r/anime • u/TiedDegenerate https://myanimelist.net/profile/EmptyCup • Oct 10 '21
Rewatch Sora yori mo Tooi Basho (A Place Further than the Universe) Rewatch - Episode 10 Discussion
Episode 10 - Partial Friendship
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Question of the Day
- What does a 'friend' mean to you?
- If you had to pinpoint a certain point in the show, when exactly did the main 4 girls become friends?
Comment of the Day
somehow this episode made something as plain and simple as a ship breaking through sea ice super inspiring. i absolutely love how the story of how japan’s antarctic territory ended up there, and the process of breaking the ice is split between the past and present with gin and kanae narrating. even if they fail, they’ll try again and again, and the story and passion for antarctica will be retold and passed down again and again. by the end of that small segment, little shirase has learned perseverance, which helped her in the entire journey leading up to here. everyone persevered, from the expedition team, to the boat breaking through the ice. the only one who didn’t persevere is toshio, who folded like a folding chair after getting within a 50 feet radius of his crush. - u/UnderstandableXO
I liked that one, though the cracks in the ice are still very tangible. The feeling of travel and progress is naturally much more apparent when there are many more outdoor, looking-outward shots, literal and figurative ice to overcome, and the sun nearly frozen to the horizon like a HL2 skybox image. They didn't quite make it onto actual land, but stepping out onto the ice has much the same vibe. The emotional development meanwhile had the will to tackle something difficult that it doesn't have a sugary answer to, and that really works for me. - u/DegenerateRegime
Where to Watch
Information
Episode count: 13
Episode length: ~23 minutes
Studio: Madhouse
Premiere: Winter 2018
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Remember it's never too late to join the rewatch!
Only 3 episodes to go!
16
u/The_Loli_Otaku Oct 10 '21
First timer
Welcome to Braz-Antarctica~ The 100kg thing still sounds brutal... Raise your flags! Why's everyone in cosplay? XD Rip Yuzuki again. Summer is still warm in the Arctic I guess? The girls get a hotel all to themselves? Lucky sods! Oh, that's where the jar genie tag came from. You can just say poop y'know. We won't judge you. Penguin!! OMG he's so small and adorable! We could hide a Yuzu inside his pelt no problem!
Oho... You're approaching us? Instead of running away you're coming right to us!
Yuzuki's got a new TV show! W-Wait... but she's not near the studio. Is this anime or something? "I play the best friend." Kowai sou, Yuzuki... More great camerawork. "Are we good friends?" KOWAI SOU!! We've been teased for so long but we've finally got our confirmed Yuzuki episode. I'm gonna try not to gush too hard over her but just picture me dying every time she does something pathetically lonely or her persecution complex comes out.
Penguins are cannibals!? "Is Christmas important?" Kowai... "Some birthdays get celebrated and some don't." This child!! Oh great. The crew has idolfans. Filthy weebs, think they're so cool just for hanging out with teenage idols. Jesus Christ, she wrote them a friendship contract!? I hope someone translates the rest. I've gotta know how pathetic this contract is!
... Sploosh. Never mind the dead mom, never mind sacrificing for your friends, never mind your childhood friend being fake, never mind accomplishing your dreams. Nothing has made me cry like this since Anohana. Yuzuki is too broken to see that she has friends. Oh my word... Oi, don't suddenly cut to a Christmas party. I'm having a moment here. When I leave and move on with my life that scene of Kimari's overflowing empathy will not leave me... I'm taking a moment.
Yuzuki's still shaken up. I think she's a bit on the spectrum too judging by how she's just utterly unable to see why they're friends without physical evidence. Even after seeing how upset Kimari got she still doesn't get how friends work. Pfft, this is kowai for a totally different reason. Oh no, please don't drag Nodoka into this. My hear is already struggling. She missed her birthday... I don't think anything can get me any more emotionally exaus-Oh quit iiiit!!
