From the New World (Shin Sekai Yori) |OT| - Of molerats and men
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More on From the New World 18
That was certainly a remarkable episode. If anyone was still hoping for a
this certainly seems to put an end to that. They did some interesting things with the direction of this episode, especially early on with the non-linear editing. I found it to be pretty effective. The dreaminess of the festival certainly served as an effective backdrop for
I must admit I wasn't expecting
, but it made a lot of sense. This quite obviously was
. One thing this episode made obvious is the village is relying dangerously much on the competence of a small handful of individuals. While this does provide us with
.
I think we've been given enough information at this point to have a good idea of what's going on.
That was certainly a remarkable episode. If anyone was still hoping for a
reunion of the four remaining friends
Saki's visions.
I must admit I wasn't expecting
the queerats to attack quite like that, and so openly
not their main force; it seemed more like an initial sneak attack to gauge the readiness of Kamisu 66, and boy do they not look prepared for this at all
I think we've been given enough information at this point to have a good idea of what's going on.
This episode makes it clear that Maria and Mamoru are dead, the queerats have mutated soldiers for specific purposes, and that a human is aiding the queerats. All this, along with the preview, and Saki's vision in the previous arc, point to the queerats having Maria and Mamoru's child. The implications for this are huge, since it means he won't be subject to Kamisu's brainwashing and may be able to kill humans freely. And the weakness of everyone in the village is that they have NO WAY to attack him.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Don't unspoiler this unless you are caught up to episode 18.
I believe that at least Maria is alive. The vision that Saki had a few episodes back pretty clearly states that Saki should not attempt to find Maria and Mamoru, and that Maria must die. Also, if you go all the way back to some random incidental narration very early in the series (I forget which episode), Adult Saki casually comments that had Maria died from the beginning, many lives would have been spared. Also, why would Kana Hanazawa be performing the new ED if her character is already dead?
CornBurrito
Member
Hmm yeah maybe you could stop hinting at book spoilers. :/
I'm not so sure what you are trying to say here. They are two completely different mediums. Visual mediums are usually more obvious about their foreshadowing than written ones. Always the way it has been.
Just checking, you know that it's only available in Japanese, right?
Because the book is definitely still in stock on Amazon Japan - there are several different editions (one volume, two volume and three volume) and all three books of the three volume version are in stock.
CornBurrito
Member
The book was never officially translated into English? Well, I guess I'm not really that surprised but it is a shame that it wasn't.
For people who want an english translation, someone posted this in the AnimeGAF thread
http://vertical-inc.tumblr.com/post...es-of-seeing-a-from-the-new-world-translation
It's worth a shot, anyway.
http://vertical-inc.tumblr.com/post...es-of-seeing-a-from-the-new-world-translation
It's worth a shot, anyway.
I'm still learning Japanese, I don't have the skill to read it quickly but trying to read it and translate it could be a very good excessive for my learning process, so it's not a problem it being in Japanese.
Amazon Japan sends things to South America? I was looking on Amazon USA because I think it will be less expensive to pay USA-> Colombia instead of Japan -> Colombia.
"US, UK and Canada only" =/
I think one book by the author was translated, but yeah it's definitely a shame most genre fiction that comes from japan rarely gets translated. Of course you could say that about most non-english countries afaik.
From the New World 19
Wow, what an incredible episode. This show has been on fire for several straight weeks now. This episode was played as a self-contained pure horror story and it works wonderfully due to the great storyboarding and direction. I knew I was in for a good episode when
and the main theme started playing. Actually, I suspected it could be a good one before that, with the incredibly tense and moody opening scene that set the stage for everything that was to come.
I think it's noteworthy how they managed to characterize the three new characters who appeared in this episode. Characterization isn't usually what's discussed as one of the show's stronger points, but the script effectively defines these new characters for us in a very short amount of time, such that we feel like we understand their behavioral traits fairly well. We by no means learn their life story or anything like that, but we do learn enough for the purposes of this episode
The theme this show has really been expounding on over the last few episodes is arrogance. The arrogance of the humans in thinking that they could control everything and through strict and methodical plans ensure the survival of society. Their arrogance in thinking of the queerats as dumb slaves. Their arrogance in believing they could just cordon themselves off from danger and they'd be safe. It's a weird comparison I hadn't thought of before, but it kind of reminds me of Jurassic Park. Of course the key difference here is that the society of From the New World was built out of desperation, not greed. But in the end, it's no surprise that the other shoe has finally dropped.
