Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau

I wasn't expecting anything when I started watching Kujira no Kora
But so far this one is my favorite anime of the year.

I just Love how the characters in Mud Whale evolve and actually TRY doing something about their fates without complaining and cursing destiny
You can see the conflicts between the old and the new generation
The story is just amazing

I thought it would be a nice little story about childrens living happily on the island and trying to know the world outside, but I cried a lot of times already watching it lol

I don't wanna give spoilers about the show, so all I can ... say is :
It is worth giving it a try.
Each episode is getting better and better, the show is just.... Beautiful. Everything about it is beautiful.

Children of the Whales was a beautiful, soft story about discovery, loss, and magic. While a great deal was never explained outright, enough was explained that I felt moved by the story, and Chakuro and his friends were brilliant characters that I was rooting for the entire time.

The colours and lighting in this show are part of what makes it so good. It's a very emotional story that relies on silence, emotional beats, and what is left unsaid, but it works rather well. Not only that, but the concept of the magic, as well as what it does to the people of the Mud Whale, ... was incredibly unique and something I enjoyed watching and seeing.

And I will freely admit that Ouni is one of my favourite characters in the entire thing. Really hoping we get a second season for this.

I am quite new to reviewing anime series, although I am certainly not new to watching them. I will try to write a brief review that does not divulge anything essential. I was intrigued by the dystopian promise of this series (other reviewers have called the series "utopian," but "dystopia," I think, describes better the world the anime presents). The main problem for me at this point (Season 1 being over) appears to be twofold: 1) the series does not handle well the emotional excess it piles up rather quickly and all too abruptly and, as a result, often blends melodrama with bizarre farce that ... seems quite out of place; 2) The changes in plot direction are too sudden, leading to patchy characterization and to some alarming inability to make characters find/fit their environment. At best, it is as if the 12 episodes were used to create a basis for sequels that are supposed to do all of the/most of the work. Having to wait considerable time for a sequel to come, I find this approach unsatisfying.

The premise of this anime series, by the way, is very familiar, although its setting is somewhat unusual. Without revealing too much, I hope, I will mention that it shares plenty of similarities with a long line of dystopian narratives that have shaped our experience of imagining an altered and troubled Earth, living a life of illusion and false nirvana. From the works of H.G. Wells, Zamyatin, Wyndham, and Orwell through Lanier and Brosnan, there is a strange world out there that carries precarious beauty which comes with an awful price to pay. The creators of クジラの子らは砂上に歌う, however, opted to reveal the ugly face of brutal reality way too soon and, in my opinion, sabotaged the promise and the enchanting/mysterious qualities of the early episodes. Rather than building a world where characters can grow and acquire depth, they tried to shatter all and rebuild from there, but in doing so resorted to farce, to haphazard inclusion of newcomers and non-engaging characters, and to some strange pacing that alternated between apathy and frenzy.

Overall, I am disappointed with this series. Its premise was familiar, but suggested a somewhat unique angle of the "After Earth" narrative; its absence of a strong protagonist, its tendency to mix up innocents and psychopaths, gore and prayer, chant and mania, spoiled most of the fun for me. Its visuals are good but not exceptional, and they are also a tad too curious: static, almost sketch-like landscapes clash with the colors/tones used for the inhabitants and their actions.

Having said all this, I have certainly seen much weaker series, but expected a lot more from this one. Final grade: 5/10.

Beautiful art, intersting story, some cool characters, AN AWESOME OP¡¡¡¡¡ i love it, the guitar was epic sad and happy at same time...it feels so good.


the story is so fast and good until chap 10 then ...it feels incomplete, this anime needs a second season
the art is colorfull pretty well done, not astonish but feels so warm
the sound is decent, but the OP is lovely
the characters, well need more time to learn about them, this is the weak point

I rate 7 because the lack of development of some characters and the incomplete story...maybe after another season it will get an 8.
Is not a masterpice, ... is not so original, but it´s decent whit nice art and a cool vibe.


my favorite character....maybe SAMI ...you know after chapter 2....

whats the worst...well maybe the bad guys ...they dont feel "real" need more time screen more development, but I repet It´s decent at least

I believe that this is a great anime, with some of the most spectacular visuals and fantastic musical elements I have seen and heard in a while, coupled with a story that will get you hooked in from the first episode.

