Are You Lost? (Season One)
Stranded on a deserted island, four schoolgirls will need to use all of their wits and resources if they are going to survive until help comes. Luckily, this isn’t the first time it’s happened to one of them!
Are You Lost? (Season One)
What did you watch?
Over the last twelve weeks, I’ve been watching a number of different shows. Some I’ve reviewed here and others on EcchiHunter.com. Are You Lost? is one that I posted on the latter. Anyhow, it was a series of twelve half-length episodes focused on survival with several funny moments and some fan service. You like watching girls eat bugs, right? Well, with that image, let’s get into the review. There will be spoilers.
What happened?
The four schoolgirls were on a school trip when something happened and their plane ended up in the sea. They clung to a piece of debris and drifted on the currents. When an island came into view, they decided to swim to shore, hoping for a better chance of survival. Having made it to the beach, they finally got the chance to introduce themselves. There was Shion – the popular girl, Asuka – the sporty girl, Mutsu – the smart girl, and then Homare. Well, it turned out that Homare had been in a similar situation several times before.
Thanks to her father’s training, Homare was prepared for anything. Together they had deliberately been on numerous survival adventures, but now it was time to put her skills to the test. Not only that, but she’ll need to whip the others into shape if they are to have any chance of surviving. Over the coming days and weeks, Homare teaches the girls how to forage, hunt, fish, make a fire, a shelter, a shower…
What did you think?
I went in expecting this series to be fun, but I had no idea just how informative it was going to be. I’ve been a scout and have plenty of experience in the outdoors, so some of it already knew, but there was stuff I learnt. There are some gross moments, but ultimately they play it so well with Homare’s deadpan, unflinching desire to survive and the other girls’ more timid and reactionary responses. On top of that, there was a surprising amount of character development for a series of twelve twelve-minute episodes. I feel like I got to know these characters better than some full-length shows manage.
What was your favourite moment?
It was probably the hot pool episode, but only because it reminded me of Hot Water Beach in New Zealand where you can dig a hole in the sand and watch it fill up with volcanic water. Depending on where you dig the hole, you’ll get varying temperatures. That’s the only reason, all right… let’s move on…
There was another moment that really stood out to me and that was when Shion was carried away on a riptide. Homare, desperate to rescue her and aware that every moment counts, thought back to her father’s teachings as she lashed the raft together. He told her that she must always think of her own safety first. It’s pretty much the first rule of survival, but I think Homare realised how losing Shion would affect the other girls and ultimately all of their chances of surviving. This was the moment that Homare showed her character growth.
What was your least favourite moment?
As each episode was split into a number of smaller segments it is hard to recall any particular episode that I would say I liked least. I think it would have been nice to see what happened that left them stranded at sea like that, but I don’t think it’s essential. There are plenty of moments that are not for the squeamish, but they didn’t really bother me, especially when you understand the survival concepts behind it and ultimately if I was in that situation, I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t have done. I do hope that I would never have to, however.
Who was your favourite character?
Homare was definitely my favourite character. She was the driving force behind the girls’ survival and without her, they would have almost certainly died. I loved how calm and matter of fact she was about everything. She didn’t get flustered and nothing fazed her. That’s definitely the sort of leader you need in a situation like this. I also loved her character development and how she took what her father had taught her and used it to grow. Then when she finally realised that she needed to go off his teachings, she did it without hesitation. Regardless, I think he would be proud of her actions.
Who was your least favourite character?
It has to be Shion. For most of the series, she plays the pampered princess who lies around and hopes that the others will do everything for her. She’s the complete opposite of Homare in that she freaks out about everything and made such a fuss, that Homare made her a shower. Towards the end of the series, however, she does start to change. She realises that Homare is putting herself in danger regularly for the group. That’s when she tries to help and gets swept out to sea. I felt like this was the first time, she had ever had real friends and it was changing her.
Would you like some more?
I actually really would. Because the episodes were short, I could fit them into my schedule fairly easily. They’re also succinct and don’t mess around with filler. I really enjoyed the efficiency of the storytelling and the educational elements really made this into an interesting watch. In the end, we don’t know if the girls end up getting rescued or not, but we do see Homare’s father racing through the waves searching for her. It’s possible that he finds them, but it’s also possible that he sinks the boat and joins in. That guy loves a good survival adventure!
What have you learnt?
This is a new section that I’ve added to my series reviews and it’s a chance for me to set out what I liked as a writer and things to consider when working on my stories.
I’ve always understood the benefits of peppering fiction with fact. It helps to make it more relatable but with some of the shows this season they’ve made them educational too. Now, I’m not about to turn my stories into textbooks, but I’m definitely going to look for real-world examples of bizarre and weird things to include. As they say, the real world is stranger than fiction.
Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Adrift
- Episode 2 – Our First Meal
- Episode 3 – Master of the Island
- Episode 4 – Trap
- Episode 5 – A Strange Turban Shell
- Episode 6 – Rabbit Tasting
- Episode 7 – Exploring the Island
- Episode 8 – Oasis Found?!
- Episode 9 – Homare’s Papa
- Episode 10 – HONEY BEE
- Episode 11 – We Will Rescue Her
- Episode 12 – How to Replenish Water
Never expected to come across a serious review of this show.
It was a pretty fun watch that I laughed over with my friends so I never really thought too much into it. I guess it was kind of like those survival science comics I used to read as a kid but just with more fanservice and an all-girl cast. Although, I probably didn’t remember much of what they taught in the show cause the likelihood of me getting stranded on an uninhabited island is pretty low considering I don’t even leave my house all that often ^^”
I had a lot of fun watching this one and felt like I should give it the full treatment. You’d probably be surprised what you’ve retained from watching it. Maybe you’re brain has stored it away for the right occasion, and if you’re not leaving your house, you’re almost guaranteed to get Isekaied at some point…
(°-°)
Honestly, all I can remember off the top of my head is that urine is sterile while it’s fresh cause of how much me and my friends were laughing during that scene XD
Welp, let’s hope I don’t get Isekai’d to a cycle of suffering like Subaru ^^”
Haha. Let’s keep that as an extreme back up! Yeah, there were so many funny moments in this series. I think it would be great to watch as a group.
[…] to. Then, the answer came to me from another series that I enjoyed last year. That series was Are You Lost? If you’re not familiar, it’s about four high school girls who end up stranded on an […]