Astra Lost in Space, Vol. 5: Friendship

彼方のアストラ / Kanata no Astra #5

by Kenta Shinohara

Conspiracies begin to unravel as the truth behind the Astra crew membersʼ circumstances comes to light. And at their last pit stop, Galem, the saboteur is revealed! Donʼt miss the shocking conclusion!

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Comics, Young Adult, Shonen, Graphic Novels, Adventure

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2018

Reviews

[Ashley (ashleyOutpaged) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE END OF SUCH A PERFECT LIL SERIES IM SOBBING 😭😭😭 I LOVE SO MUCH

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

PT Na altura comecei esta série apenas porque me apetecia ler um mangá de ficção científica. Não tinha grandes expectativas quanto ao que iria encontrar, mas sendo uma série curta, também não havia muito a perder.

Pois bem, acabou por se revelar muito melhor do que eu imaginava — uma autêntica viagem espacial, com personagens adoráveis e interações muito bem construídas entre elas.

O final tem momentos bastante emotivos e, embora eu não tenha ficado totalmente convencido com todas as explicações dadas, é um desfecho sólido que encerra bem a história e não deixa nada em aberto.

--

EN At the time, I started this series simply because I felt like reading a sci-fi manga. I didn’t have high expectations about what I’d find, but since it was a short series, there wasn’t much to lose.

Well, it turned out to be much better than I imagined — a true space adventure, with lovable characters and well-crafted interactions between them.

The ending has some truly emotional moments and, although I wasn’t entirely convinced by all the explanations given, it’s a solid conclusion that wraps up the story nicely without leaving anything unresolved.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. This ending was completely satisfying to me. Yes, it had moments of convenience, but the journey was fun, and the characters were loveable!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too fantastical at times, but still manages to fall into believable reality more than expected. The artwork remains as immersive and detailed as always.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, having all five volumes of this available to read at once helped turn this series into an unexpected delight. The humor, characters, drama and twists propelled me through the books quickly and eagerly. The fan service was unnecessary and probably the biggest flaw in the book, but was at least relatively mild compared to some of the other manga I have read.

Sure, the ending felt a bit rushed and a little too pat. There were a lot of talking heads telling us what happened after the starship Astra made its final planetfall rather than the book having the time to show us, but that could have easily doubled the length of the series and might have killed my interest in the long run. I'm satisfied with the tight little package delivered.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad the story is done, it was so good.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 3 out of 5]

****Actual Rating 3.5 Stars****

I have many conflicting feelings for this series. Most are positive but the negative kinda outweighs them just because they’re so starkly THERE. I originally picked up this series because it sounded fun and I wanted to watch the anime, but now I most likely won’t and I’m disappointed by that.

The first two volumes started out super fun and adventurous with characters I really liked only for it to stumble in the third and fourth volumes with uncomfortable fanservice and a suddenly lagging plot, for it to finally pick itself back up in Volume 5 to end up being too little too late in most ways.

Where the characters ended up was fantastic and felt like the first two volumes again in that fun yet heartfelt way that captured me before. The assassin is finally revealed and while I won’t say who it is here, despite me marking this for other spoilers, I had guessed it was this person back in Volume Two despite there being no proof but I never guessed their reasons for WHY, so that was a shocking twist this series has such a knack for. And how Kanata especially responded to said character trying to destroy themself was so him with yet another twist that really shocked me and made a great impact I won’t forget in a hurry, sucker that I am for sacrificial displays such as this, haha. The ending also made me tear up, not gonna lie, lol.

Which brings me to the most confusing aspect of this whole story: the alternate histories of Earth and Astra. While interesting and well plotted in how the government covered up Earth’s existence, I find it extremely hard to believe the whole world would just agree to having a one world type system with no religion or weapons allowed, especially Americans who are a rather stubborn lot in being told what to do, lol. This is pointed out by the characters but is just as quickly swept under the rug of “they shouldn’t have agreed but they all just did, how convenient” which doesn’t match up with humanity as a whole, not to mention that when all this goes public I found it even more unlikely that there were only a few protests and nothing more extreme. And even though the government admits to covering up that everyone moved from Earth to Astra there’s no reinstatement of religions or weapons in any way which bothered me as I just don’t think that’s the answer to world peace like everyone thinks it would be.

