With so many anime being released on the market nowadays, there is a need for that extra something special to help a series be seen as innovative and stand out from others also vying for viewer attention. Rather than providing that “extra something special”, Humanity Has Declined (Aka. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita | 人類は衰退しました) goes one step further by making its entire 12 episode anime adaptation incredibly weird and quirky. Although it may go one step too far for some (Albeit a bit more grounded than Pani Poni Dash or Negima!?), the overall experience delivered was quite memorable and different from my own initial expectations.
Storyline
Based on the original light novel works by Romeo Tanaka, Humanity Has Declined takes place in what could be considered one of the most charming post or near apocalyptic locales seen before. Supported by a rapidly declining birth rate and increased scarcity of food, the human population of Earth has begun to dwindle. In their time of need, humanity has come to live alongside beings known as faeries: petite, intelligent and almost magical beings who wear no other facial expression than a wide smile. These beings, while seemingly willing to help humanity, often break the boundaries of logic and reality to complete a task… in ways which aren’t always convenient to others involved. The story itself follows an unnamed heroine who serves as a UN mediator between mankind and faeries. Alongside her unnamed grandfather and similarly unnamed assistant, she is drawn into the unique antics and events caused by undertaking such a role and associating with faeries.
Many (although not all) episodes in Humanity has Declined are split up into arcs comprising of two episodes each, with each arc focusing on one particular event. Without wanting to give too much away about the storyline, these arcs range from the heroine and her companions going to investigate a mysterious factory known as FairyCo (which suddenly begins distributing products around town), to the rise of a doujin market which begins to pique the faeries’ interest. The quality of each arc varies, with some being side-splitting quirky whilst others just plod along towards its conclusion and are likely to not stand out in your memory too much. That being said, the appeal of this anime can really depend on your approach towards it.
From watching the first episode or simply THIS trailer, you may be left with an initial impression that this series offers little more than comedy with incredibly cute faeries. This is only partly true. The true charm of Humanity has Declined in my opinion stemmed from its use of darker/satirical comedy and commentary on socio-political issues, pop culture and other topics. With respect to this, I found approaching this series with an intent to think as well as laugh made the experience more enjoyable. Considering that most plots are introduced, covered and concluded within a 20 to 40 minute time period; I found myself satisfied with how the writing team managed to work with this constraint. Although the quality between arcs could and did shift between drawn-out and genuinely entertaining, on average, I considered the story of Humanity Has Declined to be competently delivered and a more intellectual approach to comedy. I don’t think the ideas presented would have worked nearly as well if it had been done in a random style comparable to Pani Poni Dash, which had a greater emphasis on random events and comedy. Nor is it an approach I think would work with just any anime, and really needs to right storyline and/or concept to be done well.
With main characters who possess no names, character development is not at the forefront of Humanity Has Declined’s approach to storytelling – coupled by the fact that one character remains silent for most of the episodes. With a greater emphasis on world-building and event-building, it is the personalities of each character which shine in this series. The heroine for example may look like your kind and happy-go-lucky main character at first glance, however also shows a more cynical, pessimistic and witty side to herself. These different facets of her personality come to light at appropriate times during the series, and doesn’t simply lock her into one demeanor for every event.
Design
Although Australian anime publisher Hanabee Entertainment only opted to release Humanity Has Declined on DVD, the design quality proved to be pretty good in my opinion. Although it may not be as detailed and/or elaborately animated as several other titles on the market nowadays, AIC A.S.T.A. (Acchi Kocchi, Persona 4: The Animation, Haganai) managed to deliver a charming locale with decent character designs. A special mention must go to the eerily cute fairy design, making viewers rely on aspects other than facial expression and tone of voice to determine their motives.
Music / Voice Acting
Humanity Has Declined features one opening sequence and one ending sequence for the entire season. The opening theme (Real World by nano.RIPE) is the clear standout, coupled by some incredibly entertaining animation. Despite the animation associated with it being simpler, the ending theme (Yume no Naka no Watashi no Yume by Masumi Itou) is also worth a listen to, although wasn’t something that kept me watching the ending credits for more than a couple of episodes. The remainder of the series’ soundtrack was adequate, with no particular highlights of note.
North American publisher Sentai Filmworks opted not to commission an English dub at this point in time, instead choosing to retain the original Japanese dub exclusively. While I personally prefer any anime with a comedy aspect to at least offer some form of English dub, which can help mitigate any significant jokes lost in translation (While retaining the original Japanese Dub + Subtitles of course), the Japanese dub of Humanity Has Declined was pretty good. Mai Nakahara (Rena Ryuguu – Higurashi / Nagisa Furukawa – Clannad) in particular showcases her experience by pulling off the heroine’s role well. Special mention must also be given to the handful of voice actresses who managed to pull off the monotone fairy voices so well.
Extra Content
Although nowhere near the scope of Sentai Filmworks’ previous anime releases of Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth or Kurenai, the English-language of Humanity Has Declined does feature a couple of extra goodies. This includes three ‘Story Digest’ videos and six ‘Survival of the Fittest’ videos – the latter in particular being worth a watch. Also available on-disc are clean opening/ending sequences and trailers depending on which region you are in. In Australia, these trailers are for Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They, Majestic Prince and Little Busters! Refrain.
Final Words on Humanity Has Declined
Humanity Has Declined is an anime series appropriate for those seeking a comedy that’s out-of-the-box and clever, rather than being funny for the sake of generating chuckles from those watching. Although there are several occasions where the events taking place can drag on longer than necessary, enduring these moments will often reward the viewer with a satisfactory storyline, solid dialogue and comedy / commentary based around socio-political / pop culture issues. Although clearly not for everyone, this proved to be a very entertaining watch in my experience.
