JAINITUOS ANIME/MANGA REVIEWS – SHINSEKAI YORI – FROM THE NEW WORLD – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Shin Sekai Yori – From the New World

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Thriller

Studio: A-1 Pictures

LITTLE WARNING – THIS REVIEW HAS NUDE PARTS, MAINLY FROM MANGA

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

I think I have time to do another entry for today. And I am here to work for another life story that has to do with LGBT themes, indirectly, unlike with Yuri!!! on Ice, but it is definitely there. To be honest, I watched this series almost seven years ago, but now I have read some episodes of the original novel, and read all the manga (That’s right!! It is a literary story). So here it comes.

Having said that, we got…

Shinsekai Yori – From the New World

But before I go on with the review, I need to ask you the typical questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now, let’s travel to the future. Sorry Satoru, you too Takemichi, this is a travel none of you can come with me.

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Now… Shinsekai Yori.

PREMISE

Ok. This is a really complicated story, so I will do my best to tell you the premise.

From the New World, of Shinsekai Yori (新世界より) is based on the novel, published by Yusuke Kishi, in 2008, by Kodansha.

The year is 3013, one thousand years ago, the humankind received a mysterious power, called «Canto», a psychic one to say the least. At the beginning, only 0.3% of the human population got this power. Nonetheless, this Canto power submerged the society into chaos, humans use the power for murder and rampage that, at the end, brought humanity into a complete dystopia. Worse still, the rest of Earth was deformed and new species were brought into existence, most of them living in an eusocial order. And now, societies are deeply controlled to prevent more chaos and rampages, through genetic modification and social conditioning, including homosexual relationships during adolescence to prevent births with no control of Canto, and immediate system collapse for those who commit murder, a technique called Death Feedback.

In this new age, five kids try to live through this new order, Satoru Asahina, Shun Aonuma, Maria Akizuki, Mamoru Itou, and their «leader» Saki Watanabe.

The anime was released between October 2012 and March 2013, directed by Masashi Ishihama, and with soundtrack by Masashi Sogo. Also, the public got access to the manga almost at the same time, from May 2012, to June 2014. I will try to comment more about this later, because, like I said, there is a lot to say here.

And before I forget, some of the species of this new Earth include Queerats, mole-like creatures capable to communicate through human language, and the Impure Cats, from where other two creatures were born, even if it was indirectly – the Karmic Demons, and the Fiends.

As you see, From the New World has one of the most developed worlds in anime, at least from 2010s. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Also… Shinsekai Yori has 25 episodes.

STORY

Now… Where to begin?

Unlike many recent anime, Shinsekai Yori relies a lot on time ellipses; Part I takes place when Saki has 12 years, Part II, during her teenage years, and Part III, shortly after Saki reaches 26 years, followed with another events happening after so… many years. Another element that I really love is the appearance of this dystopia. Different from franchises like Psycho-Pass, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, and from a Western perspective, Blade Runner, there is no flying cars, high skyscrapers, intergalactic flight. Simply a pseudo-feudalistic society with clothes and customs resembling Tokugawa Japan. And the story is about the kids trying to survive this world and discovering the awful face of it.

In that sense, it has vibes from the Bildungsroman literary genre, that is, coming-of-age genre, telling the story of our main characters, and their growth, both physical and psychological. Finally, loyal to its dark tone, Shinsekai Yori has large amounts of blood, violence and sexuality.

But in the sexual department, the manga is a bit more explicit, especially in the yuri side.

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Unfortunately, that is only for yuri

But in the anime is more subtle, both yaoi and yuri.

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I have to confess that, when I read the manga and saw this… explicit girls love, I was like…

I just couldn’t believe it. And I saw Scum’s Wish, Citrus, Peter Grill and NTR: Netsuzou Trap.

I know that the art of anime and manga tend to be different, but this deviation was something that even I didn’t see coming. And I have watched many Hentai throughout my life.

But, on the other hand, it is nice that mainstream stories take some risks and let themselves go regarding violence and sex, especially in Japanese art, as long as it has a purpose, either for storytelling or character development. I am well aware that sometimes this content needs some restraints, but that doesn’t justify that «censorship» has only erases completely.

In addition, just like Erased, 86:Eighty-Six, Sword Art Online and Kaguya-sama: Love is War, A-1 Pictures does a fantastic job with the animation, and like with Erased, it matches the drama of the story and the tragic nature. However, sometimes I think it is too dark, and I don’t dark in tone, like with Magical Girl Site, I mean… too little light, can’t see a thing Dark. However that is not something terrible, not one bit.