I wonder if the reason Jurassic Park popped into my head was just because of the
, lol. This episode really had everything you could want from a horror movie. The group of people who get separated, the gradual realization that something is horribly wrong,
. You would think it would be difficult to pull a story like this off when the protagonists have psychic powers, so it's a credit to the staff that they're able to pull it off so well. It obviously helps when you have great storyboarding with lots of tense reaction shots, ominous framings that create the impression of being watched from the shadows, and the realization that the monster is always scarier when you don't see it. And it's complemented by wonderful sound design and direction. Finally, this episode was incredibly sakuga.
I mean, HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THE SAKUGA ON THIS CUT!
Wow, what an incredible episode. This show has been on fire for several straight weeks now. This episode was played as a self-contained pure horror story and it works wonderfully due to the great storyboarding and direction. I knew I was in for a good episode when
they set the field full of queerats on fire
I think it's noteworthy how they managed to characterize the three new characters who appeared in this episode. Characterization isn't usually what's discussed as one of the show's stronger points, but the script effectively defines these new characters for us in a very short amount of time, such that we feel like we understand their behavioral traits fairly well. We by no means learn their life story or anything like that, but we do learn enough for the purposes of this episode
such that we feel at least something when each of them dies.
The theme this show has really been expounding on over the last few episodes is arrogance. The arrogance of the humans in thinking that they could control everything and through strict and methodical plans ensure the survival of society. Their arrogance in thinking of the queerats as dumb slaves. Their arrogance in believing they could just cordon themselves off from danger and they'd be safe. It's a weird comparison I hadn't thought of before, but it kind of reminds me of Jurassic Park. Of course the key difference here is that the society of From the New World was built out of desperation, not greed. But in the end, it's no surprise that the other shoe has finally dropped.
I wonder if the reason Jurassic Park popped into my head was just because of the
door scene
the unnamed menace killing people off
I mean, HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THE SAKUGA ON THIS CUT!
And that's definitely Maria and Mamoru's kid.
CornBurrito
Member
Wtf is Sakuga?
Good/interesting animation (that's not literally what it means, but it's what the term refers to).
Now just
imagine the upbringing that kid probably had. Holy shit
I'm guessing that Squealer
lobotomized Mamoru and Maria and then killed them after Maria gave birth.
CornBurrito
Member
I'm guessing that Squealerlobotomized Mamoru and Maria and then killed them after Maria gave birth.
I don't understand why you show such disrespect.
The name is Yakomaru, bitch.
Also yeah, I'm thinking that too... except I don't
see why he'd need to lobotomize them. They can kill Cantus users just fine without lobotomy.
Oh and people have been thinking that
the kid is going to be a Bakenezumi/Human hybrid but given that they probably have differing chromosome numbers I don't think so.
Well,
they can't run away if they're lobotomized. That would ensure Maria lives long enough to give birth, although I guess he wouldn't need to do that to Mamoru if Maria was already pregnant.
CornBurrito
Member
Something that has been bugging me:
Why the hell is Maria the only person in this series to use their power to fly/levitate for extended periods of time? I mean Satoru seems to have a stronger Cantus, but never does the whole flying thing even when it would be insanely useful.
Different talents related to their genes I guess.
There's some symbolism here, as Saki was practicing repairing broken pottery. If the students really are given tasks according to their dispositions, then it implies that Saki is naturally suited to fixing things.
CornBurrito
Member
But they can all do stuff like generate fire, and paint pictures. And they can all do things like levitate objects. And if they can all levitate objects why can they not all fly?
Hmm, I think I like this answer the most. Though then what is the symbolism behind the rest of the main cast?
Satoru is really good at creating mirrors, and happens to be the one that reflects on situations the most.
What about Maria, Shun, and Mamoru?
