Kanata no Astra

There's plenty of its kind out there, but the characters keep it much more interesting than it had a right to be. As the story progresses, more and more focus is shifted away from the survival and towards drama, world-building, and politics. Good balance between serious parts and comedic relief, maintaining a generally upbeat tone without damaging its other qualities. Is helped by the fact that it has a very specific story to tell, and executes it as well as anyone could hope to, without sequel-baiting or filler; it is compact and to the point. Making the first and last episodes double length was a great idea, because the foreword and afterword are both lengthy and necessary, but they would have ruined the pacing if they were their own episodes. Visuals are nice and the 3DCG doesn't get in your face too much, and characters are distinguishable through more than just their hair colours, although they can be a bit too tropey at times. Nevertheless, it plays its tropes straight and unironically as a love song to sci-fi fans, so don't expect a ton of realism. Unfortunately, there was nothing in it that truly wowed me, so while it is a great and enjoyable watch, it isn't a timeless work of art or something.

I love shows about outer space (that's what got me intrigued to check this one out). Simply put this show is probably one of my favorite animes right now and it's a total shame that (as of writing this) it only has 6 reviews.

To summarize without any spoilers - a group of high school kids take a field trip to another planet and end up getting lost in space.

That is a very, very simplified version of this show. As you get deeper into it there are many complex elements that arrive leading to questions that vary from political to semi philosophical. There is hardly any violence in this show, but the adventure itself is a wonder to watch and the character building is among some of the best I've seen for only having 12 episodes.

This was such a refreshing show in the sci-fi genre that I want to buy the manga just to have it (and I don't own any manga!)

Just watch this show and enjoy the adventure.

Overall the core plot and many of the sub-story twists are a breath of fresh air among a glut of "Copy and Paste" anime's, but it does have its faults.

Pro's:

• Fairly unique plot with reasonably good execution.
• "Challenge of the week" handled in a fairly intelligent manor.
• Good overall background tension, smiling faces sometimes hide pain.
• Not always sunshine and happiness, there is some strife and distrust amping up the group dynamic.
• Above average character growth, with time spent on each giving them a personality beyond the cardboard background stand in's most shows have.
• Individualized hurdles for each character.
• Self inclosed story arc with the possibility for more.

Cons:

• Start is a bit rocky, and it needs a few episodes to get it's feet.
• The challenges they face are sometimes overcome in comically easy ways, detracting from the overall struggle.

-Some of the "reveals" had either too much foreshadowing or were too predictable.

• At Times a little to "happy" or the group dynamic is a bit more positive than I'd expect.
• Ending felt rushed, really could have used some more time, but isn't this always the case?

I don't think anyone can predict this story. It might seem that it's going in a certain direction but just wait and watch. This is top-notch writing with a story that connects every single plot point it establishes. Nothing here is senseless. Everything is part of the puzzle. The characters can be a bit cringey at times but the mystery and adventure keeps it going.

Definitely worth watching.

Lot of twists in this anime,those are so damn good.