While my opinion of the visuals and the music is shared by others, the storyline seems to have received a lot of unjustified, in my opinion at least, criticisms. This is where I would like to do the show some justice.

This anime is the tale of the descendants of a group of people who refused to become the mindless puppets of a central authority. For ... this, they were banished from their homeland, and sent into a prison they could not possibly escape. What is more, their rebellion against the central power has been demonized in the historybooks of the mainland, where they are presented as fiendish brutes.
(an oddly familiar way of treating the voice of dissent)

All in all, I think the premise of the show is set quite spendidly. While later on other elements, like the importance of emotions (i feel that the quote from Hamlet is quite pertinent here: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep No more), become important as well, the story does not neglect its original aim of depicting how a repressive authority works.

Into this grand setting embedded is a magical place with its unique characters and laws of nature. I personally liked the characters, they were just as 'colourful' as you would expect humans to be, with their uncertainties and internal struggles, along episodes of heroism and courage.

I think the show addresses some very interesting topics, which will surely have those thinking who have the desire to do so.

Imagine you are walking up a staircase of your memories and on top of those stairs lies the exit to real life. There are many memories that you wish you forgot, there are those that are bittersweet, funny, ridiculous; an amalgam of emotions and thoughts. You are going on a journey of enlightenment with patience and endurance for whatever comes in the way. Suddenly, the staircase ends and you are not even close to the surface. You start pondering whether your quest of reaching the top was fruitful or completely for naught. You consider waiting for the rest of the staircase to appear and keep ... on the manner with which you started. However, you realize that no matter how much you wait, you will never escape. That is my impression of Children of the Whales in a nutshell.

It is rare that I find anime that I was genuinely disappointed with. Usually, my disappointment is attributed to anime that seemed from the beginning that they were not planning to go anywhere and even in that case, I was still expecting it. Unfortunately, there are some that have the potential to make a difference and stand out from the norm in their own way, such as shows as Shinsekai Yori which came out at the worst time possible. But, it managed to leave a mark in the industry and surpass the mediocre and its concurrently airing mainstream anime. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case for Children of the Whales, which although started with a lot of promise on its original concept and lore and development on certain characters, ended on the worst point possible in a story.

I was surprised by the implementation of greek in the names of people outside of the island and how much effort was put into building up the lore surrounding the Mud Whale and the rest of the Unknown World. But, the moment Rochalito introduced himself, I stopped taking the use of greek seriously due to how ridiculous it is to give a character the name "Snore" and how the mangaka ran out of animals to name people. Otherwise, Children of the Whales was building up to be a war drama and then it changed tangent to an adventure anime with soap opera drama. And that is the first issue with the story: tonal shifts. The show did not know how to handle emotionally heavy moments and blend them well with calmer and comedic ones. It is not as bad as the tonal whiplash was in Akame ga Kill! but it was still really jarring at some moments. Also, that had an effect on the pacing of the show, which started going a lot faster from episode 4 onwards and after episode 9 it became slower than molasses. The ending itself was a representation of what the whole show was: a hot, messy Sloppy Jo sandwich; tasty, but still messy. This is also a qualm I have before watching 12 episode anime series: they are usually too short and towards the end, they get even messier than they started.

Frankly, the lore behind the actual plot of Children of the Whales is innately rich. It explores how people could use Thymia and why it has specific effects, the truth behind the hearts of the lands called "Nous". In the anime, all of these concepts are explained and revealed in a rather subtle manner instead of being bombarded to the audience with symbolism and/or in a preachy manner.
But, even the lore, in the end, is incomplete, because the show is cut short and everything feels just like a small introduction. If the lore had not been so interesting, I may have quitted the show before it ended. Yet, it still feels like wasted potential.