Also with the two histories comes the question of why is this here? It’s kind of just thrown in at the seemingly last minute and while it does explain the wormhole and how the Astra was in space back in Volume One for the kids to find, that’s all it really does, otherwise it has no impact on the characters or plot outside of these points. Ultimately I think this was going to be a larger part of the story but as the story was cut to be far shorter then the mangaka had originally planned, it was pared down to this strange, out of nowhere and gone again plot point that doesn’t really impact the characters, which is why it felt just weirdly there despite being well crafted.

So would I recommend this series? Ultimately no though I’d love to. It just has too many things sprinkled throughout that I’m personally not comfortable with or didn’t care for and therefore wouldn’t recommend, though it’s an overall decent series. I wish I didn’t feel so conflicted at the end when I had such high hopes at the beginning, but here we are.


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: a character attempts to suck themself out into space and commit suicide (they’re stopped)

Language: heck; what the heck; oh my gosh; crap; dang; geez; freaking; dammit; damn; friggin’; freakin’; sucked; holy crap; gosh; oh my gawsh; what the

Violence: kids get sucked into a sphere that dumps them out in space; a woman was shoved off a cliff (PG); a character attempts to suck themself out into space and commit suicide (they’re stopped); a guy punches another in the face; an arm is amputated (PG-13); injuries and blood (PG-PG-13); an assassin tried to use a sphere to suck up other characters and send them into space; a character points a gun at another

Sexual: mild suggestive hints/comments; a girl in a bikini; a character is intersex

Other: kids are stranded in space; a ship’s communications were sabotaged; clones/cloning; a character was told they weren’t a person but just a body for another; death and grief; a character was locked in a dungeon; a severed arm floats in space

[Rafa Araujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que buen viaje fue toda esta serie. Si bien los últimos dos capítulos se sienten apresurados todo lo demás esta muy bien planteado, y si bien los plot twist no son los más originales si están colocados en los momentos perfectos en la trama para que te dejen patinando. Disfruté tanto a los personajes que los recordaré por mucho tiempo. ¡PER ASPERA AD ASTRA!

[Jane (The Bookaholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 Stars ⭐️

I really enjoyed this volume, and I think it was a great ending for the series. The big reveals were very good, and so many things that I didn't expect happened. I loved seeing how those characters, who just got stuck in the worse scenario possible, made a family by themselves and got so attached to each other.
I'm okay with found-family books but this one made me love the trope so much more. The world-building of this entire manga series is honestly mind-blowing, I love how well-researched everything feels, and I just had a great time reading this whole series.
Definitely sad to finish it, and I'd absolutely recommend it.

[Rue]

Finally finished it 🙀

[Córdelum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Último volumen de este manga. Que pena me ha dado acabarlo, lo he disfrutado de principio a fin. Aventuras en el espacio, naves, mundos desconocidos, risas, secretos y sobre todo amistad.

Los alumnos de la academia Caird se embarcan en un viaje de excursión a otro planeta durante una semana. Pero al llegar, una extraña esfera los absorbe y les deja perdidos en mitad del espacio a mucho años luz de su hogar.

Ahora tendrán que regresar haciendo un largo viaje a través del universo, descubriendo nuevos planetas y corriendo grandes aventuras. Mientras los lazos de amistad se van fortificando.

El grupo tendrá que averiguar cómo acabaron tan lejos de casa, mientras otro misterio les rodea. Si queréis averiguar los secretos que guardan esta historia tendréis que leerla ;).

Me ha encantado, ha sido redondo. No le quitaría ni una página ni le añadiría nada. Muchas risas y momentos de adrenalina. Súper recomendado 👍

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving it a five star just because I can. However, I would have liked the text to be reduced by at least 30% particularly in this volume. Luckily emotional punches were right, and the ending was satisfactory. So, I am letting strictness go, and thinking generously.

