Someone on the ship is a killer; but it will take everyone’s cooperation to survive deep space…how can the crew trust each other enough to stay alive?
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Kenta Shinohara
Translation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say
What starts as a pleasant class trip to a planet five light-years away becomes a nightmare survival trip to get back home.
In the year 2063, interstellar space travel has become the norm. What sort of adventure awaits on the new frontier?
The situation aboard the Astra intensifies as Zack reveals to Kanata that the ship’s communication system has recently been sabotaged and it’s likely one among them is the culprit! The crew members are overtaken with confusion and anger and begin questioning each other’s motives. Suddenly, the side of the Astra explodes! The controls and gravity system shut down, and the Astra is set on a collision course with the planet Shummoor.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Just when the makeshift team of lost space explorers starts to work together, they are hit with a bombshell revelation. Someone among them destroyed the communications on this ship when they first arrived. Why would someone destroy their best chance at calling for help and surviving? Does that person really want everyone to die or do they have a desperate need to never return to Earth?
Whatever the reason, the crew needs to safely land on this nearby planet and find food. This could prove more difficult than imagined. The planet showed signs of life, but now that they are on the ground, there is no visible water. There are only stumpy plants and a few odd animals running around.
The difficulty of finding food puts a massive strain on the crew’s interpersonal interactions. Stress, food, and water rationing, suspicions of each other being the saboteur, all create short tempers. But, some folks keep their cheer demeanor no matter what. Like Char and Aries, always helpful and looking on the bright side of their situation.
However, not even Aries and Charce can make light of the deathly situation the crew finds themselves in when the local plants release poisonous spores spread on the wind! Will Kanata be able to figure out a solution and save the crew? Even if he manages to save them, will they only starve to death in the long run?
In Summary:
There is rarely a dull moment in Astra Lost in Space. The characters bounce from planet to planet, confronted with dangerous situations on land and in space during their planet hopping. However, the story still manages to find time to delve into the characters and flesh them out. Surprisingly the most motherly character on the ship turns out to be the brilliant Zack. So much so, that everyone else quickly points out his mothering instincts much to his vehement denial.
The two that seem the most likely perpetrators behind destroying the ships communications panel are Ulgar and Yun-Hua. Neither speaks much, both keep to themselves, and Ulgar is combative any time he’s around the other crew. Ulgar obviously has something going on, but it is Yun-Hua that receives the most character development as she first retreats from the others only to later prove to be their saving grace. Overall a good follow up volume to the series debut.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Viz
Release Date: March 6, 2018
MSRP: $9.99