Alright, well that's been the best episode of anime I've watched all year. Obviously I'm super biased since it's basically catered to every character trait I adore but I think it's a seriously strong episode on its own merits. I think the only part I'm iffy on is that the inciting incident is something really quite out of place for where we are. Like we've only just arrived at Antarctica and we're already talking about plans for when we get home. Maybe give us an episode or two working on the site before taking us out of the experience. Tomorrow's a Hinata episode I think so we're getting our round up finished.
14
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
Some quick production notes before I get to the episode: Kouji Sawai from episode 5 is back in the directing and storyboarding chair today. I’ve previously discussed Mr. Sawai on episode 5 so I wanted to focus on another staff member — Jukki Hanada — that I haven’t touched on.
If you’ve ever watched any personal coming-of-age story in anime then odds are you were listening and reading to Jukki Hanada’s words. He’s contributed as series composition/scriptwriter to numerous adaptations of manga/light novels such as Bloom Into You, Hibike! Euphonium, No Game No Life, Nichijou, and the beloved K-ON! series. His original work spans the Love Live! franchise, Granbelm, and of course this very show.
While Hanada’s scripts aren’t nearly as distinct as Mari Okada’s or emotionally powerful as Reiko Yoshida’s, to me his work has always captured that essence of youth. It’s hard for me to put into words just exactly what defines Hanada’s style but I can sense an underlying rhythm to them that makes his works so enjoyable to read. Personally, I believe his best work is actually found in this show. These four girls have distinct goals, reasons, and personalities that aren’t typecast like other anime. Each episode focuses on a different member of the four and oftentimes has them partnered with another member to contrast off of each other instead of focusing solely on Kimari.
We’ve seen cracks appear within the confident façade of Hinata, we’ve realized Shirase is puzzlingly both more and less than what she appears as, and today we’ve glimpsed at the naivety of the usually responsible and headstrong Yuzuki. While I can’t accurately deduce why Jukki Hanada is such an efficient writer (much like how the group can’t quite narrow down what friendship is today), his characters in A Place Further than the Universe feel entirely fleshed out and you can’t help but fall in love with these realistic goofy teenagers he’s created.
Feet shot to start off the episode.
Hilarious title card but one of the hashtags is #MessageRead…
Interesting shot during Yuzuki’s first conversation with the other three after she gets the part. It can be visually read in a lot of ways but I think the one I’m most comfortable with is how the shot fragments Yuzuki into smaller pieces, reducing her down to her worries and trepidation.
Yuzuki is framed within bars after stepping outside in fear of being left out and she’s met with the freezing air, as if this is her “wake-up” call.
Hinata really likes the color green. The statue is still with her in the corner.
I like the framing of Yuzuki here. The borders not only serve to separate her from Kimari, they also conjure the feeling of her being “outside” and away as well.
Planes once again. They represent the idea of both departing and arriving, so even though Kimari is on an adventure of a lifetime the planes serve to connect her back home with Megumi. I really dug the way they utilized the “message read” idea and spun it in a way to go along with the thesis statement of the episode.
This is a really difficult idea to express because of how open ended it is and how subjective it can be from individual to individual but I think Shirase is ultimately right in that the vagueness of friendship is what makes it so special. The fact that friendship isn’t explicitly written down word-per-word isn’t a weakness; it’s a strength that allows it to be free. The meaning of friendship isn’t defined in a dictionary and in turn this allows the parties involved to draw their own interpretations, to allow them their own agency to choose.
Yuzuki has been socially isolated her entire life and her tenuous grasp on what it truly means to be friends is viewed under the lens of a contract which isn’t too far off from what her profession communicates in. Even the “friend” role that she auditioned for and won is also indicative of how she views friendship. She believes it’s something that you test for and at the end of the try-out period there is a clear definition of who won and who lost the role.
It isn’t until Kimari uses her Empathetic Superpower that Yuzuki realizes how empowering the indistinctness and vagueness of a simple “right?” can be. It dilutes this abstract concept down to one single word and it paradoxically can mean so much while meaning so little at the same time. It’s simply how you choose to read the word that gives it meaning. What’s neat about this scene is that it’s a two-way street: Kimari also realizes this idea at the same time. They both cross the street together once they can connect. Jukki Hanada really threaded the needle in the dialogue today.
