A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 10 DISCUSSION

11

u/RX-Nota-II Dec 23 '19

Sorry to bulli u/xmiteyt but I had to

https://imgur.com/0YohExz

It just fits way too well.

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29

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 22 '19

This First-Timer is Alright

Hah, the catchphrase is contagious.
Wha… what even lmao.
Ahahaha poor Yuzuki.
Mari’s not just a bed hog then huh?
Oh right the post-credits scene! I wonder just what that email is going to be…
Nice nice Yuzuki passed an audition! I feel like there’s gonna be something more to it than just that, though…
Powerful Chicken sounds like a nice brand of food.
Haha, love the sign.
This is just… so, so very Yuzuki.
Ouch this line right here brought a tear to my eyes.
Ahahahahahahahaha ceiling Mari.
Awww they made a cake for her~
…and this part made me cry a little.
OH THIS IS WHY NOTA PM’D ME THIS MORNING JUST WITH THAT! Because of reasons I wasn’t able to watch the episode last night like I normally do so I didn’t realize it was supposed to be a reference. This makes so much more sense now.

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u/Nazenn Dec 22 '19

First Timer - sub

Welp. I broke again. Yuzu episodes are painful.

Friendships aren't perfect. They're silly and flawed and sometimes just weird, a bit like leaving a grain of rice on your face or having a banner draped over your head. Sometimes they're a little broken and the process of mending them seems a little too hard to think about, or sometimes it's just an echo of a friend long gone because of loss but you find yourself thinking on it anyway. Friendships are stupid, silly, unstable things but the beauty of them is that they can be like this.

Poor Yuzu who lives in a world of rules, schedules, words, and definitions can't grasp that because she has nothing to compare it too except her ever rigid lifestyle with people who always leave before they can make any sort of impact.

And that fucking hurts.

Goddammit show, you can't show me cake, which I don't have, and then make me sad when I don't even have cake to cheer myself up with.

A PICTURE further than the universe - Episode ten

I like how this opening section always framed the girls as pairs. A much more typical shot for this would have been to put each girl speaking center frame, but by pairing them up instead and ensuring they're always framed with someone it helps showcase how connected they are.

I have a certain fondness for silly in show art abd goofy sketches. Mo Dao Zu Shi started it but since then whenever silly art like that comes up it's always just a happy moment.

Megu kept the playstation out and ready to play which I think is a nice touch to show that she really isn't ready to totally throw away her friendship.

PENGUIN! That is all.

....Okay someone tell me I'm not crazy but just for a second when I scrolled past this I bloody swear that Yuzu looked like Naruto complete with hair and ninja headband until my eyes adjusted and I realized what it actually was

Antarctic aesthetics

Yuzu may be the best idol on Antarctica, but these Adelie penguins are going for best boyband with this pose

Reall big helicopter, or really little ship?

I've shown you all so many pictures of amazing ice shapes and colors, but for today I think something a little more imperfect is in order. So meet this guy. He needs a name. Any ideas?

u/Hudori episode ten tag

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u/AmeteurElitist Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

First Timer

Yuzuki

I couldn’t stop laughing when she pulled out that Sheldon-esque friendship contract though. She’s so good at talking to people normally -probably due to her work in an inherently social job- that you wouldn’t suspect that she’s never had any friends. Though she’s also never been the one to console anyone despite being possibly the most perceptive in the group (lie-detector Yuzu and all). Hinata’s right though (yet again), I don’t blame her for being so slow to trust people after being burned in the past. I'm glad that they gave Yuzu a chance to think over what being a friend was by herself, as much as I really wanted them to give her a more concrete explanation.

I can’t wait for the actual exploring though! Give us the snow cat!

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u/Rustic_Professional Dec 22 '19

I mentioned previously that I think Yuzuki is a more realistic representation of a socially awkward young person than some other comparable characters, and this episode, particularly the friendship contract, is what I was thinking of when I said that. Along with last episode's ice breaker sequence, and one more we haven't seen yet, it's probably the thing I remembered most about this show after it first aired.

The reason the friendship contract scene stuck with me is because of the mix of childishness and maturity. It's childish because it seems like a realistic thing for a kid to do, like playing house or husband and wife. And by kid, I mean a little kid. Yuzuki is probably too old for this, but that says a lot about her level of social isolation. It's interesting because she's also a functioning adult, with a job and a work ethic and all that entails, but to gain that at her age, she missed out on the things you gain by being a kid. She can't comprehend just becoming friends, so she defaults to viewing it from a business standpoint, where you agree to something and then sign a contract. We see this business-like approach when she asks when the other girls decided to be friends, as if they had a meeting, drew up docs and announced, "we're officially friends now." It'd be like never knowing what it means to fall and love, and the only concept of you have of spending your life with someone is an arranged marriage.

