(CR) Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho: A Story That Leads to Antarctica

[Mistyclear]

I thought it was a pretty good episode, my favorite scenes were Yuzuki looking pretty dead when the ship began to really rock and the water scenes, though like Random Wanderer said going outside was extremely dangerous. I’m shocked they didn’t get washed away. In fact I believe all ships (not boats, although maybe they also have to have ones as well) are required to have sealable doors, hatches and the like in case of situations like these, for the safety of those on board, and of course they are forbidden from being opened during said situations.
The scenes were beautiful though, I quite liked the episode.

[BBOvenGuy]

The pacing of this show is starting to give me the same vibe I got at this point with Made in Abyss. That is to say, they're clearly not going to make it to the end at the rate they're going, and they're really planning to reach some kind of natural stopping point to set up a second season. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking.

As for the episode itself... I totally feel for those poor girls. The first time I went sailing across the Santa Barbara Channel, I barfed the whole way back. And that was just to Anacapa, which is the closest of our islands. Several trips later, I've learned how to make it across by standing up at the front of the boat, where I can see the waves coming. I still can't handle being inside. So no Antarctica for me.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

The pacing of this show is starting to give me the same vibe I got at this point with Made in Abyss. That is to say, they're clearly not going to make it to the end at the rate they're going, and they're really planning to reach some kind of natural stopping point to set up a second season.

Why?

It shouldn't take that many episodes for them to reach Antarctica, and it's not like they need to spent that many episodes on Antarctica itself. There's still about 5 episodes left with which to tell whatever story they need, and so far all indications is that the main plot thread regarding Shirase will come to a head within the next couple of episodes.

I really doubt this is the type of story that is amenable to a second season, nor needs more than 13 episodes to tell.

[BBOvenGuy]

Oh sure, they could wrap it all up in the remaining episodes. Like I said, it's just a vibe I'm getting, which admittedly could be influenced by wishful thinking.

The pacing just feels wrong for a show with this few episodes remaining. It's this close to the end, and they spend an entire episode on barfing? It's not something I would do, unless I was reasonably sure I had another season to work with.

[Dop]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Bloody hell, girls, DO NOT go out on deck during a storm like that! Are you utterly insane?! You could easily have been washed away, especially in your condition at that point, and no one would ever have known what happened to you! Presumably there are safety harnesses and such for crew who absolutely have to go out in rough seas, but you kids didn't even think to look for something like that. And as if that suicidal behavior wasn't bad enough, you left the hatch open, putting the whole ship at risk of flooding!

My thoughts exactly. I was really hoping someone would find out and give them a Stern Talking To to balance things. While you can put it down to ignorance and over-excitement on the girls' part, someone teaching them a lesson just how dangerous that was would be a sensible idea. Could still happen, I hope.
You don't even have to go to sea for that sort of accident, seems every year someone gets washed off some sea front in the UK during high storms when a big wave scoops them up.

A lot of the show gets the realism right - especially in this episode putting forward just how serious their seasickness could get - so it's a shame they dropped the ball there.

Still a really good show, though.

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 8:

Another amazing episode. They're turning into zombies due to too much seasickness.

And why would open the door during that kind of weather? Looks like suicide if done in reality. Rescue would be impossible if anyone got washed off.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

Oh sure, they could wrap it all up in the remaining episodes. Like I said, it's just a vibe I'm getting, which admittedly could be influenced by wishful thinking.

The pacing just feels wrong for a show with this few episodes remaining. It's this close to the end, and they spend an entire episode on barfing? It's not something I would do, unless I was reasonably sure I had another season to work with.

The story of Sora Yori Mo has so far been less about the destination, and more about the journey to get there, along with whatever character conflict they might have in that episode (in a way, this show is actually fairly predictable in its episodic structure). Antarctica may be the goal, but the story isn't solely about what they do in Antarctica, but the trials and tribulations that they have getting there, and thus showing the girls barfing to seasickness is just part of that experience, much like how they show off Singapore despite it being just a stopover.

So far, each episode has felt meaningful in showing the full extent of what the journey to Antarctica entails, showing only just enough of what they need to in order to portray that. I'm thus rather confident in their ability to wrap up the story they want to tell in the remaining 5 episodes, considering that they're already close to their destination. I imagine that they'll only really put Antarctica itself into focus in 2-3 episodes, which is just enough to see the place without being overly long.

Also, 26 episodes for a premise like this might be pushing it too much from the show's pacing, since that'd involve stretching out the story way too much for what they're trying to tell and devolve into the kind of pointless filler you're fearing.

