A Place Further Than the Universe

"When you hit the point of no return, that’s the moment it truly becomes a journey. If you can still turn back, it’s not really a journey."

At some point in your life, you fall victim to the routine. You know, that perpetual cycle of school or work that drains the life essence out of your soul. You come back tired every night with only two days of freedom to look forward to before you inevitably end up in the cycle once more. I feel like many people at my age are stuck in the "quarter quandary". Am I on the right path? Will these decisions make me fall behind my peers? Are the steps I’m taking now going to prevent failure in the future? The same question can be posed in so many ways but it all boils down to a solemn premise: Am I going to regret this? Well I can't answer that question for you because only yourself can answer you that. But one thing for sure is that the four girls in A Place Further than the Universe definitely didn't regret with their choices whether it will be a great or a disaster one, they keep going on and that is a prime example of living a life.

Looking back at it, the year of 2018 was a great year for anime. So many amazing contenders in the anime line-up every season, with plenty of content to choose from. From comedy like Hinamatsuri, Grand Blue, Asobi Asobase to Drama like Violet Evergarden, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl and Action like Goblin Slayer, Banana Fish, My Hero Academia Season 3. It was difficult to keep up with a bunch of good series that were releasing every season. There were just so many solid choices to pick from that it was hard to go wrong. And A Place Further than the Universe is one of them which was release in January 2018 and honestly one of the biggest surprise of 2018 anime and also one of the most inspiring anime I've ever watch. It's an original anime coming out of studio Madhouse. Madhouse is most famous for holding big titles in the past 20 years under their belt and also being Satoshi Kon’s studio of choice for his renowned movies and animated series. This is their latest original series since Death Parade which was released in 2015.

A Place Further than the Universe explores the story of Mari Tamaki, a high school second year who can’t seem to move forward in life. She has a journal with a modest list of goals she wishes to accomplish in her high school career: Keep a diary, skip school just once, go on a journey without a plan, and get the most out of youth. Simplistic ambitions no? However, Mari can’t seem to follow through. The thing is, she’s a bit of a coward and she’s usually too afraid to step out of her shell. With the help of her best friend she then tried to take her list seriously by skipping class and decided to go to the beach but on her way to onboard a train she cowers. Her fear sends her back into the comforting embrace of a normal routine. I can sympathize, as well as probably most of you reading this can. No one wants to make the wrong decision. While heading home after a day of defeat, she meets Shirase Kobuchizawa, someone who is much more brave and with big ambitions than her. She’s been saving up to travel to Antarctica. It isn’t just a pipe dream. It’s a goal with emotions attached, since mother disappeared three years ago. Inspired by Shirase’s resolve, Mari decides to join Shirase in this adventure to a place further than the universe itself. Their efforts attract the attention of Hinata Miyake, Mari’s energetic co-worker and Yuzuki Shiraishi, a child actress who was asked to go to Antarctica as a reporter. Together, the four girls start preparing for their trip to Antarctica.

One of the great things about A Place Further Than The Universe is its animation. Colourful, dynamic, and fluid, the motion in the series feels like an integral component of the overall message. Mari constantly talks about "setting her youth in motion" and breaking free of the constraints that she has setup herself. There are a number of beautiful shots and sequences representing this message but none better than the chase sequence of episode 2. As Mari, Shirase, and Hinata run away after attempting to sneak onto an expedition and getting caught, the camera follows their escape and highlights the exhilaration of finally setting the wheels in motion. The background design is beautifully done as the heavy detail of buildings and signs emphasizes the characters’ motion as they duck in and out of alleyways and city streets. Together with an incredible insert song and fantastic voice acting, the scene is triumphant and absolutely breathtaking. You can feel the pure adrenaline rushing in their veins as their rebellious act begins to set their youth in motion. You can feel your life start to move along with them as you begin to imagine the things that you could accomplish if you tried. It’s a reminder to never stay stationary, that obstacles can’t hold you back so long as you set the wheels in motion. And in this moment, you can achieve anything you wanted to.

