Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?

Putting his life on the line, Willem Kmetsch leaves his loved ones behind and sets out to battle a mysterious monster, and even though he is victorious, he is rendered frozen in ice. It is during his icy slumber that terrifying creatures known as "Beasts" emerge on the Earth's surface and threaten humanity's existence. Willem awakens 500 years later, only to find himself the sole survivor of his race as mankind is wiped out.

Together with the other surviving races, Willem takes refuge on the floating islands in the sky, living in fear of the Beasts below. He lives a life of loneliness and only does odd jobs to get by. One day, he is tasked with being a weapon storehouse caretaker. Thinking nothing of it, Willem accepts, but he soon realizes that these weapons are actually a group of young Leprechauns. Though they bear every resemblance to humans, they have no regard for their own lives, identifying themselves as mere weapons of war. Among them is Chtholly Nota Seniorious, who is more than willing to sacrifice herself if it means defeating the Beasts and ensuring peace.

Willem becomes something of a father figure for the young Leprechauns, watching over them fondly and supporting them in any way he can. He, who once fought so bravely on the frontlines, can now only hope that the ones being sent to battle return safely from the monsters that destroyed his kind.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nota Seniorious, Chtholly Main

Tadokoro, Azusa Japanese

Kmetsch, Willem Main

Arai, Ryouhei Japanese

Ruq Insania, Nephren Main

Uehara, Akari Japanese

Myse Valgulious, Ithea Main

Machico Japanese

Ytri Historia, Rhantolk Supporting

Aranami, Kazusa Japanese

Hrqstn, Elq Supporting

Okada, Hikari Japanese

Nygglatho Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Asplay, Lillia Supporting

Satou, Rina Japanese

Nox Katena, Pannibal Supporting

Kubo, Yurika Japanese

Rin Purgatrio, Collon Supporting

Kino, Hina Japanese

Yamada, Ryousuke Producer

Wada, Junichi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Motoyama, Satoshi Sound Director

Anzai, Takefumi Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Jun 29, 2017

DJNOSTYLE

Recommended

(Please note, there are many spoilers in this review)

I typed up probably seven different openers for this review before realizing that nothing I say can possibly prepare you for what's to come. This introduction, or lack thereof, actually goes on to mimic the underlying themes of this series in more ways than one. WorldEnd (Which also goes by the incredibly long title of 'What Are You Doing At The End Of The World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?') is more than just the hyperdramatic adaptation of a light novel going by the same name, it's a story about never being prepared; it's a ... story about how everything in life comes and goes far too quickly for us to comprehend. But, at the same time, so much of the beauty in life can only be leeched from it due to its apparent absence in the first place.

WorldEnd is a series that can, by no means, be nailed down to one general concept. The scope of its meaning is as vast as the world it takes place in -- a world in which humanity has all but vanished. The remaining life forms have taken to the skies, building civilizations upon floating islands and relying on creatures known as 'Leprechauns' to fight in a never-ending war. The leprechauns in WorldEnd, however, are not your typical Irish, fun-loving drunkards. Instead, they are girls born from children who died before having anything to live for, and the main leprechaun who we follow throughout WorldEnd goes by the name Ctholly Nota Seniorious.

Ctholly initially comes off as a sort of aloof, curious girl, struggling to fit in with a world full of disfeatured humanoids. The irony in this, however, is that those without extreme physical deformities (Or those who appear human) are actually the ones known as the 'disfeatured' in WorldEnd. Partway through the pilot, we are also introduced to the second protagonist, Willem Kmetsch, as he encounters Ctholly for the first time. After showing her around the island for a bit, Ctholly departs and Willem is left on his own. Having recently fallen on hard times, he reluctantly takes on a job as the caretaker for a nearby military facility. Of course, he doesn't really understand what he's getting himself into until he shows up and it's less of a warehouse and more of an orphanage full of young girls. And while this seems like a pain to him at first, his attitude takes a dramatic shift when he realizes that these girls are the only weapons civilization has left.

