Astro Note

It would seem as if each season, we get one or two anime which are a complete, absolute throwback to a few decades ago: clichés, simplicity and a return to the roots of anime. Yes, Astro Note is one of those anime that has no business in this time and age, but which nonetheless makes its presence known for those who will acknowledge it, either to throw them back to their younger days and fill them with nostalgia, or to allow the modern youth to experience what anime was like some 30 years ago. Astro Note is straight-forward in its plot, its characters and its setting,it has all the clichés of a late '80s and '90s anime: varied color palettes and colorful character designs, dumb action, sci-fi aspects, mechas, space travel and an overall lack of a deeper lore. The anime tells a story that's easy to follow, albeit rather uninteresting, and instead it focuses more on the relationships between the characters and the daily events of their lives, using its plot merely as a motor instead of necessarily a focal point of the anime. If its meta contents weren't some of the most retro things there are to find here, Astro Note makes sure to provide a full-on old-time experience: the animation is rather fluid and at times can be very detailed, but at the same time it has that sort of granular, slightly-lacking quality that makes it seem outdated, which creates a bit of an interesting contrast given that decades-old anime didn't have such degree of detail and smoothness. Its sound design doesn't lag behind the animation, as the anime prefers simplistic and at times repetitive sounds, with a soundtrack that is pretty much city pop-influenced and draws heavy influence from '90s anime OPs and EDs. The general feeling of the audiovisual experiences in this here anime is rather upbeat and accessible, but certainly a bit pompous for people who like more grounded and serious experiences. One of Astro Note's highlights is, certainly, its variety of characters; their design is vibrant, varied and somewhat unique. No characters look alike, you've got everything: a regular male protagonist in his 20s, an adult NEET with an unnaturally elongated-head, a cute and small gentle old man, an idol, and even a talking dog-like creature. Each character has a certain degree of simplistic development, and their personalities and stories are defined and somewhat relatable. In a way, the cast in Astro Note is both peculiar and nowhere out of ordinary, each character as its own appeal, but none of them are necessarily unique in the way they act or think: they can be good people at times, and bad people at other times, many of them face issues that you or me might face in our lives, they can sometimes make you admire them, and they can sometimes make you see them under a bad light; none of them are perfect, they're just normal, and thus they're rather relatable. Now, as nostalgic and appealing as this anime can possibly be, it is not without its faults, and in fact, it's a bit more of a flawed anime than anything else. No, it's not bad, necessarily, but it's certainly not remarkable. Astro Note works as a filler, perhaps as something you might watch alongside other things in your "Watching" list, and this is because it's quite frankly tedious: it doesn't follow an interesting plot, it's a bit more of a slice of life without a clear trajectory, as a romcom it inevitably falls into regular clichés, and it provides no innovation at all in its storytelling or character development. It is repetitive and perhaps predictable, and watching more than an episode or two in a day is a bit hard because the anime certainly fails at being captivating and capable of retaining its viewers' interest as it lacks a proper structure, suspense or, a deeper plot. Astro Note relies entirely on its recurring topics to provide entertainment: the antagonists trying to sabotage the protagonists, the male main character trying to win the female main character's heart, the talking dog trying to not be found out: it's the same thing over and over again, and it's tiring. Now, the question is: is Astro Note worth watching? It can't be said that it's not worth watching, but it's certainly miles from being a must-watch. Anyone with a taste for the oldies might find this appealing, specially those who grew up in the '90s and 2000s watching similar anime, and mostly for the sake of nostalgia. Otherwise, this is just something some niche anime fan might watch, because there's simply nothing fascinating about Astro Note, it's just an OK anime, another one in the huge sea of Japanese media, which is filled with many great works that are certainly much, much more appealing than this. In other words, unless you've got the time and interest, this is an anime you can skip, albeit a decent one, in case you're willing to sit through its 12 episodes.

