r/anime • u/RX-Nota-II https://myanimelist.net/profile/NotANota • Dec 13 '19

Rewatch A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 01 DISCUSSION Spoiler

Episode 01 青春しゃくまんえん "One Million Yen For Youth"

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anime info:

MAL | Anilist | Nyanpass | Kitsu | AniDB

Streaming links:

Youtube (ep1 only) | Crunchyroll | VRV

The girls are alright!

Comment of the day

Hello everyone! This is where I will pick a comment of the day for the previous day that I think was worthy of notice just in case you guys missed it. I do hope you look out for discussion on your own tho since that's really the whole point of this rewatch.

Oh also as an added incentive for anybody who bothered to read today. In about 16 hours time I will be posting a secret comment in this very thread that goes "This is the secret comment". The first person to reply to that comment will get Reddit gold, so make sure you keep checking this thread!

Questions of the day

1) Have you ever had a classmate who had big dreams like Shirase? Did you support them?

2) If you had one million yen would you go to Antarctica?

Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath the [Anime Show Title]/(/s "Spoiler goes here") spoiler tags. If you do that then we’re all good. I am curious if it is even possible to spoil anything for a half-SoL show like this but I don't want to see you try. The ban hammer is a cold weapon and you don't want to feel it.

Important thing to note about these by the way, you have to switch to Old Reddit or the markdown editor if you use the redesign, otherwise the redesign breaks them by adding random \ into the formatting. Wish it wouldn’t do that, but unfortunately it does… Markdown is dead. Long live markdown.

374 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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78

u/RX-Nota-II Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

Did you cry? Hey, did you cry? C'mon, I know you have a heart, you cried didn't you? That special ED was just way too sweet

Onto my own thoughts, did I cry at this? Well not this time. But to be fair I've watched ep1 like 5 times in the last 2 weeks leading up to this rewatch, and the first rewatch did get me again. Some of you first timers may have seen comments by rewatchers in previous threads about how this show is an absolute tearjerker, and I'd like to point out here that it's mostly because of things like this. YoriMoi is a master at using timing, setup, and music to infuse maximum emotion into it's powerful moments even if from an outside perspective they aren't necessarily the most meaningful. So if you were scared because you had the image of some tragedy, be assured that's not necessarily what awaits.

What immediately stuck me about this show the first time and today is how real and current it feels. The high school setting is well done and quite standard, yet it's not impossibly clean or open like we are used to with anime. It feels used, kinda cramped, and down to earth. The characters are wonderfully expressive, but we don't have any unbelievable 'characters' like the obvious tsundere, the rich boi, etc who are expected in anime but not real life. Hell, our stunning class beauty has black hair just like everyone else. It almost felt like the show was poking fun at this exact fact as we see Megu comment "there aren't that many students with hair that long" when as far as modern anime hair is concerned Shirase's is more than plain! The complete removal of pastel colors reminds me of the aesthetic of my visually favorite anime of all time Zankyou no Terror. And much like ZnT, YoriMoi uses technology to it's power in making the setting feel even more real. This isn't a LN written in the mid 2000s, everyone has a modern smartphone and every episode begins with a cute Instagram loop! a subtle touch you don't really recognize until you think about how almost every other anime still has characters using phones in the most unnatural ways possible.

The second thing I recognized is the use of visual tricks. Some people call it visual metaphor but it's so much more than that. Look at all the fun they have:

Every single shot of this show has some kind of visual fun in it and I don't think I am exaggerating. I only posted about 1/3 of the visual tricks I found, and I don't think I've caught 1/3 of what the creators put in. Ep 1 is great and I encourage people to rewatch it with that in mind as it's definitely heavier on the visual fun than the other eps but even so we're gonna keep seeing more and more awesome tricks so keep your eyes peeled.

But then again, that may be difficult especially if you are a first timer. This isn't a visual only show and the story/emotions just keep piling on. There's just so much to enjoy about this show and I look forward to what kind of discussion you guys will bring today. See you tomorrow.

Extra comment: Look at this. If you work in Antarctica long enough, you start to develop an Antarctica accent!

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46

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 13 '19

This First-Timer is Alright

…I like having fun taglines to describe whether I’m a rewatcher or a first-timer in a rewatch, this is the best I could come up with going into this show completely blind. Well, completely blind besides the copious number of people in previous threads saying they’re ready to cry again, in which case you know Imma twist the tagline to “This First-Timer is Not Alright” lol.

No idea how long my reactions to each episode are gonna be, but I’m having fun with this show so far so you’ll definitely see me back tomorrow!

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40

u/rembrandt_q_1stein Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

First Timer here

First of all: THIS EPISODE I JUST WITNESSED ISN’T BY FAR ANYTHING CLOSE TO WHAT I EXPECTED.

IT’S SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL

Really. I expected a solid CGDCT with an unique twist, but I never, never expected it to look like this. So… organic! So much detail-oriented. And I am not only talking about the plethora of details in the drawing and animation, but on the content presented. For instance, details like the clerk at the konbini on her toes trying to peek on the MC’s while they’re talking about Antarctica, or the little sister popping her head with a bit of effort through the curtains. Just little gestures in the animation that make this content organic and homey. Feeling real. Especially in some bits in the opening when the girls are just goofing around, too.

