2012 – Dystopian Genre
I finally got my wife to watch this with me. This is one of my favorite Anime’s and was glad she enjoyed it too. Based on the novel by Yusuke Kishi and named after Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 \”From the New World\”, it is a masterpiece that should not be forgotten.
, After 0.3 percent of the population develops telekinesis, it sent the world into a dark age where modern civilization collapses into war. The story is set 1000 years after these events and follows five children living in a society that is the product of years of war and death.
Animation
Released in 2012 this is now an older Anime and certain elements have not held up well. In parts, the Anime is rigid with weird design choices and it used poor CG in a few action shots.
Once you get past certain blemishes, however, it really is a beautiful Anime. I especially enjoyed the fluid movement of the characters and action scenes with little or no CG are well done.
Music
Named after Antonín Dvořák\’s Symphony No. 9 \”From the New World\”, they used parts throughout the show. This symphony and the main theme are the most powerful pieces in the soundtrack and beautifully emphasize key moments in the show and make a big impact.
I also enjoyed the ending themes \”Wareta Ringo (割れたリンゴ)\” by Saki Watanabe (Risa Taneda) and \”Yuki ni Saku Hana (雪に咲く花)\” by Maria Akizuki (Kana Hanazawa).
This Anime has one of the greatest OST\’s I\’ve ever heard and complimented the series perfectly.
Story
The premise for \”From The New World\” is dark and intriguing. I fell in love with it after the first episode and wanted to know more.
The society in which they live the adults are afraid of the younger generation and the uncertainty of who they will become. Will they become outstanding citizens that contribute to the greater good or bring society it to its knees?
\”Maybe this has always been true throughout history\”
Extreme measures are taken to control the populace and weed out potential \”problem\” children who either can\’t control their powers or show any signs of deviance to the rules. All of this is to prevent the emergence of what\’s called a \”Ogre\” or \”Karmic Demon\”, telekinesis users who lose control of their powers and threaten to plunge the world back into chaos.
Aside from being able to move objects, their powers also allow them to alter the world around them and mutate creatures. The mole-like \”Monster Rats\” created by humans are eerily similar to humanity and have their own society of colonies that serve humans. They play an important role in the narrative and are present throughout the story.
The pacing I found to be weird in some parts. However, each episode feels like a cliffhanger and keeps you invested. The character development was great and the main protagonist \”Saki\” is an especially interesting and strong heroine.
Conclusion
With powerful music and rich story telling this dystopian Anime about telekinesis users is one of my all-time favorites. While I disliked some design choices, I overall enjoyed the art style for this show. The story is amazing and wish there was a professional translation of the novel. However there is only a fan translation floating around online.
I strongly recommend giving this Anime a chance.
9/10