Genre(s): Coming of Age, Slice of Life, Drama
Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (Minor language, relationship drama)
Platforms: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 13
TheAwersome Rating: 9.0 / 10 (A lot of pure, heartwarming, happy goodness here)
Premise: Mari Tamaki is a second-year high school student who wants to make the most out of her youth but is usually too afraid to do so. One day, she meets Shirase Kobuchizawa, a girl who has been saving up to travel to Antarctica, where her mother disappeared three years ago. Joined by two other girls, they join an expedition headed towards the Antarctic.
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. You might not know this, but teenage girl friendship stories are generally far from my cup of tea, usually because they’re fueled by contrived high school romance drama and all that garbage. There ain’t a lick of that in here. Instead, there’s a lot of pure, authentic heart, much like Violet Evergarden and Yuri!!! On Ice. There’s a good amount of goofy antics that the girls get up to that keeps it lighthearted and happy, but a good amount of real-life conflict that comes up as well. This anime is one that really translates across cultures and doesn’t “feel” like an anime (in a good way). The characters are all very likeable, distinct, and feel real. It’s not too surprising then that it was listed in the New York Times’ Top 10 International Shows of 2018. In all it’s a very sweet show that touches the warm fuzzies and the cries.
TLDR: A very solid coming of age and slice of life piece with endearing characters and some surprisingly down to earth moments. Warm Fuzzies and crying your eyes out included.
You’ll likely enjoy this if you enjoyed:
- The honest human growth experiences in Sound! Euphonium, Yuri!!! On Ice
- The honest high school characters of Toradora!, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
At a Glance Anime 