I don't even remember what Mamoru did. Maria, you can say that she was destined to leave the group because she's not grounded like the others. Shun, I was never clear on what his task was. Maybe accelerating the birth of a chick?
Maria - flight = escape
Shun - creation (trying to make the chick grow in the egg) = the uncontrolled growth and mutation of a karmic demon
Mamoru - was Mamoru even doing anything = Mamoru's entire role in the story
Maria - flight = escape
Shun - creation (trying to make the chick grow in the egg) = the uncontrolled growth and mutation of a karmic demon
Mamoru - was Mamoru even doing anything = Mamoru's entire role in the story
Mamoru=
unwittingly causing deaths out of fear
umop_3pisdn
Member
Mamoru was into drawing sand pictures, I think.
I guess you could say he was trying to maintain the status quo.
EDIT: Just watched 19. Really hate it when characters are vague on for purpose except to add dramatic tension. And this is a doctor, they should be able to keep their heads in an emergency.
That and searching the building manually instead of using their Cantus.
It's been obvious so far that the humans are in over their heads and were completely unprepared for any of this. To be fair Satoru did
use his mirror ability.
CornBurrito
Member
Well he was mostly drawing pictures of Maria. Perhaps his task wasn't very symbolic.
Of course, one of the first tasks we see the kids perform is a group sand painting task. Maybe it represents his lack of emotional maturity. The dude crumbles so easily.
I also think Shun's task was meant to represent the human subconscious. He had to manipulate something he could not see (similar to the thoughts in the human subconscious being hidden) and when we finally get a brief look the thing inside the egg has mutated into a monster.
Yeah if the story hadn't been written in Japan I'd have thought the whole thing an extended metaphor for gun control, with K representing the "bad people will get a gun illegally!" argument.
I mean in-universe it should have been obvious as hell what was going on. But yeah, the curse of anime is that characters will be vague as hell. If you really want to get annoyed, watch/read some Detective Conan. "It was.... THAT person!" "That person... they... they..."
edit:
Hmmm one odd thing. Whatever the fuck happened to Ryou? He's technically in Group 1. Shouldn't he have met up with the group in episode 19? I guess it is possible he eventually said "fuck you guys" since nobody in Group 1 really liked him much.
From the New World 20
Not as good as the last two weeks, but still good. There were quite a few really nicely done layouts, and more good work from Jun Arai. The
was really creepy and disturbing-looking. Unfortunately there were also more off-model shots this week, as well as the brief return of bad CGI. The editing and pacing also felt slightly off compared to previous weeks. However, I think some of the editing weirdness was intentional to reflect the state of mind of the characters, particularly that they were sleep-deprived and
. It's interesting that Saki remembered the
Once again we see that
is a brilliant strategist. He's been thinking about this for a long time, and so far his plan has gone off without a hitch. It's really hard to see at this point how our heroes will be able to defeat him.
It was interesting to finally hear Saki's thoughts on their society and the conflict that's within her. She's going to have to figure out how to resolve it given that
Not as good as the last two weeks, but still good. There were quite a few really nicely done layouts, and more good work from Jun Arai. The
sea monster
The editing and pacing also felt slightly off compared to previous weeks. However, I think some of the editing weirdness was intentional to reflect the state of mind of the characters, particularly that they were sleep-deprived and
prone to hallucinations
moment where Shun was killed. It seems likely that she's going to recover her memory at some point.
Once again we see that
Squealer
It was interesting to finally hear Saki's thoughts on their society and the conflict that's within her. She's going to have to figure out how to resolve it given that
she's in charge of it now. Of course, there may not be much left to be in charge of by the end, LOL.
CornBurrito
Member
Holy shit the episode preview for episode 21...
PoeticProse22
Member
From the New World 13
Though marginally tedious at times and the weakest of this arc, this episode was, for the most part, pretty good and thoroughly interesting, as it focused, at least in the latter half, on the continued examination of their slowly-realized
, and how, in turn, these
. The subdued nature of this episode was quite refreshing, but the narrative developments within, though compelling, felt unnecessarily stretched, particularly the first half, as the material was implemented with a rather mediocre touch for pacing. As such, several seemingly inconsequential moments, though occasionally derived from a particularly intriguing complexity, were detrimentally lingered on, such as
, which became marginally repetitive.
