth's population through artificial wormholes. The group realizes they were transported through one such wormhole to the remains of Earth, where they discovered the abandoned Ark XII. Paulina theorizes that Earth's population successfully settled on Astra but concealed their origins. Aries advises focusing on returning home first. Upon arriving at the final planet, Galem, Kanata encounters another wormhole and barely escapes. Concluding the traitor will likely eliminate them on Galem to complete the journey alone, Kanata deduces the culprit's identity. He privately enlists Zack and Ulgar to stage a fake ambush, a ruse that successfully pressures Charce into confessing. Charce admits he is the traitor, revealing he has always known he is a clone of Noah Vix, the current king of Vixia. | |||
| 11 | "Confession"[b] | September 11, 2019 (2019-09-11) | |
Charce reveals he was created as a spare body for King Noah Vix and raised to believe that was his sole purpose. Tasked with eliminating the other clones after the Genome Control Act, he explains he halted his attempts because he refused to harm Aries, who is a clone of Seira—Noah's daughter and the princess of Vixia. He recounts how Seira, who helped raise him and opposed the cloning project, secretly had Aries smuggled out to live a normal life. Seira was later assassinated, leaving Charce believing his mission was all he had left. Kanata challenges this, arguing that Charce’s genuine friendships aboard the ship prove he has another purpose. As the crew urges him to reject Noah’s control, Charce, overwhelmed by guilt, activates a backup wormhole controller to kill himself. Kanata charges forward, using his anti-gravity shoes to leap over the wormhole and tackle him, but loses his right arm above the elbow in the process. This act shocks Charce back to his senses, and Kanata reminds him of his promise to serve as second-in-command on his future ship. Quitterie stops the bleeding, and Charce helps Kanata back to theAstra. | |||
| 12 | "Friend-Ship"[b] | September 18, 2019 (2019-09-18) | |
Forgiven by the group, Charce reveals the hidden history of Astra: it was settled by refugees from Earth usingwormhole technology, a truth suppressed after a devastating war. The true year is 2163. Determined to expose this and their parents' cloning conspiracy, they transmit their evidence from orbit. They are met by a fleet that has arrested their originals and the Vixian prince behind the plot. Kanata and Charce later persuade the government to reveal the truth, with Kanata quelling public dissent through a bestselling book. Charce briefly becomes king of Vixia, abolishes its monarchy, and releases wormhole technology. Seven years later, the group has pursued diverse paths, and Kanata, with a prosthetic arm from Zack, fulfills his dream by purchasing theAstra and embarking on a new exploration mission with Zack and Charce, who is honoring his promise to serve as first officer. | |||
The manga was ranked fifth at the thirdNext Manga Awards in 2017 in the web category,[28] it was also ranked third in the 2019 edition ofTakarajimasha'sKono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook,[29] and won the twelfthManga Taishō Awards.[30][31] It was also nominated for the 23rdTezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.[32] The anime adaptation won "Best Media" at the 51stSeiun Award during the 59thNihon SF Taikai.[33]
Michele Liu, writing forAnime News Network, said that the series is "unique" because Luca is a main character who is born intersex rather than "altered by sci-fi space diseases or external influence," with Liu also describing Luca as bisexual.[34]
