Like many anime I see, Kanata no Astra doesn't look amazing at first glance. I was thinking something along the lines of oh, they're lost in space, never to return, so they have to play camp, whoop dee doop. And like most cases, my first impression was completely wrong. After watching the show's first 3 episodes, I have to say that it is the best science fiction anime I've seen in a while.
The show's first episode is a 48 minute long special, similar to the first episodes of Re: Zero and Tate no Yuusha. It shows that since the studio was willing to put this extra work into making the show a masterpiece. Speaking of studio Lerche, their track record is a bit mixed, with some great shows, some mediocre, and some being dumpster fires. Though if their shows are consistently anything, they are consistently consistent. Thus, I don't expect the show to get much worse as more episodes come out. Now onto what makes the show actually interesting!
The theme so far seems to make the show out as a thriller with a focus on mystery and wonder. When a team of nine students are sent 5000 light years into deep space, how will they respond, and will they be able to work together to get back home? Now, I'm tired of saying so many shows these days are trying to play off the mystery genre, so I won't. There is a clear whodunit question revealed in episode 2, but there is still so little information to accurately say this is a mystery show. I much prefer to think of it as it presents itself: a survival / science fiction show. It helps that the plants and animals look like improved designs from no man's sky. As for the mystery angle: who knows at this point. The only definite proof we have is that the saboteur is not Kanata. Not only is he trying to find the culprit, but the supposed villain was totally willing to leave him out of the trip.
As for production quality, it seems good to me. Like I've mentioned before, I'm not the best judge of quality for art, but it all seems good. The characters all look nice without being overly sexualized, the planets look great, and at least some of the music is very enjoyable. Great care has also been taken with the script. After only 90 minutes with these characters, I've come to know each one's traits, personality, and role in the group. Usually anime with large casts struggle to characterize each person uniquely, but Kanata no Astra makes sure that everyone is a player in the story. I also like how the Japanese title plainly states that Kanata ends up as the captain.
