Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World) - Episode 12

Being called before the head of the town's Ethics Committee seems like a sure sign that all of Saki's exploits have finally caught up with her, whether said head of the committee is a relative of Satoru's or not - indeed, the only question seems to be exactly what her punishment might be.

It is, therefore, a decidedly huge surprise to find out that Tomiko Asahina has actually invited Saki to see her because she views this girl as a potential successor of hers for the future, having seen her ability to handle traumatic truths with relative ease compared to most, while also showing the leadership skills required of a high-ranking position.  Such is Asahina's trust in Saki that she explains why the reasons which currently govern the town are in place, relating the disturbing tales of a boy who became an "Ogre" and killed countless people through his thoughts and will alone, and also the story of a girl not unlike Shun who, unable to control the leakage of her powers, ended up destroying everything around her during her descent into a karmic demon.

It's these events that saw Monster Rats employed to pre-emptively kill anyone who might show traits that would later lead to them becoming an ogre, while laws were changed to allow the powers that be to terminate anyone under the age of seventeen that exhibited signs of Power leakage that could end with their becoming a Karmic demon.  It's a lot to take, and on top of it all Asahina refuses to restore Saki's memories of her missing friends (until she becomes the head of the Ethics Committee herself at least), but there's little time to dwell on all of this information in the wake of news that Mamoru has gone missing.  With his friends setting out to find Mamoru, it seems as if more danger is in Saki and company's near future.

As we head towards this halfway point of Shin Sekai Yori, I have to admit that I'm now decidedly impressed with the world that it's built for itself - a world that at first seemed idyllic, then seemed to be the home of institutional evil, before throwing the whole thing up in the air with the thought that perhaps these less than ethical deeds are being performed with very good reason.  It's a morally dilemma that looks set to underpin the remainder of the show, and it's one that I hope isn't lost within a series that seems to want to explore many things - for all of its weaknesses up to this point however, I too want to explore this world further along with the series, which must surely count as "mission accomplished" for the show at this juncture.