The pacing is where it should be for a series like this. It’s the sort that slowly builds, but it is also tightly packed with key character moments. That’s the main draw of this show after all. It isn’t about the adventure itself, but rather our four main protagonists and what it means to them. They need to work hard to get to the Antarctic. This isn’t an adventure where they sit around on their hands doing nothing but giggling their way through the show. Although I would say it is about cute girls, they’re not always doing cute things. Sometimes they’re put to real work, and the trip is occasionally far from glamorous. There are scenes where they even acknowledge that the cramped spaces they’re shoved into could be problematic for them. These girls are multi-layered and very compatible on screen together, but they know they can sometimes clash in ideology too. It isn’t heavy handed, but there’s a real down-to-earth mentality used in this show. Unlike a lot of the other slice-of-life series you may come across, there’s not a lot of mindless or useless fluff. The character moments always feel as though it has been planned to enrich the story. These girls are all very likable and that helps too. As a general rule, the series wants the girls to be fun-loving and adventurous. We see this most of all. They’re not dimwitted, and they’re not trying to do something entirely idiotic. Honestly, I just can’t praise A Place Further than the Universe enough for this aspect alone. The series really hit it out of the park with these characters. We get the same compelling banter between them that you’d expect from high school girls, but you also get some real heart and soul out of them too. The series hones in upon their dreams, fears, aspirations and insecurities. Frankly it does a phenomenal job of letting viewers get to know each of the four girls. At the same time, the series isn’t interested in cramming contrived emotional stupidity in front of our faces when there is an emotional outburst, it means something valuable and important to the wider story.

A Place Further Than The Universe doesn’t really break new ground. The message the show revolves around is the same old, cheesy cliches that you’ve probably heard a million times before. But the beauty of the series lies in its subtleties. Featuring a set of very relatable main characters, you find the message hitting closer to home than you’re willing to admit. Maybe you are stuck in an endless cycle of putting things off perpetually. Maybe all you really need is a push to get your life in motion. As you slowly grow together with the girls, you start to realize the potential within yourself. What could you accomplish if you simply started putting the wheels in motion? The show doesn’t ask you to go on a grand adventure to Antarctica like the girls did. Instead, it instills the sense of adventure within you so that you go out and reach your own Antarctica, whatever it may be. It’s a simple series, with simple elements. It isn’t bombastic and it isn’t flat out stupid. What is very nice about it is that it has 13 episodes. That’s just long enough to tell this story in a fulfilling way. The series doesn’t overstay its welcome and it doesn’t draw out nonsense plot elements to the extreme. Honestly, I’d say the series could have used a few more episodes, even if just one or two. It is a packed series from start to finish. That’s a good thing, a very good thing. You’ll probably be left wanting for more after the series concludes and I think another episode or two would have given it just a little more room to breathe. Honestly, even without extra content, this series stands as a hallmark of a great anime. When you get the benefits of a fulfilling ending and you still crave more, that’s when you know the series goes on your favorite list. It might not be in my top ten list for anything particularly, but to say this anime is anything less than steadfast is a direct injustice. I’ve watched a lot of series across many genres, and every single thing this series does, it does very well.

A Place Further Than The Universe is captivating and inspirational, it instills that thirst for adventure unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. A brilliant coming-of-age story about four girls who dream about reaching the ends of the universe in Antarctica will make you laugh, cry, and most importantly, inspire you to reach your own Antarctica. It's in some ways, is a wake-up call for people who’ve become stagnant over time, including me myself. I'm currently on of what you could call the "endgame" of university and I'm far away from my home from my parents. And not to mention I'm on a city where I don't know anybody else beside one person which is my friend from high school that is also on the same university as I am. But that is not stopping me to make my own journey and discover this city that I'm unfamiliar of. I used to afraid of going to new places especially those that are destinations for tourists. And now because of this anime that inspire me so much I have no problem visiting those places.

As we grow up, we don’t really fear change. What we fear is the thought of leaving the comfortable routine behind. Even though the routine is a vicious cycle that makes us feel hollow, it’s still familiar. You need resolve to break out of the routine and jump into the unknown. As Hinata says: "If you can still turn back, it’s not really a journey. When you hit the point of no return, that’s the moment it becomes a journey." As long as you’re willing to set the wheels in motion, nothing can stop them from turning.