Year in Review: Simoun
December 31, 2006 | Television | Simoun
1. Simoun
The first time I watched the first episode of Simoun, I kept thinking, “Why are these girls kissing each other? Why are they fighting? What the hell is going on? Why in the world am I watching this?”
So, I stopped watching.
Somewhere along the line, however, I started hearing positive things about the show. Curiosity got the best of me. So, I gave it another try. One evening and eight episodes later, I was a Simoun fan. And now? I’m recognizing it as my favorite show of 2006.
Crazy, huh?
In all honesty, though, I don’t think my negative impression of the first episode was unwarranted. That first episode truly DOES suck. That, and Simoun is an absolute jumble of genres, themes, and hooks. It’s a mess. But it’s that same jumble of genres, themes, and hooks that makes Simoun such a fascinating show - a show that simultaneously embraces and defies stereotype. It rolls around in the mud, yet comes up sparkling.
And in more ways than one, I might add. Simoun is a gorgeous show, thanks to the art direction of Kobayashi Shichiro. It’s also a musical delight, thanks to the work of composer Sahashi Toshihiko. And the voice work! How often does one show bring so many talented seiyuu together in the same studio? Even the apparent Mamiko mismatch seemed like a brilliant move on the part of the casting director when all was said and done.
So, to those of you who convinced me to give Simoun a second try (you know who you are!), thanks for letting your inner fanboy show. And, of course, I’ll do the same. Hear that folks? Watch Simoun!
Oh, and have a happy and prosperous New Year while you’re at it. Hopefully, when we do this Year in Review thing again next year, there’ll be so many favorites to choose from that I’ll be forced to write twenty entries.
Now, time to go buy some champagne…
Simoun 4TW! I still think of it as the best show of 2006 in terms of production values, story and characters.
Too bad everytime I try to introduce it to friends, they go, “Wahh… isn’t that show yuri… eww…”. Man I so feel like slapping them at times :P.
Also, Happy New Year Jeff!
Your no. 1 pick is such a surprise =p
Unlike you, I actually dismissed Simoun outright the minute I read the premise. But when I also saw those nice reviews I decided to give it a try too. Good thing I did, it’s a good watch.
I had a feeling it would be Simoun. Great choice. I have a few friends that would also agree. Oh and before I forget, happy new year!
The music in this series is soooo good. Good pick for your top show!
Well… now that I finally cleared most of my Spring2006 backlog… I guess I can try out Simoun. ^^;
Narf.
You have chosen wisely.
So Haruhi Suzumiya isn’t on your top ten list for 2006? Hm.
Simoun was a great series, although I felt the end was abit of a let down. Will have to watch it again in a few years time to see if it’s as enjoyable :D
WTF…Haruhi, Where’s Haruhi? And I don’t mean the “other” Haruhi.
Honestly, Haruhi trumps so many titles on this list… but I’m quite shocked Kannon isn’t your #1, and some anime I’ve not even heard of is. Jeff, I don’t know you anymore. ;)
Yayz I agree. Simoun is #1!!! I gave up on Simoun around episode 13 for some reason, heard good things, and then fell in love with the overall story. It’s just so… different.
Simoun 4TW! I still think of it as the best show of 2006 in terms of production values
I think that title still goes to Haruhi by a long, long shot. Background art aside, Simoun is your typical Studio Deen fare by comparsion in that department.
Haruhi for me personally was a good show - fresh, thoughly entertaining and very enjoyable to watch - but as with Jeff in Ouran’s case, it just wasn’t a very compelling show for me personally. Once the episode of the week was done, it all sort of faded into the back of my mind. Or well, would have, if not for the inane (but amusing) Internet phenomenom that the show created in its wake.
So where did things go wrong for me to not rate it “Muey’s favourite show of the year” (or to place in the top-5, even, if I’d bother making a list)? Nowhere particulary, I suppose. The technical production is par excellance, the characters are fun bunch, and Kyon probably is one of the neatest male protagonists in long, long time.
But… Did I ever particulary care about any of them at some point? Not really. Amusing as they are, they never really struck me personally as actual characters, but more as just mostly static vehicles driving the show forward. Like School Rumble, they sort of just were there for the gags, keeping the show’s machinery in rotation.
I don’t dislike any of them, but I didn’t fall in love with any of them either.
And, that, is the difference between Haruhi and my favourite shows of the year - They all are spearheaded by characters that I always, on some level -sometimes more, somtimes less - care about.
They don’t need to be multilayered personalities or to be deep as the Mariana Trench for me to do that (but, sometimes, it helps ;-), but there needs to be a certain level of emotional investment or connection involved.
Haruhi could not do this for me. Simoun, on the other hand, did. In spades. It was the show that got me to stay up till 02 AM while waiting for that latest raw episode to slowly trickle down on the Share download tab. It was the show that got me to do a number of various (humorous?) “lol interweb” jokes in a dual effort drive of own amusement and to garner a bit more attention towards the series. It was the show that, unexaggeratedly, got me to post a medium-length novel’s worth of text in total on the subject in various Internet forums ;).
It was, essentially, a show that more or less was constantly on my mind for the majority of the 6 months that it aired. I don’t think I finished watching a single other series during that timeperiod :p.
But, it also was very much of a one-time experience. I’m re-watching the show as the DVDs are coming out, and while still highly enjoyable, it is unfortunately, impossible to re-live that suspenseful and high-flying first time.
Simoun was a great series, although I felt the end was abit of a let down.
I thought the actual ending itself was, if not one of the better, then at least probably the most poignant one I’ve come across in a long while. Well, I know that it’s the only ending where it took me the better part of a week or so let it all sink in. Like a sponge suddenly finding itself in the Sahara desert, I was completely sucked dry, and, I suppose, baffled in a way that it all, indeed, was over. But yet, within that great feeling of emptyness, there was, a bit paradoxically, a sense of peaceful fulfilment also - This was, ineed how things were supposed to be.
However, I do have a beef to pick with how they went (or didn’t) with solving the many sub-plots introduced, and just how exactly all those various small pices of the great big janitorial rag relate to each other.
Sure, they’re not critical for the ending itself or to bring conclusion to the overarching themes of the show, but a few more pices of the rag wouldn’t have hurt, and would greatly have improved the overall conclusion of things. I suppose an extra episode’s or so worth of content spread somewhere along the line ought to cover it? It’d be hard to work in actual episodes at least, given the critical pacing of the show.
Oh, Simoun….
Like hayase, I dismissed Simoun on the basis of its description and the first thirty seconds of the OP. I think if I’d waited until the episode actually started, I might have picked the series up sooner (and been on tenterhooks that much longer…). As it was, I had to wait until friends started plumping for the series in a serious way, once the bombshells started falling, around episode sixteen or so. Then I was hooked. Like Muey, I stopped paying much attention to other shows from that moment on.
And, there are so many characters one can come to care deeply about in Simoun. I wouldn’t mind another series that’s just about Rodoreamon and Paraetta running an orphanage (they could call it Sibane Renmei), or about Limone and Dominura raising a farm-team of sibyllae. Or Yun’s gender-counselling service. Or Anubituf and Guragieff going camping. More time with these characters, please.
I would rate Simoun quite highly — not merely in the top ten for 2006, but, quite possibly in the top ten, period.
