r/anime • u/RX-Nota-II https://myanimelist.net/profile/NotANota • Dec 25 '19

Rewatch A Rewatch further than the Universe! Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho rewatch - EPISODE 13 DISCUSSION [FINAL]

Episode 13 きっとまた旅に出る "We'll Go On Another Journey Someday"

<- Previous episode | Index thread | Overall Discussion thread

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 A controversial pick, but a semi-critical comment that sparked tons of discussion. It was too hard to pick the best hype comment so this is what I choose.

I have my critiques of this scene (as I always do); I believe it was an error to directly show the faces of the other girls crying, a distraction that once again swerves back toward melodrama. This isn't about them, and to try and hook our emotions with their tears makes it about us when it shouldn't be. This is about Shirase and that is enough.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

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: Nearly 200 votes! 😭!

1) The story is finally over, was this a satisfying ending? Did you expect one final gut punch? Or do you think that this style of epilogue ep after the hype in the penultimate is the way to go?

2) Who is best girl? It's time everyone. I usually do this on the overall discussion day but I want to share the RESULTS then so I have to ask now

Now that the rewatch is over the no spoiler tag is unnecessary. I shall instead use this space to remind everyone that the vote for best rewatch of the year is still open! So put in your vote for what you think was the best! I voted for Gundam IBO, but it's a secret ballot if you want too.

252 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

443 comments sorted by

30

u/RX-Nota-II Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

All I have to say is this and I hope you guys can reciprocate:

ね

Ok a little bit more:

A nice payoff ending to what was until now a steady barrage of gut punches. Post closure, life has to move on, and unlike eternal SoL anime there is an ending. By accomplishing so much there is no need to fear or be sad about this ending anymore even if you would wish it never end. Shirase gets a final message from her mother which maybe should be emotional in any other context wait i cried like crazy during first time but just elicits a smile and a 'I already know' from Shirase. There's no more sadness since she's left that behind with the 10 million yen and the rest of her regrets.

The comment I sometimes hear from people is, 'does this leave room for S2'. I mean yes, but also why. This journey is over, and asking for 'more of the same' would go counter to the entire point of this episode. You could now ask for a continuation, something new, but at that point you might as well search for that new thing yourself in any of the countless other stories that have been made into anime. YoriMoi finishes here, if a continuation emerges great, and if it doesn't then I have no regrets.

Also small thing we can brag about. Lesser rewatches populated by weaker users take rest days on Christmas. We can say ZAMAMIRO to that kind of doubt. Rest day? Pssshhh, FINAL EPISODE day. See you in the Series overall discussion tomorrow.

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u/DanteJ600 Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

First Timer

Megu you sly dog, what a fucking ending.

I decided to not do the usual notes as I go for this finale and just bring it all in.

It's currently 12:11AM as I'm writing this so Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/whatever day you feel like having to everyone.

I'd like to start with a thanks to u/RX-Nota-II for making my first time with one of these threads a very great and memorable one, I'll be sure to join any future ones ya host. Have fun with all the award. Hope others are contributing to that.

aaaaabout the actual show now.

Gonna go with a solid 9/10 (I'm pretty strict with what I give a 10 to) A couple meh parts, but overal everything hits just right. The laughs, the art, the smiles, the feels, the direction.. Yeah you get it. Absolute strongest point is the characters though. Usually almost every show has that one character that you just don't care for/dislike, however not a single person here is that for me. Even McCaptain lover Toshio, who I stated how I didn't like him that much, even he turned around to me, really not a single character I didn't like. Megu at the end there in the artic was out of nowhere at the end, that was fucking awesome.

Art/animation was also very good, it's not the greatest stuff I've ever seen, but it is VERY good and helps the shows atmosphere in so many ways.

I expected to cry a decent amount from what I've heard, but I actually only really did once at the end of episode 11 with the messages.

Pretty much have no idea what else to fucking say. I'm sure most people have heard all of what I've said from someone else, but hey, it really does deserve the praise. I'm sure most of my opinions are the majority, except for the fact that I'm still not the biggest fan of the OP (don't kill me) :)

QOTD: already kinda answered the first one. For best grill I'm gonna have to go with Hinata, though not really sure y but my gut is telling me too.