My favorite sequence was
. As such, one of the most compelling elements within the narrative throughout this arc is the thoroughly nuanced handling of their
, as the veiled façade of
, due largely to their
, which has, in turn, revealed a plethora of
, effectively propelling
. The wistfully haunting music that was used throughout the conclusion was yet another fantastic selection.
One of the most interesting moments was
. Both sequences, particularly the second, displayed some great storyboarding. Also, the isolation of
was a particularly effective touch. Mamorus
. The melancholic musical selection that accompanied this moment complemented the
. I especially liked that it was
. Though Im typically intrigued by
, it was implemented in a rather mediocre fashion at the conclusion of this episode, since the inferences were largely rudimentary.
The
, though quite interesting, was slightly tedious at times. Thankfully though, whatever vague monotony had crept into the episode was nearly diminished to a seeming non-existence by the
. The
, illuminating a particularly deft sensibility towards methodically deconstructing their
. The gradual transition into
has been superbly depicted, as this complexity is a consistently intriguing element within the story, and I hope it continues to be focused on as the story progresses.
There was a distinctly surprising level of insightful exploration into
. I loved the rather significant flourishes of pained emotions that were filtered into
, as they excellently conveyed a necessary complexity to their connection; one that had only been intermittently and vaguely touched upon prior to this episode. This was especially evident whenever an
. Marias proclivity for needlessly jumping throughout, however, was a distracting affectation, as it excessively contrasted with Saki and Satorus comparative actions.
One of the most intriguing aspects within this episode, and the entire narrative, for that matter, is the
. Initially, of course,
. Then, though subtly alluded to in several earlier episodes, particularly the fourth,
. Of course, since they have
.
Though somewhat inconsistent, the direction was pretty solid throughout, especially during
. One of the most impressively framed shots within this episode was the quietly significant isolation of
. It was a hauntingly effective shot, particularly due to its appropriately lingering nature, which essentially accentuated the deeply foreboding atmosphere. This episode was occasionally well-animated, particularly the moments that involved their expressive reactions towards unforeseen complications, but it was also quite inconsistent.
Musically, this episode was consistently great, as this particular aspect of the show, though it was occasionally mediocre throughout the first arc, has excelled throughout the second. I particularly liked the considerably ominous musical selection that accompanied the sequence in which
, since it was greatly complementary to the
. Visually, this episode was quite good, though not entirely impressive, aside from its rather excellent backgrounds, which illustrated the
.
All in all, though this episode wasnt nearly as fantastic as the last, From the New World continues to excel with its narrative execution, relatively intricate writing, and the immensely foreboding atmosphere that permeates nearly every episode. The narrative, so far, has been masterfully constructed, particularly in its ability to remain incredibly consistent, since, aside from the mediocre conclusion to the first arc, nearly every episode has been suffused with intriguing developments and a beautifully foreboding atmosphere, as though every seemingly miniscule fragment of information or subtle foreshadowing was deftly woven into this thoroughly well-written tale. This, in turn, results in a story that rarely deteriorates, perpetually maintaining this superbly effective and comprehensively compelling focus.
