Shangri-la (anime)

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Kuniko's parent Momoko

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year!  To to kick off this new year, I am going to review Shangri-La, a 22 episode anime I watched on Hulu.  I had to dig a little deeper then usual through my recommendations to find this one.  But I was glad to have done so.  This was a high concept anime that really did it's homework and made for a very entertaining time.

Shangri-La follows Kuniko, a vibrant and charasmatic young girl.  As the heir to the Metel Age presidency, many eyes look to her, some for guidence, some for scrutiny.  Metal Age is a terrorist group in direct oppoistion to Atlas.  Atlas is a corportation in charge of rebuilding Tokyo in a new world based on a carbon market. A massive earthquake devistated the metropolis and shifted Japan's place in the global market.  Kuniko goes though a journey, along with friends, family, and peers joined together through unknonwn forces.  This may seem a little jumbled but hear me out.

Mikuni

Good - So my above description may seem all over the place.  Really though, it is a testament to how much was packed into the series.  Without much belaboring or long explanations, Shangri-La is able to create a complex world similiar to our own.  One controlled by limited resoucres and global markets.  A world run by corporations and military powers.  It took me some time to full understand what was driving the groups Metal Age and Atlas, but I figured things out eventually.  And I enjoyed the process.  It was fun and it paid off with the story and character development.  I still had some trouble following the global buying and selling of the stocks, but I've never watched any show or movie that made the Stock Exchange mor exciting the Shangri-La.
Another great aspect of this show was the character development.  Following not only Kuniko but Mikuni and many others, you could see real growth.  Chacracters weren't being rewarded for who they were but more who they were becoming.  It made me feel really attached to the whole cast and made me excited to watch each new episode.
Lastly, anyone whose watched enough anime knows that some of the best series can be crippled by a week ending.  Shangri-Laa does not suffer this.  In fact, it was one of the best series endings I've watched

Detestable Ryoko Naruse

Bad - There is nothing bad about this series.  The only challenge, as I would label it, is this is a series that can be tough to crack at the beginning.  It can be hard to understand how things fit and what is actually happening.  Trust me though, if you stick with it, the pay off is worth it.

Overall - I loved this series.  This was smart and even felt very real considering how true-to-life the concerns were.  The characters were all great - heroes you loved and villains you loathed.  A great flow of mystery and plot.  All of this capped off by a truly solid ending.  5 out of 5 stars.  Watch this anime as soon as you can.

Similar - Full Metal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Future Diary

Watch it on Hulu for free!