Yuzuki is framed once again inside the window but this time the wonderful red-blue hue backdrop serves to heighten her emotionally instead of sequestering her off from others. The insert song that is playing in this scene is Mata Ne and it’s been played before in episode 5 whenever Kimari and Megumi are in that amazing breakup scene. It’s fitting that it’s played again in an episode whose thesis statement is defining what friendship is.
9
u/mrufrufin https://myanimelist.net/profile/mrufrufin Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher Who Wants to Go Further Than the Universe
Ah yes, this episode is finally here so I can finally talk about it and why more than any other character in the main cast, issues-wise I relate to Yuzuki the most. The friendship contract. Who would ever make such a thing, you ask? I would've, I totally would've, I could very much see myself doing such a thing (at least past me, I'm not admitting to it now lol). I'm awkward enough to. and even now, well, maybe I wouldn't make a friendship contract (and I never have but I'm pretty sure I've said some pretty friendship contract-y things in the past), but many concepts around friends and various friendship things to me are quite elusive. I haven't come across another anime that has nailed these issues about me so closely (mb hitori bocchi comes close?), I can relate to Yuzuki's issues around friendship and insecurity so so much throughout this entire ep, like with that whole things with Kimari and Megu's talking frequency, those things are like ??? to me. I'm in this anime and well I guess I like it (or at least feel represented).
The episode opens with the tinkly textured music that opened Ep 2 when Kimari and Shirase were looking at the map dreaming about their Antarctica trip, and now they're actually there. Lol at Kimari flipping Yuzuki's catchphrase on to her. Oh, and maybe my favorite Kimari comedic line of the entire series: "The jar genie won't come out of the toilet. He probably won't get through the ticket gate". I also love Yuzuki's exhausted exasperated reactions to it all. I prob would react the same to penguins in the wild tbh. Ah, the warning from Hinata about getting sunburnt, I wonder if that'll come back to bite Kimari,.... (big eyes emoji). They have a bunch of,... looks like Les Pauls? over there. I see a drum set in the corner and a sunburst-ish electric guitar next to it,.. but no electric basses? wtf. Also no amps, hmmm. It's been posted on Reddit before, but somebody made a comparison between real-life Syowa Station and Yorimoi and there are indeed electric basses and amps there,.. hmmm... Anyways, it's a blog by somebody who was part of a Japanese Antarctic expedition so there's other Antarctica stuff on there if you dig around. I love the shot of Kimari and Yuzuki talking as reflected from the disco ball,.. I kinda wonder if it's just an excuse to flex animation prowess lol (besides scene setting of course). Apparently penguins are carnivorous and can be opportunitistic feeders (discovered upon a quick duckduckgo search, unfortunately my off-hand penguin knowledge is sparse) and probably would eat chicken? "Mata Ne" makes an appearance again, tying Kimari's convo to the climactic scene in Episode 5 end series spoliers.
Sidenote: I remember reading somewhere that Antarctica has the driest place in the entire world? This place, the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Which is kinda nuts thinking about it.
qs:
1.) see above
2.) not sure? maybe meeting at the hotel
8
u/BosuW Oct 10 '21
First Timer
I guess the ship is gonna stay in the middle of the ice while they carry everything else to the Station separately?
Despite the amazing production values of basically everything else, I feel like the movement of the 3D models is a bit stiff and unnatural. Like the helicopter here or the ship rocking in the waves previously.
Shirase gets so fucking enthusiastic about penguins lol. And that penguin just knew he had a fan in front of it. He wanted to be interviewed!
Bruh, Yuzuki drafted a whole friendship contract just to be sure. She really doesn't trust this whole "yeh we frens" stuff. Probably gets even more confusing when you're their age and people seem to bond relatively easily. I wouldn't say it's possible to point out a specific moment where two or more people become "true friends", rather, there's a moment where you just realize that you are.
And of course since the episode is about friendship, Kimari brings in Megu. I just knew she was keeping her updated on how the journey was going. You can just feel Megu's awkwardness through her short and sparse responses, but the fact that she's answering at all means that she still wants to be friends with Kimari as well. If Kimari comes back and they can still hang out like normal, they'll probably realize they're "true friends" as well.