On the other hand, I found Haruhi also tickled that part of my brain that gets obsessed with things. Puzzles and hints and misdirection are sure fire ways to get my attention, and Haruhi had those in spades. As well as eye-popping production values. Haruhi was fascinating — self-posessed (that’s posessed in the demonic sense) and charismatic. Nor did the series leave me feeling empty so much as left me craving more.
Well its nice to see that not everything has to be about Haruhi and that a darkhorse series I’ve never even heard of can be the blog owners top pick for the year. Very cool curveball Mr. Lawson, hopefully you don’t get silly hate mail or get harassed by people for not picking Haruhi as your top pick, but it probably will happen unfortunately knowing just how devoted and immature some of the hardcore fans of the show can be..
I am a Haruhi fan, and I’m not sure that hardcore Haruhi fans are any more immature than hardcore fans of other shows. No seriously, are we that annoying?
Having said that, Jeff has been quite clear, on record, in stating that Haruhi does not entirely agree with him. We’re all different. We see different things in each work of art.
As for Simoun, like Jeff, I dropped it, but have decided to give it another go. I really loved the premise. The background art is beautiful. I’m still not sure about the execution. I will probably eventually finish it, but I’m finding it slow going. Something about the artificiality of the whole thing… Maybe it’s artificial but not artificial (theatrical) enough. It’s a balance thing. But I LOVE LOVE the Simoun soundtrack. First class bliss! And I thought the drama CD, where the characters are bouncing about in Tokyo (yes, Tokyo) was really cute. Very perverse.
I’m not a fan of Simoun.
But it’s one helluva of a watch. It’s a paradigm shift. It makes me think about “do I watch anime merely for entertainment?” It’s the kind of show that keeps me at the edge of my seat, it gives me that “high” after each episode. I love talking about it (well, more so reading than talking I suppose), and love even more thinking about it. It repeatedly makes me want to “show my inner fanboy.”
Suzumiya Haruhi, OTOH is a great show because of its innate quality. But like a diamond, it doesn’t make anyone happy of it’s just sitting in the display case of a jewelry store. Simoun is like a cheap, home-made friendship bracelet. Those who focuses on its cheapness misses out that it’s wore by people who truly care for its symbolism, meaning, and how it makes them feel when it’s given to them by someone who cares for them.
It’s why that I will probably never buy any Simoun figures or much of its merchandise besides the CDs and DVDs and things like that. What I treasure is the experience and memory, and not so much the merit of the show.
You have not chosen wisely; you merely choose what your heart told you so.
It’s really not important, but for those of you who are curious, Haruhi WAS on the list when I first started fleshing it out back in November. However, as I shuffled things around and brought a couple more shows in to the mix, it got shoved OFF the list. So, it’s not like I’m trying to send a message by leaving Haruhi off the list… even if I had included the show, it would have most likely been at the bottom.
Obviously, for a lot of people, Haruhi was THE show of the year. That’s great, and I fully understand where they’re coming from. I think it’s an exceptionally good show. I very much enjoyed it. However, there were (clearly) other shows I enjoyed even more, and those are the shows I recognized.
I’m probably the only one more saddened by lack of Kasimasi than Haruhi, but oh well.
I tried to give Simoun a few chances, but it never clicked with me, and I nearly dreaded having to watch another episode (or at least I was thinking how I would rather watch another show than Simoun, which if I play that game, I’d never watch Simoun). If this series is licensed, I’ll force myself to get through it then. I think I want to see something in it, or at least get through it to see if I see something in it.
The soundtracks are amazing though. If I were to do music for this year, that would be at the top.
I actually just finished Simoun and I must say that it definitely deserves top spot. I’m still letting it settle in, but I think in the end it will become one of those memorable series and not just another one of those series you just watch and forget about. I can’t exactly pin-point it, but there is just something “deeper” about Simoun. If I had to say one thing about it’s strengths, it would be it’s characters. Chor Tempst is one conglomerate and not just 12-13 individual characters. I think with so many series we pick favorites and grow to love characters that just seem to stand out more than others. In the case of Simoun everyone was well received. You knew each character intimately–traits, behaviors, quirks–and you know each respective story. No character was ever really shorthanded (except perhaps Morinas, and to a lesser extent, Yun and Limone). Neviril and Aaeru were the main characters for their roles in the story, but in all honestly, everyone stood out from Alti to Floe. Throw in the fact that music, animation, and pacing were top-notch and Simoun is easily one of the best series of 2006. My personal choice for best of 2006 is still Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu for various reasons, but Simoun is an _EXTREMELY_ close second.
I haven’t see Simoun yet. Still a very newbie about all the lastest anime out there. :)
How interesting! I suppose Simoun wins a general award for best anime dropped by many or underwatched. I only seem to follow one or two series each season (Lately it’s been Kanon and Death Note) so I missed out on this one, especially with the lackluster initial response and meager attention in its mid-to-later stages… I’ll try to keep a note on taking in this and the other series on the recommended lists.
Random Thoughts on Ep01-02
I was very, VERY leery when I realised that it was Studio DEEN producing it. Ep02 reinforced the negativity due to the… er… ‘budget-art’ nature of the backgrounds. Fortunately, the CG was relatively well done, if… a little conspicuous from the rest of the animation.
Wryly speaking, I guess this is the reason why Higurashi ended up looking like it was animated by a team on drugs and supplied with crayons.
Well… that’s most of my complaints out of the way. On to the more positive aspects of the show. :)
Noto Mamiko’s voice was a draw( it is her right?)… and it helps that she is not on the ‘main cast’ side. It was… enchanting to hear her narrate the story from the perspective of the invaders. Pity she died. :(
Le Sigh…
I so would have loved to hear her voice on a character that is on the dark side for once, and they polish her off in one episode. :(
I liked the mechanical designs… on the invaders. A bit neutral on the organic shapes of the Holy Land vehicles, but it did remind me of the following…
Simoun = CD-Grinder
Flagship = Nausicaa( the sea creature, not the anime)
Train = Snail
I’m still watching, because I want to see more people die on the Holy Land side. ^^; I hate religious preachings with a passion, and hearing them drone on and on about prayers and Tempus was aggravating to my psyche.
I was secretly( or not-so-secretly) cheering on the invaders to kick their asses and give them a reality check. ^^;
Cheers.
Random Thoughts on Ep03-04
..) Man… I wish my military was that relaxed about their crew doing their own things when I was still serving my term.
“Who gave permission for them to drive the tank out?”
“Oh we just wanted to prove a thing or two.”
“Really? Well, I guess it’s alright.”
Starting to stretch my accepted boundaries of disbelief suspension.
..) Noto Mamiko voices Limone too? They’re doing double-duties here? Okay… that’s it. Studio DEEN must have been given a budget of one anime to do two, and Simoun must have taken 85% of the share, leaving 15% to… Higurashi.
..) …
“We want the technology to clean our skies!”
“They want our technology because it’s prettier.”
I can’t take much more for longer! I want them to DIE! ALL OF THEM! Let the Archipelago develop nuclear weapons or something! BOMB THE NINE HELLS OUT OF THEM!
KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!
They better do something about the Holy Land’s presentation by Ep05-06, or I am going to start labelling them as the bad guys…
..) Aaeru… invokes conflicted feelings in me. On one hand, I cheer her on for making the rest of the pilots uncomfortable. On the other hand, her carefree attitude rubs me the wrong way, in a very bad way.
Gnarf!
..) Noto Mamiko voices Limone too? They’re doing double-duties here? Okay… that’s it. Studio DEEN must have been given a budget of one anime to do two, and Simoun must have taken 85% of the share, leaving 15% to… Higurashi.