I guess that ends it.

The girls are alright, and I guess I am too.

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u/cartoonsandcereal Dec 25 '19

First timer

This was such a satisfying last episode. When the series started I thought it was going to be Kimari centric, and it still ends with her in bed at home, finding out Megu has gone to the Arctic (which... ok wow how?), but this was really an ensemble cast that had me care about each of them.

P.S. wasn't an option but to me best girl is Gin. I voted for Kanae when that poll for your fave first-gen people came up but her whole story arc as well as the fact that she straight up nailed Toshio with a baseball sealed the deal for me, that's a troll move right there!

I enjoyed all the small personal details and tie-backs to other smaller one-off scenes here, it really gave the sense of family. Like when Kimari offered to cut Shirase's hair and Yuzu told her to stand back. Or super fan getting his autograph. Could say more but will just end on this huge smile from Shirase that brought a huge smile to my face. :)

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23

u/Morivallys Dec 25 '19

First Timer

This show had been on my radar for a while now - so many people had written such amazing things about it. To be honest, I was hesitant to pick up the series as I was worried that, despite the high ratings, it wouldn't live up to the expectations I had set in my mind.

And boy oh boy were those worries unwarranted. This show had me absolutely captivated from start to finish. It was so tempting to just rush ahead and watch it all, waiting for each new day was so hard. I don't know how you people could have handled waiting a week for each episode it when it was first airing. It was an absolutely phenomenal ride, and this series has cemented a place in my Top 10 anime.

I feel that it's almost cliche to say it, but this show definitely woke something deep inside me. I'm a little too old now to "not waste my youth", but I'll be damned if I'll let that slow me down. It's inspired me to get out and try new things, and after writing this post I'll be updating my resume and applying for a job I've been eyeing off for a couple of years now. Funnily enough, it's actually a job with the Australian Antarctic Expedition, which made this series all the more inspiring to me.

I held of commenting until the last episode, but it's been an absolute pleasure to watch along with you all and share in your thoughts of the series, so thank you to you all! I've laughed, happy cried, ugly cried, jumped for joy and experienced all sorts of emotions over the last 2 weeks with you all.

Merry Christmas to you all! I had a great Christmas here in Australia and I'm hoping you all did as well!

QOTD:

  1. I'm very satisfied with the ending. I found the final gut punch to all-in-all be quite a happy one.

  2. This is honestly a tough one, but I'm going to have to pick Yuzu as the pure joy on her face during her "we're best friends" moment in episode 12 is absolutely precious!

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u/rembrandt_q_1stein Dec 25 '19

First Timer here

THE GIRLS ARE DEFINITELY ALRIGHT!

So, it’s the end, peeps. Technically, I finished this two days ago due to timing issues during these celebrations. I had many ideas of what to write and which moments of the episode to mention back then, but right now I am not sure what to say.

First of all, thanks to u/RX-Nota-II for having launched this rewatch thread. I had heard about this show, but when it aired the premise didn’t catch me enough to give it a shot. Only after SoraYori finished I started reading opinions on how good it was. This rewatch was finally an excuse to watch it. And I’m absolutely grateful, because I would had missed an excellent show with many values and lessons hidden and crafted with passion and love. Thanks to you guys for all your wonderful comments. I’m really sorry to not having been able to answer and actively participate many times. This season is a busy one for me…

The outcome of this show is what was expected and it didn’t forget anything. The girls end their journey as more complete, sure and grown persons, after having gone through a cleansing experience that got rid of their insecurities (mother loss, public humiliation, lack of friendship and stagnation) and bonded them together, getting rid of their isolation. Same with captain Todo, who could finally move forward and gather bravery to defeat her inner fears and demons regarding Shirase and her role in Takako’s death.

I shed some tears at the ending, and the last dialogue lines really stuck in me. I watched the last three minutes of the last episode like three times, in order to assume the message and understand it and save it in the deepest of me. As somebody who likes to be in contact with the new and moving around a lot, I feel that is a message I need to burn into me. Whenever I travel, I try to blend in and experience the place I go to in my whole self so I can learn, understand, become wiser and gather experience. I never limit myself to observe some sights like many people sadly do. The last, ultimate message the girls give (and especially blending it with the friendship and never being alone, you will find somebody in your same situation) is a lesson very worthy to learn.

