Thoughts On Astra Lost In Space

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

INTRO

I rarely get interested in sci-fi. Time travel, teleportation, aliens, and parallel universes aren't my cup of tea. Astra Lost In Space, as an anime that focuses on exploring outer space is no exception. I've seen comments saying how amazing yet underhyped this show was, but I never got interested in it. I just knew I'm not into these themes.

I then realize that there are days where we just eat our words when we run out of options. And I'm glad I took a chance on it. Make no mistake. This anime isn't all about space travel. If anything, it's a politically charged series with space exploration as its medium.

Who knew that in struggling for survival, issues like identity and history would still be of concern? Have to say, I wish this was as hyped as the more popular 2019 series like Demon Slayer and Haikyuu. It is novel, entertaining, yet deeply philosophical.

PLOT

In the year 2063, space travel is feasible and commercially available. A group of young and intelligent students from Caird High School arrive at the spaceport to attend a camp on Planet McPa.

Upon arrival, their trip takes a quick turn when a sphere of light sucks them and blasts them into outer space. Seemingly hopeless, the team works together and finds an abandoned nearby ship that serves as their quarters and means to get home. However, they soon discover that their current location is not close to their campsite as they initially thought. In addition, they were actually thousands of light-years away from home.

The crew must work together and overcome their differences to survive. They need to manage their resources, maintain their strength, and be united to conquer the darkness of space. Throughout their trip, they suspect that they were grouped together to be killed. Nevertheless, they embark on a vicious voyage back home aboard their new ship, the Astra.

THOUGHTS

In the beginning, I thought this was a coming-of-age story about teenagers overcoming their struggles. If it zeroed on that, I honestly wouldn't mind. The character backstories were presented so well that even if it's the whole point of the show, it would still stand out.

Most of the folks aboard the Astra spaceship experienced difficulties with their parents. They felt unloved and unwanted by the people whom they expected to receive unconditional love from. That alone is enough to resonate with a lot of viewers.

However, what's surprising was those elements were simply foundations for the actual plot. It's not just about them or their parents anymore. It's the world and the course of history that's at stake now.

Wow. How do you tie up such complex backstories and blend them seamlessly into the plot? The concept was so new and refreshing. We see that the reason behind their parents' treatment was that they were not their parent's actual children. They were clones meant to serve as their original self's vessel to continue living. They were mere tools to serve as substitute bodies for their originals, or may I say "parents".

In addition to discovering the truth about themselves, they also realized that the history taught to them was falsified.

The truth was that the Earth's nations developed wormhole technology to evacuate their inhabitants to Astra. This is because scientists discovered that an asteroid would strike the Earth in 2057. However, when the plan was revealed publicly, war broke out as different nations fought over land ownership on Astra. The wormholes were meant for travel but were abused and turned into weapons.

A single world government was formed to restore peace, but not after half the population of Earth/Astra was killed. As a result, the world government destroyed all wormholes to prevent them from being used again. They also manipulated history so that later generations would be unaware of the wormhole technology that brought them to Astra.

In reality, 100 years had passed since Earth was destroyed, making the true year 2163. The students decide to tell all of Astra the truth. However, their originals and the government remain obstacles to their return.

For all we know, our actual history might be manipulated after all.

FINAL WORDS

Who are we? Where did we actually come from?

How do we answer these questions? Do we rely on what people say we are? Can we still rely on history lectures that tell us of the past? What if they're all lies? No one can speak of history except those who lived to tell it. How can we say they haven't tampered with any of it? And not altered it to fit their narrative?

I don't have a clear answer.

Astra Lost in Space is such an excellent anime though, and I hope more viewers discover it. It combined personal narratives with world issues. The elements are cohesive and all loose strings were tied neatly in the end.

The most memorable part for me was when the characters transcended the ideologies forced on them. They wondered why they shared a common experience where they had neglectful parents. This resulted in some of them bearing resentment and insecurities. When they realized the truth, they broke those barriers and achieved transcendence.

They were no longer ashamed nor vengeful. They sought to live to the fullest and discover the world with their own eyes. They realized they were actual people with their own identities.

The answers given by adults and authorities won't always be correct. But when we seek the truth, there is consolation that one day, we would eventually attain it. What's important is we seek what matters and live for it. We will always have more questions than answers. But amidst the ambiguity, the only way to move forward is through forward motion.

No matter what rules are imposed on us, we are the ones who ultimately decide in the end.