Out of many manga series that I’ve already recommended so far, Astra Lost in Space happens to be one of the shortest manga I’ve ever read by a normal standard.

How short the manga is, you wonder? Well, it only has 5 books in total.

When you think of a short manga like this, you probably think that it must have something to do with the mangaka having to end the story by force.

Thus, the manga only has a few books in total.

Well, you’re not wrong to think that way considering that seems to be a common occurrence in most Shonen Jump manga.

But that doesn’t seem the case for the Jump Plus manga, though.

Yes, many of the Jump Plus manga is just as long as their Shonen Jump manga counterparts. But there are quite a few of them that is a short read.

Take Soloist in a Cage where the manga only has 20 chapters in total.

And nope, the manga doesn’t end prematurely. The story does wrap up nicely but not in a way you would expect.

You can add PSYCHO-PASS: Inspector Shinya Kogami into the mix as well since it only has six books in total.

Yes, most of the manga that we know tend to be long series. But there’s also quite a handful of them that are just as short, with only a few books in total.

And it’s just as satisfying as reading the long, ongoing ones, story-wise, too.

What Astra Lost in Space manga is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from MANGA Plus.

It is the first day of Planet Camp, and Aries Spring couldnʼt be more excited! She, along with eight other strangers, leaves for Planet McPa for a weeklong excursion. Soon after they arrive, however, a mysterious orb appears and transports them into the depths of space, where they find an empty floating spaceship…

What got me to read the manga

Okay, I won’t deny that what got me to read the manga in the first place has a lot to do with me already watching the anime before.

But even if I don’t, I do think that this manga has an interesting premise despite not being in a genre that I tend to read, save for Edens Zero.

If you’re wondering about the sort of manga and light novels that I love to read and recommend on this blog, you can read about my preferences right here.

What makes Astra Lost in Space worth reading

When we talk about space adventure manga, we tend to associate it with the characters coming across many different civilizations on every planet that they visit.

Well, you’re not wrong to think that way since many of them are like that for the most part.

But that’s not the case at all with this manga, though.

Unlike your typical space adventure manga, Astra Lost in Space takes a much more realistic approach when it comes to space exploration.

Sure, you still get to see Kanata and the rest of them visiting planets to replenish their food and water supply.

But rather than seeing them coming in contact with civilization outside of their home planet, what you’ll see is them visiting planets that have no civilizations at all.

What they come across instead is the unknown wild animals roaming around the planet and the unknown plants that may or may not pose a threat to them.

I bet that must be how space exploration looks like if it’s become a thing in the future. What you’ll be seeing for the most part are planets that have no traces of human civilization at all.

There are only wild animals roaming free on the planet, nothing else. And in some cases, the plants can be just as potent as those wild animals.

Of course, that’s not the only thing that makes this manga different from your usual space adventure manga.

Apart from space exploration, the manga has mystery elements baked into the story as well.

Things like why they were suddenly being transported into outer space, the person who did it, and for what purpose.

The story has more to it than just the characters on the space adventure as they try to return to their home planet.

If you think that the story feels like the space edition of Kindaichi Case Files without the dead body, I will say that it sure is.

What I didn’t expect when I read the manga

Here’s the thing about the anime version. Pretty much most of the wacky banter that you see in the manga doesn’t make it into the anime adaptation.

Well, I don’t blame them considering that the anime only has 12 episodes in total.

But it’s still sad to see that most of the banter didn’t make it to the anime since I do find their banter with one another to be funny.

I guess that will give you another reason to read the manga.

Sure, the banter is only there to lighten up the tense situation. But it can still be a fun read considering that they’re funny.

I can’t say for sure if it will make you laugh. But it sure does make the story more interesting.

Who should read the manga

If you’re expecting the manga to be filled with action and the characters coming in contact with another civilization like the ones you see in Edens Zero, then this manga is going to be a huge disappointment for you.

But if you’re fine with its serious tone and with a touch of mystery elements added into the mix, then this manga will be a fun read for you.

Where to buy Astra Lost in Space manga

The good news is you can read the manga for free on MANGA Plus. But the problem with MANGA Plus is that you can only read the first three and the last three chapters on the app and the website.

If you’re fine with that, you can start reading the manga right here on MANGA Plus:

Read Astra Lost in Space on MANGA Plus

Do you enjoy what you read on MANGA Plus so far? Well, you can buy the manga in digital or in print right here on Amazon:

Buy Astra Lost in Space manga on Amazon

Prefer to read the manga in Japanese? You can get the print version of the manga right here at CDJapan:

Buy Kanata no Astra manga on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about Astra Lost in Space? Are you interested in reading the manga after reading about it on my blog?

Let me know in the comment below.

P.S Yes, I admit that my Trigger Locked series isn’t in the space adventure genre. But if you enjoy reading a story that blends facts and fiction, then you’re going to enjoy reading my Trigger Locked series.

Interested in giving the Trigger Locked series a try? You can take a look at the first book from the series right here on my Payhip store:

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins

Don’t forget to use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to receive 25% off on your purchase.

Just to let you know that my books are available in print and other retailers as well. But you can only get a discount when you buy the books through my Payhip store, though.