In recent years there has been an increase in the genre of mystery themed animes. Now the 2016 spring season of anime is no exception as the show Lost Village premiered on April 1st 2016. The anime is written by Mari Okada (Mobile Suit Blood Iron Orphans) and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Girls und Panzers and Prison School). The anime focuses on a group of people who discover an abandoned village where they are subjected to para-normal activity.
Summary:
Lost Village focuses on 30 people who want to change their lives for various reasons. As a result of sharing this goal they find a tour that is going to give them this opportunity, as it will take them to a hidden village called Nanakimura. Upon arriving at this village the 30 people discover that there are no residents living there and the village is run down. Although it is uninhabited there is clean water and crops that could sustain the village. Now due to the amount of crops and the deterioration of the village the group concludes that the village has been abandoned for about a year. This raises questions and concerns as the group begins to adapt to their new life. While they are adapting members of the group begin to vanish, which cause concern among the remaining members as they attempt to find and solve why their fellow members are disappearing.
Analysis:
The anime sets up a unique premise, as 30 people are involved in a variety of mysteries. Now, these mysteries range from personal affairs to an abandoned village and people vanishing in this village. Yet the anime fuses all three of these mystery elements into one as they overlap each other. The three mysteries are intertwined and clues from one mystery are being applied to reveal an element of another mystery. This makes each character’s dialog important as it can reveal an element of their past or another character’s past, which can effect their actions. With their actions effected an element of one of the three mysteries is revealed. Yet the anime chooses to reveal these elements in a non-linear order, which forces the viewer to pay close attention to what is revealed. As a result it keeps the reader engaged and on there toes as elements of the story is revealed bit by bit.
