easter07 - 2013-08-18 21:35:26

This anime is very intriguing although a little bit confusing at time and it features some very poignant observations about society mostly about class with almost no filler and a story that keeps you thoroughly enthralled from the start, it also features a very well developed despite its length and it also features a very deep story line at some points and really interested me from the start to the finish of this anime, with some truly stunning visuals and some very dark moments this is an anime that kept me enthralled and stopped me from being bored, with some interesting characters who were in danger at all times and even major characters not feeling completely safe within the context of the story and left them all open to the potential dangers of this world that was created. overall i thoroughly enjoyed this and would suggest to anyone who is a fan of suspense and thriller anime with a little bit of mystery to it as they will thoroughly enjoy this anime

murphy.deja - 2013-07-27 17:21:13

Stop reading reviews. Don't add this to your Plan To Watch. Open a new tab and go watch this show right now. Usually when I see someone write a review where every aspect of the show receives a perfect score, I disregard their opinion, but in the case of Shinsekai Yori, there is not a single aspect of the show that could be done better. Shinsekai Yori is one of the few anime I have watched that I would dare label as FLAWLESS. There are some anime that you can say are perfect for their time, or perfect for their genre, or at least achieve their goals. Shinsekai Yori is not one of them--it is simply perfect.

The art is more beautiful than any anime I have ever watched up until now. It is not a similar style to Miyazaki/Ghibli films, but it is of equivalent quality. The attention to detail is unparalleled. Characters have unique eye colors, eye shapes, face structures. There are few empty landscape shots, but the setting is an edenic place, and you will not forget that for a moment.

The music and the sounds are both great. Not overdone, but simply true to life. At times, I forgot that I was watching animation. The characters' emotions felt real and raw. I am not a crier, and this show did not make me one... But even though I do not speak Japanese, I could hear the emotion from the voice actors.

The characters are again, realistic. They have flaws, they have doubts, and sometimes you want to claw at the screen so you can tell them what to do, but they inspire a sympathy in me that I think will stay with me for a long time.

Another note, this series plays like a movie. I watched it in a few days, and I think that is the way that it is meant to be watched. If you are going to take a break between episodes, I would recommend that you stop after episode seven and then after sixteen. There are no annoying recaps between episodes, there is only one OP/EP (per episode, only one song plays, to be completely clear), so the episodes easily flow together. Of course, you are free to watch it as you wish, but it really FEELS like a movie, and I don't think waiting a long time between episodes will add to the experience. (In fact, many of the negative reviews for this show come from people who watched it as it aired.) Note that this show is based off of a novel, not a series, but a singular novel.

This is not a feel-good show. You will feel good at parts, you will feel good at the end... But like a movie, there are extremely high points and extremely low points. That is another reason to watch it in a short period of time.

Overall, as I said, this series is perfect. I would not recommend it to someone who has just begun watching anime, or has not seen any other non-mainstream anime. In order to appreciate this anime, you have to see what has come before it and every small imperfection those other shows contain. If you think your palette is broad enough, if you think that there is no anime left to surprise you, if you feel like you can predict what will happen, then watch this show, and be prepared to be proven wrong. If I watch something better, I will edit this review to reflect my change of opinion. As of now, there is nothing better than this. I would willingly pay to own this show on DVD because I want to support the creator/producer that much. Stop reading reviews. Don't add this to your Plan To Watch. Open a new tab and go watch this show right now.