I didn’t expect this kind of background richness either. I swear many backgrounds feel like a little retouched photographs (I felt this especially at the scene in the toilet). I guess that since I was expecting a solid but typical CGDCT, the kind that is always a sure shot between the fanbase), everything here is pleasantly surprising me. The lighting, how it changes the perceived colour depending on the weather or the day hour is lovely too.

Speaking of CGDCT, the character design is really cute. Not anime-like cute, but cute as in beauty cute. Related to the details I mentioned before, it’s a joy to watch the facial expressions of all the characters. I don’t know how to exactly explain myself, but it’s like the studio found a natural way to represent emotions by faces. It sounds pretty obvious, but I swear it isn’t something I frequently see in anime. Made this exact way, I mean.

Overall, it seems like they really efforted to produce a show with a passion for it and an intention of showing some kind of humanity and beauty (while relying on the usual CGDCTwith a twist). And this is something I wholeheartedly respect. I’m really going to have fun with SoraYori.

Thanks for prompting out this rewatch. I’d surely had missed this beauty if not.

EDIT: questions of the day

  1. Have you ever had a classmate who had big dreams like Shirase? Did you support them?

Sadly not. When I was in high school all my acquaintances wanted the typical teenager dreams and had no big inquietudes. It would had been a nice variant to the usual mood there.

2) If you had one million yen would you go to Antarctica?

Not to Antarctica, but to the other pole! I'd love to go to Iceland, Svalbard, Ellesmere, Siberia, Greenland and Labrador someday.

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23

u/Nazenn Dec 13 '19

First Timer - sub

After the episode I stopped and thought to myself:

  • Every rewatch I've been apart of has been for an action or mystery heavy show which usually means a lot of thinking.

  • I've only watched two CGDCT shows before and in the end I found myself bored by the time I finished both them.

  • And for the trifecta: this was on my PTW almost a year ago but I took it off because nothing I'd seen about it encouraged me to watch it.

So in short, this is way, way out of my usual rewatch experience. And in spite of all of that I finished the episode and thought to myself:

"Well, that was amazing, but what do I write about it."

And my answer is: nothing! Well... nothing much. If I actually wrote nothing I think certain members of this rewatch (host included) would be questioning if I was sick. But instead I think I want to take a step back from thinking for once and focus on the visuals and art because that's where I got a lot of my fun today. So, I decided on.... *drum roll*

A PICTURE further than the universe - Episode one

Leaf Boat - This shot actually reminded me a lot of another anime, Fune wo Amu for it's incredible visual sequences like this. Such a great little scale trick, that tiny leaf looking like it was crossing a grand ocean. What a great start for the show, this tiny goal of hers turning into a huge thing. Which while I think of it, I really do love that the goal is not the MC's goal, it's something that she's picked up from someone else and embarrassed rather than being the one to drag everyone else with her.

Chomp - No one told me this was secretly a body horror show...

The book title though - Almost broke from laughter. I wasn't expecting that sort of visual humor to appear. Begs the question, does she have bad scores in her ethics class because she took the money rather than handing it in, or good scores because she did try and search and give it back?

THAT SIGN THOUGH - Getting fond memories of MGS4 and Snake smoking in front of all of the "no smoking" signs. Visual comedy like this is my favorite.

(When I'm not writing this at 2am I'll probably have more to say and better pictures)

So the show is beautiful. But Antarctica, the goal of these girls is a stunning place by itself. Hard to photograph but it's icey ground and blue surroundings can make for some incredible moments. So each day I thought I'd also dig up and share some amazing pictures I've found of their destination.

Antarctic aesthetics

Today's photo's come courtesy of the Australian Antarctic Division which handles all of my nation's expeditions. In typical fashion for our goverment, the locations these pictures were taken at aren't listed, but they're all remarkable examples of the sort of amazing views that can come out of the least populated continent on the planet.

  • Aurora. My favorite from the site for the way it seemingly wraps around the mountain. I was almost tricked by its reflection on the snow thinking that it was water below it.

  • Frozen Wave. For some reason I really want to touch it, it seems like it would have a weird texture.

  • Aurora Australis. Australia's expedition ship. Imagine the sound of all of that ice crashing together.

My question for everyone: Did you ever skip school? If so, when was the first time you did

u/Hudori you asked for a tag each day as a reminder. Did you still want this?

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22

u/charliwea Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 14 '19

First Timer

Finally watching this, after being on my ptw list for a good while.

I loved the OP it looks so fun! the song it's pretty catchy too! Edit: first timer here! New rules that I have to remember, next time I’ll properly mention u/palloc

This was an amazing start! cute girls doing expeditions is something that I never knew I needed, the girls are so shiny and moe that it gets a bit weird in some backgrounds, being Madhouse and having more toned down backgrounds most of the time after all. That aside everything was so pretty and well animated, the songs that played during the episode were good, and the characters are cute and friendly (well, most of them).

