#although... how many ppl are reading/watching this series in 2024?

[kaoarika]

Rereading Kanata no Astra after... 8 years? was an experience because I had one of the twists already on mind when reading it, and some things are so obvious... while others were so subtle but I sure have to go back to the first volume to notice it even more.

(I feel like *character's name that rhymes with farce* was the obvious giveaway, and knowing this is Shinohara, the one who tends to do pun names in all of his characters, from Sukedan to Witch W*atch... in fact, rereading the first chapters I was also like "oh, farce... façade" and so and so)

Except I didn't remember well the BIGGER one. But, I feel like in some way or form, it's a sci fi story about how we as humanity are cursed to repeat the history no matter how "good intentions" there were behind that, if we don't learn from our mistakes :/c but even so (pssst, lying and hiding the truth DOES not HELP in the long term if one of the ppl behind that is somewhat STILL holding those secrets on their favor :///).

Ooof. The "parents" suck asssssss. That reveal made me as angry as it made me when I originally read it. I feel the one behind Luca is still so messed up in a sense of "there are other ways if you want to go through his experience, my dude... not, literally using your "child" as a vessel to live through IT???".

...Still not convinced much on the romance department here, lol. I tend to feel like Shinohara tend(ed?) to be so hit or miss with his characters' potential romantic relationships, because I still have the same opinion I had about Zack and Qui*tterie when it was revealed that they had feelings for each other and then they revealed that they were going to get married asap (ffs, you are 17, chill out for a bit, not even in sukedan they were LIKE that... I MEAN, I get there was a slight chance of not going to make it home, but COME ON) to the B5 crew. And I mean, childhood friends to lovers as a trope is neat, and I have a couple of ships that are like that... but... I dunno, man. On paper, it's kind of cute that they made a marriage promise since they were children, and maybe it's fun that one of them took it too serious that it was obvious from day one... but... I dunno, my well of opinions about the way Shinohara writes about some couples/ships is still too poisoned, lol (I feel like he has changed in W*itch Wat*ch, but I'm still too behind to judge... especially in regards to Nemu and Wolf?)

It's like... I dunno why he was pushing some teasing about Ulgar and Funi at the end with those 4-koma omakes, lmao. I personally liked the chemistry Ulgar had with Luca, even if the latter was teasing him a little too much about some spoilers stuff. Kanata and Aries left me disappointed because Kanata's kind of character is soo rooted in the clueless/oblivious Bos*sun it hurts, and Aries was too sincere on how she was feeling towards him, that the "we got engaged" sudden reveal in the future is just... there. Actually, the epilogue still feels weird. 3 of the boys will keep exploring space, one of them doesn't because he is a journalist... ah... but the others (who happen to be in their majority girls) stay on their planet... because...???? I would have preferred a timeskip of 10 years instead of 7, because man, do the B5 crew that were teenagers look somewhat older to be 24, lol (the timeskip designs are also a little hit or miss to me; I would understand why they look like that, but... Quitterie, girl...)

I have some small complaints coming from the translation that Panini used for the physical manga, though... and, unfortunately my 4th volume copy is sooooo bad cropped that I wonder what happened there when it was being printed 😭. Not exactly from the way it was published here, but I dunno understand why volume 4 is so short. I WOULD understand it finishing with THAT cliffhanger, but, come on. Adding salt to the wound, the 5th volume also was the costly one of all five of them for... reasons? All of the series was around 119-129 pesos, but this was 30 pesos expensiver(?)... and it was published monthly... this wasn't a thing of "putting in pause because they reached Japan" (the series was published in 2020; it was originally released in 2016-2017) so the price rise reflected the slight change of price of the series as it was getting published. I still don't understand what happened there (it was the thickest volume of the series, sure... but it really had to be costing the extra 30 pesos?)