The post-apocalyptic genre is one that has been done to death in just about every form of media you can think of, yet has proven to remain popular even to this day. "Shangri-La", an anime by Gonzo originally released in 2009, is one of the lesser known examples of the genre, and is in equal parts an example of what to do and what NOT to do with it. It's an intriguing series to be sure, but it never manages to make the most of that intrigue, and is a very mixed bag overall.
Story (6.5/10):
Set many years after an earthquake ravaged Japan, the human population has been split into two main factions- the elite, who live in a grand, futuristic tower named Atlas, and the refugees, who live a ramshackle town called Duomu and have to regularly take up arms in order to get through day by day. Belonging to the latter group is our protagonist, Kuniko Hojo, an 18-year-old girl who has recently been released from a detention centre and is being trained to become the future leader of a resistance group called Metal Age, who serve as the main providers of supplies for people in the slums. While Kuniko and her friends are performing a raid on Atlas, Kuniko discovers an unpleasant truth- Atlas has more than enough vacancies for everyone living in Duomu, which can only mean the higher-ups are selfish jerks who would rather keep it all to themselves. After this, Kuniko becomes determined to take what she and her people are owed and fight for a better future.
The story is interesting and complex, I'll admit. Unfortunately, it also has a serious problem with getting to the point! Even though the truth about Atlas is revealed at the end of the third episode, it isn't until just over halfway though the series that any meaningful attack on it is launched. Between all of this is a set-up that feels like it goes on for much longer than necessary. There's even some attempt to question as to whether Metal Age are really doing the right thing, which would probably have had the intended impact if it wasn't for the fact that the supreme leader of Atlas is clearly shown to be a selfish psychopath who openly admits that she sees everything and everyone as tools for her amusement, and whatever problems the people in Atlas might have can't even begin to compare to those of the people in Doumu, something Kuniko herself even points out. There's even an arc where Kuniko is sent back to the detention centre for a few episodes, during which pretty much nothing noteworthy happens aside from Kuniko's first face-to-face meeting with the main villain, making it feel like empty padding more than anything. Fortunately, I can say that the second half of the series is a lot better than the first, but that really isn't saying much since it was a pretty low bar to clear.
Even beyond the very slow-paced beginning (which I've honestly come to expect from Gonzo anime, anyway), the series often ends up confused and entangled in its own narrative. Throughout the series, there are no less than four stories going on simultaneously, and while some of them are decently enjoyable (Mikuni's story being a highlight), there are others that I couldn't make sense of for the life of me. The biggest example of this would be that of Karin Ishida, a young girl and genius programmer who enjoys messing with the world's economy at her leisure. Throughout the series, I couldn't make heads or tails of the scenes involving Karin and couldn't really figure out why they were even in the series, considering the plot mainly revolves around a resistance group trying to overthrow a tyrannical government, and Karin's economic endeavours don't exactly lead to anything important. Ultimately, it's hard to say whether the series would have benefitted from more episodes or less, since while it does try to ram an awful lot into 24 episodes, a lot of the stuff it puts in feels really unnecessary and the series wouldn't lose much by removing it.
Art & Animation (7.5/10):
As is typical of a Gonzo anime, "Shangri-La" visuals are... not great, to put it bluntly. While the animations are good enough and there are some pretty decent character designs and minimal fanservice, dull colours, muddy textures and rough edges are very frequent. While the series doesn't look horrible by any stretch of the imagination, there's nothing about the visuals that stood out to me either, and so the best way to describe them would be "average".
Sound & Dialogue (8/10):
There really isn't all that much to say about "Shangri-La"'s soundtrack. It's barely even there a lot of the time and even when it is there, it mostly just blends into the background. The opening is also rather forgettable, though the two ending themes are both good in their own way and I will admit I enjoyed listening to them. The voice acting is generally very good, with Lindsay Siedel and Apphia Yu being particular highlights as Kuniko and Mikuni, respectively, and Austin Tindle doing a respectable job as Kunihito. Still, it can be very jarring to hear the voice of Kent Williams coming out of a transgender woman like Momoko, and I don't really know why they didn't go for a softer voice. All in all, the sound design has its problems, but it is still probably the best part of the series.