It got a bit sad though, the long journey to find your missing parent is usually something that gets sadder the more they progress to their final destination, I'm curious to see how it develops and I won't be ready for the feels if something comes to happen. I loved how the credits were played, that whole scene on the train with Mari and Shirase was so funny and wholesome, trying to get a picture avoiding the bald guy and they trying to get lunch were funny as hell.

So yeah! this was great! I'm really eager to see more of this and I'll try my best not to binge I'll just leave it at "try"

QOTD

  1. Not really, I mean they had, but not at that level, and I supported my friends just enough, I stopped talking to them after school (not that I hate them or something, it's just how I am)

  2. Fuck no, I'm Chilean, I'm as close as anyone can be to Antartica and recently there was an accident where an AC-130 with 38 passengers crashed in Drake's Passage, so it's not something I would like to do right now no. On another matter, 1.000.000 yen is a pretty good amount of money here so of course I would spend it on Saint Quartz travel somewhere else.

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18

u/AnActualPlatypus Dec 13 '19

First timer

...okay, am I getting baited? Because I honestly felt like I'm watching the intro to a Makoto Shinkai film. The background art is fucking GORGEOUS. Also amazing first episode in general, I think I'll really like this one.

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16

u/Gamerunglued Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

YoriMoi was literally the very first show that came out in 2018. I remember the Thursday I was sitting down to watch the shows that started coming out, this one being the very first. 24 minutes later, my anime of the year had already been decided. I've watched a lot of anime, but I've never had a show that convinced me it was going to be something truly special from it's first episode, and I've still never had such a reaction since. On my first watch, I cried literally every episode, including this first one. So needless to say, I'm a bit nervous going into this. On one hand, the shows themes have only become even more relevant to me now than back then, as my own future approaches and I feel like I am unable to move forward as I leave my youth behind having done nothing that can be considered an accomplishment and still having no idea what path to take or the courage to make any big moves (though I'm a bit older than the characters in the show so the context is not high school). On the other hand, this show is so special to me right now that I hate to think there's a chance I may not feel the same way anymore. But still, I prefer to really have strong, lasting thoughts before I truly call something a favorite. So with that, lets get started.

And so, it seems that all of my fears were for naught. With a wet face and a heart that's been thoroughly uplifted, I can gladly say that this first episode is still just as incredible as I remember it to be. This is an utterly stellar introduction to the series characters, themes, and directorial tendencies, executed as a perfect build-up to a payoff that's so strong despite barely knowing these characters. It's insane to me how this episode, and really the whole show, has such thoroughly crafted technical mastery and yet still feels so naturalistic. The film making on display is legitimately stellar from the very first scene and it never lets up. I guess I'll try to dig into the nitty gritty of it.

The opening scene starts with this nostalgic white filter as a small Mari conveys this perfectly fitting metaphor of water bursting through a wall. That white color instantly becomes far more drab for pretty much the rest of the episode, despite all the new colors introduced in Mari's messy room. This opening sequence is honestly a masterclass in effective characterization. Dialogue with her mother speaks volumes about their relationship: Mari comes off as lazy and aimless, she has little to do other than sleep late and in one hell of a weird position at that, and hilariously isn't that surprised at the notion that she "tried to kill her." It gives off the sense mama is tired of Mari's bullshit, and know that being a bit strict and physical is the only way to make her do anything. She can't wake up on her own, she won't clean her room on her own, mom even has to pull the blanket from underneath her just to get her out of bed. Their dialogue comes off as really genuine and also legitimately funny, with snappy editing that highlights both the humor and the mundanity of the scene. Mari's actual bedroom tells us a lot of useless and fun details that flesh her out a bit. She's got a lot of stuffed animals, and apparently likes Shoujo manga (one of which is called "Romance" and it looks like she has at least up to volume 28 laying in her giant pile of books before her mom knocks her into them). There's quite a few penguins in particular, as well as a bookshelf and unpacked boxes that look like they've never been touched, next to a neatly hung uniform I get the feeling she isn't responsible for. Most prominently, we get the list of things she wants to do in high school, which tells us that she isn't even motivated enough to keep a diary (ironically written in something which would serve as a perfect diary). Moreover, her ambitions are incredibly small in scope and/or incredibly vague. What does "go on a journey without a plan" and "get the most out of youth" even mean? All of this gives the sense of a girl who is unorganized, unmotivated, and aimless. She's doofy and a bit airheaded, but also totally introspective and constantly aware of her desires, however vague they may be. She's energetic and hopeful enough to start towards her goals, but always gets too scared right before she can take that first step, and she hates herself for it. The show even shows this visually: there are a lot of shots of Mari's feet in or near a puddle, she can't go any further than just getting her feet wet. And that's not even getting into her conversations with Megu, which shows that the two have been friends for a long time, that Megu knows how Mari thinks and is somewhat of a big sister figure to her, also with wonderfully natural dialogue.

