Manga Mavericks EP. 43: "Astra Lost in Space"

Manga Mavericks EP. 43: “Astra Lost in Space”

By Siddharth Gupta
On 10 March 201810 March 2018
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Our Kenta Shinohara Month ended up ballooning to a quarter-year! Sorry about the delay on this episode folks. Life stuff happened, which is pretty usual. Also, my (LumRanmaYasha)’s audio got messed up and had to be completely re-recorded, which was very unusual. But all these setbacks couldn’t stop this podcast from coming out! We kept the mantra of Astra‘s world – Per Aspera Ad Aspera: “Through hardships through the stars” – in our minds and hearts. And like the Astra crew, we overcame all the hurdles in our way and became better and stronger people for it!

Continuing off from last month’s interview, we’re joined once again by Marlene First, editor of Astra Lost in Space for Viz Media! We discuss all the reasons why Astra captured our hearts, from its lovably nuanced characters to its intriguing sci-fi concepts. We also answer some Q&As from Reddit listeners, addressing changes made to the Viz editions of the graphic novels and clearing some misconceptions about why it ended. So join us as we journey through everything that makes Kenta Shinohara’s latest series so astra-ordinary! Awe yeah!

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

0:22 – Intro & Updates

3:30 – Astra Lost in Space Discussion w/ Marlene First

Q&As:

1:08:30 – “What did Shinohara-sensei redraw for the Viz Graphic Novels?”
1:11:03 – “What motivated Shinohara-sensei from writing a manga that differed so heavily from his previous work?”
1:11:45 – “Was there originally another ending planned for Astra?”

1:25:30 – Wrap-Up & Podcast Plans

Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and now on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha, and special guest Marlene First at @miichi1st. You can also watch her gaming streams on Twitch and tip her for her work on Ko-fi! If you’d like to help support the show financially you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! We take your suggestions and feedback very seriously and want to figure out more ways to reach out and interact with you guys, so please leave some responses! If you have any questions or topics concerning Astra Lost in Space that you’d like us to discuss, you can drop us a line in the comments below, comment in the Manga Mavericks thread on Animation Revelation, tweet at us, or send an e-mail to mangamavericks@gmail.com! And as always, thanks for listening!

About The Author Siddharth Gupta

Siddharth Gupta is an illustrator, animator, and writer based in Minnesota. They graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Animation from the School of Visual Arts, and have worked on projects for the University of Minnesota and the Shreya R. Dixit Foundation. An avid animation and comics fan since childhood, they've turned their passion towards being both a creator and a critic. They credit their love for both mediums to Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, which has also defined their artistic and comedic sensibilities. A frequent visitor to their local comic book shop, they are an avid reader and collector, particularly fond of manga. Their favorite comics include The Adventures of Tintin by Herge, Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed, and pretty much anything and everything by Rumiko Takahashi.

Manga Mavericks EP. 43: “Astra Lost in Space”