This is the first sign of tragedy out of many. Yes, the idea of young girls being used as weapons is rather unfortunate and incredibly sad. But throughout the next eleven episodes, the series begins to steamroll down a path in which we grow attached to every single one of them only to have those relationships severed and beaten by the end of the series. The most dramatic of all of these relationships, however, is the budding romance that slowly begins to flourish between Ctholly and Willem.

Without giving away everything, something happens to Ctholly that begins to drain her sanity. Slowly but surely, her memories begin to fade and her hair begins to change colors, turning into a violent shade of red instead of her normal, subtle blue. The shift in hair colors is not just a shift in appearance, however. This physical change mimics the drastic mental change that is occurring within her at the same time. Ctholly is bombarded with confusing images and the voice of tortured young girl, speaking in eerie metaphors. And while none of what this voice is saying makes sense to us, the sheer manner in which they are said is enough to signify the deterioration of her psyche. The worst part of this is that Ctholly knows what's happening to her.

Day after day, Ctholly remembers less of herself and clings tightly to the one thing she knows for sure -- that she's in love. She tosses aside her slightly-tsun outlook from earlier in the series and simply adopts the fact that she loves Willem, making it known to him every chance she gets. And while he spends a decent amount of time avoiding the subject, it's clear that Willem feels the same way. The steamrolling tragedy that we all know is coming screeches to a halt and, for just the slightest moment, everything is perfect.

But then it's not.

Willem takes Ctholly to a nearby military ship after catching wind of a weapon that could help her fading consciousness. When tuning one of the other leprechauns weapons, however, he discovers something that stays with him for the rest of the series. The monsters that these girls have been fighting have actually been humans the entire time. And while exactly how that happened remains open to interpretation for us viewers, it's crystal clear to Willem. His vision and outlook become distorted and he begins to lose his grip on reality in a way both incredibly similar and incredibly different to Ctholly.

The final episode is like lightning -- it comes and it goes quicker than we're able to comprehend. Ctholly loses her grip on reality as battle breaks loose and slips into a coma. Willem, incapable of coping with the thought that this might be the end for her, erupts into a hate-fueled rage, slaughtering any monster he comes across as the rest of the army and several of the other leprechauns fight for their lives. One of the girls, Nephren, has a particularly harsh time with this, ultimately sacrificing herself so that a few others might live. Just as she collapses, however, Willem finds her. And, in a last-stitch effort so save something, he dives after her as she falls off of the airship.

The following five minutes go on to create one of the most heartbreaking and tear-inducing scenes I have ever seen. Ctholly manages to persuade the girl inhabiting her mind to let her come back to reality one last time -- all so she could save Willem. Then, as she stands surrounded by corpses on the edge of the airship, her last strands of blue hair change to red and she dives. Freefalling thousands of feet in the air, Scarborough Fair and the endless barrage of strange, psychological metaphors from Elq assault our ears and our hearts as we watch this girl we've fallen in love with trade away her sanity for someone else's happiness. A dual-monologue between Willem and Ctholly breaks out as she reappears out of thin air and desperately attacks the monsters surrounding him. As the monologue loses steam, Ctholly does as well. Her attacks slow as she is impaled by countless tendrils and lifted high up into the same sky she descended from just minutes ago.

The battle comes to a close and everything we have grown to love over the past three months is stripped from us quicker than it was given. The few scenes that follow only make it harder.

In Summary:
What an incredibly heartfelt and gorgeous series this was. The amount of love put into this project is palpable on all accounts and, thanks to one of the most well-written female characters in years, the mark that WorldEnd leaves will be a lasting one. The harmonious blend of intimate Celtic music meshed with tragic fight scenes and flawless acting creates something much more immersive than you would normally find in any visual medium. For a few seconds, it even feels like we're there. Something that important is hard to put into words, but if I had to limit my description of this series to one, it would be 'beautiful'. Please, set aside a night and watch this all in one go. You won't possibly regret it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jun 27, 2017

agendator

Mixed Feelings

Did you ever get that feel of "this could be great if" while reading or watching something? This feel is exactly what this anime is about. A story with huge potential, but undermined. Undermined by the author's lack of proper writing skills. By conventions of a degenerated form of writing. And by a not so good adaptation.