emuller - 2013-07-24 23:13:45

I had a very difficult time trying to score "From the New World". Have you ever watched a series that wasn't very impressive early on, yet you kept watching it because you hoped or expected that it would eventually get better? Perhaps it teased at times that something big would eventually happen. There's a good chance many have experienced this, and then been disappointed that the series never lived up to the hopes one had for it.I experienced these worries at one point with "From the New World". It looked like it could be very promising when I learned about it before it started airing, which it thankfully did end of being. When it was good, especially in the latter half, this series was one of the best shows of this past year. The plot was very deep, full of twists, turns, and tragic moments that kept it engaging and suspenseful. However, this series was... so... difficult to get into early on. In fact, I at one time was really considering putting it "on hold" in favor of another airing series. The episodes involving the Monster Rats early on were not very interesting for the most part, plus it had a few very... awkward moments that were disturbing. Looking back, I guess I can understand why those scenes are there, but I still found the early episodes only passable. However, the series did have some good moments that were interesting and made it difficult to stop watching. It was like it teased that something big would eventually happen that would make the wait worth it, and in a way it did.I think another element that hurt the experience a little was the art. It's not the most visually appealing series out there, plus there was a lack of consistency. However, there was one element that was consistently great throughout the entirety of the series, and that was the soundtrack. It was not only great, but outstanding - one of the best soundtracks I've listened to in any anime, and that's saying a lot!So how do I score "From the New World"? (I don't average category scores, just so you know.) The latter half was very good, but the first half was only passable and very difficult to get into. For now, I am giving this series a 7/10 (Good). If you can get through the first half, then you should have little problem enjoying the rest of the series. Those who do enjoy the first half may find this series one of the best they'll ever watch.

kbogisich - 2013-07-24 11:09:05

Introduction

Shin Sekai Yori is a Japanese novel written by Yusuke Kishi. Shin Sekai Yori (hereby refered to as SSY) can be translated as From the New World in English. It is set around a human civilization, one thousand years into the future after our own where humans are capable of telekinesis. Such a power came with various responsibilities and dangers that mankind now has to deal with. It focuses on a group of five children and their trials of what the mysterious world has in store for them. If you are a fan of mystery, character studies and how human society operates, then Shin Sekai Yori is for you.

Sometimes, the truth is the cruelest thing of all. — Maria Akizuki

Overview:

From a New World brings various things to the table:

• A distinct art style which allows viewers to distinguish this series on it's own
• A mysterious world which allows you to question the unknown.
• A relate-able cast of characters that grow and develop over the course of the show
• Music that sets the mood appropriately. (The Opening and Ending themes are superb)
• No loose ends
• A clear and concise conclusion to the Shin Sekai Yori story.
• It touches on real world problems within the context of its story (Discrimination, Morailty, The nature of Human beings and politics are among some of the topics)

Story

The emergence of telekinetic powers prompted mankind to evolve the way that society worked so as to prevent repetition of past mistakes. In the year 2011, Cantus (the name of the telekinetic powers) began to appear within humans and since that time, the Cantus has had several effects on people. Some persons could not control the power given to them and things quickly became awry. The transformation into fiends with uncontrollable blood lust became the one thing humans sought to prevent from ever happening again. It created a future in which human society is backed into a corner and cannot allow any hostility between one another. As such, strict restrictions were placed on almost every aspect of life and society was carried out in a very systematic way. Children were closely watched for any defects in behavioral patterns in caution of anything that would threaten human survival. It was the belief that if given time, these defects would slowly grow into a much larger problem thus the biggest fears of mankind would then become reality once again. Thus, such children would be disposed of and as such this is the name of the game for Shin Sekai Yori.

The atmosphere of SSY is almost claustrophobic from the pressure that our main cast of characters undergo. The principles of their civilization impacts every one of your decisions and SSY does its best to give you the impression that you too, need to do some thinking about your choices in life. In terms of pacing, it's best to describe SSY as a drama with three acts. The first act is about the emergence of Cantus in Saki Watanabe and her friends. It also forms the foundation of what is to come in the rest of the show. The second act is the building up of the first act and it shows another aspect of the civilization so it's safe for me to say that many aspects of life is constantly being introduced and thrown at you to provoke even more thought. I noticed a greater emphasis on character relationships in this act which fitted well into the story and played an important role in bringing the story forward. The third and final act is the culmination of the events in the past and how events contributed to everything that happens to Saki.

