Since the New World - This imperfect prism - Review of the anime Shin Sekai Yori
Majestic.
Majestic. Nothing but this word sums up all the anime. I write this review hot, I'm surely not very objective but how to be facing this kind of anime? I have so much to say about Shin Sekai Yori that I do not know what to write. The emotions are there, but it is impossible for me to transcribe them in the form of words. I appreciated. I loved. I loved. And even more. And yet it was pretty bad. I started the anime 3 times and I stopped it 3 times, so I got bored during the first two-three episodes. Then, seeing all the rave reviews that circulated on this anime and calling it "masterpiece", I reentered the blow. And I do not regret it. Actually, I continued the anime and I thought strongly during the first 20 episodes of the series, putting it a good 8/10. And then there comes the last five episodes. And that's the slap. It's beautiful, it's beautiful, it's cruelly ironic: It's a masterpiece, I confirm.
The starting pitch did not make me want, although I admit that the dystopian side attracted me somewhat. The first episodes are slow, we are served full of elements without explanations, we also serve characters without any introduction, in short, it is long, slow and boring. And then, the anime immediately seemed strange to me, partly because of its very heavy atmosphere, its very smooth graphics, the fact that it has no opening, in short, everything was strange to And I could not manage it. But basically, the more we advance, the more we realize that it matters little since Shin Sekai Yori is much more than that.
Before speaking of the substance, I wanted at all costs to speak of the form first. I've seen animes that have a remarkable graphic level, like Guilty Crown for example. Beside, one could almost believe that SSY (diminutive for Shin Sekai Yori) is pale figure. But this is not really the case. Yes, it is not exceptional but it remains beautiful. It's clean, it does the job. The surroundings are varied but magnificent; We discover a new world, almost too good to be true. The animation is also very good, arranging episodes in episodes and serving us scenes very (very) successful. As for the soundtrack, it is just sublime. The tracks are discreet, but they know how to stand out, especially the choruses and Sad Separation, which is, in my opinion, the most beautiful OST of all the anime (with also History of Sorrow and Original Sin). Endings are also very good, both in terms of music and animation. To summarize, the anime is well done, but mostly realized intelligently.
But as much in terms of form is very good, as much at the bottom level, it is excellent. Yes. Excellent. SSY is not a masterpiece for its graphics or soundtrack. He is a masterpiece for his screenplay. A beautifully crafted, coherent, end-to-end scenario that treats a large number of mature, deep, and supposed themes. But the most incredible is the way the anime treats these themes, with surprising accuracy. At no time does the anime take itself for what it is not, it gives no lessons, it makes us take no part, it leaves us complete freedom. In fact, it does not take us for cons ... And it is a first, it must be said. The intrigues are very well tied up. Too good. It is disorienting. It is a beautiful story, unhealthy and above all, cruelly ironic.
Cruelly ironic from the story of these five children who will live in hell in a place supposed to be the "Paradise" (a society with very healthy looks when in fact not at all). Our 5 little characters, Saki, Satoru, Maria, Shun and Mamoru, are grandiose. Just like the anime. It would be difficult to talk about them in detail but they are all very engaging, in their ways. Mamoru is the most discreet of the group, so much so that we can sometimes forget it. But it was a character who touched me. Deeply. Maria is the archetype of the good friend. Nice, pretty and always ready to help others, it is a character I liked, especially because of his relationship with Saki. I'm not going to talk about Shun, he's a fascinated person that I would have too much to say about him. But of course, the gold palm goes back to Saki and Satoru, my two great darlings. So different but also so human, that's how I could qualify them. Satoru is the fun of the band in a way (even if it will not necessarily always laugh) and Saki is the main character, in fact. One might think at first that there is not really but the story is told by her from the beginning, it is she that we follow and I found her character remarkable. Really. But I especially want to talk about Squealer, a character that touched me. We discover him, we love him, we attach him to him, we hate him but we always end up forgiving him. He is an extranerattus and yet he releases more humanity than most humans. I have despised this character very much but I also admired him.
We discover the characters but we also discover the universe of the series, which is a kind of past in the future. The fact that the story takes place 1000 years after our era, gives the scenario total freedom, knowing that the norms we know no longer exist. That is why we are sometimes a little upset, especially because of the paradox of the universe and the time. Indeed, it is in a futuristic world but the framework is very rural and the technologies are very (very) little present. But precisely, it is this universe so special makes if the story so scary and that allows SSY to do horror. It's strange to say so, because SSY is far from being an anime of horror at the start and then we must admit that nowadays, the horror animates are summed up in gore trashounet, a bit in the Corpse Party . But this is not the same kind of horror, even if there's blood at times (but it's always justified). It is more of the psychological horror, of the agonizing horror, of the true. At the same time, it must be said that the atmosphere of the series is very particular but especially heavy and heavy. And it feels right from the first episodes. To tell the truth, if we had to give a genre to SSY, I would say without hesitation the Drama with a huge D, even Melodrama. This series is a succession of dramatic events and disasters. I would go even further by saying that SSY is a tragico-melodramatic series (it does not exist, I know). Nevertheless, it is never too pushy. As I said, the anime does not take viewers for cons. He does not try to make us say "Oooh, it's horrible what they live!" By outbidding the tragic moments for shedding small tears, no. The anime contented itself with showing what must be shown. So yes, there is tragic, yes, there is drama but it is not only that.
The narrative ellipses are very unequal, it must be said, and can sometimes a little disorient. We go from 12 to 14 years then from 14 years to 26 years, which nevertheless makes a two-year ellipsis and then a 12-year ellipsis. However, ellipses are essential. Without them, history loses much of its meaning. These ellipses also serve to follow the characters from their childhood to their adult status, passing through adolescence. Over time, the relationships between our five protagonists evolve considerably and we grow with them, in a way. I still think that the relationships that have most marked me are those between Saki / Shun, Saki / Satoru and Maria / Mamoru.
Since the beginning of my criticism, I do not cease praise on this work but the perfect work does not exist. SSY can be blamed for a slightly too soft start (the story really begins in episode 5 and makes sense from episode 10/11) and the fact that some episodes are less interesting than d 'other. However, it does not matter because Shin Sekai Yori is not just that, far from it. Without lying, I had to see between 150 and 200 animes in my life and SSY and the only one that made me that effect there. It is the only anime I have seen that managed to hold me up until the end, to surprise me to the end and that managed to move me to the end. Shin Sekai Yori is dramatic. Shin Sekai Yori is tragic. Shin Sekai Yori is cruelly ironic. Shin Sekai Yori is poetic.
I have so much to say about this anime that to speak totally of this work would take me whole days. I come to the end of my criticism and I feel like I have not written anything so much to say. More seriously, go see this anime. Enjoy her characters. Enjoy its atmosphere. Enjoy its history. Enjoy it.
Really.
Verdict: 10/10
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