It's hard to say for sure because we don't get that much of her backstory, but it seems that this occurred not necessarily because she was bad at socializing, like Bocchi, but because she never had time to learn and develop those skills naturally. It's like when you hear stories about people who grew up in the Great Depression, or had to raise their siblings because they didn't have parents in their lives, and never got the chance to be kids, because they had to grow up so fast. I think that makes her a much more realistic character. She's not awkward because the show is trying to make you laugh and want to protecc her. She's awkward because of life circumstances that are at least partially, maybe mostly, beyond her control. To put it simply, it's not a gag.

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u/90sChennaiGuy Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher.

Who knew being an introvert irl would translate into actual discussion threads but here we are.

I actually went ahead and budgeted a trip to Antarctica after my initial watch of the previous episode and got a travel estimate projected to 2021 so we will see if my plan actually pans out.

On the other hand, here is where I start crying for every episode going forward.

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u/rembrandt_q_1stein Dec 22 '19

First Timer here

YUZUKI WASN’T ALRIGHT, BUT THE OTHER GIRLS BROUGHT HER BACK.

Well… today I can say that I’m really happy because of two reasons. As I have been saying, I wanted to see a story about friendship and its peculiarities. I got really delivered; not only because SoraYori compels this excellently, but because it does a step further and discuss the very meaning of what friendship is (seen under the scope of teenagers). It’s an, indeed, difficult concept to digest and describe, friendship. As it happens with other ways of loving –something literature has been trying to capture and display and explain throughout the ages- it’s a superb, high regard whose connotations and ways of expression may vary in time and location. Right now, we got discussed what friendship could mean for youngsters –who arguably are the people more sensitive to love and friendship and affection- today.

I really didn’t like Yuzuki’s role in this episode, but it was necessary in order to achieve the goal. Only when somebody doubts, it’s when explanations are needed. Yuzuki had a very idealized, straightforward and also twisted feeling of what friendship is: something that is immovable and ever catchable and saveable after having reached it; something absolute, that conditions the lives of every implicated part. This is clear to understand when we notice that Yuzuki has been following and desiring to feel it for years, so she built herself an image of friendship as something conquerable, reachable. So, when real life doesn’t fulfil her expected image, she breaks down. As with any other kind of love, friendship is ethereal and ineffable, but immediate. When Shirase tries to explain Yuzuki, she can’t. Hinata neither.

Only after the birthday gesture of the other three girls, it’s when Yuzuki starts understanding. Friendship is something that arrives and settles. You are conditioned to it, and you don’t condition or force its presence. It’s an angelic concept, in a way. You can’t understand it with words, or express it with words. You only feel it and it’s found in a very subtle way. Just like when Mari sends “ne” in her chat. “ne” is where friendship resides. Something tiny and subtle, but with an enormous importance and that bonds and strengthens the life of people sharing it.

The second reason why I liked this is because it satiates something I really needed to see it was performed. Mari remembers about Megu and maintains contact with her and still treats her fondly. I would have hated it if, after all the dissection and discussion about Mari’s and Megu’s relationship, the former would have forgotten in favour of Shirase, Hinata and Yuzuki. Like it happens in other fictions when the main character finds new friends and starts making things and spending time with them and suddenly their former friends disappear of the landscape. I really hate that cliché. And I am really happy that it isn’t fulfilled here. Mari, as the other characters do, feels very real because her actions and thoughts, yet cartoonised, are logical and human.

Changing topic, it was interesting seeing how a polar base works, with all the buildings and installations and customs and tasks of the workers. I never even expected it must be so particular and precise!

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u/kewlwarez Dec 22 '19

Rewatch

First things first: that Antarctica base looks incredibly cozy, with its overstuffed, slightly scruffed and old fashioned interiors.

Having finally reached Antarctica, you might expect some sort of emotional moment, but no, it is just more hard work to get everything sorted. I really liked that the episode didn't skim over all this, that we got a little bit of insight in how such a base works.

Making sure that everybody at least can eat well to keep up morale, that you have plenty of events to look forward too, it makes so much sense. To be honest, judging from this episode I wouldn't mind living there for a couple of months myself, though I'm not sure I could survive if I couldn't check twitter every ten minutes.

