From the New World (novel)

Setting

In the year 2011, 0.3 percent of the population developed psychic abilities called "Canto." Soon after these powers manifested themselves, many began using Canto for violence and crime, and the conscious and unconscious use of these powers altered the wildlife and environment. This led to a breakdown of modern society and a world war which devastated the human population and caused the fall of modern society. This was followed by oppressive and feudalistic regimes, but these too dissolved in chaos due to the violence of the psychic humans. Eventually, the psychic endowed humans established a stable society by controlling their powers using genetic modification and social conditioning. They made themselves incapable of violence against other humans by implementing Attack Inhibition and creating Death Feedback (Death of Shame in the anime) which would be activated if a psychic human kills another, causing the murderer's organs to shut down and the killer to die almost instantly. The villages also use genetically engineered creatures for various purposes. The mole-like Queerats resemble humanity, are able to speak human language, and live in a complex eusocial society ruled by queens. The feline Impure Cats are used to kill children at risk of developing one of the two dangerous disorders: the Karmic Demons (業魔), who are unable to control their powers, and the Fiends (悪鬼) (Ogres in the anime), who can suppress the Attack Inhibition and Death Feedback and use their special powers against humans.

Plot

One thousand years after the fall of modern society, Saki Watanabe is born in the tranquil agrarian settlement of Kamisu 66, a society where all humans wield potent psychic abilities. Initially feared by her parents to be a latent, she awakens her powers at age twelve and enrolls in Sage Academy alongside her peers—Satoru Asahina, Maria Akizuki, Mamoru Itou, Shun Aonuma, and Reiko Amano. Unbeknownst to them, the village authorities closely monitor students, eliminating those deemed unstable or dangerous. Erased from collective memory, these disappearances leave no trace; Saki and her friends remain unaware of Reiko's fate.

During an unsupervised excursion, the group encounters a False Minoshiro, a relic from the past that reveals the dark origins of their civilization and the true nature of their powers. Before they can learn more, the monk Rijin intervenes, destroying the machine and suppressing their abilities as punishment for consorting with forbidden knowledge. While returning to face judgment, Rijin is slain by rogue Queerats, and Saki and Satoru are captured. They escape with the aid of Squealer, a member of the Robber Fly colony, who later assists them in defeating their pursuers alongside General Kiroumaru of the allied Giant Hornet colony. Reunited with their friends, Saki restores their powers using hypnotic techniques employed by the village and returns home, believing their transgressions remain hidden.

Years later, Shun isolates himself before vanishing entirely. Saki discovers him in seclusion, learning he has succumbed to becoming a Karmic Demon. Before taking his own life, he reveals the adults' awareness of their past misdeeds. Though memories of Shun fade, Saki and her friends sense his absence. Meanwhile, Mamoru and Maria flee when the village targets Mamoru for elimination, aided by Squealer—now called Yakomaru—who stages their deaths. Saki later dreams of a faceless child warning her against searching for them.

As an adult, Saki works in the Department of Mutant Management, overseeing the Queerats. Yakomaru rises to power, conquering rival colonies before launching an assault on Kamisu 66 with a supposed Fiend—later revealed to be the child of Mamoru and Maria, raised by Yakomaru to bypass the psychological restraints that prevent psychics from harming humans. Pursued and outmatched, Saki and Satoru seek the Psychobuster, an ancient weapon, but ultimately spare the child upon realizing it is no true Fiend. Kiroumaru sacrifices himself by provoking the child's Death Feedback, ending the rebellion.

Yakomaru is captured and subjected to unending torment, though his defiance and claim that Queerats are human unsettle Saki. She later learns the Queerats were once ordinary humans genetically altered to prevent triggering psychic inhibitions. Unable to bear his suffering, she secretly ends his life.

A decade later, Saki and Satoru, now married and expecting a child, look toward the future with cautious hope, believing the world may yet improve for the next generation.

