Absol's Anime Reviews and Discussions

[Braixen]

Hello! I'm Absol. :) For those who already know me on other Pokemon Fandom forums you probably know I enjoy anime a ton! Well, specifically I enjoy *good* anime a ton. I'm fairly picky, and I am fairly harsh on what I watch, and anime is not exception. Here I will post occasional reviews, thoughts, comments, etc on anime that I have watched or am watching. I could technically post some of this in the writing section but I thought it would be best posted here as the point of it is to encourage discussion regarding the said anime. You're welcome to comment on my writing (spelling errors, critique, etc) but mostly I'd like to discuss anime! I will start off with my most recent review in the following post. I will archive each review post as a table of contents in this OP. Consider this OP still under construction, however, as I would like to tidy it up and make it look nice down the road.

Enjoy! Feel free to comment away and please keep in mind that this is a spoiler free zone. If you haven't watched an anime yet then you may read anything that is not in a spoiler tag. Inside of spoiler tags is fair game for plot, character development, etc giveaways. Please keep this in mind while you are posting as well.


Table of Contents:

1) Shin Sekai Yori

[Braixen]

Shin Sekai Yori

Anime Introduction: This anime is set beyond our time in Japan's future where humans have developed the ability to use something called "cantus". Cantus is a force that allows people to envision a movement or action and execute it without physical force. Cantus is an ability that young adolescence work to improve upon and set out to discover their capabilities. The society centres itself around bringing out the best in all of their people's talents while closely monitoring them (just like any other dystopian society). The anime revolves around a group of individuals who have set out on this journey together, their relationships with one another, the hardships they endure, and the secrets they discover. This anime accomplishes setting up deep similarities between our present and this manufactured future for those who care to ponder all of its implications, and a story that is enticing enough to be taken at face value. For this reason those searching for a journey of thought will surely enjoy this as well as those on the look out for a plot well paced. The anime presents magnificent scenery and an emotional original soundtrack. It's important to note that an open mind is required to throughly enjoy this anime, if you're easily turned off by anything out of the social norm this may not be the anime for you.
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Romance, Bildungsroman
Episodes: 25, at around 22 minutes each
MAL Link: http://myanimelist.net/anime/13125/Shinsekai_yori

Review:
The following material may contain spoilers

Spoiler:

This anime is definitely among my top five favourites. I recently watched it with my significant other and we were both pleasantly surprised. At first it seems very far fetched but after letting things sit for a bit and getting into the mindset of simply accepting the fantasy setting (something I find myself overcoming every time I watch Fantasy) it quickly becomes interesting. It was recommended to me by a friend of mine, and in all honesty I cannot thank him enough. I had been searching for another really amazing anime and continuously came up disappointed or underwhelmed.

The beauty of this anime is that the writers want you to draw conclusions before they happen, and if you're up for it then it becomes fairly interactive in that sense. You can accurately guess almost all of the plot twists given the information they provide you with, but they do this in a way that is not boring. At the end of it all you're left satisfied and feel closure with the plot. It undoubtedly accomplishes something in regards to plot and character. For example, the ignorance of the children at the beginning of the anime sparks them asking questions and making statements that resurface near the end of the show as an explanation. We witness their curiosity of where those individuals who did not or could not develop cantus ended up and we hear them state that some queerats appear human like. This dialogue was clearly inserted for a reason and although they leave it hanging for most of the anime it is not forgetful to those paying close attention. If you're an individual who operates under the notion that all statements and devices of an anime are either 1) plot development or 2) character development then you can easily distinguish what are hints to the story and what you can use as comic relief, etc.

I hardly ever scan reviews of anime pronounced "romantic" but have discovered I enjoy it as an added touch. This anime uses romance not only as a piece of plot but as a way to tie the characters together so tightly that it makes perfect sense to you how they react to things, why certain things are possible and how their society works. We see love among both genders freely, and also love among multiple people. This gives us a realistic idea of how their society functions after we're informed of its attempt to mimic bonobos monkeys, but also allows Saki to connect to her group mates so deeply, despite memory blocks and early separations. Without this level of romance we'd fail to see the reality of her being guided by Shun, or her inquisitions regarding the "fiend" that was her friend's offspring. I will say that beyond the uses of romance in this anime for plot advancement and logic I did appreciate rooting for Saki and Satouru to end up together. Although they both clearly loved Shun their dynamics (throughout all of the time skips) were both comical and adorable. In this anime, romance not only serves as a tool for explanations, but also as a tastefully portrayed treat for fans.

At the end of this anime we realize there were never any villains to this plot. As a viewer you find yourself siding with the children over the adults simply because they are the main characters, and you find yourself siding with the humans over the queerats because you can relate to a human and well, the queerats are fairly ugly and primitive at face value. I am willing to bet that if the roles were reversed (while maintaining a human centered plot) most viewers would instinctively root for the human to overtake the society of queerats that (in this situation) marginalize and mistreat the human colonies. After learning a bit more about the adults, and accepting that our main character is destined to join them in their fight to maintain order and reduce threats we dismiss our suspicions of the adults and understand the situation at hand. We learn (as stated in the anime) that the adults are guided by their paranoia and nothing else. Subtle aspects of the anime reiterate this point, such as the cats going from haunting creatures of the unknown to a means of protection and adorable kittens in the final episode. We also learn that the difference between humans and queerats is not a bold and static line but one that zigzags and blurs upon close inspection. The line is one that has been bestowed before separation of the cantus and non cantus humans and not after. The interactions among the two groups may not be pleasant at all times, but an understanding is met for the motive as good and bad continues to be blurred. We realize that both "sides" have "good" and "evil" depending on the individuals. Satoru's initial celebration over Squealer's punishment further distorts our concept of good and evil as we juxtapose it with Saki's conclusions. Does this make him bad in anyway? The anime gives us "no" for an answer as it leaves us with him changing, and ultimately Saki provoking change among the society as a whole.

Overall the anime gives us an interesting and beautiful setting, a great OST to listen to, and a satisfying plot with well developed characters. I would recommend to anyone with an open mind and a love for anime.

Feel free to make comments, ramble on, or state you're putting this on your MAL. You're also welcome to add on your own review or thoughts but just make sure to spoil it appropriately. Posting pictures or gifs from the anime is also appropriate in this thread.