Astro Note Ep. 2: Romcom With A Dash Of Sci-Fi [Review]

Astro Note Ep. 2 continues with romantic comedy and sci-fi shenanigans—all in equal measures, no less. This balance of genre flavors continues to make this one of the better anime series in recent times.

Astro Note Ep. 2: Details

Astro Note Ep. 2 is the second episode (you can read a review of Ep. 1 here) of this first and probably only(?) season of this anime series. Said anime is not the anime adaptation of any manga, funnily enough. This anime is its own original work created by Shochiku (Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll) and studio Telecom Animation Film (Gargoyles (Hunter’s Moon Part 2, credited as TAF), Tower of God, Shenmue the Animation).

Alas, we still don’t know who specifically is behind Astro Note Ep. 2 in particular. However, we do still know that Shinji Takamatsu is the chief director of the anime as a whole, with Haruki Kasugamori as a co-director. Kimiko Ueno is the writer for the anime. Kōhei Munemoto composed the music for the same.

Speaking of which, the opening theme music for Astro Note as a whole is “Hohoemi Note” (ホホエミノオト, “Smile Note”) by Ai Furihata. Meanwhile, “Kokoro no Kagi” (ココロのカギ, “Key to the Heart”) by Maaya Uchida and Soma Saito is the ending theme music.

Voice Cast

Astro Note Ep. 2 features the voices of Soma Saito as Takumi Miyasaki and Maaya Uchida as Mira Gotokuji. Other notable voice roles in this episode include Rie Kugimiya as Ren Wakabayashi, Tomokazu Sugita as Tomihiro Wakabayashi, Shin-ichiro Miki as Shokichi Yamashita, Ai Furihata as Teruko Matsubara, and Junichi Suwabe as Naosuke.

When and Where to Watch

Astro Note Ep. 2 made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on April 12, 2024. You can watch this episode only on Crunchyroll. Actually, you can watch this anime period only on Crunchyroll, due to the anime being an exclusive there.

Astro Note Ep. 2: Synopsis

Alas, Astro Note is an ongoing anime series that, in fact, only just recently premiered. Thus, you will all be getting the official synopsis for this episode from Crunchyroll…is what I want to tell you. The odd thing is, though, there is nothing but a blank space where the synopsis should be. Thus, you will all have to be satisfied with the official synopsis of the anime as a whole, also from Crunchyroll. You can check that out below:

Takumi, a gifted chef, just landed a new job. He works at the Astro Manor apartment building that offers breakfast, and there he encounters the beautiful landlady—Mira. It’s love at first sight, and he hopes to charm her, but the quirky tenants and bizarre phenomena don’t make it easy. He even learns by pure chance that Mira is secretly an alien! Will their love survive these unearthly oddities?

Astro Note Ep. 2: The Good

Honestly, the best part of Astro Note is the story, and Ep. 2 continues the trend that the very first episode set. The story is a wonderful goulash of romance, comedy, and sci-fi tropes. Heavy on the comedy, too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an anime that made me laugh this much. At least part of it is due to the farcical situations that occur in this anime, whether from pure chance or misunderstandings taken up to eleven. Yes, the developing romance between Takumi and Mira is adorably romantic. However, I think it’s safe to say that the comedy of this anime seems to have a focus over the romance.

But it’s not just the story that’s great. Telecom Animation Film did a marvelous job in the animation department too. In particular, I have to give a shoutout to the facial expressions. The ludicrous facial expressions in which the entire animation style just changes into something that’s out of this anime. In particular, Takumi gets the gold medal for that. I haven’t seen someone’s facial expression change so radically and so often since Gintama. Let’s hope that this continues to be a trend, although given what we’ve seen so far, it looks very much like that’s the case here.

Oh, and as befitting an anime featuring a chef, the food in this episode looks amazing. The grilled fish has the perfect coloration and texture of a grilled fish. So much so that looking at it made me hungry. I would call that a success story right there.

Astro Note Ep. 2: The Bad

Honestly, if you’re looking for an action-packed and/or dramatic anime, then Astro Note is not the anime for you. Yes, it does have action in it, but it’s action that’s more focused on comedy. Likewise, there’s not a hint of drama to be seen here, even in Ep. 2. Or at the very least, it’s drama flavored with comedy. Suffice it to say, if you’re looking for a hot-blooded shonen anime, you’d be better off with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Or if you want the romance as well, then may I recommend Spy x Family?

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