[Verso Sciolto]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

[...] Bloody hell, girls, DO NOT go out on deck during a storm like that! Are you utterly insane?! You could easily have been washed away, especially in your condition at that point, and no one would ever have known what happened to you! Presumably there are safety harnesses and such for crew who absolutely have to go out in rough seas, but you kids didn't even think to look for something like that. And as if that suicidal behavior wasn't bad enough, you left the hatch open, putting the whole ship at risk of flooding!

Look, it's great that you have these emotional moments that help you bond and reaffirm your purpose and all, but can you please have them in a less disastrously stupid manner?

...Putting that aside, it was a good episode.

I think this moment might have been shown this way to demonstrate that they may still underestimate what they're involved in. Still, ... they survived and moments like that are as exhilarating as they are ill-advised and irresponsible. I think the animators got both those points across though they might have relied on members of the audience to complete the sequence, the way you just did, for them...

[BBOvenGuy]

Why I carried a sandwich to the South Pole

BBC Radio interview with teen polar explorer Jade Hameister, as she describes her experience cross-country skiing to the South Pole. Showa Station wouldn't be quite this rough, but it still gives you an idea of what high school girls might experience in Antarctica.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Verso Sciolto

they might have relied on members of the audience to complete the sequence

That's such a shitty practice. It might seem innocuous in a scene like this, but when writers get used to this shit things can get much worse. Honestly, I would appreciate if they didn't do it at all. A story should make sense without needing the audience to complete the script in their heads.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

A story should make sense without needing the audience to complete the script in their heads.

Ray Bradbury once said, "The artist learns what to leave out." You can't put everything in a story, because your audience would fall asleep. And in something like a TV show, where there's a hard limit on the amount of time you have, not everything will fit. So each writer (and director, in the case of TV, movies, radio dramas, etc.) has to learn what to put in and what to leave out. There are times when you have no choice but to leave things to the audience's imagination. There are even times when it's better to leave things to the audience's imagination.

You may not agree with the writer's choices for what to leave out in this particular instance, and that's fine. It's not an exact science, and different people can have different opinions. But it was inevitable that they'd have to leave out something.

[Kazu-kun]

There's nothing wrong with leaving things to the imagination, as long as what you're leaving out is not requited for things to make sense. There's a difference.

[Stark700]

Wow I love the characterization and storytelling in this show.

It really makes me understand Shirase better and it's also about time they arrrived! Love the part where Shirase and her friends landing on the ice of Antarctica at the same time. Time for some real exploring! Can't wait to see what they'll discover.

The background story is really well told imo.

[Mistyclear]

So Shirase herself doesn’t understand how she feels about the events- that’s actually very realistic and I personally like that they did that, managed to avoid throwing her into either ends (hatred or forgiveness).
Another great episode with beautiful characterization though that was one hell of a cliffhanger, a last second message from Takako before she died or is she somehow still alive (unlikely, but hey it adds to the mystery).

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Mistyclear

Another great episode with beautiful characterization though that was one hell of a cliffhanger, a last second message from Takako before she died or is she somehow still alive (unlikely, but hey it adds to the mystery).

The email at the post-credits scene is from Shiraishi Tamiko, aka Yuzuki's mother.

Also, damn onion ninjas are out in force again, brb...

[ScrewySquirrel]

that outburst we expected at the assembly near the end of Episode 5 we finally get *here* and its WONDERFUL.

[Wandering Soul]

Shirase's feeling regarding what happened make sense. On an intelluctual level she knows that the Captain isn't to blame for what happened, but emotions aren't only always that clear cut.

Everyone collectively screaming "In your face" was a great way to kick off the start of their time in Antarctica.

[SeijiSensei]

Perhaps the best episode yet; so full of emotions. I also thought the scene where Shirase admitted that she didn't know how she feels was quite realistic.

At first I thought Shirase was crying when they were going to descend the ladder, but no, she was defiant!

[Verso Sciolto]

I think this latest episode might have included an invitation for us to -briefly- explore, revisit, the conditions of the San Francisco Treaty (1951).

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by Verso Sciolto

I think this latest episode might have included an invitation for us to -briefly- explore, revisit, the conditions of the San Francisco Treaty (1951).

Mmmm. It felt weird. I guess it could be interpreted as a nationalistic argument, but then again, it also makes sense that the scientific community might have felt a bit annoyed at that, considering how unrelated to war matters it was. It's not like giving Japan a larger access would have allowed it to build a lethal army of penguins .