This show can pass by as your average light novel adaptation with ease. Hella long title you won't remember no matter what. A cast of characters with names difficult to read or memorize. Male MC that shoves up people's ass his set of morals once in a while. MC's ... love interest that goes melodramatic and cry several times. Yet you can find here the tragedy of a man. A man that lost everything, and ends up in some state of suspended animation until he is awaken many years later in a "foreign" world (Captain America, huh?). The cute heroine is actually a weapon of mass destruction that can die any time for the sake of the world. High stakes for the love interests and the risk of emotional loss could make this a great love story, right?

Problem is, the show couldn't decide whenever it wanted to be a dull light novel adaptation or a good story. This leaded to a confusing presentation and lack of self-awareness. Say, they present you with a little depth of Willem's character. It is reedeming and set him as a "not your typical LN male MC at all". And, show a few seconds later one of the most cringe-inducing reactions that a plain tsundere girl can have. Breakdowns like this are destructive to suspension of disbelief.

But in the long run, the show saves itself from the mediocrity valley. Remember the love story? What blooms here is the most organic romance I have seen in anime, at least in a while. Never two people falling in love with each other felt so natural. Chtholly (I swear I didn't look up the character list) slowly evolves into a housewife in hopes to become a better person for Willem. Willem in turn tries to overcome his own fears of another loss so he can give Chtholly the love she deserves. Both of them reach the stage of mutual love step by step. It's simple, but it works.

The show goes up and down since episode one, between LN's conventions and good writing. There's a immersive post-apocalyptic setting. A well-tied set of emotional stakes, great OST and some gorgeous visuals. But there are one-sided characters, with single tropes defining them. Also a typical LN setup, and some crappy CGI.

As bad as this series might sound, it's good enough. At least, the LN medium isn't completely doomed. The guy who wrote this is talented, but needs to polish his skills and broaden his writing experience, which seems narrow yet.

"How do you fall in love at the end of the world?" - This alone would be a better name, although still long. Keep your titles short and easy to read they say. The name "SukaSuka" means nothing to me. So how I'm supposed to call for this show?

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 13, 2017

sterl1

Not Recommended

When a new anime season comes around; consumers of all tastes keep their eyes peeled for new fresh blood that can potentially have an impact on them and become a new favourite. As years have been going by it’s been getting harder and harder to spot potentially good shows as generic titles embracing the mediums current tropes are flooding the seasonal charts and no signs suggest this will stop anytime soon. So when something comes around with a premise that highlights potential, it’s understandable that people would get excited for it, especially if the source material has an existing fan base who are spreading around ... exhilaration for the adaptation. I am also one such consumer who looks out for potentially interesting shows that can stand out. I had my eyes peeled at an anime that I really thought could have been good. The production values were there, the premise was there, the potential was there. But as per normal with a lot of anime nowadays; the execution was not quite there. So this anime gets the honour of a review dedicated to how it missed the mark. And what is this special anime? Enter Sukasuka. A light novel adaptation that could have been good; except it wasn’t.

Sukasuka had a nice set of ideas to become a good light novel adaptation. But the foundations weren’t set right; the characters being the first problem. With a multitude of characters introduced in the first few episodes, the show should have explored them all a little more thoroughly to bring its themes to life. Furthermore, some side characters introduced in the latter half of the show lacked any authenticity and served only as plot devices for information on the plot without playing active roles as proper characters that can serve the themes and story. The setting also had a lot of potential for some exploration on issues such as child soldiers, war, conspiracy and potentially other themes relating to the situation that the anime presented. There were plenty of instances where some side characters had potential to be explored to support the larger narrative and the setting, but the show opted to go for a more passive take on fantasy conflict by attempting to depict a romance between the two protagonists which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It could have given it a unique edge against other anime in its genre that all rely on action as their main appeal to attract an audience, but it’s unfortunate that the romance between the protagonists was poorly illustrated.


