delolmo

I truly believe Shin Sekai Yori is one of the best animes I have ever had the pleasure of watching. From the very beginning to the end, you will be consumed by the depth of this story and will not be able to stop yourself from watching it. This is a spoiler-free review.

Story

The story centers around a very different world well into the future where humans gained psychic powers but managed to control some of the “flaws” that such powers convey in order to ensure peace between mankind. By this time, many wars and catastrophes have taken place, so humans have strict rules to preserve humankind as is at that time.

Surely, the plot in itself does not sound like any original work as many other stories out there have played with the idea. What made this anime very special is a combination of the plot including the ethical questions it possesses, the animation, and of course the uniqueness of its characters.

In regards to the plot, the story developed so well you were able to submerge yourself in the idea surrounding the new world it presented while appreciating all sides of the story. What I mean by this is that most stories are typically told from one side and there is an evident “villain” or so to speak. In this story however, the motives of all sides seem justified and it leaves you pondering ethical questions regarding who is truly “right”. The ideas of “good” and “bad” seem somewhat relative and the message goes very far in exploring philosophical ideas that could be discussed as of today.

The pace of the story was a bit faster than I would have hoped. It left me wondering at times for further explanations. There were a few unanswered questions but most issues were addressed by the end. Another strong point to the story is that it spans through time. From the time the main character starts to become aware of her surroundings as a child to when she becomes a well formed adult, we are able to appreciate the changes taking place within her and her surroundings, her coming of age, and we are left with a very good ending instead of the typical one which leaves things to the audience’s interpretation. Likewise, the story is told or narrated by the main character, we only hear her thoughts in some parts of the story but the way her voice intervenes in the animation gave it a more power take and added depth to the story.  Her thoughts typically foreshadowed some events that you just wanted to know more about it and see in action. This helped to keep the audience interested.

The plot is not perfect, but I applaud the way it was developed and the message it offered. I found it to be very amusing and applicable to today’s society.

Animation

I am no animation expert but I truly enjoyed the characters‘ design, the use of darker colors, and the landscapes that were portrayed in the anime. The scenery was beautiful and the eyes of the characters kept on drawing me in. I also enjoyed the clothing that the characters were using; it appeared futuristic and the designs were very beautiful as well. To pay attention to all those details shows that the animation was very well thought of. It is for these reasons I give high marks to this aspect of the anime as it was truly an asset to the story.

Sound

AMAZING! That is all I got to say regarding the sound not only of the music which was used for the endings but also throughout the story as it added seriousness to some scenes and set the mood for many others. The voices of the characters were great including those of the monster rats.

Characters

The main characters include a group of four students and friends. Each of them will have peculiar talents and face specific challenges. I decided against reviewing each character as to not give anything away. I will say however that I have never seen a main female character have such a personality and talent as that of Saki. She is strong in a way that is not always appreciate it in many stories and I believe this made it the perfect person to center the story around. Shun and Satoru were my very favorites along with Saki.

The development of each character surprised me immensely as their roles were so well developed and their takes on things so well explored that you could not help but fall in love with them. A good plot is nothing without good characters and these ones did not fall short. Every character played an important role in the story so I will not say there was anything unnecessary to it.

Overall

I highly recommend this anime to anyone. There is a lot of thriller-type moments, action, wittiness, and originality to it. The story can appeal to a variety of audiences with the various components that made is so special.  This is without a doubt a "MUST WATCH" anime. My hope is that more people get to appreciate it and to have it be on the top 100 as the story is well-deserving of such praise.