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“It takes a few minutes to reach space, but it takes days to reach the Showa Station. It’s farther than the universe.” - comment by Mamoru mohri (japanese astronaut) when he was invited to japanese antarctica station.
Have you ever had a dream? a dream that sounds totally ridiculous when spoken about- an impossible, absurd dream? comes shirase with her totally ridiculous aim of going to antarctica. in her school & class she's mocked for it. that's where Sora yori mo tooi basho (yorimoi here on) starts with the premise of 4 highschool girls going to antarctica. I know, sounds totally ridiculous premise for a story ... at first. but yorimoi plays it so strong & turns this into one of the finest anime about adventure, coming of age comedy- drama and the symphony of youth.
Some mistake this as moe CDCGT series at first but quickly the difference becomes clear. the series moves with a definitive goal with a side story surrounding a character each episode to come soaring as a whole. Kimari is a girl who feels as if she's wasting her youth and not having achieved anything significant. shirase is potrayed as a girl crazy about antarctica as her mother was lost there some 3 years ago. Hinata is a girl who should be in school but is working in convienience store. yuzuki - a rising teen idol who is always at distance, has trouble socializing and as a result has never experienced genuine friendship.
these are the central 4 goofballs who come together each carrying a purpose of their own and take on this journey - The spiteful shirase, timid and awkward yuzuki, the philosopher hinata (you'll see) and a cheerhead kimari . what really makes this anime so good to follow is the friendship & chemistry they build. in a lot of anime sol cgcdt titles we see girl groups that work in 2 or 3 and then come whole but with yorimoi each girl is just as easy with anyone other, making yorimoi easily have some of the best character cast in its genre. Each girl with their own personality & aspirations is what ties them together so good.
The director Atsuko ishizuka really shines with this series. the character interactions and their quirks are very realistic and relatable as ishizuka was inspired by her own highschool friends. Her visual direction is also stellar, with simple framing to convey these girls grand undertaking or to shoe their mental space with the surroundings, to the amazing use of visual gags through backgrounds and rhythm. The comedy in this show is just effortless excellence, and all the other moody moments also come with tons of confidence and flair. all of this with great production from studio madhouse to execute it really well.
The anime also makes great use of insert songs and backlighting to highlight pivotal moments in each episode. the accompanying bgm is also good to the mood and thrill of this series.
I've said about the friendship aspect of this series but what makes this series remarkable isnt just limited to that - its handling of youth and adolescence, anxiety and insecurities but also sensitive issues such as grief and death.
i've praised the series a lot upto now but it isnt perfect per se. the aforementioned insert songs, a little heavy handed drama etc might make this show seem a little too cheesy, sappy, forced or generic (or the dreaded word, MELODRAMATIC) but it's still worth a watch because of it's sincere intentions . some of the issues dealt in this series can be really relatable and hit too close to home. It's a really enjoyable watch as a whole that might just leave you with something extra.
But just what is it that shirase will find in antarctica, at the end of her journey?
at the end of the day this anime might focus on 4 girls' journey to antarctica... but antarctica isnt just a figurative goal for us viewers. It implores to ask some questions to ourselves - what is your dream? how much is it worth? how far can you go to achieve this?
the anime might leave you nostalgic with it's youthful notion and struggles but that just might be what you need as well.
no matter how hard or impossible, what have you done for your own dream? how earnestly have you tried?
because that's how you find your own place that's further than the universe.
I personally rate this show as 8.5/10 because you know, we aren't exactly dealing with some ground-breaking concept of a show here and it could've been done better (maybe) , but i'll be generous here and give this special show a 9 that stands out for it's execution & heartful message. studio madhouse adds another gem to their always ever growing list of classics.
here's to us finding our own place further than the universe.

