INTRODUCTION
I'll begin by stating that I almost never watch the shows of "cute girls do cute things" genre. This is likely due to the fact that my octane-deprived brain yearns for action much in the same way League players yearn for happiness in their lives (low blow, but I never was the one to puff at the low-hanging fruit as if 'twas beneath me).
My lack of disposition towards the genre taken into consideration, this show failed to convince me otherwise and I hope to explore these things thoroughly in this review. Thank you for taking your time to read it.
STORY
I tend to dislike story summaries, I believe they're a lazy way to fill the word count, the only thing I'll tell you about the show's story is: 4 girls go to Antarctica, each rank with her own motivations, and their relationship blossoms over the course of the show's 13 episodes.
This considered, you may come to wonder why this particular show was my first of choice to enter this sort of "moe/melodrama/slice of life/whateveryouwannacallitit'safreecountry" genre, and the answer is simple. While reading the show's premise, the motivation of our first protagonist, Kimari was something I related to deeply. The fear of wasting away your youth as life struts past you is something I resonate with on a spiritual level. In fact, frequently over the course of the show, I found myself relating with Kimari on other things and I'd say we're quite similar, though I am pretty sure she foregoes the act of taking solace within the inevitability of humanity's demise (I am not an edgelord irl, pinky promise).
The story paces fairly decently, although it is prone to being bogged down here and there. But my main issue with the show is how every scene of importance and emotional gravitas is punctuated with tears. With how much were shed, you'd think they'd eventually just decide to freeze the damn things over and make their own Antarctica near Japan. It is merely a known fact, whether in story-telling or general aspects of life, that an overabundance of an element will make an individual numb to the said element. There's a very good emotional scene near the end, the impact of which is severely decayed by the 3.000 scenes of crying which paved the way for it. However, this may be the staple of the genre to which "A Place Further Than the Universe" adheres, and I will acknowledge that, with a caveat that shows needn't adhere to the archetypes of their genres absolutely.
Another of show's flaws is how painfully predictable it is; there's a particular sub-arc which revolves around Kimari and her friend Megu, the details of which you'll be able to foresee from the outset, but I will say that this arc has an undeniable emotional weight while being punctuated by a wholesome twist at the end which is:
CHARACTERS
So let's tackle each of our 4 protagonists separately. I think all 4 of them were made with likability in the mind's forefront, so I will not be taking that into account as much as I will how relatable the characters are and how compelling they are.
Mari Tamaki
Also called Kimari. By far my favorite character. Excellent design, relatable motivations and a bubbly personality to boot all serve to make her endearing to watch. The show takes focus off her in the final stretch, which is very understandable, seeing as her goal was the act of going to Antarctica, not doing any particular thing there. It made perfect sense to end her arc in this withdrawn manner and I am happy they made this decision.
Shirase Kobuchizawa
So, I like the character herself, but there's something off about her visual design that I dislike, but can't quite put my finger on it. Her bond with Hinata seems to grow the most over the course of the show, and that scene on the Airplane ticket line where she says:
"My goal is no longer to go to Antarctica, but to go to Antarctica with you" sent chills down my spine.
Her goal in visiting the place is finding her mother or a remnant of her mother. Her mother also being the author of a book from which the anime derives its name. Overall, a solid character that would've been better served by a tweaked design.
Hinata Miyake
The tomboyish genius whose purpose in visiting Antarctica is merely to do something fun before taking her college entrance exams next year. A stoic around whom the show's "coming of age" theme is woven around the tightest and one to whom many who dread looming pressures of adulthood will relate to. There's also a sense of randomness and chaos to her, as of all the girls, she decides to go to Antarctica mostly on a whim.
Yuzuki Shiraishi
The rich, successful girl who never had any friends and was exploited by those she called friends. A tired old trope, ain't it? But all things considered, she isn't bad. Initially withdrawn and cynical, her arc is about coming out of her shell and meeting the world head on. Her goal in going is simply to strengthen the bond with the other 3 girls, come of it what may, and I like how her subdued manner is reflected in her way of speaking, as she is the only one who uses Keigo (essentially polite, formal Japanese) even in an informal setting, i.e surrounded by friends.
Other side characters are fine, neither particularly enthralling, nor gravely offensive. They merely exist for the sake of it, and none aside from some of the ship's crew have any particular arcs to speak of.
ANIMATION AND AESTHETIC
So, this being a non-action show which also doesn't even have a villain, let alone any Sakuga to speak of. Most of the visual budget was spent in highly detailed, nicely made backgrounds and fluid body movement. However, I do think if you wanted to see what some nice, non-action-oriented animation looks like, you'd be better off watching Kaguya-sama, as that one has ridiculous amounts of "hidden Sakuga". But I will stress that the backgrounds look extremely nice, sometimes almost as well as Ufotable's. ALMOST.
Aesthetic, or art style is a different matter. To me, this show does nothing special with how it looks. It's not like JoJo or Yuasa's Devilman where it's immediately recognizable. It's just there, and honestly, kind of bland. The show ain't the greatest of visual treats, but neither is it the most hideous thing your eyes will be subjected to (a statement which gets Berserk 2017 sweating).
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OST AND SOUND DESIGN__
I liked the OST but my emotion towards it never went anywhere beyond the initial impression of "competent but could be better". There's one song with vocals which is glued to some of the show's emotional heavy-hitters which I liked but the OST as a whole isn't the thing you'll be listening to on a frequent basis. It compliments the show nicely and that's about the extent of how far it goes.
The sound design follows in a similar vain of "competence but imperfection" which seems to be a staple of this show at this point. Then again, Antarctica as a setting doesn't leave much space for excellent sound design, your only options being "provide the sound of ice being scooped/shoveled and the ship doing ship things". So I'll give the sound crew that, at least.
The voice acting is pretty solid, each girl sounds extremely distinct and has their own, expressive way of speaking. My personal favorite was Yuzuki's voice actress, Kimari's being in the close second.
CONCLUSION
A Place Further Than the Universe could have been the show which knocked you off your feet, but instead chose to dawdle in the mediocrity of lesser shows by flawed pacing, predictable story beats and punctuating each emotional scene with crying. I'd still recommend as a way to pass the time with something wholesome, while following up that recommendation with a warning to temper your expectations, for such often yield the greatest spoils.
Anyway, thank you for reading this review of mine! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to post a message on my profile telling me what you think. Agree/Disagree? Or merely have suggestions for how I could improve my writing? Do make sure to relay any of these to me!
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