Jul 8, 2015
Shinsekai Yori as an adaptation of a novel is terrific. Many adaptations tend to skip over significant amount of background information presented in the original source but not Shinsekai Yori. The plot stays true to the original source and it manages to provide a great amount of background information regarding the events that led to the dystopian place the anime is set in. But just as in the original source the plot suffers greatly due to its unsatisfactory resolution to many of the intriguing mysteries that were presented in the beginning. What begins as a captivating story of as village young
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teenagers uncovering the hidden motives of their governing body ends with a cliche "creations turning against the creator" plot. It suffers from an identity conflict. It doesn't really know what it wants to be or rather wants to be encompass many themes but fails to pull it off. The issues raised in the first few episodes are quickly resolved half way through in the series with disappointing conclusions that were either predictable or illogical. Many time the series builds up a fascinating mystery which leaves the viewer pondering but the climax and "the moment of truth" for many of these mysteries are rushed and unsatisfactory. Every mystery comes to a sudden end instead of a long and fulfilling conclusion.
The second half of the series turns into a more action-oriented character driven story. Its about the revolt of creations against their creator. Although this is not clear until the last ten minutes of the show. It reveals a very cruicial plot point regarding the origns of the "creations" but it is revealed in an extremely rushed fashion. The actions that were presented in the second half of the series were terribly choreographed. The characters use their cantus power which is similar to telekinesis but utlizied in a brutal way. Out of nowhere heads are exploded, people are cut into hallf and explosions occur in the city using these invisible power. It is difficult to grasp what is going on during these action scenes. Many powerful leaders of the village are simply cut down by the fiend, an individual whcih uses its power of hate to greatly amplify his/her powers. The fiends are extremely powerful and the explanation associated with the reasoning of their immense power is rather nonsensical and illogical. Many concepts introduced in the series are not explored thoroughly. One of these concept is the "death of shame" which is an alteration to the genes of human beings to prevent them from killing another. This concept is used as a Deus Ex Machina. This concept is used as a measure to put an end to the main threat of the series. But its execution is from perfect. While the concept was introduced early in the series, its application toward the end series comes out of nowhere. The second half of the series is simply a mess when it comes to story telling.
Characters are usually well done even if they are a bit melodramatic. This mostly applies to the main character of the series. The side characters are well written. Interaction between the characters is very natural and human. There are no long philosophical dialouges. Conversations are very human and natural. The production values of the series is decent. The art is terrific and uses a wide range of colors but the animation is inconsistent. The fighting animations in particular are off-putting. The character art is very simple. Faces lack detail and features. Its difficult for the characters to convey emotions which such simple face features. The voice acting is well done. VAs both in english and japanese are comfortable with their roles and sound very natural. The music is generally good but not memorable. I can't think of any tracks which I want to go back and listen to.
Overall Shinsekai Yori is a decent series which suffers from the same problems of the original source. The adaptation is great but the plot leaves a lot to be desired. I recommend this anime to anyone who wants to enjoy a unique dystopian anime.
Score : 3.5/5
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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