Review of A Place Further Than The Universe

"In your face!" - Shirase Kobuchizawa Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is an anime one Shirase Kobuchizawa voiced by Kana Hanazawa wanting to go to Antarctica to find her mother, however not many people believe her, it's not until Mari Tamaki voiced by Inori Minase befriends her wanting something similar to what Shirase is trying do, in this case, wanting to do something spontaneous and doing something amazing for her youth, she joins Shirase in her endevours, soon Hinata Miyake voiced by Yuka Iguchi and Yuzuki Shirashi voiced by Saori Hayami joins in their adventure to Antarctica, all with their own baggage and goals they wantduring their journey to Antarctica.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is an MADHOUSE original anime and LA even saying that is something as Madhouse usually doesn't do original animes but even then the pedigree of an original anime such as the concept of high school girls wanting to go Antarctica seems plain, but man does Sora yori mo Tooi Basho give ALOT out for such a simple premise. If "Madhouse" and "original anime" doesn't ring in your head this isn't gonna be great, then you got another thing coming. Before LA goes more detail about Sora yori mo Tooi Basho, LA will say LA was hesitant in watching Sora yori mo Tooi Basho, sure LA heard TONS of hype behind this anime and even from Gigguk but after watching it, LA gets it and LA by all means...should've watched this sooner, yeah it's ANOTHER anime LA put off and waited too long before watching it, but now that LA has...LA missed out HARD for this one.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is the VERY character-centric anime, focusing on our main four high school students all with their reasonings and again baggage before and during their journey to Antarctica. Let's start off with the catalyst that started all of this, Shirase Kobuchizawa, she's your adorkable, but slightly arrogant but aloof character, her mother being an expedition member but having been missing for three years, because of this Shirase wants to go Antarctica is she's even alive, now she meets FIERCE resistant especially from Shirase's mother past expedition members, her classmates and the public in general towards her lofty goals but she's absolutely determined to go to Antarctica. Shirase is undoubtedly LA's favorite character in the anime, sure "Kana Hanazawa", but along with her comical one liners to her personality growing throughout this anime whilst growing her friendships with the core 4 helps immensely. Next is Hinata Miyake voiced by Yuka Iguchi, a genki, outgoing character who had some past troubles with her previous friends but wants to go to the expedition to Antarctica because she's got nothing better to do and she wants to stick it to her classmates that she's done amazing. Hinata and Shirase, relational-wise butts heads throughout the anime and both Hinata and Shirase in a ways gives the what they learned to each other in their "focal episodes" at times, makes sense since they have contrasting personalities. Up next is Yuzuki Shirashi voiced by Saori Hayami, a child actor with a managerial mother to her career. Yuzuki is your typical child actor archetype of "never had friends because of her career" and it's Tamaki that breaks this for Yuzuki and showing her that Tamaki, Shirase and Hinata ARE her best friends. Lastly as much as Shirase IS the main character, we also have Mari Tamaki viced by Inori Minase, the ditzy genki character who's trying to find purpose to her youth and although LA didn't really see her get "her own episode", she actually does when it concerns her friend of Megumi Takahashi voiced by Hisako Kanemoto, Tamaki is also the glue to their group as she helps all 3 with their problems one way or another, Yuzuki with her not understanding friendship, Tamaki was the first one to met Hinata and tried to help Hinata's problems and of course Tamaki was the first to reach out a hand to Shirase and go on the journey to Antarctica with her and gave Shirase moral support. She may of had no baggage in her past, her only baggage being Megumi before the journey to Antarctica, but because of that she became the pillar for the rest of the main cast.

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The minor characters gets their due, sure not in their own character focused episodes as that most goes to Hinata, Shirase, Yuzuki and Tamaki but we get to know them in the journey ALOT to the point LA knew what most of their quirks were. The main minor characters would go to Kanae Maekawa voiced by Yoko Hikasa and Gin Toudou voiced by Mamiko Noto being affiliated with Shirase's mother thus they have links to Shirase and were the one originally planning the civilian expedition. As a whole due to how Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is structured as a VERY character-centric focused anime, the characters and their development towards their journey to Antarctica is one of Sora yori mo Tooi Basho best strengths throughout the anime, considering everything the entire cast went through.

Because of the character-centric nature of Sora yori mo Tooi Basho, it's expected that the main four will butt heads at some points and cause a bit of drama, especially Hinata and Shirase but all the more they develop each other in times of butting heads and sure Sora yori mo Tooi Basho does give off a Family Unfriendly Aesop of "spite not always being a bad thing", in the case of both Hinata and especially Shirase, but all things withstanding especially with the main four, they develop each other, it's not just character-focused it's relational focused and Sora yori mo Tooi Basho buckles down on this. IN a ways it makes it that even though they fight, they are still friends, no best friends at the end of the day.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is also an informative anime about Antarctica as well as the basics of expeditions to it, considering how treacherous Antarctica is and this adds up as since they are high school students they wouldn't know this, but we more or less learn with them or if one of the characters knows it they talk about it in somewhat informative ways sprinkled with some comical or visual cues that makes the anime ease you in as it were.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho's animation done by Madhouse, well does LA even need to say and with this being an original anime, you KNOW Madhouse put their ALL into this anime, almost like someone from Madhouse like went through the same things in order to make it as realistic (in a ways) for the animation department. The character designs are very distinct so you can tell who's who but hanks to the voice actors, it makes it even easier anyways due to their verbal ticks but nonetheless the character designs are poppy, slightly realistic and their facial reactions are amazing to comical. The background work in Sora yori mo Tooi Basho was amazing not just them in Antarctica but the atmosphere in the many situations the main cast go through. Madhouse did it again what can LA say?

The voice cast, well LA just loved this voice cast especially, Inori Minase, Kana Hanazawa, Yuka Iguchi and Saori Hayami, almost like they've been friends since forever ago and it shows in their cadence and voice directions and quite easily all four of them deserves easy MVP's. There are other standouts like Mamiko Noto as Gin, Kanae as Yoko Hikasa and Hisako Kanemoto as Megumi Takahashi. LA just loved this voice cast.

LA wished LA watched Sora yori mo Tooi Basho sooner but now that LA had, LA will say this is easily one of LA's favourite slice of life animes in a while that LA can EASILY give it a 10/10 with almost no flaws to speak of and what flaws there are might as well be nitpicks, hell LA will say LA cried a couple of times, it was THAT good. Great characters, Great characters relationships, Great simple concept that was executed brilliantly thanks to it's characters, Great production value and it's just an amazingly done original anime done by Madhouse.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is an encapsulation of friendship, youth, going beyond the impossible and "the journey is better than the destination".

"In your face!"