WorldEnd Anime Review

WorldEnd

“WorldEnd'', also known as “WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will, you save us?”, “SukaSuka'' and “What are you doing at the end? Are you busy? Can you save me?” is a twelve-episode anime series falling under Sci-Fi genres, Drama, Romance, and Fantasy. This TV anime series started airing on Apr 11th, 2017, and went up until June 27th, 2017.

This was a Spring 2017 anime produced by Lantis, Kadokawa Shoten, AT-X, DAX Production, KlockWorx, Kadokawa Media House, and Production Ace and licensed by Funimation. Studios Satelight and C2C developed this anime series from the original Light Novel “Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?”. The series is Rated PG-13 for Teens 13 years or older.

One of the protagonists, Willem Kmetsch, makes a selfless decision to embark on a dangerous quest to battle and defeat a mysterious monster. He leaves his loved ones behind, puts his life on the line but ultimately manages to grasp victory against the beast. His success comes at a cost; he gets rendered frozen in ice.

While he remains in his cryo sleep, a disastrous era comes to pass on Earth’s surface; terrifying creatures are known as “Beasts” appear and threaten humanity as a whole. After 500 years of icy slumber, he awakens only to find himself as the sole survivor of his race, as humanity itself has gotten wiped off the face of the earth.

Willem joins together with other remaining survivor races and takes refuge on the Floating Islands of the Sky. The people here live in constant fear of the Beasts running rampant below them. Having lost his purpose and direction in life, Willem is now a lone wolf who performs odd jobs as his livelihood. One fateful day, he is tasked with caretaking a Weapon Storehouse. He doesn’t think much of the job and takes it up but soon realizes that these so-called “Weapons” are a group of young Leprechauns.

These Leprechauns look the same as humans, but what sets them apart are their prominent mindsets; they have no regard for their own lives and only think of themselves as mere weapons of war. Even among this odd group, Chtholly Nota Seniorious stands out; she is more than just willing to sacrifice herself if it leads to defeating the Beasts and ensuring peace.

Even though he starts as a simple caretaker, Willem transitions into a father figure for the young Leprechauns; he watches over them fondly and doesn't fail to support them to the best of his ability. Having fought so courageously and selflessly on the frontlines of battles himself, he can now only hope that these Leprechauns being sent to battle will return safely from the grasps of the same monsters that destroyed his kind.

WorldEnd is a series where five volumes’ worth of content was fitted into just 12 episodes. They needed to bring out the essence of the series so that fans could accept it and maybe even recommend it to others. Whether the series is good or not is mainly up to the viewer’s preferences, but still, WorldEnd isn’t a typical fantasy thriller; instead, it takes a slower approach to the action. As such, it builds up an emotional fantasy drama that can reach viewers’ hearts.

The story of WorldEnd will reasonably probably require some time to adjust to and absorb. The initial episodes set up the world, main characters, and plot in a decent manner, surrounded by a rich atmosphere. Willem is the last surviving human is made very apparent, and the events that led up to humanity’s demise are shown in an opening battle scene involving the humans and the Beasts.

After a swift time skip, the camera turns to the present day in the anime and displays everything that has changed; floating islands and many non-human species. The islands are densely populated yet give off a very isolated feel. Of course, the main focus species are the Leprechauns, beings who can use ancient weapons called Dug Weapons or Carillons to bring down Beasts. The meeting between the two main characters Willem and Chtholly, establishes the base for the story. Willem quickly fits in as a friend, father figure, and comrade for the Leprechauns.

If the characters of WorldEnd are to be described in one word, it would have to be “mysterious.” Chtholly is introduced from the onset as a leprechaun with a mysterious past. This past is explored through the series. The same can be said for Willem, as he too suffered from a tragic past. When it comes to the other leprechauns, the air feels quite eerie and creepy, an unsettling mix of child-like innocence with fear. As their roles and personalities become apparent, the initial feeling becomes justified.

When it comes to character relationships, the most interesting one would be between Chtholly and Willem. They are both very mindful of each other, and with each episode, the series reveals more about each of them while bringing them closer. What starts as friendship slowly develops into romance for this couple with heavy chemistry and is very charming to watch. Willem’s fatherly love towards the yonder leprechauns makes them all quite fond of him, but the fact that they have no fear and no regard for their own lives worries him to no end.

The path laid in front of them is nothing short of gruesome and bloody, but Willem does his level best to avert any such tragedies. Willem’s past, where he witnessed humanity’s demise, pushes him to stop history from repeating itself, now for the Leprechauns. He pays no heed to what others think of him and tries even harder to be a beacon of light in an apocalyptic world.

The show features various other-worldly species aside from the Leprechauns; this includes trolls, goblins, and animal-like characters. This brings Racism into the story because certain races are not so accepting of others.

This is highlighted in species that don’t like humans, making things complicated for Willem, the sole survivor of humanity. Willem’s role in all this is uncertain even at the end; whether he is some hero or a tired soul trying to prevent tragedy, regardless, this contributes significantly to the show’s depth.

The animation of WorldEnd is pretty good. It captured the right atmosphere and world setting. It boasts a somewhat spiritual feel, and the color palette is very vivid. The character designs are distinguished mainly by various hair colors and styles, plus it serves a practical purpose in the story.

The action sequences are entertaining, magical, and to the point. There is no graphic violence, but there are plenty of scenes with blood, bringing out the story’s underlying darkness. The Beasts, as expected, are malevolent and horrific monsters that need to be stopped. Even though there are hardly any humans, the expressions are very human-like and realistic, making the character relatable.

The Music and Soundtracks are unique, with a mix of melancholy, haunting and cheerful vibes. The opening themes are "Scarborough Fair" by Tamaru Yamada and "DEAREST DROP" by Azusa Tadokoro. The ending themes are "From (フロム)" by TRUE, "Kinema (キネマ)" by TRUE and "Ever be my love" by Tamaru Yamada.

The choreography in them is moody, as a nod to the true nature of the story. The voice acting is superb and fits all the characters so well. The younger leprechauns are diverse and complex, but the show successfully portrays them all to relate to them.

Overall the show is very tender yet moody but an entertaining watch. The world-building and story are very creative and are portrayed very well. The characters and their relationships will grow and blossom along with the series. There is a fair share of generic tropes, cliche scenes, and cringe moments in it, but they are tolerable. Aside from that, don’t expect much from the comedy.

The show tries to bring out some humor, but it generally feels out of place. Other character relationships besides the central pair mostly go underwhelming. The anime has added some original content to make the series flow better, and these are reasonably okay. If there is no aversion to moody shows, then WorldEnd is worth watching for fans of the genre.

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WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will, you save us? Official Trailer