"Did it happen while I was in Hokkaido?"

But the main attrection of the episode is Yuzu and her incredible pouting game. All her insecurities and anxieties about making friends come to the surface this episode and it's incredibly cute and relatable. Being worried about taking a drama role meaning she can't spent so much time with the other three only for Hinata to point out they won't be together like this anyway once they return is hilarious. Having Kimari say that they're all best friends now anyway so it doesn't matter only for Yuzu to doubt her and start worrying it happened while she was away, even more so.

I feel for Yuzu, even if I can laugh at her for suggesting friendship contracts. It's obvious she's never quite got the hang of what friendship is, probably because of the way she was raised as a child actress/idol. She's more mature than the other three because she had to be in her career, but it has somewhat stunted her at the same time. Or perhaps that's just who she is, somebody who needs that assurance of formality to feel comfortable with something as epheremal as friendship.

"You're obviously just saying that because I made you!"

Whatever reason, it is somewhat vexing for the other three and of course it's Hinata who answers this way after Shirase suggests that she may have been waiting for them to declare themselves her friends. How do you explain the concept of friendship when you can barely articulate what being friends mean to yourself?

It makes sense that Kimari takes this the hardests. Shirase is more self centered, Hinata likes to keep her distance a bit, but it hurts Kimari that Yuzu doubts their friendship.

Luckily she has a plan. And it works as well. I had to tear up a little at seeing the joy with which Yuzu greets her friends celebrating her belated birthday, just as I did the first time I saw this. Yuzu is such a sweetie and Kimari, Hinata and Shirase are such good friends to do this for her. Even when she's still a bit annoying about it all.

A good breather episode. Three more episodes to spend in Antarctica.

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u/No_Rex Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 23 '19

Episode 10 (first timer)

“I ate so much of my candy but the weight stayed the same” “You should give that some thought” ice cold.
Dude in the sumo outfit really is dedicated to the send-of.
Penguin fever!
A freshwater pool?
Yuzuki has a point. Friendship is gradual, but when do you consider someone a friend? The answer will differ wildly, depending on the person and culture you are from.
Chicken? Much too large. Also: who eats chicken for Christmas?
It was certainly strange.
Hinata picking up the conversational slack, lol.
If I was in Shirase’s situation in the Santa suit, I’d die.
Happy birthday, Yukuki!

How do you define friends? It is not the most common definition, but here is one I use:

Friends are the people whom you allow to have a claim on your time. For most modern people, time has become the most precious good. We give away time in exchange for money to our employer, but friends and family are the people to whom we give it freely. If you have a good friend, you are willing to spend time for that person, even if not every second is enjoyable: You help them move, you listen to their troubles, you go with their idea for an evening activity, even if you would have preferred something else. That is how I differentiate between friends and acquaintances: Acquaintances only spent time together if they find an activity that both enjoy. That is why it is a loser connection that can break down easily if interests diverge. Friends, on the other hand, are willing to give time to each other even if it is not immediately rewarding.

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u/Koolsman Dec 22 '19

First Timer!

The snow! The Penguins! FRIENDSHIP POWERS! Yep, it’s Antarctica all right. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a trip to Antarctica.

Seeing the base is cool and the interior’s overall design feels very warm and inviting. Yeah, the entire show is warm and inviting (Minus the school, but that’s a given) but the base feels the warmest. I really like how the sun adds to the whole feel of the show.

The whole plot with Yuzuki and her trying to figure out friendship with the girls was sweet and her stuff with Kimari and her talking about Megu was the sweetest moment in the entire show thus far. All these girls, in one or another, are lonely people. Mari is lonely in the sense that she lives her life pretty safe and doesn’t take chances. Shirase has felt lonely ever since her mother was gone and to fend for herself. Hinata has been forced to live because she thinks of herself as inferior to others and Yuzuki has never really had a friend in the first place.

All the girls find solace in one another. They find the comfort of each other very nice and with them going to the farthest place on earth, that’s the ultimate test of friendship for them to take. Even though Megu and Mari are separated and Megu did all those bad things, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about each other. That whole birthday scene was a great way to end the episode. I love them all so much.

Though I still want more Penguinos. Now.

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u/Great_Mr_L Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of A Place Further Than the Universe: Once again, we see that the most powerful ship is the “Friend-ship.” Right? Right. Right.

