This week’s episode sheds some light on the strange alternate universe our characters inhabit. For instance, there’s a tragic lack of children running around. According to Sanda, there are only 50,000 kids under the age of 15. As a result, adults are deferential to children. Odd. We even learn later that kids can straight up kill an adult and it won’t be considered a crime. This is a world where Japan’s (and maybe the whole world’s) birth rate has completely plummeted, so children are treated as national treasures. But why has it plummeted? Is it due to personal choice? Probably not. Adults wouldn’t be coddling these kids if adults are simply choosing not to have babies. I think it’s more likely that something has damaged humanity’s ability to reproduce. But that’s still just speculation.

Right off the bat, a girl who looks like a character straight out of a Tim Burton movie threatens a boy with a knife. Her name is Fuyumura, and she hasn’t been the same since her best friend Ono disappeared over six months ago. Ono has been declared dead, but Fuyumura isn’t convinced. She thinks her bestie is still out there waiting to be found, and she knows exactly how to do it: ask Santa for help. Santa just happens to be the boy she’s threatening to stab. What a strange concept for an anime. I’ve never heard of the original source material. I simply wanted to watch this show for two reasons: 1) the premise is weird, and 2) Science SARU is producing this show.