WorldEnd

This anime adaptation of a popular light novel—full title: WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?—is set in a future where humans have mostly been forced into extinction by anthropomorphic creatures called Beasts. The hero is a human named Willem, who emerges from a state of centuries-long sleep to join a group of girls—or, at least, girl-like beings—who swing the "holy swords" in battle against the Beasts that inherited the world. To its credit, the series initially offers a wealth of imagination and character development, both regarding the satisfyingly-crafted Beast villains, and the girls with their odd-colored hair and deceptively placid demeanors. But WorldEnd unfortunately runs out of narrative steam early on, becoming fairly predictable. Presenting all 12 episodes from 2017 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, this is an optional purchase. (P. Hall)