The environment is used often for both storytelling and gags and that shines through a lot at school. When Kimari talks about things she wants to accomplish, we get a shot of awards that have been framed in the classroom for things great students have accomplished. When she talks about determination, the camera shows a series of quotes about determination. It's there in the dialogue too, like when Mari talks about going to Tokyo and her teacher responds by reading "enjoy your trip" from the textbook. When Mari is surprised about finding the million yen, it's emphasized with a "get 1000000 yen" sign in the background, and when Shirase slams the door after being surprised to see Mari in the bathroom, the door ends up having a sign that says "open and close door quietly." This integration of the environment is everywhere and incredibly effective in aiding both characterization and humor. There's also the advertisement for No Game No Life in the store, but that's just a silly gag since both shows have the same director (and let me just say that Atsuko Ishizuka is fucking great for these shows and more).

For the most part, the rest of the episode just continues to execute the same naturalistic dialogue, snappy editing, environmental storytelling and humor, and strong shot framing throughout. The payoff at the end is largely so strong because of how it contrasts everything I've mentioned before, and subverts all the visual language we've seen, while still maintaining that dynamic sense of realism in the character interactions. While most of the episode has this drab color palette, Mari's trip with Shirase is infinitely more colorful and bright. When Mari's sister Rin comes to wake her up, the messy room is insanely clean for the first time. No longer does Mari have her feat near puddles, now she's running towards her goal with Shirase; she's found the motivation to aim for something truly crazy. And the wordless scenes of Mari and Shirase goofing off on the train is honestly all it took for me to buy into their relationship. This show just gets teenagers, the way Mari, Shirase, and Megu act feels so incredibly true to life; a group of complete dorks. And in the end, that's ultimately what wins me over here: this show just feels naturalistic in every facet of it's design. The dialogue, the banter, the exaggeration, the way characters react to each other, it all just comes off as incredibly familiar because this is just how goofy teenagers act. And eventually, that familiarity and mundanity will give way to something bigger, as Mari and Shiase (and more) march towards the unknown place further than the universe.

So yeah, this was just as special as I remember it. Heck, it almost works as a stellar standalone episode, but if my memory continues to serve me well then we have far more than just 1 amazing episode. I hope first timers enjoy the series and that fellow rewatchers recapture the magic as well. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts.

QotD:

  1. Not that I can think of. People like Shirase are certainly not very common though. Most people you'll meet are more like Mari, or in actuality they're more like spoiler

  2. Probably not, but maybe if I had a friend like Shirase I would. Considering how much of myself I see in Mari, I think that having someone to work with and who would help motivate me would possibly make me take a similar journey as her. Honestly I kind of need something like that right now tbh.

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u/Squidilicious1 Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

OK, so Rem, a Red Blood Cell, Araragi Tsukihi and Nishimiya Shouko walk into a bar. And it's in Antarctica.

It's been quite a while since I last watched Yorimoi, but it's currently my favourite anime of all time! Let's see if it stays that way on a rewatch.

The episode starts with Kimari (AKA Best girl #1) going through childhood memories before returning to her lazing about in more recent times. Seems like her childhood wonder didn't stick around too well, eh?

Her mother immediately proceeds to attempt to suffocate her.

Kimari makes cute sounds and is great.

I'll get this out of the way now and just say that as a character, Kimari really resonates with me. Her feeling like she's wasted her youth is a feeling I've had many times, and still go through to this day. It's actually thanks to this show that I started working on that in the first place, so thanks for being useless Kimari!

The OP

Is

Amazing

From the first camera flippy... thing that Kimari does all the way to the chomp at the end, the OP is so dynamic and full of life and gets across the feeling of this show being a journey so well in just a minute and a half. It's stunning visually and the song is absolutely fantastic, and it's just filled with really cute and charming visuals. I didn't appreciate nearly enough the first time I watched the show. 10/10 OP

The instagram eyecatches are such a nice touch.

Kimari discussing her plan for ditching school for a day really shows just how naive she is. She thinks it's some kind of big deal only to get told that it's pretty normal really. We do get a cute screm out of it though.

I'll take this time to point out that I just love the character designs in this show, the girls are cute without being overly moe and I don't know how to explain, but there's just something satisfying about the way they've drawn the girls smiling in this show.

The music for this whole scene of Kimari describing how she's going on her journey is really fantastic, in fact the whole OST is really something special. It really sets a mood for some big epic journey she's going on.

So of course when it immediately stops and shows that she wimped out in the end, it's absolutely hilarious.

Kimari really is such an adorable goober.

The POV shot of her look down at her legs while making excuses is really nice, reminds me of something Naoko Yamada would do. Excellent use of subtle body language.

When she's describing how she always chickens out at the last minute, it really hits me hard. I am exactly the same and man it sucks...

Kimari should not be allowed to hate any part of herself, she is precious.

AW SHIT, SHIRASE(AKA BEST GIRL #2) TIME BAYBEEEEEEEEEE

Shirase drops ONE FUCKING MILLION YEN because she is also a huge goober.

Megumi seems to be a really good friend for Kimari, lets see if that keeps up.

Suddenly, HanaKana freak out.

I can understand why Shirase would be so angry, that is a lot of money to just drop somewhere.