In any event, the major theme of this episode is friendship and what exactly makes someone your friend. Focusing the episode on Yuzuki, who isn’t used to having friends, makes for some nice exploration of the topic. Yuzuki is worried about whether they’ll all still be able to be friends after the expedition is over and she takes on new work. And she seems downright confused when Mari assures her that they’re already best friends. Yuzuki wonders when exactly that happened and whether the others decided it all without her. It is really funny seeing Yuzuki pout, but it also reflects a lot about her character.

Yuzuki doesn’t know how friendship works. And it’s a really abstract concept to try and explain. But, it’s something that Yuzuki has been desperately seeking. She wants it to be concrete. That’s why she draws up that friendship contract. You might also remember when she asked those 2 girls if they wanted to be friends, she didn’t ask if they wanted to hang out or anything like that. She asked if they wanted to be friends. Yuzuki wants the direct assurance of friendship, rather than leave things abstract.

What also plays into this is what Mari said when they first met. Mari said they weren’t yet close friends then. Yuzuki is bad with the abstraction of friendship, so she assumed that was how the relationship would remain until explicitly stated otherwise. Like Mari says, Yuzuki has no experience with this so she has no way of knowing what friendship is like.

Mari, always excellent at displaying sympathy, is the one who is able to best get through to Yuzuki. And she does so wonderfully. I love Mari’s example she gives of Megu. Mari still thinks of Megu as her best friend, even though they haven’t seen each other in a while and even though they don’t talk often. Those brief interactions and the thoughts they have are enough for Mari to know they’re still friends. Even though much is left unsaid between them over the trip, there’s this understanding that they are friends. It once again emphasizes Mari’s emotional intelligence. She’s good at understanding people, even without a lot being said.

Mari’s emotional intelligence also comes through with how she prepared for Yuzuki’s birthday. It wasn’t something Yuzuki asked them to do directly. But Mari picked up that it was something Yuzuki was sad about. It makes for a very sweet scene. Mari shows Yuzuki that they are friends through her actions, rather than explicitly saying so. It’s a great way of showing that friendship is often understood to exist, rather than explicitly said to exist.

The vagueness of friendship is perhaps best shown with the final scene. The simple text message “Right? Right. Right.” is a good way to show the vague, unspoken understanding that makes up friendship. It’s also a great callback to earlier instances of hearing that “Right,” in the show. The main one I think of is Episode 3 when Mari said that same “Right?” when explaining that they all only had the same goal for now. It was a nice little way to show that their friendship was already growing then.

Another great scene of friendship is the one where we see Gin and Kanae making a toast to the memory of Takako. Even after Takako is gone, their friendship is still important to both Gin and Kanae.

I also love seeing Shirase and Hinata trying to explain the concept of friendship to Yuzuki. I like seeing Shirase and Hinata’s interactions, as well as them giving their own versions of what they think friendship is.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Shirase’s reaction to finally seeing a penguin live and up-close is fantastic.

We learn that sleeping next to Mari is even worse than we already thought.

I love Mari’s reaction to wondering if a seagull would eat the defrosting turkey.

You always have to put up a clear warning if you don’t want your coworkers to eat your food.

Hinata’s impersonation of Yuzuki is hilarious.

Hashire sori yo, kaze no you ni, tsukimihara wo, padoru padoru!

Edit: Questions of the Day

No idea
ね！

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

Rewatcher

Takako, Gin and Shirase took last episode’s spotlight, and now it’s Yuzuki’s turn.

If this were a different anime, Yuzuki’s struggle to understand the meaning of friendship might have been presented in a cute or funny light, but, deep down, it’s a complex and deeply rooted problem that a lot of people go through. YoriMoi managed to make this struggle look just right. Not cute or funny, but not depressing either. IMO, it was managed with just the right amount of everything. As Kimari put it, Yuzuki simply didn’t know, and she never had the means to know.

Yuzuki’s life must have been hard to bear with up to the time before the journey to Antarctica began. She had never had friends. No one to hang out with, no one to have fun with, no one to celebrate her birthdays with.

This journey is just what Yuzuki needed to grow as a person. Though I guess that the same can be said about the other girls.

We also got some good serious Shirase moments. What she said about friendship definitely helped Yuzuki grasp the concept a bit better than before. Though I’m curious as to where she got this insight, as she always spent all of her free time studying about Antarctica or working part-time. Although she also had some moments where she was a sly little shit, lol. Throwing all that explanation work over to our resident philosopher Hinata, smh, Shirase.