:P
Actually, ALL the minior side characters in Simoun are voiced by the main cast. I suppose it’d make a good part for a drinking game - “have one every time you recognize who in the main cast is doing a secondary role” ;-).
I was secretly( or not-so-secretly) cheering on the invaders to kick their asses and give them a reality check. ^^;
I’d say something, except that… :(
Budget art backgrounds? That’s Kobayashi Shichiro’s style… one of the best things about the show, I think. It’s actually time-consuming (and, thus, expensive as far as labor costs are concerned) to produce those backgrounds, as they’re hand-painted. Nothing budget about it.
As for reusing the seiyuu, it’s a gimmick… over the course of the show, every side character is voiced by a member of the main cast. Teh Mamiko is easy to pick out, as she has a distinctive voice, but for some of the others, it can be a bit of a guessing game… especially when they voice male characters.
I should point out that it took until about Episode 8 (or was it 9?) before Simoun really “clicked” with me. The show’s theme and purpose isn’t particularly evident until you’ve reached that point.
I find Jeff’s rhetoric quite impressive, but it does not help me to deal with the rejection of yuri-powered mecha one iota, I am sorry to report. This is going to be filed into the “To Each His Own” drawer. May be the most shining example of such.
I don’t care even if the Art Director is Leonardo da Vinci. My point stands that the animation consistency is not thoroughly balanced throughout the series. At times, the scenes are so beautifully animated that it feel OVA-budget. At other times, the scenes are so static and/or so deformed, that it verges on the abyss.
I will however, agree that the artistic direction is there. I LIKE the artistic direction of Simoun so far, but the artistic quality has been very haphazard and does not do justice to the direction at times.
A person can look at it in two ways.
1) It has not fulfilled its’ full potential. Wasted opportunity.
2) The Art Director was given crayons( crayons from Happy Meals), and he did the best as he could with them.
Since I am in awe of 5cm per Second’s trailer( and loved the art in Asatte no Houkou and Figure 17), I will give him the benefit of the doubt and take it that it was option number two. Especially since there were scenes where although it was very simply drawn, it was still artistic thanks to a few touches.
Whew… did not expect to write that much about the art in Simoun. I’m usually quite quiet on this aspect of anime. I guess I just wanted to clarify and expand on my thoughts about it.
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Random Thoughts on Ep05-06
..) I normally grant each new anime series that I have no initial interest in, a grace period of 4 episodes before I decide whether or not I want to continue watching it. Under this condition, Simoun would have been dropped from my viewing list.
It is only by the grace of Jeff Lawson’s ‘gospel’ and several others’, that I decided to marathon Simoun at this point. Thankfully, Ep06 marks a turning point for me, as the show finally managed to engross me and fully capture my attention.
..) Some of the characters still annoy me very much, and some of them are still very… uninteresting? I am still pondering the reason for the mechanic’s existence, for example. It doesn’t help that the animators don’t seem to like her, and draw her as though she’s as flat as paper at times( especially her hair and head).
..) I really, REALLY would like to see some more perspectives from the side of the Archipelago, as they do not seem to be your run-of-the-mill ‘villains’. They may have brought it upon themselves, with regards to the pollution, but at least their reason for invasion is not about conquest, but survival. A reason that can still be sympathised with by the viewer, even if their methods are questionable.
..) I just cannot shake off the feeling that the flagship’s captain is Rika from Honey & Clover. ^^;
..) Everytime I see the name, Neveril, I keep on thinking of Novacain…
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A Brief Summary of Thoughts on Characters
In Alphabetical Order
..) Aaeru: Ah… Aaeru. What a girl. Never before has a character so simultaneously infuriated me and made me glad at the same time. Her attitude towards the war is frustrating. Were she my junior, I would be berating her constantly and throwing her into the cells. Were she my superior, I would convert to a religion and pray for my survival every single day.
And yet, she is also doing what I wanted everybody to do. To bitch at Neveril for being such a Emo-angster.
I can’t say I hate her, but neither can I say I like her.
..) Kaimu: Her abrasive behaviour was off-putting from the very start, but her ‘dere-dere’ moments with Paraietta helped to make her character more likeable. That flashback of incestuous love with her sister also served to make her character more interesting, and I am now curious to find out exactly why there is a rift between her and her sister.
..) Limone: Okay, at first I thought she was pointless. You know, the token Loli for the sick Lolicons out there; but from the 4th episode onwards, they managed to actually utilise her, and gave her one of the deeper backgrounds amongst the entire crew right now.
I currently look forward to her character’s future development.
..) Neveril: Oh for goodness sake, somebody just slap her or something. Emo-angst is really not my cup of tea, and seeing her mope for over five episodes is just draining on my patience. Maybe I’m callous or something, but I don’t really see the point in grieving for so long; and before anybody accuses me of not caring because I have not experienced deaths before, let me assure you that I have, and while I do mourn, I do not curl up into a foetal position and angst alone in my room for extended periods of time.
Is Neveril supposed to be one of the main characters? Adun save us all!
They are going to need to take drastic measures if they want me to cheer her character on in the future episodes. Otherwise I would be begging for her death scene.
..) Paraiatte: I was more or less neutral about her in the beginning, but as the series went on, I started to warm up more to her character. It helps that she is one of the more rational thinking characters. With the end of her obsession over Neveril in Ep06, she is set to develop even more in the future and I look forward to it.
..) The Rest: Er… give me some episodes to comment on them properly.
Cheers.
ADD] Oh, and I forgot to add.
I LOVE the BGM in Simoun.
Kudos to whoever was in charge of it.
Narf.
Random Thought on Ep07-08
..) We gather today on this day, to give thanks to Angulas for giving resolve to the wishy-washy pansies of Chor Tempest, and giving a much needed wake-up call to their members. Your sacrifice shall not be in vain, and you will be fondly remembered for making us happy in seeing destruction on the Holy Land side. For it is believed that from the ashes, shall arise a new beginning. A better start.
..) Mamiima invokes similar feelings in me like Aaeru. On one hand, you want to ditch her out of a window. On the other hand, you want to cheer her on.
..) Why are the invaders so much cooler than the main protagonists? Hot damn, priestesses that are actually willing to die for the greater glory? That’s so much more attractive compared to the Holy Land’s “Oh… but we must not fight with our prayers.”
..) None of the main characters are really standing out for me yet. Angulas, in one episode, made me cheer more than the rest of the crew combined thus far. You go, girl! May you live a blessed life in the afterlife.
Cheers.
Blog within a blog? zomg.
Come back after you watch ep 16. Just because Jeff said it’s great doesn’t mean it’s got the Midas touch. As much as he talks up the goodness of Simoun I just don’t think it is as much as a masterpiece as it is a thrilling experience.
(but this could just be a snarky way for him to force the show on more people.)
Well, I’m liking Simoun’s later episodes, although I am firm in my stance that the first four episodes were very traumatic to my viewing experience, and I wish they had done it better.
Random Thoughts on Ep09-10
..) Putty-face Syndrome.
An ailment in anime where the inflicted victims suffer from multiple facial disfigurement repeatedly within the scope of one episode.
..) I give thanks to Angulas, all HAIL ANGULAS! Chor Tempest has become SOOOO. MUCH. MORE. LIKEABLE, ever since Angulas blew herself up. I can actually bring myself to cheer them on now.