To make a long diatribe on the characters of the show short, most of them are archetypical or underdeveloped or uninteresting with the worst being Chakuro, the main protagonist of the show. He is your typical Xerox Kaneki protagonist who does nothing useful and he does not change at all as a character. He remains the crybaby he was despite having to go through horrible events at such a tender age of 14 years old. I swear that if Lykos was not a character in the show, the characters would mean nothing to me. Thankfully, she is easily the best character of the show, since she starts as your typical apathetic killing machine and she evolves to a caring and emotional person who is mindful of the people she wants to protect. But, Suou, Ouni and the rest are just not interesting and too underdeveloped for me to sympathize with or remotely care about them.

The only areas that the show stands out without a lot of stuff to talk about are the art and the soundtrack. The show is breaming with style and the directing is spot on as expected from the director of other anime series, such as Occultic;Nine. The CG sand and thymia fit the show mostly seamlessly but there are a few moments where the characters feel like cardboard placed on top of the screen than actual 2D figures. There were many risks taken with the art style and animation of the show and luckily it mostly paid off. There were a few moments in the show and in the OP where I was impressed with how beautiful it looked. Overall, it is shown how J.C. STAFF with the right directors and animators can pull off high-tier productions better than other studios, such as A1 Pictures.

From the soundtrack, only the song found in the preview stood out the most, but it is just a decent track. The OP and ED songs attached to the show are beautiful and easily one of my favorites for the Fall season. They remind me of what the show could have been; emotional, dramatic, suspensful and meaningful as a journey.

In its entirety, Children of the Whales is just a decent sci-fi that screams potential with its rich lore and good production values, but decides to end as another short adverisement for the manga with more questions than it could handle. I am still glad that I watched it, but the journey made it sure unworhtwile to reach the end which was unsatisfying and aggravating.

Going through the reviews, the major complaint seems to be the complete lack of romantic relationships and the hardly fleshed out characters. While there is indeed much to be desired, the anime does not pretend to be about either of these things.

In a word of magic and gifted children who are ruled by elders without similar abilities, Children of the Whales does not pretend to be about childish friendships or silly moments growing up. Instead, they dive right in with a character who is misinformed yet eager for proper answers. And a system set up to ensure he is constantly shielded from them.

The anime ... is gripping, not only because the bright colours (might I add here that each character on the Mud Whale is named after Japanese colours) contrast almost sickeningly to the content, or that the theme songs, especially the closing one, is haunting and written to perfectly fit the mood one feels after an episode. The anime tackles how these children respond and are affected when they must decide: allow their home to be taken and destroyed or fight a war.

With characters representing almost every viewpoint that may fit this topic, Children of the Whales presents a story where children are called on to make sacrifices, are harmed, grow and develop with one another. Quick warning though, don’t get too attached to any character. The anime is not afraid to remind its viewers that war is a nasty game and on the Mud Whale, not even the children are safe.

I'm actually shocked to see so many people dismiss this show as just a "pretty looking anime" with little substance-- or at least, from the skews of negative reviews, that's the interpretation I got.

In my opinion, this is an amazing show, especially if you're a Hayao Miyazaki fan. From the absolutely stunning production value to the mesmerizing music to the soft-spoken narrative, it's the quintessential Ghibli-esque experience you can ask for in an anime. The key difference, I would argue, is that Children of the Whales is a very sad tale-- quite possibly a tragedy if you look at it in a certain way, where ... it offers more mature and dark themes than Miyazaki's work. Basically, Children of the Whales' atmosphere is comparable to Miyazaki, but the takeaway message is not.

This anime was also a breath of fresh air as its magical realism is something I've never seen before. Again, comparable to Miyazaki's works, there is a paramount of magic and whimsical worldbuilding without adhering to the technicalities of how and why things work. You simply get immersed in this wonderful fantastical journey.

The characters, while nothing groundbreaking here, are likable and serve their purpose. They have satisfying arcs and they all feel like well rounded, 3-dimensional people. They go through your typical internal conflicts (ex. questioning the world around them and their individual identity) in a very gratifying way that highlights impressive character development in only a short span of 12 episodes.

