Kujira no kora wa sajô ni utau

Although it is a sad story overall, I think one of the main goals of it is to teach young about humanity, unity, hope, war, negotiation, even politics in a simple but magic way!

I'm not all of the way through it yet (two episodes to go!), but I feel compelled to come on here and write something about it.

When I first started watching 'Children of the Whales', I have to admit that I found it pretty dull to begin with but on the hand I was intrigued by its originality and decided to stick with it to see where it was heading, and... Well, I'm really glad that I did! Although it does start off pretty slowly, it takes a very dark turn around half way through the season and actually gets very good indeed. In fact, I found that the contrast between the idyllic beginning and the subsequent violence when Falaina is invaded was actually pretty shocking.

It's always great to discover an anime that isn't all about giant robots and shallow characters, and with CotW it's the characters and writing that really makes it stand out. There's some really great character development throughout the first series and many of the ideas and concepts are brilliantly original and are executed with some of the nicest art and designs I've seen in an anime for quite some time. There's a deep seam of emotion running through the show as well, and it is with some reluctance that I admit that it actually made me well up on more than one occasion.

Much of this emotion is down to the really rather superb music, with both the opening and closing title music (and the incidental music throughout the show) being absolutely amazing - in fact, it's one of the few shows where I actually watch them all the way through to listen to them, which is high praise indeed.

Overall, I'd got as far as saying that this is one of the most stunningly original anime I've seen in ages and I can't wait to see if they're going to make a second series.

The show treads some well-worn tracks in terms of its themes (friendship, selflessness, love & loss) and a few cliche anime plot devices (Young Adults fighting each other with magical powers) but the setting & story are creative and intriguing - a small community, some of whom are born with mysterious psychokinetic abilities, are sailing aimlessly aboard a drifting island which they call the Mud Whale; after decades of isolation they suddenly discover they're not alone in the world, and the outsiders may know the tragic secret behind their magic... This story, combined with the beautiful art & animation style - the vistas are almost like oil paintings while the magical elements are added in stunning CGI - makes the Mud Whale feel like its own unique world. The main characters are likable and they develop well as the show progresses - in some unexpected ways too, which are equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. Overall, its one of the best anime which Netflix has involved itself in (not that there's a lot of competition) and definitely worth a binge if you want an anime with less bombastic fighting & fanservice, and more understated emotion & quiet beauty.

This anime is actually pretty decent. It starts off pretty easy going and inncocent, but then takes a dark, gruesome turn. The plot is interesting, the powers are unique, and the combat is gripping. The animations look similar to SOA. American voice actors from Bleach, SOA, Blue Exorcist, and Fullmetal Alchemist star in this show.

I was surprised by this anime: Visually pleasing, an interesting story and with all brutality still emotional and beautiful. It hits a special nerve. It's really worth watching! I hope there will be a second season.