..) The council however? Oh gawds. Bunch of panties-twisting pansies. I felt sick listening to their screechings during the hearing. Whatever Dominura is plotting, I hope it involves the eradication of the council.
..) Speaking of which… the plots thickens around Dominura. I am still amiable over whether or not she is working for the good side, or the bad.
..) I like Mamiina’s character now that she is no longer an overbearing spoilt bitch. Her peeling potatoes, cooking meals, and her acceptance of… of… er… Rodo-something’s friendship made her very endearing to me.
..) Rodo-something’s name is long. Give me a couple more episodes to remember how to spell it.
..) The only Chor Tempest member now that triggers my ‘KILL!’ button is Floe. Please, please, please let her be the next one to die. I would be soooo happy. :)
..) Not enough psycho-moe. Current main draw is the potential for death and destruction, backstabs and betrayals, extreme emotional breakdowns, etc…
Cheers.
I hope you’ll write something up here once you’ve finished it all. The reflection should be, well, interesting to read with what you’ve written so far~
After some pondering over the issue, I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons why the earlier episodes gnawed on me was that a lot of the character development seemed artificially forced in the beginning. Things happened, just because the plot wouldn’t work later on if it didn’t.
Mamiina attempting murder on Aaeru? No charges, just a scolding and an announcement that Chor Tempest would be dissolved. Oh noes! What are we going to do? Cue a massive missile attack that would have ended the series prematurely if Chor Tempest had not been reinstated.
[i]Again, I must dryly remark that I wish more workplaces were as lax about the rules as the Holy Land seem to be. Wow… a slap on the wrist for attempted murder. Hot damn, OJ Simpson would love that place.[/i]
The bonds between Chor Tempest and Anubitaf also feel a little artificial. There has been no real reason for her( I’ll refer to all characters as female, unless they have facial hair or something) to really stand behind them to the point of self-sacrifice, but there we go. A scene dedicated to her pledging her allegiance just so that the council meeting would work out. Chor Rubor? One day they’re pissing all over Chor Tempest, and one Diamond RM later, they’re the ‘bestest buddies’ in the world.
It just doesn’t feel natural, and the viewer has to stomach these developments in order for the plot to move on.
Characters do not switch personalities at the flick of a finger. That is why we have the word, ‘development’ in Character Development. It has to be a smooth progression of changes, and not something as sudden as a lightning strike.
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The later episodes do not suffer so much from ’sudden personality-change disorder’ because the square pegs have been hammered into the round holes by now, and they can afford to tell the rest of the story now that the foundation has been forcibly laid.
This is tragic, because whilst the main story seems interesting( as of Ep12), the foundation it is based upon is very shaky, and the characters suffer for it. Again, viewer discretion is required, and the audience must just simply accept it in order for the story to move on.
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Regardless, Simoun IS filled with moments. Scenes which are attention-grabbing and overflowing with emotions/poignancy. Excluding the first four episodes( henceforth known as the outer arsenic layers of a Simoun Gobstopper… which you must go through in order to get to the good parts), each episode is like a fresh jab of excitement that quickly runs out once the viewing is done.
As of Ep12, I am still in the dark on WHAT exactly is the entire point of Simoun? Simoun has been fun to watch, but is it memorable? Something to really cherish in one’s memories?
The main plot is still obscure, and I am at a loss to describe the current plot of Simoun. What would be the 2-sentence quip( under 15 words) for Simoun?
Jeff mentioned an 8-episode grace for Simoun, which is already a freaking huge obstacle to being a great anime. That’s almost a third of the entire season. Seen in the context of a marathon session( as I am doing now), it is not so bad, but on a weekly basis… I salute the courageous souls who endured two months to attain their ‘Nirvana’ over Simoun.
Personally for me, the turning point was Ep06. So I guess people’s mileage will vary.
Omo mentioned Ep16. Good grief, I hope you don’t mean that as in a 16-episode grace, because that would border on the point of the ludicrous. If a viewer has to endure 16 episodes( out of 26) in order to gain enlightenment on an anime, something is fundamentally flawed with the directing already.
Regardless, I will soldier on and see why Ep16 is considered special.
In conclusion to this part, I must state that I have been enjoying the episodes to a certain degree, but nothing has happened yet to make me want to put it in my Top10. Perhaps I am not the targeted audience?
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Random Thoughts on Ep11-12
..) Ro-do-rea-mon
..) If there is one thing I will heartily agree about Simoun, it is that the music is brilliant. It really sticks into your mind.
..) I was so surprised when Mastif survived. He had all the classic Death Flags, and yet he lived to fight another day. Bonus points for his shattered image on the Simouns.
..) Floe’s hair looks like two balloons. Am I the only one who thinks this way?
..) Is Dominura a war-freak? A spy? A traitor? Plotting a coup? What, what, what? Am I suppose to support her or not? I was not happy with the way she handled Alti and Kaimu.
..) Industrial designs trump organic ones.
..) What… is Morinas’ role?
..) Heck, what’s the mechanic’s one? She has been so unimportant, I couldn’t even be bothered to remember her name.
..) …
“I can’t shoot a machine gun at them, but I can nuke them with my omega weapon!”
Yes dear, I’m sure the enemy appreciates that.
Can we have an Angulas round two to make them battle-hardened?
Cheers.
Episode 16 is more of a turning point, really. Afterwards, things start falling into place pretty quickly. Plus, it’s a pretty amazing episode in itself… perhaps my favorite of the entire show, although the Episode 19/20 combo is pretty darn memorable, too.
Also, you keep mentioning how surprised you are by how much the members of Chor Tempest get away with… remember that, as priestesses, they’re (basically) outside the military chain of command. Tempus Spatium pulls rank.
Anyway, the show may get off to a rough start, but it more than makes up for it in the end. Thus, I really can’t complain. It’s a fun ride.
Neveril: Oh for goodness sake, somebody just slap her or something. Emo-angst is really not my cup of tea, and seeing her mope for over five episodes is just draining on my patience.
Yes and no. I think one has to view Neville’s early paralysis not merely as mourning for Amuria, but for her entire creed. Don’t forget she’s the star student at what, until just before the first episode, was a combination finishing-school and ballet school (it just happens that the dances have ritual significance). She’s seen her entire raison d’etre shattered and turned into a weapon of mass-destruction. That takes a little getting used to, and she spends the first half of the series wondering if it’s what she wants to do, and wondering what else she can do.
I suppose you might be able to map Chor Tempest to Manhattan Project alumni: Neville is Robert Oppenheimer (with his “I am become death, the conqueror of worlds” moment on seeing “the gadget” work for the first time); Mamiina is someone like Edward Teller, who has seen the ravages of the Archipelagan war machine up close and wants to use all of the power available to her to fight back; Aeru is Feynman: guileless calculator and clown; Morinas is Telford Taylor, using a parabolic mirror and the light from an exploding atom bomb to light a cigar.
Ugh, that doesn’t work, except to the extent that it captures the “our abstract games played at the feet of the gods may have the power to destroy the world” revelation, and the way the different characters deal with that. Oh, and Yun’s bookish ambivalence fits Oppenheimer better, I think, save that she’s somewhat peripheral.
And Jeff is right — part of the background conflict is between the military and the religious establishment. What you’re seeing are moves in a political chess-game as factions wrestle for control of Chor Tempest and the power it represents. This is made explicit in some dialogue in some episodes.