Seriously I can't take the way characters handled their problems, things would have been much easier if they told others what's going on. In my eyes, they all seem like idiots, who lack the brain to think probably. For example, if you can't understand what I mean, they could have told everyone on the island that the Elders are trying to sink the island. Other than this I would say the story itself is pretty interesting, despite those retardedness actions taken by the characters. The art is also pretty good, so as the music.
It's something decent to watch with your brain turned off, but ... other than that, don't waste your time on it.

It is weird how a such with such an interesting synopsis and world, could be this boring.

- The plot line for this show sounded fascinating to me and I jumped at the chance to watch it. And whilst it did deliver everything it promised...it was incredibly boring. The world itself was extremely interesting and creative. It presented this scenario and all these questions started to pop up in my mind like "who are they and why are they here?" but even though by then end of the show these questions were answered, I think I fell asleep twice during it. It takes talent to present ... such an interesting story in such a boring way it makes you sleep.

- Art and Sound were very good, nothing to comment on.

- After much thought, I think its the characters to blame all this dullness on. But even still I'm not too sure. The main was a bit cliche and the main supporting girl character was also nothing special...in fact, I don't think any character was really memorable. The antagonist was kind of interesting but even still I don't think he really got to show his true colours till one of the very ending scenes (which was setting up a second season).

This show really, REALLY, confuses me. It has all the ingredients of a great show, but just isn't, and is in fact is really really boring. Whilst the characters are quite dull I'm not sure if they're entirely to blame but I just can't put my damn finger on it.
If you're looking for an interesting world and premise and can sit through 12 episodes to explore it, go ahead and watch it. Otherwise, maybe just read the wiki synopsis of each episode?

It's an anime that at least tries.but fails all the time.
The art is amazing, the animation sounds good to me too and the soundtrack works in a few punctual moments. What doesn't work in Kujira no Kora is a set: screen time, character development, plot, and the ending.

- About screen time: 12 episodes are almost nothing for what anime sets out to do: touch the heart of the watcher and arouse their curiosity about the backgrounds of both the story and the characters. It turns out that everything turned out to be very hurried and unorganized. The first episode (no spoiler) is boring. Drab and ... does not have many elements that make the viewer keep watching. The screen time for each thing was poorly divided. They can't decide if an episode will be to develop things X and Y or if it will develop Z.

- Character Development: It is expected that if the anime has 2 or 3 protagonists, they will all be developed as the story progresses, but this is not the case. Each character looks pretty shallow in any aspect other than the look. The protagonist started one way and ended the same way. Who still had a little development was the protagonist (lykos), but so little. The secondary cast has plenty of potential to show various characteristics about themselves, but they get lost amid the short screen time and the pressure and need for a drama to be broadcast to the viewer.
There are a lot of deaths over the course of these 12 episodes, but I couldn't care about any since I didn't have time to become fond of any characters other than the protagonists. There is the use of flashbacks on some major killings for the main cast, but it's so short-lived and so misused that it didn't even get all my attention or emotion.

- Plot: Any story without a minimum of plot base does not work. Kujira's problem in Kora is the opposite. There are many attempts to insert a grand plot that captivates the audience and gets some prominence. The first episode, in plot terms, is what works best in the entire anime. I watched the 12 episodes released and I'm not sure which story the anime wanted and wants to tell. The story throws several questions and answers almost none, as it did not have time for that, as the concern was to kill undeveloped characters to force the drama on the viewer.

-The Final: I will not spoil the final episodes of Kujira no Kora. I just wanted to reserve a space to say the ending was bad. And they still tried to leave it with a "we need a second season" mood, but failed miserably. Wow, from episode 10 the course is different. They try to fit a larger development into the plot, expand that world, but without answering the basic questions left between the third and seventh episodes.

[SPOILERS]
This show should have been good, the art, music and story were on point. So why has it turned out to be bad so far?

