Astra Lost in Space to Premiere With One-Hour Special

Astra Lost in Space, the upcoming space anime television series adapted from the manga of the same name, will premiere on television with a one-hour special first episode on July 3rd. The manga, and ostensibly the anime, centers on a group of teens mysteriously stranded in space after a school event goes wrong.

According to Crunchyroll, the official website for the adaptation has announced that it will premiere on AT-X, TOKYO MX, TV Aichi, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, and BS11 with a one-hour special program. There will also be an advance screening at EJ Anime Theater Shinjuku on July 1st, and Yoshimasa Hosoya (voice of Kanata Hoshijima) and Inori Minase (voice of Aries Spring) are scheduled to make an appearance.

Here's how Viz Media, which publishes the manga in English, describes Astra Lost in Space:

"It's the year 2063, and interstellar space travel has become the norm. Eight students from Caird High School and one child set out on a routine planet camp excursion. While there, the students are mysteriously transported 5,000 light-years away to the middle of nowhere! Will they ever make it back home?!"

The anime adaptation is being produced by Lerche, and Masaomi Ando serves as director. Keiko Kurosawa is responsible for character design, while Masatoshi Kai serves as art director. It is currently unclear exactly how many episodes it will air for, and which -- if any -- of the streaming services it might appear on outside of Japan. A promotional video for the anime can be viewed above.

What do think about the show so far? Are you looking forward to it? Let us know in the comments!

Astra Lost in Space is a manga series from creator Kenta Shinohara that published online between May 2016 and December 2017 through the Shonen Jump+ website. As previously mentioned, Viz Media publishes the manga in English. The upcoming anime television series adaptation by Lerche will be the franchise's first, and it is scheduled to premiere on July 3rd.