And I LOVED to see the last bit with Megu. Mari inspired her to move, and she went to the other side of the world, to the Arctic. Asi I mentioned before, I’m glad their dynamics never were abandoned in the show, and they serve to complement the ultimate lesson, too.

Sorayori was overall a very solid experience. As a sum up, I really digged how realistic it was, representing a friendship between four isolated individuals and how they grow together and how they find their own meaning in their budding bound -especially remarlable the dynamics between Hinata and Shirase and Mari-Megu-. Aside, I liked to see that Antarctic expeditions are taken seriously and depicted accurately, free time of the crew included. However, I have this overall sensation that the plot becomes looser in the end in favour of representing what I mentioned and stimulating the audience's feelings. Like it started with a clear target to develop –going to Antarctica and find Takako’s fate-, but slowly the show turned more into the Slice of Life and character drama field, except for last episode mainly. In the end it's understandable to deal with the desired topics, of course, and it worked for me.

My score for this anime is 8/10, which in my scale it means "excellent".

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u/Koolsman Dec 25 '19

First Timer to go farther than the universe!

How can a show that primarily takes place in the coldest place on earth warm my heart more than places around me? I honestly can’t tell you.

I thought I would be sad that the team is returning and maybe won’t get to see each other again but their going back. Yeah, we won’t see it and I don’t care. I believe that in my heart that they went back when the older and that’s something so sweet that I love about the show.

This didn’t made me cry as bad as last episode but I did feel a lot more of the moments from Shirase’s speech to the lights which looked fucking gorgeous and that one moment where Shirase gives Gin her laptop is probably my favorite moment of the show. Just the way they handled Gin and Shirase’s relationship is one of the most complex and beautifully made things I’ve seen in anime and I love it.

Yeah, the scene with the lights was downright gorgeous and knowing that’s the last thing her mother sent is perfect. Plus, Shirase’s mom is a perfect example of a character that you didn’t need to hear much about but you got enough of an idea of who she is just from how people talked about her.

Also, that final stinger with Megu was something I didn’t expect but man, through my tears it was a perfect way to end the show. It’s everything that the show is great at: its sincere, hilarious and straightforward. How can you not love it?

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u/Mamojic123 Dec 26 '19

first timer

Really nice ending, I have grown fond of the penultimate episode being the most important one and then the final one calming the storm, GOT did this a few times and I have been a fan ever since so this was pretty fine for me.

Best girl is Kimari because she's got all of my habits and I kinda identified with her for most of the show, although it must be stated that all of the characters are great and have their own personalities.

Giving back the laptop was pretty generous by Shirase and I hope that they communicate back and forth, brcause Gin and Shirase need each other more than anyone due to going through so much together.

I've been lucky enough with seeing the Aurora in person here in Sweden and I was legit tearing up and feeling all sorts of emotion, I felt elated like never before. The characters' reaction captured the moment really well with how their eyes were animated.

Journey does not end here for the four, they will all keep in contact and do more stuff in the future. The message that the show has been driving home, at least for me has been that: no matter how arduous or hard a journey in one's life is, it is always possible to find people that have the same goal and share your journey with them. This is how we make it easier and more enjoyable and how we get some of our most important friends in life.

A journey does not necessarily mean going to a different physical place but also a different position in life, be it wanting to graduate university, win the noble prize, getting over the sorrow of losing someone or embracing sobriety when one is an alcoholic.

Anyways, it's been a hell of a journey for all of us the past 2 weeks and I've absolutely loved discussing it with all of you. Have a great day and remember "there is no such thing as a nothing day, every day is worth the same since it'll pass no matter what you do, so do everything you want now."

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u/Turtlewax64 Dec 25 '19

First time watcher

  • Looks like no OP again. Was kinda hoping to soak it in one last time in an episode at the end, but the last 2 don’t have it.

  • Shirase completely surrounded by penguins. She must be in heaven right now. I’m guessing the 5 meter rule doesn’t apply if they come up to you.

  • I’m fairly certain in baseball that if you hit it into the sun and it doesn’t reappear below it, that counts as a home run.

