Stunning Soundtrack, Visual and Concept (Season 1)
I've never written anime reviews before, though I've reviewed the sea. I think I'll start with this one. It was recommended to me by a friend and it significantly affected the result of the viewing. After all, thanks to the recommendation, I did not stop watching it, but wanted to. . .
Since the review is positive, I will start with a bad one. Anime is very long in the first half of the season. Exposure and tying are very long muddy, where in fact almost nothing interesting happens with rare exceptions (there are a couple of conflicts). There were so many episodes where almost nothing happened from start to finish. The characters talked, walked, looked at each other. But the plot moved in small steps. Sometimes there were two or three series in a row. And I completely lost the desire to look further, there was a feeling of sadness.
Also in the anime weak cheap animation. That, coupled with the slow development of the plot in the first half, was even more melancholy when the characters hardly move. In places very clumsy... In general, there is a drawdown on the budget.
As well as a sudden and sharp departure into homo aesthetics for two or three episodes in the first half. All of a sudden, he's just a mess. And then they forgot about her. Who was this done for? For what? The plot was somewhat justified, but I was left confused with the question "Why?".
But why is the review positive? Oh, start small, end epic. First, the anime immediately catches the soundtrack. Here he is so crazy that just listening to local music, already filled with emotions, even if the plot has not yet had time to start and I have not yet had time to feel the characters.
Next visual. Despite the cheap animation, it is from a visual point of view that the backgrounds here are beautiful. Sometimes the shots are so beautiful that you can pause and just enjoy the view. Together with the music - viewing caused emotions even during the lull of the plot.
And then the concept. The anime has a great lore. Very cool and unusual story. I was wondering how it would end. Somewhere in the second half, the movement began. The action began to develop and the anime completely absorbed me. I empathized with the characters, I empathized with the world, I enthusiastically watched and listened to new details of the lore. The anime tells the story of people who became gods with almost limitless abilities in the new world after the apocalypse, but it is only a screen, the tip of the iceberg. The plot and concept are much deeper and more interesting.
As a result, my review was made positive by the experience of watching the second half of the season. It was great, beautiful, I got a lot of emotions and impressions. Bravo. And the series would definitely be one of my favorites if the first half of the season was reduced to 5-6 episodes instead of 17. Cut out homosynthesis, cut out meaningless wanderings and chatter. Slow plans for half a minute and other delays.
This anime is based on a novel. And that's a huge plus. It’s like reading a book or watching a long movie. Anime is usually based on manga or ranobe. Therefore, there are often unnecessary series, fan service, completely unnecessary things. There's no such thing. An interesting and interesting story.
This is a dystopia. The distant future. And it's sad. The world described is very interesting. We are not given all the cards on our hands, but gradually let into history.
Let me tell you right away that the beginning is not quite exciting. I’ve been really interested since Episode 9. Before that, the anime jumped. Good series were replaced by boring ones. But patience was worth it. The characters are well written. Apart from the main characters, I didn’t see any positives. And the people here are shown (especially those with power) as always. Here is another story about how power and power destroy the weak. In this regard, the anime is very powerful.
I personally found only two disadvantages in this work. One: drawing. She's nothing. Very simple and unremarkable, but not repulsive. Number two: Character orientation. In the anime, although in a couple of series there are Yuri and Yaoi. The bissexuality of the characters is explained logically and clearly, but it seems to me that it was possible to do without this, would not greatly affect.
Before us is a very good and instructive work. I recommend everyone to watch.
Magic is like science. Its idea is simple and trivial: skill consists only in uncovering all consequences and turning them into weapons. Where naive minds see incomprehensibility, sacredness, miracle, the master sees the task: a set of banal threads in themselves, the invisibility of which creates the illusion of a fairy tale. He who controls illusions and sees what is hidden behind them, acquires power. Unless he is stopped by other masters who have their own ideals.
