Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau

It's an anime that at least tries.but fails all the time. The art is amazing, the animation sounds good to me too and the soundtrack works in a few punctual moments. What doesn't work in Kujira no Kora is a set: screen time, character development, plot, and the ending. - About screen time: 12 episodes are almost nothing for what anime sets out to do: touch the heart of the watcher and arouse their curiosity about the backgrounds of both the story and the characters. It turns out that everything turned out to be very hurried and unorganized. The first episode (no spoiler) is boring. Drab and does not have many elements that make the viewer keep watching. The screen time for each thing was poorly divided. They can't decide if an episode will be to develop things X and Y or if it will develop Z. - Character Development: It is expected that if the anime has 2 or 3 protagonists, they will all be developed as the story progresses, but this is not the case. Each character looks pretty shallow in any aspect other than the look. The protagonist started one way and ended the same way. Who still had a little development was the protagonist (lykos), but so little. The secondary cast has plenty of potential to show various characteristics about themselves, but they get lost amid the short screen time and the pressure and need for a drama to be broadcast to the viewer. There are a lot of deaths over the course of these 12 episodes, but I couldn't care about any since I didn't have time to become fond of any characters other than the protagonists. There is the use of flashbacks on some major killings for the main cast, but it's so short-lived and so misused that it didn't even get all my attention or emotion. - Plot: Any story without a minimum of plot base does not work. Kujira's problem in Kora is the opposite. There are many attempts to insert a grand plot that captivates the audience and gets some prominence. The first episode, in plot terms, is what works best in the entire anime. I watched the 12 episodes released and I'm not sure which story the anime wanted and wants to tell. The story throws several questions and answers almost none, as it did not have time for that, as the concern was to kill undeveloped characters to force the drama on the viewer. -The Final: I will not spoil the final episodes of Kujira no Kora. I just wanted to reserve a space to say the ending was bad. And they still tried to leave it with a "we need a second season" mood, but failed miserably. Wow, from episode 10 the course is different. They try to fit a larger development into the plot, expand that world, but without answering the basic questions left between the third and seventh episodes.

|-Ups-| When you begin watching this anime, you can gain a sense of new-found freedom of the concepts and ideas that are being presented to you. The concept and world is unique to itself and it would without a doubt present a nice change of pace against other works. Also worth noting that it looks pretty to look at It, it's not the best looking, but it definitely pleasant to look at. However, this is where the positives draw the line upon the rest of the 12 episode run of the series, and you immediately notice it upon reaching the second and third episodes. |-Downs-| Red Flag - This anime presents the perfect example of "How not to do action scenes" by making each character regardless of faction break out into a speech/monologue. This trope is seen in multiple works of anime however it takes it a bit further by having upwards of up to 20 to 30 characters on screen to completely halt their actions with what I call the 'bystander syndrome' until they're done speaking after almost every strike regardless of the context that put them in that situation. This leads to drawn out battles that are meant to be engaging and full of action feel like it's being played out for way too long especially given the fact there's only 12 episodes so time is important for these types of scenes. Given the fact that they try to deliver character development in these same scenes end up coming out to you not caring as a character feels the need to talk about their entire life story to the opposition being taking action again. It's an extremely jarring decision to make such an incomplete method of character growth and discussion so surely the characters are at least unique, right? The characters - These types of characters are generic and hit every single trope that you can possibly imagine. Side Characters that are given backstory only serve as a means to further the main characters story but then killed off in the same episodes. It presents you with a lack of emotion, ironically enough (with the joke being the show is meant to invoke actions vs emotions). Regardless, the main character holds a significant spot in my heart as being the most whiney and pointless kid in any anime I've seen. People mock Shinji from Evangelion for being a 'coward' for not getting in the robot, however the protagonist here will make you think Shinji is the most confident and upholding figure for everyone. This COULD be attributed to the idea that the protagonist is meant to be an 'observer' of the events that unfold, however that role should specifically be made for the narrator/side characters, not necessarily the main character that has to take action and change the course of the plot. An accurate description of watching the main character would be akin to watching a show/anime of a person in a room sitting at a chair watching an anime with the person on the chair chiming in some times to his thoughts of what's going on infront of him. Needless to say, the main characters aren't that exciting or captivating to even be memorable to you, you'll never hear people that have watched at minimum 5 anime shows say "X from children of the whales is a great character!" It won't. Plot- This is just so dumbfoundly shocking that the plot of the show with such an interesting concept is more or less trash to put it lightly. Moments and things that happen are so telegraphed to the viewer it's almost insulting to you if you're paying attention even somewhat. Nothing is shocking and nothing is there to keep you invested or interested since the characters are as tasteful as cardboard. The dynamics of the characters are non-existent especially given the concept of showing emotions is forbidden (Even though the anime constantly breaks that rule MULTIPLE times for both heroes and villains) so the characters shown aren't really worth taking the time to care for them. |-Conclusion-| It's almost painful to watch this anime solely on the fact that it has a unique setting and concept being squandered by a staff that forgot how to write action dialogue, plot, and characters. It's downright insulting to ask viewers to invest 12 episodes of their time to witness a train wreck of bad handling that only those that haven't watched a single anime will enjoy it. I regret watching this/wasting my time to go through it trying to find anything redeemable for it to hold it at an average, that maybe I was too harsh and it'll turn out great, but it is without the doubt below average at best and a 1 out of 10 if you hate the visuals.

