Review of A Place Further Than The Universe

this ain't a slice of life moeshit that takes place in antarctica. in fact, most of this damn show doesn't even take PLACE in antarctica. because this show isn't about antarctica, it's about the journey there and it's about the four girls bold enough to take that journey. and God, what a fucking fantastic journey it is. i'm utterly wracking my brain rn to think of any, ANY reason to give this show less than a 10. but all i'm remembering are these things: how the show can seamlessly slip from hilarious, gutbusting moeshit antics with standout performances by talented seiyuus to gutwrenching, sob like afucking BITCH moments that tear right into your soul

how the show's score should, by all means, be obnoxious and flagrant with how many add-in songs they had during serious moments, with how "cheesy" the orchestral pieces were, but is instead the PERFECT accompaniment to the show's biggest and most heartfelt moments

how the four protagonists are typical moeshit archetypes we've all seen before in various slice of life shows like k-on, love live, lucky star, etc, etc, but they only resemble and stay in those archetypal shells for one or two episodes max before shamelessly displaying their very human, and very real flaws that effortlessly tie into their motivation to keep going on this journey

how the journey itself is oh-so-perfectly paced, letting us really settle in with the four main girls and get to know them as people, as honest-to-god girls with problems all of us have dealt with, not rushing to get to the destination that the show is all about

how the animation is gorgeous and fluid without being too photorealistic or tryhard, and when the animation ramps up during certain moments, it really just turns into pure MAGIC (i fell in love with the show completely during a particular running scene that was just....God, it was magic)

how the show just deals with subtle real life problems HEAD-ON,

portraying the frustrating nuances of friendship and relationships,

the heartbreaking numbness of the inability to reach closure,

of the indescribable bond between friends who truly love each other,

of how life sometimes plops shit right into our laps, and no matter how fucking much we want to solve those things we cannot because we have other, bigger, more important things that we need to move onto

accepting the fact that bonds may fade and wane, and we may not be as close to our loved ones as we once were, but they are still our loved ones

and many, many more.

for a slice of life moeshit, i was just surprised at how much they were able to PACK into this thing, and for their efforts, nearly every, single, goddamn, fucking, episode either made me tear up, cry, or just straight up SOB, something an anime hasn't done to me since a certain admiral's death in Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

it accomplishes all of this without ever, EVER feeling like it was tonally jarring, or like it was out of left field, or like the pace is bogged down. everything ramps up slowly and subtly in each episode until these little time bombs have a spotlight to bask in, and we as an audience are just taken by the hearstrings to smile and cry at the same time like a bunch of clowns.

in short, after wracking my brain some more, i just CAN'T give this show lower than a 10. just like Soranowoto, this show takes moeshit to a whole new level, following tropes and conventions, but eventually transcending them and breaking into a new stratum of emotional resonance.

and just like Aria, this anime has the ability to heal, to make you take a good long look at yourself and your life and say, "yeah, thanks show. you're right, i can do this. i HAVE to do this."

the show captures the vitality and passion and determination of dreamers and of youth and of youthful dreamers, bottles it up, and feeds it to us in satisfying gulps until we're brimming, brimming, brimming with pure, cathartic emotion.

but at the end of the day, after not just watching, but EXPERIENCING this gorgeous journey, what the show does best, something this world and what i personally have needed for these past few dismal years, is this:

it gives us hope.

and if that doesn't constitute a 10/10 anime, i don't know what does.