Koisuru Asteroid First Impressions

Wow! I have the same name as a star? What about you, Ao? Is there a star with your name?

Reviewing a slice-of-life built around a particular hobby is not entirely unlike reviewing a comedy, as it can be difficult to determine how it will play to different sensibilities. I have a modest interest in astronomy, but it’s mainly directed towards the applied sciences, such as how rovers are constructed and implemented and the design challenges they face or the principles and applications behind the concept of asteroid farming. That is to say, I’m not particularly interested in stargazing. Still, a preexisting interest isn’t a requirement, and Koisuru Asteroid or Asteroid in Love isn’t the first anime I’ve watched which centers around astronomy. Fortunately, the cast is charming, and, while I don’t think I’d put money on me keeping up with it through the season, there is always a chance and I can think of worse ways to spend my time than learning about astronomy with these girls.

Our main character is Konohata Mira, a slightly scatterbrained high school girl who, during a camping trip as a child, developed a passion for astronomy after meeting a boy named Ao. Together they promised to discover an asteroid so they could name it after him. However, upon entering high school, Mira discovers that her school’s astronomy club had been folded into the geology club to form an Earth Science Club. Upon attending a club meeting, she’s shocked to learn that not only is Ao part of the club, but she’d been mistaken regarding Ao’s gender. Ao is female, and, that’s right, we have the proper dynamic for a cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime! Traditionally, that particular slice-of-life subgenre hasn’t clicked with me, but the back and forth between the club members has a charming sense of comedy to it, and I could envision this being a humorous and potentially informative series as it delves into aspects of both astronomy and geology.

Doga Kobo is handling the production on this one, and, while they’ve had some questionable series in the past, I enjoyed their handling of both Nozaki-kun and last year’s Danberu Nan-Kiru Moteru?, so I’m willing to trust their comedic delivery even if they did also produce the adaptation of Uchi no Maid ga Uzasugiru!. I do have some issues with the character models though. I wouldn’t call them bland per se, but they don’t come across as particularly identifiable. There is a consistent sense that I’ve seen all of these characters in other series, and it is slightly distracting. This extends to characterization as well. While I enjoy the back and forth between the characters, I think it is fair to say that none of them break the mold or stand out as anything unique. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that the main character might be a slightly reskinned and reworked version of one of the main characters from Sora no Manimani, a show from a decade ago that I only think of when the topics of astronomy and light pollution come up. Still, Koisuru Asteroid proves to be a pleasant enough experience that I may consider returning to.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• While the focus of the first episode is on the astronomy aspect, the opening does seem to suggest that the geology side of the club will get some attention as well. As it stands, the first episode is centered around establishing the show’s premise, so it’s hard to use it as a measure of how informative the final product will actually be.
• I kept using the Japanese title, because Asteroid in Love just sounds unbelievably cheesy in English. I’m not nearly fluent enough to say whether the title sounds as silly in Japanese though.
• Speaking of the title, I’m not sure to what extent this show falls into the yuri genre. The character Suzu is the focus of several jokes orbiting around the topic, but I don’t know how deep into the topic this fluffy slice-of-life would care to go.