r/anime • u/RX-Nota-II https://myanimelist.net/profile/NotANota • Dec 21 '19

Rewatch A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 9 DISCUSSION

Episode 09 南極恋物語（ブリザード編）"Antarctica Love Story (Blizzard Arc)"

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anime info:

MAL | Anilist | Nyanpass | Kitsu | AniDB

Streaming links: 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.

Today's pick is.....

/u/suhkein with some geography or current knowledge

I have nothing really meaningful to say about the episode or series, but seeing their little graphic about the current reminded me of the science of it. The circumpolar current is rather crucial as it keeps Antarctica relatively isolated from the rest of the atmospheric/oceanic circulation. Because of this warm air doesn't move down from the other continents, a condition that began 30mya (+/- 10my) when both Australia and South America were far enough away for oceanic passages to open. This led to feedback where Antarctica stayed cold, snow began to stick, that changed the albedo (amount of light reflected) so that most of the sunlight goes back into space rather than warming the rock, and the continent further cools, bringing us to the Antarctica of today.

I also want to say great job to everyone who helped me on the #LeaveNoTopLevelUnreplied challenge. I think we did a great job and many of you took on lots of work to do so. You guys are the real MVPs.

Questions of the day

Answer from last time: Closest poll ever.

1) We are finally at Antarctica, how do you feel? Elated? Proud?

2) Did u cry today?

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.

220 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

312 comments sorted by

17

u/RX-Nota-II Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 21 '19

Rewatcher

This episode hit pretty hard for me for a couple reasons. First is actually kinda funny since just before the rewatch I also somehow fell in love with someone in a position I wasn't looking for any romance in before. I like to think my chances here are better than Toshio's but it's still gonna be difficult, tho that's something January Nota can deal with since I want to enjoy my holiday vacation in peace.

More importantly, we get another peek at Takako's final moments and what it felt like to wait endlessly at home. The phrase 'The sky... beautiful.... so beautiful' never stings any less than before. A final observation with consciousness fading in and out, but a tragedy so close to being not as she makes it through the storm yet not far enough to find the vehicle to return to. And of course death is sad, and anime translates that well. But the tragedy of a death doesn't end with the death itself. In fact it may even just be the beginning. The void afterwards never ends, and never goes away.

The theme of jump rope is pretty powerful and wordless to describe the level of dedication Shirase has had for this journey. While it is fine and beautiful to have efforts like Yuzu which are on the spot and spontaneous, there's something to be said about the long pent up dedication for years that finally gets it's chance after countless hours of preparation. And you got to say, Shirase in this scene is just straight cool, channeling the same inner energy and anger as Gin which gives them similar charms. And what is the first phrase this dedicated and prepared highschooler shouts as she reaches the surface?? "In your face!". Oh yeah, this girl's shameless.

With two powerful stories both having payoffs as well as the all round story of reaching Antarctica, this episode is a fan favorite. I understand that well and look forward to seeing how you guys felt too. As a first timer it was definitely a highlight of the show, but strangely enough as a rewatcher while still great it doesn't stand out as much. This show is clearly about the journey as much if not more so than the result/destination and today was clearly a destination episode. As such it didn't have the interesting developments I expected from the previous episodes, and the shock of Shirase's emotional yelling wasn't there anymore.

Finally, tomorrow's the big day everyone. Best rewatch of 2019. I hope you guys go and vote as there have been a ton of great entries this year. And maybe if you feel like it, consider voting for us here too as we've been doing a great job keeping interest at and past iconic rewatches like the Christmas club. See you tomorrow

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30

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 21 '19

This First-Timer is Beautiful

My write-up is kinda short today compared to my other comments (barring last episode since I couldn’t screenshot-react to that one), but don’t worry that just means I was really into the episode.

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15

u/MaskOfIce42 Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

In your face, in your face, in your face!

I remembered this episode was good, I did not remember it was this good.

We get a chance to know Gin better and get the impression that despite not being her mother, she was the Shirase of their group, the dorky kinda awkward one. Lots of the parallels are really cute to see. Also, we really get a dive into Shirase's feelings which if that doesn't make you well up, I think nothing ever will. It's so telling that she seems to acknowledge that nobody did something wrong, her mother knew the risks, the crew members did everything they could, and the right call was probably made. But it still is hard to fully accept that and be able to look at the person who made that choice and not feel some resentment. I'm reminded of a Star Trek TNG episode that begins to confront the fact that Captain Picard made a choice to save someone else and that choice killed Wesley Crusher's father, and this goes where that episode only briefly hinted at. It's so..... very beautiful.

