Review of A Place Further Than The Universe
Once in a while, you come across a work of art that changes your outlook on life in a way or another. I didn't expect it to be a moe anime this time, but A Place Further than the Universe totally took me by surprise. While the story isn't incredibly complex, it meshes the main cast's personal arcs with the main purpose of their adventure - finding the place where the crew had previously lost contact with Shirase's mom - very well. Being more or less a slice of life story, there isn't much plot to this show once they make it to Antarctica, but whatis there is executed on brilliantly. Moreover, the beginning of the story, where a lot of the conflict happens, is solid. The inner conflicts and difficulties encountered by the cast kept me interested and charmed the whole way through!
As for the art, the main four characters' designs are simple but of great quality; the rest of the cast also has good designs, complimented by solid animation and some of the truest-to-life, contagious facial expressions I've seen in anime. The background art is breathtaking for the whole show, from the bustling city to the snowy plains of Antarctica. All of these qualities help get immersed in the show completely!
Let's not forget the show's top tier voice acting, making the viewer empathize with the characters and helping make them true to life. The soundtrack is also always fitting and sweet, if a bit repetitive at times. I always looked forward to the OP putting me in the right mindset for the next episode, and I've had the ED stuck in my head for days. All in all, the sound design is fantastic and helps sell the reality of what the cast goes through.
The characters themselves are the best aspect of A Place Further than the Universe. The characters' interactions are beautifully crafted and charming, and each of them have very human, very real personalities that mesh incredibly well with each other. Their different troubles back home and reasons to go as far as Antarctica to work on them, or get away from them, were all used in a great way to develop the characters during the whole show. Viewers are bound to relate to at least one of the four girls' difficulties and personality, and even when it's not the case, we're made to care about what happens to them. I've yet to come across a more wholly interesting cast in an anime.
When it comes down to it, A Place Further than the Universe is a relatable, charming and wholesome adventure. At the same time, the themes brought up in the show - adulthood, friendship, grief, trust, living in the moment and the importance of people over material things will resonate with many. It's made me rethink a lot about how I live - and I'm ready to turn "I'll do it someday" into "Today, I'm doing it".