Anime Review: Shinsekai Yori

Yeah I was pretty busy these days sorry but I promise to try and write more often.... GOMEN NASAI!!!!
Anyway this time I will be reviewing an anime that deserve much more attention and was dropped by many because they failed to understand the real message behind this anime.

Everything in life is covered in mystery. Do you choose to live in blissful ignorance, or do you make a difference against the harsh realities?

Before I begin you should please take note that if you came here expecting a funny and positive anime leave. Shinsekai Yori is not a light watch, it requires you to always analyze the situation, the concept and ideas being discussed to enjoy the serie to its fullest. It also provides you with experience.

This review will be spoiler free, read without hesitation.

With this being said, on with the story.

Story:

The first scene takes place in the modern days with people exploding and dying for some unknown reason.

A thousand years later, the world is ruled by humans with psychic power called Cantus which can make the impossible possible. In this new world, Man has neither need nor want for technology and reigns supreme over the New World's indigenous species called Bakenezumi (Queerats) and other new organisms we come across as the story unfolds. All seems well and peaceful in the Utopia man has created for itself, however Man's evolution came at a price and the New World's mysterious history is written in blood and hidden in secrecy.

The story follows the steps of Saki Watanabe and her friend, Asahina Satoru, Ito Mamoru, Akizuki Maria and Aonuma Shun, at the Sage academy where they are known as group one and learn to control and harness their Cantus. 

From left to right: Shun, Satoru, Saki, Maria and Mamoru

Despite the dark, foreboding tone set from the beginning, it's not until the group uncovers a secret on their school trip that everything starts to go dreadfully wrong for them. Disappearances, assassinations, and invincible beasts aptly called 'Fiends' are but a handful of the mysteries revealed to Saki and her friends. Society is evidently not the utopia that it seems.

There are 2 time skip in the story and all of them will leave you like "what the hell? Why are you doing this you know it's wrong"  but we later discover that everything has an explanation.

The story also treats lots of subject; I will discuss a few here:

As if to defy the conventions of mainstream anime, sexuality plays an important role in the story. The main characters are not innocent and devoid of sexual feelings, even despite their young age in the first two arcs. Much like us, they fall in love, experiment and desire to act out on their feelings. They are not restrained by otaku concepts such as 'purity', and this is an immense benefit given the mature tone of the series. One further thing to note is that they do not only express romantic and sexual desires towards the opposite sex  but towards the same sex as well.

This created so much controversy, I wonder why... Even if the viewer finds bisexual interactions to be uncomfortable, there is scarcely a scene that displays such behavior in the first place. These relationships are not used for superficial shounen-ai or shoujo-ai appeal, but are instead there to reflect the characters maturing in a society unconstrained by social stigma.

Wow if I'm going to talk about every aspect of the story I'd better make a Wiki page... I guess this is enough story wise. 

Characters:

There are very good characters but not 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 so I will focus mainly on her.

Saki is a calm, smart person who always know how to maintain her cool even when facing danger or learning shocking things (like how their society came to existence). She cares deeply for her friends and refuses to abandon them. She is also very stubborn.

 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.

Sound:

The music is mostly composed of haunting choirs melodies, percussion and ambient noise which serve to "heighten" the tension. There is no opening, just 2 ending theme. 

Ending 1

Also there are a lot of OST that really stand out. Here are some of them

Also there is this one soundtrack that some of you might recognize, it is called New World by Antonin Dvorak! It is really a relaxing soundtrack and I invite each and every one of you to listen to it! 

Animation and art:

The art is somewhat unusual but fitting for an unusual story, more so than any other art style I can think of. Though not much attention is given to detail as far as facial characteristics go, it beautifully depicts the scenery and maintains an overall cleanliness to it anyone ought to be able to appreciate. Truly, it is beyond my ability to describe the fascinating world of Shinsekai yori but I would wager it is unlike anything you have likely seen; before. 

A1 Pictures has done this series justice in its world building, using just the right colors and shading to create a perfect blend that is both visually pleasing for the average viewer and stays true to the story's setting. The studio has done an above average job the majority of the time with the animation, slipping up only occasionally and consistently producing quality episodes. It is worth nothing that there are some scenes - quite a few actually, that are absolutely breathtaking in their beauty.

 And of course this is only augmented by the angelic scores that play at just the right time, at just the right pitch to deliver a powerful trifecta performance of story, art and sound in an astonishing meld.

One of the strongest aspects of Shinsekai Yori is its atmosphere. Throughout every episode exists an overbearing sense of dread and melancholy: the feeling that something very bad is about to happen, and indeed it often does. The pacing is also very much on the slow side, with several expository episodes before the story finally takes off, but once it does it becomes very difficult to stop watching.