I thought the mysterious nature of the show never once felt forced or tried to appear as something its not. I'm of the view that they understood what they wanted to do and used the source material of the novel to their best advantage. If you're going to like Shin Sekai Yori, I implore you to try and envelop yourself into the world they presented to you, it will help that much more.

All problems come from the human mind. In the mind, one's consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the surface... the subconscious... is far more vast.

— Shun Aonuma

Animation & Sound

Shin Sekai Yori was adapted by A-1 Pictures who worked on anime like Sword Art Online, AnoHana, Space Brothers and Fairy Tail. The art style is very different to what we're used to, that's for sure. It almost has a water color painting feel to it. The animation is fluid and pleasing at best when you take a good look at it. The animation quality looks superb with only a few hiccups during the course of the show but it's never a glaring problem. It may take a while to warm up to but I'm sure the other elements of the show will keep your attention as it did for me. The background art is truly a gem of this series in my opinion, there were times I had to pause to see them. The character designs are unique and fit well in the world they're in. It's the futures but the designs also give off a traditional era air. The reason for this is most likely because of the show's society's aversion to technology in that time period.

The voice acting is also superb, they really left an impression on me. Particularly, the voice actor of Saki gave me the impression that she was fully engrossed in invoking a living breathing person from which viewers can invest in. This is the feeling that most of the persons in the show gave to me, I wish more shows were like this. That said, I'm a person who much prefer Funimation English dubs to Dragon Ball Z much much much more than original Japanese subs. Most genres have a tag to it that says what type of music that a show should have so I came into SSY expecting suspenseful, pulse pounding music with a hint of a calming breeze. Thank God, I was given that and much more. It does its job well to keep you in the world and in the show. One of the theme songs of Shin Sekai Yori (the one that's at the top of this review) is one of the best pieces I've heard for a while. Any time I heard it, it always meant something big is about to happen or it was a revelation.The ending theme of the first half of the show quickly became one of my favorites, Wareto Ringo was so full of spunk that I never skipped it. Here's a fun fact, the ending theme was sung by Saki's voice actor and the second ending theme is sung by Maria's voice actor. The ending themes lyrics are very much a part of the story and when I realized this, the significance made itself apparent. Here is the first ED in all its splendor: Wareta Ringo

We ultimately fear what spawns from within us. — Shun Aonuma

Characters

Saki Watanabe is the main focus of Shin Sekai Yori and she's our resident strong willed protagonist and the cog that keeps everything together. The rest of the characters are Satoru Asahina, Maria Akizuki, Shun Aonuma and Mamoru Ito. They all have their own distinctive personality and I'm sure at least one will be able to grow on you.

Saki has a really sound mindset and is a very determined girl. This is even pointed out in an important character during the show. As I mentioned before, she holds the group together and she dearly cares about her friends. I enjoyed seeing the trials and tribulations Saki had to endure during its course. She too is subject to her society's rules and she undergoes various changes in her life including the raging battlefield of being a teenager and their hormones. Starting from episode 8, sexuality plays a huge part in the lives of our love-able cast. That said, episode 8 is usually where you hear people drops the series and misses out on a truly great show but we're not for that right?

Satoru was one of the most annoying characters in the earlier acts but that's just because of my personal values. However, as he matured he quickly became my second favorite character in the show. That's where it became apparent to me that development was an important part of the story. If they could take a completely unlikeable character (to me he was, basically a pre-adolescent douche) and bring him to a like-able mature and reliable young man, then props to Shin Sekai Yori.

Maria is one of the more cheerful persons of the group and she plays an important both to the story and to Saki's development. She served as a love interest and girlfriend to Saki so the events that unfolded came as a thrilling shock to me.

Mamoru is the most timid and soft spoken member of the group. He didn't really say much but it's been said that his mind isn't too stable/strong so their principles came into play when they learned of this. As I've said every aspect of their civilization impacted every fiber of their being so no one was spared.