This was a good sci-fi story overall. Don't miss it.

[Nate Hipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything comes to a close here in a mostly satisfying way. Some of the plot twists are a bit contrived, but I felt the ending met my expectations and provided a solid arc and closure for the characters I’d grown attached to. I am a little bummed Funi and Beego really faded into the background after the first volume, though.

[vin .ᐟ (hiatus)]

a perfect ending,
I love this series and these characters with my entire soul🥺💗

[May Sun Aung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, beautiful finale.

[KatRi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitkästä aikaa mangaa - viisiosaisena tämä avaruusseikkailu oli hallittava kokonaisuus. Mukavaa kesälukemista, vaikka aiheista löytyi vakavampaakin puolta.

[keely p · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astra Lost in Space vol 1:★★★★
Astra Lost in Space vol 2:★★★★
Astra Lost in Space vol 3:★★★★
Astra Lost in Space vol 4:★★★★★
Astra Lost in Space vol 5:★★★★★

[Spykje · Rating 3 out of 5]

(for the whole series) i had a good time with this! the conspiracy shit was cool, seeing all the characters grow and interact was really funny, the art and design choices are strong, and the panelling is pretty solid too. a bit heavy on the exposition, but for 49 chapters (plus a lot of really cute 4-koma bonus chapters) this series was a blast!
also based bisexual intersex genderfluid representation.

[Chloe Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty spectacular ending in my opinion!
This is definitely one of my favorite manga series of all time. It’s just so GOOD. There were a couple bumpy moments but I know I’ll be re-reading this series in the future. It’s just so well thought out and intense and interesting! There are so many characters but they are each so unique. They all have their own voice and I loved their individuality.
Overall, a really awesome manga series I’m so pumped I picked up. Can’t wait to see what the author does next!

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really does all come together in this volume, and the story is even bigger than I had thought. Either Shinohara is amazingly good at throwing stuff together on the fly, or he's had quite an intricate grand plan running all along. Either way is impressive. I just wish this series hadn't fallen back on lazy fanservice in the middle.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The star-flung adolescents of the Astra crew? Clones created for the purpose of immortality and organ harvest. The culprits behind their space-trotting predicament? Their own parents; in other words, their originals. Planet Earth? Frozen and abandoned over a hundred years ago, erased in favor of a new wormhole-forged planet (Astra) and timeline as part of a government conspiracy. And the traitor? None other than Charce Lacroix: the clone of King Noah VIX. The Astra’s 146-day, five-volume journey has come to an end, concluding with an extra-thick volume and a head-spinning finale.

Make no mistake: the number of twists and turns Kenta Shinohara’s Astra Lost in Space juggles in this volume’s twelve chapters can be a headache to decipher, and it stumbles here and there – in its goal of five volumes, certain plot points aren’t ribboned up tightly, and perhaps that bothers me more than it should — yet as much of an exposition dumping ground Volume 5 is, it’s never any less compelling than the four volumes preceding it. Obscured, world-changing schemes are unveiled, then in themselves exposed as convenient cover-ups for more sinister purposes. Putting aside any suspension of disbelief — I’d have to agree with Ulgar this convoluted plot works a little too perfectly — they succeed in feeding directly into the Astra’s journey.

Case in point: Charce. As you may’ve already deduced — not like it was hard to guess, given his cover position — his previously divulged backstory was a fabrication, with his being a king’s clone being the most elaborate backstory of all. As we discover his plan to return Aries — the clone of the King’s deceased daughter (Princess Seira) — the friction between his brainwashed allegiance and newfound empathy for his makeshift family produces the tensest showdown this side of Ulgar’s gun fiasco. Like then, we know Kanata’s optimism will penetrate through, but unlike the miraculous rescue back on Arispade, Shinohara sees through our complacency and implements a stunning sacrifice gripping us ever tighter into Astra‘s climax.

