Humanity Has Declined is on the surface a super-cute show with some super-cute mysteries. But the secret to the show is actually in the name. Every single two-episode arc focuses on a different part of the troubles of society. The scathing critique is hidden behind colorful and simpistic art, cheerful voice acting, childish humor, a positive soundtrack, friendship, and cutesy metaphors. The self-destructive nature of consumerism, shallowness of culture, loss of connection to reality, the search for self definition, and more get their moment in the particularly bright sun.
Of course none of the metaphors and social commentary would be of any interest had Humanity Has Declined been bad. The unique charm of this anime makes these themes be an addition for the mature viewers that gives a lot of added depth for what on the surface is just another cute show about a cute girl in a cute world doing cute things with a cute attitude. Humanity Has Declined is extremely cute, did I fail to mention?
The entire writing and art is centered around cuteness with a sour edge. From the upbeat opening sequence that drips happiness and naive charm, through the intentionally impressionist influence on the backgrounds, down to the positive ending for each arc, we get a nice strawberry cake of disgustingly cute things. But the whole point is that like the afformentioned cake, there are undertones that aren't sweet at all (a metaphor that is actually pointed out in the final arc). That contrast is what makes it delicious.
While not a masterpiece, Humanity Has Declined is a very different take on anime, and is extremely refreshing in the way it works. It is not for everyone, and just like many of the story arcs, there is an underlying theme to the show that is obviously not for everyone. And yet, I can't really fault a show that is both enjoyable and harmless on the surface, yet makes such clever use of metaphors and themes to satiate my hunger for more mature ideas.
Writing (Story and Characters):
Humanity Has Declined is what people would consider "hard scifi". It is centered around a world and philosophy, and the characters are not particularly relevant (they are there to add some color and guide us through the story). It takes place in a post-post-apocalyptic world, where humanity is cheerfully continuing its lifestyle as it strides towards extinction due to its own helplessness and inability. And yet, everything is described in such a cute and harmless way that the entire theme isn't disturbing in the least.
The story is a combination of semi-episodic arcs that are told out of chronological order. We get to see mankind's failings on every level, from destruction of education, working at things completely irrelevant to making their lives better, and generally being at a complete loss with how to cope with the world. There are faeries, and depending on the interpretation they are either naive protectors, malevolent antagonists, a metaphor for the way human culture is evolving, or all of those at the same time. Each arc in itself gets its own simple resolution, and together they create a tapestry of simply walking through life's challenges unaffected and ungrowing, pointing out the theme: Humanity Has Declined.
The characters aren't particularly interesting. None of them are really memorable, nor do they need to be. As with hard science fiction, the characters are here to guide us through a world and philosophical point, and they succeed doing that rather well. Also as is the case with most hard science fiction, they are completely forgettable and show no growth. But hey, they do what they are meant to. It's quite wonderful overall.
Anime usually fails at delivering when it comes to hard scifi ideas. Most science fiction is soft sci-fi and character driven stuff, or when it is hard sci-fi is centered around being all grim and ends up being rather one dimensional. Humanity Has Declined is magnificent in that it offers something that is usually seen only in western hard scifi, which is a colorful and optimistic take on the hard science fiction route... even if like its name, it is about a critique of modern society. While the story and characters on their own are good, their combination works wonderfully. What can I say, I am both a hard scifi and anime nerd - the writing is tailored for me.
Art (Animation and Sound):
The animation is simplistic, and it is obviously meant to be that way. There are bright and colorful themes everywhere, the rustic charm of the backgrounds is amazing (even if you notice that at times it is the decaying remnants of humanity), the character designs are particularly simplistic, the soundtrack is cheerful, the voice acting is optimistic and happy, and in general everything is just so cute. As opposed to most anime who take either the realistic or the abstract approaches, the artwork here is heavily influenced by impressionism, which is a very refreshing take.
The animation is hard to judge. The artistic merits are there, and yet you could point out the simplistic nature of it and the lack of abstraction to add depth. And yet, like any good bit of impressionism, the point of the animation is the emotional impact (and some would even say "impression") that the artwork has on the viewer. On one side, this is very far away from the modern realistic approach you might see from studios like Madhouse, or the abstract intellectual approach from Shaft, which in itself is a strong point. AIC A.S.T.A. may have had budgetary constraints, but they covered for it by making the animation different and artistic. I think its good, but like most impressionist art, impressions may vary.
The sound is solid and well done. The soundtrack is cheerful and well executed, the voice acting is surprisingly good, and the effects are actually pretty clever. There isn't any particular fault in anything. There are moments of brilliance (the opening is perfection itself), there are moments where it is unimpressive, but overall the sound just adds another layer to the vision behind the show. That being said, it isn't top-tier stuff, just very good.
Overall, the artwork, like the writing, are slaves to the vision behind Humanity Has Declined. And in that, they are a huge success. The light-hearted and warm art are a huge strength in making this anime unique and enjoyable, without trapping us in a maze of dark metaphors (*cough*Ergo Proxy*cough*). That being said, it is not in the top tier from a technical perspective - just very well done and with a clear artistic vision.
Overall:
I enjoyed Humanity Has Declined on many levels. The writing is top notch if you are a hard science-fiction fan, but lacking if you expect anything character driven. The artwork is top notch if you want something different than the norm, but lacking if you want it to wow you with technical precision. But it seems that I am the target audience, and therefore have no choice but to give a warm recommendation.
Screenshots
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