Overall Review: Shinsekai Yori

The one thing about Shinsekai Yori that had a negative effect on my viewing experience was that it was horribly, terribly, and downright criminally, underappreciated.

This series is not for everyone. It's bleak, it's heavy and intense, it's controversial, and it's unconventional in both content and style. It isn't something to relax with, or to enjoy without a care in the world, nor is it easy to dismiss it as just another story. Every minute is overflowing with atmospheric presence, from the haunting soundtrack to the breathtaking background art, and watching these children grow up in this ominous world is an experience unlike any I think I've ever had with an anime. The series' origin as a novel truly bleeds through in its themes and exposition, and despite having a relatively low budget, the studio clearly knew how best to adapt and deliver an experimental but nonetheless spectacular end result. As difficult a series as this was to think about (and especially to write about), I've no doubt that I loved every episode, which only makes me feel more depressed about how badly it was received and what that indicates about the future of the anime industry.

However, that's not what this post is about. I'm here to try to justify my feelings about Shinsekai Yori, to attempt to write down and explain something intangible, something that affected me in a way few series ever do. To call the effect haunting isn't quite an exaggeration; this series calls for some serious contemplation of the human condition, and what it has to say isn't always something we want to hear. Saki's journey into adulthood and the power of her experiences isn't just about Cantus users and the fantastical circumstances surrounding them; the parallels we can draw between their actions and mentality and our own are visceral and horrible to think about.

The fact that we are even able to have an emotional connection, a powerful one, to the inhabitants of Kamisu 66 is proof of this. When we stop to consider what type of people this village is made of, it's hard to justify why it is that we care so much about their fate. This is a cruel and selfish society that places the survival of the species above any other priority. Parents are accomplices in the murders of their own children when those children pose a threat, and as unwilling as they may be to take part, they do nothing to seek another solution. Fear conditions everything about these people, even to the point where they incriminate the innocent before they have concrete proof of Raman-Klogius or Hashimoto-Applebaum manifesting in the suspect. They kill their own to survive, artificially selecting the best suited to take up the reins and continue the paranoia through to the next generation. Even the children themselves are never quite innocent. As hypnotized and genetically altered as the PK users have been, there nevertheless remains a hint of bloodlust in their actions. Satoru enjoys slaughtering masses of bakenezumi as if it were a game; Saki playfully threatens to torture a False Minoshiro when it won't do as she says; Maria teases Mamoru with his fears of the Nekodamashi for the fun of it. They may be physically unable to kill or hurt one another, but these children show potential for cruelty and violence long before they show any potential for becoming Fiends or Karma Demons.

Then there's the Karma Demons and Fiends themselves. As terrifying as they are as phenomena, there is something even more sinister lurking beneath the simple disaster wrought by them. Karma Demons are PK users who lose the ability to keep their subconscience in check, and as a result they distort the world around them to reflect the state of their minds. What is this but blatant commentary on the twisted nature of the human animal? The subconsciousness of these children is only capable of warping and destruction; what then, is the state of the subconsciousness of everyone else? Fiends too are sinister in a similar way. Raman-Klogius is supposed to be an extreme manifestation of paranoia, but just how different is a Fiend's need to self-preserve from the need of the PK-users as a whole to sacrifice children to continue their species?

The bakenezumi are yet another reason to despair at the portrayal of humanity. Not only is Yakomaru/Squealer a manipulative creature with no boundaries, but even worse is the treatment of the bakenezumi at the hands of the Cantus users. They're an enslaved race treated like disposable tools, despite being intelligent, alive, and inherently human beings.

Of course, not everything about this series is dark and hopeless. Saki and her friends are simply children caught up in all of this horror, and their bonds of love and friendship are what save them from having to face such a bleak world alone. No matter what Saki sees with her own eyes and experiences with her own body, she nevertheless continues to get back up and keep walking forward, and this too is commentary on a more positive aspect of humanity. That she and Satoru survive and begin a new life together after all they go through is a testament to the resiliency of people to weather any storm no matter how violent, and despite the uncertainty of the world, they hold on to the hope that change is possible.

Thematically, this is a dense work, and I'm astonished that it was adapted so fluidly, which is a difficult task to achieve even with a much simpler work or media than a novel. Despite having to cram over a thousand pages of written word into 24 episodes, the rapid fire pacing feels natural and engaging, and the atmosphere is always immersive enough to make one forget they're only a viewer. I understand that to some people this bleak outlook and pacing is difficult to enjoy, and that certain portions of the series, such as the homosexual and erotic undertones, are too uncomfortable for them to watch. However, at least for me, Shinsekai Yori will always be one of the defining anime viewing experiences of my life, and I am humbly thankful to Yuusuke Kishi and A-1 Pictures for bringing it to life.