Astro Note - You won't be going to space with this one. It's been a while since we've had any form of anime when it comes to the sci-fi realm (a.k.a original shows), the recent few of which I would remember as being not good at all (a la last season's Metallic Rouge), and very few and far between that I would actually consider to be enjoyable, with one very notable show being Spring 2019's RobiHachi. Why? Because this is the same director who would go on to direct the newest seasonal sci-fi show of the season: Astro Note, a (literate) down-to-Earth rom-com about aliens ona mission on Earth to dig up their treasure and return home, while the humans all live alongside her in an inn, with one particular young man being in love with her, but not knowing her true roots. It's a rom-com that will cross both land and sky for a spatial adventure of the immaculate kind — something that I simply cannot register, for the life of me. The series takes place at the Astro Lodge inn, where it functions just as you'd expect: a boarding house of various quirky people all with unique personalities, and all they have going for is a bond that has been alien years in the making, a close-knitted connection, that's for sure. And one day, a young man comes in looking for a job as an established chef himself, though the caveat is that if he accepts the job, he must stay there for the rest of his life. Lo and behold, enter the lovely young caretaker of Astro Lodge, and the "love at first sight" trope takes effect on this young man so much that he doesn't hesitate on his acknowledgement...to the surprise that this caretaker is more than meets the eye. With it, Takumi Miyasaka and Mira Gotokuji's rom-com will unfold in insane, unpredictable proportions. I'll give credit where credit is due: the characters may act somewhat out of note, but that also provides their charm as they surround the ever-growing love story of Takumi and Mira as a group altogether. You would think that Takumi is a chef who just cooks meals for the eccentric neighbours, which range from a grandfather who's seen Astro Lodge evolve over time to a father-son family that doesn't act like a family, but still cares for each other like one. They're loads of fun when executed decently, though their quirks will unfortunately make them one-note characters in the long run. Of course, Takumi having to come to terms with who Mira really is in that same run, his record of misunderstandings and such, but still having sensibility, is what makes him a good character, and adding the already perfect Mira who pleases him with her sweet smile and laid-back attitude, they're peas in a (space) pod. Sadly, I just couldn't get invested in the characters' eccentricities, that's just me. Since this is an original show, the level of unpredictability is there, and that adds to the fun factor (though for the same reasons, I just feel that this show is just written on the cheap). Written by Kimiko Ueno, who has done series compositions and scripts for shows like Dungeon Meshi and the closely related Summer 2022 show of Yurei Deco, it shows the level of creativity in bringing out ideas and concepts outside of typical AniManga, and I will admit that it does feel fluent in its setup and premise. And if you need any promise that the show will excel, look no one more than chief director Shinji Takamatsu, who is a legend in directing shows from the likes of classic Gintama, School Rumble, to modern ones like Sakamoto desu ga?, Grand Blue, and said show of RobiHachi. He's a surefire proof that any work he touches will turn to gold, though the stumbles will always not be his fault, trying to work the show to the best of its fruits as much as possible. And this is most certainly the case here with Astro Note, of which Takamatsu adds the flare learned from RobiHachi and applied it here to good effect. I really applaud the ambitious efforts of Shinji Takamatsu and his staff team for trying to make Astro Note as fun as possible by not taking everything seriously, no dispute at all...but also, as mentioned, I just couldn't see and/or feel it. For a show of this calibre, Telecom Animation Film did decent, and the show weirdly fits in the wheelhouse of the studio's capabilities to still deliver a well-produced, beautiful show for the eyes. You can feel the show hearkening much to Japan's Golden Era of 80s/90s City Pop, and this is better displayed in ex-Love Life! Sunshine!!'s character Ruby Kurosawa's VA Ai Furihata, for which she has gone solo since Fall 2020 to create modern songs with the nostalgic city pop feel, just as her OP song is like here. I really like it so much when lost art like this has modern iterations, and Ai Furihata doesn't disappoint in delivering a peppy and catchy City Pop-esque song that's so fun to listen to that it doesn't get old and repetitive. The ED song of Takumi and Mira's VAs is just fine, but rather forgettable at best. At the end of the day, I really want to say that you should give Astro Note the second chance that it deserves, because it might suit your palette, as much as it doesn't fit mine after trying long and hard, to end up just not vibing with the show for the past 3 months. It's really a toss-up for an underrated show like this, and I understand why others like and/or love this to a degree. So, I say to you: take a gander and try for yourself, you might like it.

Awkward, Fun, Clumsy, Yet Beautiful At The Same Time. Astro Note Giving The Most Random Cast Mixed In Together Yet Somehow Shine In Between Many Of The Slice Of Life Anime Genre. You Got An Idol, An Old Novelist, An Unemployed Dad With His Son, an Alien Princess With His Alien Dog, A Hikkikomori, And A Chef In The Same Place? It's Like The Assistant Asking The Author How Many Characters He Would Want To Create And The Answer Is YES. The variety Of The Cast And The Absurd Setup Makes It Uniquer Than Any Other Anime Out There That Usually Focused Too Much OnThe World Building/Realism While Astro note Just Came In And Straight Punch You In The Gut To Knock You Out From The Expectation Of a "Serious Anime". It's So Much Fun To See How Bird Robots Got RPGed By The Alien Princess Because The Robots Just Stole a Lunchbox. Complement That With Suprisingly Good Art Direction And Color Pallette Than Many Other "Generic Anime" Artstyle, Astro Note Had His Own Charms. Even Though There's An Absurdity In The Setup or The Plot, Somehow The Character Interaction That Stands Out The Most. For Some Reason, It Reminds Me Of How Some The US TV Series Vibe Like How I Met Your Mother Or 2 Broke Girls, Where The Series is Memorable Not Because of The Plot Or The Setup, But The Interaction Between The Cast That Would Make The Series Shine. What Would A Hikkikomori Girl Do When Trying To Pursue Her Crush? Get Love Advice From The Neighbor Roommate That Turns Out To Be An Alien Dog DUH! And This Is Just A Small Interaction Between the Absurd Cast That's Happening In Astro Note. Does it Have One Of The Better Stories Than Most Anime? No. Does It Count As One Of The Great Anime? No. But Astro Note Was Absurd, Fun, And Comfy. And Sometimes That's All You Need In Your Life. Oh, And The Opening Is Great Too.

I wasn't expecting much when I decided to try out this show, but it's really good. You can tell how good it's going to be half way through the opening song. The colors and animation are really bubbly and happy-go-lucky with the main girl being one of the cutest I've seen in any show. The comedy is great. A lot of the humor comes from the the eccentric side characters that live at the Astro Lodge, each one having a simple yet distinct personality and there's a good deal of care in how they all interact with each other. These side characters remind me a littleof Yokai side characters in Natsume's Book of Friends, except quirkier. The story starts out fairly straightforward with a great premise. There are a few back-stories revealed and some twists here and there. The side characters all have their own small arcs as the show progresses that gives them more depth and makes everyone at the Astro Lodge feel like a big weird family. The story wraps up very nicely at the end, but I'm really hoping for a second season to spend more time with these characters I haven't read/seen Mason Ikkoku but the premise of this show seems to be a parody of that but still done with warmth. I fullheartedly recommend this for anyone who could enjoy a silly romance comedy with a dash of slices of life and sci-fi adventure.

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