Shun is the most intelligent and composed member of the group. He's the one who thinks on his feet and often questioned the secrets and principles of their society. He along with Saki were the ones who pursued this the most.

Even after the absence of some characters during the course of the show, the impact of what they did always was there. It was never a case of introduce some characters today and forget about them next episode. It left a sense of continuity, that their values actually impacted on the way our characters think. This is the first time I engaged myself in a story quite like this, it showed me a person I can understand and follow her plight.

Conclusion

I often see the misconception that Shin Sekai Yori is a horror show, I don't know where they got that from. However it's a show that doesn't pull any punches and isn't afraid of getting dirty. The pressure of what is expected of you from the society is ever present. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and even made it past the dreaded episode 8. Never quite knew why persons were so turned off but reading this review should give you an idea of what is to come. A mere number saying how much I rate this show is not enough to tell you how much you owe it to yourself to take a look at Shin Sekai Yori. If mystery is your thing, SSY has you covered and if you like some romance elements, SSY's got your back. By the power vested in me and all the pixels that you now see, I give Shin Sekai Yori a mystifying 8/10.

"Imagination has the power to change everything."

dariana.daugherty - 2013-07-18 14:02:56

Shinsekai Yori, also known as "From the New World" in English, is a simply astounding anime. While being very slow-paced and inconsistent, it's one of the best experiences I've ever got out of watching anime.

The anime takes place 1000 years into the future where humans have gained telekinetic powers known as the cantus.

The art and animation of this series really helped to compliment the setting. The environments look beautiful and the character designs are designed to fit with the setting. Although, some people might be turned off because of the look of the character designs and there were times where the animation did slip up due to the low budget. They did however, take time to experiment on the art of this series which was able to add a lot to the atmosphere of the series, but there were moments when it looked quite unpleasant.

The plot in this anime starts off very slowly and it may take a few episodes for you to get into it. Many people might drop the series because of this. Even after it gets going, there are still slow moments and some of them could've been done better. One of the strongest points in this anime though, is the dark tone and atmosphere and I couldn't find one moment in this anime where it felt light-hearted.

It was the second half of the series where the series really shined. It made me question my morals. It evoked emotions out of you and it had it's share of both creepy and sad moments. It was during the second half where I was able to truly feel the amount of despair that the characters felt and the ending of this anime was something I felt was deep, thought-provoking, and emotional, albeit being somewhat rushed.

Something in particular that I really love about this series is the music. While an opening is used in only one episode, the ending songs are an amazing work in both animation and sound. The soundtrack itself fits the mood in every scene almost perfectly. One track uses the singing of little children to give off a creepy vibe and set the tone at the beginning of each episode. While the voice acting isn't bad, it isn't necessarily anything that memorable either. Nothing in the voice acting particularly stood out to me.

I somewhat liked the characters in this anime, particularly the antagonist who's surprisingly well written even though my main reason for liking him was all revealed in the last episode of the series. He didn't have many moments during the second half of the series, but the last episode significantly expanded his character. The main protagonist is someone who I liked because I could understand all of her actions and, if I were in the same situation as her, I would have the same reactions as her. She was someone who you could sympathize with and she did her job well as a protagonist. The rest of the other characters however weren't as well-rounded a character as she was. Many of them felt bland and they weren't as satisfying as the main character of the antagonist.

Overall, this is a series that I've grown attached to. It's a shame that this series garnered so much popularity because of the homosexuality in one episode. If you can accept that and some slow pacing, then you're really going to enjoy this series.

