I started reading this manga on Shonen Jump app a few days ago, and simultaneously watched the anime adaptation on Netflix. While I finished the anime before the manga, I equally enjoyed both. Astra Lost in Space is a superb sci-fi action manga that starts pretty casually, only to get intense and thought-inducing in the latter volumes. The exposition can at times get really hard to follow (I myself re-read a lot of dialogue to understand what was said), but even with that, it keeps the entertainment quotient active and the willingness to quickly jump to the next chapter was all because it was both beautifully written as well as drawn.

The writing can at times distract you from focusing on the visuals, but it's strong enough as well to keep you captivated. It's overall pretty fresh and original and not just another simple space survival story where you can easily predict the next twist the manga has in store for you. Keeping its tone mostly positive is another plus; the values of friendship, trust, responsibility and honor resonate throughout the writing and pretty much reflect through the characters as well; Kanata is my favorite character, not just because he's brave or active but also because his character is strong enough to inspire anyone to control themselves in the harshest of times. Similarly, every character is given time to be special, and hence the length is fairly justified.

The action scenes are eye-catching, while also a major relief from the dialogue laden portions. The overall level of violence is pretty minimal, given the space theme, but that intensity can be felt instead in the perilous action sequences drawn with finesse. The humor injected from time to time balances the manga's overall tone.

That being said, I don't think I need to write anything more. Just go and read the whole thing! Outer space has always been one of my favorite topics, and to see a manga portray it in such a refreshing way is just another reason why I am planning to buy the physical copies of the whole series.