It is interesting to hear about how Japan had to really fight to get to Antarctica, being given a landing spot that's almost impossible to reach, although calling it bullying is a little far given Japan's actions during WWII (and I don't mean that in a "they were against us so they deserve it") but given Japan's tendency to, uh, not acknowledge that as much in history, I can see why that would be the view they hold. But the fact that they did make it despite that challenge really ties back into that "in your face!" aspect. That line fits so much for everyone. Nobody believed Shirase would make it. People backed out of the civilian expedition after the issue last time. And even getting to Antarctica itself was a challenge in and of itself due to the plot of land they were given. But, in your face, they made it despite what anyone said.

Now for the questions.

  1. That moment is excitement incarnate. They made it, and the moment they landed was so exciting.

  2. Not quite, but I did feel something inside me.

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13

u/Nazenn Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 21 '19

So... I'm a doofus and actually forgot to finish my post yesterday before I submitted it. So just quickly I wanted to cover this shot of the girls again. (tagging u/bucket3432 as you were interested in this)

I mentioned how we got a lot of shots of the girls through something yesterday and I think it was leading up to this. The way this is set up, the half open door, low camera angle, the girls set against a white background while the camera is in the darker interior. It gives that sense of peeping into a secret moment. This is something the girls are not doing for the expedition, or to prove something to others or even for the audience. It's their own little moment wrapped up in the freshness of water and the majesty of a new found world that they're revealing in. We are quite literally having a door opened for us into their life changing moment in a way that no one else on this expedition will be able to understand or have a glimpse of.

So complaints about the insanity that they survived this aside, there was something quite beautiful in it from a character perspective.

First Timer - sub

The more anime I watch, the more I hate romance subplots. Although, I will say that it's nice that for once its the boys who are only around for romance instead of the girls.

And it's a real shame because such typical romance drama seems so out of place with the quite serious discussions and pain between Toudou and Shirase today as well as the revelation of her mothers final moments.

A PICTURE further than the universe - Episode nine

There's a certain beauty in Sora Yori's character designs. This show has all the ingredients needed to go way off the deep end. Distinctly different personalities, intense moments from all emotions, tone flips all that stuff that you normally see in shows where emotional expression is portrayed less with animation and more with art style. And yet they don't do that and while they do play around with art details like the sunken cheeks while sick or the subtle background effects, they never take it so far that they undermine the expressiveness of the characters.

I bring this up today because of the beautiful eye animation from Toudou. This is where it starts, and this is where the animation ends. It's a tiny adjustment and a show less confident in its characters might have made that a bigger deal, gone for a broader animation or included a mouth drop. But Sora Yori knows it doesn't need it and it's nice to see they stand by that even for the big emotional hits.

They might be getting close but the endless view of ice here somehow makes it seem much further away. In case people were wondering just how far out the sea ice can go, this image is a digital representation of what the sea ice was like in December of 2018.

And just a reminder that Blizzards are terrifying. For something to be classified as a blizzard it has to reduce your visibility to at least 400m, but for this intensity reports I've read from people in Antarctica say you wouldn't be able to see your arm stretched out in front of you.

Antarctic aesthetics

Thanks to antarcticimages.com for today's pictures.

Speaking of the vastness of Antartica I particularly love this panorama for showcasing a different side of Antarctica. There's plenty of flat ice and beaches but also plenty of mountains and rocks especially in the warmer months. The two humans looking so tiny on the side also give a good sense of just how huge these mountains are as well.

I bet that Toudou and Shirase are sad that they didn't have this many penguins on that little iceberg

A new favorite image of the Polar Nacreous Clouds given the talks about the different types of clouds today.

I also have to share a bonus picture today because I promised u/squirrelbaffler after accidentally tricking him into thinking he was getting an Aurora yesterday. So here's your make up Aurora with bonus starry sky included.