And finally, the narrative, rhythm of Shinsekai Yori is pretty enjoyable. It can be a bit slow, because we are reading a story that deals with many timeskips, but for showing how awful the world can be, allowing protagonists to grow, facing the obstacles and realising that the world, despite being so screwed, is worth fighting for, From the New World does the job pretty well.

CHARACTERS

The characters are simple, but easy to identify.

We got Saki, the intuitive girl; Satoru, the wisecracking dude who likes to tease Saki; Shun, the most mature and calmed of the group; Maria, the most popular red-haired childhood friend, and Mamoru, the shy boy who wants to prove his worth, especially toward Maria.

Of course, we got other characters, Reiko; Squealer, a prominent member of the Queerats and probably the most prominent of the non-human characters, at least in appearance, whose appearance and attitude give the impression of an ally, however, just like Saki and her friends will find out… nothing sees what it is.

Of course, there are others, but these seven are the most prominent characters of the Shinsekai Yori. And just like happens with Saki, all of them grow and change due to the events and revelations of the story, so rest assured that we will meet another versions of them. Better or worse? Well… you have to see them by yourself, but one thing is certain. Every character will leave you an impression.

CONCLUSION

Shinsekai Yori, or From The New World, is indeed a very challenging and entertaining story that will make you think for a long time, and a hard one for those who prefer lighter material. Something different that we are used to see, as anime and as manga from my perspective.

But trust me. It is worth checking it out. Just remember, the story gets darker, so be ready. And enjoy…

And also…

Don’t tell to Lena and Annette. If both find out that I reviewed a A-1 Pictures story, not 86: Eighty-Six, they will…

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UH-OH!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Little Witch Academia – Studio Trigger analysis

Little Witch Academia

Studio: Trigger

Genre: Fantasy, Coming-of-age

Hey guys.

Welcome to another Studio Trigger review.

Like I promised on my previous review of Ninja Slayer; I am going to do this wonderful series, which I think it is one of the best works of this talented studio. Especially because, from my perspective, this series has managed to become as popular as Kill la Kill.

With that said, let me introduce you…

But before I continue with this review, I must ask you the typical questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling happy and healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy, especially because I want to leave the same message:

Please, do not underestimate the COVID-19

Remember, dangerous virus, unpredictable consequences.

And now, I bring you Little Witch Academia.

PREMISE

Little Witch Academia is, like I said, one of the most notorious franchises created by Trigger, along with Kill la Kill, and SSSS Gridman, and from now on, I will use the acronym LWA when required. Anyway. LWA tells the story of Atsuko Kagari, a.k.a. Akko, a young Japanese girl who just enrolled in the Luna Nova Academy, a school of witches with students from all over the world, in a time where magic is almost forgotten. From her early years, Akko has been a fan of magic, because she saw a beautiful, wonderful show from the most famous witch of all time…

CHARIOT DU NORD (Shiny Chariot)

And that is why Akko wants to become a witch. Once there, she befriends two students, Lotte Jansson, a kind, soft-spoken witch from Finland who specialises in forest magic and summoning fairies, and Sucy Manbavaran, a witch from Philippines, who has a bizarre interest in mushrooms, and great talent in creating poisons.

There is one problem for Akko though. Two in fact, the first one is that Akko, unlike Lotte and Sucy, has no natural talent for witchcraft, and she is a natural troublemaker, which leads her to be involved in many insane, yet wonderful situations that will open her path to be the powerful, kind witch she is meant to be.

The second problem is that she has a rival. Diana Cavendish, one of the most talented Luna Nova students, is there for making things harder for Akko. Of course, we have other wonderful characters, but I will talk about those later.

There is a funny story though. The first time I heard about Little Witch Academia, around mid-2017, I thought it was an spin-off of My Hero Academia. Honestly, I don’t know why. Perhaps because both series included the word Academia, but obviously, the animation, the themes, and the universe have a lot of differences one from another. Luckily for me, when I start watching LWA, I not only understand that it was not unrelated to MHA, I also saw how wonderful this series is.

Speaking of Trigger, LWA is directed by Yoh Yoshinari, famous for being involved in Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, and is also the main director of BNA: Brand New Animal; and it was first released as an animated short film in 2013, and another Kickstarter-funded sequel, called The Enchanted Parade, until it was released as an 25 episode series in 2017, leading to a videogame, called Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time. 

