Introduction
Humanity is facing extinction. In a snow-covered world where water has become scarce, the last habitable lands are located at the feet of gigantic Orbital Trees scattered about the desolated Earth. According to a legend, there exists a sage who knows the secret to producing abundant quantities of water to save mankind.
Ririha, the princess of Atland, uses an organic hot-air balloon to climb to the top of an Orbital Tree in hopes of meeting her country's savior. Once she reaches the Canopy—an area that appears to be an infinite window of transparent ice—she meets Kaina, one of the last men alive on the Canopy. However, she can not find the man she was looking for.
Unable to return by herself to her country, the princess finds a helping hand in Kaina, who is eager to explore the surface world that he thought was empty. As Kaina learns about the war against Ririha's country, the antagonistic technologically advanced nation Valghia, and other perils of the surface, he realizes that his escorting mission will prove more difficult than he imagined.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
12 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
fuddles
The world depicted there actually holds so much potential. Unfortunately, that potential was completely squandered. The characters are flat, lifeless, and full of clichés. The Japanese voice acting is really odd, too—sort of stilted. The older characters speak like samurai in the heat of battle, while the younger ones sound like they’re falling asleep while talking.
It’s a real shame they didn't do more with this world. No depth, no imagination...
Why not show some old, ruined villages up on the "roof of the sky"? Or a submersible that dives down into the depths of the ocean to discover relics there?
Or show more about the food—like a street stall cooking insects, or a school teaching children about the dangerous bugs... none of that.
Instead, the story basically boils down to one simp…
Read at the sourceAlexanderevealed
Kaina of the Great Snow Sea ended up being a really solid watch. The biggest surprise was probably the animation. CGI/3D anime can be really hit or miss, and usually it takes a lot for that style to click, but this series made it work. The environments especially looked great and helped sell the scale of the world.
The setting carries a lot of the series. A massive dying world covered by an endless snow sea already stands out on its own, but the show keeps introducing small details about how people survive within it. Even during slower episodes, the atmosphere stayed interesting enough to keep things moving.
One criticism that comes up a lot is the pacing near the end, and honestly that’s fair to a degree. Some plot points probably could have used more time to breathe. Still, the overall…
Read at the sourcepaintpixie
This is a pretty fun anime. The concept is really interesting, and there weren't any times when I felt that the story was just dragging along for the sake of increasing the amount of episodes. The subsequent movie really adds to the lore if you want a bigger picture, but it isn't necessary to watch it if you're just looking for a short, simple anime to fit in between longer shows or if the world doesn't really interest you much.
I like the two main characters. I think they're really relatable and likeable. I like many of the side characters. I think the villain is a bit of a stereotype. (The villain from the movie isn't much better.) I also think the various cultures and people are interesting, in spite of being stereotypes, for the most part, as well. The world is interesting, and it lea…
Read at the sourceGodslayer27
Set in a apocaliptic world where humanity is on border of extintion and drinking water is almost non-existent are the main bases for what is all about this series and the general conflics that surround all the plot.
The settings are interesting and the world building is something that from the first episode hook you though as you move forward on the series you go discovering that the structure that follows is rather pretty predictible and in general terms i should say kinda lazy not only in story but also character wise which provoques losing their most stronger points instead of getting something with more exploration on the surroundings and slowsly learning more about the lore as also developing the character in a manner much more mature it just follows an route that feel like you have…
Read at the sourcefast2611
This forms a split cour with its followup movie, so I'll 'forgive' it the aprupt end one got watching this at release.
First off, yes, its 3d, no, you should watch it anyway, you'll get used to it before they finished their first exposition dump
This series greatest strength is its world building, instead of its characters, in fact, I'd like to call the world itself the main character. A higher suspension of disbelief will be required of you than of a hardcover book, but it does not rise to to the all too comnon level of continuing to fight with a stomach stab wound through the power of friendship, thus I dont think this is a problem with the writing, as anime is a medium not unfamiliar with such over dramatization of what's physically possible.
Without spoiling the plot, I'd advise to pay…
Read at the sourceBrightly_Lit
It is not good. All it has going for it is beautiful visuals and initially intriguing, if nonsensical, world building. The main problem facing humanity is lack of water, though the world is almost entirely covered with ... water -- the titular "snow sea," which is fluffy on the top and simply water underneath .... The longer you watch, the less sense it makes, though it initially seems very interesting. The plot, such as it is, is one you've seen a million times, and there are basically 2 characters: bad guys are simply misguided except for the ridiculously over - the - top main villain. Good guys are bland, sweet, occasionally "cutely" obnoxious, "quirky," and dumb as dirt.