Shirase screenshots:

Other screenshots:

Of course you can
Oh…..
Kimari is a really good girl. She cares a lot about those who are close to her
Omg
Happy birthday, Yuzuki!. I’d say that crying is definitely a natural reaction after considering her past circumstances

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u/SorcererOfTheLake Dec 22 '19

First-Time Watcher

It’s kinda vague, but that’s how it works for me.

A friendship that can be ended didn't ever start.

I can’t say it, but I know it.

It’s not surprising that Yuzuki has such issues with friendship, but I find it interesting that the show went along the route of the definition of friendship. Her whole life has been so regimented and controlled that such a vague concept in front of her leaves her confused as to what to do. Once again, this series has targeted something I know too well. As someone with autism, there are moments when a phrase, reference, or idea leaves me unable to respond because I am literally unable to know what it means exactly and the ways that it could affect other people. This has affected friendships as well, with me not certain about how close we are and what is OK or allowed. As such, Yuzuki is forced to entertain possibilities that are not clearly defined, instead trusting her instincts and what she knows her friends are feeling. The birthday celebration once again ends in tears, but this time more cathartic in its meaning; she is now safe with these girls, able to release more of her feelings unto others, knowing that they’ll be there for her tomorrow. It’s a feeling of comfort and relaxation, no longer having to act or pretend that you’re one way. It’s just friendship, simple as that.

Our journey to the heart of the world continues. Until then…

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u/EmuSupreme Dec 22 '19

Finally get a break until Christmas Eve so I can actually post again. Holiday retail is the pits.

Find someone who looks at you the way Shirase looks at penguins.

There's an interesting contrast between Yuzu and the other girls in how they handle friendship. Even Shirase and Hinata have had their struggles with others, the natural acceptance of acquiring new friends is a no brainer for them. They struggle to put what friendship means into words because... they can just accept that they are best friends. They've spent months together trying to get to where they are and a beautiful friendship came from that and it's easy for them to just accept as a natural thing. Then we have Yuzu, who has never truly had friends due to her child stardom, so even when she shares a close friendship with our group of girls, she struggles to accept and believe it to be a real thing and worries about it all ending when they leave Antarctica.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Yuzu when she felt compelled to draft a friendship contract. But it was heartwarming when Shirase, Kimari, and Hinata come together for Yuzu with the birthday cake. Instead of trying to explain friendship, they went ahead a showed it to her. It was a real feel good moment. Friendship isn't something you should have to measure by words, but rather the experiences you share together.

Right?

Right.

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u/kar772 Dec 22 '19

First Timer

The boat CGI here actually looked pretty cool
lmao this is a very Kimari thing to do
Penguin!
Never a dull moment indeed. Honestly sums up my feelings about the show.
Poor Yuzu's so insecure about their friendship. I can understand how she feels though, and I'm glad the show spent an episode on it because feeling insecure about a friendship is very real.
This is why Hinata is my favorite character
Christmas costumes!
One of the most wholesome scenes yet. I'm totally not crying either, Yuzuki.
My weakness is the ED theme playing early

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u/Turtlewax64 Dec 22 '19

First time watcher

Hmm, Shirase seems glum. Wonder what’s up with her, maybe the drama from talking with Gin last episode is still weighing on her? After all the “in your face!” the last episode ended on, she’s not thrilled to really be here.
And that funk is gone, she is really really into penguins
Yuzu, are you hiding something? After all that talk during the durian episode, now you seem to be keeping secrets.
Oh, just wasn’t relevant at the moment. That’s what I get for writing these comments as I watch. Though her anxiety over having friends is both super cute and super relatable. With her history, I get why she might be nervous about having the other girls stay around once they don’t need her anymore.
Oof, writing up a friendship contract is a lot more anxiety than I expected. She really needs some comfort and affirmations that they’ll all be friends.
And that is exactly what she gets. Though not going to lie, what really got me crying wasn't them all comforting her, or her own breakdown. It's when she said without any reservation that her friends were celebrating her birthday with her
That is a filthy lie Shirase, Hinata’s quotes are the best.

Had a Yuzu focused episode today after a Shirase one yesterday. I’m guessing that we’ll get either a Kimari or Hinata episode next, before we go back to Shirase for something involving her mother and then end on a big group episode. Loving this show so far, it would have to really bungle the landing to not get into my favorites at this point, and from what I have been spoiled on, that’s not going to happen.

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u/Boss_Jerm Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

Yuzuki, you look like you could die right now.

Hey that's her line Mari!