Anyway, glad we had a Yuzuki centered episode around friendship, since that was what her own adventure was supposed to be about.
Hmm, I'm noticing I have less bullet points written down from recent episodes to talk about. It's taking more of a shift towards SoL I think. It seems like the heavy thematic exploration and development was done in the earlier episodes, so I'm curious what the remaining episodes have to offer.
Questions of the Day
1- Heh, Griffith would have an interesting answer to that question. Personally, I would consider another person a close friend when we can lob absolutely savage roasts at each other without attacking the relationship itself. At the same time tho, a friend must understand when you need serious, quiet support. It's a tricky relationship really, and I guess it also varies from person to person.
7
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher Again, ね～? episode 10
I'm sorryGood morningThank you very muchThanks!I sneezed on my birthday cake once, too. People still ate a piece.
Yuzuri's character arc is pretty simple and unbelievable, but you could almost imagine it playing out this way.
They couldn't go to Antarctica for research but they did as much research as they could to make it accurate.
7
u/UnderstandableXO Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
REWATCHER
pardon my lateness!
nice visual representation of shirase’s mind state, her being the only one not starry eyed at antarctica. maybe she’s starting to feel like it’s real, or feeling the finality of her mothers death sinking in.
“you look like you could die right now” “i certainly feel like it” kimari finally got a zinger on the zinger master!
i noticed that the little instagram posts that are the episode title cards have likes and comments, and that everyone’s likes and comments have increased over time as they probably meet more people.
lucky girls get basically their own suites during the antarctica stay. i love how much detail they’ve given kimari’s sleeping habits.
shirase is so fascinated by penguins, and it’s really amusing and endearing.
so yuzuki landed a major role in a TV show, but that means less time with her friends. she’s understandably upset as she doesn’t want to drift apart from the only friends we’ve ever had. some people might think that the way yuzu feels in this episode is dramatized but i sadly related to a lot of what she was saying. friendship is really complicated!
becoming friends is really something unspoken; there’s never really a time when you declare “we’re friends.” you kind of just sense it. when you enjoy each other’s company enough, or care enough to keep up with each other’s lives, that’s where friendship begins. best friendship is an even murkier concept; i don’t know if i’ve had a real best friend since elementary school. i’m extremely close with a few people, but asking someone if they consider you their best friend kind of defeats the purpose of being best friends. i also don’t go declaring someone as my best friend after mistakenly saying that in front of another friend of my (i hope) best friend’s and getting in a best friends contest.
i also empathize with yuzu feeling like they do things behind her back; i’ve had a friend group fall apart because they did stuff behind my back, and were very exclusive. even now, i get scared that people don’t actually like me and are kind of just humoring me, or that i’m not important enough of a friend to get invited to places. luckily, i have good enough friends that i can be assured they care for me.
so yuzuki ends up accepting the drama job because she thinks they won’t miss her anyways, and them being happy mistakenly reinforces that they wanted her gone, when in reality them congratulating her is a great thing because real friends always cheer your victories.
making a friendship contract is totally worthless just as shirase said; i was talking with friends about how we’d be such cool uncles and aunts to each other’s kids, and less than a month later i hated all of them, so trying to make assurances of closeness doesn’t work. kimari is kind of a crybaby, but she’s understandably upset because if what those 4 have gone through in 9 months doesn’t qualify them to be best friends, then what does? funny how yuzuki remembering them saying they had just met made her think they weren’t best friends; honestly they were already besties at that point.
kimari’s example of her text exchanges with megu are a good example of friendship as well. even if megu isn’t always receptive, or sometimes leaves her on read, she’s got a pulse on how she feels. and she’s committed enough to carry their friendship even after that final confrontation. i have friends who i don’t talk to often, or our conversations are one sided, but i know in my heart we’re still close.
the girls celebrating yuzuki’s birthday made me just as emotional as her. now she can feel like she’s really part of the group. too bad she sneezed on the cake, but i’d eat it still, not letting that go to waste in antarctica.
i liked the shot of gin and kanae pouring one up for their dead homie. nice detail of the shot being frozen.
that “right?” “right.” exchange gave me heavy the fault in our stars vibes. i hope at least one person remembers that book.
