#n u really shouldnt expect all answers given to u right away !!

[tskumoyuuma]

my roommate and I binge watched the lost village / mayoiga and we really werent prepared for that kind of ending. it was so good we didnt kno what to say when it was over. then we found out the majority of people hated the anime n wer dumbfounded. my guess is that they didnt watch it to the end / didnt get the point of it. so, in response, I just had to write a review on crunchyroll explaining exactly why people need to give the anime a chance n watch all 12 episodes. pasted under the cut cause it's a bit long :

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let me preface this with the fact that my roommate and I started watching this as a joke. I had never heard of this anime before, but they had because of the stupid hippopotamus song in the first episode. we were bored and put this on because, like many reviewers on here, we expected a bloodbath. with so many characters thrown at you in the beginning, who wouldnt ? and yet, at the end of our bingewatch, my roommate and i, unlike the majority of reviewers, were dumbfounded by how satisfying and emotionally deep the ending was, how everything was wrapped up. I dont really write reviews, but seeing all the other ones, I am compelled to write this one.

now let me say that if you're also here for a bloodbath, turn away. this is not the anime for you. I feel that most of the negative reviews come from people angry that there was no extreme gore or violence. that is not the point of this anime. in fact, the point lies in the emphasis of those who lived

but before I get deeper into that, let's break down the different aspects of this anime :

animation

the general animation of this anime is average. the only thing worth noting is how the monsters are animated, at times even using real life footage if eyes to really bring out the horror and monstrosity of the things chasing this group of people. there are also some monsters that were so horrifying that I gagged a bit, so props to the animation team for that. everything else is all right; typical of a short unknown anime of this length

characters

a thing I noticed in the negative reviews for this anime is that there are too many characters who are too worthless to keep around. I, however, disagree. yes, you'll only really remember the main characters names and you will forget everyone elses, but you dont need to remember them. I was able to distinguish all important characters from each other even if I couldnt remember some names and that's what matters. people are also angry because we learn next to nothing about these side characters. this is a good thing in my opinion because with a cast this large, focusing on every character that is introduced in the first five minutes of the anime would only distract from the plot and main characters. they give you enough backstory on characters to understand them and their actions, and that's enough. and, to be clear, none of the backstory they give excuses the characters bad actions; they only serve to explain them. the anime even emphasizes that these kinds of actions are wrong. and, yes, you will get angry at peoples stupid decisions, but that's because theyr human and young and scared, of course they wouldnt make the right and sensible decisions. even I was yelling at the screen at times, but if you can get past that, then the characters are, unlike what most people say, watchable (unless of course your taste in characters is wildly different than mine, then I say to that fair enough. I still believe the anime ending is worth enduring annoying characters for either way).

pacing

I'll be the first one to admit that the pacing, especially in the first few episodes, is not good. the first episode feels rushed as heck and starting it off with a flash round of self introductions didnt help me get into it and only served to confuse me with so many names and faces. but as I've explained, you dont need to memorize everyone's name to kno who is who; you'll kno who's important enough to remember by the second or third episode. the pacing, however, (in my opinion) gets better as you go on. yes, it does bait you along for answers until the second to last and last episodes, but that's to be expected in an anime like this. they're not gonna reveal everything before its over ! and the actual reveals themselves are definitely worth the wait and mystery

plot

I'll be honest and say I didnt kno exactly what was happening for most of the anime. I had questions up the wazoo and no real answers for a long time. however, once they started getting those answers, everything began to piece together. yes, it is confusing at first, especially because they only give you a little bit at a time. however, by episode 11, a lot of things are either explained or just on the verge of being explained. the rest is wrapped up almost perfectly in the last episode, where it answers all the questions I had and also hits you with an ending so deep that my roommate and I didnt kno what to say once it was over. it presents trauma and how to deal with it in a new and refreshing light that I dont believe I've seen before, especially not in a 12 episode anime. I also feel satisfied in a way I've never been before with a 12 episode anime, with the way everything is wrapped up. for me, I dont need another episode showing what happens to the characters and how theyv chosen to deal with their respective traumas. I cant think of a better way to end the anime.

conclusion

i can say with confidence that this anime has thoroughly subverted my expectations, not by making fun of tropes in the horror anime genre and somehow making them worse, but by expanding on what horror means and how people deal with it. everyone is different and deals with trauma in their own way. there is no right way for everyone, only a right way for you.

now, I need to emphasize that in order for everything to come together, make sense, and potentially impact you the way it did for my roommate and I, you need to watch the entire thing. you cant watch the first half and call it a bad anime for not giving answers. answers will come. I can promise that. whether you can accept those answers in the end is, of course, up to you