Review of A Place Further Than The Universe

Following the journey of four girls to Antarctica, this anime presents a series of well-executed episodes that celebrate adventure, growth, honesty to oneself and above all, friendship. It's a pure and energetic story of youth without disregarding the difficulties of this lifestage. For me, the most lasting impact of this anime will be the characters. Relatable, loveable and by no means perfect, each of them have something of their own to teach each other and you get to see the growth of their friendship. The love they have for each other is really infectious :3 I really admired the execution of each episode - pacing, humour,and emotion of the anime were en pointe; they moved me to tears on multiple occasions. Much applause for the storyboard and animation. The realism was very appropriate for the setting, but it's also well incorporated into the plot and character development.

The OP and ED are pretty good too. The only drawback would be that the overarching plot of going to Antarctica was a bit weak, but with so many good and diverse moments and characters throughout the anime, it doesn't take away from the overall experience.

EDIT: The OP and ED gets better every time I listen to them - they're hidden gems alright :)