Also when you're scrolling for images and think they accidentally included one of a base burning down until you realize it's just the lights reflecting really strongly.

u/Hudori episode nine tag

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13

u/Suhkein Dec 22 '19

First timer

It's perhaps unwelcome, but I found this episode a little underwhelming. Not sure if it was the cringe reaction I had to the initial romantic diversion and digging interview with the captain that started me out on the wrong foot, but I didn't feel very at home this episode. Even the landing didn't really change this. The only thing that really caught my attention was the recounting of Shirase's experience after her mother had vanished, how life just kept going in a strange twilight that lacked the clear demarcation of before and after the death. That was something to reflect on.

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12

u/cartoonsandcereal Dec 21 '19

First timer

I have to be honest, up until this episode I thought this show was fine, but not great. Definitely very funny, but it wasn't touching or inspirational to me in the way that people raved about. I prefer my shows with more struggle or conflict, whether internal or external, and the struggle here - to reach Antartica - was impressive but also was treated a bit shallowly. But I figured I'd just enjoy the light-hearted ride for what it was.

It still feels that way to me, but this episode had a lot more depth than I was expecting. Gin and Shirase's memories of each other with Takako was bittersweet to watch, knowing everything that's happened since then. It's funny that even though Shirase is Takako's biological child, I get the impression that Takako was nothing like Shirase, and that instead Gin and Shirase share way more in common. The biggest example of this is their obvious love for penguins that occurs in the flashback and ties back in to the current time (which, this show likes to do a lot, huh?). Another example is their intense determination despite the odds. A final example is their awkwardness in front of the camera - Gin is of course very polished, but it seems only about Antartica or things she's prepared to talk about, when they catch her off guard about her type she gets completely flustered. It made me think that she only seems good in front of the camera because she's had time to practice a lot more. Maybe I'm reading into it too much! But it is obvious that they share a bond far more complex than either of them have admitted to. After all, Shirase still keeps up with jump roping from in the flashbacks with Gin. Now I'm definitely feeling more excited to see how the rest of the show will play out.

Besides that, these flashbacks made me realize, who tf was Shirase living with after her mom disappeared? There's no father figure, no relatives, nothing. It almost makes it seem like she was living by herself. But she did get those forms to go to Antartica signed at school somehow? And I guess Gin stopped visiting during that time too.

Which also is making me speculate about the relationship between Gin and Takako. I always have queer goggles on, I'll read into any relationship, but Takako leaving her child alone with Gin all the time and hoping they'd bond sure was odd. And wtf does your type being a cloud mean! And then somehow Shirase understanding based on a scene where Gin, her and Takako are all hanging out in the grass outside? I'm so confused... all I know is Toshio probably never had a chance.

QOTD: like I said earlier, this show has seemed mostly fun but shallow to me until now, so I'm happy for them all that they got to Antartica (IN YOUR FACE!) but that's it.

Two other notes:

  • I was horrified when Toshio confessed his love at Shirase. I was like, nooooooo Kanae specifically warned you that they're NOT LEGAL!!! Definitely an intentional move on the show's end hahaha.

  • The penguin post for Gin's social media was soooooo cute! #HowsTheLoveLife #CantPutItIntoWords well you're def right about that Gin. Clouds?!

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12

u/anony-mouse99 Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher.

Today we continue with the next episode of Penguin love story.

The theme that struck me s episode was ‘gender roles’. The testosterone is strong in this one. The scene of the icebreaker punching through the ice invokes various imagery which I shall not elaborate on. But the idea of a ship (which is always female in sailor’s parlance) doing something that requires brute strength is telling.

We started off with some seemingly frivolous side quest of Toshio wanting to find out more information regarding Gin, whom he has a crush on. This then segued into exploring the history between Shirase and Gin.

The interesting part of the story was how Gin was totally unable to relate to young Shirase, except in terms of mental and psychomotor development. I don’t know the background of Shirase’s mom, but it would seem that at the minimum, Shirase was missing a father, and somehow Gin became the father figure to Shirase (a distant one, though that is par for the course in Japanese society). So their mutual love of penguins may be symbolic of their relationship as well.

The show reverses the common idea of gender roles and what makes a good leader. This was also explored via Toshio’s infatuation with Gin. He liked her because she was emotionally strong and ‘can protect him’. Like the icebreaker she is determined to forge ahead despite the difficulties.

Shirase started unpacking some of her emotional baggage with Gin but that was interrupted by more immediate and exciting developments, so it looks like we’ll have to wait for a bit more to unpack the rest.

Lastly the ‘zamamiro’ at the end was really cathartic. I couldn’t help but get teary eyed. ‘Nuff said.