Story:
The story is wonderful, you can clearly see the author put time into fleshing out what the Mud Whale is and the world around it. The mysteries of the Mud Whale pull you in and it makes you want to know what happens next. Will they survive on the Mud Whale, or abandon it? Will the Empire eliminate them all, or will they escape and defy them? Although the pacing is a bit strange it's bearable. 7/10
Art:
This anime's art style ... is quite fresh, it's a nice change when all you have this season is cookie-cutter animation. I don't really have anything else to say other than they did a really good job with the art. 9/10

Sound:
The music is amazing, it pulls you in from episode one. It immerses you even more because it feels like the music actually belongs to the world, like it was created there. 10/10

Now, the sole reason I stopped watching this disappointing show.
Characters:
The characters are absolute garbage, most of them are introduced just to be killed off (Sami for example) in the first episodes without us even being able to become attached to them.

Chakuro is one of worst characters I've ever seen. This feminine crybaby is what killed this show for me. So many times did I have to listen to his whiny little monologues about how "this is bad!" and "i don't like that!"
Never once has this little piece of human garbage ever stand up for himself, he simply just cries, and cries, and f*%king cries.
Why isn't Lykos the MC?! She actually does stuff other than sit around and cry! Even Sami would have been a better MC then Chakuro. 2/10

Overall, if you like characters that whine and have others do everything for them, this is the show for you. I really did want to like this show, but the characters hold it back, if you want to watch it for the story then just read the manga instead, Chakuro crying is kinda bearable then. 5/10

|-Ups-|

When you begin watching this anime, you can gain a sense of new-found freedom of the concepts and ideas that are being presented to you. The concept and world is unique to itself and it would without a doubt present a nice change of pace against other works. Also worth noting that it looks pretty to look at It, it's not the best looking, but it definitely pleasant to look at.

However, this is where the positives draw the line upon the rest of the 12 episode run of the series, and you immediately notice it upon reaching the second and third episodes.

|-Downs-|

Red Flag - This ... anime presents the perfect example of "How not to do action scenes" by making each character regardless of faction break out into a speech/monologue. This trope is seen in multiple works of anime however it takes it a bit further by having upwards of up to 20 to 30 characters on screen to completely halt their actions with what I call the 'bystander syndrome' until they're done speaking after almost every strike regardless of the context that put them in that situation. This leads to drawn out battles that are meant to be engaging and full of action feel like it's being played out for way too long especially given the fact there's only 12 episodes so time is important for these types of scenes. Given the fact that they try to deliver character development in these same scenes end up coming out to you not caring as a character feels the need to talk about their entire life story to the opposition being taking action again.

It's an extremely jarring decision to make such an incomplete method of character growth and discussion so surely the characters are at least unique, right?

The characters - These types of characters are generic and hit every single trope that you can possibly imagine. Side Characters that are given backstory only serve as a means to further the main characters story but then killed off in the same episodes. It presents you with a lack of emotion, ironically enough (with the joke being the show is meant to invoke actions vs emotions).
Regardless, the main character holds a significant spot in my heart as being the most whiney and pointless kid in any anime I've seen. People mock Shinji from Evangelion for being a 'coward' for not getting in the robot, however the protagonist here will make you think Shinji is the most confident and upholding figure for everyone.

This COULD be attributed to the idea that the protagonist is meant to be an 'observer' of the events that unfold, however that role should specifically be made for the narrator/side characters, not necessarily the main character that has to take action and change the course of the plot. An accurate description of watching the main character would be akin to watching a show/anime of a person in a room sitting at a chair watching an anime with the person on the chair chiming in some times to his thoughts of what's going on infront of him.

Needless to say, the main characters aren't that exciting or captivating to even be memorable to you, you'll never hear people that have watched at minimum 5 anime shows say "X from children of the whales is a great character!" It won't.

Plot- This is just so dumbfoundly shocking that the plot of the show with such an interesting concept is more or less trash to put it lightly. Moments and things that happen are so telegraphed to the viewer it's almost insulting to you if you're paying attention even somewhat. Nothing is shocking and nothing is there to keep you invested or interested since the characters are as tasteful as cardboard. The dynamics of the characters are non-existent especially given the concept of showing emotions is forbidden (Even though the anime constantly breaks that rule MULTIPLE times for both heroes and villains) so the characters shown aren't really worth taking the time to care for them.

|-Conclusion-|

It's almost painful to watch this anime solely on the fact that it has a unique setting and concept being squandered by a staff that forgot how to write action dialogue, plot, and characters. It's downright insulting to ask viewers to invest 12 episodes of their time to witness a train wreck of bad handling that only those that haven't watched a single anime will enjoy it.