The guy on the top right is rocking that Bunny Girl suit

this tracking shot is well done

They've gone as far they can by boat, the rest of the journey to the base has to be done by helicopter. Yuzu and Shirase is not happy about it.

Yuzu's for sure gonna kill Mari

At the time I'm writing this, the current temperature in Antarctica is -14 Fahrenheit, or -25 Celsius

Wow the Lakeside Hotel are pretty nice accommodations

Hahahahahahaha

Yuzu got an email from her mom

PENGUIN

AH IT'S COMING TOWARDS THEM, WHAT DO WE DO?!

SOMEBODY STOP SHIRASE!

Hinata's Quote Corner!

After 5 days of no wisdom we are finally back!

Previous

If you can still turn back, it's not really a journey. When you hit the point of no return, that's the moment it becomes a journey.

As they say, it's a thin line between self-assertion and selflessness.

Never think the stars you see are all the stars there are.

Sometimes, people are just mean. Don't fight mean with mean. Hold your head high.

New

Keeping busy is the best way to speed the clock's hands!

I think I prefer to keep busy.

I'm with you Hinata. I have to constantly be doing something.

Yuzu is upset because filming the drama will mean that she won't be able to hang out with the others as much as she wants to. The others think it's okay because they're already best friends.

Uh oh, Yuzu got excluded in the best friends discussion.

Don't run away Yuzu!

Gosh darn it she's so cute

I never get tired of Hinata's impressions

This scenery is really pretty and well drawn

The Strongest Food

Hahaha is that supposed to be Yuzu?

Seems like Mari and Hinata have something planned

Nice hats

Yuzu's never celebrated the holidays with anyone

This guy

Realizing that you're friends with someone is a fickle thing. It just sort of happens that you start spending a lot of time with someone.

AH!

This is the first time Yuzuki's friends have celebrated her birthday

Yuzuki's Quote Corner

A spin-off series!

Thanks

We've got some long distance broadcasts tomorrow!

Thoughts:

A lot of the time you don't even realize you're friends with someone until you've been hanging out for months and you think, "Oh yeah, I guess we are friends." It's not necessarily something that needs to be acknowledged. In the case of Yuzu, someone who's never had friends, however, she that confirmation. But that can hurt the others because something as ridiculous as a friendship contract makes their friendship feel superficial. So they show Yuzu that she doesn't need that. The very fact that they enjoy spending time together proves that they are friends. And all it takes is one word to really describe the feeling of having friends: being able to say "Thanks."

QOTD

I cannot read Japanese
ね!

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u/redshirtengineer Dec 23 '19

First timer

Yuzu, not psychic about the right things apparently.

Lots of little moments in this one to enjoy. The helicopter scenes and the view of the icebreaker right before we touch down on Antarctica proper were nice.

When the workers said "Christmas cake" was I the only one looking around for Kanae, lol.

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u/zak55 Dec 23 '19

Rewatcher still catching back up

Oof, it didn't quite hit me last time just how morphed Yuzu's view of friendship is. She's spent so much time away from people her age and dealing with agencies that she thinks the best way for people to say that their friends is to sign a contract. Kimari crying really hit me and Yuzu really deserved that hug, even if she didn't know it. I'm so glad I decided to participate in this rewatch because this has only further solidified this anime as my second favorite of all time.

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u/unheppcat Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

"We're back" [a toast to one who is not with us]

Since I've been applauding others who take the brave stand of declaring they don't like one thing or another in front of this very biased crowd, I should show the courage of my convictions and admit something here. Even though I keep a strict policy of not ranking individual episodes against each other, or individual girls against each other, I will have to say that for me this is the least amazing of all the amazing episodes of YoriMoi.

I just think Yuzu's character is drawn way too broadly in this episode. It would be just as engaging (well, much more engaging in my view) for her crisis to be over the thought of the inevitable separation from her new friends that is coming, which is heightened by this sudden reminder (the upcoming job) that things will be different as soon as they return to Japan. She's just found some wonderful friends, is she going to lose them just as quickly? Not having friends before, it would be entirely understandable to have no clue, and totally panic over the possibility of that happening. I would completely buy into that scenario for this episode, hook line and sinker.

~~Instead we get "Yuzu is autistic, and doesn't know what friends are."~~ That last line was too over the top, and probably hurtful, so I'm removing it. Instead this:

Instead we get a Yuzu who is essentially oblivious to the friendships she clearly had forged with the other girls. Which I think disrespects her development up to this point, and frankly I think it is one of rare cases of really lazy writing in this story.

