The Spring 2023 Anime Preview Guide

A Galaxy Next Door

Since his parents died, manga artist Ichiro has barely scraped by, forced to support his two younger siblings with just a middle school education. He doesn't even have time to learn how to use a computer, which forces him to keep wrestling with pen and paper. When his art assistants quit to strike out on their own, on top of juggling deadlines, family, and the constant fear of losing his job, Ichiro feels close to a total breakdown. But then a new assistant pops into Ichiro's life, and his prospects immediately start to brighten. She's an incredible artist, she always finishes on time, and she's beautiful, to boot. But she also seems to know an awful lot about him, and, soon, she makes a confession that bends Ichiro's mind beyond the confines of Earth…

A Galaxy Next Door is based on Gido Amagakure's A Galaxy Next Door (Otonari ni Ginga) manga and streams on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.

If someone seems too good to be true, there might be a stinger growing out of her backside. That's the case with Ichiro's new assistant, anyway. Shiori shows up at just the right moment when he's desperate to make his deadline, and she's really amazingly talented, not to mention apparently self-taught. But there's always a catch, and in this case, it seems that Shiori is the princess of the Star People and that he who pricks his finger on her stinger may be her husband. If the rest of this episode (and what I've read of the source manga) weren't so darn wholesome, I'd accuse this of having a thinly-veiled sexual metaphor in there.

In all honesty, the fantasy/science fiction angle doesn't need to be there, apart from framing Shiori as a sort of manga assistant Mary Poppins. (Note the umbrella and the black garb. The suitcase on wheels is an updated carpet bag.) There's enough plot between the lines to make this feel like more than a simple story about a man and his manga. Ichiro has inherited his father's apartment house and the care of his two much-younger siblings, Machi and Fumio, and he's using his manga career to help make ends meet. Their mom is still alive, but in an almost throwaway moment, we learn that she's abandoned the family and has zero interest in returning with her ex's passing – “I know I'm your mother, but I have a new life now” is a pretty rotten thing to say to your just-out-of-his-teens son suddenly saddled with the care of his siblings. All of this provides the background for Ichiro's drive to keep up with his work, and while cousin Chibi helps, she's in middle or high school herself. Having a competent assistant makes his life much easier.

Shiori is, thus far, the weakest piece of the story. She's preternaturally beautiful and gifted, and her insistence that Ichiro is not taking advantage of her work ethic rings true for those of us who have trouble differentiating between creative work and leisure activities. (Who, me?) But there's also nothing to her besides that, and even Fumio, who barely says three words, feels like a better-established character. This stands to change going forward; frankly, this is calm and pleasant enough that it almost doesn't matter. Give this one a chance because it might be the dose of calm you need at the end of the week.