And of course… how could I forget the superb, incredible soundtrack from Michiru Oshima? Just take a look to the theme of Shiny Chariot. It perfectly catches your ear, as well as how colourful this series is.

Indeed, Little Witch Academia became big. And hopefully I can explain the reason throughout the rest of the review.

STORY

For the record, I will only focus on the TV series for the review, with some sporadic mentions of The Enchanted Parade, because the former is the one that has the best elements.

At plain sight, Little Witch Academia looks like a typical story of a girl going to school, causing mess instead of trying to get good grades, and fighting a lot of evil monsters brought to life with magic, until the others graduate while our main character becomes better and better. You know, what you will expect from a school anime. However, after seeing the episodes, you understand that, perhaps, Little Witch Academia is more.

But before I got into this, I must clarify that the first half of the series focuses in developing the characters and the world of LWA through the adorable messes (Man! I bet you never thought in combining those two words) of Akko and friends, and the second half has a more visible story, with a defined antagonist and stakes. Personally, I like both parts equally. Of course!! Fans would prefer the second part of Little Witch Academia, for it has a story easier to follow, and better developed characters, and I understand that, especially because all of that brings one of the most epic, spectacular climaxes ever done by Studio Trigger, along with Kill la Kill and SSSS Gridman. 

But for me…

The first part of Little Witch Academia is very special, because we get to know how the magic works, how to do simple things as riding your broom, and the vision many characters have for the World; in fact, there is an episode where Akko must save Sucy from a spell, and the only option is to get into Sucy’s mind, bringing some of the best characters moments. Furthermore, in another episode, there is this aristocratic, called Andrew Hanbridge, who has no interest in magic, but after meeting Akko, he gets «enchanted» by what he experienced. However, there is more, because the father of Andrew has some dark intentions regarding Luna Nova, giving us a subtle social commentary about corporate monopolies.

Finally, one of the funniest episodes is where some staff of Luna Nova goes on strike.

This episode has a lot of comedy, but deep down, is a reminder of the hard work put by the people who perform what many call «menial jobs», and to be a bit more grateful.

As you can see, many episodes of Little Witch Academia can look like typical anime adventures, but they also have very important messages about friendship, loyalty, hope, perseverance. In that regard, it has the same strength of other great Trigger series, like Kill la Kill, Kiznaiver and Darling in the FRANXX. Along with a pretty solid character development, we witness a world building equally solid, and with the animation, it brings some sense of identity and uniqueness that many Western cartoons would like to obtain.

Despite this, the episode never lose its light tone. The main purpose is to have a lot of fun, and trying to reflex about these elements in life that we don’t think are important, but from a better perspective, they become special for us. Furthermore, when Little Witch Academia needs to be serious, it is serious, and it takes the necessary time to explore how some of their characters feel.

«When you are sad, accept that you are sad» 

Overall, this is what makes all the episodes of Little Witch Academia. Perhaps the first half is not as structured as the second half, but it definitely has its wonderful moments, moments that are definitely worth the watch.

CHARACTERS

People say that a hero is as only as good as his enemies. And in the case of Little Witch Academia, I would say that the story is as compelling as its characters. Aside from Akko, Lotte, Diana and Sucy, we got…

(Clockwise, Jasminka, Amanda and Constanze)

Amanda, a feisty witch from America, Constanze, a young German girl who likes technology, and communicates through her robots, literally, and Jasminka, a Russian student that loves to eat. And all of them always join, or are simply dragged, into the crazy adventures of Akko; all have incredible personalities, and are as powerful as their comrades.

You end up liking these characters, because of both their identities and the animation. Who do I explain this? Just look at Jasminka.

All the time, she has this smiley face, with a different food with her. It is very simple, but, somehow, it is funny and charming at the same time, you cannot avoid getting hooked by her. It is hard to explain. However, I assume that it is how the character, and the animation manage to bring her a balance that is beautiful and hysterical.

Still not convinced? Check this GIF.

Where does she get this much potato chips?

Furthermore, we got the best friends of Diana, Hannah England and Barbara Parker

Now, I will stop from a minute, and try to talk about Diana, Barbara and Hannah, because much like some elements of the plot of the series, they also got a deeper meaning that what meets the eye.

