Ever since high school girl Shirase Kobuchizawa's mother disappeared during an expedition in Antarctica she has saved up so that she can visit that frozen continent. She meets fellow student Mari Tamaki, who is determined to do something with her life but can't decide what... inevitably it isn't long before she too wants to go to Antarctica. Later they are joined in their goal by Hinata Miyake and Yuzuki Shiraishi. After some time trying to get on an expedition they finally succeed and head south; first flying to Singapore then on to Australia where they board the ship to Antarctica.
There are plenty of anime series about groups of ordinary school girls doing various things together; as far as activities go heading to Antarctica is one of the more unusual! The series could easily have been silly but actually it was a highlight of the season. The characters are likeable and their motives for wanting to go to Antarctica nicely varied. Shirase's motive leads to some fairly emotional moments as it is fairly obvious that her mother must have died. The story is well paced with much of its run time dedicated to the girl's attempts to get on an expedition. There is a nice blend of comedy and drama and likeable characters. The animation is pretty good with distinctive characters and impressive backgrounds. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of school girl dramas looking for something a little different.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