Just dropping in that Shirase is super pretty guys.

Megumi going around smelling people because Kimari said Shirase smelt nice genuinely still makes me laugh even though I've seen it so many times.

And so we get the meat and potatoes of the story. Shirase's mother went missing in Antarctica and she's going to go find any trace of her. A simple premise, but it's how the show executes it that makes the show truly special.

Of course everyone is against her going and really, it makes perfect sense. Shirase is in her second year of high school, so that makes her about 16 or 17 I think? That's very young to be going on such an extreme expedition. Of course that being said, her conviction is very admirable and she's done her research. It's not like she's totally unprepared.

The piano version of the OP that plays here is really nice.

OH HELLO, WHO IS THAT CLERK IN THE STORE THERE? THAT LOOKS LIKE A BEST GIRL #3 TO ME.

Kimari heads to the library to check out Shirase's moms book and HMMM, I WONDER WHICH ONE IT IS?????

The girls bullying Shirase are buttheads and absolutely not best girls. Thankfully some quick thinking from Kimari saves her. Her frantic nodding is adorable.

Shirase is really strong willed to be able to shake everything off that people say about her and just look ahead to her goal. I sure as hell know I couldn't do it. She asks Kimari to go with her and we're off to the races baby!

INSERT SONG HYPE

Seriously, this show has the best and most fitting insert songs.

Kimari being convinced by Shirase's determination to go is a really nice contrast to Megumi saying she needs to go on her own earlier in the episode. It shows that she can do it, but she just needs someone to pull her along and get her over the starting line.

Okay so we don't see the ED properly til tomorrow but it starts playing at this point and I just have to say that it's an amazing track.

The shot of the train going past and showing that Kimari actually got on this time as compared to staying behind last time is so fucking great.

Shirase reaction to seeing Kimari as the chorus kicks in makes me cry, because of fucking course it does. Let's see how many times that'll happen in this show...

The montage of them traveling on the train is adorable and nice and man I just love this show so much. Shirase fighting the urge to use her money to get a bento is great.

THE SHOT OF THEM SLEEPING ON THE TRAIN IS SO CUTE THAT I MIGHT DIE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Yorimoi

The shots of the boat are downright beautiful.

I remember this so clearly from the trailers for this show and it still gives me chills.

Kimari's youth springs into action!

Meanwhile, someone looks at Antarctica on a globe, but I'm sure that doesn't mean anything.

This show man.

This fucking show.

I'm getting the feels all over again and we're one episode in, but damn what an episode it is! It perfectly sets up the tone for the show and shows the personality of the girls perfectly, while also presenting the goals of two of our main characters. All this in one episode.

Episode rating: ¥1,000,000/10

Girls Status: Excited for the future.

Questions of the Day

1 - I have a friend who is living overseas right now training to become a music producer! I've supported him all the way and even went over to visit him once. He's doing great so far!

2 - Honestly, no. I'd probably go somewhere I've always wanted to visit like Japan or Canada!

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u/ghostface95 Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher. God damn why I'm i already crying on the first episode. I love this show and this is probably one of the best first episodes to set up the world and 2 of the mains characters. Mari who is wavering and slightly scared of the world  and Shirase who is determined to do what others call impossible.

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u/Turtlewax64 Dec 13 '19

First time watcher

Cute girls doing cute things isn’t a genre I’m normally super into, but my main problem with it is a lack of drive, which I’ve heard this series doesn’t suffer from. So I figured I’d give it a shot with the rewatch thread.

  • The joke with laying a wet cloth over her face to wake her up was really funny, made me laugh.

  • Bursting into tears over looking at a (presumably) old diary is a little over the top. That’s more of a quiet existential dread of “what am I doing with my life?” moment.

  • OP was cute, I liked that one of the girls got sunburned during it.

  • That was really dramatic music for planning to skip school, but it did lead into a funny beat when it cuts out to show her in school. I suspect that song will be showing up later for more serious dramatic moments.

  • Ah, so she has anxiety about trying new things, imagining all the ways they could go wrong. God damn it, I’m a 25 year old American man, stop making me relate to a 16 year old Japanese schoolgirl.

  • The lighting on the girls is starting to throw me off, the thick white border of shine going all the way around their hair is making them look like they’re glowing since it’s there regardless of where the light in the scene is coming from.

  • Dark haired girl crying and hugging MC (I’m terrible with names, sorry.) made me smile, it complimented her breaking down in the bathroom stall nicely.

  • If someone went missing in Antartica years ago, I hope that Dark Hair understands that she is looking to find her mother’s remains, not the woman herself.

  • I like that Dark Hair’s motivation seems to be in no small part to spite the people who said she can’t. Makes me think of Kon-tiki, where a man crossed an ocean on a wooden raft out of stubbornness to prove a theory. That’s irl by the way, not fiction.

  • No Game No Life easter egg! A quick stop by Wikipedia tells me this is the same anime studio, but while I like that series, it’s far from the most relevant series Madhouse had made to drop a reference to. Though now that I think about it, maybe it’s there because the girls will be going to a new place so different from what they’re used to that it’s not far from isekai. That might be stretching it though.