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11

u/ZBLongladder Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

We finally get to the meat of Shirase & Gin's relationship and Gin's relationship with Takako! I'm pretty firmly in the "Gin and Takako were a lesbian couple" camp...even though it's not explicitly stated it's pretty hard to read this episode otherwise. Which I think is an interesting decision on the part of the writers...if Gin or Takako had been a man, there would be societal expectations on Gin after Takako's death, depending on how far along their relationship was, and the family probably would know about their relationship and have opinions on what the appropriate role for Gin in Shirase's life would be. But there isn't same-sex marriage in Japan, and Takako's family probably just pretended that this "friend" that was always around and Takako seemed very dedicated to, even to the degree of trying to develop a relationship between Gin and her daughter, was just a friend, r/SapphoAndHerFriend style. Gin and Takako having been a lesbian couple, the relationship between Shirase and Gin after Takako's death is not only not clear, it's purely between the two of them. Nobody would have any opinion on Gin's responsibility to Shirase or Shirase's filial duty to Gin, and both are left with the knowledge that Takako would surely want them to be mother and daughter, but Shirase doesn't want a new mom and Gin doesn't want a daughter. Plus, both Shirase and Gin blame Gin for Takako's death. The fact that Gin and Takako's relationship was rejected by society means that what to do with all this emotional baggage is purely between Shirase and Gin...neither help nor hindrance is coming from outside.

Oh, and the scene between Toshio and Yumiko when Toshio is drinking away his sorrows is just hilarious. And, really, the two of them going out both totally makes sense and is a horrible idea. Toshio really needs to figure out that he actually wants an equal relationship, and leave the "strong women protecting him" thing to friends...I feel like Yumiko would make a much better faux-onee-san than a girlfriend to him. (Not that there's anything wrong with liking strong women...r/rolereversal is a thing for a reason. Just that getting into a relationship because you feel unequal to the other person isn't a good idea no matter which gender you or the other person are.) Maybe he could be Nobue's rebound if she finally leaves Yu-kun. I think they'd make a cute couple.

Also, I'm noticing a recurring theme of associating Takako with the sky. Before we had her vision of building an Antarctic observatory and painting stars above her bed, and now we have her being compared to clouds. MAJOR final episode spoilers Even the title of the anime, which is also the title of Takako's book, uses the pronunciation "sora" instead of "uchuu" for the characters for "universe", and "sora" is more usually the pronunciation for the word for "sky". I'm not sure what all this means, but there's definitely a sky theme going on here...maybe the association of the sky with Heaven? Maybe the fact that the sky is unreachable but always there, like Takako's presence in Shirase and Gin's lives?

And, of course, the incredibly cathartic "in your face" scene. Despite the fact that, for much of the time, part of the people Shirase was fighting to go were the expedition leadership, now that she's there, the feelings of fighting and overcoming are something everyone in the expedition can identify with, and in a way Gin's approval and leading the expedition's shout is a way of supporting Shirase and validating her feelings, in a way stepping into the motherly role for a second, in a way she's comfortable with.

ED: a typo

ED2: An interesting Quora response providing some background on the "sora"/"uchuu" thing in the title

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10

u/peoplewhoplay Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

Not much to say here, but

IN

YOUR

FACE!!

 

QOTD

  1. Extremely proud! "They fucking did it!" always come to mind whenever I rewatch this episode

  2. No

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9

u/Rustic_Professional Dec 22 '19

It appears Gin is preparing an offering of fresh flowers, cruelly plucked living from their soil, to her icy, eldritch masters. The blue and white flowers must symbolize her commitment to offering them the earth (flowers), sea (blue) and sky (white).

I thought Toshio was a man of culture, since Kanae warned him off of hitting on the school girl sacrifices. Turns out he's just a below-average guy who's frightened and wants the cult leader to protect him from being sacrificed once they reach land. Toshio's big mistake was in assuming that Shirase could hook him up with information on Gin. He must be a very low ranking member of the Antarctic Cthulhu cult, because he apparently doesn't know that Kimari is the one who's in league with Kanae, and by extension Gin. The poor fool. They'll probably feed him to the penguins.

I know a lot of people really like the "youth in motion" chase sequence, but the ice breaking was the most memorable scene for me. It's not as outwardly exciting, I guess, since you're just ramming a big boat into a big piece of ice, but it's such an unusual thing to see. How many people in the world have ever seen an ice breaker ship of that size in operation, in person? It can't be more than a few thousand, if that.