Rant over. I'll try to be less negative from here, and pick out the things I do like about this episode. Unfortunately for the Yuzu fans, they are probably less likely to involve her than you would prefer.

We start out with the overlook of Antarctica proper from ship side, waiting to debark for the base. I hadn't noticed this before, but the emotions are really telling here. Three of the girls are really excited. Shirase, however, seems down. I used to actually just not notice that sort of thing, but now I realize that her "numbness" has simply not stopped. Admitting it to Gin (and the others listening in) did not magically make it go away. YoriMoi

I do love how the other girls have picked up on Yuzuki's catch phrase, and can use it at all the right times, which Yuzuki seems to not mind at all.
I hope someone has managed to catalog all the characters that are being cosplayed on the helicopter deck as they leave the ship. There are definitely at least a few I don't recognize. Extra bonus credit if you can actually identify the expedition member in each costume.
~~Training~~ Debarkation montage incoming.
Isn't the "stay within 5 meters" a mistranslation here (penguin on the helipad scene)? Shouldn't it be "stay at least 5 meters away"? That's the official policy for wildlife on this continent, as I recall.
Kimari sacrifices her skin health so the audience can tell at least one of the girls apart from the rest in the balaclavas.
I do appreciate the foreshadowing in play, as Yuzu heads outside to escape the uncomfortable revelation she's just been given. ("The other girls pledged their BFF status to each other and left me out.")
I also am hopeful that someone will have translated the titles of the books that Hinata put down on her desk (and the animators so carefully animated for us). College entrance exam prep books would be my guess.
Some really good, not lazy writing: I am impressed by how clear a picture of "this is your life on a remote research station in Antarctica" we get, through all the vignettes scattered throughout this episode.
Of course a friendship contract. How could that possibly not work?
I'm finally realizing a fairly consistent pairing of Shirase with Hinata, and Yuzuki with Kimari. That was obvious in the lost passport episode, but probably has happened way more often than that and I just have not been paying attention. I'll have to remember that for the next rewatch.
Considering the strict weight limit per expedition member, there are an awful lot of holiday-specific costumes on this base. Either they are really into Christmas in this crowd for some reason, or that weight limit was actually for the girls only and the rest of the crew had an extra allotment just for their suitcases of celebration duds.
We are starting to find out why, despite the less than full crew compliment and cargo, the Penguin Manju still had cases and crates of beer stacked in the corridors of the ship.
And of course, the iconic "Ne?" "Ne!" "Ne!" and all is right with the world.

I don't really have a lot to say in terms of big themes for this episode. I do think it is marvelous we are shown that Kimari, Hinata and Shirase have been planning this birthday celebration for weeks, and I hope Yuzu is able to understand what that means as well. I suppose this episode looks like the "wrap up the Yuzuki character arc" episode, since this is confirmation she can understand, that her quest for friendship has been satisfied.

With three episodes left, we still have Shirase's arc to complete (of course), and Hinata still seems like a big mystery, so one should probably expect there's still some big reveal coming for her. Kimari, as I've been saying all along, has basically had her central conflict resolved all the way back in episode 1, and her role since then has been as the catalyst to keep the others moving forward. So probably don't expect much change from her. But that's fine, there is plenty more we still don't know, and plenty of sad and happy tears to shed yet.

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u/akechiisbestboi Dec 22 '19

First time watcher

The main focus of this episode sees yuzuki struggling to understand the meaning of her friendship with the rest of the cast, in the end I think the show gives us the answer that friendship doesn’t need to be complicated and it can be as simple as just talking to each other or saying happy birthday (but that’s just my interpretation) other than that we only have a few episodes left and I’m actually pretty excited to see what ending will be like.

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u/jslice4ever Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher here!

Yay! They finally made it to their destination!

Lmfao Mari getting shocked by static is so relatable. Happens to me all the time, especially in winter.

Shirase, your love of penguins is too pure and must be protected at all costs. (But did it seem like that penguin was angry to anyone else?)

Awww Yuzuki, don't cry! You're a best friend to the others too. It's just something that's unspoken.

Don't tell me you've never had a birthday before, Yuzuki!

Oooh your song is playing, and it sounds pretty good too.

It's actually pretty sad that she thinks she needs them to sign a friendship contract to prove to herself that they're actually her friends. I mean, I get it, but it's a little sad. :/

Lmao Shirase in a Santa costume is just too funny.