wcronin - 2013-07-10 17:00:57

Shin sekai yori or as it is translated in English "From the new world" was controversial anime that aired in fall 2012. The first few episodes may not be to everyone’s liking (I didn't like it) but it was necessary to learn about the world they are in and learning about our main cast. People had drop this anime when it was airing but slowing people came back to watch it (Including me) after they heard great things about it. StoryThe story is about humans with abilities called cantus and how they are living their world. They are considered gods by the queer rats. This story revolves around racial, religion shrouded in mystery too interest the watchers. We will follow our main cast (especially saki) to see the decisions they make when they learned about humanity ancient history and they go on about it. There is a little bit of yaoi/yuri scenes ( like only in 1 episode or something) so if you can’t even handle a 1 second of it, then I ll advice you to not watch at all, so you won’t add an extra count in the drop section or give it a low score because of it.ArtIt took awhile for me to get used it because they characters looked like paper, so flat on the background but then I got accustomed to it and fond the art eye candy with vibrant bright colors to be very fitting to theme the story that it was presenting to us. They animation was great, it didn't seemed sloppy at all It wasn't any lacking great details or looked like some scenes were skipped.CharacterEach and every characters involved in the plot seemed very different from each other. that brings nice variety of cast together and make it overall seem appealing. Saki our main girl, she is a very bright child with a great future ahead of herself, she is considered the leader as she can make right decisions at times where its needed, looks out for others even though she isn't strong herself and getting full supported of her friends. we have a queer rat called Squealer the representative of the Robber Fly, he is very cunning and calculated with an ambition and goal in mind that he finds righteous. the last character I want to introduce is another more role rat but from an different race called Kiroumaru The supreme commander of the Giant Hornets colony. He is GAR as he risk his life to protect the main cast without hesitation.Enjoymentthey tension was heavy watching this show, it was very intriguing and grabs you in, making you easily watch each episode as it only took like 10 minutes. They composition is good, it has that melancholy feel to it. The characters where interesting and feels legit as in the way they react too things or the decisions to make too survive in their crazy worldOverallthis show is master piece, a pure 10/10. I couldn't even think of something they could add too make this show even better, that's how great shin sekai yori is. I definitely recommend this too all people who love sci-fi, mystery and well developed plot.

hoppe.raymundo - 2013-07-05 13:04:10

“Shinsekai yori” also known as ”From the New World” is dark story set in a utopia, or maybe depending on what person you are, a dystopia. Many dark and horrible secrets are kept from the children in an attempt to integrate them into to the utopic world that they are born in. I have only seen two episodes so this review is based on those two episodes. If I am not mistaken the story is narrated by the future main character, who the watcher through the anime very smoothly and well. The first two episodes the anime manages to be lighthearted and at first glance it might look like a “slice of life”, but there are some clear signs that the peace won’t last. These signs and symbolic stories, that can be related to propaganda, that appear are very smartly placed and through this achievement, the mood that the created is something on par with many other great animes. A flaw could be that telling the story of a dystopia through 12 year old kids probably isn’t the most fitting and realistic thing to do. As for the art, I can’t give the same praise as for the story. Yes, it is good, but it isn’t the best. The only thing that I find good is the parts when the stories are being told and I do find the disproportional eyes sometimes disturbing, but otherwise there is nothing special about that. The sound is just like the art, something that doesn’t stand out. The soundtrack is doing its job, creating the desired mood for the different scenes, but no tracks that is especially memorable or good enough to listen on the bus ride home. The characters in the anime are just like the other things, well done but not supreme. There aren’t an enormous amount of characters to remember, and they don’t over complicate them. So far there are no unrealistic characters/personalities that wouldn’t exist in the real world. The main characters are though surprisingly mature and wise for their age, but otherwise they are easy to recognize, and they are all different from each other. They all seem to have a kind of deeper thoughts going on in their small heads, thinking about the world and the system, unlike most kids in their age. This is a very story driven anime, and it will leave cliffhangers after many episodes, and if you are prepared of that this is an anime I would highly recommend to people to start to watch. After watching an episode it leaves a lot of questions in your head, not about the anime, but about the world itself. If it is good to create a twisted utopia or is it better to leave the world like it is right now?Summary time:Story 8/10 or possibly 9/10 the story seems promising and is very appealing to meArt: 7/10 nothing special but still goodSound: 7/10 nothing special, but succeeds to create desired mood for the animeCharacters: 7/10 again nothing special, realistic and deep to a certain degreeEnjoyment: 9/10 I personally really like dystopia/utopia stories like 1984 and The GiverOverall so far (2 episodes seen): an easy 8/10I want to apologize for my poor English and my lack of experience when it comes to reviewing anime (this is my second one), so if you have time please give me some kind of feedback.

lennie50 - 2013-04-19 20:34:25

Simply the best anime I have seen so far.