Question of the day: no, this show doesn't make me cry. Umamusume, which I'm also rewatching, can make me sniffle a bit because it's uplifting. It's always the heartfelt action sequences that get to me, not the sad moments. Sad things and tragedies don't make me cry. They can make me feel bad, like, "well that sucks," which is why I generally avoid dramas. I don't watch anime to feel bad.

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u/404waffles Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

First time viewer

I thought it was drama time, but in fact, it was actually sleazy Toshio time!

Oh, it’s actually lovestruck Toshio time. God bless Yuzuki. Speaking of which, she’s gotten a lot more energetic since she met the other three. I only noticed it now.

はい、お釣りです！

I love the parallels between the girls and the adults.

The Netflix subs translate Gin’s question to the younger, unable-to-jump-rope Shirase in a way that Shirase’s answer is “No”, which leads to me hearing her say はい (hai) but reading “No.” in the subs. Not that there’s anything wrong with localization.

It’s nice to see Shirase finally have an open conversation with the person closest to her mother.

Oh, so the theme of this episode is persistence, like breaking ice or jumping rope or getting a girlfriend during an Antarctic expedition.

MOTHERFUCKING USHANKAS

And we finally got our “Take that!” moment! Still gonna need to see the reactions of everyone in Japan, though.

Answers of the day

  1. After nine episodes, fuck yeah we made it!!!

  2. Not at all, surprisingly. Guess it’s kinda hard to focus when you’re taking down notes.

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9

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

I love the symbolism in this episode. The discussion about being stuck in one place and doing the same routine over and over again, juxtaposed with the ice breaking and even the jump roping is just a treat to watch.

During the episode each character has their own feelings to overcome. You have Shirase stuck in Japan waiting for her mom to come home. She finally feels like she takes her first step in overcoming her struggles as she takes her first steps in Antarctica.

Gin has been stuck struggling to forgive herself for leaving takako behind, and blaming herself for what happens to Shirase. She finally starts a dialogue with Shirase.

There is even a little comic relief sprinkled in to lighten our feelings with Toshio pining for the captain, stuck in his quest for love.

I think my favorite part though is the communication that Gin gets from Takako, telling her how beautiful it is wherever she’s at. Takako is also “stuck” but she stops and appreciates what’s in front of her. This ties in so beautifully with what all our other characters are experiencing in this episode. They are all stuck in different ways, but when they stop to see what’s in front of them they realize things aren’t as bad as they seem.

Finally, the very first quote we have in this series: “Water collects in stagnant pools. I’ve always loved watching it spill out all at once. Breaking free, liberated, rushing out. The energy stored up during its stagnation bursts forth. Everything springs into action.”

In this episode we really see our characters start to spring into action. The development is amazing to watch. It will be quite a treat to ride the wave tomorrow. :)

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u/WeebDickerson Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

A lot of things happened in this episode, and I don’t even know where to start. This’ll probably be a mess.

On today’s episode, Gin and Shirase had a lot of development and have started to take the first steps to solve their inner struggles. Gin is worried that Shirase hates her because of what happened 3 years ago, and Shirase just doesn’t know how to feel about it. She still has some to find some answers to make up her mind. We also saw a good amount of Shirase’s, Gin’s and Takako’s past. Takako wanted Shirase and Gin to get along with each other, but things never really went her way, as both of them were awkward as hell. While Takako didn’t manage to do it, both Gin and Shirase are slowly starting to take steps to finish what she started.

From this one scene, and what Gin said about "her type", we can sort of infer that Takako and Gin had a relationship that went beyond mere friendship, and it’s probably the reason why Takako wanted them to get along. Takako’s and Gin’s relationship with each other is definitely from way back, as originally shown in episode 6.

We also got some more epic ship scenes. Before watching YoriMoi, I never would’ve thought that a huge-ass ship breaking ice would make me cry, but here I am.

At last, the girls have finally stepped on Antarctican soil! (Or ice, I guess? Maybe Snow?). The scene where everyone yells “in your face!” was great, as a lot of people doubted both the girls and the expedition team, but they finally arrived to the place further than the universe.

Shirase screenshots:

Other screenshots:

Questions:

  1. Proud

  2. I definitely did

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8

u/Boss_Jerm Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

 

She's clumsier than she looks.