From the very first scene in the anime, the main male character Willem conveniently stumbles upon the main female character Chytolly and within an instant they go on a date together. From the beginning of the anime their relationship began on a forced note making it already feel unnatural as both characters fell for each other far too quickly and it could have benefitted the story more had the progression of their love felt natural and realistic. In effect, this makes the development between them not as engaging as it could have been and took away emotional value in later events. What also doesn’t help the case is Chytolly’s overabundance of emotional breakdowns which led to a lot of excessive melodrama that came off as unwarranted and annoying rather than genuine emotion that could also have made for some touching scenes if they weren’t excessive and had the romance being good enough for me to care. The only sort of silver lining the romance between the protagonists has is some of the quirky dialogue the two share that managed to at least put a little smile on my face and it was quite endearing to see, but overall it’s clear to see that the romance could have been portrayed with more care and its clumsiness is clearly visible.


In contrast to the side characters, both of the protagonists as individual characters were fleshed out and developed. Each with their own dilemmas and this is the only worthy praise that I will give sukasuka excluding the audio-visuals. Chytolly’s and Willem’s traumas tied in with the central themes of the show and were also used as a way to reflect their progression to mutual love. As they got closer to conquering their ordeals, the more they fell in love with each other. Also the subject matters of happiness, finding a place to call home, fighting for people you love and loosely family were all present as themes in sukasuka. They were all expanding upon and depicted thoroughly enough to make the backstories of the protagonists engaging. Its execution in this department was rather straight forward but satisfactory enough to get a pass mark. Everything the show aims to accomplish is brought together in a thematic sense and the relationship between the mains hits a surprisingly enjoyable and well produced emotional climax. But once again; its lack of care in the romance department hindered the emotional impact of the ending a little and it could have been far more emotionally gripping had the romance been depicted better.


The setting itself is what showed the most potential in sukasuka out of all its features. World-building is of utmost importance in a fantasy anime. In a story that doesn’t take place in the world we know today, viewers have to be informed through the plot how the world works, how people in the world interact, the lore of the world and more. Sukasuka wasn’t completely devoid of world building. On the surface level it had established an interesting world that set the stage for a tragic story. The tragic backstory of the protagonist Willem was also tied in with the lore of the world to provide some much needed synergy between the characters and the setting, especially in a show that was lacking any sort of connection between the world and its characters. What ultimately let the show down in this department was not using the full potential that its setting provided. It set the stage for some potential theme exploration on controversial topics that would have made for an interesting experience. The group of children Willem has been tasked to care for are all ancient weapons fielded off to face the enemy and misleads the audience into thinking this would be a very important plot point for the anime, but due to the direction the anime took this plot point was sidelined. As a result the show spent time on cheaply telling the audience on the dilemmas faced by the children rather than showing many consequences as a result of them being used as weapons of war.

By far the best element of Sukasuka was the beautiful OST which was used to perfection. Placed in important and impactful scenes to heighten emotional impact and never overused to make the soundtrack feel redundant. Both the OP and ED were a pleasure to listen to and even work well as standalone listeners at any time. Alongside the audio the visuals also thrived. The show had a nice clear and neat colour palette that was exquisite to look at. The character designs were quite generic in appearance but were drawn neatly and attractive. Backgrounds were up to standard and the animation was quite good at times during some of the fight scenes.

This anime certainly isn’t an outright calamity. Compare it to most anime that air today and it will look like a gem to recent catastrophes like Eromanga-sensei. The ideas were all there. Under the hands of a more competent and experienced writer the show could have flourished into a fine fantasy anime. Yet it never set the foundations well enough for all of its ideas to wholly blossom which is a shame considering the show did have good intentions. Under the rubble it still has some merits to take away, and it’s these positives that set this anime apart from the vast majority of light novel adaptations that are pumped out consistently every season. It is fully recommendable to hard core fantasy anime fans or just casual fans looking for an anime that offers some easily digestible entertainment. But it is instantly passible for experienced fans that are demanding more out of the medium than a simple romance story that isn’t competent enough to do a satisfying job and would turn out rather average for those people. Sukasuka is not a bad show. But it simply has far too many shortcomings to be considered a success story.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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