The story and world are where this anime truly shines. SSY takes place in a gorgeous utopia, 1000 years in the future. Each human being possesses psychic powers, ruling the entire world at the very top of the food chain. The story follows Saki Watanabe as she recounts her haunting journey toward finding out the truth behind her seemingly perfect world. It’s an all too familiar formula, yet Shin Sekai Yori manages to spin a brand new tale that still feels refreshing and interesting.
Noticing the various themes, subtleties, and intricate details stuck into the overall plot is almost necessary to fully appreciate the story. One of the joys of the show is slowly uncovering the rich and sometimes disturbing history of the world. It’s clear that care was put into crafting the world and the story. The first two episodes fool the viewer into thinking this is going to be a happy go lucky tale about some innocent school kids and their magic. But the third episode changes all that, giving the main characters and the viewer their first peek into the truth about their nasty world. In the first few episodes, Saki, who serves as the narrator, also hints that this seemingly average tale is about to get much darker. In fact, there are quite a few clever instances of foreshadowing scattered throughout the show. SSY promises that it’s going to deliver, and it doesn’t disappoint.
The first half is paced quite slowly, yet it serves a purpose. During the anime, three time skips happen, so the slow pacing was a nice way of not making the anime feel like it jumped around abruptly for no reason. In the beginning, Saki and her friends are but babes; twelve years old and naïve about the world they live in. This time serves to establish the relationship between the five friends, as well as introduce the Monster rats and their role in the world. The anime then skips ahead two years, and this is where things began to pick up. More of the truth about their world is uncovered, prompting some troubling events that end up driving the five friends apart.
One other interesting tidbit about the story and world is its use of sexuality. It’s a bit of a surprise when you first see how relationships and sexuality are explored in this futuristic world of theirs. Fortunately, it’s just one small aspect of the show that is mentioned in the beginning episodes and then briefly viewed after the first time skip. It’s not overblown or used as a distracting means to titillate the audience. It’s just one more aspect of their world that sticks out as particularly unusual.
The second time skip is where things really start to pick up for the better. The first two arcs mostly served to introduce the characters and the different aspects of the world. From episode 17 and on, SSY takes an abrupt turn to the dark and horrifying. Shocking secrets unlike any of the ones revealed before are thrown out into the opening. The atmosphere is intense and terrifying, leaving the viewer with feelings of anticipation, awe, and unease. And I of course mean that in a positive way. In its essence SSY is one those “mindfuck animes.” But here’s the catch. There’s subtlety in its delivery. While some anime will be intent on showing you horrific and shocking scenes of intense violence simply for shock value or shoehorned in plot twists (that usually end up creating plot holes) to “mindfuck” the viewer, SSY does this with a little class and intelligence.
Of course, there’s no denying that this anime has its share of violence. But it’s intent to crawl into the viewer’s brain and under their skin doesn’t come from its instances of intense violence. While those are horrifying in their own right, the real horror comes from finding out the truth about the human society. The real horror is finding out the sheer ugliness of the things they tried so hard to cover up. The big reveal at the end is the icing on the cake. The story and world are the real horrific parts of this anime. The atmosphere and the violence merely complement them.
Now for the characters. Unfortunately, they play second banana to the story. They are very good characters of course, but compared to the story, not quite as much detail or development were given to them, aside from maybe Saki. Saki, the main lead and the narrator, serves as a sort of proxy for the viewer. Through her eyes, we too uncover the ugly secrets of her world. Interestingly enough, most of the other main characters, aside from Satoru, are mostly used to reveal some secret of the world. The side characters are mostly people presented to give the viewer some much needed info. None of them particularly shine. The Monster Rats also made for some surprisingly interesting characters. Though this doesn’t really come to light until the later episodes.
Studio A-1 pictures has once again outdone themselves with the art and animation. They’ve crafted a beautiful and vibrant world that is a joy to look at. Some of the shots of the world might as well be classified as scenery porn. In contrast, when the story calls for it, dark and chilling backdrops are also presented, slathered with dark tones and heavy shadows. The soundtrack gets the same treatment, filled with slow, haunting tracks. The characters aren’t neglected either. Each of them is given a unique and aesthetically pleasing appearance. A small noticeable detail would also be the funky clothes they’re given throughout the series. They’re very interesting, looking like a cross between modern clothing and traditional Japanese clothing.
Overall, Shin Sekai Yori is an excellent anime. It’s a chilling tale that will leave you impressed long after you’ve finished it. It slow paced and subtle story actually end up working in the anime’s favor. It’s detailed and intricate story as well as its themes will leave the viewer immensely satisfied in the end. Some of the best kinds of stories are the one that make you feel emotion, and boy will this anime invoke plenty of that. It’s a spectacular show that shouldn’t be missed by anyone.