I regret watching this/wasting my time to go through it trying to find anything redeemable for it to hold it at an average, that maybe I was too harsh and it'll turn out great, but it is without the doubt below average at best and a 1 out of 10 if you hate the visuals.

This is an interesting show that was almost exclusive to Netflix. Visually it looks great. The style reminds me a lot of Ghibli movies but also of From The New World.

A group of people are stranded on an island known as the "whale" as it travels along the desert. Some are gifted with psychic powers while others are not. As they live their simple peaceful lives on this tiny island they suddenly find themselves under attack by outsiders wearing masks. What surprises them is that they looked alike and also possessed similar powers to themselves. As they let one of the attackers who regain her ... emotions stay with them, they learn their attackers have lost their emotions. They also learn more about the outside world and the deeper secrets of their own island.

An interesting world setting to say the least. If the above doesn't sound interesting, you can watch it for the artwork at least.

INTRODUCTION:

Kujira no Kora is set on a fictional world, where people live on top of a floating island, or the "Mud Whale", as they call it. However, the island sails not on a sea of water, but on a sea of sand - akin to Final Fantasy XII's Nam-Yensa and Ogir-Yensa Sandseas. The inhabitants know nothing about the fate of mainland humans, so they sail alone, in a neverending journey with no destination.

The anime also features magic: the vast majority of people living there are "marked", which can be used for a plethora of things - aim assist, defence, moving objects and so on. People ... are either born with or without it, the latter being known as "unmarked". For an unknown reason, marked ones have a shorter lifespan - they can't live much past 30. Due to that, administration is left to those who can acquire more life experience and knowledge.

As an adaptation from the homonymous manga, Kujira no Kora is a dramatic shoujo within an amazing and unique setting. The question remains: can it live up to its expectation?


PLOT:

One of these days, another island is found afloat - as a somewhat uncommon recurrence, it is a mean to gather resources for survival. Main character Chakuro finds there an enigmatic and dangerous girl, Lykos, and brings her home with him. At first, it feels like Kujira no Kora is a light-hearted exploration and adaptation anime. However, later events completely change the anime's tone: tragedy befalls upon the whole island. What follows from there is a dramatic, interesting sequence of events. Unfortunately, the plot suffers from both bad pacing, mostly from weirdly-timed climaxes, and bad narrative, which comes from overdramatic focus on specific events. The anime tries too hard to surprise us with misfortune and pain, and it fails miserably. Still, it is a show about survival - after the storm, life goes on, and the show portrays that in a fine manner.

Besides Chakuro and Lykos, Ouni is the third main character. Despite them being the main trio, they aren't well developed as the anime goes on - which is a problem with the entire cast. All characters, and I mean ALL, are simply... boring. I could not care at all about Ouni's desires, Chakuro's inner battles nor Lykos' struggle. Besides them, Suou is the most important ally and the one who gets frequent screen time, and Liontari is what is portrayed as a maniac enemy, a character I utterly despise. Shuan, Sami, Nibi, Neri, Ginshu, the Elders and all the others feel like filler characters, existing just for rushed plot points. I wish this were a 24 episode anime, so each of them could have been explored and developed.

I'm split in two regarding the art direction - effects and backgrounds are incredibly beautiful, being what looks like hand-drawn. Despite that, I hate most of characters' look, as I feel they don't fit the atmosphere. I wish they weren't so "anime-y" just so they could match the environment around them. The sound direction is mesmerizing, it being Kujira no Kora's strongest part. Beautiful piano melodies fit melancholic scenes perfectly, while cheerful songs made us feel on-par with the happy moments around the island.