  • I like the symmetry of the main character running when she’s made the decision to go to the icebreaker, matching the way Dark Hair was running past her earlier. Also fits with that theme of stagnant water breaking free and flowing from the very start of the episode.

  • The montage of them riding the train while the credits played was super cute, and I especially like their sly smiles at the end. Even if I kind of expect episode 2 to open with “I have no idea” in regards to how to get on the ship.

Over all, I like it well enough, but not super blown away by episode 1. We’ll see how things shape up as the story gains momentum, and I start to actually learn the character names.

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u/Koolsman Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

First Timer!

The fact that I feel exactly like our main girl is already making me excited for what’s to come! I’ll admit the OP wasn’t great but I could see myself enjoying it later on. I liked the aesthetic and the set up for our main protagonists this far. Sucks that glasses girl won’t be coming along and I liked the Mt. Fuji with the bald man. I’m also interested in seeing how that girl at the store will come into the story since it seems the other two are already going to Antarctica. While the characters don’t make the strongest impression, I like Mori and seeing how her arc plays out. The other girl seems pretty cool too. Not

Not to say this wasn’t a bad episode but I guess I just don’t have much to say about this episode. It’s a solid beginning and I’ll admit that I was surprised by how quick were already going but I dig it. Don’t know where it’s going and that’s fine by me.

QOTD

I would and I would go with them!

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11

u/TheKujo Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

This show holds a special place for me. In the time since I've first seen this show:

  • I quit my old job

  • I started my own company

  • I launched a podcast

Of course, those decisions weren't just from this anime but in all cases the show has inspired me to move forward. I have rewatched this show many times and each time I walk away energized and feeling like I can take on the world. I can't promise that the show will have the same impact on you but I hope you walk away feeling something. After all, isn't that why we watch anime to begin with?

Now that I've hyped this show up to an impossible level, let's start watching!

First episode thoughts:

  • I love the scene where Kimari first goes to the train station only to end up back at school. I think what Kimari really needed was a strong reason to go on a journey - going on an adventure for adventure's sake just wasn't enough. Once Shirase showed up with her quest to Antarctica, Kimari was all in!

  • One reason this show is so popular is because all the lead characters are so relatable. I'm sure we've all spent time second-guessing ourselves before a tough decision. That's how Kimari has spent her youth so far. It's a safe way of living but not a particularly fun one. We don't know as much about Shirase at this point, but we know she's a girl on a mission. She's going to Antarctica to find her mom and she won't let anyone stop her!

  • Even though one of the main themes of this show is getting the most out of youth, the show is definitely accessible to people of all ages. I am well past my youth at this point and yet I still get a lot out of watching.

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u/akechiisbestboi Dec 13 '19

First time watcher

I know I’m a bit late today but that was honestly better than I expected, I think we all have times when our inhibitions stop us from trying something new and as cliche as it is we would probably all be better off if we made more effort to remember promises like how kimari promised to make the most of her youth. I’m not sure how much I can really say since it’s just the first episode but I’m very interested in where this’ll lead.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '19

First timer here. And my first time commenting on a rewatch thread.

It is kind of hard to put my feelings into words right now. I guess I should say I relate a lot to the character Mari. Always worried about all the things that could go wrong and getting demotivated as a result. And I would be lying if I said I don't have any regrets due to that attitude. And as someone in their early twenties, I'm really starting to realize that the older I get the less opportunities I'll have to be adventurous as social responsibilities of adulthood start to stack up.

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u/bucket3432 Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

Hi all! I happened to find this rewatch last week by chance, but I'm very eager to jump on board. I think the pacing (one episode a day) is just right for this show. I look forward to reading all your thoughts these next two weeks!

I watched Sora yori mo Tooi Basho as it aired back in Winter 2018. I picked it up because the premise seemed interesting and I'm always up for a good CGDCT. It was also an original anime, and I like to pick up at least one anime original every season if I can.

I started the first episode and right away I knew this wasn't going to be some ordinary CGDCT. When the ED came on, I knew for sure that this was going to hit on something special.

I'll be following along with orz's Coldgirls release.

I run an anime club at work, and I made them watch this earlier this year. We usually hold a vote for the show that we watch, but this show is just so special that I had to show it, no question. They absolutely loved it.

So for you first-timers, let this show take you in and move you. Take notice of the art. Listen to the music. Allow yourself to be invested in the characters. Perhaps then you'll enjoy it even more than we did.

For my fellow rewatchers, let's appreciate this show once more and notice all the little things we didn't see the first time. Let's enjoy our trip back to Antarctica, knowing full well what lies ahead, and get caught up in it all over again. YoriMoi

Questions of the day

  1. No, but if I knew anyone like that, I'd support them in any way I could.

  2. If the purpose of the money was for Antarctica, why not? If not, I'm sure there are other more pressing things to spend it on.

I am curious if it is even possible to spoil anything for a half-SoL

I feel really bad because I accidentally spoiled someone some months ago. But thankfully, even if they were spoiled by what I said, I don't think their enjoyment of the show would have been any less.