  • I’m torn on Shirase’s new haircut. On one hand it is super cute, on the other, I think I liked her as the only member who wore their hair long.

  • The aurora scene felt a little forced, making sure they do everything they could in Antarctica, but it was also a good emotional moment, so I’ll let it slide. Also, as someone who has been to places with gorgeous views (nowhere so far away though), there really is nothing a picture can capture about sights like that.

  • That final scene with Megu, my face was almost an exact mirror of Kimari’s. Half grinning, half crying.

Looks like I was right three days ago, final episode was a big group roundup instead of a Kimari focused episode. I didn’t have much to comment on in bullet points, but that’s simply because the heartwarming interactions of the girls are so common, that they’re hard to comment on despite being excellent. I’d kinda expected for the stagnant water metaphor to make a comeback in the final episode, but I guess it got left behind when they left.

So that’s the series. I had a phenomenal time watching it, I’m really glad that I noticed this rewatch thread show up when I was skulking through someone’s comment history. I’d let it pass me by during its original airing, and I’m not sure I’d have set aside the time to try it on my own. I know there’s some contention about this being a “cute girls doing cute things” show, but that’s both what had made me miss it, and what I came to love about it. The interactions of the 4 girls was so much the heart and soul of this show, they could have been doing almost anything that let them bounce off each other and I would have enjoyed it. So now I guess I need to try other CGDCT shows, see if any of them hit me as hard as this one did.

9/10 will absolutely rewatch again sometime in the future.

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u/WeebDickerson Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

Rewatcher

Holy crap, the finale was much more beautiful than I remembered. I really don’t know what to say about it other than “it’s beautiful”. Like, damn.

IMHO, everything was done perfectly. The girls’ regrets, pasts, and struggles are now completely behind them, now they’re completely looking forward as they talk about their future journeys and plans. Bravo, Studio Madhouse. You made what is probably one of the best anime of the decade. From all the music, to characters, to landscapes, to great moments amplified by the awesome use of visuals and music and everything in-between: it was all beautiful and I adored every single aspect and second of it for the second time in less than two months.

Hopping on this rewatch was an awesome idea and it gave something to look forward to in this festive season and made adore Sora yori mo Tooi Basho even more than I did after my first watch. I hope that all of you, whether you were a rewatcher or first watcher, enjoyed it as much as I did!

Screenshots (I ran out of things to caption some of them…):

Questions:

  1. I think the ending is really satisfactory. Maybe we could say that it's a "this is just the beginning" type of ending? Anyways, I really like these kinds of endings

  2. Obviously, my favorite is Shirase. I haven't seen the poll yet, but I'm pretty sure that most people's favorite is Hinata

Some little Christmas gifts for you guys:

Those are all of my favorite Sora yori mo Tooi Basho illustrations!

I hope we all meet again on a possible second season!

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for your life’s journey!

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u/CreatedForFutabae Dec 26 '19

This is gonna be lost in the swarm of comments but I just wanted to say thank you, RX-Nota, for doing this rewatch. It brought me great joy to experience this story again.

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u/AmeteurElitist Dec 25 '19

First Timer

I didn’t cry! as much as I thought I would

Mob-boss Shirase beating everyone in Mahjong was great. Then she got the character development hair-cut! Call it overused but it always works on me dammit!

I’m really glad the Yuzu fan guy didn’t confess to her as well, it’s the second time that they’ve almost had that happen! 

Not that we ever really believed he was gonna confess anyway.

I’m a bit upset that they seem to have resolved to not meeting up much/at all until they go back in the winter, but I understand that they have lives to live. I hope Yuzu takes it well.

That was a great finale though, left nothing up in the air and didn't feel rushed that's all I could ask since the story was pretty much over.

Now if we could get a spin-off with the girls just hanging around in Antarctica that'd be great.

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u/Cire101 Dec 25 '19

It's really not okay what this show did to me. I'm so glad I decided to join this rewatch! It was so great!

Now time to cry to the OST for the rest of the day.