There are also a few more things to note. Some deus-ex machina bullshit happens with certain characters, which should have been avoided. The inhabitants of the island are densely stupid regarding fighting strategy, though there is an implicit excuse to that. Most of the misteries are explained, though some are either badly shown or left out for a sequel, which is a cue to another point: the show features an open end, which may or may not satisfy viewers. I didn't mind it, though some might.


CONCLUSION:

Kujira no Kora is a wasted potential. I wanted it to be great, though it was just a fine anime. It did not live up to my expectations. It left the same sour taste in my mouth as Lost Song did, which is not a good thing.

The worldbuilding is simply amazing, featuring both solid art and sound directions. The story itself is fine, though it could have been way better if it had fewer of the aforementioned problems. The characters are definitely the weakest link - too much time was wasted on drama I simply couldn't care about. It would have been better spent if it focused on character development, which is also lacking in many ways. Too many characters may not completely ruin an anime, though it can deter from the main ones. All in all, despite its flaws, I enjoyed watching this, and I would definitely watch a second season, should one miraculously come.

I am not good at reviews. Like at all. However, I wish to tell everyone about how amazing this series is. It isn't given much credit much to my dismay, and I believe it is an anime worth watching and worth your time.

It is absolutely beautiful: the story, the art, the character; everything in this anime is so painfully gorgeous. I cried quite a lot throughout this series, maybe due to pms or something like that, I'm joking by the way, but it made my heart ache with sorrow, grief but also love.

It's a story telling us to never let go of our emotions, as ... it is what makes us special, unique. Emotions should never be held inside, bottled up, but also not be let to roam in us freely. A balance lifestyle is important. It's necessary in our survival and in our lives.

Please watch it. Your life will change if you carefully understand all of it.

This really is just a setup for the second season.

Latter half of this isn't as good as the first half, especially the episode all about a character no one cares about.

It's not as emotional as it was trying so hard to be, but it is very appealing visually which made it stand out among the anime in its season.

The music is also one of its stronger points.

The story seems interesting though not much happens throughout, leaves to be desired.

... There aren't that many interesting characters now that i think back on it, just a few were actually interesting.

Oh yeah, i don't know if it's just me but i was laughing every time the guy with pink hair was on screen - it was just hilarious, he's this psychopathic evil dude but i can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Which reminds me, he shouldn't be so emotionally expressive, and it's something they never explain.

Even though it's a disappointment, i hope it gets an animated sequel because i somewhat liked it overall.

Children of the Whales gives a face, personality and memories to a group of fictional characters being hunted to death.

Ever wondered what it may be like to have your peaceful everyday life turned upside down and face death for reasons you may never know against forces with overwhelming power over you? What chance would you stand and is there anyone out there that can help or side with you? are there friends among the enemies? or enemies among your friends? Is it acceptable to defend yourself with violence, how many will die, WHO will die, will it be a friend, a brother, sister, father or ... mother. Take this rhetoric to heart as this jewel of an anime unfolds before you.

Children of the Whales depicts a group of people being pursued to the death for a villain's lust for power. There are groups in our real world that are facing similar struggles of life or death, but because we don't see their faces or hear their stories we turn a blind's eye.

For the masses Children of the Whale will be another anime that came and left. For a few it will be a fictional example of what terrible events people facing genocide have or are facing.

One of the "Must Watch Anime of The Year" in my opinion.

The Development of this anime is pretty slow so don't expect getting exposition thrown at your face every other episode.

The Story is pretty generic if you have watched almost 900 other drama or mystery kind of anime, but it isn't your usual "1 episode of development, then the next episode the character dies" kind of anime.
It slowly throws you some hints of the world they live in and what they don't know yet, they could be faster with the development though, but it would ruin the drama and ... mystery part of the anime, in which in my opinion would be the main reason to watch this.