Main characters

• Saki Watanabe (渡辺 早季)
• Saki Watanabe grows up in Kamisu 66, a society where all humans possess psychic abilities. Initially struggling with her powers, she later uncovers disturbing truths about her world. After surviving political purges and a Queerat rebellion, she rises to lead the Ethics Committee. As an adult, she records her experiences while expecting a child with Satoru Asahina, hoping to create a better future.
• Satoru Asahina (朝比奈 覚)
• Satoru Asahina is an energetic and clever boy skilled in telekinesis, often playfully arguing with Saki Watanabe. In his youth, he briefly dates Shun Aonuma before pursuing other relationships. As an adult, he becomes Saki's closest companion and eventual husband. His ability to generate reflective surfaces proves strategically vital during conflicts. He later uncovers the unsettling origins of the Queerat species, a revelation that deeply affects him.
• Shun Aonuma (青沼 瞬)
• Shun Aonuma is the most intellectually gifted and emotionally composed member of his peer group, possessing exceptional telekinetic abilities. Initially in a relationship with Satoru Asahina, he later distances himself as his powers grow unstable, ultimately transforming into a Karmic Demon. Though harboring long-standing feelings for Saki Watanabe, he avoids her to prevent endangering others. After a final conversation with Saki, he takes his own life when his powers spiral out of control. A residual psychic impression of Shun later surfaces in Saki's mind, providing critical guidance during pivotal moments.
• Maria Akizuki (秋月 真理亜)
• Maria Akizuki, distinguished by her long red hair, is the most admired student in her class. She later develops a romantic relationship with Saki Watanabe before forming a duty partnership with Mamoru Itou. Exceptionally skilled in matter manipulation, she eventually leaves the settlement with Mamoru when he flees persecution. Their fate is revealed when Saki discovers Maria was killed by the Robber Fly colony after giving birth to their child, who is later weaponized against human society.
• Mamoru Itō (伊東 守)
• Mamoru Itō, the least assertive and least skilled member of the group, develops romantic feelings for Maria Akizuki and becomes her duty partner. When targeted for elimination by the Board of Education, he flees into the wilderness, with Maria joining him in exile. Tomiko Asahina later confirms that the Robber Fly colony executed Mamoru. His child with Maria is taken by Squealer and groomed to lead the Queerat rebellion as their prophesied "Messiah".

Humans

• Tomiko Asahina (朝比奈 富子)
• Satoru's grandmother and also the head of the Ethics Committee. She intends for Saki to succeed her position as she possesses strong mental stability as well as the qualities of a leader. For this reason, she had asked the Board of Education not to dispose of Saki and her friends despite their transgressions. She also revealed that they were responsible for erasing their negative memories of the past to protect the minds of the townsfolk. With the ability to regenerate the telomeres in her cells, Tomiko has managed to extend her life, having lived for more than 250 years. She also had a close encounter with a Fiend in the past.
• Shisei Kaburagi (鏑木 肆星)
• The adviser of the Security Council and also the strongest telekineticist in the village's history. He wears a hooded mask and has double irises in each eye, capable of detecting and dispelling attacks from all directions. He also displays calmness and confidence in retaliation against the Queerats' attack on the village but is still powerless against the Fiend due to Death Feedback.
• Hiromi Torigai (鳥飼 宏美)
• Chairman of the Board of Education. She is the most anxious and cautious among the council representatives. She dies in the Queerats attack during the Summer Festival.
• Masayo Komatsuzaki (小松崎 昌代)
• Vice-chairman of the Board of Education.
• Koufuu Hino (日野 光風)
• The representative of the Occupations Council. He was killed by a sneak attack in the Queerats attack during the Summer Festival.
• Mizuho Watanabe (渡辺 瑞穂)
• Saki's mother and also the head of the library. She entrusted Saki with the mission to search for the last weapon of mass destruction "Psychobuster" to eliminate the Fiend.
• Takashi Sugiura (杉浦 敬)
• Saki's father.
• Inui (乾)
• A Wildlife Protection officer. He was tasked to annihilate the Robber Fly colony and its allies but his mission failed. He was saved by Kiroumaru and he later accompanied Saki's group to Tokyo for her mission.
• Mushin (無瞋)
• An old, heavily bearded head priest of the Temple of Purification. He conducts the ritual for children entering adulthood.
• Rijin (離塵)
• A high priest of the Temple of Purification who seals away the children's telekinesis for breaking the rules and escorts them to be judged. He is killed by a Balloon Dog (風船犬).
• Reiko Amano (天野 麗子)
• Reiko is the sixth member of Saki's group at the beginning of the story. Due to her weak performance in class, she was killed by an Impure Cat.

