Shinsekai Yori - 21

"Fires of the Apocalypse"

You know, it took me 21 episodes to realize I'm probably the only person who spells the title of this series with Shin and Sekai together; I think it's a hold-over from the lack of spaces when writing in kana.

I seriously can't believe how ridiculous this series is, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. As if last week wasn't indicative of how bad things are, this week (or more accurately, last week's episode which I'm only getting to now) pretty much confirms that this is it; the apocalypse as only PK-users could experience it has arrived. The fiend is bad enough, the bakenezumi have destroyed Kamisu 66, and now, we get confirmation on something I certainly didn't see coming, which is enough to effectively give Yakomaru the power to destroy all PK societies on the entire planet if he so wishes: he's building an army of Fiends. I suppose the reason why this never really came to mind as a possibility was because the definition I held of what Fiends were like is very different to what Maria and Mamoru's child (called it! Though I was hardly the only one) actually became. For one thing, I was under the impression that Fiends were completely paranoid and incapable of rational thought, but clearly something is different about this redheaded little terror. For one thing, he's controlled like an attack dog by the bakenezumi, and since Yakomaru seems assured that this is a reproducible quality, this changes our perception on what Fiends really are quite a bit.

Of course, there's always the off chance that this child isn't a real Fiend, but some sort of artificially induced class of psychopath. It's entirely possible that Yakomaru has "reprogrammed" him into having Fiend-like qualities without necessarily falling victim to Raman-Klogius, but it's equally possible that K was simply a different kind of Fiend from what this child is. Whatever the case, it doesn't make the deceptively adorable boy less terrifying, and the fact that Yakomaru has stolen more children for the sake of raising an entire army of subservient Fiends signals the true and final end for the current PK societies. One Fiend is powerful enough to destroy Shisei in seconds, so how will any of them survive more than one? I really have to hand it to Shinsekai; bleak is simply not bleak enough for this series, and every minute of it is as gripping and horrifying as it can possibly be, constantly overtaking itself and reaching new lows for its characters.

I really don't know how the series plans to end, though I'd be an idiot to assume things resolve without some sacrifice. Clearly, Saki survives, but what about everyone else? What about Satoru (he just popped out of nowhere there, didn't he)? Will Saki simply become a new Tomiko, determined to keep the species going while warning younger members about the dangers their children pose to this goal? Things will never be the same after Yakomaru, and the series doesn't shy away from elegantly portraying that and how hopeless things have become. As strange and occasionally enigmatic as it can be (did anyone understand the leaking Cantus remark? I wasn't sure what to make of it), I'm aware that I'm watching one of the most poignant and visceral anime series of recent memory, a gem amongst an already dying breed, which is just as brutal on it's viewers as it is on its own characters.

N.B.: Thanks again to Ivan for the great screencaps! I apologize for the huge delay and low quality work; I've not slept properly for days and I'm still doing homework.