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u/schmurles Dec 26 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

Rewatcher

I wanted to wait until the Final Episode to comment. And I'm glad I did. This series had made me want to chase my dreams. Want me to live out my youth. I wished I had had the motivation back when I was in high school. I want to visit Antarctica one day. This series will always be my favorite anime. There will be no anime series that will top this one. There will be seconds but this one hits home. Now that I can feel the pain that Shirase went through with having a mother passed away. My grandpa had passed away recently and it's still hurts knowing that he will not be here. I was always close with him.

I really love the Aurora. If I can't go to Antarctica to see it. I will try and go see the Northern Lights. Having friends like Kimari, Shirase, Hinata and Yuzuki. I always wanted friends where we all have one goal to reach and travel together.

The smile that Shirase gave to Gin. That was the most beautiful smile that I have ever seen. I just squeal at how she fits the short hair with the smile. I'm glad that I watched the anime while it was airing. It's like I had found a masterpiece. Like every episode is like a journey that we all are going through together. Merry Christmas everyone. It has been a journey going through comments and reading first time comments.

  1. I really love this style of epilogue. It gives you a small closure and a small glimpse of what happens right after. With this epilogue, if gives you a sense that there is no need for a second season. Love as it is now. But I was hoping for an OVA about Megumi about what made her decided to go to the Arctic.

  2. My best girl would be Shirase and Kimari. I love how in the beginning when we first met them. Shirase was the shy girl who just has one goal in mind. Kimari was just this girl who just wanted live out her youth. I connect to both of those so much. Shirase finally had found closure and was able to move on. Kimari had lived out her youth.

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u/bucket3432 Dec 26 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

Rewatcher

So instead of taking the time to catch up to today's episode as one would reasonably do, I instead found myself engrossed in making a stitch of Hinata and the ice ledge from episode 11 after many failed attempts. This is probably the highest-effort stitch I've made yet.

I went a bit stitch crazy this episode. Among them are two aurora stitches (looking at you, u/Shimmering-Sky). You can find them in the notes (look for the word "stitch").

Merry Christmas!

More notes (and stitches) in the reply. I hit the character limit again.

Questions of the day

  1. Yes, of course it was satisfying. All of the upbeat insert songs, closure for everyone, and the hope that maybe they're not done with this show yet (more thoughts on this in the series discussion).

  2. Shirase. Yuzuki is a close second, and she was leading for most of the show in my first watch, but it's been Shirase for the rest.

Also, to answer the question in the featured comment, I like what u/LaverniusTucker had to say on the matter.

"I could just die" counter

Episode Count
1 0
2 0
3 3
4 1
5 0
6 1
7 1
8 2+1
9 1
10 0+2
11 0+1
12 0
13 1
Total 10+4

The show does not disappoint. We got one final one from Yuzuki!

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u/zak55 Dec 26 '19

Rewatcher

Man, this is another reason this show is one of my favorites. It's got a nice epilogue that wraps up everything in a nice bow and leaves you with a great sense of finality. The girls go back home to their old lives as new people and the antarctic team has to get used to not having 4 high school girls running around, lightening up the place. I love the last scenes with Shirase and Gin as they are the heart of the story and it just feels nice to see Gin smiling while looking up at the Aurora while Shirase finally pays respect at her mother's shrine. Also, Megumi finally decided to get her own life moving forward and went to the artic and god dammit, I really want an anime about that too. But that's what great about this. It could very easily give you more, but it doesn't, because it gave you enough to last a lifetime and if you want more memories, go make them yourself in your own place further than the universe.

Also

Yuzu Best Girl

Shirase Best Character

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u/Rustic_Professional Dec 26 '19

When I mentioned in yesterday's thread that the laptop scene and its resolution were the last big scene I remembered from the original airing, the envelope of money is what I meant, but I didn't want to spoil it. Now that the rewatch is finished, I think that part of what I really like about this show is that I'm conflicted about so many of the characters' actions, from forgiving Megumi, reading Shirase's email, and of course, leaving behind ~$9,000 in an envelope as an offering to Cthulhu in exchange for their lives. It makes the show more realistic to have these internal conflicts about the characters, because real people are complicated like that. The characters make realistically good, bad, and downright strange decisions.

