'A Place Further Than the Universe' Anime Spoilers: Is a New Challenge About to Hit the Girls in Episode 4?

By Emmanuelle Espiritu, Christian Post Contributor Friday, January 19, 2018

After a couple of awkward misses, the girls may have finally found a hit in their quest to go to Antarctica. However, it seems that a brand new challenge may also be brewing just around the corner on the television original Japanese anime series, "Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho: A Story that leads to the Antarctica."

The series, which is also simply known as "A Place Further Than the Universe," initially featured a girl who couldn't seem to get her youthful life in motion, and another girl who has always been mocked for her determination to achieve a seemingly impossible dream. Three episodes in and Mari Tamaki, a.k.a. Kimari, has already been to Hiroshima and Tokyo chasing after every possibility to get on board an expedition to Antarctica together with Shirase Kobuchizawa.

Two other girls have also joined them: Hinata Miyake from the convenience store where Kimari is working part-time, and the child actress Yuzuki Shiraishi, who has just become their ticket to finally get a foot in on the upcoming civilian expedition to that place said to be further than the universe.

Yuzuki has been tapped to join a news crew on board the expedition and do online streams about the trip. She initially didn't want to go and even attempted to get Shirase to go in her place, but she ultimately decided to go after the three girls made her feel the kind of friendship that she's always longed for and never had due to her commitments as a celebrity.

It seems that the dream is finally getting close to becoming a reality, but could things really be that easy? Moreover, who was that mysterious woman shown in a post-credit scene looking at a photo of what looked to be a younger Shirase looking glum while posing with a cheery older woman who might as well be her mother?

December is still a long time coming and the road towards that upcoming civilian expedition may be paved with more tough challenges that could be out of the girls' control. Will they continue to persevere through it all, or hit a bump that will ultimately bring their Antarctic dreams to an end?

"A Place Further than the Universe" airs on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. JST on AT-X, at 11 p.m. JST on Tokyo MX, and at 11:30 p.m. JST on BS11. Information on other broadcast schedules and online resources can be found on the series official site. Episodes are also available in select regions outside Japan via Crunchyroll.