Shin Sekai Yori - Episode 6 Discussion / Poll

[Xiammes]

I think his frustration is also due to the fact he didn't get blow his load last episode.

[Triple_R]

Satoru's behavior beautifully demonstrates how high-end PK power can have a corrupting influence, reinforcing what we learned about the PK-using Emperors of previous eras.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - This is an old idea/theme, and there's a definite element of it in Sin Sekai Yori.

Honestly, it makes sense to me that having this sort of vast godly power, at least relative to those around you, would cause a lot of people to go on a massive megalomaniacal power-trip. It doesn't help that Satoru has just been through a pretty hellish situation, with only Saki there to keep him comfort.

The good news is that Satoru seemed to step back from megalomania due to Saki's concerned words, and became more of a simple pragmatist the longer the forest warfare continued. Of course, Satoru is also starting to tire a bit, as evidenced by his growing amounts of sweat and Saki's frequent concern.


I'm honestly a bit surprised by the largely negative reaction this episode has received so far. Personally, I'm finding the current Saki/Satoru arc to be pretty thrilling and engrossing. And I had less issue with the art direction of this episode than I did with Episode 5's. Here we had more panning shots, and hence I had a much fuller sense of just what was going on. It was pretty intense with nice combat between the uberpowerful Satoru and the vast and sneaky Tarantulas army. It honestly made me think of comic books' Magneto going on a rampage against a strong human military force.

Also, I found the way Saki gave Satoru his Cantus powers back pretty neat and clever. I was fearful that this would go the shonen-esque route "By force of will alone, I will regain my powers and/or make them greater!" Saki using her smarts to achieve this struck me as preferable to Satoru using sheer will power to.

I did find it a bit odd that Saki didn't ask Satoru to return the favor, but perhaps the thought never occurred to her in the heat of the moment.


Finally, another great cliffhanger moment here, as Satoru is now facing an army that reminds me of the Beta of Muv-Luv Alternative. I'm hoping that this warfare arc meets with a fitting climax next episode (as much as I've enjoyed it, I am eager to find out what's going on with Shun, Maria, and Mamoru).


Oh, one final note... While I realize that "shipping" probably isn't a significant part of this anime, this episode and the last has shifted me from Saki/Shun to Saki/Satoru. I have to say that Saki/Satoru has really grown on me. I think they make a great pair.

[-Sho-]

The plot is intriguing , there are many questions left but i'm not convinced about their "Godly" power even Saki without her "cantus".
Anyway , to me , Satoru was like someone(mostly kid) who felt so strong over bugs & enjoyed killing them (like ants). A bloody rampage.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

Wow, so it was only Satoru Saki was willing to share her mantra with?

He's the only one she's been shown sharing it with. She may've done the same thing with her other friends and we haven't seen it yet.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - This is an old idea/theme, and there's a definite element of it in Sin Sekai Yori.

I've never believed that. Power reveals who you really are. If you turn into a jerk when you get power, you were always a jerk, you just didn't have the means to act upon it.

[Konja7]

Originally Posted by -Sho-

The plot is intriguing , there are many questions left but i'm not convinced about their "Godly" power even Saki without her "cantus".
Anyway , to me , Satoru was like someone(mostly kid) who felt so strong over bugs & enjoyed killing them (like ants). A bloody rampage.

I guess something like this can happen, but there are other factors.

He was in a tense situation and too tired (and suffers hallucinations by poison gas). Also, I think he is trying to help the querat (who helped them before).

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

I've never believed that. Power reveals who you really are. If you turn into a jerk when you get power, you were always a jerk, you just didn't have the means to act upon it.

At first perhaps.

But what about a month later? a year? 10? 20?

People change all the time for far less reasons than power, much less absolute power.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

I've never believed that. Power reveals who you really are. If you turn into a jerk when you get power, you were always a jerk, you just didn't have the means to act upon it.