the flower of evil - and how the flower blooms...
"aku no hana? that anime with really weird art? yeah i've heard manga's good" this is probably how the usual conversation goes among people who haven't seen it. and tbf it's infamous reputation is earned. this anime is directed by hiroshi nagahama, who's mainly known for mushishi. which is what prompted me to check this show out.
the art, the use of rotoscoping is controversial - however he uses rotoscoping to great effect - to depict the everyday movement, character acting and to give it a great surreal, psycho- horror atmosphere.
aku no hana is one ... of the finest portrayal of teenage anxiety, drama and angst i've seen in media - and thats not just anime. the feeling of being special, puberty effects, the angst, to stand out & being something - the anime addresses it all. sometimes comically or sometimes overblown screamingly dramatic. everything a teen & phases we go through.
the series protagonist kasuga reads baudelaire & revels in his snowflake feeling, considering himself special. until nakamura, the rogue barges in his life to tear down all his allusions. kasuga's crush saeki is what all this crescendo revolves around and all three teenagers embark on a road leading to... well thats the gist.
the series is masterful in its thriller/suspense elements, and hiroshi nagahama takes his time to do so. its slow but purposefully. the soundtrack is simply great, but the droning sound effect is ever present that aids in the uncomfortable atmosphere to a great extent. both the op & ED are fantastic, the OP is comically edgy emo with main voice actors singing but the ED is beautifully haunting. it'll stay with you.
rotoscoping (which is used very well) aside the fantastic & quite eye pleasing part of this show is it's backgrounds. done by studio pablo they're rich in adding great volume and sombre atmosphere to the setting village. there are at times few visual cues reused which imo is great depiction of mundane elements of life & character's life.
in a nutshell this is a great anime title with limited exposure due to its art but also one of the shining pieces of anime this decade with its handling of teenage drama & angst. the source material (manga) by shuzo oshimi is fantastic in itself (and you'll sense it watching the anime) but the anime does a fine job of bringing this thriller in motion.
episode 13 is a sort of a teaser to manga/s2 but even without the first 12 episodes are fantastic in itself. as an anime i give it 9/10 overall but as a recommendation it's 10/10. if for nothing else check this anime out for episode 7 - which has one of the best moments in anime i've ever seen. incredibly powerful stuff.
and to top this review off - HANA GA SAITA YO.

" I want something genuine. "

* * * *
now, i know what you are thinking after reading that sypnosis. Another generic mediocre romcom, isn't it?
WRONG. Sure, the plot line is nothing new and it's just like most other LN's. So what sets it apart from other LN?
First, this is one of the most realistic LN out there (pretty rare).
And Mainly, the difference lies in characters.
Hikigaya, is, a loner. It's not like he wanted to be one, but he had some mental trauma from junior and middle school and other circumstances forced him to be one. He tries his best to distant himself from others. He ... tries to read between words. Plus, he has dead fish eyes that makes people not to approach him.
Then, he meets yukinoshita, she's a loner too but a complete opposite of 8man. Excellence at everything she does.
And then yui yuigahama. She's total opposite of 8man and yukinon. Popular, good looking and a nice personality who wants to get along with everyone.
These three make make up the service club.
The story moves along with the requests the service club gets.
Now most anime watchers say that Oregairu doesnt have a story, but, is that true?
It does have a story. It's a character driven story, and a good one at that. We see how Service club tries to solve the request they get.
Again, so what? What's so good about those requests?
NOTHING. The request are simple. What matters is how 8man solves it.
And more than that, we see the psychology aspects of high school students and the philosophy of today's society with those requests.
Hikki's view on other people, the society, is harsh. It's crude. (lets just say cynical, k?)

Yet, none of it is wrong. Instead, his view is so accurate that you cant even refute that. And it's thought provoking.
As i said, this LN is realistic, so even you, the reader, have to agree with his views even if you dont want to.
Hikki is called monster of logic. Why? Because he has a logic for everything.
Hikki's thoughts are contradictory. It's full of sofistry. Yet, you agree with him.
Yukino & yui, both try to solve the problems. But for some reason, 8man is the only one who solves it.
But his methods are not complementery.
Anime watchers, who saw those methods, said, " HIKIGAYA IS BADASS ".
But no, he's not. It's just that hikigaya doesnt have other options.
This series, has an amazing writing style and narration. You relate to the characters, you cheer for them, you feel sad with them.
The character development is also good, something you should look forward to.
The story, as I said, is character driven. There are plot twists, there are some sad moments, some cheerful moments, some satisfactory moments.
The art illustrations are good too. Especially the color illustions. Those are beautiful.
But hey, is this really a love comedy?
Yes and no. It's like 25% comedy, 10% romance. But the rest of it, is the reality described in a cruel way, harsh words.
Now, something about yukinoshita. She's an ideal student, but even she has her problems. She has a bad tongue, plus she's beautiful. Also she's a cat lover.
Makes her a good character.
Yuigahama, is someone relatable, for me personally. Someone cheery and who wants to get along with everyone. Reminds me of my highschool days.
The thing is. Every character, including side ones, are people you'll find around you. The atmostphere, is exactly like a high school.
It doesnt feel artificial or fictional, like most LN's in market.

