What else is new? Seems like at least half the schedule is effectively on the bubble this season, and Astro Note is certainly no exception. The first ep didn’t click for me, the second was much better, and the third somewhere in-between. There’s much to like here, as this series is doing a credible job channeling Rumiko and her signature style of 90’s romcom. But at this point it still can’t shake the air of imitation (and to be honest, I’m only modestly keen on the sort of series it’s imitating).
Shoin Ginger shakes up the routine here more than anything else this week. That said, he’s Mira’s childhood friend and not actual fiancée – or so they say, anyway. They do have a bit of a lovey-dovey vibe. He’s come to Earth to warn her about the spies from Planet Hubby, but of course Mira is already aware of that. Naosuke is none too fond of Shoin, but the trend here is obvious – he’s salty about any guy friendly with his mistress.
Speaking of Naosuke, Ren-kun seems to have figured out something is off with him. While Ren is right about the “pretending to be a dog” hypothesis I suspect he hasn’t got the specifics quite right. Ren is busy this week as it’s his plot that drives the B-part. He’s off to Enoshima on a field trip and bumming because – obviously – his parent isn’t going to prepare him a fancy bento like the other tykes’. Of course Takumi volunteers to step in, but his first effort is stolen by whoever the Astro Lodge food felon is (obviously a Hub, though the speculation is it’s a ghost).
What really struck me funny about the whole Enoshima thing is that Takumi apparently had no reservations about what obviously not a 2024 Earth car (Shoin’s) until it retracted its wheels and took off after the thieving robot bird. It’s also amusing that Japan is best by fiercely aggressive kites (a small raptor) who steal the food right out of people’s hands. And Enoshima is especially notorious for that sort of thing.
In a logical world, the jig would obviously be up with the whole alien thing as far as Takumi goes. But here? I won’t be shocked if he brushes the whole thing off (his behavior afterwards suggested he already had), and focuses more on the perceived threat Shoin represents to his seemingly hopeless pursuit of Mira. At some point she’s going to have to fess up and enlist the whole A.N. gang in her search for the key and battle against the Hubs, but I sense we haven’t reached that stage of the narrative yet.
Nicc
April 22, 2024 at 1:33 pmWe get a proper introduction to Shoin Ginger in this episode, and it turns out he’s a childhood friend of Mira. As expected, the whole “fiancé” thing isn’t true, but Shion may still feel differently. Everybody else shows up too and so the rumors about him and Mira start flying around. It looks like he won’t be staying at the Astro Note and instead will be staying at where he landed his craft. Right, she’s already aware that the Hubbys are watching and that means she better get moving more quickly to find that key. It does seem that Naosuke just doesn’t like anybody who gets close to Mira and Shion may know him well enough to avoid getting bitten or scratched.
Right, it shakes up the daily routine a bit as Mira is now going out with Shion during the daytime. Whatever they’ve been doing, they don’t get any closer to finding the key. That’s where the B-plot kicks in with Ren. He does seem to have figured out Naosuke is more than just a dog, but not quite how. He’s got a field trip coming up and he doesn’t have a lunch to bring with him. He’s been getting food from a nearby convenience store for the past field trips, but he wanted things to be different this year. His dad isn’t capable of doing so (He’s currently unemployed, but he’s getting income from somewhere. It’s enough to pay the rent and whatever Ren needs for school, at least), but Takumi steps up to the plate and makes a bento that Ren has always wanted.
Alas, it got stolen on the day of the field trip. It’s not the first time that food has been pilfered and Naosuke has been blamed, which is why he set up a spy drone in the dining area. However, Ren has to leave now, and Takumi has to quickly create another bento and then somehow bring it to him by lunchtime. Mira and Takumi head out but public transport isn’t going to cut it. Luckily for them, Shion is around and gives them a lift. However, the trip is complicated by a Hubby drone tailing them, thinking that the bento is actually the key. Hijinks ensue, including a chase scene, Mia pulling out a cannon (I don’t mind the “Hyperspace Arsenal” trope), Takumi getting into fisticuffs with Hubby drone, and yep, the car flies. But they make it to Ren on time and it seems that he’s got a crush on a classmate. As aliens exist in this setting it may not be a stretch that ghosts do too, but I’m guessing that it’s actually a person too. Judging from the OP and ED, there’s one more tenant who we haven’t been introduced to yet. Right, it could be a Hubby or just somebody who’s been sneaking around like a phantom for some reason. It looks like we’ll get some answers in the next episode.
Simone
April 24, 2024 at 10:55 pmI don’t think the mysterious food thief is a Hub. I’ve seen people mention this mysterious shadow appearing in past episodes, and Hub infiltrators seem to be just drones/robots so they wouldn’t need to eat. My guess is that it’s another resident of the Lodge, who for some reason has gone into hiding, maybe living in some secret basement or such.
Guardian Enzo
April 25, 2024 at 1:06 pmYeah, so I gather. She’s already popped up a few times.