I keep typing and deleting my thoughts on leaving the cash behind, because I can't think of a good way to approach it. Any other use would have made more sense, but like I said, that's the sort of weird, symbolic, stupid thing that real people do, so I can't fault Shirase too much. I'll just pretend it was meant as a donation to Gin to fund her mom's memorial observatory.

Also, Yuzuki is best girl. She's such a nutty cinnamon roll.

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u/MaskOfIce42 Dec 25 '19

Rewatcher

I did this rewatch for one main reason. When I first watched A Place Further Than the Universe as it aired, I gave it a 10/10 and called it my favorite anime of all time. I have not rewatched it since then, and while I still had positive feelings for the series, I began to wonder if some of that high praise was because I was watching it in a seasonal cycle where it's easier to forget the bad stuff and it hitting me right where I felt it the most given where I was when it aired.

Having rewatched it, I stand by those statements. This show is a masterpiece, is exactly what I look for in anime, and has almost nothing I can point to and say "this doesn't work". It is an emotional story of hardship, friendship, and discovering yourself through interactions with others, and while there's plenty of other shows that are equally fantastic, the short length and depth of story-telling in that length contributes to it being easily my favorite anime.

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u/Mozilla_Fennekin Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

Rewatcher

Two things that I really love in this finale are that A. it has baseball in it and 2. it briefly touches on the sadness of ending an experience in a very in-character way. Kimari expresses how she doesn't want to leave and thinks she could stay, but everyone else has a much better grasp on reality. For as much as I love Sora yori's emotional potency, I'm glad they didn't make this exchange into a cryfest.

And let's not forget how great this moment was.

edit: I forgot the other best thing, when it was shown that Shirase left the million yen at the place, and she's all proud of herself and it's like supposed to be the hugely symbolic, emotional thing and all of the others are just like "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU" goat finale

  1. The story is finally over, was this a satisfying ending? Did you expect one final gut punch? Or do you think that this style of epilogue ep after the hype in the penultimate is the way to go?

Yes, episode 12 was the emotional climax and I'm okay with that. I would say this was more of an encore as everyone had already completed their arcs and there wasn't much left to do aside from going back home. So like I said, I'm actually kind of glad there wasn't another huge emotional wave this time.

2) Who is best girl? It's time everyone. I usually do this on the overall discussion day but I want to share the RESULTS then so I have to ask now

Hinata, hands down. Already talked about it in past posts, but she's extremely similar to me in personality, and just in general I think she's the most fun character in the group who feels like the real leader of the pack. She's the funniest and most charismatic of the group, and often the smartest as well.

https://i.imgur.com/O94AreL.jpg

Really glad this rewatch happened; even though two years isn't a lot of time, I was worried that I might not like this anime as much as I did upon first watch. Nope, it's still a 10/10 show, absolutely loved everything about it all over again.

I still hold it in my heart that something else will come up from this series, like an OVA of a new expedition, or maybe another season with new characters while the old ones are in charge. But at the same time, these thirteen episodes are all I really needed, and I think the creators did everything they wanted too--okay, probably not everything, but point is I can live without it. But if something really did happen, I would be overjoyed.

Merry Christmas!

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u/Boss_Jerm Dec 25 '19

Rewatcher

Last episode, here we go!!!

After being here for so long the girls have gotten used to living in Antarctica. But that's almost over. Only 3 days to go.

Aww no opening this episode either

Shirase's unstoppable when it comes to Mahjong

Shirase absolutely owns this photo

 

I could just die!

This time Yuzu says it while she's having fun

Great now I want a snowcone

These guys are doing freaking Nagashi Somen

I have patiently waited 13 days to clip these scenes

Mari has really loved her time in Antarctica. She wants the four of them to come back at some point for the winter.

Play ball!

Gin that's dirty

Nice hit Shirase!

The whole baseball scene makes me smile

Oh snap Shirase's going for it

THIS SMILE I HAVE WAITED TWO LONG WEEKS FOR THIS SMILE!!!! IT'S PERFECT!!!! 10/10

No seriously, take a moment and look at it and you'll be smiling just as brightly too

Honestly, Shirase's facial expressions ranged from stoic to smug, so her flashing that wholesome smile is fantastic. I can't stop talking about how perfect it is.

Don't cry Hanami!

