From The New World: Collection 2 (2013/Sentai Blu-ray)

Picture: B Sound: B+ Extras: C- Episodes: A

Saki lives in a world where children are born with psychic power and raised in a utopia like society, but after a group of children wander beyond the boards of their village they discover a larger world and it's secret past. That everything was not as beautiful as they believed, but the result of countless wars, slavery and abuse of power. Even now, their lives and colony were shaped and controlled by the ethics committee. The truth can set you free, but when a child discovers the truth they are either killed or their memories erased. As they grow and struggle to find and understand the truth, they search for true freedom... but is it worth the risk of death?

In From The New World: Collection 2 (2013, continuing the storyline from the original debut series/season), Saki lived in a world where human have gained psychic powers and are trained to use them. Their society is supported by a lesser society of mutants, the Monster Rat Colonies, but the darker secret behind the mutants was originally non psychic humans that were turn into a slave race, and the psychic humans reigned as Gods. As they discover relics and the truths of the past, the whole point of their society is to prevent them becoming mindless monsters or what they call 'ogres'. When the truth of their pasts spreads to the lesser races, rebellion and war breaks out and threatens to destroy their world again. As the potential leader of the humans, Saki must make hard choices that could save or destroy their world.

This was an interesting anime and explored the human nature with power in a dis-utopia society. Where in a past age, humans who were endowed with power, went mad and nearly destroyed the Earth. Regardless of how powerful or advance humans ever become, there are two things will always cause the downfall of society, 1) the ignorance of the past and 2) human greed for power. Even a society made up of 'Gods' is doomed to fail when they forget the rules of nature will always surpass the rules of man.

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is really good, if not the best we've seen from Sentai, but part of that is the art style. The lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo is very clear, clean, detailed and even has nice Pro Logic-type surrounds. Extras include clean opening and closing animation.

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Snowflakes - Saki face the ethics committee and is given an ultimatum to find and bring back Maria and Mamoru or they will be hunted down.

Afterimage - Saki goes to the Monster Rat Colony for help, but then senses that they are changing with the abuse of knowledge and independence.

To My Beloved Saki - Saki receives a farewell letter from Maria about why she must leave and there is something wrong about the nature and rules of their communities.

Footsteps of Destruction - The Ethics Committee talks on the future of the Monster Rat Colonies, now that they are have gained more power and influence and demand equality...

Scarlet Flower - Saki learns of what happened to the Maria and Mamoru, they were killed by the Robert Fly Colony and have started a rebellion against humans.

Darkness - Saki discovers the Monster Rat Colony somehow got control of an ogre and become a threat to the humans.

A Cold & Sunlit Place - Saki and Satoru is followed by an ogre, but they need to escape and warn the people.

The Fire that Destroys the World - Saki learns the ogre was the child of Maria and Mamoru that the Monster Rat colony raised it to defeat the humans.

Tokyo - Saki journeys to Tokyo to find an ancient weapon that was created to destroy psychics.

The Face of the Boy - As Saki finds the psychobuster, she finally is able to recall her memories of Shun and his warning.

Torchlight in the Darkness - Saki decides to destroy the psychobuster over losing her last close friend.

From the New World - Saki finds another way to defeat the ogre and Monster Rats and is able to start over civilization again, but can humans learn from their mistakes this time?

- Ricky Chiang