Aside from the final two chapters, said backstory is where much of Volume 5’s heart lies — being the only clone with prior knowledge of his true identity, Charce is a valuable lifeline into a furtive environment. Despite his tragic irony, his friendship with Seira isn’t merely where he discovers his secret purpose; nay, it’s where he nurtures empathy himself, a concept denied by the King’s distant “parenting.” As readers who’ve consumed shonen after shonen, it doesn’t take a genius to recognise it was fostered further through the Astra’s journey — the very one he himself caused. From that perspective, could we perhaps view the Astra crisis as a rehabilitative camp that just so happens to change the world? (Alas, if only it granted Funicia relevance, as she continues to only ever speak up in accordance with group shots.)

Yet with so much time spent on conspiracies, betrayals, and exposition, not much is spent on Planet Astra itself. I was hoping for a confrontation between the clones and originals in what would’ve undoubtedly been host to a heartbreaking conflict – but alas, most are merely silently arrested as the Astra crew lands back home. Yes, the journey is the point and all that, yet Astra‘s designated length renders the aftermath something of a rushed footnote. Aries’s summary of events implies the worldwide reception to their earth-shattering journey led to unfortunate consequences (“There were even a few anti-government protests that turned violent.”), but the overall framing of these last two chapters invokes far too much of a limp “welp, we found the solution to all our problems, so everything ends up A-okay!” cop-out as opposed to a full-fledged ending.

Don’t get me wrong: what ultimately transpires is touching and all that, and I certainly won’t combat any counter-arguments it’s a fitting conclusion for the actual crew; after all, they’re the actual focus. Much as I wish Astra pursued the ambition unveiled in this final volume, I’m not to about suggest Shinohara should’ve stretched the series beyond its limits. I’ll instead settle for the juicy concept art detailing the cast’s creation; if anything, they certainly prove he did have Astra‘s best interests in mind — there were initially far too many characters for a series as short as this, and I had fun pointing out which axed characters were absorbed into the final cast. (I mean, granted, the relevant blurbs already reveal that, but they’re right there!)

In Astra Lost in Space‘s afterword, Shinohara elaborates on how the series was a necessary obstacle by diving into an unfamiliar genre. Any evident stumbling blocks aside, I was gripped by its journey and cast from beginning to end — be it comedy or drama, I eagerly anticipate whatever he conceives next.

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full 5-volume series review

It's 2063 and interstellar travel is the norm. 9 students set out for a mundane extra-planetary camping trip, but find themselves transported 5000 lightyears away. Will they make it back home? How did this happen? What mysteries and secrets might they discover while trying to survive?

The setting is a fairly standard sci-fi future, with life on earth fairly similar to ow but with better technology and space travel. 8 high school students are going on a routine weeklong camping trip on another planet, a tradition from their school, with the extra task of caring for one student's younger sister--to prove their maturity, they're told. But shortly after arriving on the camp planet, a mysterious orb swallows them and spits them out thousands of lightyears away.

In the beginning, it's a straightforward "lost in space" survival story, with the protagonists having to decide how to be a cohesive group, what to do, and how to proceed, along with the expected pushback from characters who distrust the others or don't want to work that way. There are planetary explorations, survival adventures, and then there's the characters.

Each individual character gets time to develop, and reveal more about their background to the reader (and the group). Sometimes (oftentimes, especially in the first couple volumes) this feels like a stock "digging into a character's past to reveal their insecurities, and them overcoming them or being reassured by the group." That's a very expected way to deal with characters, especially high school characters, so the predictability felt dull but was at least buoyed by the exotic flora and fauna they were interacting with while it was happening.

And as this continues, characters and readers start trying to see if anything connects this disparate group of students, and then it gets more interesting. We know there has to be a reason they got transported, regardless of whether it has to do with the characters or not, so trying to put things together and then seeing that lead to a dead end, or lead to another line of questioning, kept me engaged.

By the start of the 4th volume, things have kicked into high gear and gotten more serious. I was able to guess at quite a few of the eventual revelations during the story, and the payoff felt good--not saying it's entirely predictable so much as it will likely have a lot of elements that feel familiar to people who read similar sci-fi stories, and/or have read a lot of adventure/survival-based manga. The characters themselves are familiar types from other manga, but they work together well.