About romance angle, it's there. Yui and yukino, both have shown an interest in hikki. (Plus 2 more characters, but that'd be spoiler)
and finally, a minor spoiler.
" I want something genuine. "
when hikki says that, he cries. The badass, cries. And at that moment, your heart warms up.
But what does hikigaya want? What is that genuine thing?
It's something you, the readers have to find out.
Overall score : 9/10
If you liked the anime, then you're gonna love this LN even more.

[Anime review : Golden time]

I'm just gonna keep it simple.

The MC-suffering from - "amnesia" concept has been done many times. Does Golden time offers something different? NO.

The story was more focused on characters. And it had good set of characters. But the characters always felt quite shallow. I never managed to relate to any characters throughout the series despite show's SOL and university setting.

Kouko, got the most noticable development in first 20 episodes. You can clearly see the change.
But in the last 4 eps all that development went to zero which just made me dislike her.
...
Side characters, felt like they were just there to fill the slot. We never got any insight on any of them.

Although when 2D kun & Linda were on screen it was fun to watch.

The ending tho, was the worst part of the show. It left me quite frustrated on how things turned out.

Also the ghost banri part, interesting but just turned out to be pointless.

As expected of J.C. Staff, the animation & OST were above avarage.

I managed to enjoy the show upto ep 20, but the last 4 eps weren't really upto my liking.

Overall, this is just one of those many romcoms you've watched. Golden Time doesnt manage to offer anything new OR better execution than the rest.

I'm just gonna give it a rating of 6/10, because I enjoyed the first 20 eps.

But Golden time wasnt really "Golden time" in enjoyment. (bad pun, I know)

Now, if you enjoy those avarage romcom shows and have some extra time, then give this a shot.
If you're looking for something good or different than usual, then just pass on this.

would I recommend this show to you? NO.

Ok. So this is one of my favorite light novel series out there so i thought of making a review for it.

It's still basically magic vs science, but in a better way than the previous series. TouMAN is here to punch girls in there faces yet again!

well so lets start with the review.
Story : as the previous Index series, this series is also a character driven story. The events happening in many protagonists lives are smoothly connected. Magic vs Science is here yet again and adds more crisp. The fight scenes are always a treat with both sides using brain & muscle to overcome each ... other. The story is well executed within it's full potential through out the series. 9/10
Narrative abilities :
Kamachi never fails to amaze us with the plot twists and his well written narration. Every volume has a different type of narration as various gimmicks, but it's all well written and executed with the events occuring. The point of view frequently changes between characters, so you get a good grasp of situations through different angles.
Especially volume 7 is my favorite. Heroes vs Heroes setting was simply mind blowing to read. 9/10.
Characters :
Strongest point of NT. It's filled with different types of characters. We have TOUMA, our usual protag. But then there's accelerator with his own probles about his killings, hamazura who despite being a target of killing for academy city but still living within the city and trying to live a happy life, misaka who's trying to get close to touma and much more.
The character developement Touma has got is especially remarkable. He's our typical hero, but he can be a little selfish too sometimes to save himself, right?
Same is applied to other characters, misaka, accelerator, hamazura, birdway all go through some developement of their own.
Othinus was best antogonist of the series. Her development was heartwarming to say the least.
I feel sorry for index though.
10/10
Art : good. This is added bonus with plenty of illustrations to add in your reading. It's good, it's there when necessary and it enhances the enjoyment as whole.
8/10
Enjoyment : this series is a collision of various ideolisms, philosophies and such. And it's presented in a complex way, so you enjoy it when you finally realise the concept of each characters motive. As i said, volume 7 is my favorite. Thousands of heroes fighting each other to save one girl but all in different way. And the way it was narrated was mind blowing. Same with volume 9. The emotional trauma of kamijou was so well written that you feel it yourself. I loved all settings and surprisingly every volume has a different setting and it's well executed in each. It was a great read put all together.
10/10.
Overall : 9/10.
Yeah, i really enjoyed it. It's nowhere near flawless but Every volume offered something different and i loved it all.
It all comes down to our own preferences, and this series pretty much satisfies me in every bit. This novel series is generic yet refreshing, complex yet simple and all.
I definately recommend this series to each & all of you. It's a great reading experience.
Maybe you wont like it as much as i do but it's definately worth a try.
I also suggest to read the previous series or watch the anime so you can enjoy this fully.
This review ends.