Anime Best in Show

Review: Astra Lost in Space Episode 07 – Best In Show

Quick Summary

In Astra Lost in Space episode 07, “Past,” Aries Spring’s realization that she didn’t remember Charce Lecroix from her biology class threw the crew into confusion, because he said he had been in her class. His explanation changed how they all thought of him — but was he the traitor? They land on a new planet. As expected, they find an ecosystem that they didn’t understand. Their lack of understanding nearly proved fatal when one of the skyscraper-sized “plants” tried to grab the ship. Zack Walker’s best piloting wasn’t enough to prevent a devastating crash. Is the ship really beyond repair? If it is, how will they adjust to living on such an inhospitable world? Can it really become their new home?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Best Moment in the Show

It’s hard to remember that Zack might have a pilot’s license (thanks to Karandi for pointing that out!), but it’s not like he has a lot of experience with combat-like situations. The fact her got the ship on the ground with the crew still alive was amazing. Capture from the Hulu stream

If you find yourself in a bad situation — say, you’re lost in space and barely have enough supplies to survive — you’re going to want to be surrounded by people you can rely on. That’s doubly true if you’re a high school student who’s never commanded a starship before.

That can be a tough job!

My Best in Show moment for the seventh episode had to do with what happened after the Astra had crashed on the planet Icriss. They surveyed the damage and found that while the ship’s residential area was undamaged, the ship was no longer space-worthy. They didn’t have the parts to fix her, and no way to manufacture them. So, they were going to be her for a while. 

Zach broke the news to everyone. Of course, he felt responsible, since he was piloting. But far from being responsible for their predicament, his skill had kept them alive. He had had his hands full landing the Astra at all. Kanata Hoshijima stepped up and took responsibility as captain, but he wasn’t immune to the despair they all felt (and Quitterie Raffaeli gave voice to in a heart-rending emotional breakdown). He started talking about how he was an idiot for even thinking they could get home, even working together.

Sometimes, you need someone to just come out and say you’re being an idiot. Ulgar saved the crew from a melt-down. Capture from the Hulu stream

The problem with the captain showing despair is that he’ll likely take a lot of the crew with him. Luca Esposito, for example, had been holding himself together, but the sight of Kanata losing hope almost made him lose his composure. Same thing with Yun-hua Lu.

My favorite moment was when Ulgar Zweig stepped up sand said, “You’re out of character, boss man” (14:52). “I thought you’re supposed to act tough when things look bad. Isn’t there something in your survival tips thing?”

If I had been in Kanata’s shoes, I would have promoted Ulgar to executive officer on the spot. Kanata’s still just a kid, not a seasoned commanding officer. It’s got to be a huge relief to him to know he can rely on the people around him. Ulgar’s words gave Kanata a chance to pull himself together.

What did you think of them finding another ship on the planet? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

Other Posts about This Series

Other Anime Sites

This Site (Crow's World of Anime!)

tcrow
Copyright 2022 Terrance A. Crow. All rights reserved.
https://www.crowsworldofanime.com

6 thoughts on “Review: Astra Lost in Space Episode 07 – Best In Show

  1. I have little to say about this episode. It’s pretty much a bridge (and by this time I’ve seen the next one already, anyway).

    But maybe it’s time to point out something I read on the animesuki forums. Someone noticed that all (?) the planet names are palindromes:

    McPa = Camp, for example, and Icriss = Crisis. And they all made thematic sense. The only one he couldn’t figure out was planet Mousanish (and neither can I). I originally thought that was just some meta fun, but the show’s not content with their usual twists and turns, so I wonder if that’s actually an inworld clue as well? Not sure.

    1. “and by this time I’ve seen the next one already, anyway”

      Yeah, I need to work on my publishing windows. I think next season I’ll throttle back from 8 posts a week to 5 or 6, probably leaving Friday and Saturday post-less (except for Caw Out Awards). It’s gotten hard for me to align air dates, writing windows, and publishing windows.

      “McPa = Camp, for example, and Icriss = Crisis.”

      I’d read that about Icriss, but I hadn’t noticed about McPa.

      “The only one he couldn’t figure out was planet Mousanish (and neither can I).”

      Interesting…

      Maybe we’ll learn more and it’ll make sense?

      1. For what it’s worth, the other planets were:

        Vilavurs: Survival
        Shummoor: Mushroom
        Arispade: Paradise
        Galem: Gleam

        It’s interesting that all the palindromes are English.

  2. This was such a great episode and left me desperate for the next one.
    Just a minor point, Zack is apparently a licensed pilot. I’d forgotten as well but was recently rewatching the first few episodes trying to figure out what was going on with Charce and came across this point when they first found the Astra.

    1. “Just a minor point, Zack is apparently a licensed pilot.”

      The sound you hear is me smacking my forehead. I’d completely forgotten about that!

      I made the correction. Thanks much for pointing it out!

Please let me know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.