I don't think that power corrupts everybody. In fiction, there's some examples of very powerful characters who maintain strong moral beliefs and respect for life in general (the most concrete example of this being most versions of Superman).

That being said, I've seen frequent examples of power corrupting people. I've seen it in politics, and at places of work. I've often heard about (and personally seen) how so-and-so used to be this friendly coworker, then s/he was promoted, and then s/he became less approachable, less considerate, more demanding, etc...

I don't think that becoming corrupted by power means that someone is inherently "a jerk" or something to that effect. I think that it simply means that not everybody handles power well.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

I've never believed that. Power reveals who you really are. If you turn into a jerk when you get power, you were always a jerk, you just didn't have the means to act upon it.

I also agree with this. What Satoru is doing is reflected in his personality. I'm feel that Shun would be more analytic about what the best action is based on the situation. Mamoru would have ran in fear. This is not to say Satoru is a bloodthirsty/powerhungry maniac, but having him take the initiative to attack certainly reflects his will to show his power. Unrelatedly(in a way), it might also attribute to (a) the subtle hints of him liking Saki, and wanting to show he is someone she can rely on(or maybe to be 'cool' or some other similar effect) and (b) being the one in control, as Shun has been mostly the 'leader' for the group.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by frubam

This is not to say Satoru is a bloodthirsty/powerhungry maniac,

Well, that is how he was acting for awhile there.

So is Satoru a bloodthirsty/powerhungry maniac at heart, or did power intoxicate/corrupt him for a bit? Personally, I learn towards the latter.

[Haak]

If he had a strong predisposition towards it then I think his village would've weeded him out beforehand.

[Guardian Enzo]

I don't think it's a question of "power corrupts" or a question of Satoru's personality. I think the mistake is in analyzing these kids as if they were normal humans, and they're not. I think the relevant factor is that PKs have a predisposition for bloodlust when they get a taste of their power over muggles. Just as the "Bonobo Effect" is part of their DNA now, I think that bloodlust is too. We've already seen that evolution is completely out of control in this world, so that explanation fits the Occam's Razor test for me.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by Haak

If he had a strong predisposition towards it then I think his village would've weeded him out beforehand.

That assumes the system works as well as advertised. How many people in the village are well behaved because the system produces good people, and how many of them are just putting on Stepford smiles because the conditioning holds them in check or they're afraid of disappearing?

[flack]

Wow everything is so messed up now. They better start explaining things the next few episodes.

Satoru is on the verge of insanity right now. How is he able to kill so easily. He is not just protecting himself/her but hes enjoying it, laughing while causing destruction. This show almost makes it seems like the real human nature of people is killing.

[Konja7]

I read that the hardships Satoru and Saki went through in the caves were very hard (more than what was shown in the program). So Satoru is very tense and tired.

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

That assumes the system works as well as advertised. How many people in the village are well behaved because the system produces good people, and how many of them are just putting on Stepford smiles because the conditioning holds them in check or they're afraid of disappearing?

Well, they can not cause physical pain on another human (if a person causes pain to another human, that person also suffers). This rule only applies to humans.

Originally Posted by flack

Wow everything is so messed up now. They better start explaining things the next few episodes.
Satoru is on the verge of insanity right now. How is he able to kill so easily. This show almost makes it seems like the real human nature of people is killing.

Well, they learned that it is wrong to hurt humans, but that does not apply to the Queerats. In addition, the Queerats are attacking them first.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I don't think it's a question of "power corrupts" or a question of Satoru's personality. I think the mistake is in analyzing these kids as if they were normal humans, and they're not. I think the relevant factor is that PKs have a predisposition for bloodlust when they get a taste of their power of muggles. Just as the "Bonobo Effect" is part of their DNA now, I think that bloodlust is too. We've already seen that evolution is completely out of control in this world, so that explanation fits the Occam's Razor test for me.

