Review of A Place Further Than The Universe

No Spoilers APFU used instead of full title. APFU is a unique show. One that stands out from the crowd during a crowed 2017-2018 year of excellent shows. APFU is done by studio Madhouse. Madhouse is well known for a special kind of visual presentation, characters over a more realistic background. That style is found here as well. The basic synopsis is that four girls around age 16 travel to Antarctica. Personally, I thought this show would be a cheesy slice of life cute girl show that blended into the background. The premise of Antarctica did not appeal to me on any level. I've seen plenty of DavidAttenborough documentaries and felt I already knew enough about the continent. Combining these factors, APFU was far down on my watch-list. It could be said it wasn't on my list at all. To be very honest, after seeing the poster and reading the synopsis, I made APFU the butt of some of my jokes. Using it analogously to bash other boring cookie cutter slice of life shows. Turns out, I was wrong.

I'd like to start my review talking about the visual aspect. Madhouse's style has honestly never had a home like this one. I've tried to imagine this show done by other studios and I have a hard time imagining anyone else doing this correctly. It's not a far reach to say this is artistic. The portrayal of Antarctica really stands out. The sky and landscape is incredibly beautiful. It's easy to think they could have given us basic white backgrounds throughout but instead they made the landscape feel special, without portraying it as unrealistic. The backgrounds are most beautiful during certain key scenes, and they build up to that background without suddenly having a major change. They seamlessly transition in and don't distract from the moment. The character artwork is also special for a “cute girls” show. They aren't made to be especially cute or beautiful. The hairstyles are especially different from the mainstream. They are borderline unattractive. This makes the characters feel much more like real people instead of idealistic teenagers. It is easy to know who is who without pink or blue hair. The only issue I ever had was precisely picking out who was who when they were in full arctic face-masks. Usually this was only for a brief moment before context was given to who was who. Overall, the show gave of an almost movie like vibe in the visual department. Undeniable quality, absolute excellence.

Moving into the sound department, I wasn't ever particularly impressed with the opening or ending music. This really was one of the only areas I can imagine being improved on. Things take a drastic Tokyo Drift style turn when going into the sound track of the episodes. Effect quality is excellent. It's realistic and not distracting. The voice actors (sub) do an amazing job letting their words carry the weight of their emotions. It's not worth spending time on these these two aspects as they completely accomplish their goal. They don't take away from the viewer's sense of belief or immersion. The highlight of this anime's sound is the musical sound track played during the episodes. A great utilization of silence helps add weight when needed, and the music balances perfectly to not overshadow anything key. The most stand out piece is played during “the moment”. It plays through the credits and gains prominence over the scene and absolutely pushes “the moment” to the peak climax. The play in, the volumes, and the piece itself embarrass other soundtracks throughout all of anime. Credit to the director and other producers for absolutely hitting a home run in “the moment”. If I have any issue with it, it's that is overshadows a lot of other pieces used in this show.

“The moment” I've referenced will be covered in this portion of the review, the story. It's made obvious by the Visuals and the OP that the girls will be adventuring to Antarctica. However, even if it sounds cliche, this story is about the journey, not the destination. The story goes to show that this isn't a casual trip you buy a ticket for. It is an absolutely epic journey with mind boggling logistics and challenges. This gave me almost a feeling of personal regret, or a sense of missing out. The girls are not particularly strong or experienced, but are able to manage this incredible feat. While I am no expert in the art of Antarctic exploration, I feel it gave an amazing and realistic version of what it is to journey to somewhere as remote and demanding as Antarctica. Each of the four girls also had a unique reason for taking the journey. Each reason resonates and grows clearer as the show progresses. The ideas are not forced out with no reason. They appear straightforward enough but become exponentially more complex and emotional as the series progresses. Some of these ideals are incredibly relatable to most viewers, while some are more obscure. The reasons that are less relatable are key to the series as it helps the audience to understand the actions taken by people that are often misunderstood. APFU takes on some more complex motives through these less common situations. One of the characters motives is more prominent than the others. APFU takes this motive throughout the story to build to “the moment”. What makes it exceptional is it's build up. Normally an anime wants to deliver it's feels and thrills the same way a jet fuel drag car takes off. They press the pedal to the floor and keep it there delivering the package instantly. Shows like Attack on Titan use that method often. Shock factor. APFU is more like a Bugatti slowly setting off on a salt flats speed run. Quiet and comfortable all the way to top speed, where the realization of 250+mph sets in. Every piece beforehand is meticulously crafted to leave just enough mystery. The show does an excellent job not foreshadowing exactly what “the moment” will be, while letting the audience know it's coming. “The moment” itself is special in it's delivery. It brings an unparalleled realism to an emotional moment. The scene is not overly drawn out, in fact lasting only a couple of moments. As a viewer I keep thinking I had reached the moment during the episode just to find it was the final few “mph” before top speed. Once we are finally met with it, it's one of the most choking and emotional scenes in anime. As good as or better than Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Your Lie in April, at delivering the feel to the viewer. This moment is one that left me froze in place with a strange sensation and truthfully, even at this point I want prepared for something done so well. “The moment” was made possible also in part thanks to incredibly well handled pacing. 13 episodes was the perfect amount, and there were no major slowdowns. Everything was 'just enough’.

Overall this anime is almost a 10 in my book. It's nothing short of a masterpiece. In my opinion, it's universally applicable. Something I'd recommend for fans of any anime. I can even see this as an anime I would recommend to someone not familiar with anime at all. I'll revisit this review in the future before and after a re-watch, but I can foresee myself scoring it the same. Considering this was a show I didn't think I would enjoy at all, I'm admitting I was wrong. A case of judging a book by the cover. A Place Farther than the Universe is a must see.