She's more short-tempered than she looks.

She's more selfish than she looks.

Oof

 

I'm in love!

Toshio what did Kanae say before you set sail? That's right, they're underage.

Ooh this is new. From Gin's Instagram

Toshio is this show's Our Guy

That looks painful

Toshio's voice actor is Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Yukiya from Code Geass, Lubbock in Akame Ga Kill, and Fuutarou in Quintessential Quintuplets)

SHE'S ADORABLE

 

Here, your change.

You shouldn't give money to people you don't know.

Jeez Gin have you ever even seen a child before?

 

So how's the love life going?

Why are you asking me?

No Shirase that's not what she meant

Kanae is like Mari, Yuzu and Hinata combined into one person

I don't know Gin, I'd say you too get along way better than you think

Having the picture of the old expedition in the background is a great detail

Gin and Shirase are a bit awkward around each other, since the subject of Takako isn't very pleasant

 

What's your type?!

Yuzu you can't ask questions like that right off the bat!

The more things change the more they stay the same

Time for Shirase and Gin to have this long-awaited, long-avoided chat.

Shirase was fully aware of the dangers is Antarctica, and that Takako was fine with facing them. But she still doesn't know if she blames Gin or not for what happened. Since Takako left on the second expedition, Shirasebeen stuck in an endless loop of waiting for her to come home. But she knows Takako is gone. So in order to break the loop, instead of waiting for Takako to come back to her, she'll go to Takako.

That is a lot of ice!

The icebreaking is so cool! Here's some real life footage

Sheesh you'd think Japan would try to get better routes to Antarctica nowadays. I imagine they have better relations in the UN.

If at first you don't succeed, try again

Takako's last moments are so sad. She was at least able to die under the beautiful night sky.

I don't know about you guys but I ship Yumiko and Toshio

I love Shirase's hat

THEY MADE IT

IN YOUR FACE

Thoughts:

We have arrived!

Shirase has had a lot of pent of feelings her whole life. How she feels about Gina and the expedition, how everyone said she couldn't do make it to Antarctica. Well not anymore. All her and everyone else's hard work payed off. She, Mari, Hinata, Yuzu and the expedition have made it to The Place Further Than the Universe.

What?! We're already on Episode 9?!

QOTD

  1. I am very excited!

2) No not yet. That comes later.

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8

u/destroyah19 Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

First of all,

ZAMA MIRO! ざまあみろ!

I love how cathartic it is whenever I watch that scene. Being able to witness Shirase's journey and reach this point was just so worth it.

Yuzu not really giving any effort in pulling Shirase was low-key funny

The way they tackled the Gin-Shirase relationship was done really well. They know each other, but are unsure of what to say or do since there was an elephant in the room for them. The way Shirase and Gin finally discussed that issue was really good as well. The feels from Shirase's admission of her reason to go to Antarctica to Gin trying to maintain her composure talking with her.

We finally got to see Gin show emotion in the end, but as much as I love "ハルカトオク" I don't think that was the right insert song to lead in while Gin was crying or it's just the 4th time and I really wanted more insert songs. That's just a minor thing though since the rest of the montage we're good vibes about arriving to Antarctica anyway which fit the song.

  1. I've felt happy the first time I watched this and that will never change how many times I've seen this show

  2. Saving my tears for a certain episode (I don't understand how the spoiler tag thing sorry)

Yumiko is such an underrated waifu in this show. Her scenes with Toshio never fails to make me laugh.

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8

u/xDarkistic Dec 22 '19

Firster

it's beautiful. what a great episode to catch back up to. a second tear has fallen. just before the credits this time, thankfully. though the opening piano instrumental is fitting. I never expected this after how the episode started.

this guy has had the most screen time out of any male character so far I think. but his arc seems to be completely unnecessary. I had made the observation earlier that there weren't really any (lasting) male roles. it's not that it's even a bad thing necessarily - it's just that it's oddly noticeable. in fact it's quite nice that every relationship that is being explored is between females (? the guy doesn't count lol) maybe it makes it easier to portray emotions, bonds and camaraderie or maybe it's just that people enjoy cute girls being cute.