"From the New World" spins magic from one thread - telekinesis. This world is far from the depraved generosity of teenage fantasy, where the author sprinkles opportunities like cereal into a plate of morning breakfast: by eye, with a careless addition whenever he pleases. This world is more serious: artifacts will not jump on heroes at the speed of light, different magical schools will not arise with the speed of lightning, a victorious move will not fall on the protagonist at the decisive moment, aki inexplicable blessing. The magic of the New World goes hand in hand with genome science. It is ascetic: it is born out of the control of a single ability, and pedantic: it hopes to find all the loopholes, to realize all the possibilities. But its consequences are complex, and even the most cunning can not predict the future for sure.
I can't call myself an anime fan. Rather, I treat anime like a marauder treats the house of a collector. I know that sometimes there are real pearls in this house.
Most of my outings in anime end in a quick retreat. Even the most famous titles I throw without much hesitation. But sometimes I’m still impressed and watch until the end (the last time it happened to Lane’s Experiments). And occasionally lucky for masterpieces: “The Border of Emptiness”, “Death Note”, “Fate/Zero”, and here – “From the New World”. I do not like to write reviews of masterpieces, they are too masterpieces for my pen, but I will still decide to try.
This work is for those who prefer one independent creation to a dozen faceless clones from the box office. For those who are not afraid to fall asleep during dialogues and are willing to admit that watching can be a real job. For those who do not consider the authors to be obliged to the viewer, and recognizes that it is necessary to cling to what is happening independently: no one will chew and lure with candy.
I do not want to talk about the plot, because the weaving of the series is so subtle and intricate that a retelling (at least mine) would be unacceptably clumsy. Instead, I want to name a few reasons why anime is unique:
1) Unique structure: compositional harmony is elusive, unpredictable, but invariably permeated with taste.
2) Music: Like a whip, awakens the spirit. She's in my playlist.
(3) Philosophy. The tragedies of heroes are the tragedies of our own inner traits, the fate of heroes is a detective, the crime in it is our very future. Questions about what is right and permissible are questions about what is right and permissible at all, for the images of our own world in the New World are quite recognizable. Why did everyone get exactly what they got and should they get it?
Those who pass the action through themselves will find in this story especially fertile food for thought. Trying to stand in the place of heroes, he will not only experience respect for their mind and self-discipline, but also join the complexity of the world. It's worth watching for Squiller.
That the world deserved Squiller, on the one hand, obviously, on the other, would be too cruel to admit that Squiller needed the world. I didn't take that step for myself. I guess Squiller had no idea what he wanted to do. "We treated you well." - "Everything's in the mood." Yes, it is, but what would Squiller offer in return? What is freedom and life without the desire to decide something from yourself and your mood?
Justification of rebellion against a good master would deprive society of the last stability, for masters and slaves always arise, only names and means of governing change. You can rebel against injustice, against real suffering, but not against history... otherwise it is pure destruction. Or is Squiller’s call to face the truth otherwise no one will hear? In that case, it's our fault.
It’s hard to watch, but definitely worth it. It seems that this is just the case when it is more productive and fairest to believe that the viewer himself is to blame for all the disadvantages, and if something bothers him, it is worth thinking why the authors did so after all. This is what allows me to come to terms with the nasty 8-series, deliberately false jaw in the overall narrative. I’m not sure that this is a marketing ploy: the creators could not help but understand that fans of fan service will not reach this series. Rather, I see in her deliberateness the embodiment of the despair of the heroes, their disbelief in the sacredness of love and their unwillingness to become the heirs of bonobo primates before the most dear people. Thus strengthens the purification of love (Saki-Shun) through its frontal separation from physiology as its indispensable attribute. The body is one. Love is something else entirely.
I do not guarantee the viewer that he will accept and appreciate everything in this story, but there will be at least one series that will make him really feel something ... and understand how closely these feelings are connected with thoughts.
In summary: serious, cruel, sensual – the anime “From the New World” is one of the most original and memorable works that I had the pleasure to watch. The striking fusion of melancholy and heroic pathos makes you empathize and only guess when the viscous, unsteady step of the narrative will result in another ruthless plot attack. Freedom and human life itself appear as an eternal problem, which only the master solves with dignity. This freedom smells like the doubt of the philosopher and the firmness of the hero. Our freedom is much easier - so long as it is to make your own viewing.