It is weird how a such with such an interesting synopsis and world, could be this boring. - The plot line for this show sounded fascinating to me and I jumped at the chance to watch it. And whilst it did deliver everything it promised...it was incredibly boring. The world itself was extremely interesting and creative. It presented this scenario and all these questions started to pop up in my mind like "who are they and why are they here?" but even though by then end of the show these questions were answered, I think I fell asleep twice during it. It takes talent to present such an interesting story in such a boring way it makes you sleep. - Art and Sound were very good, nothing to comment on. - After much thought, I think its the characters to blame all this dullness on. But even still I'm not too sure. The main was a bit cliche and the main supporting girl character was also nothing special...in fact, I don't think any character was really memorable. The antagonist was kind of interesting but even still I don't think he really got to show his true colours till one of the very ending scenes (which was setting up a second season). This show really, REALLY, confuses me. It has all the ingredients of a great show, but just isn't, and is in fact is really really boring. Whilst the characters are quite dull I'm not sure if they're entirely to blame but I just can't put my damn finger on it. If you're looking for an interesting world and premise and can sit through 12 episodes to explore it, go ahead and watch it. Otherwise, maybe just read the wiki synopsis of each episode?

This really is just a setup for the second season. Latter half of this isn't as good as the first half, especially the episode all about a character no one cares about. It's not as emotional as it was trying so hard to be, but it is very appealing visually which made it stand out among the anime in its season. The music is also one of its stronger points. The story seems interesting though not much happens throughout, leaves to be desired. There aren't that many interesting characters now that i think back on it, just a few were actually interesting. Oh yeah, i don't know if it's just me but i was laughing every time the guy with pink hair was on screen - it was just hilarious, he's this psychopathic evil dude but i can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Which reminds me, he shouldn't be so emotionally expressive, and it's something they never explain. Even though it's a disappointment, i hope it gets an animated sequel because i somewhat liked it overall.

