It’s not often one cracks open a manga and is immediately hooked. But for me, it was love at first sight with Astra Lost in Space. Right off the bat, I knew I was in for something special, something different. And my gut instinct proved correct because this is destined to become a sci-fi manga classic. 

The year is 2063—we have holograms, anti-gravity shoes and space travel is a normal part of life. It’s a big day for several students at Caird High School, as they’re about to disembark for Planet Camp: a field trip to a distant world where they’ll work together and have nothing to worry about but getting a decent grade. Our protagonists Aries Spring and Kanata Hoshijima, will join an assigned team with other kids, each with their own unique gifts, for a journey that will totally, definitely, absolutely be safe and enjoyable.

You've guessed by now that they will soon discover something that’ll turn the journey on its head. Maybe a wounded space warrior, a deceptively harmless-looking magical creature, a dormant giant robot, a magical artifact or a mysterious waif in distress that’ll reveal the galaxy’s at risk or that there’s an interstellar tournament of some kind.

Nope. They get a mysterious orb that dumps them in the vacuum of space to die. Whoops!

The good news is that they end up right next to a derelict spaceship orbiting a frozen, lifeless planet. The bad news is that they’re thousands of lightyears away from home, which means to get home, they’ll have to pilot their abandoned hunk of metal across the stars in a series of jumps from habitable planet to habitable planet. What else can they do but dub their ship the titular Astra and hope for the best?

Luckily, some of the kids on board are anything but average and have special skills that just may save their hides. For instance, Aries is a cutesy and curvy girl with her head in the clouds…but she’s got a photographic memory and NEVER forgets what she sees. Kanata is your hot-blooded, spiky-haired protag, but his inevitable feats of skill and strength aren't unbelievable, as he's an internationally recognized athlete. And while he naturally takes the designated role of group leader, that doesn’t mean he’s doing everything. For as much as the characters themselves hew toward certain anime archetypes, our ensemble cast remains refreshingly original, and the team’s diverse skills are relevant enough that they also remain thing-doers.

See, Aries’ photographic memory is invaluable right from the start, being able to remember little bits of data that most of the crew can’t be bothered to notice. Likewise, boy-genius Zack Walker’s knowledge of star maps and ship-piloting and maintenance, or  Charce LaCroix’s knowledge of plants and wildlife become VERY important to the crew’s survival and STAY relevant. Yet, genius though the Astra’s crew may be, we never forget that these are lost kids betting on a thin chance of getting home because it’s better than just rolling over and dying.

Astra Lost in Space might not be the hardest of hard sci-fi, but it’s definitely not on the laser-swords and space dragons end of the spectrum either. The flora and fauna of their first planetary environment alone goes well beyond window dressing. There’s buildup, examination, and even hypotheses about the origins and nature of life. Likewise, Kanata further grounds us in reality with his “survival tips” running gag: while some are obvious and/or goofy, others are pretty legit. Heck, you might even learn a thing or two about how to survive in the wilderness!

While I thought I’d like Astra Lost in Space from the first page, I LOVED it by volume’s end. Between the relatable characters, their high-stakes goal, the promise of exploring many alien worlds, and the mystery of what the heck’s going on, I was hooked in a way I haven’t been in ages. This volume contains the first seven chapters, but if you’re not satisfied, go and read ahead the rest of the story at viz.com/shonenjump. 

As the saying goes, it's not the destination that's important, it's the journey on the way there. And this is one journey you don't want to miss. 

Astra Lost in Space Vol. 1 by Kenta Shinohara is available here. 

by Chris Turner