And what I turned my own into is not completely clear: sometimes it was impossible to concentrate and squeeze the maximum. I want to bet 8 or 11. On average:
Not enough in From the new light depth or something. Somewhere they did not press the desired emotion, somewhere the frame is cut off too quickly, but you want to slow down, just savor the moment a little longer. There’s a secondary character missing from the shot, and you think, ‘Well, maybe he’ll show up and he doesn’t.’ He just died, and his last scene was about death, and you didn't get it. There's a lot of that in anime. They take a conflict, an interesting conflict, I must say, develop it, deepen it, and then immediately after the climax bam! and change the topic. And it seems that you can really finish and go on, but you want smoothness, summing up, or what, so that actions have weight.
But actually, that's not even the main thing. What do you and I have? Mankind has gone through something like an apocalypse, built a new, different society than ever created, spawned incomprehensible creatures that consider humans gods, and is now somehow trying to live for a thousand years. Curious, isn't it? But these are just dead sets. Yes, everything we need to be explained, explained, even shown a little, but without immersion. Just to let the viewer know what happened in the event a little earlier. Pure function, not background. To somehow deepen the world, at least slightly go beyond the main plot, no one will. And not because the authors do not want it (although, perhaps, really do not want it) - it is all about the way the story is told. It's, shall we say, egocentric. In addition to the initial inserts in the first three episodes, we see all the events of the anime through the eyes of Saki. If it is not possible to cram her into the action, then it is skipped, and then served in the form of memories told by the characters of the same Saki. There is no world outside of Saki. He can't live without her. I am the world and the whole world is me. Satoru is a prime example. The character has such a big influence on the plot (I think even more than Saki) and the second longest screen time that he can be considered the second main character. But here he is in the narrative, and then for some reason he left Saki, and he was literally hammered. There was a guy and no guy. And then suddenly it comes out of nowhere. What happened to him? How did he overcome his difficulties? The authors don't care, he's not Saki. A straightforward and one-sided story turns out. How can we empathize with the antagonists if their motives are given to us only at the very end after the conflict is resolved, when Saki herself finally comes to this? What kind of immersion in an unusual fantastic world can we talk about? Some kind of anime is wrong, though.
“From the New World” is probably a little more accurate, though I’m not an expert on Japanese characters. And indeed, this anime seems to have come to us from another world, a world in which artists and screenwriters think through every scene and dialogue, fill them with symbolism known only to them and ask questions, leaving us unanswered. Naturally, this approach can scare off the average viewer looking for the sacred “Wow!”, the rapid development of the plot and iron motivation. However, I decided to continue and did not regret it.
We have already met the main characters, go to school with them (naturally special), study obscure myths, master telepathic abilities, trying to understand what is happening at all. The process is accelerated when young heroes meet in the forest dangerous, as it seemed to them, a creature that introduces in more detail into the setting of a new world for us.
The action can be conditionally divided into three acts, give a name and describe, it does not make sense, the basic concepts of the academic development of the plot did not bypass it. The narrative is slow, sometimes drawn out, I want to throw a popular thesis, “a lot of water”, but listening to the dialogue you understand that everything is not so clear. Of course, not all, the story sags so that 25 episodes are felt in full, alas, a few days before viewing, got acquainted with the stunning 11-series “Planet of the King of Animals” and such a comparison does not go in favor of the new world. Still, the original atmosphere of the anime is, in particular, the lack of opening, which is already a rarity, adds vigor to watching the next series. The drawing is made on a solid "good", in the most optimistic interpretation of this assessment.
As much as it sounds, but this anime is not for children, no you don't think, I don't think that all children are stupid, it's far from it. Rather, the final problems may not seem so important to them, despite the experiences of the main character, the personal, emotional component here is in the second, and maybe even in the third plane. Fundamental questions of civilization, as well as political affiliation, emerge later. The authors seem to hint at this, spending chapters, giving an opportunity to see the maturation, the change of paradigms of thinking of yesterday’s schoolchildren, not afraid to break the rules, to overflowing with rationalism individuals.