Diana, unlike Akko, is a better student and a more successful witch, and she is extremely refined, knowledgeable and perfect. Diana is the perfect foil of Akko, always trashing our protagonist in a very subtle manner,Hannah and Barbara are at her side. In other words, when you see Hannah and Barbara together with Diana, you might think of them as the typical henchmen of the bully.

That is correct. But there is something else. Unlike many henchmen, Diana cares about Barbara and Hannah. They are close, best friends. Many bullies in fiction see their gangs as disposable; with Diana, that is not the case; in her way, she also supports Hannah and Barbara when needed, and in the end, both are useful in the last episodes too.

Speaking of Diana, that bad treatment she gives Akko has a point, and I mention this because Akko can be excruciating. Akko gets annoying too easily because of her shenanigans, so Diana has all the right to berate Akko; surprisingly, the audience gives the reason to Diana. Furthermore, Diana is one of the most developed character in Little Witch Academia. She starts as the typical wealthy rival, just like Seto Kaiba, but then we come to know the reasons of her attitude.

Of course, I will not go into spoilers, but I was witness of how her background makes her unique from other rivals or bullies.

Now, before I finish, I must say that as excitable and passionate as Akko is, she can be incredibly annoying and unlikeable sometimes. This is one of the main criticisms to Little Witch Academia, and it is true. But LWA: The Enchanted Parade reflects that. It is one of the many moments in which Akko can be repelling.

Yet, she is still a well defined character, and some are her friends.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, Little Witch Academia reminds me why I like Studio Trigger so much. It is a great series with fantastic animation, wonderful characters and a charming setting in general.

It is one of this greatest series and for good, freaking reasons. It is a story of magic, with everything that inspires us to continue fighting and try to be who we are, and another great example of the amazing talent of Studio Trigger in general.

I know I said a lot of things. But it is that Little Witch Academia is so special for me, I got to let my thoughts go. And I will do it again.

Guys. Thanks again for stepping to my Little Witch Academia review. And I got done with Earth… let’s go to space.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Kill la Kill – My Own Impressions

KILL LA KILL

Studio: Trigger:

Genre: Action, Magical Girl, Comedy

Hey guys.

Welcome to another anime review.

And, as part of my series of reviews of the works from Studio Trigger, as an special occasion due to the imminent release of Trigger’s new series; BNA: Brand New Animal, I continue with my series.

Again, I apologise for not being able to publish my next Trigger review on that day when I say I will post it. But it is been a very busy time for me, without mentioning that I have to go back to get familiar with some of the best moments of this gem.

With said that, I want to introduce you all…

(The best key visual you could possibly find)

But before I continue with my review, I want to leave you with the same recommendations that doctors and scientists share with all of us.

1. Wash your hands
2. Maintain social distancing
3. Stay at home

And most importantly:

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE CORONAVIRUS!!!

Having said that, let’s continue with the review.

PREMISE

Kill la Kill takes place in a very interesting high school, the Honnouji Academy, controlled by the all-powerful, fearsome Satsuki Kiryuin (voiced by Ryoka Yuzuki) , who controls Honnouji with an iron fist. But she is not alone, Satsuki has the all-mighty Student Council at her back, reinforcing the strict rules of the school, also, all of the Student Council members wear the Goku uniforms, which give the user superhuman strengths and abilities due to the material they are done, the Life Fibers.

Everything changes when a new transfer student, a delinquent called Ryuko Matoi (Ami koshimizu), arrives to Honnouji; shortly Ryuko challenges Satsuki and the student council, with the help of a giant sword that looks as half of a scissor, called the Scissor Blade, and her own powerful uniform, or «kamui», called Senketsu, invloving into mind-blowing and vivid battles against Kiryuin minions; for one single purpose: To find the murderer of her father – Isshin Matoi.

On her quest, Ryuko has a wonderful ally on the very first friend she makes, Mako Mankashoku (Aya Suzuki), and an underground organization who acts as a «resistance group» against the rule of Satsuki, called Nudist Beach.

Now that was one hell of a premise.

Anyway. Kill la Kill is the first full anime produced by Studio Trigger; before that, Trigger only made Inferno Cop. Also, Kill la Kill was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, and written by Kazuki Nakashima, both of them had previously worked on Gainax’s Gurren Lagann. Being released from October 2013 to March, 2014, Kill la Kill consisted in 24 episodes, and an OVA released on September 3, 2014, with the music being composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who also worked in Blue Exorcist and The Seven Deadly Sins.