I watched Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau, also known as Children of the Whales. Here are my thoughts: I'll begin with discussing visuals, as this is one of the show's best features. This anime consistently looks excellent. Nearly every single frame is screencap-worthy. The art style is unique and has an organic look to it that is quite immersive. There is a lot of variety among the character designs, and most of them look good. The MC is adorable, both in design and personality. Facial expressions are well illustrated and the character animation is consistently good. The creative art style and high visual production quality really enhance the fantastical setting of this show as well. The setting is another very remarkable aspect of this anime. It is quite unique and otherworldly. It was a major component of my enjoyment. More and more information about the world is gradually revealed throughout the show; it is pretty intriguing and the show does a decent job at world building for a 12-episode runtime. What I can reveal to you without spoilers is that the show takes place in the middle of a 'sand ocean' aboard some sort of magical ship composed of earthy materials. It is quite cool and fantastical, and the nice visuals really complement it. Even beyond the world building, there are a lot of mystery elements in the show and hints dropped about things not yet revealed. However, as you might cynically expect from a 12-episode manga adaptation, many of the mysteries alluded to the viewer are never explained. Regardless of some of my questions not being answered, I still often felt a sense of intrigue while watching. The writer clearly had some fascinating ideas. Also worth mentioning is that the ending is not particularly satisfying and leaves a ton of loose plot strings. The last episode indicates an upcoming sequel (and I did watch the Blurays), but at the time of writing this I'm not aware of any sequels. One of this show's most significant issues is the size of its cast. The enormous cast with this limited runtime is not a good combination, especially in an already plot-heavy show with a lot of exposition. This anime tries to balance way too many character arcs, and none of them are done particularly well as a result. Compounding this issue further is the fact that it's difficult to feel emotions for characters who are not given adequate development, or barely any screentime at all for that matter. A common criticism that I've heard from others about this show is that it is too "melodramatic." I would argue that this feeling of so-called melodrama described by others is the result of phenomena I've just outlined: emotionally impactful events happening to inadequately developed characters. In any case it is true that the show is dramatic. Most episodes involve somebody crying at some point. If frequent tears is something that puts you off then you likely won't enjoy this anime. It definitely lays on the drama heavy (that's certainly not an issue for me personally). Apparently the source material is shoujo demographic, although it felt much more cosmopolitan than that to me. One subtle but praiseworthy aspect of this anime is that it maintains a fairly consistent emotional tone. I was grateful for the absence of comedic relief and minimal 'emotional whiplash' effects. Beyond the characters, the show tries to tackle a bewildering amount of story arcs, in addition to the already elaborate world building. Simply put, the show tries to pack way too much story into its runtime, and as a result none of the story arcs are executed particularly well. The divided attention of the viewer and lack of sufficient screentime meant that any resulting emotional payoff from a given story arc was significantly impeded. To me, this is a core reason for this anime's squandered potential. I think you won't be surprised to read that I found the show's overall pacing way too quick, particularly during the later episodes. Although they weren't present in every episode, I found the fight scenes to be a weak point of this anime. They were fairly lackluster and, even worse, drawn out and soaked up a lot of precious screentime. I'm really not sure why so much screentime was allocated to these fight scenes. Regardless of the execution, it was disappointing to see such a unique creative show devolve into mundane violent conflict. I realize that the kinetic conflict was a mechanism to explore the themes of the writing, but I wish it was approached a different way. However, my opinion on this is definitely biased due to my general distaste for fight scenes. It's possible I'm overstating their significance. The OST seemed decent but I'll need to listen to it in isolation to evaluate it with greater confidence. I know there were some good tracks, but it was mostly overshadowed by dialogue and sound effects (like sandstorm background noise), at least from my perspective. In terms of voice acting, nobody in this large cast impressed me or stood out (besides Ouni's sexy deep voice). My overall rating: 7/10 This anime has a truly unique setting along with some intriguing world building, and it's all presented with a wonderful organic-looking art style. It consistently looks fantastic. Unfortunately, it suffers from unfocused storytelling and poor screentime budgeting. It tries to present far too much story content for its runtime, and sadly as a result none of the story arcs realize their impressive potential. A lot of this anime's issues could have been diminished if it were two cours instead of a mere 12 episodes. Most of its flaws are common manga-adaptation problems. Despite my criticisms, I think that a lot of people could enjoy this anime. There are a lot of aspects here worth appreciating. I'm surprised it isn't more popular.

I am not good at reviews. Like at all. However, I wish to tell everyone about how amazing this series is. It isn't given much credit much to my dismay, and I believe it is an anime worth watching and worth your time. It is absolutely beautiful: the story, the art, the character; everything in this anime is so painfully gorgeous. I cried quite a lot throughout this series, maybe due to pms or something like that, I'm joking by the way, but it made my heart ache with sorrow, grief but also love. It's a story telling us to never let go of our emotions, as it is what makes us special, unique. Emotions should never be held inside, bottled up, but also not be let to roam in us freely. A balance lifestyle is important. It's necessary in our survival and in our lives. Please watch it. Your life will change if you carefully understand all of it.

