LogFAQs > #969524830

21. A Place Further Than the Universe
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35839/Sora_yori_mo_Tooi_Basho
Winter 2018 (13 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 8.53/10
Best Character: Kobuchizawa Shirase, Takahashi Megumi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaTzRcSyEWc

Premise: Tamaki Mari always had big dreams, but she was too scared to chase them until she met Kobuchizawa Shirase. She has been working hard on her dream of going to Antarctica, and she asks Mari to come with her.

The Good: A Place Further Than the Universe is an uplifting drama about four girls and their journey to Antarctica. It has some great comedy moments, and the details at every step of the journey feel a little slice-of-life. Im not sure Id classify it as either of those genres, though. The characters each have something in their life they need to address, and the focus is on how undertaking this grand adventure changes them. The first main character is Mari, who is a bit of an airhead. She struggles to do anything out of the ordinary, unable even to skip school for a day no matter how much she plans. Then she meets Shirase, a girl who is single-mindedly chasing her dream no matter how hard it is, how unlikely it seems, or what anyone else thinks of her. Her mother went missing on a previous Antarctic expedition, and Shirase has been struggling to go and see the frozen continent for herself ever since. Her determination spurs Mari into action too, and they decide to go together. Theyre also joined by Hinata, who wants to travel before college, and Yuzuki, a young idol/actress who will help promote the expedition.

Theres a lot of focus on the specifics of going to Antarctica. Obviously they cant just buy an airplane ticket, they need to convince people to take them and train for it and take time off school and so on. Its interesting seeing how every step of the journey works. Still, my favorite thing about this anime is the themes and character arcs. It almost doesnt matter exactly where theyre going. Whats important is how theyre struggling towards a goal and making the most of their life, and the way that impacts who they are as people. I like all four of the main characters, though Shirase is obviously my favorite because her story hits the hardest emotionally. This might be controversial, but my second-favorite isnt even one of the main four! I really liked Mari's friend Megumi, and Ill talk more about her in her write-up. I also want to mention just how well this anime is put together. It has beautiful animation and the writing carries everything perfectly. It also has an amazing soundtrack. There are a few insert songs that play at key moments, and the sequences whenever one of those songs came on were always magical.

The Bad: The only bad things I can think of for A Place Further Than the Universe are all nitpicks. Its stuff like how one part of Hinata's story felt a bit out of place, little things like that. There are no glaring problems, so I dont even want to mention the few small ones.

Overall: A Place Further Than the Universe is a wonderful story about the importance of chasing ones dreams and making the most of life. I loved it mostly because of those themes, and theyre so universal they couldve been applied to any number of adventures. This anime chose Antarctica, and it handles the journey there with a lot of care and passion too. This is one of the rare anime that I would recommend to pretty much anyone. The characters are all wonderful too, and Ill talk about two of them below.