Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World) - Episode 7

With Satoru's power waning and himself and Saki being dragged into the heartland of the war they've been co-opted into by the Robber Fly colony, things really aren't looking good for these two kids.

That said, Satoru still has enough strength left to cause some temporary chaos in the midst of the Earth Spiders base, giving them some time to try and make good their escape - something which looks likely to be short-lived with their guide Squera captured an enemy forces still lurking everywhere.  Thank goodness then for reinforcements, which come courtesy of the Giant Hornets, a powerful and well-organised colony which has the closest relation to humans, and who make short work of their opponents as we get a glimpse into an ecosystem of slavery and a very clear "food chain" amongst colonies that is a little unsettling.

Speaking of unsettling, Satoru and Saki are convinced that there's no time to rest on their laurels, with the prospect that the leader of the Giant Hornets, General Kiroumaru, is liable to report them to their town at any time or worse.  Thus, the pair decide to make good their escape, and with Squera helping them find their way they're ultimately reunited with their friends.  Even though Kiroumaru quickly catches up to the fleeing group his actions seem anything but malicious, and by the end of the episode the kids have returned home and succeeded in unlocking their powers once again... and so, they all live happily ever after, right?  Of course not, we still have a long way to go in this series.

Having gotten this series well and truly back on track via last week's episode, this latest instalment of Shin Sekai Yori was really rather excellent as it went about conveying the tension of its colony-led warfare, the harsh truths of life outside the kids' town, the sense of innate distrust in everything and everyone fostered by the events which have befallen Satoru and Saki in particular, and the very clear notion that things aren't simply going to return to normal just because they've reached home.  There's something almost biblical about elements of the story as we reach this particular juncture of the series, an almost Adam and Eve-esque tale about this group who have eaten the proverbial tainted fruit that has opened their eyes to all kinds of elements of their lives that were hitherto unknown or misunderstood.  As a result, I'm genuinely excited to see where the story plans to head next again from this moment forth, and it feels as if Shin Sekai Yori's real potential could well be unleashed over the next few episodes.