Sora yori mo Tooi Basho

A decent cast with a unique plot that was unfortunately weighed down with pointless pseudo-drama and overstuffed with cuteness. Anyone watching this show expects a cuteness overload and plenty of slice-of-nothing-happens, which is completely fine if done properly. However; A Place Farther than the Universe reaches for something more complex and story-driven, but falls short on delivering any engaging drama.

The story and genre are at odds with each other; it strives to have dramatic tension between characters, but also wants to beat you over the head with cuteness and positivity. The result is a boatload of forced drama caused by characters being too nice to ... eachother, or some external event which conveniently soaks up all the blame, which gets resolved in 10 minutes and has no effect on the overall story or characters. Afterwards, one of the characters will recite platitudes about how "the world is filled with people living their lives" or "you just have to try your best and see what happens!"

The show isn't without its strengths: the characters are genuinely likeable, though impossibly naive, and the plot - however thin - is real enough to keep the show focused. The friendship of the main characters feels organic and justified, and the different dynamics between each character are consistently entertaining.

It fails with its weak conflicts and generally slow pacing. There are way too many obstacles on the road to Antarctica that come out of nowhere and amount to nothing, while the major dramatic plots are too simple and predictable. There's too many preachy moments of characters waxing philosophically on mind-numbingly generic life advice, and there's also a consistent undercurrent of sexuality that betrays the innocence of the show, with highly-animated boob physics and lots of "generous" camera angles... which comes off as a bit cheap and manipulative for a show that tries so hard to project an image of pureness and good.

In all, it's not a bad slice-of-life show and it delivers on cuteness and some genuine bonding moments, but the dramatic elements that supposedly elevate the series to something more than just an episodic SoL are just too bland and heavy-handed to take seriously.

A problem called The Main Heroine.

Ever since its debut back in winter 2018, it is as if A Place Further Than The Universe had been heralded as the K-On! of the new generation. Thanks to its adventurous narrative, a slew of engaging characters, emotional depth equivalent of Departures (so far the only Oscar-winning Japanese live-action film), and breathtaking art, I personally would not understate the impact this anime had generated for this generation of otaku. This phenomenon truly reminded me of when K-On! first took off: causing a huge shift in paradigm due to its fresh take on the genre and the music that could ... actually cross over the radio.

Unfortunately, after further analysis, I had come to realize that A Place Further Than The Universe and K-On! might be too far alike. Of course, we all know what happened with K-On! as it slowly hit its shelf life. In this industry, nothing is more terrifying than being labelled "overrated". More terrifying so, both anime became as such due to one very similar and very specific problem: the main heroine herself.

A Place Further Than The Universe was this close to be The Better K-On! The insane narrative creativity aside, the character ensemble is ALMOST to die for. Shirase is a girl on a mission, Hinata is a teen hippie looking for a purpose, and Yuzuki is an ordinary girl who just happens to live in an extraordinary (and suffocating) world. Together they would embark on an adventure to Antartica! That's gold no matter how one looks at it-- but wait the minute! There's the main heroine, Tamaki Mari, who JUST HAS TO BE the identical twin of Hirasawa Yui (currently placed as the waibu all otaku are planning to divorce). It was this close for A Place Further Than The Universe from being the new classic, but why did Madhouse have the feel to put the clumsy maiden as the emotional center for a larger-than-life adventure? Ironic enough, Tamaki Mari is just too small of a heroine to be the center of this narrative's universe.

The old saying is always right: an anime is only as good as the hero/heroine. Thanks to Kurosaki Ichigo, BLEACH is still adored worldwide regardless of decline in narrative quality. Thanks to Monkey D. Luffy, ONE PIECE is still attracting worldwide followers regardless of overstaying its welcome. You can paint the south pole as magical as you want, but the main issue is not the big block of ice-- it's the dummy that is stepping all over it.

#felixlovesanime

At this point I have accepted that most anime is just clickbait. Sora yori mo Tooi Basho brings you in with the promise of an Antarctica trip then serves you with a steaming pile of typical Slice of Life/Drama. After two brilliant episodes which gets you all riled up to watch an exhilarating show with adventure, realistic emotions and strong female characters all you do for the remaining 10 episodes is keep waiting for the aforementioned things which rarely make it into the story. The wonder and excitement of the girls though, keep the show the watchable enough to actually finish.

Tooi Basho sports a ... brilliant premise and equally interesting characters that are nuanced and multifaceted. Finally I found an anime where teenage girls are allowed to stay teenage girls and not turned into comedic, sexual or shounen stereotypes. It also accurately portrays the various kinds of "characters" found on research teams, and how they are also normal people with desires, issues and idiosyncrasies. The best thing about the series is the abundance of female role models it provides- from the smart and determined Todou Gin to the subtle and sensitive Kanae to the roguish and hardworking Yumiko to the mature and charismatic Tamaki's mom to the relentless dreamer Takako. At the cost of sounding like a lolicon I am gonna add that Hinata, Shirase and Tamaki are also perfect! Hinata is probably my all time favourite anime girl. I just wish she could have had a different name than the superbly idiotic and useless wife of Naruto.

