Shin Sekai Yori - Episode 8 Discussion / Poll

[Malkuth]

@Kazu-kum: Consider what they actually feel, what want to, and what their conditioning tells them to

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

The thing is that they don't seem to think it's just sex. Saki used the term "koibito" which implies they think there's more than sex to these "relationships". But to me that doesn't seem to be the case. The way Satoru just got a new "koibito" after Shun dumped him, and how Saki played along when Maria mentioned they'd be together forever, even though she obviously doesn't mean it... like I said, it seems like they're role playing or something.

Only Maria's feeling for Saki, Mamoru's feelings for Maria, and Saki and Shun's mutual feelings seem to be beyond this role play imo.

Well, this is just the feeling I got.

And I think that's the feeling you're supposed to get. We see in this episode the full implications of living in a human-bonobo society, where sex is just another thing you do to relieve stress. Nothing remarkable about it, and romance is not a prerequisite for it.

[Om Nerabdator]

what a creepy episode especially that teacher getting a better look up marias skirt....creepy

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by Om Nerabdator

what a creepy episode especially that teacher getting a better look up marias skirt....creepy

Well, you knowthe vast majority of teachers don't care at all about the panties lolis wearing

[Archon_Wing]

Same new world, different time.

Interesting episode, displays how casually sex is dispensed with in this society well. But it's a bit odd that everyone is homosexual (Insert Homer Simpson quote here); you'd wonder if this had something to do with the prior incident and the memories were a bit messed with. There's a nice creepy vibe going on here though the visuals looked spotty. I also can't agree with that fashion sense.

Anyhow, I was smirking for all the wrong reasons, but nice watch.

[neshru]

Originally Posted by Om Nerabdator

what a creepy episode especially that teacher getting a better look up marias skirt....creepy

I thought it was pretty funny. Of course having the monk watch up her skirt wasn't part of the animators' plan, but that's how the scene turned out.
I think that was the point when the producers of the series realized that making the kids wear the usual Japanese school uniforms had been a bad idea.

[Om Nerabdator]

Originally Posted by neshru

I thought it was pretty funny. Of course having the monk watch up her skirt wasn't part of the animators' plan, but that's how the scene turned out.
I think that was the point when the producers of the series realized that making the kids wear the usual Japanese school uniforms had been a bad idea.

It wasnt suppose to be like that?? then why have saki react with disgust?

[neshru]

She got annoyed because the monk took notice of Maria's trick, while he completely ignored hers.

[Om Nerabdator]

was that how it was portrayed in the novel?

[TurkeyPotPie]

There were some pretty interesting things going on this episode, but the animation was horrible enough to bring it down below average for me. I was actually laughing through most of the episode because of all the derpy faces. There were occasional moments of fluidity, but even those were off (rate of movement was all wrong in the fluid parts). Just a terrible looking episode overall.

[NoemiChan]

Episode 8

I don't know what to think anymore....


If the two MCs won't end up with end together... then the HELL.....

Some Notes to think about:

1. About the society framed after monkeys?
2. The author's thoughts about population control?

[Blaat]

It's obvious A-1 overextending themselves with doing so many high profile shows at the same and the lack of quality is hurting this show.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Finally!!! an episode that did away with all the understandably delicate presentation crap... it would be a 10/10, since I have not watched such attention-gripping developments since Koi Kaze, Texhnolyze, Laine, even Ima Shoko ni iru Boku ages ago, but the animation and character designs do the plot no justice...

And here I was thinking you wouldn't like this episode because the characters (specifically Maria and Saki) didn't go to third base. :P

[Nachtwandler]

Erm. There are some hetero couples in the school. You just didn't pay enough attention. And most of you should be ready for this. Relationship scheme of the romance in this story was posted on the forum.

And am I the only one who didn't see much problems with animation?

Originally Posted by Om Nerabdator

was that how it was portrayed in the novel?

Yes it was. And in manga it was much more ecchi but who cares of shitty manga adaptation

[Master Assassin]

^ If you are fine with the animation and find no problem with it, then I think you're pretty... tolerant with the quality of the animation as long as you can enjoy it. 'Kay.

As for my own comments for this episode:

Hoo boy...

I'm trying to bat an eye. I'm tryinngggg... I mean, I saw these coming but wow. They got me stoned.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Master Assassin

eye. I'm tryinngggg... I mean, I saw these coming but wow. They got me stoned.