If there was one thing that I really didn't like, it would be the combination of serious story feature and almost slapstick shounen manga humor. Often you'd go straight from a serious moment to someone making a really stupid joke or reference or acting like an idiot. Humor can work well (the recurring joke about Charce's literally sparkling aura, like the screentones used to convey his genteel knightly ways, was fun), but often it was more akin to whiplash.

Overall and despite its flaws, it was fun read that kept me interested.

[✮Octjillery✮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly fell in love with this series.

I'm glad the ending wasn't a bunch of courtroom drama; we got to see what the characters were up to in the time since their return, and I was really satisfied with it.

I just wish we had actually seen Kanata falling for Aries (the "I'll walk you home" doesn't counttttt), because he was oblivious right up to the epilogue. But either way, we all saw that happening if our little crew made it out.

In regards to the series as a whole, I think the pacing and plot were fantastic. We knew to expect a focus on a new planet with each volume, and the crew was put to the test in a variety of ways. I loved that we got all of the lore when we did--I think there were enough scenes throughout the series about major twists/discoveries that it didn't feel like a lore dump when we got the big reveals in this volume. Every time they were making connections and I had a question thinking there was a plot hole, it ended up being answered and logic'd out in a natural way.

I had early suspicions about some of the major reveals of the series, but I wasn't dead on with any of them right away. It wouldn't have spoiled my enjoyment of this to have figured everything out, anyway, but I think the trail of breadcrumbs throughout the series was really well-laid.

I love the characters so much. Every volume, I tried to determine a favorite and never could. I adored them all.

I know there's an anime for this, so I'm planning to watch that soon. I'm just very happy with how this turned out and that it wasn't super tragic.

[Terrence]

The conclusion to our story. Is it a depressing ending or a happy ending? You'll have to read to find out.

The art is exceptional as always, and the story bringing in all of our characters both on their home planet and in space, plus their past selves with flashbacks means this mangaka had to do a lot of work.

It seems as if the story was planned out from the beginning based on the character design info in this one, originally planned to be a much larger series, but then paired down to be shorter during initial development. It's great because it feels more authentic that way, no making up random arcs or things. And like I said in the previous review, I'm not sure having more characters would have been helpful when you have cast like Yun-Hua that do very little in the story overall.

I liked that this volume also ended with the epilogue 4-Koma. More series should have those, I really appreciated getting to see more of our cast before each volume ended in a more light-hearted fashion.

Overall, thumbs up to the series. It had its issues, and the mystery answer seemed out of left field to me, but I guess the writer must have had that answer planned all along (he does callbacks to quotes earlier in the series as evidence). Looking forward to watching the anime someday.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un bellissimo finale, avevo qualche remora perché avevo paura si tralasciasse qualcosa o si dimenticasse qualche pezzo di trama, ma alla fine si è tutto andato a incastrare come un puzzle, senza sforzo. Complessivamente la saga mi è piaciuta molto, alcuni personaggi mi sono rimasti più nel cuore di altri (Cavolo, avrei voluto qualcosa di più specifico sui futuri di Ulgar e di Luca!) ma in generale sono tutti ben riusciti, tanto da far affezionare il lettore ad ognuno di loro. La trama è avvincente e con molti colpi di scena, ben calibrata e senza parti inutili, tanto che nel finale è impossibile non provare un po' di nostalgia. 5 volumi sono pochi e se il risultato è stato questo vuol dire che l'autore ha fatto proprio un bel lavoro. Il tratto è come al solito molto gradevole e il mix di umorismo e mistero dà quel tocco in più. Una delle migliori serie (seppur breve) lette negli ultimi tempi, anche senza che avesse chissà quali pretese. Che dire lo consiglio a tutti, preparatevi a una bella avventura!!



Nel caso uscisse un futuro spinoff sarò lieta di proseguire nell'impresa 😉 Incrociamo le dita!

