~~~INTRO
A Place Further than the Universe is a coming of age story through and through. With nearly all emphasis placed on the main cast working through their own unique dilemmas, importance lies consequently in the “there and back again” as opposed to the titular “place” itself. While in theory said “place” could’ve been anywhere (outer space itself would’ve been a worthy venture), I am glad it was Antarctica. If your aim is to highlight the journey, there is hardly a more desolate and drab destination as the south pole, and yet, to our central cast of heroines, and to one in particular, this place, which seems further than the universe itself, holds all the weight in the world.
PLOT
The story in these 13 episodes can be thought of as highlighting some of the problems that our main cast of 4 adolescents face during their youth, each of which aims to be relatable to the growing pains experienced during this pivotal time in life. A greater importance is placed on one of the girl's stories however, being the unfortunate and hopefully less relatable loss that Shirase grapples with in her late mother. This plot thread acts as a sort of through-line catalyst for the journey to take shape, as Shirase’s drive to learn about her mother as well as herself influences the other main cast members to join her along the way, all for their own unique reasons. I found the first two episodes to be exceedingly slow. By the third however, I started to see the greater picture as Yuzu’s internal struggles took shape, and I found myself compelled by her fear and lack of experience with friendship. The pacing made sense to me at that point, as I stopped waiting and wondering as to why it was taking them so long to get there, and started to enjoy and experience the journey alongside them myself. After all… what is there to do in Antarctica??? And this is precisely the point I feel. While, yes, it could’ve been anywhere (the sahara desert, the amazon rainforest) Antarctica may as well be a metaphor for the isolation and pain that Shirase and members of the side cast feel for the loss of a friend or mother. There’s nothing to do in Antarctica; it's dangerous, desolate, thus the motivation to venture there must come from some place which defies all logic and reason. For Shirase, it does. A place further than the universe.
CHARACTERS
I found all of the main cast and some of the side cast to be both compelling and entertaining, which is the peak of what you can hope to achieve in a 13 episode anime original I think. Kimari and Hinata bring plenty of genki, with the periodic hinata tsukkomi (think yui and ritsu from K-on as an almost direct analogue). In the comparison of K-on, shirase does remind me of mio in terms of personality, but the trend is slightly bucked with Yuzu who is probably most similar to azunyan in this situation, though with her own nuances. In all seriousness though I found all of the characters' sub-plots to be unique and interesting, with the exception of Hinata's. I’m not sure if I missed something or just wasn’t paying proper attention but her issues with the athletic club members just seemed a bit underdeveloped in comparison. Key words “in comparison” there because it could simply be that the other characters' plots were developed too well. I particularly liked how kimari’s issues with Megu were handled, and by the end it felt like a realistic example of a turbulent friendship during adolescence which was all too relatable for me. The side cast was handled well I think, but I doubt they will be memorable overall as I think back on this show. This topic does lead into the next section though, and I will preface by saying two things: a lot of my thoughts on this show and the reason for the rating I give it is simply due to the fact that pure coming of age stories such as this one are not my ideal genre entirely. Secondly however, there is one aspect of this show that might make the side cast as memorable as our main quartet… the voice cast!
NOTABLE MISC.
There isn’t much else to say about this show other than that I REALLY enjoyed the voice acting here, and it added to my overall experience without a doubt. Truly a stacked cast it has to be said; minori inase, hana kana, saori hayami, even yuka iguchi who I learned to appreciate so much from girl und panzer, most of these are household names which never fail to bring life to the characters they embody. This extends to the side cast with youko hikasa, mamiko noto, and ai kayano as shirase’s mother; performing only a handful of scenes and yet bringing so much depth to the character with that. The last notable point on cast was the fun addition of matsuoka-san who always gives it everything he’s got, even as a nothingburger in this show. Lastly a point of mention are the OP and ED, which remain a big reason as to why I revisited this show at all. Both songs have stayed in my playlists over the years after I watched this show and their impact never managed to leave me. Now, I think I know why.
CONCLUSION
The score that I give this show may seem low to some, depending on how they understand ranking, but I want it to be known that I thoroughly enjoyed this one and believe that it excels in the coming of age format. This is the kind of anime which doesn’t discriminate in terms of the audience able to enjoy it, and for that reason I would recommend it to anyone and everyone; something I admit can’t be said about even some of my 100’s. For anyone who has felt lost in their adolescent years, or even simply made it through them, there is something to gain and learn from watching these 4 loveable dorks travel there and back again, to and from and place which is undoubtedly further than the universe itself.
- - ~~~ 