After some pondering over the issue, I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons why the earlier episodes gnawed on me was that a lot of the character development seemed artificially forced in the beginning. Things happened, just because the plot wouldn’t work later on if it didn’t.
I agree. The opening of the series was downright weird in the way that there would be huge emotional revelations in one moment that seemed to be completely forgotten the next. I think that continues up until early in the episodes numbered in the teens, at which time the writers seem to get their footing and the plot and characters get underway.
But, if you think the show has moments now, just wait.
It’s funny that I viewed the slap on the wrist for attempted murder as a fatal flaw in Stellvia (it was a straw breaking a camel’s back), but am able to overlook it in Simoun. I think it’s more that Mamiina was merely attempting to frighten Aeru. I think she was a little surprised at the way that Aeru fought back — Mamiina was expecting another spoiled child of privilege instead of a country bumpkin with her own will of steel.
I think one of the big divides between the early hard core Simoun fans and the folks who discovered the show later was people’s reactions to episodes 1 and 2. I thought they were jaw-droppingly wonderful for the world-building that they did and all of the grand ideas that they set up, but the characters all seemed to be very much at the service of the plot, rather than being memorable personalities of their own. And the tone was relentlessly grim.
In many ways, the actual plot kicks off with episode 3, with the episode 1-2 two parter serving as backstory. I thought episodes 3-4-5 were fairly weak (though 3 was quite stylish), and that episode 6 was where the series started to actually get good. (And then the 7-8-9 three parter kicks off. Boom!)
Of course, I’m hardly objective about this particular show….
“Heck, what’s the mechanic’s one? She has been so unimportant, I couldn’t even be bothered to remember her name.”
*He* is Wapourif. He’s about to become a lot more important, particularly in episode 14….
Jeff, I completely agree with this point you made:
I should point out that it took until about Episode 8 (or was it 9?) before Simoun really “clicked” with me. The show’s theme and purpose isn’t particularly evident until you’ve reached that point.
I’ve been trying to get a few people (who watched a few episodes and dropped it) to give Simoun another try, but it’s always the “it’s slow and/or boring so far” or “I don’t it” argument against it. Any thoughts on how to make a cogent argument for Simoun? I’ve been trying! :)
Hmm… “have patience,” perhaps? You know, I often wonder… was Simoun’s slow start a feature or a bug? Or a little bit of both? Those early episodes sure seemed tedious at the time, but when all was said and done, I sort of appreciated all the extra time spent on character development and world building. So, when I criticize Simoun for stepping off on the wrong foot, I do so half-heartedly. I wish the show had done things a little differently, but I can understand and appreciate why it did things the way it did.
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this, too… it seems the default reaction to Simoun is “WTF?”, followed up with, “Wait a minute… this might be pretty cool!” You have to stick with it, though.
So, yeah… “have patience”. It’s a tall order, I know.
The early episodes are the bane of the entire Simoun anime. That, and annoying characters. The sum currently does not equal the parts. Some episodes are good, and some are just plain bad( not bad as in self-stabbing bad, but bad as in ‘why-am-I-watching-this?’ bad). To use an analogy, like ingredients to a meal, some episodes are basically poison to the entire series run, and ruins what would have otherwise been a wholesome meal.
I make no apologies for slamming the early episodes. I find them underwhelming, and I cannot see it any other way.
The later episodes would have to be mind-explodingly fantastic( as in I want to have its’ babies or something), if I am ever going to rate Simoun at least 09/10. My current rating( as of Ep14), using ANN’s system, would be 06.5/10. Otherwise known as between, “Decent, I didn’t lose my time” and “Good, worth seeing”.
If you think that’s low a score for Simoun, just keep in mind that it has been improving as I watch more episodes, although Ep13 did RUIN the tempo for a moment there. Thankfully, Ep14 saved the score.
Originally by Jeff Lawson:
“Those early episodes sure seemed tedious at the time, but when all was said and done, I sort of appreciated all the extra time spent on character development and world building.”
I will not accept excuses like that from the producers of Simoun. A good story( no matter the medium), should be engaging from start to till the end. Chapters 1-2 should not be eye-droopingly tedious, just because they want to develop characters and set up the world-setting. A good storyteller should be able to make such events interesting.
Again, to avoid the “We Just Gotta Accept It” dilemma.
With regards to the power struggle between the Church & the Army, it was not really explained until the hearing. Also, their misbehaviour was hardly condoned by the priestesses, so I don’t really see why they wouldn’t be punished more strictly( before they encountered Neviril’s father).
~~~~ ~~~~
Random Thoughts on Ep13-14
..) Alternatively titled, “Let’s Kill Aaeru” & “Dominura’s Demons”
..) I stand firm in my stance that Dominura is a total bitch towards Alti’s and Kaimu’s feelings.
..) I just cannot believe what Aaeru does in this episode(13)! If she had been a male character, I strongly believe hordes of viewer would want to perform castration or something. Maybe hang her, draw her out and then quarter her before throwing her into a pot of boiling oil.
Sexual harassment, molestation, violation of personal privacy, indifference to other’s feelings, etc…
She is either incredibly clueless about love, incredibly stupid in the head, or just plain incredibly insensitive.
Way to go, Aaeru. You totally burned all the goodwill you had gathered from me in the previous episodes. I want something incredibly painful to happen to Aaeru first, before they even think of entertaining the thought of making her fly with Neviril.
Neviril is hardly one of my favourites, but I don’t want her to pair up with Aaeru anymore at this point. She doesn’t deserve to be abused by Aaeru like this.
Aaeru is basically like a creepy stalker at this point. Somebody stop her!
Neviril sums it best when she told herself, “I’m… afraid of Aaeru.”
..) In other issues, I kept wondering why nobody bothered to sit Aaeru down and carefully explain to her that, hey, you know? That botched Emerald Ri Maajon was what killed Amuria, and asking Neviril to perform one with you is kinda insensitive at this point. I thought Floe was going to do that, but they ended up talking about love instead…
ORZ
..) Ep14 gave us some character development on Wapourif, but I still get the niggling feeling that Wapourif only got a role because they happened to need a mechanic to get the story moving. ^^; They could have gotten some nameless mechanic to perform the dismantling of the Simoun, and the overall effect would have been the same.
I suppose the saving grace for Wapourif’s character is that she is also useful in shattering the other myths( the kissing of Sybillae), since… well… she’s the only non-Sybillae that have constant close interactions with the girls.
..) I am speculating that the Helical Motors absorb the pilots or something when an Emerald Ri Maajon is performed. If this is so, then it would help explain why Neviril is still able to pilot a Simoun with Aaeru, because Amuria is technically in the Simoun too.
Hopefully, this revelation will shatter Aaeru. :D She deserves a smackdown at this point.
~~~~ ~~~~
Coming soon… thoughts on Ep15-16. They better not disappoint!
Cheers.
Just finished watching all the way through ep. 21. I had Melancholy picked as my #1 of 2006, but it just got displaced. It’s stunning how they manage to make the individual girls go from likeable to pitiable, to hateable, to amazing. You see all the yuri in the first episode and think “ah, it’s one of _those_ shows” only it isn’t at all.
It doesn’t really bug me that much, but I have never really appreciated recaps at the start of each episode, especially if the recaps do not inject anything new. It just robs precious minutes from the actual episode, and at worst, an indication that they are trying to fill in space to make the series span out for the season( of any cour-length).