Finally, reception about Kill la Kill was largely positive, and it got better with the years. Watchmojo ranked #20 on their list of Top 20 Best Anime of the Decade. In fact, you can find many mentions of either Ryuko or Satsuki in many of the website videos. Again, every single episode is full of adrenaline, by the hand of the trademark style of Trigger (and the staff behind Gurren Lagann) colour, hyperactive animation, an ear-ecstatic soundtrack, intense choreography, especially from the battles between Satsuki and Ryuko.

To be honest, I was very surprise about the animation and the charater design, when I saw Kill la Kill years ago.

But that’s not all.

STORY

Like I said, Kill la Kill consists of 24 episodes and an OVA.

And as the story progresses, we find out that the story is more about mere fighting, or your typical sci-fi story with those teases of ecchi. Some episodes deal with themes like family, future, freedom (The clothes are evil. What do you expect?), friendship, and vengeance. This is one of the many things I love about Kill la Kill, every element of the plot has a purpose, something that allows each of the characters to grow in one way. And I mean all of them.

Furthermore, after you watch all the series of Kill la Kill, you realise this:

1. The Plot focuses on that authoritarian school, and those backing it, that must be stop at all cost.
2. The Story is about a girl fighting to discover the truth, with that path leading her to become more that she really is. 

Because that is what you feel. As the story evolves, the characters evolve. The protagonists, the villains, the supporting cast, while you grow attached to all of them; of course you would choose some characters over others, but everyone is so special.

Another element that plays in favour is the animation. Along with the choreography, the moments where the animation goes into a really frenetic rhythm are those in which you almost feel the intensity of the fights, and how each of our characters feel at the moment, with some pieces of the background adding to the emotional charge, creating a epic, beautiful eye candy shot despite the overcrowding.

Pure epicness

And there are more moments.

Even for comedic moments, that rhythm really adds to the laughs.

By the way, fans of Little Witch Academia… did you notice how similar are Mako and Akko?

Definitely the animation is indeed one of a strength for the story.

Now. most of the people that have read my blog entries remember that sometimes I recommend for people to live the experience and create their own opinion, and Kill la Kill are one of those anime that make my statement warranted.

And if you like Gurren Lagann, you will definitely adore the story of Kill la Kill.

But there is one element left for me to mention.

CHARACTERS

And of course, I could not forget about the characters.

Personally, the design of Ryuko Matoi is one of my favourite. it has that feeling of the type of anti-hero that we like for being rebellious, yet likeable, and her outfit holds a pretty neat balance between good ol’ serafuku uniform and what you could expect from someone like Ryuko Matoi. Being an absolute badass and a girl with a gold heart, despite… not being so trusting.

Also… kudos to both Ami Koshimizu and Erica Mendes for bringing identity and strength to the character.

And speaking about great characters… Satsuki Kiryuin always have the power of being the «waifu» of many fans. Also, her hime cut is fantastic, when you compare her with other characters with hime cut, you understand why that hairstyle is so popular in anime.

(WONDERFUL, CHARMING LADIES)

But don’t let the arrogant, fearsome appearance from Satsuki Kiryuin fool you. The character is more complex and fascinating that it looks, especially during the second part of Kill la Kill.

Finally, we got Mako. The perfect comic relief, and foil of both Ryuko and Satsuki. A character that has a lot of energy and a lot of comedy that definitely reaches the limit of Adorkable. Seriously, every time I get to see Mako, I feel I am falling to the floor of how hysterical she is.

And of course we got so many others. And I wish I could have a lot of pictures that I can show here. But I am getting out of time.

But to sum up, the cast of Kill la Kill has a lot of variety and charm, exactly that you would expect from the staff who created Gurren Lagann. And now, I can see that a lot of love has put in the characters, and their distinct personalities.

And we will remember Kill la Kill because of that.

CONCLUSION

Despite being the first official anime of Trigger, Kill la Kill is definitely one of its best creations. And now that set the standard of many of their most recognisable trademarks, crazy, vivid animation; creative, nuanced characters; epic, imaginative battles, and a great lore of their stories.

And the same model was followed by other creations, such as Little Witch Academia, SSSS Gridman, Ninja Slayer from Animation, Space Patrol Luluco, one of the best anime of 2013, and of course… one of the best anime of the 2010s.

Done.

Thanks again guys for joining me on my review of Kill la Kill. Next time (Not tomorrow, because I don’t trust my words), I will come with a new review, until them…