All this said, I nevertheless enjoyed watching it until the final 3 or 4 episodes as it ground exhaustingly to its…
Read at the sourcejus7aguy
I wish there were 1/2 ratings on this site. Because I'd like to give this a 6.5/10. I have given it a 6 because I tend to rate "down". I didn't find the anime "good" but I did find it a bit better than "fine".
I wasn't a huge fan of the animation style, I can sort of see why they went with it for the atmosphere that they were trying to convey, it's just not a style I'm a huge fan of. For work WITHIN the style I think they did pretty okay. The background score was fitting though not outstanding, and the voice acting was quite good.
The pacing seemed to drag in some areas, but then other important sequences felt a tad rushed. I did like how they animated the body language and facial expressions of those making a tough decision, either one they made instantly or agonised over. Honestly the…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Ooyukiumi no Kaina is the biggest surprise of the season for me. I notoriously hate CGI and 3D anime, but when I saw Sawano and Yamamoto on the OST it was a must watch instantly. I’m glad I did because the sense of adventure and wonder that this show has is something I have not felt in a long time in anime.
Kaina honestly took me back to being a kid and watching stuff on Toonami after school. Post-apocalyptic worlds and societies are always some of my favourites. This is such a rich, diverse and wonderful world that is full of mystery. Every single week I was left wanting more of this. 25 minute episodes went by in what seemed like seconds and questions that were answered turned into more questions. I wasn’t familiar with this author before this anime, but I certainly am now and he will…
Read at the sourceCaptainKenshiro
At the beginning of the now finished season there were two post-apocalyptic survival themed anime with very interesting early episodes and disappointing final ones. One was Hikari no Ou which I already covered, and the other one is this title. Likewise, it caught some early attention because of Tsutomu Nihei, who is an author I don’t care about because he seems to make mostly very dry sci-fi, but decided to check this one out because it was something seemingly very different. It also lost some viewers because of the animation, some people just can’t take any CGI that isn’t perfect.
Although visually better that the anime its studio made in the past (but not cartoons, Transfomers: War for Cybertron is way better), the motions are still not that good, facial movements in particular, the cha…
Read at the sourceAragane
"Ooyukiumi no Kaina" is one of the most fascinating anime shows I've seen in a long time. This show follows the story of Kaina, a young boy who lives above an atmospheric layer that the residents call a Canopy. Weirdly similar to how our ozone is getting "holes," the same thing happens in this show. Maybe as a reference, or maybe as a soft social criticism, who knows.
The world is filled with exploration opportunities. Although, sadly we have to wait for the movie sequel to get deeper into it. What sets this show apart from the usual fantasy anime is its unique take on the world concept. Instead of getting another weird medieval setting, this world is filled with a post-apocalyptic setting. The people above the Canopy even cook bugs to survive. While the people below the Canopy go to war f…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
The way Kaina of the Great Snow Sea begins and the fantastical realization of its world oozes Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind vibes. I don't bring that up to say this is a "ripoff" or that such a thing would even be a problem. The main character wears a breathing apparatus outdoors and sports a spear gun for shish-kebabing gourmet insects the size of a poodle (before returning to his pod). The world's oceans—Snow Sea—consist of bubbly and slushy snow and curious critters—like if you were to run a bubble bath, but instead of a rubber ducky, you let a bunch of dolphin horseys bob around. Additionally, massive trees stretch to the sky like orbital spires, and from their peaks, expands a bubble of ice that encloses the earth, and that is called the canopy.
These two fantasy works are simil…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
A great ambition of an original high/epic fantasy world, ultimately marred at the shortcomings of its own plot.
When it comes to original anime made out from celebrating anniversaries, these shows are not as worthy as one would expect, especially if you take a look at the past few years of hits and misses. And in this season, there is just one like it: Ooyukiumi no Kaina a.k.a Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, created by Tsutomu Nihei of Blame! and Knights of Sidonia fame to celebrate the 3DCG studio Polygon Pictures's 40th anniversary. And for better or for worse, it came out rather decent.
Fans of Tsutomu Nihei would immediately recognize the trademarks of the famed mangaka in developing caustic settings of impeccable atmospheric craftsmanship as seen in both Blame! and Knights of Sidonia,…
Read at the source