Kids wander around after the apocalypse.

I feel like on paper this should be something I love. The cool post-apocalyptic world, the confusion presentation that leaves you guessing what’s going on, the body and gender dysphoria, etc.

But it never quite gets there for me. I feel like it’s held back by the desire to do too much. They’re on a journey, which is fine, but the feeling of the world never coheres. We have different arcs at different places and there are only tangential connections between them. The side characters don’t get much time / development, and the main two have some interesting aspects but not enough to carry the story.

As for the other half of the story, indoors with the robots— there are too many kids and I absolutely cannot keep them all straight and struggled to follow it. Also it is way too much like Promised Neverland.

I’ve read the manga and felt similarly— the anime adaptation really does do a stellar job. Looks gorgeous. Although that would probably not be my first choice for where to end the season lol.

• Storytelling – B – Ambitious but doesn’t quite achieve its goals.
• Voice – A – Cool setting.
• Characters – B – Definitely some interesting aspect.
• Attention Grab – C – I struggled to finish, but mainly due to already having read the manga… Not as exciting the second time around.
• Production – A – Looks amazing.
• Overall – B

Recommendations – Shin Sekai Yori, Simoun