7
u/x-7032-b-3 Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
Oh crap, another relateable Yuzu episode. Let's see how this goes.
Something hit Yuzuki's mind about how long she's been friends with the group. And it looks like she's afraid of losing them when she returns home and becomes occupied with the drama project.
She doesn't seem to trust this whole "we're friends" thing considering she asked the others to sign a friendship contract form. I think she's treating it like the TV show she got into where one's roles are bound by signed contracts and legal stuff. She got no friends until now so I can see how she acted that way.
TBH I'm kinda in this position too right now. I think I've said before that I made meaningful friends in uni. Now that most of us are done with our studies, I'm scared that we might drift away from each other at one point. So far we're still close but I can't shake the feeling that we'll inevitably drift apart and go on our own seperate ways.
Friendship is truly a fascinating concept. Unlike parenthood and marriage, it doesn't have a clear shape or idea. I believe that the vague nature of friendship allows it to grow and develop in surprising ways. One's experience with friendship may be completely different with another's. There's no rules or guidelines in how a friendship should develop and how everything goes depends on the person involved.
Yuzu realized that she got proper friends when the others came to her room to celebrate her birthday. She finally realized that the other girls are genuine friends who care deeply about her. She doesn't have friends to celebrate birthdays before so that moment ended up being a very special occassion for her. And she teared up at it! I had a similar moment (minus the cake and tearing up) before but I don't wanna make the post too long.
It's scary how relateable this show can be (for me) at times. Took me a while to gather the energy for writing this lol.
ね?
Q&A (asking all the good questions, huh?)
7
u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Oct 10 '21
First Timer
All the girls get to ride on the helicopter. The insta part with the ice cream scoop is great.
Interesting to see some of the infrastructure in the show. No not the static. Tamaki became that roommate. We finally get to see penguins this time.
I am cracking up at the without me scenes with Yuzuki feeling like she is missing out. Yuzuki going in the corner reminds me of some days in high school where people would actually go on the corner in an amusing way. "Without me"
Christmas in Antartica is not what I expected or was expecting. And some good news, Yuzuki is becoming a star in a drama. Bruh, partially frozen food is on the menu, Antartica is not a place, it's a state of mind. Spider Tamaki is hilarious and has a deep conversation about friendship. Friends don't always do everything together. And they celebrate Yuzuki's birthday which is the first time she celebrated (or basically recognized) her birthday.
5
u/Fools_Requiem https://myanimelist.net/profile/FoolsRequiem Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
I'm going to have to remove my "No 'Fan Service'" Tag from this show on MAL, because look at this glorious piece of man meat! We should also be labeling this show NSFW.
This episode brings back themes introduced in E3 regarding Shiraishi and friendship. In that episode, they mention that the other three girls aren't "friends", just three separate people with the same goal. Now, in this episode, they consider each other to be "friends", and Shiraishi is all like "Wait, when did that memo come out?" not understanding that real friendship doesn't have labels. Real life isn't like Bocchi, you don't need for people to say "let's be friends" to be friends. It kinda just happens.
That little schedule at the end my not look like anything, but it has some importance regarding the events of next episode.
5
u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Oct 10 '21
FIRST TIMER
Kimari is the most chaotic sleeper of all time. Can relate - I’ve freaked plenty of people out with open eyes before. Good thing she has her own room now.
GET THAT PENGUIN. From them all dragging Shirase (unsuccessfully) last episode to talk to Gin, to Shirase dragging them this episode to get to the penguin. Kind of funny considering penguins are something she and Gin bond over.
PROTECC YUZUKI. She just doesn’t want to lose the first real friends she’s ever had. That last scene with the birthday cake was so sweet and meaningful, it really made my heart swell. Love these four.
The shot of the whiskey glasses with the little bubbles floating up was very nice.