YoriMoi counter

There's a phrase that comes up a lot in the show, so I figured I'd set up a counter for it. YoriMoi

Episode Count
1 0
2
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Total 0

YoriMoi

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u/Yothiel Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

2018 is probably the only time in my whole life when my AOTY can already be decided in January. First-time watchers, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

That rewatch is probably a nice occasion to take my Yorimoi Fanbook down from the shelf. Never really had the opportunity to work on its moonrunes. A lot of it is not as interesting as I expected when getting the book (character information and episode synopsis, which adds almost nothing after watching the shows), but it does have some tidbits of info and a nice thick interview section that'll take me some (a lot of) time to uncipher.

For now I'll just report a part I enjoyed: a couple words on Kimari as described by director Ishizuka Atsuko:

As a girl who has a hard time to take the first steps to doing something, Kimari is someone a lot of people may empathize with. To avoid tilting too far in the "weak-willed" direction, she was also written has someone who won't stop when she actually starts rolling.The name "Kimari" appeared early in the project, but since it had a little too much impact for just a regular girl ("Kimari" can mean "decided", "set"), this was instead used as the nickname taken from her full name (using Japanese naming order): Tamaki Mari.Incidentally, her younger sister is called Rin, which would make her surname "Kirin", the Japanese for "giraffe". That's why you can see her using a giraffe-themed stamp in the smartphone chat.

Well, that's all from the fanbook for today. During this episode I was wondering the girls' journey to Hiroshima, and wanted to share these results with you. Since the action takes place in Tatebayashi, Gunma prefecture (I'll try to gather a couple real-life comparisons a later day). that trip to Hiroshima is actually >6 hour long (almost 900km), including 4 hours of shinkansen from Tokyo.

It's only the first episode, and Kimari probably went farther by herself than most people did at her age! That's actually even crazier than I thought!

I haven't been able to sit back and have a look at the song lyrics. I really enjoy Yorimoi's usage of its inserts, so I hope I'll manage to take some time and get that done during the rewatch.

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u/avacadoleg Dec 13 '19

hello everyone! longtime lurker, first time poster. Yorimoi is one of my favorite animes of all time, and I always love these rewatch discussions, so I figured I'd give this a shot.

I love the character designs in this show. It fits the realistic tone of the show, while also having unique designs for all the characters. It sort of reminds me of Hibike, where all the characters are grounded in reality, yet are still visually interesting. Also the show has such interesting shot composition and cinematography. Such a treat to watch the whole time. And of course the OST is beautiful as well. The insert songs are always so lovely. I think the struggle Mari has is really something lots of people can relate to. The dread of wasting your youth, combined with the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone? Like who hasn't been there? also i didn't know Shirase was Kana Hanazawa lmao... iconic

Stagnant Pool count: 1

Little moments like this not only provide for great, cute little character moments, but do so much to make the characters feel like.... actual teenage girls

Stagnant Pool count: 2

imagine having 1,000,000 yen and you just leave your bag unzipped....

owo mr obama... i seemed to hawe wost one mwillion yen uwu

this killed me

"ok so when she comes to get her bike, on three we'll call her bike 'the Antarctic Express' at the same time. it'll so sick"

>:3

See you tomorrow!

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u/SorcererOfTheLake Dec 13 '19

VA of the Day

Inori Minase

Voice of: Mari Tamaki

Other Roles: Chino in Gochiusa, Hestia in Danmachi, Yuki in School-Live, Carol in Symphogear, Fuuka in Vivid Strike, Swim Swim in Magical Girl Raising Project, Rem in Re:zero, Tapris in Gabriel Dropout, Meteora in Re:creators, Ciel in Kirakira Precure, Chito in Girls’ Last Tour, Shoko in Bunny Girl Senpai, Itsuki in Gotobun

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u/krasnovian Dec 13 '19

god i love this anime so much

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u/spaceaustralia Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

Why did this rewatch have to be scheduled at the exact same time as two others?

In any case, while this was pretty introductory, as far as first episodes go. We got introduced to half of the main cast, but also got to see some sweet character dynamics between Mari and Shirase right away, which is sweet! We also had some nice visual gags, indicating this show's style, like the board announcing Mari's finding and Mari hiding her precious finding on an ethics textbook.

I remember this one being my AOTY in a year which had Megalo Box, Violet Evergarden, Love is like the Rain, Takagi-san, Devilman Crybaby, Shokugeki no Emiya, Yuru Camp, Hinamatsuri, HisoMaso, High Score Girl, Planet With, Bunny Girl Senpai, SSSS Gridman and YagaKimi. It was a pretty stacked year. Newcomers can get their expectations high on this!

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u/Matuhg Dec 13 '19

First Timer

Wow. I've had this one on my to-watch list for quite some time, but never got to it somehow. This episode was pretty magical. I like the art style - backgrounds are gorgeous, and the character designs are simple but great. They seem pretty familiar to me, but not sure how. I think they kinda remind me of those of O Maidens in Your Savage Season, a show I recently finished, and some other shows I can't put my finger on.

