Review of A Place Further Than The Universe

An outstanding anime like this comes once in a blue moon. The premise is so simple - four girls go to Antarctica - but who knew it would yield such beautifully crafted stories and characters? I find that some of the most truly astounding anime are those that you can't put a genre on. Is this comedy? Is this coming-of-age? Is this overcoming of tragedy? Is this slice of life? It's definitely all of these, but it's also not just about any one of these. With so many anime shows, the first episode is powerful, and that's about it. But episode after episode this show throws at youinteresting dialogue and clever direction. After 13 episodes, there is not one that I'd say is anything but the highest quality. No, it's not that the beginning and ending are strong: every episode is at least as good as the last. No, no other anime comes close.

In the most bittersweet heartwarming moments, you'll find the background music creep up on you. And you'll think, "Wow this scene is so beautiful, I didn't realize it a second ago because I was so absorbed, but this setting, this plot, these characters, this art, and this music tugging at my heartstrings - this absolute perfection - has been here all this time, and I love it."