Where the show goes wrong is that it focuses only on the 4 girls, and by only I mean ONLY, so much so that it compromises heavily with basic logic like the girls going to Singapore and then Fremantle with zero adult supervision (remember 3 of them had never set foot on a plane or in a foreign country before), or Yuzuki's mom trusting the amateur Hinata with the camerawork rather than sending a professional photographer cum caretaker. Almost every plot point is a serendipitous deus ex machina which calls into the question the sincerity of the writers. Large chunks of the girls' approval and preparation have been cut off including getting the consent of the families, or the rigorous pre-expedition training, or how exactly Shirase amassed a million yen only through part time jobs. Does this mean that the show has glossed over mundane everyday stuff to quickly get into the adventure? Nope. Entire episodes are dedicated to boring, unnecessary subplots of Tamaki and Megu's goodbye, Hinata misplacing her passport, the crew preparing to leave and the girls getting through sea-sickness, all of which reach melodramatic conclusions. Nobody gets over sea-sickness in a single evening simply by willpower you idiots!

As the episodic nature of the narrative gets more and more prominent the story starts getting increasingly predictable and the character interactions one-dimensional. It reaches its monotonous zenith with three back-to-back episodes dealing with each of the girl's issues, all of them as animeish as it gets. These goal oriented episodes add nothing to the story or the characters. Had they spread these issues throughout the series along with a steadily progressing story it would have worked so much better. By the way, we never even get a clue regarding Hinata's family or Shirase's dad or basically anything that doesn't require at least one of the girls to be plastered smack dab at the centre of the screen. The only exception is Shirase's mom's story which, needless to say, is any shounen protagonist backstory.

Now let's get to the Antarctica bit. Not only do they take 9 episodes to reach Antarctica in a 13 episodes series they fill those 4 precious episodes with teenage melodrama rather than experiences that couldn't have happened anywhere else in the world! Talk about wasted potential. And no, a few glimpses of the Aurora Australis doesn't count. This, after all the hype of how exciting a trip to Antarctica might be with the opening song continuously teasing of the boundless adventures in Antarctica. So was it about the reaching and not exactly about Antarctica itself? Nope again. They did not care to show the preparations of the expedition organizers, or the trials faced along the way. Neither did the show involve itself with any kind of maturation of the girls that doesn't involve interpersonal attachments. Apparently interested in Astronomy research the crew is never seen to actually engage in any of it or even talk about it. The girls' interactions and bonding with the crew, which could have produced outstanding drama and deep character explorations, have only been hinted at without any real consideration. Brilliant characters done in my immature storytelling.

Episode 12 though handsomely rewards you for sitting through this tedious series. Watching the girls frantically search the base for signs of Tamako tugs at your heartstrings like no other. Finding the laptop, Shirase's hesitation, her turning the laptop on with the girls huddling together outside is top tier drama. After sitting strong through the Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 ending I didn't expect Shirase's story to affect me this much, but it did, and I LOVED EVERY LAST FRAME OF IT. Add to that the last email with the photo of the aurora as Shirase looks at the real one mumbling "I know, Mom" and you have me fighting back tears. Nothing could ruin the series anymore, not even Shirase's stupid goodbye speech or the bizarre event of Megu visiting the Arctic Circle.

Finally, Sora yori mo Tooi Basho is a series that might have had good intentions but could not live up to it. Despite the ending redeeming the show it still remains an average slice of life anime with rare moments of brilliance (by episode 8 I had started suspecting that we'll never reach Antarctica). Kudos to the creators for the unique premise and plethora of female role models. The visual style though, messes with you a bit when you know it is an international expedition and the characters look anything but Japanese; makes it hard to relate to the real world. It remains what most films and series remain: "could have been much better but isn't."

Story (6/10):

For me, the story had a good concept. It was interesting that these girls all had different reasons for wanting to grow, for wanting to go to Antarctica, but... I don't know. The story wasn't exactly BAD per say, but it felt like it was taking too long to reach the point. I stopped on episode 4 and it still seemed like they were nowhere close to reaching Antarctica. I'm not saying it needs to be simple but... I don't know, I just felt like it wasn't interesting at all to me as I kept watching.

Art (9/10):

The art itself, I must admit, is quite ... pleasing to look at. It's a soft art style but it's really appealing to my eye. I think it was one of the things I better liked about the anime.

Sound (5/10):

I really don't have much to say about it other than "eh." None of the tracks were really interesting to me regardless. Not necessarily bad, but not music that I care enough about to listen to consistently.

Character (7/10):

The characters were entertaining enough and I enjoyed seeing them laugh and interact and I thought they were pretty cute. I like how they all had their own issues and aspirations and are unique in every way. I wasn't particularly attached to them in a way that I could rate this higher than a 7 though.

Enjoyment (6/10):

As I said before about the story, it wasn't necessarily bad, but it didn't grab me in the way that it grabbed others. To be honest, I started this on a whim because MANY people told me they loved it and recommended it and I thought that maybe I should stop being hard on it and give it a try. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I thought it would. It just isn't really my type of show at the end of the day.