A bigger bugbear of mine is the overusage of freeze-frame sketches. You know, when a scene is frozen into a still, and becomes pencilled-like. Used correctly, it adds to the tension/drama and enhances the moment of the scene. Used incorrectly however, and it spoils the scene by becoming too cheesy or overdone or~ etc…
There have been a lot of these freeze-frame sketches(FFS) in Simoun, and while some of them were properly done, some were so weirdly placed that it seems that they were just trying to save on the budget or something by turning the scene into a still and avoid having to animate their speeches.
Paraietta and Aaeru arguing( with echoes from the surrounding Sybillae)? Seems to scream budget saving.
Paraietta slapping Aaeru? Nicely used.
Arcus Prima making its’ dramatic return? Beautifully done, especially with Wauf acting as an impromptu narrator.
FFSes are best used for ‘frozen in time’ moments, not dynamic ones. It just does not fit with dynamic moments, as a still frame is the anti-thesis of a dynamic moment.
Random Thoughts on Ep15-16
..) Aaeru’s skull is made of… some really hard substance, and I don’t understand why Floe is siding with Aaeru. Did any of you guys like Aaeru and/or Floe at this point of the series? Am I suppose to actually dislike them or something?
..) Regardless, Aaeru’s questionable behaviour finally moulds Neviril’s character into something sterner, and to see her more self-controlled was a joy to see. Characters that can make decisions on their own are usually much more likeable.
..) Paraietta got pretty angsty in Ep15.
..) Wauf is such a likeable character. It’s a pity most of the Sybillae around her are quite… clueless.
“My rank is higher than your’s! Who cares about your years of experience anyway?”
As a former member of the army, I fully sympathise.
..) Ep16 had a very nice dramatic BGM.
..) Paraietta got reeeeally angsty in Ep16. She might even become a full-fledged Emo at this rate.
..) Aaeru got slapped, but it is not enough! She needs to learn, to UNDERSTAND! It is a pity that there does not seem to be anything that she really cares about at the moment.
..) Dominura and Limone were so much better than the rest when it comes to being a pair. Both were open about their reasons for wanting the other, and both accepted each other fully. The rest of the Sybillae usually have their own personal motives that their other pair is not fully aware of, or are unable to accept it.
The next closest pair is probably Mamiina and Rodoreamon.
It was sad that they had to disappear, but I felt very happy that it was them that completed the Emerald Ri Maajon first, and not some bratty/selfish Sybillae. Amongst the 12 of them, the two of them were easily some of the most mature around.
Although I wonder how Rodoreamon will feel about her plushie being with them as well. ^^;
..) I get the feeling that the Ri Maajons are really prayers, and that it is just that some of them happen to be destructive in nature as well; but the end result is that they are just a means of communication with their God.
Or maybe I’m totally wrong.
I can’t really lock on the true nature of the Ri Maajon yet, and I dunno whether that is because I haven’t spotted the clues yet, or that not enough information have been given out yet.
..) I still hold on to the belief that Amuria’s soul is in Neviril’s Simoun.
..) Welcome back, Rika! I mean… Anubitaf.
Cheers.
@Skane:
Call me weird, but I absolutely loved Aaeru in episode 13. Most people would’ve stopped when everyone else in the room gasped in shock, but not our heroine… Yes, she has a lot to learn (and she will learn it, slowly), but she was never being malicious towards Neviril, merely staggeringly clueless.
Mamiina and Rodoreamon do indeed develop into a very interesting couple.
Oh, and if (like me) you’re an Anubituf fan, you’ll love episode 22, which we’ve just (finally) released.
It’s nice to see another new perspective on the show - keep it up. :)
Oh, and if (like me) you’re an Anubituf fan, you’ll love episode 22, which we’ve just (finally) released.
Anubituf… *drool*
(If you really, really like Anubituf, you’re going to love the last two episodes. :-) )
I wonder what my own personal character ranking will be like, when I am done with Simoun. I am still in disbelief that Aaeru got first position in the official online poll.
You know what’s the hardest part of reviewing a marathon run? Not watching the next episode because you do not want your current thoughts to be affected by future developments.
Random Thoughts on Ep17-18
..) Wapourif and Morinas start to mend their relationship, but… what was the catalyst for this development? It just seemed so out of the blue, given that Morinas was so harsh on Wapourif not so long ago, and Wapourif has not really gone out of her way to repair the rift.
Another case of, “Just Accept It”?
..) Floe is annoyingly grating. The thing is, I know people like Floe. Maybe not in stature, but in nature; and I have never really got to like them… Wanting them to get mowed by a bus was more likely. Hale, I would have probably laughed if it happened in front of me.
..) Aaeru continues to befuddles me, and the people who do nothing to stop her. I don’t see how anybody cannot stop her unless they’re all spineless doormats. I keep asking myself, “Why isn’t she jailed yet? Why isn’t anybody arresting her?”
We learn that even though she is a Sybilla, she is of( in their opinion) questionable background. So why aren’t the High Council throwing her into a jail or something? Aaeru doesn’t even have the backing of nobility or anything( unlike Mamiina, who has the backing of Neviril’s father).
Why? WHY!
It’s like a scab itching me everytime I watch the show, and it’s affecting my opinion of the series. I am simply not satisfied with how they are dealing with Aaeru. It is simply not believable, unless you apply the TV Law of, “Idiot Plot“, and I don’t want to do that, because once I do that, my ranking of Simoun is going to plunge.
..) Also, I am still mortified that some of the girls( namely Floe) are still deluding themselves and not seeing the reality being laid in front of them. I fully expect them to be heavily traumatised, once the War starts to affect them on a personal level.
..) Angulas returns! Yay! As a corpse…
*sniff*
..) The return of Angulas brings about new questions. Do the non-Springified people of Simoun get reborn after performing a great act of love for God? Does this mean we will see the return of Limone and Dominura?
..) As of Ep18, I still can’t quite wrap my head around the development between Neviril and Aaeru. In one episode, Neviril says that Aaeru is using her as a tool. In another episode, they become friendly.
… …
AGAIN. What was the catalyst for their reconciliation? Is it too much to ask for like… plottish-like developments to aid the viewer’s understanding?
*froths at mouth*
..) Oddly enough, I was not so repulsed by Paraietta’s attempt to force herself on Neviril for the following reasons.
Neviril did not panic, and it seems that she places great faith in Paraietta’s ability to pull through. By giving Paraietta the “Will This Truly Make You Happy?” gaze, it completely broke down Paraietta’s defences and made her realise what she was doing was wrong.
In short, Neviril still trusted Paraietta to make the right decision and did not resist. This is great character insight, folks. Now why can’t we have more of this?
..) Questions, questions, over Aaeru’s grandfather.
..) I can’t really say I really like any of the characters at the moment, because most of them are like roller-coasters, oscillating between likeable and hateable. Limone is probably the closest I will get to a character I can actively cheer on at any point.
..) I wonder who pulls more rank? The High Priestess or the Defence Minister?
Cheers.
Currently taking my time to watch the rest of the episodes, since [Simoun-Fans] is currently at Ep22 only. I have been notified of Anubituf ownage in Ep22, and I am curious to see why she has been ranked 3rd in the official fan-poll.
Although I am taking the results with a pinch of salt, solely because Aaeru was ranked first. Unless, as I have said elsewhere, something mind-blowingly amazing happens and warp my perception of Aaeru. As of Ep20? No dice, compadre.