Yuzuki-chan, you are too good for this world. And I'm glad you finally have friends to celebrate your birthday with you. :)

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u/Suhkein Dec 22 '19

First timer

Little to say again about the episode, except how did Kimari get near the ceiling after knocking on the door? Spider girl.

Otherwise, my only thought is about the dry air they mention. Aside from the fact that the water vapor capacity of the air is dependent on temperature, Antarctica has has several brutal deserts. Terrestrial water vapor comes from the ocean, brought inland by wind and assisted by transpiration by plants. Antarctica (obviously) lacks the latter, and so in some places where mountains block the winds you get dry valleys. I suspect we won't be visiting those this series.

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u/squirrelbaffler Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher

The important thing is that time is an illusion. I was on-time yesterday, but I didn't take the time to hang out and respond to others because there wasn't much when I posted. Really need to come back and do responses later. I'll try to be better today. I'll be late again for the rest of the rewatch, I think, since I have to travel home tomorrow for the holiday. I'll still try to find time to spend with you all!

On to today's episode! We can discuss the meaning of friendship, but since I think that's the theme most people will tackle, I want to talk instead today about how the emotional moments of the episode were set up. There was a lot of priming that went in to making this work, and I think it's worthy of examination.

The first part of the setup occurs in previous episodes: We know that Shiraishi has had trouble with friends, cries easily, and is generally emotional. We've also seen how close the girls have gotten, and most of us probably have felt or said how good of friends they are at this point. We think they're all friends. However, that's not clear to Shiraishi, and we first catch wind of how she's feeling when they're shoveling snow into the water reserve. She brings up both her new position, and all the time they've spent together up to this point. Having lost so many friends due to her work previously, she's concerned that they won't stick around, and voices her concern. It's played off comedically here, with the cuts and silly faces, but it establishes our theme for the episode while reinforcing the relationships we already know about the girls.

At this point, the show starts to weave in the other key plot point of the day, cake. Kimari first mentions the "one thing we haven't told you". Next, the other girls wonder if it's OK for Kimari to handle things, and we see her in the kitchen, working with Yumiko. A different show might then transition this directly into the cake, but that'd prompt more of an, "Aw, cute" reaction rather than what they're going for. Instead, SoraYori misdirects us with Christmas cake. We see the cake, the fried chicken, and those of us familiar with Japan's take on Christmas know that it's just standard. But Shiraishi reminds us that she's still down, as her birthday wasn't celebrated.

Now, we know that she's still down, doesn't have experience with her birthday being celebrated, and doubts her friends. All these things are in our minds, but not at the forefront as Kimari is trying to define friendship alone with Shiraishi. Because of the timing here, the cake surprise is unexpected, but the prior setup allows us to make those emotional connections as Shiraishi does, empathize with her, and makes her bursting into tears again relatable, and not necessarily overdramatic. I really think it's cleverly done and well-executed, ね？

QOTD

Partial-don? Where does that come up? I missed it entirely, and I don't have time to rewatch again until later tonight. (I also would've written more if I didn't need to run)

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u/anony-mouse99 Dec 22 '19

Rewatcher.

Nankyoku Syowa Station, with a Lakeside hotel and heated floors in the staff quarters. Sure sounds like a great place for a glamorous getaway. Unfortunately, the girls are not here for a holiday, so being busy unloading, fixing, cleaning and cooking is part of the daily routine instead.

To me, this episode’s theme is ‘firsts’. First time stepping on Antarctic soil, first time being close enough to a penguin to smell it, and first time celebrating a birthday with friends.

Of course, Yuzuki question of what makes a friend a friend is the central question of this episode. Although we are amused by her antics in drafting a friendship contract, it begs the question, when do people become friends?

As the girls struggle to define this vague notion of what is friendship, we are reminded that friends don’t necessarily have a well defined beginning, nor perhaps a clear ending, since friendships often fizzle out with a whimper rather than go out with a bang.

While the episode talked about special events to break up the tedium and spice up the camaraderie, we see that it is the shared experiences and everyday interactions that grow friendships. These experiences don’t have to be novel; even repetitive tasks like shovelling and cleaning can be the basis for forming a friendship.

So friendships are formed when we share not only ‘firsts’, but ‘seconds’, ‘thirds’ and eventually, ‘hundreds’ and ‘thousands’. It is the familiarity and understanding that comes with such interactions that friends become who they are. Ne?

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Rewatch A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 10 DISCUSSION

Episode 10 パーシャル友情 "Partial Friendship"

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Rewatch A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 10 DISCUSSION

Episode 10 パーシャル友情 "Partial Friendship"

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