Mari Tamaki

A Place Further than the Universe is an original anime, which means it was not based on a manga or novel. The studio Madhouse made it, with Atsuko Ishizuka as director and Jukki Hanada as writer. It ran for 13 episodes from January to March 2018. Its Japanese fans often call it "Yorimoi." The show won strong praise both in Japan and abroad. The New York Times put it on its list of the best international TV shows of 2018, and Crunchyroll later named it one of the top 25 anime of the 2010s. The story is about a very big trip: four high school girls who want to go to Antarctica, the frozen continent at the bottom of the world. Most people never go there. It is cold, far away, and usually only for scientists. Mari Tamaki, called Kimari by her friends, is a second-year high school student in Gunma, an inland part of Japan. She feels like she is wasting her youth. She wants to do something exciting, but she always gets scared and stays safe. One day she finds an envelope with a large amount of money in it. It belongs to Shirase Kobuchizawa, a quiet girl at her school. Shirase has saved up one million yen from part-time jobs. Everyone laughs at her, because all she talks about is going to Antarctica. Shirase has a serious reason. Her mother was a researcher who went to Antarctica a few years ago and never came back. Shirase wants to go to the place where her mother was lost. Kimari is moved by how strong Shirase's wish is, and decides to go with her. Soon they meet Hinata Miyake, a bright, funny girl who works at a convenience store and does not go to high school, and Yuzuki Shiraishi, a teen actress who is being sent on a trip to Antarctica for her work but has never had real friends. The first half of the show is about getting there. The girls must convince adults to take them seriously, find a spot on a civilian expedition, which is a research trip not run by the government, and train for life in the cold. The second half follows them on the ship and on the ice itself, where the work is hard and the views are amazing. The series is full of energy and jokes, and the four girls have great chemistry together. But it also has some of the most emotional moments in any recent anime. It talks about friendship, jealousy, grief, and the courage to leave your comfort zone. The team did a lot of research on real Antarctic trips, so the details of ships, stations and daily life feel true. If you want a story that makes you laugh, cry and want to go on an adventure yourself, this is an easy one to recommend.