INTRODUCTION: Kujira no Kora is set on a fictional world, where people live on top of a floating island, or the "Mud Whale", as they call it. However, the island sails not on a sea of water, but on a sea of sand - akin to Final Fantasy XII's Nam-Yensa and Ogir-Yensa Sandseas. The inhabitants know nothing about the fate of mainland humans, so they sail alone, in a neverending journey with no destination. The anime also features magic: the vast majority of people living there are "marked", which can be used for a plethora of things - aim assist, defence, moving objects and so on. People are either born with or without it, the latter being known as "unmarked". For an unknown reason, marked ones have a shorter lifespan - they can't live much past 30. Due to that, administration is left to those who can acquire more life experience and knowledge. As an adaptation from the homonymous manga, Kujira no Kora is a dramatic shoujo within an amazing and unique setting. The question remains: can it live up to its expectation? PLOT: One of these days, another island is found afloat - as a somewhat uncommon recurrence, it is a mean to gather resources for survival. Main character Chakuro finds there an enigmatic and dangerous girl, Lykos, and brings her home with him. At first, it feels like Kujira no Kora is a light-hearted exploration and adaptation anime. However, later events completely change the anime's tone: tragedy befalls upon the whole island. What follows from there is a dramatic, interesting sequence of events. Unfortunately, the plot suffers from both bad pacing, mostly from weirdly-timed climaxes, and bad narrative, which comes from overdramatic focus on specific events. The anime tries too hard to surprise us with misfortune and pain, and it fails miserably. Still, it is a show about survival - after the storm, life goes on, and the show portrays that in a fine manner. Besides Chakuro and Lykos, Ouni is the third main character. Despite them being the main trio, they aren't well developed as the anime goes on - which is a problem with the entire cast. All characters, and I mean ALL, are simply... boring. I could not care at all about Ouni's desires, Chakuro's inner battles nor Lykos' struggle. Besides them, Suou is the most important ally and the one who gets frequent screen time, and Liontari is what is portrayed as a maniac enemy, a character I utterly despise. Shuan, Sami, Nibi, Neri, Ginshu, the Elders and all the others feel like filler characters, existing just for rushed plot points. I wish this were a 24 episode anime, so each of them could have been explored and developed. I'm split in two regarding the art direction - effects and backgrounds are incredibly beautiful, being what looks like hand-drawn. Despite that, I hate most of characters' look, as I feel they don't fit the atmosphere. I wish they weren't so "anime-y" just so they could match the environment around them. The sound direction is mesmerizing, it being Kujira no Kora's strongest part. Beautiful piano melodies fit melancholic scenes perfectly, while cheerful songs made us feel on-par with the happy moments around the island. There are also a few more things to note. Some deus-ex machina bullshit happens with certain characters, which should have been avoided. The inhabitants of the island are densely stupid regarding fighting strategy, though there is an implicit excuse to that. Most of the misteries are explained, though some are either badly shown or left out for a sequel, which is a cue to another point: the show features an open end, which may or may not satisfy viewers. I didn't mind it, though some might. CONCLUSION: Kujira no Kora is a wasted potential. I wanted it to be great, though it was just a fine anime. It did not live up to my expectations. It left the same sour taste in my mouth as Lost Song did, which is not a good thing. The worldbuilding is simply amazing, featuring both solid art and sound directions. The story itself is fine, though it could have been way better if it had fewer of the aforementioned problems. The characters are definitely the weakest link - too much time was wasted on drama I simply couldn't care about. It would have been better spent if it focused on character development, which is also lacking in many ways. Too many characters may not completely ruin an anime, though it can deter from the main ones. All in all, despite its flaws, I enjoyed watching this, and I would definitely watch a second season, should one miraculously come.

This is an interesting show that was almost exclusive to Netflix. Visually it looks great. The style reminds me a lot of Ghibli movies but also of From The New World. A group of people are stranded on an island known as the "whale" as it travels along the desert. Some are gifted with psychic powers while others are not. As they live their simple peaceful lives on this tiny island they suddenly find themselves under attack by outsiders wearing masks. What surprises them is that they looked alike and also possessed similar powers to themselves. As they let one of the attackers who regain her emotions stay with them, they learn their attackers have lost their emotions. They also learn more about the outside world and the deeper secrets of their own island. An interesting world setting to say the least. If the above doesn't sound interesting, you can watch it for the artwork at least.

