astronomy

Lost Universe

Lost Universe is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lost Universe rather than just read about it. In short: Lost Universe (ロスト・ユニバース, Rosuto Yunibāsu) is a series of science fiction light novels, running from 1992 to 1999, by Japanese author Hajime Kanzaka. It was later adapted into a 26-episode anime series by E&G Films that ran from April 3 to September 25, 1998.

Key takeaways

Lost Universe belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lost Universe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lost Universe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lost Universe (ロスト・ユニバース, Rosuto Yunibāsu) is a series of science fiction light novels, running from 1992 to 1999, by Japanese author Hajime Kanzaka. It was later adapted into a 26-episode anime series by E&G Films that ran from April 3 to September 25, 1998. The series aired on TV Tokyo in the same time slot in which the anime adaptation of Kanzaka's previous work Slayers had previously been shown. The anime is known as "Universe Police" in China and Hong Kong.

Plot In Slayers, it is mentioned that the main characters of that series live in a world that is one of the four created by the mother of all creation, called the Lord of Nightmares. This world was known as the Red World. Lost Universe, however, takes place in a different world, known as the Black World. Whereas the demigods of the various worlds, such as Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo and Dark Star Dugradigdo had physical presence in that world, they appear in the Black World as "Lost Ships," intelligent spaceships of unknown origin that have powerful or somewhat divine powers with more advanced technology than any other device in the universe. Their rarity and superiority have sparked suggestions that they have been made by an advanced ancient alien civilization or come from the beginning of the universe itself. Being a central part to the plot, the "Lost Ships" are intelligent beings with different loyalties and even their own agenda. Kain Blueriver, a "trouble contractor," inherits a "Lost Ship" from his grandmother and from there, he and his sidekick Milly, together with Canal, the ship's computer, journey to find a source of the evil that threatens the universe.

Characters Kain Blueriver Voiced by: Souichiro Hoshi (Japanese); Steve Metz (English)

Kain Blueriver (カイン・ブルーリバー, Kain Burūribaa) is an intergalactic trouble-Contractor. He is characterised as a tough and reckless adventurer who captains Sword-Breaker, the legendary lost spaceship from an ancient civilization. He acquired his spaceship from his grandmother and constantly recites quotes of her. He is shown to be a free spirit, and keeps an open mind whatever the situation. Ever the optimist, he is always confident he will prevail over whatever troubles await him. His motto is "carry out any difficult assignment to the end!" Kain is the master of the Psi-Blade, a weapon of psi energy, requiring tremendous mental strength. He wears a black cloak, likes his grandmother. Millie Voiced by: Tomoko Ishimura (Japanese); Larissa Wolcott (English)

Millennium Feria "Millie" Nocturne (ミレニアム・フェリア・ノクターン, Mireniamu Feria Nokutaan), is a happy-go-lucky girl whose catchphrase is that she aspires to be the "best in the universe." She joins Kain on their space adventures as an assistant and sometimes private detective. She has very basic detecting skills like opening a locked door with her hair pin. At work, she is indeed the best shot in the universe, but at home on Sword-Breaker is another matter. Providing a bit of comedy, she routinely blows up the kitchen, but somehow the meals turn out delicious. Canal Volfield Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese); Jessica Schwartz (English)

Canal Volfeld (キャナル・ヴォルフィード, Kyanaru Vorufiido) is a female human-like hologram that serves as the Sword-Breaker ship's computer. She has green hair styled in two long braids. She has a distinctive personality, emotions and reasoning abilities. Her usual form is a teenage girl, but if necessary, she can morph her form into a baby, a noble lady or other objects; whatever is needed to help Kain in his missions. Her motto is "carry out any difficult assignment to the end, as long as it shows a profit!" In this respect she is much like Lina Inverse from the series Slayers, with whom she shares a voice actress. Canal's mind functions as a computer, and she is very practical, analytical and logical. On the other hand, she sometimes shows her emotions when she teases Kain for his mistakes or has a quarrel with Millie. She is a bit selfish, doing a lot of negative actions for the Sword-Breaker owner (Kain Blueriver), like turning off Life System only for getting a job that Kain did not want. Rail Claymore Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese); Bill Wise (English)

He is a handsome and smart police inspector of Interstellar Police. Kain has a sort of inescapable "give-and-take" relationship with this young inspector. He often contacts the crew of the Sword-Breaker with mission requests that are not always requests. Nina Mercury Voiced by: Masami Suzuki (Japanese); Camille Chen (English)

The secretary of Raily Claymore, Nina is so deeply in love with Raily that she is fascinated by his gaze and forgets what she is doing. Two running gags in the series focus on her accidentally spilling coffee on Raily, and shortening out any machine with the slightest touch. The latter is actually useful in several adventures. Stargazer Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese); George Spelvin (English)

He is the master of a giant company called Gazer Konzern and the boss of mega-crime organization Nightmare. He is the master of the Lost Ship Dark Star, and intends to control the whole universe. Stargazer possesses a power to destroy the mind of a person from afar. Spreader of Darkness Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (Japanese); David Stokey (English)

He is a young-looking guy who works for Stargazer, and master of Goln-Nova, one of the legendary Lost Ships. He commands Glen and Carly at Nightmare. He was injured in the battle with Alice ten years ago and has since been in stasis. He woke up after sleeping for 87,016 hours in a capsule.

Media

Light novels When the first novel of Lost Universe was released in 1992, it enjoyed moderate success. Kanzaka was already in negotiations for the Slayers anime.

Manga A manga adaptation by Shoko Yoshinaka was published in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Dragon Junior magazine from December 1997 to November 2002 and was collected into four volumes.

Anime

Lost Universe is distributed in North America by Enoki Films, and was originally licensed for American distribution by ADV Films, who released the series onto both dubbed and subtitled VHS tapes and bilingual DVD. Following ADV's bankruptcy in 2009, the rights to the anime have since transferred to Nozomi Entertainment who re-released the complete series in a new bilingual DVD box set. The entirety of the show's English dub can be streamed and watched for free on Nozomi Entertainment's YouTube channel.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lost Universe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lost Universe claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lost Universe before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lost Universe ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lost Universe

In research: Lost Universe appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lost Universe in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lost Universe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1992 Japanese novels, 1997 manga, 1998 anime television series debuts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lost Universe outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lost Universe in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lost Universe means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lost Universe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lost Universe in simple terms?

Why does Lost Universe matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lost Universe?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lost Universe.