The series From the New World has long been interested in numerous positive reviews. It was said that this is a very atypical work for the modern anime industry with an adult and multifaceted plot. After watching, you can say that this is so, but still call it truly outstanding (which again some did) the language does not turn.
Despite the fact that the events of the anime unfold in the distant future, there are practically no super-technological devices, since almost all of them were destroyed or lost during the numerous wars that terrorized the Earth for a long time. Man-made civilization has given way to a more traditional society. However, the way of life is still somewhat different from the life of the peasants of XIX-nach. XX centuries – these people are endowed with some power: something like developed psychic abilities (apparently, not without the theory of parapaleontology).
Since, after all, more than a thousand years have passed, and the biosphere has been significantly spoiled by the prolonged squabbling of mankind, nature has greatly changed. New species appeared, old ones transformed beyond recognition, some simply disappeared from the face of the planet. Life became much more dangerous, and one of the main threats came from some bakenezumi. They were not huge and fang-like creatures (although this is also how to see), their weapon is an extremely developed intelligence. For many years, these creatures, in many ways resembling rats, could not oppose the human tribe and quietly put up with their fate until they had a gifted strategist and a mysterious mission.
The plot develops consistently and logically. First of all, the viewer is introduced to a group of twelve-year-old schoolchildren who learned a little more than the rules prescribed. The guys experience many adventures along the way, but only the first third of the animated series ends there. This is followed by adolescence (two years later), which describes new, very serious problems that are very different from those, albeit risky, but still childhood experiences. Well, the final part shows finally matured young people (age about 25-26 years), who fall huge responsibility for the fate of the entire species of Homo sapiens (although, perhaps, some subsequent stage of development).
As for the characters, nothing impressive was presented. In principle, the standard set of a smart guy, a bully (we have to admit... ghmm... an atypical bully), a modest one, a faded main character (how many times the image of a moralizer has already come across – can’t count) and even more inexpressive her friend. Perhaps the most charismatic were Kiromaru and Squiller – representatives of that mysterious species. Perhaps this was done specifically to show how much humanity puts itself above others, but something suggests that the authors did not mean anything like this... although, who knows?
Shin Sekai Yori - the work is strong but uneven. The first part is really catchy, immersing in this amazing world, the latter does not let you relax for a second with high dynamics, but the second (especially the gap between 11 and 16 episodes) seems too melancholy and even inhibited. However, the ending redeems everything. Watch for anyone who is tired of stamped stories about superpowers.
I have long wanted to see something like this. Very beautiful, unusual work. Interesting story, the characters are touching and disposed to themselves. I also liked the fact that there is almost no primitiveness. This anime is really original.
When you look, you feel something like that. Something mysterious and at the same time strangely familiar. Like something from childhood. When we were kids, we all loved mystery and adventure, right? Everyone wanted to experience something amazing and scary. And here are the main characters Shinsekai Yori survived.
This anime is strange, but there is nothing repulsive about its strangeness. On the contrary, it is charming and has a view. I would also like to mention the opening composition. She's incredibly beautiful.
In the world of Japanese anime, cinema and literature, original works are published less often every year. Creations that are different from the standard of mass consumption. A thoughtful mature viewer, tired of the endless stream of ethti and senen each season, will be pleasantly surprised. “Shinsekai yori” is a modest and original work that caused considerable discussion in the anime camp of fans. Someone is delighted, someone has a misunderstanding, and someone has indignation. Only one thing is clear: Shinsekai Yori left few indifferent. Why? That’s right, it’s not ethti or senen, but a grim serious anime with elements of drama.
Now let me give you a subjective opinion. It is a little sad that in all its originality and, if I may say so, the avant-garde of the essence goes unnoticed – it did not cause a vivid resonance in comparison with “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica”, “Steins;Gate” or “Mushishi”, in my opinion, this title is better than the same “Madoka” if only because “Shinsekai yori” is more serious in its drama and has a detailed and long plot. The viewer sees the growing up of the characters from 12 to 26 years. Most importantly, Shinsekai Yori is a book. Yes, yes! A full-length book, not some ranobe with all due respect.
