A Place Further Than the Universe Review

“I’ll go, then rub it in the faces of everyone who said I couldn’t.”

IMDb

A Place Further Than the Universe is a 2018 Japanese anime series directed by Atsuko Ishizuka and written by Jukki Hanada. The series follows Mari Tamaki, a high school student who wants to live out her youth to the fullest but is often too scared to do so. This all changes when Mari sees a girl running who in a hurry drops one million yen in front of her. Mari knows that the girl is at her school and eventually finds her and brings the money back to her for which the girl who dropped it becomes extremely grateful. She introduces herself as Shirase Kobuchizawa and Shirase tells Mari about her plan to head to Antarctica. Mari becomes impressed and decides that she wants to pursue this journey with Shirase and together the two work together to make their dream a reality. On the way through luck and coincidence, Mari and Shirase are joined by two other girls who want to go to Antarctica too, Hinata Miyake and Yuzuki Shiraishi and together they join an expedition to head to Antarctica.

Netflix

A Journey into the Unknown

There's something extremely interesting about the premise of A Place Further Than the Universe. Antarctica is such a dangerous and uncharted place yet it's beautiful and intriguing. It's not a place that's mentioned a lot and it's otherworldly. The series has so much more going on than your standard typical cute girls doing cute things premise and every single episode feels like a brand new adventure that needs to be explored. The pacing of this show is incredible. Every episode falls perfectly into place and each one is necessary and fast enough to keep the plot moving but they also have enough time to branch out the characters and give them meaningful interactions. You care about these girls and the journey they go on because they all have extremely likable and complex personalities but also because they feel very human and have distinct reasons for going to Antarctica. You really feel like you are with these characters on the way to Antarctica. As each episode ends they solve any problem they may face through their teamwork and it's through this that it also strengthens their friendship.

IMDb

The Girls Are Alright!

The characters in A Place Further Than the Universe are wonderful. The four main characters are very relatable and work off of each other extremely well. Each girl has a different and unique character arc that gets fulfilled and resolved by the end of the series. Mari is a normal high school girl who wants to make the most out of her youth and decides that the trip to Antarctica is the best chance to find what she's looking for before it's too late. She's the heart of the series and even though she can be a bit oblivious at times, her loyalty, kindness, goofiness, and friendly personality make her more than up for it as she is always there for her friends. Her goal is heavily relatable and she stays as an extremely compelling person who sticks to her kind morals present all throughout the series.

Study Breaks Magazine

Shirase is the leader of the group and has the most personal reason to want to go to Antarctica. Shirase's goal is to get closure on her mother who wasn't found on a previous Antarctic expedition that she went on. Shirase is cool-mannered and determined but is also awkward and camera shy and learns throughout the show how to open up more. She knows how to be caring to all of her friends as she proves time and time again to the other three girls that she loves them and would do anything for them. Most people ridicule her, call her names and say she won't make it to Antarctica and while that angers her it also fuels her even more so to prove to the people that doubt her to be wrong and that she can make her dream come true. Shirase's persistence is inspiring and she's really a daring, amazing, and compassionate leader who even has a deep love for penguins.

Crunchyroll

Hinata is very energetic and provides a lot of cheer and spirit to the group but also has her own share of problems that she chooses not to reveal too much. She does her best to stay positive even in the most stressful times such as her losing her passport and often hides any pain she could be dealing with through a smile. Her reason for going to Antarctica is similar to Mari's as she too wants to do something exciting and incredible before heading to college. She dropped out of high school for personal reasons revealed later and has a distrust of people who act too considerate towards her. Even though she's goofy at times she proves to have a lot of wisdom and acts very mature around her friends as she tries to learn throughout the show how to rely on people more.

IMDb

The final girl is Yuzuki who is a celebrity who helps the other girls complete their trip to Antarctica. Yuzuki acts as the straight man of the group having a polite and more reserved personality while also being expressive and grateful. Yuzuki is a character who goes to Antarctica for her scheduled shoot but really wants to make new friends and learn what it even means to have friends as prior to this her work as a child actress never gave her the chance to make any friends of her own before. She helps the girls with interviews as she is a professional speaker and Yuzuki grows more happy and grateful for the love and experiences she's received from the other girls. She acts as the emotional core of the series and needs to learn what the meaning of friendship really is through her journey.

IMDb

Scenarios and Scenery

The scenarios and episodes in A Place Further Than the Universe all differ from each other and each individual part feels like a new step of the journey. From the girls going to see the beauty of Singapore to them having seasickness on their longest boat ride, every new thing the girls experience is interesting and enjoyable. You really feel like you are there beside them experiencing all of the things they are as all the aspects of the four girls trying to get to Antarctica are just as interesting as being in the Arctic itself. The visuals and shot composition also help convey the sense of something new and exciting. An example is the chase scene in episode two which captures the feeling of youth and the pure adrenaline that it emits as the girls are running through the night. It also conveys that Mari's life and journey are now in motion and that she can do more for herself and for others than she originally thought she could. The visuals are also breathtaking and the environments are even used for comedic aspects of the show.

IMDb

A Place Further Than the Universe

A Place Further Than the Universe is really something special. Not only is it a masterclass in character development, storytelling, comedy, and emotion but it's also an inspiring experience on how to pursue your dreams and tackle any obstacle. It never wastes any time and tells a beautiful story from beginning to end. There is nothing to cut out or even complain about here as every scene is necessary and every character gets development and resolution. By the end, everything wraps up beautifully and you really feel like you were there with the girls on their long and rewarding journey. There is sadness when the experience ends but as the girls say:

IMDb

"We'll Go On Another Journey Someday!!!!"