Koisuru Asteroid is a Doga Kobo anime based off of a 4-koma manga. I've talked about Doga Kobo a few times before. They were behind Yuru Yuri, New Game, Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru & Sansha Sanyou. Just to name a few of their works I've personally reviewed. Most of them have been pretty solid. Let's hope this follows that trend and isn't another dumbbell dud.
Story:
Konohata Mira made a childhood promise with a "boy" to find an asteroid together and name it "Ao" after them. When she enters High school she tries to join the Astronomy club only to discover that it's been merged with the Geology club to form an Earth Sciences club. There she reunites with her childhood friend, Manaka Ao, who turns out to have been a girl. The anime follows the Earth Science club as well as the reignited relationship betwixt Mira & Ao.
The only real issue I have with this anime is that it spends too much time talking about specific details related to Earth sciences. It's kind of like Hoshikozu Telepath in that regard. Except they're telling you about core samples instead of bottle rocket mechanics. Don't get me wrong, I like science but I'm not all that interested in relearning basic details about astronomy & geology from an anime.
With that said, this anime is a delight. The humour is really good. The plot line is cutesy with a lot of fun moments. And has a surprisingly strong climax that leaves plenty of room for further content but still feels like a strong conclusion. It's also very good with its pacing. It always feels like there's good forward momentum without being overly hectic.
Characters:
The cast in this is highly endearing. Ao, Mira, Sakura, Ino, Monroe, Suzu, Nana & Chika. They're all great characters. They have a lot of strong interactions and interesting dynamics. The series does a great job of showcasing all of the main girls at various points and giving you insight into what their goals are. The only minor complaint I have is that they don't really have strong sibling relationships. There are three pairs of sisters in this and they don't really show any of them interacting all that much.
Art:
The art is pretty impressive. There's so much detail put into the stars, rocks, fossils and other objects that are relevant to the Earth sciences club. The character designs are a bit less detailed but they're still cute and memorable.
Sound:
Doga Kobo got a lot of talented actresses for this series. Yamaguchi Megumi, Takayanagi Tomoyo, Ueda Reina, Touyama Nao, Useka Sumire, Sashida Maria and the rest of the major cast are all really good. The music is very suited to the series. It's calm, relaxing and fun.
Ho-yay:
There's a lot. The relationship with Ao and Mira is one of those that's very clearly meant to be read as romantic without the show ever outright saying it is. Sakura & Monroe end up living together and there's just a lot of flirting in general. Suzu is also very blatantly into women. She basically drools over ever girl in the Earth science club.
Areas of Improvement:
- We could use less time spent explaining the science.
- We could use more sisterly bonds.
- I would like this to be longer so we could get more development for some of the less focused relationships.
Final Thoughts:
If you're looking for a cute slice of life series that's calming and mentally soothing, this is a pretty good choice. If you're interested in introducing basic Earth sciences to a young teenager, this would admittedly make a decent tool. As much as I've given it shit for its overly long explanations. If you appreciate slice of life series with heavy les-yay that doesn't quite cross into being canon, this is up there. My rating is going to be an 8/10.
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