Astro Note Ep. 8 proves that every one of the Astro Lodge residents will get their episode starring them. This includes Naosuke: our resident not-dog. Not only that, but this episode even shows us that this not-dog has a lot more depth to him than we ever thought he did.

Astro Note Ep. 8: Details

Astro Note NA key visual.
Even this “dog” gets his day.

Astro Note Ep. 8 is the eighth episode (you can read reviews of Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, and Ep. 7 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). Crunchyroll is the company licensing this anime series in NA region.

Alas, whoever is behind Astro Note Ep. 8 is just as mysterious as all the previous episodes, save for the director of that very first one. Fortunately, 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 of 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 (the Japanese voice actress and actor of Mira and Takumi, respectively) is the ending theme music.

Voice Cast

Astro Note Ep. 8 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, Junichi Suwabe as Naosuke, Jun Fukuyama as Shoin Ginger, and Yui Ogura as Aoi Uemachi.

When and Where to Watch

Astro Note Ep. 8 made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on May 24, 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. 8: Synopsis

It says something about the meta humor of this anime that the “dog” is one of the most complex characters of the cast.

Alas, Astro Note is an ongoing anime series. In fact, Astro Note Ep. 8 only just premiered today as of this writing. Thus, you will all get the official synopsis of this episode from Crunchyroll. instead of a spoiler-filled plot summary. You can read that synopsis below:

Ren is on the prowl for proof of Naosuke’s deception, and the Hubby spy is on the prowl for keys of all kinds! How will the gang navigate these two crises?

Astro Note Ep. 8: The Good

Astro Note Ep. 8 screenshot showing Naosuke running for his...life?
The captions so totally clash with the scene.

To me, the best part of Astro Note Ep. 8 is definitely the story, just as it has been for all previous episodes of this anime. However, it’s especially so for this particular episode. Mostly because of how it stars Naosuke the not-dog. As it turns out, the not-dog has one of the most complex and interesting backstories of all the main characters so far. Yes, the main characters of a romcom are the central focus of the story. But it’s the side characters that really flesh out a romcom. Naosuke turns out to be one of the most interesting side characters of that cast.

Not only that, but the animation in this episode is actually pretty good. I mean, it’s always been pretty good, even before Astro Note Ep. 8. But that was in the animation quality in general. Telecom Animation Film has been pretty good about that animation quality, with the main point about that animation being the stylized nature. However, what’s different about this episode is that the quality of the food animation seems to have gone up a bit. The sea urchin roe is actually recognizable as such, and it actually looks delicious. Yes, this seems like a low bar to pass. For such a food-centric anime though, this is a noticeable improvement that deserves a mention at least.

Astro Note Ep. 8: The Bad

Astro Note Ep. 8 screenshot showing Takumi after he's been hit with a wash basin.
No, you are not fine, Takumi. Not with that face.

Alas, despite the improvements in food animation in Astro Note Ep. 8, for me, it’s still not quite up to par with anime series like Food Wars or Black Butler -Public School Arc-. The latter isn’t even a food-centric anime (kind of) but it manages almost photorealistic levels of food animation. Then again, Black Butler in general holds itself to some impressive animation standards, so perhaps this is judging Astro Note a bit too harshly here.

However, action junkies will still find this anime to be disappointing. All because this is not an action-focused anime. If you want that, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Solo Leveling, or Kaiju No. 8. Those anime series might be more your speed.