The focus is on a group of schoolchildren who have been friends since childhood. Three boys Satoru, Mamoru and Shun, as well as two girls Maria and Saki. The plot takes place in the distant future after 1000 years from our time. In this future, humanity has created a utopia for itself and the heroes will make every effort not to drown in it. Setting has undergone noticeable metamorphosis in comparison with our time. It could therefore be called a post-apocalypse, but ideologically it is a fantasy, for there is a superpower, as well as monsters and another race. It is noteworthy that the events cover the territory and develop only in Japan. Pupils of a certain local school have superpowers, which is expressed in the psychic force that allows you to control matter and extract energy. They spend time together in and out of school, experiencing adventures of joy and sorrow. Yes, they are friendly, they are only 12 years old, but they are already interested in the surrounding world and, getting to a mysterious island outside the community, discover the guardian of knowledge. Saki and her friends learn a lot of information they don’t want to know. Including the knowledge of ancient people. For such information, friends are expelled from society and their forces are sealed. From now on, Saki and her friends are eager to get answers about the world they live in and what surrounds them. However, our heroes begin problems, as well as new more dangerous adventures.
Many people may have gravitated to the "horror" tag of waiting for something similar to "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni," "Another" or "Shiki"? "Shinsekai yori" is a very different content and, above all, the mood. A whole drama proceeding at a leisurely pace of adventure. Also, do not flatter yourself with the word “adventure”, if the adventure is associated primarily with entertainment, because it is not an entertaining anime and therefore adventures of a completely different nature. There will be less and less reason for smiles and laughter in this world with each episode. The viewer looks at what is actually happening through the eyes of Saki and sees what she has to endure and endure.
There are no horrors compared to the above creations. There is a certain cruelty mainly moral and psychological, and not visual-physical. The series is pure drama in many ways intelligent, philosophical. This is not abstruse, because the canvas lies on the surface. The authors well show the viewer the permanence of the problems of human society. Even in a completely different social formation, the essence of man is unchanging. It can be controlled, it can be contained, but the delicate balance of the utopian system is easily upset.
The attentive viewer will not have much difficulty to understand what is happening - the authors in a simple form convey to the viewer the ideas of the philosophy of revival, for anthropocentrism and the philosophy of irrationalism are visible. Therefore, horror is a secondary genre, since this title does not seek to show naturalism: compare with the same “Shiki”. What for someone will be a plus, and for someone a minus, it all depends on your taste and preference. The atmosphere is phlegmatic, the beginning is long. There are large differences in time, as well as other contradictory nuances. What will definitely confuse many, is the 8th episode; it has moments of shojo-ai and senen-ai, which, frankly speaking, is not very pleasant, especially in the performance of the main characters. Even though the fourth series clearly explains this behavior. What is sad is that the 8th episode of significant plot value does not contain and is more like a marketing trick to please and attract, you know, an audience. I do not approve of this, but it is, after all, only one episode and the good of the rest of the series do not contain such resonance.
The drawing of the general delight at first did not cause. But, in my opinion, the studio did not want to focus on the colorfulness of the drawing and this is correct: after all, the advantages of this anime in another and it is not technical beauty at all. Another thing is clear – the drawing of the title does not fall out of the modern stylization of the anime industry. And, yes, you won’t see any beauty here. However, the series is beautiful in its own way due to the wonderful atmosphere. Right anime beautiful atmosphere and peace. There is a very rich and elaborate inner world, moreover, it is self-sufficient. This is achieved largely due to cold colors and dark landscapes. Caves and mountains, as well as mostly gloomy villages, contribute many dividends to the final atmosphere. The music and soundtrack do not cause any doubt at all and perfectly harmonize with the overall atmosphere, complementing and making it more colorful.
A title for aesthete and gourmet. For mass consumption is not suitable and especially not designed for popcorn audience. In many ways, therefore, it has not become a masterpiece and remains in the shadow of the mass consciousness of anime amateurs. However, this creation already has its own loyal army of fans, good ratings and positive criticism on authoritative resources. It says that “Shinsekai yori” is original and cool at the expense of its philosophy and world for a mature audience. That's about it. Thanks for listening and watching a good anime.