Series Review: Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (7/10)

Instant summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, a girl becomes a UN mediator and handles the relationship between humans and these new intelligent lifeforms known as "fairies".

I don't think I need to say it, but Jintai is exceptionally unique. It's the first anime I've ever seen that sells primarily on black humor, using a completely contradicting mix of cheerful atmosphere, bright colors, cute mascots and led by the extremely innocent voice of Nakahara Mai. And, our main character doesn't even have a name. And it doesn't contain a beach/pool episode. I feel kind of cheated for that one.

What do I mean by the black humor? Despite what the images above might suggest, Jintai directly deals with topics like death, starvation, extinction and the like. And it isn't about how our main character deals with the problems of the fictional post-apocalyptic world; her role is pretty much a narrator and observer, helping the plot explore and give insights about the things happening around her.

The most interesting part of the show would have to be the fairies, the mascots you see above. The purpose is two-fold; to be the outlet of creativity for writers, because despite looking like toys, they had insanely superior technology that allows them to clone, morph, construct entire cities overnight and even bend reality. Story-wise, their limitless capability wasn't meant to save humankind; they were just there to generate different scenarios for the plot.

The important thing is how they serve another, and perhaps "true" purpose; to show how their technology bring about the rise and fall of the fairies, which mimics how our technology is responsible for mankind's advancement and eventual decline. If I'm reading the subtext right, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, aka Humanity has declined, showcases the declining phases of humans, while watching the new species go through the cycle again and again. So yeah, this show turns out to be deeper than you thought.

And that is the value of Jintai I really appreciate. Entertainment-wise, the black humor didn't do all that much for me. It's interesting to see the curious combination of cheerful elements and the dark theme, but nothing else carried it very far.

Not a bad title to check out, but expect many boring moments.

Plot/Concept: Very interesting!
Story Style: Okay
Audio/Visual: Fairly good
Value: 7

...And I found out why adults enjoy little kids anime

As the combination of both work and school starts to eat into whatever free time I had left, it became harder and harder to squeeze in time for anime. It seems like a common problem among the older anime folk; the older you get, the more you get swarmed with the hustle and bustle of real life, and time-consuming hobbies like anime become difficult. Admittedly, it wasn't really about the time; it was the stress and fatigue that makes it hard to get excited about something, even the most hyped title.

I've bitten off more than I can chew this season, trying to catch Arcana Fagmilia, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Kokoro Connect, Moyashimon, Muv-Luv, Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Rinne no Lagrange, Sword Art Online, Tari Tari, Yuru Yuri, Binbougamiga! and Joshiraku at the same time. That's more than I've ever attempted in one season, but mostly because the season's so good. It didn't go well...

Aside from Binbougami which totally sucked, Natsuyuki Rendevous became the first title I had to let go, followed by Kokoro Connect. Both were really good, and I really enjoyed it... well... actually, not really. I began to realize that story-intensive stuff like these were difficult to follow. Not only it's difficult to grasp the plot when I'm trying to grasp twelve at a time, it's also difficult to work a tired mind to comprehend a "deep" or complex storyline.

On the other hand, I began to look forward to stuff like Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Arcana Fagmilia and Joshiraku. Stuff like these either doesn't have a story, doesn't have one that matters or at least are non-continuous for each episode. It's really easy to digest such stuff, and I probably enjoyed them more than I would normally do, much like last season's Upotte!!

Which reminds me of two things. First, a concept which was taught to me by Jerry Verschoor, a western animation industry insider, of how people prefer genres that compensate things missing in their lives (like how action movies are all rage now, while romance titles are favorites in the 1940s). Second, an article of how an unexpectedly huge amount of people my age enjoys My Little Pony (I can't remember where, probably Cracked.com or something). Laura Carstensen also revealed at TED on how people in their 20s are statistically the most stressed, and most miserable bunch.

Well I don't need My Little Pony, because I have stuff like Joshiraku and Upotte!! to de-stress my life. Now I know why the moéblob slice-of-life got so popular with the general otaku crowd. Ignoring the people who seeks 2D waifus, it's really about the stress. It's all for the relaxed, mind-blanking and stress-less moment each episode can give.

So from now on, I'll be leaving stuff like Natsuyuki Rendevous on the marathon queue, and only catch the ponies as they air. Thank Haruhi, Madoka and the anime gods for Hidamari Sketch next season. And that tank anime, whatever it's called. It sounds just about stupid and mind-numbing enough for me to enjoy it.

Top 3 Bishoujos of Summer 2012

I figured that this could become a regular thing. It's fun photoshopping the pics anyway.

3. Takamura Yui (Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse)

Despite her good looks and impossible figure, I liked how humbled her character is, without any intent on faulting her assets. Except for the body suits, of course. The studio would be insane not to service her to the viewers in some way.

I loved how incredibly strong her character was. The horrible events in her past almost broke her down, but what emerged after that was a unsympathetic, stubborn, and intimidating character. The story is playing on her tsundere tendencies though. Gap moé, right?

I always see Nakahara Mai as VA who are meant for "soft" roles, so I never imagined that she would be this good when she brought Tokiha Mai (Mai-HiME)'s voice to a deeper, angrier tone. Hopefully, we get to see more roles like these for her in the future.

2. Okita Sawa (Tari Tari)

Konatsu might be the heroine of the show, but I feel that Sawa is one who really made an impression. But rather than her personality, it's usually because of her role in the story. She always seems to be the one to offer a different opinion, a funny line, or a push in the right direction. You can even say that she is the adult of that group. Though, I wished she had a more distinct and stable personality for the story.

1. "Watashi" (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita)

This nameless protagonist is probably one of the most unique characters you are ever going to see. It's strange, because despite being the main character, she rarely has input into anything that happened in the show. Usually all we get from her is a cynical remark that is almost reminiscent of Kamijou Touma's "Fukou da~". Even though she is more of a narrator than your usual character, she became the reason for the show's unique brand of comedy. Too bad it's pretty much impossible to replicate such a character in other genres.

"Watashi" is voiced by Nakahara Mai too. Maybe I'm giving her too much credit, but I've began to see how good Nakahara Mai really is. Takamura Yui and "Watashi" are polar opposites in character, but she did such an amazing job for both. Why didn't I realize it before?

First Impression of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

Instant synopsis: In an age where humans are on the brink of extinction, our nameless pink-haired protagonist interact with "fairies" whose origins are still unknown.

That's a strangely upbeat opening song for such a depressing title.

I guess I now understood the "black humor" that Divine mentioned. In just the first episode, we're already talking about killing (cute?) animals for food, starvation, death, extinction, etc, in such an innocent tone. I mean, look at the images above; cute leading character, cute mascots, and even a cute piece of food in the middle of a suicide demonstration. The bring, cheerful colors, together with Nakahara Mai's innocent and nonchalant tone would have you thinking that this is a "healing" slice-of-life; which it is not.

But above mildly amusing, all of these just makes the show incredibly unique. I would still consider the show to be a "happy" one despite the topics they're on, and I'll definitely like to see more.

Verdict: Watching

Summer 2012 Pre-season Impressions

I stopped writing "season previews" because for all the info you will want for the upcoming seasons, there's only three places you need to go to (except for MAL and such): Random Curiosity (probably the most famous anime blog there is), The Cart Driver (probably the most popular anime blog there is) and Star Crossed Anime Blog (probably the best anime blog there is). There's no point in recreating all that background info when someone else has already done it, and done it better; so from now on, it'll just be Pre-season impressions.