Though marginally tedious at times and the weakest of this arc, this episode was, for the most part, pretty good and thoroughly interesting, as it focused, at least in the latter half, on the continued examination of their slowly-realized
knowledge towards the animalistic instincts of their societys elders
cruelties have begun to affect them
the search for Mamoru
My favorite sequence was
their dreaded realizations following the exploration into Mamorus memories of the copycat, as they carefully unraveled the truth within a fragment of their partially artificial and wholly regulated existences
slowly-developing maturity
their decayed and oppressive society is slowly withering away
renewed ability to perceive beyond their well-worn naivety
cruel manipulations
Saki and the others to, once again, adhere to their rebellious inclinations
One of the most interesting moments was
Mamorus unsettling recollection of the copycats second appearance
Mamorus voice as the copycat edged closer
rather sympathetic speech was surprisingly emotional, as it provided insight that, though somewhat expected, illuminated an intriguing depth to his characterization
mournful nature of his words exceptionally well
silenced as soon as Mamoru mentioned the appearance of a copycat
Sakis intermittent bits of ominous narration
The
search for Mamoru
exceedingly melancholic and highly significant conclusion, in which the shroud of clouded uncertainty is finally removed
decay of their practically illusory society has been beautifully illustrated throughout this entire arc
manipulated perceptions of the world they had so obliviously clung to since they first arrived in it
an acceptance of their inclinations for rebellion
There was a distinctly surprising level of insightful exploration into
Maria and Mamorus poignant relationship
Marias search for Mamoru throughout much of the episode
unrealized fear would be awakened, as Maria would adorn a sort of frenzied despair
One of the most intriguing aspects within this episode, and the entire narrative, for that matter, is the
fatalistic foreshadowing that has been subtly woven throughout
Shun was seemingly shadowed by a certain inevitability within his limited life expectancy, marked by a plethora of socially divergent tendencies and an abundance of surrealistic imagery that directly foretold of an ever-approaching death
Maria and Mamorus fates seem to have acquired this determined brevity to them
always appeared to be inexorably bound together, it increasingly feels as though their lives will eventually be extinguished, which was further strengthened by the preview for the next episode, as their conversation appears to possess a sort of finality to it
Though somewhat inconsistent, the direction was pretty solid throughout, especially during
Mamorus moderately surrealistic memories
Saki, Maria, and Satorus faces upon first encountering the edge of the Holy Barrier, in which their forlorn expressions peeked through a miniscule separation in the rather imposing tapestry
Musically, this episode was consistently great, as this particular aspect of the show, though it was occasionally mediocre throughout the first arc, has excelled throughout the second. I particularly liked the considerably ominous musical selection that accompanied the sequence in which
Saki and the others discover Mamorus abandoned sled
tragically hopeless nature of this fleeting revelation
deceptively serene desolation that surrounded their excursion
All in all, though this episode wasnt nearly as fantastic as the last, From the New World continues to excel with its narrative execution, relatively intricate writing, and the immensely foreboding atmosphere that permeates nearly every episode. The narrative, so far, has been masterfully constructed, particularly in its ability to remain incredibly consistent, since, aside from the mediocre conclusion to the first arc, nearly every episode has been suffused with intriguing developments and a beautifully foreboding atmosphere, as though every seemingly miniscule fragment of information or subtle foreshadowing was deftly woven into this thoroughly well-written tale. This, in turn, results in a story that rarely deteriorates, perpetually maintaining this superbly effective and comprehensively compelling focus.
The Return of
Banned
So this show ended up being really good? I haven't watched since episode 3 or 4. Said I was going to wait a bit then play catch up on it.
Well, in my opinion, yes. We'll see if it flames out at the end as it's only got a few more episodes to go, but despite three poor episodes in a row (which you're just about to come to) and a couple of dodgy ones later on, the series rallied magnificently.
CornBurrito
Member
If it isn't
Saki finding Maria and Mamoru (and it probably isn't since they are likely dead), then I'm guessing we get a flashback of just what awaited the two outside of Kamisu 66. And I imagine it was not pleasant.
From the New World 21
Man this episode had basically no budget, to the detriment of a number of scenes. The storyboarding is better than last week, but you can't storyboard away the number of non-animated shots and offmodel drawings, particularly in the first half of the episode.
. There were also a couple awkward transitions between scenes early on, but by the second half the episode settled into a much stronger groove.
However, I don't really care as much about those flaws when the story is so good. There's no longer any doubt who this is, and wow is it creepy. Also, that final scene, holy crap.
you magnificent bastard.
Next week:
.
Man this episode had basically no budget, to the detriment of a number of scenes. The storyboarding is better than last week, but you can't storyboard away the number of non-animated shots and offmodel drawings, particularly in the first half of the episode.
I'm also a bit confused about how the fiend killed Shisei and what cantus leakage has to do with it
However, I don't really care as much about those flaws when the story is so good. There's no longer any doubt who this is, and wow is it creepy. Also, that final scene, holy crap.