Characters are generic, nothing new everyone! almost 2 decades of anime and now people are complaining about this common issue, look around you, everyone is generic and there are some people that are more interesting than others, either because they are really smart or maybe they are just energetic and everybody likes them, and this kind of character design in my opinion should be the basis of most anime, you don't need to have an impressive cast of 90 characters with their own background and special abilities or some other different thing (looking at you Naruto+), and this is portrayed very well in the development of this story.
The people of the mud whale have no idea of what is going on in the world and neither does the main characters, the main characters are interesting because they are the ones looking at the major picture of the situation and trying to do something about it (or maybe write about it, in Chakuro's case), the side characters follow the chieftain's orders because they believe in him, and so do the main characters, they grew peacefully and depending on the guidance of the chieftain and the elders, so you shouldn't be asking "why aren't they questioning the elders, blah blah", they are but, they spent almost a decade without conflict and reaching to the elders and the chieftain would be common sense if you lived there, do you get my point? Good.

The world FOR NOW is plain, like REAAAAALY plain! Seriously though, it's a giant sand ocean, there's nothing much to talk about it, you can wonder about the beauties of the continents but i haven't read the manga so i can't expect much for now.

The OST is amazing, if you haven't already watched the anime , just listen to the OST when they release it, it's absolutely outstanding, Made in Abyss levels of outstanding.
Sound effects are really well blend with the environment and the Thymia sound effects are well portrayed with it's highlighted sound being easily recognized when someone is activating their thymia (also something noticeable in the anime).

The Art Designs are..... Well i don't know how to describe it very well. It's "Unique", some may look at it and call it "classic" like designs made almost 4 to 5 years ago, but when you see it in action you can really see why the directors liked the style, with a colorful palette and smooth animation sequences, the art style of this anime makes it a real masterpiece when it is combined with it's amazing OST.

Overall, i think everybody should at least give this anime a try, i'm really enjoying the plot, and like some of the haters of SAO 2, i can become a critic of everything, but in this case, it's kind of hard to see the bad parts of this anime, it's just really well made in general.
I just think it's kind of a shame it has only gained a 12 episode season (but shokugeki no souma san no sara got 24 episodes this year, I SEE YOU J.C STUDIOS), i feel like 12 episodes aren't enough to see the full picture yet and maybe i'll read the manga like i'm doing with made in abyss.

The first thing that captured my attention of this brand new anime was the art style. The track for the PV was also enough to get me on the edge of my seat, searching all areas on the internet for a release date. Alas, it was one of those that wasn't as great as I had hoped it would be. That being said, some aspects were just so beautiful to me that I urged myself to write a review. Here are my thoughts-- SPOILER FREE.

STORY - 5/10
A very unique storyline-- one I cannot compare to any other anime (mind you I can't say I've watched ... over 100). However, there were some episodes were I started feeling a little bit bored with the exposition. Things were becoming predictable, and I felt little to no tension built. If you you're looking for action-packed with suspense after every episode, this wouldn't be what your looking for.

ART - 9/10.
Breath-taking is the only word to describe it. I've never seen anything like it. I rewatched scenes after nearly every episode because the visuals were so stunning. The colour palette was quite beautiful too. Not much else to say, but I really loved the visuals of this show.

SOUND - 9/10
BEAUTIFUL soundtrack. The vocals were so elegant, matching the visuals in every scene. I will say that in some scenes I felt that the track was not fitting for the feeling that was to be portrayed in specific scenes. But I'll definitely be listening to this over and over again for a pick-me-up.

CHARACTERS - 5/10.
Didn't feel as thought many had unique traits about them. The main girl, Lykos, was a very boring character for me and I didn't enjoy her at all. One of the characters I didn't think was so bad was Ouni, who has a rather emotionless demeanour which I'm not a big fan of, either. My favourite character would, unfortunately, be one of the last to be introduced in the final two episodes of the season. I didn't grow any emotional attachment to a character in particular, which is always something I hope to gain from an anime. Bit of a swing-and-a-miss in this category, I must say.

ENJOYMENT - 6/10.
I had a hiatus with this anime after the 7th episode, to which I finished today after 41 days of time going by. I felt like it was becoming an effort to watch, and the only thing keeping me watching was the visuals and the music (I am a very creative person, so music and art are things I thrive on).

TO CONCLUDE: Don't have high hopes for this one. But if you're like me and are fans of pleasing visuals and soundtracks, give it a go and see if you like it.