Whether it be admiring our future technological achievements, marveling at the drastic changes brought onto our environment by the continued activity of humans, or simply watching people ride on hoverboards and wear self-tying shoes, we continue to be enamored by the glorious future that awaits us.
However, even more intriguing to us are stories that show the dark side of our future—the wars that may be fought, the atrocities we may commit, and the warped society that humanity may mold from our current advanced civilizations. While stories about the future are huge, as I said above, stories about a *dystopian* future are even bigger, both enchanting and horrifying us in displaying not the glowing civilization which we aspire to become, but the dark future we fear may become a reality.
This is where Shinsekai Yori—From the New World--comes in. While all of the tags commonly used to describe it fit very well it is, in the end, a dystopian story. Taking place in Japan 1,000 years from the present, we are shown a peaceful, loving society of psychic humans that operates flawlessly, allowing for each of its members to live happily and freely.
However, this is just the surface. Beneath the stable and well-kept façade of the villages, in which children obliviously hone their psychic abilities while living peacefully, dark secrets lie, and slowly rise to the surface as the series progresses. Children who do not fit the mold disappear, quickly forgotten to all normal members of the civilization. Cantus, the “power of the gods”, comes with more risks than any of our characters could have ever realized. Wars are fought. Friends are lost.
As the story goes on, we are time and time again shown that things are nowhere near as peaceful as we had originally thought. To keep even the frail peace that exists in their society, tough choices must be made, and at times even our own morality must be tossed aside to ensure the survival, and happiness, of the greatest number of people. In order to ensure survival, great sacrifices must be made.
I won’t spoil the story for you—I firmly believe that Shinsekai Yori is something that should be experienced with no outside knowledge of the events which unfold—but I will say that this tale is unique. In a sea of dystopian stories about government control, humans subjugating humans, and control over our very thoughts, Shinekai Yori manages to stand out, all while utilizing many of these tropes itself. This is managed both through the elaborate world of the series and, most importantly, through the characters.
The story focuses on Saki, an average but emotionally resilient young girl with a desire to know the truth, and her group of friends: Satoru, a happy and loyal boy with a knack for making trouble, Maria, an emotionally-driven girl who is very good at attracting others to her side, Mamoru, a shy, trusting boy enamored with Maria, and Shun, an introspective young man who is naturally gifted in the use of his Cantus.
Through these five characters, we are introduced to the inner workings of this world, from the Sage school where they learn to control their Cantus and how to fit into their society, to their interactions with the environment and the intelligent-yet-subservient “Queerats,” whose purpose is to labor under humans, their “gods.” As these children grow and uncover the dark secrets of their society, all while weathering their own personal struggles and navigating the intricate social landscape of adolescence, we learn as well, and slowly discover the true nature of their world.
The music and artwork of this series only serve to further deepen the world of Shinekai Yori, taking us from contemplative to fearful to mysterious at just the right moment. Personally, I feel they fit perfectly within the context of the show, and led us from secret to secret and revelation to revelation seamlessly.
To end my review, I want to focus on what I feel, above all else, made Shinsekai Yori work: Its focus on humanity. In a world where everyone has access to unimaginable power—power enough to completely eradicate entire cities of normal humans (or entire colonies of queerats), how do we remain human? What, in the end, constitutes humanity? Is it possible for humans to live together peacefully, or will we inevitably turn to violence, and pain? These are the questions that Shinsekai Yori raises, and attempts to have us answer.
Shinsekai Yori is set in a dystopian society and, refreshingly, the entire story takes place in that dystopian society, and our characters are forced to simply make do within it. The focus of Shinsekai Yori is not to dismantle the current world and create a new one, but to begin the process of transforming our world, through constant effort and with the belief that we CAN get better, and that we will.
Shinsekai Yori is truly a one of a kind story, and one I believe everyone should at least give a chance. In fact, this story was so unique that it prompted me to write my first review, which I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading, and remember:
“The power of imagination is what changes everything.”
