There are many reasons as to why I’ll decide to watch a new anime. It might be created by an anime studio or writer whose work I follow closely. It might have themes I enjoy, like a well-executed isekai or love triangle story. I might find myself watching a new show because it’s got a huge budget and has created such a high amount of buzz that makes it irresistible. Or sometimes I might decide to watch a new anime because it has a character who looks like Megumi-chan, J-List’s official character, which is why I’m watching Koisuru Asteroid, aka Asteroid in Love.
Did you see there’s going to be an official J-List anime starring Megumi in 2020? Just look at the great animation quality!
(Just kidding. It’s the upcoming Koisuru Asteroid, but it sure looks like Megumi to me.) pic.twitter.com/Jc8sg2j71f
— J-LIST (@jlist) November 20, 2019
Koisuru Asteroid is the story of a cute girl named Mira who meets a “boy” named Ao who tells her there’s a star with the same name as her, so she decides she’s going to discover a new asteroid and name it after him someday. When she gets to high school, she’s surprised to learn that Ao is a girl after all, and is in the club she’s going to join, a combination Astronomy and Geology club. This event sets up many adorable light yuri moments between Mira and Ao, helped along by Mira’s “yuri shipper” friend Suzu-chan, who tries to get the two of them together every chance she can.
The show is an adorable slice-of-life anime in the “cute girls doing cute things” genre, very similar to Yuru Camp, a show about five girls learning the joy of camping in the winter. The five girls in the club are:
- Mira Kinohata, a “Genki girl” who developed a love of astronomy after meeting Ao many years ago, and wants to discover a new asteroid and name it after her friend.
- Ao Manaka, a bookish girl who loves astronomy but isn’t good at talking with people.
- Mai Inose, one of two members of the geology side of the club, who loves walking while looking at maps.
- Mikage Sakurai, the club president, is the most serious member, who wants everyone to feel as passionately about rocks as she does.
- Mari Morini, vice president of the club. She got in trouble for making a “Sexy Planetarium” while wearing a bunny girl suit at last year’s school culture festival. Her nickname is Monroe-senpai because of her name, her beauty mark and her oppai, which resemble Marilyn Monroe’s.
When Yuru Camp exploded onto the scene in 2018, it surprised everyone with its popularity, no less than retailers of outdoor goods who wondered why anime fans were suddenly streaming in to buy camping gear. This probably woke up several industries about the potential of being related to a popular anime that connects with fans in an emotional way. Just like last season’s Rifle is Beautiful, a show about cute girls joining the school’s competitive rifle team, which received marketing support and even a singing “rifle idol unit” to promote the show, Koisuru Asteroid seems to be receiving support from astronomy-related companies who hope to benefit from fans developing an interest in learning about the stars. Good luck to them!
Will you be watching Koisuru Asteroid? Tell us on Twitter!
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