Anime Review: Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho(A Place Further than the Universe, Winter 2018)
Number of Episodes: 13
Genre: Adventure, Coming-of-age
Plot:
Mari Tamaki is in her second year of high school and wants to start something. It's then that she meets Shirase, a girl with few friends who's considered weirdo by the rest of the class and nicknamed "Antarctic" since it's all she ever talks about. Unlike her peers, Mari is moved by Shirase's dedication, meets with Hinata, a girl who has quit school and is aimless, and Yuzuki, an idol who wants to connect with people and decides that even though it's unlikely that high school girls will ever go to Antarctica, she's going to try to go with Shirase and the other girls.
Review:
To get straight to the point, let me just say that A Place Further than the Universe is the best anime of Winter 2018 season, and one of the best I've seen in recent times. It's a genuinely great anime with phenomenal writing, directing, animation and music.
The great thing about this anime is that each of the girls have a relatable aim they want to do, and it's easy for us to latch on to them. They are written in a very grounded way, and the emotions they deal with are really complex. All 4 girls undergo great emotional arcs, and what they are at the end of the series is different from what they were at the start. Kimari, wanting to break out of her shell and wanting to burst, Shirase, trying to deal with her mother's death, Hinata wanting to pursue a new dream, and Yuzuki, wanting to learn about friendship.
The music in this series is phenomenal, both the Op and the ED are great. But the best thing about is the use of insert song at the end of each episode. The anime is structured in such a way that it start off normally, a conflict is built, and there's a huge emotional pay-off at the end, and these insert songs are placed perfectly. It's done in such a way that at least one episode is bound to bring you close to tears(episode 12 did it for me). All of these songs are original and produced by the studio.
The artwork in this series is done painstakingly well. Each place they go to is detailed incredibly well, be it Singapore or Antarctica. There were even articles about how detailed this series was. There's a lot of emphasis on making sure that the places felt real, since the characters don't just go to different places physically, but emotionally too. And, more importantly, the animation. It's incredible. Possibly better than the likes of Violet Evergarden. Madhouse has proved that they've still got it, particularly when it comes to original shows. Here's an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbIKiZfGRgU
And, finally, the writing and directing. The series is packed with symbolism. And, the show makes sure that each character isn't some cute animu waifu material, and is an actual girl who is human. And, one important note, since they are travelling to Antarctica, I thought they'd go there through some ridiculous means, but it was done in a very, very realistic way, and it's also emphasized that the journey they are gonna undertake is gonna be extremely dangerous, and they go through a lot of hardships. Friendship is an important deal in the series, particularly with the idol Yuzuki, who has a bit more simpler arc, with her trying to learn about friendship. A great strength of the series is its ability to convert an abstract thing like friendship into words and imagery, and hit those relatable things home. And, a lot of importance is placed on side characters too, and they have character arcs as well, but all 4 girls come to a full circle throughout the whole series. But, it's not all serious, and dramatic, the series is also very wacky and funny, and both are balanced very well.
Overall, this is a great adventure, coming-of-age anime that has amazing characters, writing, and visuals.
Score: 9/10
Give it 2-3 episodes and if you still don't like it, drop it.
Number of Episodes: 13
Genre: Adventure, Coming-of-age
Plot:
Mari Tamaki is in her second year of high school and wants to start something. It's then that she meets Shirase, a girl with few friends who's considered weirdo by the rest of the class and nicknamed "Antarctic" since it's all she ever talks about. Unlike her peers, Mari is moved by Shirase's dedication, meets with Hinata, a girl who has quit school and is aimless, and Yuzuki, an idol who wants to connect with people and decides that even though it's unlikely that high school girls will ever go to Antarctica, she's going to try to go with Shirase and the other girls.
Review:
To get straight to the point, let me just say that A Place Further than the Universe is the best anime of Winter 2018 season, and one of the best I've seen in recent times. It's a genuinely great anime with phenomenal writing, directing, animation and music.
The great thing about this anime is that each of the girls have a relatable aim they want to do, and it's easy for us to latch on to them. They are written in a very grounded way, and the emotions they deal with are really complex. All 4 girls undergo great emotional arcs, and what they are at the end of the series is different from what they were at the start. Kimari, wanting to break out of her shell and wanting to burst, Shirase, trying to deal with her mother's death, Hinata wanting to pursue a new dream, and Yuzuki, wanting to learn about friendship.
The music in this series is phenomenal, both the Op and the ED are great. But the best thing about is the use of insert song at the end of each episode. The anime is structured in such a way that it start off normally, a conflict is built, and there's a huge emotional pay-off at the end, and these insert songs are placed perfectly. It's done in such a way that at least one episode is bound to bring you close to tears(episode 12 did it for me). All of these songs are original and produced by the studio.
The artwork in this series is done painstakingly well. Each place they go to is detailed incredibly well, be it Singapore or Antarctica. There were even articles about how detailed this series was. There's a lot of emphasis on making sure that the places felt real, since the characters don't just go to different places physically, but emotionally too. And, more importantly, the animation. It's incredible. Possibly better than the likes of Violet Evergarden. Madhouse has proved that they've still got it, particularly when it comes to original shows. Here's an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbIKiZfGRgU
And, finally, the writing and directing. The series is packed with symbolism. And, the show makes sure that each character isn't some cute animu waifu material, and is an actual girl who is human. And, one important note, since they are travelling to Antarctica, I thought they'd go there through some ridiculous means, but it was done in a very, very realistic way, and it's also emphasized that the journey they are gonna undertake is gonna be extremely dangerous, and they go through a lot of hardships. Friendship is an important deal in the series, particularly with the idol Yuzuki, who has a bit more simpler arc, with her trying to learn about friendship. A great strength of the series is its ability to convert an abstract thing like friendship into words and imagery, and hit those relatable things home. And, a lot of importance is placed on side characters too, and they have character arcs as well, but all 4 girls come to a full circle throughout the whole series. But, it's not all serious, and dramatic, the series is also very wacky and funny, and both are balanced very well.
Overall, this is a great adventure, coming-of-age anime that has amazing characters, writing, and visuals.
Score: 9/10
Give it 2-3 episodes and if you still don't like it, drop it.