Children of the Whales is a show that starts with amazing potential, and then promptly squanders it. Watching the first episode or two, I had a lot of good will towards it. The art is amazing, and reminded me very strongly of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (an all-time favorite of mine). The music and voice acting were spot on. And the ideas were FASCINATING. I love approaching these high, philosophical ideas in fantasy, and questions of utopia or dystopia, and what makes a human, well, human or what makes life worth living. And the initial story and conflict we're given is just that, playing on what it means to have emotions and how life could be different for factions that sacrifice feelings over ones that don't. It's not fare I'd go for all the time, necessarily, but it can be really good stuff. All these existential questions and more were unceremoniously discarded or thrown into the "never really addressed" pile in favor of harsh action. Also and more damningly discarded are basics like pacing and character development, the poor handling of which constantly degraded the show, along with a poor understanding of when and how to do its world building. As an example, we lose a very likable character early enough in the show that I wouldn't even count the death in question a spoiler. I wouldn't mind so much, but towards the end of the show I realized that the one who died in the first couple of episodes was one of the straight-out best characters. That's right, a character with only a little screen time in the first couple episodes beats out our leads in my mind because that bit character at least had a definitive persona and some recognizable character traits while our central characters just don't. The survivors, most notably our leads Chakuro and Lykos, were damnably two-dimensional, with no character traits that you could discern if you weren't told by other characters that they're supposed to have those traits. Chakuro can almost be forgiven -- he is our point of view character, and such a person suffering from being an invisible bland nobody is still bad, but it's hardly remarkable. Lykos though has to do some heavy plot lifting, and we're supposed to believe that she's experiencing a journey as she gains feelings for, if not literally the first time, the first meaningful time. How much does she change from the very beginning to episode 12? Well, her voice acting does emote a little more, and she gets a crying scene? Yay? But that happened at the start of her journey too; there's no progress nor transformation, and if she has more or less become a person by the end of the show thanks to gaining feelings of her own, I have no idea who she is as a person. None whatsoever! There are more tolerable characters -- Ouni and Suou -- who experience arcs, but for the most part they aren't the focus as much as they should be through the bulk of the show if they're the characters we're supposed to be seeing evolve. The pacing throughout the story has a continual problem where too much time was spent on scenes that really didn't need it, or building in directions that never paid off. For instance, there's a minor villain who never really amounts to anything who is given a really notable setup and what looks to be a huge, focal sendoff and it's totally undeserved. Similarly, multiple times throughout the show we're treated to out-of-time conversations in some spirit world, and while the first one seems to be serving to build character (it fails) and comes at a time where it feels relevant and germane, at least one later such conversation comes in the middle of climactic action, and it takes FOREVER, repeating itself and slowly, over iterations, saying what it wants to say when a much shorter version of the same scene could have been just as effective. Or, thanks to reducing the bloat, more effective. These kinds of problems are throughout the show, to the point where you could probably tell the story that it wants to tell in episodes 1-9 in 6 or fewer, which would have left time for the simultaneously rushed and bloated post-script that takes up episodes 10, 11, and 12. Speaking of which, that little misstep is truly baffling in its failure. It has the emotional weight and sequence of occurences of something you could handle in a single episode, but introduces so many specific details and new plot threads that it feels like it needs another season to properly explain and explore them. Maybe that's supposed to be the way it feels, since the show will outright tell you that the journey continues, but there are far more graceful ways to do it. Other shows, adapted from longer-running source material, leave hooks to draw the audience on to a (theoretical) next season, but they don't do it at the expense of getting the first season right. The art and sound may be great, but the Story is a wasteful mess, the characters are bland puppets, and I was left feeling fundamentally unfulfilled by how insultingly little the show gave me. Now, I will say this -- I do appreciate the world-building. I love fantasy worlds that dare to be something alien to Earth as we know it, and the vast Sea of Sand that we see here does that well. What's more, the creatures and powers (Both supernatural and political) that inhabit the world are quite interesting, and their roles and life-cycles seem designed well. I didn't like Children of the Whales and can't recommend it, but at the same time I have to say that if a second season does manifest, I'd probably at least try to watch it in the hopes that they go somewhere with that. Story: 3 Art: 9 Sound: 8 Character: 3 Enjoyment: 4 Overall: 5