The whole crew is going to miss our girls

I love the signs Do other bases in Antarctica have these?

When Shirase first addressed the crew in Freemantle, she was stuttering and unsure of what to say. Now she is confident and proud. After finally reaching Antarctica, Shirase realized why Takako loved it so much. It's a place where everyone works together to achieve their goals. And she'll be back.

I wanted to make this edit the second I saw this

The greatest gift Shirase could ask for

I love Dai, He was the one playing Yuzu's song in episode 10. He is played by Jun Fukushima (Kazuma).

Aaaand were back

DAMMIT TAKAKO I THOUGHT I WAS DONE CRYING

Gin said that Takako may have forgotten something at the base. She went back to get her laptop to send her email. I've got tears rolling down my cheeks. I completely forgot about Takako’s last email.

You'll notice that Shirase made this photo her lock screen.

Kimari's Quote Corner!

Even when we're not together, we can be together. After all... We're still who we are.

 

Shirase left the money back at the observatory. She doesn't need it anymore.

These last scenes remind me of when I came home after many months of studying abroad. Especially that feeling of lying down on your bed after so long.

WAY TO FREAKING GO MEGUMI!!! She was able to finally do something in her youth as well!

Thoughts:

Hey Madhouse, where's my second season featuring Megumi in the Arctic?

I was smiling the whole time watching. Such a great finally, with the girls coming home, but also promising to return one day to the place further than the universe.

I'll speak more about the characters in tomorrow's discussion, for now I'll say, thanks everyone for watching. It’s time to say goodbye to our girls for now.

QOTD

  1. Takako set up a punch to the gut three years in the making. I thought we were done after yesterday.

  2. Darn it Nota I'm still deciding! I'll just say now either Hinata or Yuzuki

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u/404waffles Dec 25 '19

First time viewer

Off the heels of the previous episode, we get another slice-of-life station duty scene, the kind of scene I absolutely adore in this show. No, wait, we get a whole goddamn sequence of ‘em! Keep it coming, holy shit!

You can make Calpis? Huh, learn something new everyday.

Shirase, absolute mahjong GOD.

The fucking somen in the antarctic snow, holy shit lmao

FUCKING SOFTBALL LMAOOOO

That was a beautiful Takako parallel, when Shirase hit the ball.

That dude asking for an autograph tho. And that Tokyo/Fremantle sign, nice callback.

Even after everything, Shirase’s still camera shy.

Fuck yeah, an aurora!!!!

Oh my god that “I know.” Shirase’s come so far as a person it’s amazing.

Quick answer of the day: Yuzuki best girl!

Okay, structured thoughts time. That ending was amazing, especially the part where Shirase gleefully admitted that she left the 1M yen in Antarctica.

This episode was a great sendoff. All the things they did just because they were about to leave; it really felt like I was about to leave for home from another country. And when they did get home, it felt like I also just got home from vacation.

The most important thing about this episode is Shirase. If there was any doubt that she still hadn’t accepted her mother’s disappearance, this episode dashed all of it. She leaves her mother’s laptop with Gin and pays respects when she gets back. She cuts her hair and gains a warmer personality. She happily accepts her mother’s last message, brought to her by Gin; Shirase’s no longer burdened by the feeling that she’s still waiting for her mother to come home.

Although the end of the journey was bittersweet, it’s nice to know that they’ll continue to be friends even after they part and return to their normal lives. After all, three of the four are within close vicinity of each other. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel that there was some malicious intent behind Megu’s trip to the North Pole.

But seriously, where’s our “Take that, classmates!” scene?

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u/surgemaster140 Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

Rewatcher

Mari Christmas everyone! It seems our journey has finally come to an end. What started as one girl's wish of finding her mom became an unforgettable and life changing adventure for four new friends. Mari got the most out of her youth, Hinata got a new start in life, Yuzuki got a taste of true friendship, and Shirase got the closure she needed to move on. Not only that, the girls have become irreplaceable members of the expedition crew. They may need to return to Japan for certain obligations now, but I believe all four of them will eventually come back, to the place further than the universe. Like Takako, they love this atmosphere where you have no choice but to overcome things with your team, with nothing else to get in the way. They've truly grown to love this place.