Characters (7/10):
The best way to describe Kuniko is that she's determined- once she has her mind set on something, she will not give in until she sees it through, and sometimes gets pissed at people who are easily willing to give up simply because they see no point in trying. Of course, determination won't get you far unless you have the strength to back it up, which Kuniko thankfully absolutely has, skilfully wielding a boomerang as big as she is and showing no hesitance to kill if necessary. What's more is that you can certainly tell that's she's been trained for a long time to take over Metal Age, as once things get going, she proves herself to be a very capable and charismatic leader. Unfortunately, while she is a likeable protagonist, she doesn't really undergo any major growth over the show's 24 episodes, which is especially noticeable give that she's the character we see the most of. The closest thing she gets to character development is becoming more determined to improve the lives of her people, something she's attempting to do even in the beginning. Also, and this is a rather minor criticism, but I found her character design to be rather lacking, as she looks like a kid despite being supposedly 18. Personally, I think they should have either made her a few years younger or have her look closer to her age. I'd have been fine with either, honestly, because what's the point in making her older than the usual anime protagonist if she's not going to look it?
Second in importance to Kuniko is Mikuni, a very pale young girl who lives in Atlas and is treated as royalty over there. Initially, she comes off as really creepy and ruthless, even habitually putting people to death for lying (which she is able to see through easily). However, it's later revealed that this isn't her fault, with the heavy implication being that she just doesn't know any better due to her upbringing in Atlas (as well as the fact that her power appears to be out of her control), and she is actually quite innocent and kind, if also rather annoying at times, as any child is. She also suffers from a condition that makes her vulnerable to sunlight, and as such rarely leaves her chambers. Her story runs parallel to Kuniko's for the majority of the series, with it not being until the second half that the two girls meet. While she's not quite as important to the story, I slowly but surely found myself liking Mikuni more than Kuniko (and every other character, for that matter), due to the fact that she actually has a character arc and undergoes some very noticeable changes over the series. Her story also has easily some of the most emotional moments in the anime, and towards the end I just wanted to give the poor girl a hug after all she had been through.
The last member of the main cast is Kunihito Kusanagi, a military officer who resides in Atlas and works for their corporation, which naturally puts him at odds with Metal Age, whom he initially sees as a bunch of selfish rebels. That said, it's hard to call him a villain, as at the end of the day he's just a soldier doing his job and is more than willing to negotiate, even if he's not the best at it due to his refusal to see others' points of view. Unfortunately, there isn't an awful lot to say about him compared to Kuniko and Mikuni, with his character type being one you'll find in many other anime, especially the "Gundam" franchise. Besides the main three, "Shangri-La" has a pretty sizeable supporting cast, some of which are interesting and likeable while others are forgettable or annoying. Among these is two transgender women, who rather than being treated as offensive jokes, are instead major characters with their own feelings, dreams, friendships, and roles to play, which is practically unheard of in anime. In general, the women in the series tend to have bigger roles and importance than the men do, with even the main villain being a woman who constantly expresses dominance over her male subordinates. As a whole, the cast is good, but there isn't anyone I found to be all that memorable.
Enjoyment (7/10):
"Shangri-La"'s poor pacing not only hurts the storytelling, it also means the series can be pretty boring in the first half. While there are some action scenes, they aren't as common as you might think and multiple episodes can go by without their being any action at all. Ultimately, whether you're invested in what's going on or just bored out of your mind really depends on what part of the series you're currently watching, though I can at least say that things get a lot more exciting in the second half, though it can also be rather dark at times, with a number of notable character deaths.
Overall:
While "Shangri-La" isn't a bad anime per se, there isn't really anything about it that makes it stand out among other stories of its kind. The plot is all over the place, the visuals are dull, the soundtrack is passable at best and the characterization varies wildly in quality. It's worth watching if you're a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, but if you've already had your fill of the genre, I would recommend either giving it a miss or saving it for when you have nothing else to watch.
Score:
6.5+7.5+8+7+7=36/50=7.2/10