The storyline is brilliant. I have never had the feeling something is fishy or poorly executed and in the end everything fits perfectly together. It´s a remarkable piece of writing, however I won´t spoiler anything.

I liked the artstyle and the animations, witch are mostly well done despite the low budget. However I disliked the way the queerats looked but that is only my personal opinion.

The soundtrack is beautiful and fits perfect to the overall package.

The characters have depth. They act reasonable and you can comprehend their movements and feelings. Because of the long period of time the anime covers they can grow and develop which is always good. 

I enjoyed it very much. Now go and watch!

hillary00 - 2013-03-30 03:18:26

From the New World has some fascinating and intelligent ideas behind it. Sometimes, it expresses these ideas wonderfully. Other times, it doesn't really know what to do with them or how to make its ideas interesting. This inconsistency is ultimately the problem that follows the show from beginning to end. But despite this, its good parts are so great that it still stands out as one of the most original and thought provoking anime in recent memory.

When From the New World is good, it's not just good: it's magnificent. The animation is smooth and occasionally stylized when it has a special emotional punch to throw. The music is eerie but not overpowering. The plot throws a powerful event at you that leaves you in shock hours after the episode ends. It questions your morals. It employs intelligent and original ideas that lesser anime would dream of simply alluding to.

But New World doesn't always stay at this level. The animation dips to become sub-par. Episode upon episode is spent on events and characters that we don't really care about and that carry little to no emotional impact. It doesn't really know how to express its intelligent ideas.

Ultimately, its great parts outweigh its average parts. From the New World sets itself apart and above many other anime. Anyone who's looking for a something different and intelligent should try this anime.

sstamm - 2013-03-24 00:55:10

Shin Sekai Yori, or From the New World is an adaption of a light novel done by a bunch of fans who are working at A1-Pictures, studio who is behind Space Brothers, Tsuritama, Sword Art Online and a lot of others animes. 

Basically, it's a story about the humanity one thousand years in the future, and what happened to it after the apparition of a mysterious power, the cantus, who only a few chosen acquired. Even if it's interesting, the strong point of Shin Sekai Yori was all those details who were given during the story, every little scenes having a meaning later in the anime. 

And there is the attention put in the biodiversity with all those interesting monsters and creatures out in the future,  as I have seen myself looking forward to a new creature every time that a new beast made her apparition.

The problem of this series, was the fact that she was not aiming toward the main audience and because of that, they were aware that this show would sold poorly. Because of that, the budget of the anime was very low, and it could have been a disaster visually. 

But that is where that you did see that the animators loved the books, and were doing everything in their power to give it justice :

-The low budget resulted in some scenes being ugly, but 90% of the anime was beautiful, with some marvelous background, and interesting visuals. I will never forget that scene were the main character flied in the sky because of an explosion. 

-They were not afraid of trying new things, the result being the visual style changing from one episode to another, but excepted for one episode that was disliked by a lot of persons, it was in general well received and should be done a lot more.

I will not talk about the characters, because I think that keeping the surprise is better, you just need to know that I loved the main character because she was down to earth, not overpowered, and was intelligent. ; and that the antagonist was just perfect, it's been too many years since I have seen an antagonist as good as him, making me cheer for him in the end. 

I'm really sad now that the anime is finished, because I really enjoyed watching it on a regular basis, waiting for the next episode every week. It was different from the other animes, but in a good way and should be the one who is famous, instead of shows like Sword Art Online.