When an anime series' title is Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita--that translates to Humanity Has Declined, for those of you who don't know a smidgen of Japanese--potential viewers expect some sort of post-apocalyptic shounen with its fair share of violent gore, blood, drama, survival, and action. Already you have piqued the interest of a good bit of the audience. And when its main character is a female . . . Well, let's just say that it's an unfortunate fact that for some--sorry, many--people, action+boobs=instant must watch. With that you have increased the audience's interest by at least ten-fold. Finally you hear that it has fairies in
...
it. Surely this means that there is some amount of magical, kick-ass superpower users in it, right? Now we are looking at a dramatic action-adventure with magic, boobs, and blood. Who could resist?
But this isn't the anime that JwSS is. It isn't a shounen, it doesn't have balloon boobs, magic plays little to no part in any episode, and the most violence we get is a scene where a piece of robo-bread tears himself nearly in half and starts gushing carrot juice. Instead, JwSS can only be described as a reflection on us--humanity. Now, I won't bore you with a psychological lecture about the meaning of life--God knows I don't have the ability to do that--but I will say that JwSS will touch on some of some of the worst parts of humanity--greed, arrogance, disregard, and apathy--as well as the best--home, friendship, individuality, and joy. It's at the same time both humorous satire and heartwarming affection toward us, the foolish humans, adorable in our pitiful march to . . . where? Regardless, this is an anime that all people should watch and more than once, simply because there is something to be gained by everyone who hasn't and more for those who have.
Story: 10
(I won't provide a synopsis; that's on the anime's page, and you're better off watching it anyway.) The entire series consists of several one or two episode arcs each with an easily identifiable central theme. JwSS doesn't force any of its satire, nor does it ever get (unintentionally) cheesy. It focuses on using its characters to tell its stories of homesickness or to joke about the metropolitan human society. If you are a fan of huge, epic tales of finding the ultimate pirate treasure, becoming the best magician's guild, beating up the bad guy who is also your childhood friend, or conquering the world with giant robots and mind-control, the change of pace to short arcs with not much to do with each other may not be for you. But if you enjoy the pacing of a bunch of short stories about a high-school otaku girl and her friends, series of stories with child prodigies with funky pigtails and her high school friends, or shows about high-school guys doing everyday high-school-guy things, then you might like the pace of this JwSS: self-contained, self-sufficient arcs with strong, natural, gradual character development. Virtually my only complaint was that the series was too short to reach its full potential. (Read: I want moar.)
Art: 9
The word I would use to describe this anime is "colorful". Each character's appearance is suited to their personality, and the studio certainly wasn't shy to use every bit of the color spectrum in its backgrounds when it came to anything to do with the fairies. Again, it suits the personality of the series, the light-hearted humor and the heart-warming tenderness of the series. The animation is hardly the smoothest I've ever seen, but it sure gets the job done; no silly, flashy special-effects; just honest, barefaced animation that makes sure to convey every nuance of the character's actions.
Sound: 10
Honestly, I have no idea how to rate sound . . . There was no problem at all; no problem hearing character's voices, the BGM set the mood for humor or solemnity as necessary. It was really good.
Character: 10
Apart from the main character and perhaps her grandfather, each arc generally does not share many characters in common. Of course, you may wonder how there is character development when only one character is recurrent, but as she shares with us stories of the world she lives in, she comes to understand more about the humans of the past, as well as her own personality. She is believable in her imperfection, likeable for her humor, and lovable in her insight. She does an excellent job of telling us about fairies and the people around her. Through her we gain an understanding of the world she lives in, and perhaps more about ourselves.
Enjoyment: 10
The mix of satire and tenderness in this anime does wonders for its enjoyability. Humor is used effectively to keep us interested in its ridicule of humanity, and when it isn't amusing you with you, it's preparing to make you feel glad to be human. Never does it drown you in sorrow, and never does it give you a shot of pure euphoria. Its strength isn't concentrated so that you feel drugged into happiness or contemplation. Rather, it is diffused; it uses its subtle sarcasm and tenderness in a way that is more persuasive than forceful. You enjoy the short, small quips and soft happiness you get from relating to the situations. This is an anime that can be enjoyed at a slow pace, which matches its overall "personality".
Overall: 10
I am fully convinced that this is an anime that is both enjoyable and informative; note that I didn't say educational. It leaves the viewer prone to contemplating humanity while never leaving the viewer depressed about it. The personality of the anime is evident in its every aspect, and I would suggest this to anyone and everyone who is looking for something new.
(Note that this is the first review I have actually put good effort into; the other one was basically a rant...)
Jan 17, 2014
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita
(Anime)
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When an anime series' title is Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita--that translates to Humanity Has Declined, for those of you who don't know a smidgen of Japanese--potential viewers expect some sort of post-apocalyptic shounen with its fair share of violent gore, blood, drama, survival, and action. Already you have piqued the interest of a good bit of the audience. And when its main character is a female . . . Well, let's just say that it's an unfortunate fact that for some--sorry, many--people, action+boobs=instant must watch. With that you have increased the audience's interest by at least ten-fold. Finally you hear that it has fairies in
...
Oct 21, 2012
Shinseiki Evangelion
(Anime)
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I HATE NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.
I wish i could scream that at the makers of it, not to mention THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD. Okay. Let's get this over with. I really don't want to think about this anime. Crud. ... |