Me too. But the last scene between Shun and Saki tells me that the bond between the two is very strong... and they do love each other more than anyone else.... That made me happy and saved this episode.....

[Solace]

Terrible episode. I think this was the first episode were I wasn't riveted to my seat, and I actually started skipping through most of it. There wasn't really anything to the episode, until the monk arrived. Of course, I find the sex aspect of the story by far the least interesting element of the plot, and the relationship stuff was really simplistic anyway, in the sense that there was no nuance or subtlety at all.

The animation, while not episode 5, certainly wasn't impressive either. Characters once again had strange angles and proportions at times, and the background work was really poor. Very little detail or movement. I did like the color of the sunset though. Music was also more subtle than usual. Outside of the OP and ED, I can't recall hearing much of it.

Looking forward to the next episode and the fate of Shun.

[Triple_R]

Honestly, I never got the vibe of "casual sex" from this episode.

Quite the contrary - Shun/Satoru and Saki/Maria seemed to be presented as pretty serious romances to me. The mere fact that they're gay doesn't change that. If the pairings were Shun/Saki and Satoru/Maria, it wouldn't seem significantly different from basic high school romances that you can find in all sorts of shows.

If the vibe that this episode is supposed to give off is "this is a society that encourages casual sex" then why is Satoru the only major character shown to have had more than one romantic/sexual partner? And even that was likely only because Shun dumped him.

Now, given that seemingly every student (except Mamoru) has been paired off with someone else, it's clear that this society encourages romantic/sexual couplings at a very young age. But this feels more like some school overflowing with Romeo-style love than a school of one night stands, imo.


That being the case, I'm not sure why Shun and Saki aren't acting on their obvious feelings for one another. Are they afraid that them being consistently monogamous with one another will raise eyebrows? Are they afraid that "the real thing" (romance-wise) might draw the attention of the teachers? While I can kind of see how Maria might be just playing around (her voice was a bit flat when she said "We'll be together forever, Saki"), I get the sense that Satoru was pretty serious in his bond with Shun.

Anyway, just throwing some ideas out there.


As for the animation quality... I'm not sure if it's the animation quality, or just the basic artwork itself, but something did seem a bit off visually in this episode. Shun's confrontation with the world's most powerful PKer was certainly interesting. As was all of the dark and ominous vibes surrounding him now.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Solace

I actually started skipping through most of it.

You mean the hall way scene and the beach scene?

Originally Posted by Solace

Looking forward to the next episode and the fate of Shun.

The way Saki behave with worries for Shun is priceless.... Guess the two kids will be breaking the laws again...

[Solace]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

You mean the hall way scene and the beach scene?

I started about the time Saki ran from the tree. I didn't skip in huge chunks, it was more like speed watching. Shun and Satoru by tree, Saki and Maria at beach, Shun breaks up with Satoru, Mamoru is the third wheel, Satoru does the "make my ex jealous" thing. Everyone is pairing up like it's prom, except Shun and Saki, who have feelings but never act on them.

The sex scenes were off screen, but you get a lot of touching and a few kiss scenes. Enough to imply that the sex is mostly casual, but the pairing aspect shows that it's not quite as "free love" as bonobos. In addition, I'd consider the sex more about outlets for stress/pleasure than sexual orientation. I wouldn't use the homo/hetero/bi/tri classifications at all. It's more like "whatever it takes to find an outlet for these impulses", but with preference on trusted/close partners - likely because it's quicker to become intimate with someone you already feel close to.

My guess is the only "free love" scenario that could happen would be under massive stress and people who don't know or like each other. Then you might see an orgy or two.

The way Saki behave with worries for Shun is priceless.... Guess the two kids will be breaking the laws again...

There was doubt to this? The foreshadowing from episode seven strongly implied the kids never actually got away with their adventure. I guess we'll find out why it took this long to circle back to it though.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

That being the case, I'm not sure why Shun and Saki aren't acting on their obvious feelings for one another. Are they afraid that them being consistently monogamous with one another will raise eyebrows? Are they afraid that "the real thing" (romance-wise) might draw the attention of the teachers?

My interpretation on that is that they're afraid of their own feelings. They're paired up with other people and obviously had sex with them, but none of that compares to what they feel for each other. It must be a pretty confusing and frightening situation. I can imagine Saki asking herself why she is with Maria if she feels so strongly for Shun, and what exactly it is that she feels for Shun anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what she's thinking, since their idea of romance is so warped.