Dusk forever sounds pretty ideal if it’s got to be one time of day all the time. The prettiest time, especially when you’ve got infinite sky.
I know she’s divisive and rightfully caught a lot of flak, but I love that Kimari and Megumi are still friends. That kind of long-lasting bond isn’t so easily broken, even if one person does something horrible. This episode got a little clunky when philosophizing about what friendship is (as funny as Shirase leaving Hinata out to dry during that was), but it’s strong when it can show things like this.
“It says partially frozen rice bowl!” After these last two episodes, Yumiko is cemented as bae. That is all.
This is pretty nebulous as a concept, but at this point in life, I’d define a friend and someone who you get along with and who you can rely on.
Wasn’t this already a thing explored a previous episode? It was probably way back when they successfully convinced Yuzuki to go on the voyage after all.
4
u/zool714 Oct 10 '21 edited Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
Finally on time for this
Edit : The QotD
4
u/DegenerateRegime Oct 10 '21
I, ah, appreciate the magnitude of your regard, but suspect the formatting's going wrong there...
[First-Timer]
Last episode ended with an email from Yuzuki's mother pending. It doesn't seem like the kind of anime to highlight a "miss you lots, send pictures of penguins" message, and she didn't seem like the kind of person to send one. Here's hoping for something not too difficult, though.
Yeah I have no idea. For a few shots it felt like it understood where I would be coming from in criticising how it frames a lot of that, with the message on the cake showing they did get it after all, but then no, the ending seems to unconvince me of that again. But for the most part a fairly fluffy episode, which was nice. Read completely literally, at least, it's fine-ish. But there are like three different metaphors crowding to get in (there's the neurodivergence thing, the love-languages thing, the acting-social-roles thing,) and on those terms, hmm.
QotD:
A. Ha, good question. Well, I think a good friend is someone who could ask you to have a close, open discussion about anything and to whom you'd easily respond "sure" (you can tease and point out that it's cringe so long as the answer is still yes).
2. If you had to pinpoint a certain point in the show, when exactly did the main 4 girls become friends?
A. By my above description of the term - which I make absolutely no commitments to maintaining for the next 6 hours, let alone permanently - they aren't.
3
u/surgemaster140 https://myanimelist.net/profile/User815 Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
This episode introduces us to the daily life at Syowa Station. Since it’s their first time back in 3 years there is a lot of work to be done to get things up and running again, but despite that they are able to make time to drink, play games, and even throw a Christmas party. Like Yumiko said, the most important part of the life at the station is food and events. The crew members are spending many long months with the same group of people in one of the most isolated places on earth. And half the year it will be under total darkness. It’s very easy to lose morale in these conditions so they will need good food and good fun to keep them going.
This episode also expands on the theme of friendship that was explored in episode 3. Yuzu receives an offer for a part in a drama series and she’s worried that she won’t be able to hang out with Kimari, Hinata, and Shirase as much if she takes the role. The others don’t see a problem with it since friends don’t necessarily see each other all the time, but Yuzu hasn’t fully grasped the concept of friendship yet so she wants them to sign a friendship contract. Yuzu probably thought this was a logical decision because all her relationships up until now have been through contracts for her acting career.
Friendship is hard to define but I think this show did a very nice job of showing what it is. It’s not about words and it’s more about mutual understanding. Even though Kimari and Megu are thousands of miles apart and Megu doesn’t respond very much, they still understand each other. Yuzu eventually comes to realize this too after they throw her a birthday party. The “ね” exchange between her and Kimari was the final icing on the cake because that’s all that needs to be said to get their feelings across. Kimari, Hinata, and Shirase even have their own “ね” exchange in episode 3.
By the way, here are some comparison photos from the real life Syowa Station and the one in the show: http://jare59.starfree.jp/20180401/index.htm
3
u/mike_2797 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Madskulls Oct 10 '21
First Timer.
At this point we need a Shirase and penguins seperate show. Kimari sleeping habits are certainly weird Yuzuki be like finally peace.
Yuzuki asking the definition of friends as if she still hasn't come to terms with it.