Overall (6/10):

I seem to be the odd one out in this one with one of the lower ratings on the series. I don't necessarily think it's bad, but I don't think it's anything even remotely close to a masterpiece, nor did I think it was worth continuing. That said, I would still suggest this to someone else because it seems like more people liked it than disliked it like myself. I just have never particularly been one for this type of anime and I knew that going in, but thought I would at least try it like many others recommended to me.

Honestly i didnt think this anime would amount to much, but after a year or so seeing such high rating i decided to give it a try finally.... and oh boy i got exactly what i thought it would be... an average anime with no major "feels" moments, no action basically no anything in particular...

I have no idea how this anime got so high ratings, its not really a comedy since there is nothing funny there like not even basic jokes or basic funny moment attempts, the drama starts decent, you think it will develop more, but nope stays on that level and slowly fades ... away near the end...
The adventure isnt much of an adventure as well, i mean this anime had potential especially for the antartic part but ironically even though that was the whole point of this anime it showed there even less than when they were home.

Overall disappointing anime, only watch it if you got nothing else to do, then its good for killing time, or if you want a bit of cozy/comfy atmosphere...

6/10

A great anime for the characters, story, animation and philosophy but bad or even dangerous about security and practical stuff for a month-long expedition in harsh conditions.
I enjoyed watching this anime. The main characters are well developed, the animation is great, the story is simple but nice to follow and the philosophy and hardship the characters go through are engaging.
Unfortunately there were several episodes around the middle of the anime that took me out of it because it was not believable. I don't know if it's because of japanese culture or if they didn't know or want to add this into the anime but all ... the practical stuff and security about the expedition is greatly missing. The main characters are 4 girls of 16 and 17 years old and even though they really are invested in the expedition nobody warns or informs them about its difficulties. Their parents don't help them and the only moments where they may have received information are with the document about the expedition and the 2-days stage but as a viewer we never know what's in it. And as they discover nearly everything along the story and their difficulties we can only assume they didn't know much.

Story: 6/10

Its about cute girls doinh cute things or to be precisly its about our 4 main Characters that have the same goal that is to travel to antarctica. And on the way there they go through lots of struggle. i like adventure themed Storys.
Its about Friendship and overcoming your own Fears which they displayed very well. it did had lasting impressions. i will always rember a place further than the universe as this show where our Maincast went to Antarctica. I kinda whised that they would do more with the plot, which was a little dissapointing.

Character: 7/10

Each one of our Main Character gets ... Development and their Friendships strenghtens in the process. i hoped alot more from the adult characters. Most of them were bland as hell and forgetable. i liked the interactions of the maincast. it was lovely and dynamic and just fun to watch.

Animation: 7/10

The Visuals by Madhouse was very colorful and bright. each character design was different from eachother. There wasnt any crazy fluid Animation no, every episode was kept evenly. There was some CGI used for the Ship which was good.

Sound: 5/10

Opening was fitting for this show. Ending was forgetable and also the ost leaves much to be desired.

Enjoyment: 6/10

It was quiet a fun ride. the characters were lovely and adorable. Sound was okay.

Overall: 6.2=6/10

I'm not going to lie, I didn't enjoy this show; I dropped it at episode 9. You can crucify me for not finishing it, but for 9 whole episodes there were no substantial character developments and it felt more like a moe show than anything. Sure, the personalities of the main 4 were fleshed out, and the show hinted at some serious stuff, + the message behind it is something I think every one of us has related to at some point in our lives. However, this was not nearly as emotional nor relatable as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because I don't ... have many friends, nor hang out with them very often. Point is, I could not get invested in these characters. In those 9 episodes I never once saw one of the main 4 deviate very far from their tropes to show a more serious side that would have made me resonate with them more.

As a critic? This show was incredible. Phenomenal art and animation, great soundtrack, and a compelling narrative. Perhaps it isn't fair for me to rate it a 6 knowing how well it was produced, but I just can't help but feel like that was a massive letdown compared to what I'd heard. I do try and shake the "hype bias" from being recommended shows, but even then I would have expected to enjoy this more.

Jumped into this not knowing what to expect and ended up getting hooked on the journey of these girls aiming to reach Antarctica. It's more than just an adventure; it's about breaking free from your comfort zone and chasing your dreams, which is pretty inspiring. The way each character has their own reasons and fears, but still pushes forward, makes the story relatable and the group dynamic interesting. Plus, the animation when they showcase the landscapes and the harsh beauty of Antarctica is seriously cool, adding a whole new level to the experience.

But while the concept and the character development are top-notch, there were times ... when the pacing felt off, like some episodes dragged on longer than they needed to. It's a 7/10 for me because, despite these slower moments, the overall message and the emotional highs make it worth watching. The anime does a great job at mixing light-hearted moments with serious themes, making you laugh one minute and reflect the next. It's definitely a unique take on the slice-of-life genre, showing that sometimes, the most extraordinary adventures can come from the simplest desires.