Shin Sekai Yori 4/17
I always love starting these with a "man I love this art style" but, I really enjoyed this art style. The best way to describe it is "...what the heck." It uses the common anime style of larger eyes, commonly seen anime hairstyles (like the hime cut and side-swept bangs) but the facial expressions, thickness of the lineart, and "freaky" design of the queerrats all stand out, and it makes for a very unique piece of art.
I also found the sound design to be very interesting as well. The use of traditional Japanese instruments mixed with strange tones during some morally scary moments, and then the immediate change to more normal-sounding music when something is trying to be covered up is an interesting choice made by the creators in order to indirectly tell the audience that something is up.
The opening scene, while seemingly supporting the theme of fearing children, is such an interesting way to introduce one of the driving ideas of the anime in a way that does not impact the main characters directly, but is still equally intense.
As for the content, my "what the heck" sentiment carries. Not in the sense of misunderstanding or confusion, but utter repulsion from the adults and powers that be. Trying to cover up Shuns transformation into a Karma Demon and subsequent death, their treatment of the queerrats despite their seeming intelligence, and the point of the sacred barrier if it can't keep out the Ogres??
Despite this idea of the power being uncontrollable in the children, suspect that something much more sinister is going on with the adults, considering how they avoid speaking of what happened to the remaining children at the harmony school.