I have also started a theory that the characters of Simoun only die when they have become lovable and believably-cherished by the viewer.
“We need to kill someone! Quick, who’s the most likeable one now?”
If this holds true, then Floe is practically immortal now.
And now for…
~~~~ ~~~~
Random Thoughts on Ep19-20
..) “You’re grounded!”
“Let’s fly!”
“Wait! What is this impudence? Grounded, I said! Grounded!”
“Wheeee!”
Do you hear that snapping sound? The was my suspension bridge of disbelief crashing into the abyss of “Wall-Banger“. To make it even ‘better’… it happened again in Ep20.
You cannot use the excuse of ideological differences this time! Because the Defence Minister and the High Priestess were equally shocked as well. So… so… ill-disciplined. What kind of law enforcement do they have?
Hale, I think the Sibyllae could have throw people off the ship to their deaths, and they will still be prancing about happily in their Simouns in the next episode.
Not a single ounce of punishment… GOOD GRIEF.
..) I heart Mamiina and her mouse stew.
..) Ep19 had some nice character development in the relationship between Mamiina and Rodoreamon. Coupled with the flashbacks, and it was ripe for a character death.
..) Wauf had a much sterner will in Ep19, but I really question their military tactics in Simoun. If a military-buff was watching this show, his soul is going to die a little. That, or he’ll spaz from laughing too much.
..) Mamiina’s death was the highlight of Ep19, but it led to many questions… namely the way Aaeru reacted to it.
..) In Ep20, Floe’s hysterics was really annoying to me. Unfortunately… I doubt she’s gonna die anytime soon. :( Hot damn would I be surprised if she does bite the dust( PERMANENTLY). I would probably grant a bonus half-point to the overall score of Simoun for that alone.
..) So hooray for small favours when Yun snipped at Floe.
..) Aaeru’s traumatisation over Mamiina’s death seemed a little over-dramatic, and I am not quite sure why she was so badly affected by it, since the two of them were never really that close( especially since… er… Mamiina attempted to murder her before, for the few of you who have forgotten that).
Was it because the Priestesses shouted, “Aa-e-ru!” again? Does it have something to do with her Grandfather? Hmm… why indeed.
..) I can relate a little to Paraiette, because the role of a leader is never an easy one. Burdened with responsibility, and the assumption that you will always have the answers, it can get pretty stressful at times. So she earned some sympathy points from me in this episode.
..) Alti… at the moment, is very much a non-entity. She only seems to exist as a plot-device, and not a full-fledged character.
..) A bit surprised that Yun was not more affected by Mamiina’s demise. I wonder when her shell will crack?
..) Mamiina getting shot down was dramatic, but hot damn… what a way to rub salt into her fans’ wounds. Sure… she got to sprawl out in a field of flowers, but what happens when she starts to decompose? Or gets eaten by scavagers? Mortified yet? I hope so. I was.
..) The return of Rodoreamon’s doll gives credence to the theory that priestesses who give up their lives for the love of their God, will get a second wind of life. The return of Limone and Dominura then? Will Mamiina get to return? The eyecatches seem to reveal that Mamiina is not totally dead yet.
Heck, how about Amuria? Maybe she will return too.
..) Aaeru needs to be traumatised more.
..) Floe needs to perish… permanently.
..) The Holy Land needs better conventional weapons.
Cheers.
Anubituf is male, Skane.
Originally posted above,
“I’ll refer to all characters as female, unless they have facial hair or something”
Cheers.
Skane’s reactions are interesting and sensible and repeat some that turned up in the AS thread when these eps were raw. But if he refers to all characters as female, then he is not watching the show on its own terms and can’t possibly suspend disbelief. Just because all the VAs are female doesn’t mean the characters are. The great thing about the voice-acting, besides the fact that it is so good, is that all the characters, great and small, male and female, are played by the same troupe of female VAs. That probably created a relaxed atmosphere in the studio, for one thing. And the sound director is an ex-VA (he played Captain Harlock), which may explain how well he coaches the VAs. He also did all the recording on a PC, as a sort of test case for the technique.
Furoe is the one character besides Aaeru who actually expresses her feelings freely. That is probably why I love them both.
And these are not soldiers, these are priestesses, the only beings who have the ability or right to fly Simoun. They are in a sense even higher than the chief priestess, since their prayers are what bring blessings to the land and defend it from its enemies. That is why it is impossible to impose military discipline on them. If you grounded them, you’d be destroying your country, both spiritually and militarily. These are like Nereids or Furies, wild and sacred beings. Discipline and order are foreign concepts here. Even the officer-like Paraietta is really in the group out of love for Neviril.
But I admit that the military tactics are often hard to figure out. And Aaeru’s strong reaction to Mamiina’s death — not to mention her acceptance of her in the first place, after she had tried to murder her — was hard to fathom. But all this contributes to Aaeru’s uniqueness. Whether her reactions seem “justifiable” or not, they create a fascinating character. The various odd reactions to things made me end up feeling that these Sibyllae really were aliens, not exactly human at all.
Nice list of top ten! I had fun reading the entries along with the comments.
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“I’ll refer to all characters as female, unless they have facial hair or something”
Whoa, then like…76%+ of Earth’s population is female. Seriously, I agree that it is skipping out on one of the parts that makes Simoun interesting: the way it forces you to rethink gender in order to better understand the show. Judging character gender by your eyes might be easier, but it doesn’t change the fact that it leaves you ignorant and often incorrect. In contrast to visual and aural cues, I found it very ironic how easy it was to tell gender provided you know the character’s current name (whether it ends with ~f).
One of the nice things about this show was that every major character had something that redeemed them in my eyes. By the end even Floe had pulled a 180 for me, and it was Floe who I liked least during much of the show. It will be interesting to see how I view the characters’ actions differently when I get around to a complete rewatching.
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” Suzumiya Haruhi, OTOH is a great show because of its innate quality. But like a diamond, it doesn’t make anyone happy of it’s just sitting in the display case of a jewelry store. Simoun is like a cheap, home-made friendship bracelet. Those who focuses on its cheapness misses out that it’s wore by people who truly care for its symbolism, meaning, and how it makes them feel when it’s given to them by someone who cares for them.”
Quoted this because it really hits home when I’m struggling to explain how I can love the show so much despite its faults.
I think it is amusing that just because I chose to address them as female personally, it must somehow render me unable to suspend my sense of disbelief over the other parts of Simoun’s ‘Internal Logical Consistency’.
Does gender matter when it comes to murder?
Does gender matter when it comes to military discipline?
Does gender matter when it comes to war?
etc…
I was only referring to them as all female for my own convenience, because unless stated explicitly, the series is usually quite ambiguous about the gender of the characters. Now that Conri has pointed out that the male names end in ‘f’( which I suppose was subtle in the anime), I can, and will, confidently address them by the proper gender in my subsequent write-ups.
So thank you, Conri, for pointing out on how to identify their gender.
~~~~ ~~~~
I wanted to leave this portion for the next write-up, but since I am already writing, I might as well address the other issue raised by hashihime’s reply
You mentioned that it is impossible to impose military discipline on the Sybillae, but the anime has already shown that this is not true. This is part of the reason why it irks me so much when the Sybillae get away with real crimes, but then get reamed for petty reasons.
The Defence Ministry do not view the Simoun as sacred, and they certainly do not see the Sybillae as ‘mere priestesses’. We know that they want to use them as weapons of war, and from Dominura, we know that they have scant revere for the Simoun. It was they, after all, who ordered her to dismantle a Simoun for research purposes.