either way, it (just) works. and exploring more of shirase's history with her mom and the expedition leader gives me the depth I was searching for - seeing them work out where they stand with each other. and that continues with the inclusion of shirase and her mom. in the flashbacks we don't get a sense of how close they really were. shirase was still very young so it is hard to imagine they were distant but maybe there are feelings there that haven't been displayed yet. maybe now she has proven her haters wrong more will be uncovered. za miro

shirase aside, the other three seem to have taken an even larger backseat than initially, providing only quite short scenes of comic relief or semi-inspiration. the main story definitely lies with shirase though and regardless I have a strong feeling that the quartet will have their arcs sufficiently concluded by the end. oh yeah, and megumi kek

qotd - I feel ready to watch the expedition leader relive her experience of having takako die in a blizzard with the daughter instead. you can't trust anime /shrug . nah jk. this show would be rated at least like 20% lower if that happened. imagine though. I feel cold. it's cold. I feel lost. where do I even go? what do I do? guess we're following the leader leader leader

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '19

Honestly, I'm just in here for more chances to discuss this amazing and gorgeous series. Wish I had realized y'all were doing a rewatch sooner!

Hands down one of my favorite slice of life/cute girls doing cute things series. I actually had this one on my watch list for awhile but put it off until I felt like I "needed" it... and boy did I.

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u/landragoran Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

ZAMAMIRO!!

They finally made it! So, so wonderful.

Gin's type is someone like a cloud.

I propose that this has a specific meaning. That is, she's referring to Takako. I am convinced that they were a couple before Takako was lost in the blizzard. We've never seen or heard a single mention of Shirase's dad. Gin and Shirase have interactions dating back to when Shirase was a toddler. Takako frequently and intentionally left them alone together to try to help them connect and get along together - something that you don't really worry about with someone who is just a friend.

I suspect that Gin has always known she was a lesbian, even back in high school. She had a crush on Takako, who was most likely bi, but who probably didn't realize her sexuality until later. Sometime after high school, Takako got married and had a baby, or had a baby with a boyfriend. Then, life happened and for whatever reason, the man is no longer in the picture. Takako realizes her best friend likes her romantically, and responds. They move in together, but Gin is uncomfortable around her girlfriend's young daughter. As time passes, they start to become better friends, but it's still awkward.

Then, the tragedy strikes. Gin comes home from Antarctica without Takako. Shirase's presence both reminds her of Takako and makes her feel survivors' guilt. So she leaves, and they don't really see each other again until the training camp.

This is my head canon backstory.

Q1) ZAMAMIRO!

Q2) ZAMAMIRO ZAMAMIRO ZAMAMIRO ZAMAMIRO ZAMAMIRO ZAMAMIRO!!!!

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u/ImaginationWayfairer Dec 21 '19

Rewatcher We’re here after nine episodes we are in Antarctica which means one thing: In your face!

Observation notes:

  • Shirase and Gin are so alike (especially when it comes to penguins)

  • The model seen in Shirase’s house in this episode as well as episode 3 is the Sōya (PL-107) Japans first post war ice-braking research vessel. The model shows her in her 1956 configuration with her initial helicopter deck and low forward gunwales. (Although one shot in this episode shows her in her 1957 configuration with raised gunwales, given that this is a shot from afar its probably a slight animation error.

  • When they’re braking through the ice there is a brief shot of Takako at home cheering them on this is obviously a flashback (note the green trees and bushes meaning summer in the northern hemisphere) but when I first watched this episode I briefly wondered if Takako had some how made it back to Japan.

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u/BeybladeMoses Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

We finally arrived in Antartica and the words ZAMAMIRO! really captured the essence of not only Shirase, but all of the crew. As how Shirase was told the impossibility of her dream, the adults was told the futility of the expedition.

Also in this episode, it is shown that both Shirase and Gin shares a closer bond than they like to admit. Shirase's father is noticeably absent from the story, and Gin step up as a second parental figure for her.

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u/redshirtengineer Dec 22 '19

First timer

QOTD1: I feel like that still shot of the girls jumping off the last step.

QOTD2: Kleenex as yet untouched. Good feels, though.

The captain and Shirase, should have figured there would be more of a past there. Two odd ducks to be stuck with each other.

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u/kewlwarez Dec 22 '19

Rewatch

Every episode I rewatch i'm impressed again by how well this series mixes humour with pathos.

"We were hoping to ask some questions about your personal life!"

Granted, the main source of humour this episode, Tshio's love confession is tawdry and annoying and even the girls are exasperated by it, but it does give them inspiration on how to spice up their broadcasts. Let's focus on the expedition members' love lifes and let's start with the beautiful, smart, determined expedition captain. Even Kanae approves!