Story 7/10 : For me, the story kept my attention through the entire show and I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued to learn more and more about this mysterious land as the characters did. I liked how it was shrouded in mystery, leaving me confused at some moments as to what exactly was going on before my eyes. I do admit that at some moments it left me a little too confused, hence why I'm rating this show a 7/10 for story, but luckily it wasn't too long for me to lose interest in it's concept. It was a very unique idea that had me hooked on the concept from the beginning. Art 9/10: I really loved the art style in this anime. It wasn't the most beautiful I'd seen by any means, but it was definitely an anime that had visuals I really enjoyed. There were some especially beautiful shots in the anime that I will recall and remember fondly and I think that speaks volumes. Sound 6/10: I can't say that the sound was particularly overwhelming for me, but it wasn't necessarily bad either. The ed track was very nice, I wasn't that interested in the op, and the music in the actual show wasn't too memorable for me. Character 7/10: I must say that I did like a lot of the characters in this show. Lykos, Ouni, Chakuro, were probably the ones that kept my attention the most. That said, even with characters I did like, I can't say that all of them were memorable. The ones that caught my attention my most are memorable to me of course, but others characters? I can't say the same. I don't think they were necessarily bad characters, but they weren't so special that I would remember them and how they stuck with me. Enjoyment 8/10: Regardless of everything I've said so far, I really did enjoy the anime enough to give it a solid 8. I binged the show from episode 3 to 12 in one sitting if that says anything at all. I wanted to know more about the story as it progressed and I can say without a doubt that knowing more is coming makes me excited for what the future holds with this story. I'm hoping for the best, as well as to learn more about characters (new and old) along the way and what's to come for the characters as they enter the new world. Overall 8/10: I would definitely recommend this anime to anyone who may have the slightest interest in it. I'm actually quite surprised at the amount of low rating reviews I've seen for this anime so far. I think it's a little harsh to give the rating anything lower than a 7 as an overall rating, simply because it doesn't deserve it. That said, the anime is not for everyone, as is every show. I think it's definitely worth a try, but if it does nothing for you, then that's okay. But give it a chance? I think you may find it'll be worth your while.

First of all, I'm going to start this review by giving a bonus point to this anime for the opening, which is clearly my favorite of the season (although it would have been nice if they changed it a little after episode 3) Story : 8. I must say, the story had potential. Even though the world was interesting, it is clearly undevelopped but that can be excused by the fact that it only has 12 episode to develop it and that the show seems to be focused on characters and emotions before world-building - but I'll come back on that part in the character section. Art : 6. Unlike most people here, I really didn't find the art to be that amazing. Sure, it had some great character designs, great color palette and designs too, but that's about it. The art is good for something like an illustration, but in an anime, it's the animation that's more important, and that's what they're missing. Most of it was pretty stiff, and even on parts were it was supposed to be the climax, I feel like they just didn't put enough effort and, as people call it, enough sakuga. Sound : 8. Honestly I'd be lying if I said that I paid big attention to the music in this anime apart from the opening. But I'd say that it's a good point since it didn't disturb me from the actual show. Character : 3. Oh boy, the characters... Where do I start. Well, let's begin with the main character. To me he was one of the only good characters, along with Ouni and, to some extent, Lykos. But still, he was kinda...bland. Now, for other characters of the Mud Whale, while some had great potential (shoutout to best girl Ginshu and best girl #2 Taisha) they get forgotten pretty easily because of the lack of appearance (and yes I had to go back check their name since I forgot them because of how few these two appear in the show). Ouni and Nibi relationship was great, but it was only clearly revealed late in the show so it kinda ruined the climax of their relationship. About the characters from the other islands, I don't even want to talk about them because either 1) they have little to no screentime and 2) those we are able to see are simply incoherent. I mean, yeah, let's make an entire country full of """emotionless""" people and yet they will still have the exact same reaction as the inhabitants of the Mud Whale, pretty logical huh. Although I'll make an exception for Liontari since he is one of the few character of this anime who actually got character development. Enjoyment : 3. Boy was I bored when I watched this show. To be honest I only finished watching it to see where it was going in the end, but I was rather disappointed with an ending leading to a most-likely second season. Well, at least I know that if that second season does actually come out, I probably won't watch it.