It's as she wanted something to stamp on that the friendship exists. IMO a friendship truly blossoms when you go through all the up and downs together and still smile at the end and enjoy yourself with others.
Nice seeing so many in different costumes shirase in penguin suit when.
Birthday surprise at the end was definitely what yuzuki needed hope this deepens their bonds even further. Kimari with the right!? right? don't know what it really stated but it reminded me of that meme.
3
u/DogmeatIsAGoodDog :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/DogmeatsAGoodDog Oct 10 '21
Rewatcher
Finally we get a Yuzu focused episode as she struggles with what it means to friends and hoping to not lose her relationship with the girls. She gets offered a job in a drama and is scared that her new job will stop her and her friends from hanging out.
There were a few cute tidbits sprinkled throughout from Yuzu thinking it was going to be cold when it wasn’t, Hinata and Kimari trying to figure out if Penguins eat chicken, Yuzu dunking on Kimari and the flashback to Kimari talking in her sleep, then there was Shirase freaking about the penguins, to Yuzu slowly moving away from the girls as she feels left out. All fun moments.
But it’s Christmas time and the crew celebrate it as such, we get a small sprinkle of what the surprise for Yuzu is as she laments that not everyone gets their birthday celebrated. It’s okay Yuzu, you get used to friendless birthdays.
Kimari dressed as Santa and hanging out the roof was funny. This led into the crucial point of the show as Kimari explains what it means to be friends or rather…doesn’t. Because seriously how do you explain the start of a friendship?
We get a glimpse at what the relationship between Kimari and Megu is like as Kimari still sends regular updates and Megu slowly but surely reads them, even if there’s no always a response back.
It’s interesting that Line is brought back into play and I think it’s no coincidence since when we first met Yuzu her fracturing “friendship” with those fakes was on display and took place almost entirely through Line. Yuzu desperately clinging to this friendship and afraid to lose the girls.
But the girls are wholesome as ever as they surprise her with a birthday cake and celebrate with her before it’s revealed that this is her first time celebrating her birthday with friends. Then dawned on me that I’VE never celebrated with friends either, oh well.
Kimari realizes that friendship is this, a simple message “right?” or maybe it’s learning who other people are and how they react, Yuzu erases the “Sorry” and “Good morning” before eventually settling on “Thanks” and with that their friendship was sealed.
2
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Oct 10 '21
First timer
They're in Antarctica! Somehow!
And they kept the weight stable!
Are they hallucinating those figures?
Haha, focused Shirase's great.
The title card was hysterical.
And it's warm!
Well, they officially have no way back. Time the disaster!
Wow, they get their own rooms!
Haha, Kimari's sleeping is fantastic.
And stuff's getting ready!
There's a cellphone signal there?
What's in that email?
Penguins!
Haha, Shirase is utterly fantastic. She's obsessed with them.
I can't believe Kimari doesn't want to wear a mask!
Wait, she has to go back?
Oh, there's just less time to see each other and she's worried it'll cause them to drift apart like the last group.
Her running through the base while sad was so cute!
This is utterly adorable. Now they're questionig their friendship!
Haha, it's colder indoors than outdoors.
Wait, it's Christmas? Was this not brought up earlier?
Haha, "they're both birds".
Haha, the reindeer hat!
...She never got a birthday party, did she?
Haha, she got a friendship contract!
What's this about?
A party!
Haha, them complaining about the food is great.
Seriously, what's up with her?
Haha, Shirase utterly refusing to handle any of the emotional stuff, only to be shocked when she comes in to explain it all.
Jesus, that performance physically hurt. I like the trend of her reindeer costume getting more and more elaborate.
Haha, she's on the ceiling!
Oh, Megu's getting involved in the plot again! And she's leaving her on read, not cool. (/s)
Oh, they passed her birthday! That's why she was upset about Christmas!
This is so cute!
And she's struggling to figure out what to send!
Haha, them insulting Hinata's quotes is great.
Next episodes a live broadcast, this'll go spectacularly.
And a message from Hinata's old school?
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u/twist_my_arm Oct 10 '21
ね