Ad Astra per Aspera chapter 07
アド アストラ ペル アスペラ ch 07

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Satella’s captain hosts a briefing where the shocking news of the defeat of the elite Satella and the F-22 Rose mecha unit is given. An analysis of the old nursing robot reveals nothing, leading to speculation that the terrorist Shinobu wiped its memory. Since no one recognizes the mecha Shinobu is in, combined with his encounter with Satella, the captain asks if these are mere coincidences. As the meeting continues, the attendees get more and more fearful, coming to the conclusion that Shinobu wants to take down the Empire. As such, they decide Shinobu must be killed immediately.

Elsewhere, a sad looking Satella looks at the damaged Rose at it is being repaired. The captain pays her a visit, where she reveals that she doesn’t know if she’s doing the right thing in regards to dealing with Shinobu. He informs her that Rose will be ready ahead of schedule, and that thy expect Shinobu is going to target the Imperial capital. With that, she vows to hunt Shinobu down.

In an asteroid belt, Shinobu floats in the weightless cockpit of Versailles, where he has words with the mecha over his near death experiences. Patty comes in, feeling much better, and puts an end to the bickering. She then praises Shinobu for getting her the medicine.

Shinobu asks whether they’ll be able to make the 30,000 light year journey. Patty is sure they can, citing what humans call “ad astra per aspera.” She tells him of the Voyager probe Earth sent out years earlier, with all of its content revealing human life to possible aliens that might find it. The Latin phrase was inscribed on a golden record in the probe, which means “through adversity to the stars.” Because of this oath of Shinobu’s ancestors, Patty is sure they can make it since this drive is in Shinobu’s genes.

Now that Shinobu has been reassured, Versailles takes him and Patty to their next destination.

Thoughts/Review:

It is a shame that Ad Astra Per Aspera is going on hiatus for a while. It really is getting its footing grounded. It also proves that Hata-sensei can write a compelling manga that doesn’t need to have gag stuff as a crutch, though this chapter does have a bit of gag humor in it.

The chapter is divided into two halves, starting with Satella’s story and then switching to Shinobu’s and Patty’s story. They are radically different in tone.

For the Satella half of the chapter, I find it interesting that the Imperial Executive Committee apparently did not recognize Versailles. My theory is that Patty is actually a member of the royal court, so her having such a mecha should be known to all of the Imperial high ups. We know Patty isn’t human, based on what she tells Shinobu.

And yet the Executive Committee calls Versailles an “Earth machine.” They seem to act as if it is something unknown to them. However, they never question how such an advanced “Earth machine” could be created on a planet where they’ve stopped the advancement of technology and held it at the early 21st century level. Instead, we see a group of paranoid rulers, fearful that their power to rule is about to be taken from them.

It does make me wonder if Satella’s captain is just manipulating things. He seems to be doing this quite a lot since his introduction, nudging Satella to where he wants her. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the kid who killed Satella’s mother as part of the manipulation to get Satella to become their weapon of war. The Imperials certainly don’t seem to see her as much more than that.

As to Satella, she starts off in a depressed mood, looking at her damaged mecha. However, by the end of her conversation with the captain (I wish Hata-sensei had given the bugger a name), she’s determined to hunt Shinobu down.

A part of me wonders if Hata-sensei has some kind of political message here. On one hand, you have this Imperial force who have conquered Earth and imposed its will and a form of peace on the citizens on the Earth. On the other, you have this anti-terrorism paranoia on the part of the Empire, leading them to believe the most outlandish things said as truth.

Before I leave the Satella story, I noticed in the council meeting, there was a chick there looking like an adult Hina from Hayate the Combat Butler.  Since Hata-sensei made a point of showing her face and giving her a speaking role, I’m hoping we see more of her when the manga resumes.

On the Shinobu side of things, this is where we start getting a bit of humor. It is amusing to see Shinobu and Versailles bicker over his near death experiences. Considering that the giant mecha caused some of these, it makes it funnier.

Now that Patty has recovered, thanks to the medicine Shinobu purchased, how long can she go on that supply? For whatever reason, I couldn’t help but think of that when she appeared. I’m glad Shinobu voiced that same concern.

Patty’s lengthy exposition is mainly to explain why this manga is titled Ad Astra Per Aspera. There’s really not a lot for me to comment on there. That being said, I’m glad Patty isn’t tsundere. Her character comes off as very genuine. Hopefully I’m right and she’s royalty because that could make things interesting.

In the end, Ad Astra per Aspera chapter 07 was an interesting chapter, making me sad the series is going on hiatus for a while. Hopefully, it will return when Hayate the Combat Butler concludes.