Let’s get one thing straight: Netflix doesn’t just dip its toes into new genres-it cannonballs in, splashing expectations everywhere. The full trailer for Lost in Starlight, Netflix’s first Korean-language animated feature, just dropped. And it’s not playing by the rules. If you thought anime romance peaked with Your Name or Weathering With You, think again-because this one’s aiming for Mars.
From the opening lines-“Do you wish you hadn’t met me?”-the trailer signals it’s not afraid of big emotions or bigger questions. The setup? 2050 Seoul. An astronaut, Nan-young, dreams of Mars but fails her final test. A musician, Jay, is stuck in a vintage audio shop, his dreams gathering dust. Their lives collide, and suddenly, the vast emptiness of space is just another metaphor for the distance between two people who can’t let go.
But here’s the twist: Unlike most anime romances, Lost in Starlight isn’t content with wistful longing and cherry blossoms. The trailer mirrors Nan-young’s struggles in space with Jay’s on Earth-snapping guitar strings echoing the fraying tether of their relationship. It’s a motif that feels fresh, even as it nods to classics like 5 Centimeters Per Second.
Director Han Ji-won (with a screenplay by Kang Hyun-joo) isn’t a household name-yet. But when Bong Joon-ho calls your film a “visual masterpiece,” people pay attention. And with K-drama royalty Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung lending their voices, the performances already feel lived-in. The animation? Slick, moody, and just a bit haunting-think Blade Runner with a heart.
Let’s zoom out. Korean animation has flirted with global relevance before (see: The King of Pigs, Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox), but it’s never had a Netflix-sized megaphone. And while Japanese anime has cornered the market on bittersweet sci-fi love stories, Korea’s entry feels different-more grounded, less fantastical, and, dare I say, more adult.
Remember when Your Name went viral in 2016? It rewrote the rules for what anime could be outside Japan. But Lost in Starlight is like the anti-Your Name: Instead of fate and magical body-swapping, it’s about real choices, missed chances, and the kind of love that’s equal parts hope and heartbreak. The trailer doesn’t promise a happy ending. It promises honesty.
And that’s the uncomfortable truth: This isn’t just a romance set in space. It’s a meditation on ambition, regret, and the cosmic joke of falling for someone you might never see again. Like a Netflix algorithm, Lost in Starlight recycles the bones of familiar stories-but it’s got a new soul.
So, would you risk everything-gravity, sanity, your heart-for a shot at the stars? Or is this just another pretty trailer, destined to drift past your watchlist like space debris? Hit play, then tell me: Is Lost in Starlight the next big leap for Korean animation, or just another orbit around the same old sun?