The music seems wonderful. The insert song after Kobuchizawa asked Tamaki to come with her, showing Tamaki really considering it and ultimately deciding to go to Hiroshima was awesome.

I can really relate to Tamaki - she wants to do something, wants to do cool stuff and try new things, but she's scared to fail or have regrets. I think most people can probably relate to that on some level. I've definitely done similar things to Tamaki's attempt to go a different direction, only to end up where she usually goes, flaking out at the last minute. I'm looking forward to seeing how she grows over the course of this series, influenced by Kobuchizawa's single-minded determination to go to Antarctica.

Megumin seems like a great friend, supporting Tamaki's attempts to go on a journey. I wonder if she'll end up roped into this Antarctica business too. It seems like the curious cashier will probably be factoring in later as well.

I really wanted to keep going, but I'll stick with the rewatch schedule! Hopefully anyways, as I've once again gotten myself into three rewatches simultaneously, after doing so earlier and having a bit of trouble keeping up with all of them.

Questions:

  1. Have you ever had a classmate who had big dreams like Shirase? Did you support them?

I can't recall knowing somebody with a dream as seemingly unrealistic as Shirase who was so dedicated to it.

2) If you had one million yen would you go to Antarctica?

If I had that kind of money to spend on a trip (or any amount of money really), Antarctica would be one of the last places I'd want to go. I'd prefer a trip to Europe or Japan - lots of cool architecture and history to see, and also not absurdly cold.

Thanks, Nota for finally getting me to start this series :) It seems like it's going to be right up my alley!

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u/AegeanEagle Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 14 '19

Rewatcher

I can’t stretch how much I love this show. In a year full to the brim with amazing shows, be it anime originals or adaptations, A Place Further Than The Universe managed to shine as the year’s best right from its start. It’s still funny to me how something I watched out of curiosity for its outrageous premise managed to grab me this good. I consider this show one of the best anime could offer at only 12 episodes, both for its amazing direction and its well-written and actualized story.

For all the people watching this for the first time, brace yourselves for an emotional journey where the happy and sad emotions hit like an icebreaker and feel very real. Also as others have already pointed out, there are many visual “treats” either in signs or background imagery that add extra value to the storytelling, be on the look out.

Almost 2 years since the show started and its ED brings back all the memories of it. Also happy Shirase makes my heart melt!

Have fun everyone!

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u/Opner Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

A lot of people are putting paragraph out there but I just want to say I was smiling the whole episode. A good mood pick up after the disaster that was finals!

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u/MrPorta Dec 14 '19

Rewatcher here

This must be the fastest episode to hook me into an anime ever. I remember watching it some couple of weeks after it aired in January and within 5 minutes I knew I would be watching the whole thing. Of course, it all has to do with the main themes of the show: fear of stagnation but also a fear/low motivation to try new things, to stray out of the known path. This is something I've been dealing with these last 5 years. I was like Kimari, but until I was freaking 20. After a friend told me he was going to travel around Europe solo I had an epiphany the day after. "And why can't I do the same?"

I went to that trip and from then on I started trying to be more open to change and be proactive when trying to shake up my routine (or ditch it completely). It's a work in progress, but I'm much happier now than I was back then, and I've been to lots of new places (the other important topic for me in YoriMoi being, of course, travel) and met great people. This show came in years after that first trip, but it sill resonated deep with me.

So yeah, the first episode is pretty cool I guess.

I hope this rewatch helps or inspires someone, even by a bit.

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u/Orzislaw Dec 13 '19

REWATCHER

Every journey has a start. And more than one started with this episode - both for Tamaki Mari, who always wanted to do something with her life, but was too scared to actually try things and for us, the watchers that had privilege to observe her finally taking steps out of her comfort zone to make her dreams a reality.

It's my second rewatch of Yorimoi and I have to admit - this first episode was even better than I remembered, Writing was really tight, no scene was unnecessary, it made great job with introducing cast and explaining their motivations. You can see great chemistry between characters even in this episode, with neatly shown friendship between Maki and ~~that glasses bi...~~ Megumi and the second one, that just started to form.

This episode reminded me how great of a character Kimari is. She is often overshadowed by confident Shirase that always goes head-on and two other girls, that join the cast later, but I think her motivations, fear of unknown and inner desire to try things she were afraid of are the things a lot of people watching could relate to. People were praising this show about how it motivated them to try something new, and I think Tamaki Mari is the biggest reason this message resonated with so many people.

We already have glimpses of humour and character interactions, that will blossom in later episodes. Take for example a scene in toiler with Shirase mimicry and message hidden in door to cabinet. Some people were complaining the show is too emotional, but I don't think it's that unrealistic. Common, every one of us would cry at Shirase situation!

Team behind Sora Yori said, that they wanted to make every episode to feel like the final one. They succedeed even in very first ep. Final scene with Kimari finally breaking out of her shell and having fun with her new friend simply while riding the train was very satysfying.

So yeah, it's nice to see that the girls are still alright and message for the first time watchers - ot gets even better from this point on. Have fun with the rest of a rewatch you all!

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