6 out of 10 Beautiful backgrounds, simplistic yet nice character style, likeable characters. The story tackles difficult themes (e.g. value of life, emotional baggage) but is rushing the first episodes. Plus for the music. Establishment of the (fantasy) setting feels forced on many spots, could have been made a lot better by simply SHOWING what happens instead of narrating every little bit WITH THE CHARACTERS like the viewer is a total idiot and doesn't understand anything by watching. If you are a lazy storyteller, the budget doesn't allow it or sth. and you NEED to explain things, use text or off-voice. Characters who've lived in the same spot for their whole lives don't go around telling each other how THEIR world works - there are so many ways to show all of that visually. So yeah, I wish they'd have spent one more episode for introduction/establishing. It would have been SO MUCH BETTER! Conclusion: Watch if you like to see beautiful, detailed, painting-esque worlds, if you are okay with heavy themes and graphic violence and storytelling flaws.

The first thing that captured my attention of this brand new anime was the art style. The track for the PV was also enough to get me on the edge of my seat, searching all areas on the internet for a release date. Alas, it was one of those that wasn't as great as I had hoped it would be. That being said, some aspects were just so beautiful to me that I urged myself to write a review. Here are my thoughts-- SPOILER FREE. STORY - 5/10 A very unique storyline-- one I cannot compare to any other anime (mind you I can't say I've watched over 100). However, there were some episodes were I started feeling a little bit bored with the exposition. Things were becoming predictable, and I felt little to no tension built. If you you're looking for action-packed with suspense after every episode, this wouldn't be what your looking for. ART - 9/10. Breath-taking is the only word to describe it. I've never seen anything like it. I rewatched scenes after nearly every episode because the visuals were so stunning. The colour palette was quite beautiful too. Not much else to say, but I really loved the visuals of this show. SOUND - 9/10 BEAUTIFUL soundtrack. The vocals were so elegant, matching the visuals in every scene. I will say that in some scenes I felt that the track was not fitting for the feeling that was to be portrayed in specific scenes. But I'll definitely be listening to this over and over again for a pick-me-up. CHARACTERS - 5/10. Didn't feel as thought many had unique traits about them. The main girl, Lykos, was a very boring character for me and I didn't enjoy her at all. One of the characters I didn't think was so bad was Ouni, who has a rather emotionless demeanour which I'm not a big fan of, either. My favourite character would, unfortunately, be one of the last to be introduced in the final two episodes of the season. I didn't grow any emotional attachment to a character in particular, which is always something I hope to gain from an anime. Bit of a swing-and-a-miss in this category, I must say. ENJOYMENT - 6/10. I had a hiatus with this anime after the 7th episode, to which I finished today after 41 days of time going by. I felt like it was becoming an effort to watch, and the only thing keeping me watching was the visuals and the music (I am a very creative person, so music and art are things I thrive on). TO CONCLUDE: Don't have high hopes for this one. But if you're like me and are fans of pleasing visuals and soundtracks, give it a go and see if you like it.

Children of the Whales gives a face, personality and memories to a group of fictional characters being hunted to death. Ever wondered what it may be like to have your peaceful everyday life turned upside down and face death for reasons you may never know against forces with overwhelming power over you? What chance would you stand and is there anyone out there that can help or side with you? are there friends among the enemies? or enemies among your friends? Is it acceptable to defend yourself with violence, how many will die, WHO will die, will it be a friend, a brother, sister, father or mother. Take this rhetoric to heart as this jewel of an anime unfolds before you. Children of the Whales depicts a group of people being pursued to the death for a villain's lust for power. There are groups in our real world that are facing similar struggles of life or death, but because we don't see their faces or hear their stories we turn a blind's eye. For the masses Children of the Whale will be another anime that came and left. For a few it will be a fictional example of what terrible events people facing genocide have or are facing.

I think this anime is gearing up into something great. This anime reminds me of Ooku in that it has the bones, but it isn't quite there yet. Interesting characters, an interesting premise, and the set up into something great. For now, it's a 7/10. Though I do think it has potential to be a masterpiece. The art is there, the characters, and the world building. The empire is shaping up to be a formidable for, especially one particular character that is cruel and cunning. I'm excited to read the manga, and I was right to choose this to watch.

