Review of A Place Further Than The Universe
Slice of life ist not my cup of tea but hey this anime is actually pretty good! Characters: The first thing that gets apparent is that all 4 girls are outsiders but in a way in which they are very distinct from each other. And while they where sadly hit by the "16 year old girl that acts like a 6 year old" syndrome I still have to commend the pretty realistic depiction of societal isolation and their effects. The point tho is to make them as relatable as possible to other introverted teenage girls - which is not necessarily bad! - Mari Tamaki, the main maingirl is also the most uninteresting one from the cast somehow, with shirase feeling way more like the focus of the series. Her purpose in the story (besides doing fun fun stuff) is to be like the emotional support for the rest of the group - which is nice but just doesn't make her character that compeling stand alone.
-Shiraze Kobuchiwasa on the other hand has a lot more to offer. She is a shy introvert that sometimes goes girlboss mode. And I think her emotions getting revealed more and more throughout the series make her character the most interesting to follow.
-Hinata Miyaka is probably my fav character. Being the funniest and most adult in terms of social situations (which also makes her the most consistent girl) makes her the most pleasent character to watch.
-Yuzuki Shiraishi is a character that pops off for a episode and then it kinda feels like she is backlined again... but for her active time she is pretty funny!
Story/Presentation(?): So yeah 4 high schools girls want to go to antarctica.. although it's the journey, the motivation of the individual characters and the relationship building that really matter! Regarding that, the relationships feel natural and the motivations are all explored very nicely. Humor also plays a big role - earlier being more of a hit or miss but getting better later on.
The episodes are always structured in what I would see as 3 Parts:
1. Funny fun girly adventures (where often problems get teased)
2. Now the drama gets going!
3. Drama ends and everything is cute again
Now. The problem I have is that I usually don't find the first part particularly interesting. It feels like a friendship simulator where the watcher can project themself in - which is nice for certain people for sure - just not for me.
The part where the show really shines is after the first part. The way the show treats social problems is really good and It's super fun and often heartwarming (I shed two or three tears) to see the girls solve them together.
Visuals: Not anything special but Bright, Colorful and good looking! Especially when the girls are exploring the environment the animation really makes me appreciate the prettyness of those things
Music: While nothing I would listen to in private the show uses it perfectly in emotional moments to boost the scene even more
Fazit: For me slice of life was not that interesting - But oh boy let me tell that if you are a introverted teenage girl I have found THE perfect show for you! And if you are not in that mentioned group you will maybe like the drama and hopefully the slice of life part more than me. Still overall it did more things good!