Shin Sekai Yori was that kinda anime where I would just sit in awe watching the director roll out things one after another and making it look so very effortless. Also, As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even bat an eye if the writer actually happens to be someone from the future because his description of the ‘New World’ was just not only persuasive but also connected!
Story
A millennium from now, in Japan, exists a utopia. The Protagonist, Saki Watanabe, lives in an idyllic village barred from the outside world. Her world is ruled by the people who possess the "gods' power" of psychokinesis aka cantus. After finally obtaining her own powers, Saki enters the Zenjin Academy to train along with five other children: Satoru Asahina, Maria Akizuki, Mamoru Itou, Shun Aonuma, and Reiko Amano. Where not all is as it seems, However, In this utopian village, strange rumors about a monstrous cat that abducts children circulate, and students are said to disappear from the academy. The world and its history are much darker than they appear and humanity is on the verge of collapse. So, Fantasy toned genres like this never actually piqued much of my interest but this whole future setting here was surprisingly compelling. Even the plot holes got over shadowed by an unbelievably smooth story transition. One could almost relate our world with the ugly facade put up by the otherwise apparent dystopia. Also, I am deliberately refraining from describing the story but I assure you it's a staggering watch indeed.
Characters
One of the things that I really loved about this anime were the characters. They were just so beautiful and for such an ominous story to flow one needs characters, and the characters here really do justice to the story & the anime. Also, The main characters started off as children then became teenagers and by the end of the anime they were all adults! Now, there are a lot of anime who have attempted this within one season but they do not pull it off as well as this anime does. With an anime that had just twenty-five episodes, you might think it would not be enough time for proper character development from children to adults. However, This anime pulls it off very smoothly, which is evidently seen with Satoru, Shun and the other supporting characters as well. Also, They all dealt with certain issues in their own ways, each tackling a certain problem the best way they saw fit. That's what made each of them unique and fun to observe and even relate to. For instance, Saki had qualms about dealing with at-the-moment perilous situations, but she had an easier way of moving on. Satoru on the other hand handled the present situations which required quick answering easily but had a harder time of moving on. All these kinda things made each character you see in the series developed and relateable. Regardless of whether you liked them or not, when their story came to fruit, you could feel for them all the same. That's one of the greatest strengths of this anime as the characters are not badass stereotypes who go around spouting badass one-liners. They're all humans and they can act tough, but that's all there is to it - an act!
Animation and Sound
The animation and artwork was dynamic and this anime was a visual master-piece. All the backgrounds like the villages emanated a quaint and peaceful feel while the landscapes were both beautiful yet unsettling. There were also numerous psychedelic-like sequences that would not only unsettle the viewer, but also evoke a sense of curiosity about the inner workings of this world and the people who inhabited it. The only problem I had with it was the CG sequences as they looked rather off most of the time, though in the grande scheme of things this was a minor detail.
For the sound, There was no OP in this anime, but there were 2 ED's for the 25 episodes and I think that I don't mind the fact that there was no OP, as the two ED's were just so enjoyable to listen to. This is no exaggeration, the ED's for Shin Sekai Yori were just fabulous. Also, The soundtracks setted the feeling in a way that enhanced the story, never once did I find a kink in the sound that would have lessened my enjoyment.
Enjoyment
I personally enjoyed this anime way more than I'd initially expected. As the entire run had a consistent dark atmosphere, which contributed in keeping the tension. Also, I haven’t been this satisfied with an ending in a long time. I absolutely loved the ending. I'm not going to be too descriptive here, because I don't want to spoil any of it and I won't even say if it's a happy or a sad ending, but I just want to say that the ending worked pretty damn well. Considering everything that happened to Satoru, Saki, and their society, I think the ending was fantastic and It felt completely natural. I left the show feeling completely satisfied, yet craving for more.
5 STAR ANIME.
I started watching Shin Sekai Yori recently and couldn't make myself continue watching after the 11th episode, and the only reason I continued that far was because reviews for the show had been so good.
ReplyDeleteI found the direction of the series to be disjointed, with the progression of the plot not making a whole lot of sense (note that I mean the plot was itself confused, rather than being confusing to viewers). Early on I thought there was a lot of potential after the encounter with the library organism which then seemed to be squandered completely by the queer rat arc, which I didn't think added much to the story. After that...well, nothing happened to draw me back in. I also thought the art was kind of bad >.<
Anyway, i'm not trying to say that it was bad and no one should like it, just discussing why I didn't enjoy my time watching.
Well, I agree with you, a little, as If I say, I was not disappointed by them not continuing with the library organism.. that will be an obvious lie. And, Yeah, that is one of the few reasons which detracted from my enjoyment of the anime. Though, with the Queer Rat Arc, I think It helped in crafting an ending worthy of the rest of the series. Though, the ending was very hard. But, with series as enjoyable & good as Shin Sekai Yori, ending are expected to be very, very hard.
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