I love this anime 8/10 While I would like to give it a 10/10 I cannot. The story is great, and very immersive, but the real excitement takes off after the anime ends, I feel they should have focused on world building and character building for the first season and maybe another season with the first would have been good. Character's 9/10 I loved the characters of the show, they are interesting in my option, and a nice clash of difference with each other. While I believe they are a little lackluster and could have had more time to develop I still found myself interested in learning more about them, and that's good character writing in my opinion. Story 8/10 We look at the story from the perspective of Chakuro, our protagonist. So I get why some thins are unexplained, we learn them with Chakuro, but other than that a lot of things were explained nicely, and I believe the people who don't understand didn't pay attention enough. Although there were a few plots that weren't as developed as it could have been, It feels like they forgot about it, remember, and didn't nothing but other than that I really think you should give it a try. Enjoyment: 10/10 (personally) Overall: 8/10 (for plot reasons) P.S, Please despite all the negative comments on the anime/manga, give it a try. Remember all these reviews are mostly options and while someone may dislike it you may find you enjoy it.

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. First few episodes i honestly thought this was going to be one of my favorite anime but poor characters, dumb plot armors, horrible pacing, and the shows constant push to make you emotional just butchered the whole experience. You can tell that the writers tried to make a heartbreaking, melancholy-filled, emotionally packed anime with great visuals and sound but they failed so poorly on the most important part that it just doesn't make it up for it and is not worth watching. Seeing something with so much potential to be so dreadful just pains me. ED sounds pretty good tho

I'll be super brief, seeing as how this is an older anime with plenty of reviews already. Children of the Whales isn't for everyone. It has a cutesy exterior, but on the inside, it's a sad story. At least, initially. It feels like a casual story as compared to a deep and intricate story. If you're looking for something interesting to kick back and enjoy (based on the synopsis), then I'd say you'd like this, but if you're looking for depth or for everything to make sense, then maybe skip it. It's a story about kids with powers dying young and trying to change their destiny one way or another. I wasn't expecting much, I actually watched it without reading anything about it, but I got a nice ride out of it. Either way, I highly recommend watching it yourself to see if it interest you. You can really tell the creator intended for this to be a longer story instead of a seasonal anime. It's not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed watching it and it kept my interest. I can't give it anything higher than a 7.5 though. There's something here, beyond what we were given with the anime, and I intend to look into the source material to continue the story.

Childrens of the whale isn't a bad anime, although it had a very promosing story, the characters are not good enough to keep up, and episode after episode the anime starts to get worse and more erros and confusing moments happen. I neither recommend or not recommend this anime. What I didn't like the most was their reactions to the dead people and while the people were killed, and how the hell would a guy be fine the next day after losing his little sister or after losing the one they loved, it is not realistic, and so because of that the anime loses merit. The story itself has some problems, and think it could be much better, if they had worked more on it. And to the end the way they discover the reason why the gifted people die so young is simply stupid... And after their kind of revolution, it just makes no sense... And what makes even less sense is that the marked or gifted people have family that is unmarked and so they love each other so it makes no sense for someone to try to make a revolution......And yes, you should count your dead. Come on, be more organized, you have to access the damaged coused to you.

I Don't usually Write Reviews But Damn This anime is underrated. I MAKES MY BRAIN/HEART HURT. (I Had To Right This Big Review OR Else System Won't Accept It So Plz Pardon My English) JUST GIVE IT A TRY AND I PROMISE YOU WON'T REGRET IT. It's a small but Impactful Anime. It Doesn't Have A Big Story But It's aAbsolutely Watchable. I Have Already Watched All The Top Notch Animes Of This Decade and This Is Right Up There.🙏🙏 Give It A Try. Opening And Ending Are OP Story: 8 Has I Said It's Not Big On Story (Atleast in season 1) But The Plot is Engaging and Keeps You In suspense .If You like Cute Kids And People Learning From Hardship Them You Will Enjoy It.(It's Unique). Art : 9 For Me The Art Style Is Excellent And Top Notch. There Is no Reason To hate It. Sound :9 The Ost, Opening And Ending Are More Them Excellent And I Just Love It. And You Would Too 100%. Character: 8 Character Design Isn't The Strongest Part Of This Series. But It's Still Way Above Average. You Will Definitely Love The Character And The Moments Of Death And Despair. I Am Not A Mature Adult( I am 18 Male) So I Can't Say That You Will Enjoy If Your 20+ But People In My Age Group will Most Definitely. Enjoyment: 9 I Want To Give It 10/10 On Enjoyment But Has There Is Room For Error I can't . But You Will Not Regret You Decision For Watching It I Can Guarantee That Much. Overall: 8.99 It's An Underrated Series So Plz Rate It After Watching It🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Currently Wating For Season 2.