I don't know where to start with Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. I tried describing it to my friends who were asking for anime recommendations and I simply didn't know where to start. All I could do in the end was give up in exasperation and plead for them to watch it.
I've half a mind to do the same on this blog post, but I think that I might be missing out on an opportunity to get more people to watch Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the adorable fairies or the great, yet non-linear, storytelling.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, an adaptation from the same-titled light novel series by Tanaka Romeo, is set in a future world where humans have regressed in terms of civilization, population and have lost most of their technology. In this future world, there are fairies, who like sweets and happy things, and forever causing trouble in their pursuit of amusement. The person who gets to deal with most of these troubles is a young mediator whose job is to create a harmonious relationship between the humans and faeries.
I have never read the light novel series (actually, I've yet to read any Japanese light novel series ever; though I plan to remedy that now that I found Baka-Tsuki), so I'm not sure if the storytelling progression is the same. Which, by the way, does not happen in the normal sequence of events. The narrative skips from one relevant event to another, without any regard for the natural timeline whatsoever. So, you can expect to watch episodes or encounter facts that require a later episode to completely understand or make sense of.
Then, there are the characters. The main character has no name, so she's just referred to as the Heroine, mediator, girl, Ms. Sweets or, at in a few instances, Kami-sama (god). Her assistant, a mute and hard-working boy, is only referred to as Assistant. Her grandfather is... well, Grandfather. There are few supporting characters to take note of, but none that appear throughout the entire series. Some are fortunate to have names... that is if you think that the names Y and Curly sound like actual names.
And, of course, you have the fairies, who are the source of the series's fun, adventures and troubles. The fairies actually look more like dwarves (or very cute garden gnomes) and have perpetual smiles on their faces, regardless if they're happy, bored, indifferent, depressed or scared, which is sometimes accompanied by pissing their pants (their urine, by the way, is just purified water). As adorable as they already look, the fairies also have child-like voices, which make you want to just hug them or keep them in your pocket forever. At least, until they get into one of their mischievous plans and you start to feel like tearing your hair out, which I'm sure is what the Heroine should feel like if she actually didn't end up getting carried away by their schemes. Oh, and there's the issue of fairy reproduction, where they just mysteriously multiply when they're having fun.
You can expect a lot of craziness in Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, many of which are courtesy of the fairies. Some of these adventures (or misadventures, for the most part) include headless chickens that want to take over the world, mysterious manga volumes that will suck you in and make you act out plot lines to draw in the audience, nation building, and setting off a time paradox just so they can have lots of sweets made by many Heroines (uh.... yeah, not going to explain this one further). Yet, you can't put all of the blame on the fairies. The humans are also culpable for many of the troubles that beset them. Most of the time, the fairies only get involved because they just want to join in on the fun by trying to create alternative (sometimes funny, sometimes strange and sometimes creepy) versions of what the humans are up to. Other times, the fairies just run with an errant idea of a human.
As funny as Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita can be, especially when mishaps are concerned, there is an underlying sense of seriousness in the series. This is keenly felt when the downfall of technology and the halt on the advancement of humanity are mentioned. Serious issues of a declining population and low food supply are touched on, and you get a pervading sense that the humans in the series have already suffered through many losses in terms of their culture. It is these issues, however lightly it seemed that they are touched upon, that makes Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita a brilliant piece of satire fiction. As ridiculous as the world and circumstances in the anime can be, there is truth to its depiction of the human condition.
But don't start thinking that these observations will detract from how fun and funny Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita can be. The moment you start thinking that it might be too much of a commentary on how much we suck at being humans, you should just wait until one (or hundreds) of the fairies come up on screen.
Because they really are adorable.
I just wouldn't want to be responsible for them.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Comedy, Fantasy, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Must-Watch, TV