Shinsekai Yori is a macabre, sometimes uncomfortable story that will succeed in immersing you in its dark atmosphere. There's nothing else quite like it out there, which makes it an especially enticing experience. 

Difference with the Manga and the novel:

Didn't read the novel but the mangas is another story. What I mean is that it is very close to the anime but with some difference.... Also it contains lots of yuri (No I am not making that joke)

Conclusion:

Overall, Shinsekai 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. 

Final Grade: 9.8/10 Must Watch

Anime Review: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

So there it is, my review of an anime I recently watched Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai (not many friends)

Despite containing lots of fanservice and being very funny, this anime will teach you the value of friendship, that having a couple of trustworthy friends is better than a thousand "fake" friends.... okay now lets get to the review shall we?

Story:

Where to begin? Ah yes I know! With our main character: Hasegawa Kodaka!
Kodaka is a transfer student, he came back to the town where he grew up with his sister to live and go to school because he didn't want to follow his dad to the US.
So this guy is considered by his classmates a delinquent because he happened to always do the wrong thing at the wrong moment (like arriving late at class the first day of school after running and looking like a zombie in front of the innocent teacher scarring her in the process)

That kind of expression

One day while waking at school he notice that a girl in his class, Mikazuki Yozora, who is in general very discrete in talking to someone and laughing happily.

He enters the room and he notice that this girl is kinda complex-ed for creating an imaginary friend and talking to him (her air friend as she likes to call him/her). After telling each other's story, Yozora gets an idea and then leaves Kodaka telling him that she will contact him later.
The next day she catches him and tell him that she got an idea to make friends: founding a club! And thus the Neighbor Club was born.
To recruit member they attach posters all over the school with a special message that only people looking for friends will notice or understand

After finishing posting those flyers, they go back to the club room and are surprised when someone knock at the door saying she wants to join. Unfortunately it is Kashiwazaki Sena, a beautiful and popular girl with only fake friends. She wants to join so she could make real friends.

Things starts to go awry because Yozora hates Sena and Sena hates Yozora. We can see their reactions when Kodaka suggested that the 3 of them can become friends!

And here the story goes on, more people will join the neighbor club to try and make friends.
It is a really interesting story so I won't spoil it. You will love it!

Characters:

Despite his looks, Kodaka is actually a calm and collected individual who is soft-spoken and kind hearted. Kodaka would have initially called Yozora and Sena by their last names if not for the two demanding him to call them by their first names instantly. Kodaka would remain calm even when provoked or angry and is the only one among his club members who is still trying to get friends. Kodaka is always depicted to be somewhat "dense" at the feelings being expressed by most female characters towards him. But in reality, Kodaka is well aware of this, but only pretends that he does not know since he doesn't want anything to change from the relationship between him and most female characters

Mikazuki Yozora: Although Yozora looks nice, her personality is far from that. She is extremely manipulative, and would often trick the people to do her bidding. She have no qualms on who her victims were and have probably tricked almost all of the Neighbor's club members (save Rika) at least once, directly or indirectly.

Kashiwazaki Sena: On the outside, Sena appears to be an ordinary high school girl but in truth, Sena is arrogant and prideful by nature and is well aware of this, even once stating that she should do that since she's that good. Sena considers herself like some sort of queen or goddess to the school and would often treat her fellow male students as servants (not that they mind). Because of her personality and her beauty, she has no female friends. Sena also believed that there are two types of girls, the ones who would be her friends and the others are all not worthy of her. Sena also does not treat the boys in her class with much respect due to them constantly oogling at her and doing whatever she told them to, as such, Sena merely sees them as her servants. However, whenever Sena's ego is shattered by someone else (mostly Yozora), she bursts in tears and flings childish insults before running away. Sena was also shocked to see that Kodaka does not act like the boys in her class (wanting to be stepped on) and hence, views Kodaka in a different light.  Her feelings have increased to the point where she says that she wouldn't mind marrying him and that she was in love with him.

Sound:

The soundtrack is awesome. It really fits the situation and you will find yourself always singing or humming them. The opening is also great as it is sung by many well known seiyuu (Kana Hanazawa among them).

What I really loved while watching the anime were the piano themes.

Here have some example

The opening theme

Ending theme

Animation:

The art is actually one of the I've ever seen. Especially when you look at the character's lips. They have something that no other anime has. The animation was almost flawless, the background was well designed and it is really enjoyable.

Playing on PSP

Difference with the light novel:

Didn't read the novel personally but I was told the anime follows the novel very well

Conclusion:

This anime is hilarious, the jokes were simple cheesy and they managed to pull them off again and again and yet you find yourself laughing hear-tidily again and again. So if you are looking for an episodic anime to watch while you are cooking or whatever or just wanna have a good laugh this is the one.

Final Grade: 9.3/10