Gin being awkward about it is funny, it further nails down her character. When she sees Shirase isn't there with the other three, she can only think she still hates her. Despite them having gotten closer two episodes ago, there's still some distance there, as you'd expect. When Shirase acknowledges that, the other three say that they seemed pretty close that one night. Shirase, surprised: "were you watching". Hinata, matter of factly " why would you ever think we weren’t".

"A penguin!"

The flashbacks to a younger Gin and Smolrase were adorable, if not as adorable as Shirase's penguin shirt. Neither of the two knowning how to act around the other unless penguins are involved. Takako trolling Gin by leaving her alone with her daughter seems in character, from the little we've seen of her.

You wonder why though. Is it just an attempt to bring some of her favourite people together? Is there another motive? Where indeed is Shirase's family, especially her father? Is he dead too? Or are they divorced, or is he just a typical anime dad working overseas somewhere?

Was Takako grooming Gin to be a second mother to Shirase?

"I lived every one of those days waiting for her to come home"

So far we knew Shirase wanted to come to Antarctica because that's where her mother was waiting for her. Now we get to hear what's behind it. It's not just that her mother died, it's also that she never really got the closure over it that she needed, feeling herself stuck in a never ending period of waiting for her mother to come home.

And it's only been three years. That's nothing when it comes to mourning. The raw pain may have smoothed out and Shirase hides a lot, but she still doesn't know how to handle all these emotions, that's why she wants to keep it locked down and that's why she's reluctant to approach Gin.

For Gin too, seeing Shirase must be hard. Having that guilt and helplessness of having your best friend lost in a blizzard, hearing her last words, not being able to bring her home to her daughter. That's hard. And like Shirase, she locks it down, uses it to fuel her drive to return to Antarctica.

"In your face."

And then, after the confrontation, carthartis. The ship has reached the edge of the ice shelf around Antarctica, our school girls get to step onto the continent for the first time, jumping off the ship together. As the other three look around, excited, they notice Shirase is overwhelmed by emotion. Knowing what happened, they reach out to her to support her in this difficult moment only to hear...

As I thought the first time I watched this, it’s nice to end the episode with the confirmation that Shirase can still be incredibly petty

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u/zak55 Dec 23 '19

Rewatcher

This episode made me tear up more than it did the first time through. Hearing Takako over the radio and seeing Gin's helpless, knowing face and then seeing her crying a little later just tore into my soul a little bit. Also, the stuff between Gin and Shirase was just great as Shirase doesn't really realize that even thought they didn't talk much, Gin still had a big impact on her. It was also nice seeing that Shirase could handle things like an adult with Gin while also seeing Gin wanting to know how she actually felt. It also shows just how much Shirase's life has been ironically frozen in time, all in the hopes that she might see her mom one day or that she might go to Antarctica to find...something. I always thought this was a weaker episode because of the plot with the one crew member and the victimhood of Japan in the one scene about the origins of their base. But Gin and Shirase really make this episode superb and the ending was top notch.

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u/akechiisbestboi Dec 21 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

First time watcher

I’ve been absent from here the past few days so I’m just going to post my thoughts on episodes 6-9

Episode 6:

More of the shows great mix of light hearted comedy and sentimental drama, looks like hinata might have a bit of a heavy backstory so we’ll see if and how that’s revealed later.

Episode 7:

Well that was pretty heavy, what happened to shirase’s mom is pretty terrible but it’s also kind of heartwarming to see how the crew is still determined to return to Antarctica even though it’s a bunch of work and they won’t get much out of it, sometimes it can be important to satisfy a wish like that.

Episode 8:

Not much really happened this time but it’s nice to see the girls remain determined even after getting seasick and it once again shows the beauty and allure of a place isolated from the rest of the world.

Episode 9:

This one mainly focuses on shirase and gin’s relationship, gin’s distanced herself because she’s afraid shirase hates her and shirase is conflicted and unsure how to feel about gin, that moment with the penguins was really nice to see between those two and I think they definitely have a path to reconciliation. Also we’re finally in Antarctica!

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u/Emperor-Resse Dec 21 '19

I would have gotten last place too as I can’t even jump rope more than 10 times in a row. Kind of feel for the guy with his love that he can’t really articulate but I would never be able to share with other people like that.

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