Squealer
Next week:
Kiroumaru returns
21
Mmm... I don't get why the
I'm guessing that
is probably going to swoop in and do something, but I guess another solution would be to use Cantus to rid themselves of the inability to
Unless we're going to learn that
I agree that this episode wasn't really animated very well. That seems to be a theme in shows that have gone past a single season this year (Psycho-pass has had some downright awful animation the past couple of weeks). Hopefully they'll right the ship.
Oh and if anything I'm speculating on is in the novels...please don't tell me.
Mmm... I don't get why the
fiend was able to kill Shisei. They said "Cantus Leakage" but isn't the leakage uncontrollable? Why would it just randomly kill Shisei? I guess I don't understand quite what a "fiend" is either, since I thought that the inability to kill other humans was at the DNA level, and that only one in X number of children is born without it. If they can just breed a collection of fiends, that does away with that notion. I don't really get why a fiend would cooperate with the bakenezumi anyway. I was under the impression that fiends were wild and incapable of being "trained" to do anything. Could they have figured out how to implant the inability to kill bakenezumi into the brains of human children?
I'm guessing that
the karma demon kid whose name I forgot
kill fellow humans.
Saki, Satoru, et al weren't given that bit of conditioning, and are perfectly capable of killing fellow humans.
I agree that this episode wasn't really animated very well. That seems to be a theme in shows that have gone past a single season this year (Psycho-pass has had some downright awful animation the past couple of weeks). Hopefully they'll right the ship.
Oh and if anything I'm speculating on is in the novels...please don't tell me.
episode 21 -
Such a ride. I guess
is up next.
e: I also get this horrible feeling that the
I hope the show doesn't go that far.
I don't think it's purely genetic, there's probably an element of nurture/reinforcement and without that strict conditioning early on, the restrictions on a DNA level can be bypassed. Otherwise they wouldn't need to maintain such strict control over the population while they're young.
Such a ride. I guess
Kiroumaru
e: I also get this horrible feeling that the
queens we saw back in episode 15 or so are just heralding what eventually happened to Maria.
I don't think it's purely genetic, there's probably an element of nurture/reinforcement and without that strict conditioning early on, the restrictions on a DNA level can be bypassed. Otherwise they wouldn't need to maintain such strict control over the population while they're young.
I think, again, with strict conditioning those genetic restraints against violence can be restricted to that against queer rats, while be unleashed against humans. They keep speculating that Squealer must have captured a false minoshiro, so it's possible he'd have learned all about the method behind the taming of mankind. In this episode we see one of the rats hold out a hand for the Fiend, so it's possible that they have tamers, of sorts, to handle them.
The fiend from the flashback had all of the nurturing (and conditioning, I'd assume) a child can possibly have and still flipped out and killed everyone. Well, I assume he was nurtured, but who knows. If those techniques didn't work then, I don't understand why they'd work now. You could be right about secrets being contained in the
false minoshiro, if Squealer found one.
creating more aki, but then again, if he's certain of the technique, maybe it doesn't matter.
The old lady said that they didn't
condition Saki, Mamoru, Satoru, Maria and Shun
kill the fiend.
Mamoru and Maria's without trying to save him.
Squealer really is a magnificent bastard.
Oh and I like how the "Go Home" music is actually a piece called "From The New World" by Dvorak. Thanks Wikipedia (which I checked to remember Shun's name).
The conditioning clearly wasn't affecting him in the same way that the other children were. Their error was in not killing him early on before he could go Fiend, hence the ruthlessness later on with the weeding of the crop.
I think he just reached a point where he knew the society he was building would attract attention, eventually, and decided that the risks posed from
growing fiends of his own
And yeah, he is.
One of the stronger moments this episode had to be the
last playback of that piece by whatshisname, the older guy. Such reversal of fortune, such poignancy.
CornBurrito
Member
Fiends:
The child isn't a traditional Fiend. There are multiple types obviously. The only reason this child is called a Fiend is essentially because they are a human able to kill other humans with Cantus.
Speaking of which
did the writers forget what Cantus Leakage is? How the fuck was that relevant?
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