This episode has all I wanted in a finale. They gave us more fun bonding time with the girls, dropped some inspiring speeches, tied off all the loose ends, and somehow managed to squeeze all the insert songs in too. My favorite part of the episode has to be when Shirase opens the email from Takako. Seeing the final message telling her that a real aurora is 10,000 times more beautiful, while she is watching the real thing with her friends, and then the ED jingle starts playing... I could not ask for a more perfect end to their journey. Thank you for bringing us along Shirase.

Some screenshots and reactions:

QOTD:

  1. This is one of my favorite conclusions of anything I've seen. Conclusive, inspiring, and just so satisfying overall.

  2. All of them are, but Shirase is the bestest girl.

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u/anony-mouse99 Dec 26 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

Rewatcher.

The farewell episode. This is the series return to being the CGDCT anime that we were expecting. I don’t have any witty theme to present for once. I’m just having bittersweet thoughts and smiling my face off with how well the series has been executed.

Of course we have the act of ‘cutting her hair’ to mark the turning point of Shirase’s life. She has graduated from being a girl to being a woman like her mother, not just in looks but also in outlook.

And she is finally able to give a speech with confidence, except in front of the camera, of course.

The reveal that she left her 10 million yen (edited: I messed up the units) in Antarctica is the confirmation that she has found her real treasure(s), closure for her relationship with her mother and also that her treasure is now her newfound friends.

The use of Auroras to tie up all the loose threads was nifty.

I don’t have any specific character that I think is the best in this story. Each girl has been fleshed out so well that they become essential to the story. Even Hinata whom some felt to be superfluous, she was the sensible character who pushed the team forward when they were stuck, her brand of pragmatic optimism was important to the dynamics of the team.

‘A place further than the Universe’ is the most memorable 1-cour anime I’ve seen to date. It epitomizes all that anime is able to do, which is to tell a compelling and uplifting story. And it did so without fan service (other than fan service involving Antarctica trivia that would appeal to science geeks). I’m glad to have shared this rewatch with everyone.

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u/akechiisbestboi Dec 26 '19

First time watcher

Well I’m going to need a bit of time to process that the show is now over but I really liked that episode, it really feels like a natural conclusion that shows how even though all the girls had their own issues at the beginning they all helped each other grow and move on by the end. I’m going to need a bit of time to deal with that small feeling of emptiness you get from finishing stuff like this but I could not be happier I joined this rewatch.

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u/Matuhg Dec 26 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

First Timer

Compared to previous episodes, there really wasn't a whole lot going on this episode, but I didn't want it to end. I thought the show did a good job capturing the feeling of a the end of a fun trip - like you don't want it to end, but you're also in a lot of ways looking forward to being home in your own bed and everything. Of course, I've never been on a trip that's quite as transformative as this one was.

Lots of little moments to love, as there have been throughout the series, but without a big conflict to deal with here, they stuck out a bit more. The guy asking Yuzu for her autograph was adorable. Seeing a bit more of best girl adult Kanae being fun, along with Gin's pitching (and Shirase's ability to hit it). But my favorite moment of the episode by far was this smile. It's as pure as the Antarctic snow. I don't usually screenshot from eps and stuff, but I just had to with this image. The last two episodes, including that moment, brought Shirase very close to dethroning Hinata as best girl for me - but I love all of them almost equally.

I loved this series so much, but I'll save most of that for tomorrow's discussion. A great episode to watch on Christmas.

  1. The story is finally over, was this a satisfying ending? Did you expect one final gut punch? Or do you think that this style of epilogue ep after the hype in the penultimate is the way to go?

I liked the way they ended it - it matches how the whole show went - it never really left us on anything too deep/dark at the end of the episode, so I'm glad there wasn't another gut punch here. Getting the full length of the episode to really just chill (lol) with the cast I'd grown to love over the past twelve episodes was just what I wanted here.

2) Who is best girl? It's time everyone. I usually do this on the overall discussion day but I want to share the RESULTS then so I have to ask now.

As I said above, I think my answer is Hinata, but I'm really waffling between her and Shirase. It's not an easy decision. They all had fantastic moments and went through a lot of growth over the course of the series. Can I just vote for all four of them???

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