Four Girls' Wildest Adventure: Exploring the Unknown Land of Antartica

Every girl has a wild dream of fulfilling something she has never done in her entire life. Be it becoming an actress, a fancy traveler or merely skipping classes if she has never ever tried doing it, just even once. 

That's what this one heroine planned on doing so in this anime called A Place Further Than The Universe. 

Mari Tamaki is a second year highschooler who has never done anything much in her life  except being just a boring straightlaced do-gooder student. To make her life exciting, she made a list of plans for herself and decided to make the most of her youth by doing things she has never done before like skipping classes or going to a place she's never gone to yet.

Mari on her bed before school

Mari returning the envelope filled with million yen

One day, she accidentally bumped into a stranger- a girl with long hair inside the train station. The girl dropped a full envelope filled with one million yen. Mari found the envelope and was surprised by the huge amount and was fazed to finding where the girl with long hair be. Later at school, she learnt that the girl's name is Shirase Kobuchizawa, famously called Antartica because of her incessant talk of going to Antartica to find her missing mom but no one believes her.  The talk of going to Antartica is a presumptuous and impossible talk as exploring the galaxy to an ordinary girl like Shirase; that's how she's seen by her classmates, anyway. Upon finding Shirase at school, Mari returned the envelope to her and that's how their friendship started. Thus, among her capricious plan to make full of her youth, Mari decided to join Shirase in her trip to Antartica. Shirase, disbelieving at first, doubted Mari, but when she realized that Mari was set straight and serious in joining her to go to Antartica, she helped Mari by finding her a part time job in a convenient store nearby their school. There, they met another girl named Hinata Miyake. A cheerful hyperactive gal from school who stopped going because of something bad that happened between her and her classmates, which she never mentioned to Mari or Shirase; until the latter part of the anime. Hinata also joined the two in their plan going to Antartica.

Mixed photos. Mari and Shirase having a quarrel on street

Shirase unwilling to let go of the contract

Shirase was set and insistent at joining the expedition to Antartica so she could find her mom but found herself in a pinch. Being an underage student, she, Mari and Hinata could not join the group. She donated the one million yen to the group whose called the Private Antartic Observation Team--Japan's team of scientists and researchers; but they refused her despite the team needing the fund for their trip. Shirase's mom has been on the team three years prior.

Hinata and Mari getting a photo with Yuzuki

Luckily, they met the young former child actress Yuzuki Shiraishi who was tasked by her agency to do the expedition with the team. She was unwilling to join though and gave them the contract. However, Yuzuki's mom wouldn't permit the girls to easily join in unless they convinced Yuzuki to be part of the expedition. Shirase, hellbent on joining the expedition, together with Mari and Hinata, successfully persuaded and convinced Yuzuki to join the exploration to Antartica. And so, the four girls, their friendship forged among them four, aboard the ship and set off to sail to explore the snow barren continent of Antartica, deepening their bond in each struggles while overcoming their own personal struggles.

Hinata, Yuzuki, Mari and Shirase writing the diagram

enroute to Antartica

Sora Yori mo Toi Basho (translated A Place Further than the Universe) is a seinen manga illustrated by Nene Yoimachi published under Monthly Comic Alive in 2017. The anime series was adapted by Madhouse Studio and started broadcast since January 2018.

Character illustration is neatly done. It's smooth, clean and beautifully drawn in simple normal girl illustrations, seinen style. But, what's so breathtaking to look at and admire here was the detailed and vivid way Antartica was drawn and colored. It captured the place, anime-realistically. Even the landscape setting back in Japan, as expected like usual, is beautifully illustrated.

The opening song "The Girls are Alright!" by Saya is a vibrant and lively song while the ending "Koko Kara, Koko Kara" by the four girls' voice actresses is a lovely mixed theme.

Hinata Miyake, Shirase Kobuchizawa, Yuzuki Shiraishi and Mari Tamaki

Each girl's voice actress is amazing. Mari Tamaki voiced by Inori Minase delivered the shy, somewhat clumsy and hesitant Maki. Shirase Kobuchizawa who was voiced by Kana Hanazawa portrayed the girl's strong demeanor and blunt character despite being a little naive and a little shy. Hinata Miyake, the bright, cheerful and most mischievous girl among the group is voiced over by Yuka Iguchi. And lastly, Yuzuki Shiraishi, the youngest girl of the group is voiced by Saori Hayami (who also voiced Shiraishi in Yamada-kun to Nananin Majo and Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair.) I like her voice the best. Cool and quiet, a little raspy with underlying confidence.

Hinata, Mari, Shirase and Yuzuki out exploring in the open snow

The four girls' silhouette while jumping

against the setting sun

Watching Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho is vibrant and heartwarming. It accentuates friendship while also putting emphasis about one's self, especially about overcoming personal struggles. And of course, there's the exploration of the vast unknown land--Antartica--a so-desolate and far away destination, one would think it's really a universe away. (That's what got me thinking while I watched its first episode.) It takes strength, endurance and perseverance just to be in this coldest place in the world but these four girls in this wonderful journey that tell tales of their exploration of Antartica have really found their place beyond their wildest dreams, exploring the unknown land amidst exploring more about themselves, too.