I don't think we have to go beyond our current human nature. He seems to me to be acting quite normally, for one particular normal human teenage male who has been provided with great power. I think that is a sharper razor. I'm not saying he's a bad person, just a person with spirit and desire who has been under strain and has to defend himself and his companion(s). He has always been a somewhat emotional and fairly headstrong person. It may be getting the better of him right now, but in this case attack may indeed be the best defense.

As for power corrupting, the actual quote from Lord Acton is: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He wrote it as a Catholic in the 1880s, in reference to the move to institute the doctrine of papal infallibility (up to then, the Pope's opinion had not been considered infallible). I think the "absolutely" part is just rhetoric, suiting the circumstances, but I agree that power does tend to corrupt, by making people feel they can carry out their desires with less consideration for others. I've seen it, and I've felt it. The idea that we have some kind of immutable moral character that doesn't change seems not quite true to me. Humans are dynamic systems, not static objects.

I am frustrated that we have not got very far in the story, and marching around with animals seems a bit of an intentional crowd-pleaser rather than giving me much of interest, but Saki and Satoru continue to provide something. Saki's inspiration was great -- although I would like to know why she tried to exchange mantras in the first place. Perhaps she is really the most dangerous one. I also wondered why she didn't try to recover her own mantra, but Jimmy_C explained it, I think: she can no longer remember it, and Satoru never really saw hers. I hope necessity will help her realize she doesn't need a mantra to break through and regain her power.

I come down on the fairly negative side about this episode. It didn't thrill me like the first few. But it was still enjoyable.

As for shipping, I love romance, but I'm not feeling it here. At least not yet. I want to see her reunion with Maria. Lol.

[Jimmy C]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Satoru's behavior beautifully demonstrates how high-end PK power can have a corrupting influence, reinforcing what we learned about the PK-using Emperors of previous eras.

And very importantly, did you notice how Satoru bypassed the "death feedback" restraint? Almost all the kills were out of his direct view.

I did find it a bit odd that Saki didn't ask Satoru to return the favor, but perhaps the thought never occurred to her in the heat of the moment.

I already pointed out how that came to be in my previous posts here. It's because Satoru never cheated to get a look at her mantra when the two of them showed their mantras to each other. Because the priest sealed their mantras, so Saki now cannot tell Satoru what it is.

[ookamigirl]

Trapped in a cave. Things aren't looking good.
Satoru really went all out when his powers returned.
It was nice they were helping those rat creatures.
Those enemies were rather good and pretty cunning.
Using powers all the time is taking its toll on Satoru.

[halibonga]

lol satoru did a lot of ownage this episode, quite badass

[Konja7]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I don't think we have to go beyond our current human nature. He seems to me to be acting quite normally, for one particular normal human teenage male who has been provided with great power. I think that is a sharper razor. I'm not saying he's a bad person, just a person with spirit and desire who has been under strain and has to defend himself and his companion(s). He has always been a somewhat emotional and fairly headstrong person. It may be getting the better of him right now, but in this case attack may indeed be the best defense.

I agree. Satoru was very intense, but his behavior was normal considering his situation and his character.

Also, in this chapter we saw that Satoru was exhausted when he uses a lot of power. Then the situation would become more problematic if he only defends (they would continue attacking and he exhausted all his power just defending).

[Forsaken_Infinity]

I am surprised at the number of people who didn't get what was happening at the start of the episode. It was a bit trippy but it wasn't hard to understand imo. It could have used some better directing (and perhaps foreshadowing too) though.

I don't think Satoru's morally wrong in doing what he's doing, it's essentially fighting for survival and morality be damned when it comes to that, but he's being rash and trusting one side too much. It's very clear that the colony that's "helping" them doesn't give two hoots about them if they don't have their cantus. Saki is smart but she has erred and I am afraid the queerrats led them to a trap of sorts. There is no fucking way they didn't act on the suspicion that only Satoru is a "god" right now.

Oh and the death feedback (or just exhaustion?) is starting to get to him too. It's kinda obvious that they will both survive but that's quite the cliffhanger nonetheless.