[Mariana Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esse mangá me surpreendeu muito positivamente! Eu não esperava que a história seria tão profunda. Mesmo sendo curta, conseguiu fechar todas as pontas soltas: ficou tudo muito bem amarrado, sem deixar passar nada. Os personagens são carismáticos e você se apega a todos eles, então fica o tempo todo torcendo por seu sucesso. Sem falar na arte linda e detalhada. Com certeza se tornou um dos meus favoritos da vida. Fico muito feliz que a Devir o trouxe para o Brasil e eu pude adicioná-lo para minha coleção. A edição ficou ótima, com sobrecapa e um papel de qualidade, e tivemos até adesivos como brindes. Esse volume especialmente foi muito interessante, porque no meio dos capítulos tivemos várias informações sobre os bastidores da criação (personagens e designs não utilizados, mensagem do autor e até mesmo a timeline dos acontecimentos), o que eu gostei demais. Eu recomendo muito Astra Lost In Space! A narrativa é marcante e é bom de colecionar também. Conheçam essa obra incrível!

[Frey · Rating 4 out of 5]

La série, courte, commence comme un shonen assez lambda, et j’ai craint pendant un moment qu’il s’agisse d’une de ces séries finies trop tôt par manque d’intérêt de la part de ses lecteurs – et la forme prise allait dans ce sens. Outre le mystère de leur apparition dans l’espace, le modèle avait l’air assez basique autant au niveau des personnages que des intrigues qui risquaient vite d’être répétitives. Et, au fur et à mesure des tomes, le ton pris est plus dur, plus violent, plus vaste, tout en restant suffisamment simple pour ne pas être perdu dans des explications grandiloquentes et lourdes ; on y aborde le clonage, le lien familial, la politique, l’hermaphrodisme, la conscience de soi, la confiance en soi, entre autres sujets. Le tout est mené de manière intelligente, et si je suis contente d’avoir pu voir l’évolution des personnages dans une conclusion assez élaborée, je regrette que tout le dénouement se passe hors de vue des lecteurs.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series comes to a conclusion and the Asta returns home. The question is what will happen with the the students who have been using the ship since they were flung 5,000 lightyears away. Not only do they return with info about how and why they were sent away, and it wasn't an accident, ut they also come with knowledge of a secret that is going to change everything for everyone on the planet if it gets out.

This was a really satisfying conclusion to the series. Every one of the Asta's passengers have their stories brought to a conclusion

Conspiracies begin to unravel as the truth behind the Astra crew members’ circumstances start to come to light. And when the crew reaches their last pit stop, Galem, the saboteur is revealed! Don’t miss the shocking conclusion in this final volume. It is not a completely happy ending, but it is certainly satisfying.

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great end to an amazing series, its the second time I've finished this (as I watched the anime adaptation first) & i can wholeheartedly say that I loved both equally!

The covers are so cool & the backs have a really interesting picture Strips that show what happens within the volumes to get you excited and I love it for that

The overall story was well out across and I know there might have been some points that would have been Intresting to see more indepth but I feel the small package series suited it way more (yes I do want to see more especially a little snipit of what happens after the ending but thats the case with a lot of series for me)

A fantastic read that I hope others will pick up also!!

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kanata no Astra 5
Sea lo que sea, los humanos aquí logran el primer paso a la Utopia, eliminar la religión, el nacionalismo, aunque dieron un paso atrás, reyes y realeza.
Aquí ya explican que paso con lo que revelo Poli sobre el planeta, interesante.
Por otro lado, resurge lo del asesino. Esta 2/3 esa subtrama. Y si muy al estilo manga, a base de gritos, lloriqueos, sentimientos y actos “heroicos” convierten al asesino en una persona noble y de bien.
Y tenemos nuestro final, todo bien y así, esperaba un poco más de conflicto, pero también así está bien.
Volumen - 4 star
En cuanto a la serie de 5, buena historia, tiene misterio, tiene intriga, conspiración, ciencia ficción, exploración planetaria, aventura, se disfruta bastante 4 stars.