Review of A Place Further Than The Universe
Are you a fan of the oft maligned cgdct (cute girls doing cute things) genre? Or do you think it's ruining anime? It doesn't matter, because A Place Further than the Universe takes a standard lighthearted slice of life formula and infuses it with narrative momentum and heart wrenching emotion in a way that keeps the fun spirit and character interactions standard to the genre while also having a strong plot driven structure that wards of the narrative stagnation that usually puts me off similar shows. The plot begins when Mari, a high school senior who feels she needs to do something with her life, runsinto Shirase, a student at the same school who has been obsessed with finding a way to travel to Antarctica after her mother died on an expedition to the continent many years ago. Thus starts a journey of bonding, struggling, traveling, and eventually reaching and staying in that frigid continent. Along the way they pick up Hinata and Yuzuki, two other girls who end up becoming friends with them and joining them on their journey.
As with many other shows that heavily focus on the interactions of a group of friends, a lot rides on these characters and their relationships. Fortunately, the show pulls this off excellently. Each of the four characters is unique (both from each other and from genre cliches), interesting, multifaceted, and get their own development over the course of the show. One of the things that's done particularly well is the development of their friendship. When the show starts off none of these four know each other, and while they quickly become close friends their interactions don't feel like they've suddenly turned into lifelong pals, instead we see them progressively growing closer together over the course of the show, punctuated with very human and well executed rough spots where they don't quite see eye to eye.
A previously mentioned, the show has a strong narrative pull that leads the characters from scenario to scenario as they try to accomplish the ultimate goal of the series. This keeps things fresh and interesting, as well as providing a ton of unique locations and scenarios to put the characters into (e.g. survival training, Singapore, seasick on a boat, etc.) that allows for really cool moments and character dynamics.
The art direction is also pretty darn good, although I admit that I'm not 100% a fan of the character style, which often seem just a tiny bit on the rough side for me. Music is also good, with some great insert songs to punctuate emotional moments, although these are soured by the same couple of songs being repeated across multiple episodes's climatic scenes. Overall, every element of the show is really well executed, although not perfect, presenting a show that's enjoyable, emotional, exciting, and just all around a solid 8 or 9 out of 10...
...Is what I would say if it wasn't for the second to last episode. Oh my god what a moment. Like the characters, we the audience have been so caught up in rooting for and following the main group's struggle and eventual success in their goal we forgot why they originally wanted to come to Antarctica. Shirase's mom. Once we get to Antarctica this fact can no longer be pushed to the side, and we see Shirase is struggling as she's forced to come to terms with the fact that she really is in Antarctica, but hasn't gotten the emotional catharsis she thought it would bring - so now what? Then, after some buildup, the show presents one of the saddest and most strangely relatable moments I've ever seen as all of these pent up emotions come crashing down.
It uses a plot device just unexpected enough to seem like something that could really happen to shed light on how Shirase's has been continuously struggling with her loss, even when it seemed to everyone else she had gotten over it, and provides a moment of emotional catharsis that hits you (and her) right in the gut. Her mom isn't coming back. And you're probably bawling on the floor. While I admit some shows can make me teary eyed with relative ease, this is the only piece of media that has legitimately made me ugly cry. This moment elevates the already superb execution of the show into an absolute must watch, especially if you need a strong hit of some of that sad stuff. Only downside is that the actual final episode seems a little tacked on after such a well executed climax, but it does provide some good wrap up to the plot that might have felt missing otherwise.