Queerats

The Queerats (バケネズミ) are humanoid mole rat mutants organized in colonies that outwardly serve humans as divine beings. Their rebellion under Squealer exposes their suppressed resentment toward human oppression. Saki Watanabe later discovers they originated from non-psychic humans genetically altered with mole rat DNA, created to bypass the psychological restraints (Attack Inhibition and Death Feedback) that prevent psychics from harming ordinary humans.

• Squealer (スクィーラ) Yakomaru (野狐丸)
• Squealer, initially a minor member of the Robber Fly colony, rises to become its supreme commander under the name Yakomaru. His Machiavellian leadership transforms the once-weak colony into a formidable force rivaling the Giant Hornets. While feigning loyalty to humans, he secretly uncovers his species' origins and plots their extermination. His scheme involves murdering the exiled Mamoru and Maria to acquire their psychic child, whom he grooms as the Queerats' messiah. After his rebellion fails, authorities condemn him to perpetual torment in "Infinite Hell." Upon discovering the Queerats' tragic history, Saki Watanabe discreetly ends his suffering.
• Kiroumaru (奇狼丸)
• Kiroumaru, commander of the Giant Hornet colony, first demonstrates loyalty by sparing Saki Watanabe and Satoru Asahina against orders. After his colony falls to the Robber Fly forces, he guides Saki's group to Tokyo's ruins to retrieve the Psychobuster weapon. When this fails, he confesses his repressed resentment toward human oppression before sacrificing himself to stop the Queerat Messiah. His final request—mercy for his surviving colony members—is honored by Saki.
• Squnk (スクォンク)
• A member of the Goat Moth colony. Saki saved him from drowning when he fell into a river. Two years later, he repaid the favor by saving Mamoru after he fell off a cliff. He gives Saki a letter from Maria.

Novel

The novel From the New World was written by the Japanese author Yusuke Kishi and published by Kodansha. It is titled after Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World", whose Movement II appears in the story several times.[5][6] Its original publication was on January 23, 2008, in two volumes.[7][8] On August 7, 2009, it was re-released as a single volume under the Kodansha Novels imprint;[9] and again on January 14, 2011, as three volumes under the Kodansha Bunko imprint.[10][11][12]

Manga

A manga adaption by Tōru Oikawa was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from May 9, 2012,[13] to June 9, 2014.[14] The series has been collected in seven volumes under the Kodansha Comics imprint, released between October 9, 2012, and August 8, 2014.

In 2013 the series was licensed in English by Vertical Inc,[15] who released the seven volumes between November 12, 2013, and January 20, 2015.

Volumes

Anime

The novel was adapted into an anime television series by A-1 Pictures which aired on TV Asahi from October 2012 to March 2013.[30][31] The anime does not have an opening theme but has two ending themes. "Wareta Ringo" (割れたリンゴ) by Risa Taneda was used for episode 1 through 16, which was replaced by "Yuki ni Saku Hana" (雪に咲く花) by Kana Hanazawa starting in episode 17.[32]

It has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America.[33] Sentai Filmworks later released the English dub version on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 15, 2014.[34] Hanabee Entertainment licensed the series in Australia, and released it on Blu-ray and DVD on June 9, 2016.[35][36]

Episodes