Shin Sekai Yori Episode 1 - First Impressions

The first show I'm writing about in the fall 2012 anime season is one that piqued my interest after I read through its synopsis, as well as learning about the Nihon SF Taisho Award, which was given to the light novel. Shows like this with a supernatural touch never really attract me too much, but Shin Sekai Yori seemed like it'd be worth the watch. 

Strangely enough, I can't really seem to put a finger on how I feel about the first episode of this show. Not only was I genuinely unnerved by the utterly shocking display of psychic-based human massacre on the streets of Tokyo and exploding schoolgirls in the classrooms, I also had to question my own sanity after learning about the presence of poltergeists, disappearing children, shadow cats and evil monks performing bloody rituals on children to seal their powers in this show. 

Putting all that nonsensical business aside for now, Shin Sekai Yori takes place about a thousand years into the future, where the world as we currently know it has been exterminated, technological and scientific accomplishments included. People now rely on a psychic power known as "Juryoku", which essentially materializes anything they imagine. What puzzles me a bit is how the show cuts in and out between different periods of time, which I'm sure will hopefully be cleared up so we can actually get an idea of what exactly is going on in the show, for those of us who haven't read the light novel, such as myself. The dark atmosphere this show possesses is certainly intriguing to say the least, giving off an almost Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni feel. The character designs are somewhat unique, as well as the character themselves, and the art in general does bode fairly well with the eerie tone the introduction has set. Although it may feel like the characters weren't given enough of an introduction, if they were given one at all, I personally do prefer it this way, as it pairs up rather appropriately with the mysteriously supernatural premise of the show.



In the end, there are really two directions that one could lean towards after watching this first episode. On one hand, the show did succeed at setting the tone of the rest of the show, definitely dropping some foreshadowing here and there on what to expect and providing us with a very bleak outlook of what society could be like 1000 years later. On the other hand, the characters weren't given much of an introduction, the storyline time travelling completely blew my mind, and all I really got out of this was watching people being blown up by a kid with psychic powers while Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No.9 in E minor played in the background. With that being said, given that this show doesn't seem like just another average supernatural mystery show, I firmly believe that it's still worthwhile to spend some time and continue watching Shin Sekai Yori, because we all love seeing things flying everywhere when people use the force.



Possibility of watching - 4/5
Possibility of blogging - 1/5

Good day.