Shinsekai Yori [From the New World] - 9.5/10
Humankind striving to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting is one of the most common themes nowadays. The notion that man has to fend for themselves is as evocative as it is unnerving, but that very notion has come to be trite for all of its commonalities and overusage throughout various forms of media. So when Shinsekai discards that form of dystopian environment and focuses instead on an idyllic utopia enshrouded in mystery and secrecy, I found myself drawn into the societal turbulent world.
Shinsekai is a blend of numerous anime series (some of which came later): Higurashi: When They Cry, The Promised Neverland, and Made in Abyss. The story takes place 1000 years in the future after mankind suddenly developed telekinetic abilities and almost tore itself apart amid hostile warfare, ultimately devolving back into a tribal society. Due to the despicable acts of yore, the adults tried to cultivate their offspring's powers under a strict scrutiny, enforcing a curfew at sundown and sealing away the abilities if disobeyed. This was done out of fear of the children losing control and becoming monstrous, as well as to prevent them from learning about their history.
Man vs. Society is one of my favorite storytelling principles, and Shinsekai implements plenty of thought-provoking strings along the course of the journey. The five main characters are interesting and relatable, responding realistically to the disclosure of the buried past when they stumbled on an otherworldly creature that revealed the misdeeds to them. From this point onward, the friends are tested and separated on a number of occasions by the adults and other extenuating circumstances.
All of this is topped off nicely by a stellar soundtrack that fits nicely in each scene: Building up tension, basking in calmness, and erupting fiercely during battles. Some of the chiller tracks sound more nuanced and engrossing than the average VN/slice-of-life filler, whereas the action pieces are bound to get the blood pumping despite the on-screen conflict mainly involving non-contact bouts. Sometimes during the horror sections, the soundtrack sounds almost alien with distorted synths making a scene feel more surreal than it is. And major credit goes to the studio A1-Pictures for the beautiful animation and unorthodox presentation; using the pupils to reflect the happenings in front of a character was utterly ingenious. For all of the SAOs and Gates out there, each studio should strive for at least one Shinsekai.
Yes in spite of everything that went right, From the New World has to dock some points for some messy pacing and incomplete plot points. At one instance, a character went missing for entire episodes whereas the others were either captured or on the run, and later on they turned up completely unharmed. What they were doing was never shown. Another time two characters leave the town and it's heavily implied that they died but not explained despite one major threat turning up near the end that's tied directly to them. It's almost as if the other characters forgot about them, but centering on that for too long would have caused the ending to be rushed. I feel that cutting back on some of the exposition would have given plenty of time to address or in the very least hearken back to it, however.
All in all, Shinsekai Yori is a must-watch for those who enjoy a deep story, engaging characters, and an overarching theme of not taking those around you for granted. There are a few hiccups along the way, but the time spent here is worthwhile since the production is top-notch and there really aren't many series of this caliber. It'd be a shame for anyone to pass this on up, even if sludging through 25 episodes seems a bit much.
For a shorter anime of the same setting, I'd highly recommend to watch Worldend (for short; the actual title is quite lengthy) which is based in the sky and explores more of the same themes.
