May 25, 2024
A Place Further than the Universe Review – Spoiler Free
A Place Further than the Universe is not a simple cute girls doing cute things story, but a complex adventure of liberating yourself from the shackles of normality to do something impactful and memorable. It is a beautiful show that holds your hand while walking you through both the heartwarming and gut-wrenching experience of youth. By the end of every episode, you find yourself with tears streaming down your face but usually accompanied by a smile on your lips. It seamlessly moves between lighthearted comedy and cute interactions to emotionally heavy scenes but spends enough time
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on every single one to make them just as impactful as they need to be.
This show follows the story of four girls on their trip to Antarctica and all the laughs and tears along the way. While it is often referred to as “slice of life,” I find this description to be a disservice to a show like this, as it implies something normal and insignificant. This expedition may just be a small slice out of these girls’ lives, but it has an enormous impact on not only the lives of the characters, but on the viewers’ as well. We are first introduced to the main character, Tamari, who feels weighed down by her mundane life and feels the need to do something epic. This opportunity comes along in the form of Shirase, who has been working to save enough money to venture to Antarctica ever since her mom was lost there years ago. These two eventually also meet Hinata and Yuzuki, who join them on the expedition for various reasons of their own. They experience many difficulties from the moment they decide to go on this trip, and at many stages it looks like it may never happen. However, after a lot of work and perseverance, they are able to make the trip happen.
Where this show truly shines is with its characters and relationships. A Place Further than the Universe, at its core, is a character driven show, with each of the main cast carefully distinguished with unique personalities, desires, strengths, and weaknesses. Their personalities are what makes this a truly enjoyable show to experience, and their weaknesses are what lead to perfectly executed character development. In only 13 episodes, each of the main cast experiences meaningful and convincing growth through their battles with things like grief, anxiety, rejection and the inability to fit in. The four girls help each other through these battles when they can and leave each other alone when necessary. At the end of it all, these girls have successfully navigated and closed an important chapter in their youths, coming out on the other side more confident, mature, and experienced.
Studio Madhouse is a very popular name in the industry for a good reason, and A Place Further than the Universe is another feather in their cap. The animation and visuals of this show are spectacular. For a show about an expedition to one of the most secluded places on Earth, we rightfully get beautiful scenery that is very eye catching. On top of that, the animation, specifically to bring out the emotions of the characters, is near perfect and the framing and directing further accentuates the epicness of this adventure.
Although the OST doesn’t have any songs that are going to win awards, each one is perfectly written for the tone of the scene it is being used in. For a show that needs to move through a variety of emotions, each song of the soundtrack matches the atmosphere flawlessly and amplifies the viewer’s experience. The OP along with the ED are amazing. “The Girls are Alright!” perfectly encapsulates the feelings of the “call to adventure” and visuals of the opening are well executed to introduce the main cast and their personalities. “Kokokara, Kokokara” is a phenomenal ending song that evokes a beautiful sense of bittersweet melancholy which complements the bow that is placed on each nicely wrapped up episode.
A Place Further than the Universe also has a part of it that is just indescribable. It is something that can only be experienced for yourself to understand the true quality and allure of the show. I don’t think there is any adequate amount of writing that can be done to fully quantify the impact or level of enjoyment that this show has and what makes it a masterpiece.
Overall: 10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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