Untouchable? No.
Also, unless I have horribly misinterpreted something, the Defence Minister seem to hold sway over the High Priestess.
If the High Priestess had her way, Aaeru and Mamiina would probably never get to see the seat of a Simoun, let alone fly one. It is only because of the war and the desperate situation, that they got the opportunity. Mamiina also had the backing of Neviril’s father, and Aaeru’s story on how she got the initial chance is still shrouded in mystery.
Unless Aaeru’s grandfather is from some noble lineage or stuff.
So the ’sacredness’ of the Sybillae has long been ‘tainted’ already. Rules have been bent long ago, and they continue to be broken in the present, and I am pretty sure they will be broken even more in the future.
They are not untouchable. They’re being touched all the time.
Additionally, the Sybillae have followed the commands of the Defence Ministry. If they can choose to ignore their commanders and fly off whenever they want, why can’t they tell them to bugger off and continue to choose their own pairings? This… capricious attitude towards their commanders is what confounds me, and in turn, their commanders’ attitude towards them.
It is simply put, bewildering.
Also, the Defence Ministry are more than capable of replacing them with other Sybillae. They keep on talking about Chor Tempest as being the best Choir there is, but why are they blindly regarding the group as a single entity? The army in general, tend to practice teamwork, and if an individual does not play his part, that individual has to either buck up, or be replaced. This is because he becomes a danger to his team.
A group cannot be the best, if the members are frail.
For example, if Floe were to be replaced by Vyzuk, would that make Chor Tempest better or weaker? Assume that Mamiina is still alive in this example. The Defence Ministry have been so earnest about rearranging the pairs, so I don’t really see why they didn’t outright replace some of the Sybillae.
They have the power to do so… but they choose not to. Why?
It is certainly not because they hold them sacred… and the High Priestess seems pretty helpless against the mandates of the Defence Ministry. She had to act in secret, in order to act out her plans. That speaks volumes about the amount of authority she has over them. Ergo, zilch.
Then there is the other weak link… Wapourif. Now. Here we have an example of the staggeringly impossible. Why has Wapourif not been punished yet? As the Chief Mechanic, it is his responsibility to take care of the Simoun, and follow orders… and yet he will happily let the Sybillae do their own things against the will of the Defence Ministry.
Even if the Sybillae get away scot-free, the Defence Ministry would at least place the blame somewhere, and Wapourif is a prime target( he got no ’sacred’ shield, yo), but time and time again, he never gets punished. Not even a slap on the wrist. He gets away scot-free too.
Why?
The Defence Ministry are hardly the model of benevolence. Wapourif should have been convicted by now, or something.
Unless… unless… the Holy Land has no laws, and is a place of anarchy…
I am not asking for the imprisonment of the whole crew in Simoun, but I would appreciate it if the writers thought about it a little more and at least make it credible on how they can get away with these things. It sometimes feels as though my suspension of disbelief has snapped, rebounded, and slapped me in the face.
I can accept the occasional plothole. Almost every series has them, and so long as it is a one-off thing, they are usually easy to shrug off; but… when a series repeatedly uses the same plothole over and over again, then it is just begging to be criticised over it.
It is contradictory. Trying to explain it to myself leads to paradoxes. I won’t label the plothole an ‘Idiot Plot’ just yet( see earlier entries for definition), since I have not finished the series, but… at this point of time, I can’t really consider it any other way.
I make no apologies to the fans who are reading this, because this is really how I personally feel about it. When I have to overlook so many details in order to get over it, I think it becomes a real problem for when I need to rate it on a personal level.
There are several elements that I really enjoy in Simoun( the music being a prime example), but this plothole is a real brainsore to me.
Cheers.
Let me start by saying that the plot of Simoun is full of problems and it seems obvious to me that certain parts of it were changed during the course of the show, leading to plotholes, contradiction and basically “WTF?” moments. That doesn’t bother me much because I view it as a very character driven series.
The way I see the Simulacrum Theocracy is ruled by a bunch of incompetent morons. They have no good strategy, do not know whether to attack or when, do not know whether they want the Sibyllae to be more priestess than warriors and despite having an immensely powerful weapon in the face of the Simouns somehow manage to drag the war, instead of crushing the enemies in a very time. Facing an enemy who finally has the same weapon they simply cannot afford to punish harshly Tempus Spatium’s members. The Sibyllae are revered by the ordinary people and people willing to be priestess and also to kill people seem to be in short supply - so any leader should be aware that if he dismisses say Aaeru and Yun he/she would be shooting himself in the foot. If the best Chor struggles against the Simouns of the Ancients, making changes in its line-up would be a recipe for disaster.
And of course, the plot needs the characters to defy orders, it also needs them to continue to be around so they cannot be dismissed. It sure is a pity that this wasn’t done in a better way, though.
“They keep on talking about Chor Tempest as being the best Choir there is, but why are they blindly regarding the group as a single entity? The army in general, tend to practice teamwork, and if an individual does not play his part, that individual has to either buck up, or be replaced. This is because he becomes a danger to his team.”
There is no time to introduce new members to Chor Tempest, the situation for their country is desperate. Maybe your average military commander would rather have subordinates who obey orders than a bunch of loose cannons, even though the latter fight better, but the Simulacrans seem to be more or less amateurs at waging war. And of course, if someone from the Chor is replaced, the rest might well refuse to obey orders once again because of that.
Skane, you’re going to hate the ending, and be completely mystified as to why the people who love this series love it as much as they do.
I am a bit mystified, myself, and I’m one of the people who rate it as one of the best anime series, ever.
(There are a few aspects of the ending I think you’ll like among the as-yet-unreleased-by-Simoun Fants episodes.)
Aeru has been disturbed by death (Angelus’s, Mamiina’s, and the Archipelagan soldier in episode four) because she’s a clueless kid. She’s, what, sixteen? Fifteen? For her, flying a Simoun has been something she’s dreamed about since listening to her grandfather’s stories as a child.
I mentioned the Manhattan Project, above. Go read Richard Feynman’s memoirs from his days working on that. Talk about loose cannons! The guy gave the security people fits! He picked locks as a hobby! He cracked safes because people told him the safes were uncrackable!
But, you know, he didn’t go to jail or anything. He wasn’t part of the military. They were stuck with him because he was one of a tiny corps of people who could do what he could do.
And that’s what the Sibyllae are. They’re prima donnas, and they’re the only ones who can do what they do. And the mlitary hates it. They detest having to deal with these impossible-to-discipline children. However, the Simulacrans have depended on the fear engendered by their Simouns of Mass Destruction for so long that they’re not very good at fighting a conventional war.
I don’t think the military ordered Dominura to dismantle a Simoun. I think that was a bit of free-lance on her part, made possible by the destruction brought on by Angelus’ bomb. There are several factions at work in the Simulacran government. The military views the current war as a means to grab power. The church is struggling to maintain its power by it’s (limited) control over the sibyllae and the Simouns. There’s also a civilian structure (represented by Neverille’s father), with pwer that waxes and wanes through the series. Alliances form and betrayals happen in the struggle for power.
All the while, the country is besieged by an enemy that may, in fact, have a worthy cause.
You’ve also seen that the same thing is happening on the other side: the alliance between the Archipelago and the Plumbum Highlands is an uneasy one.
This is never really said explicitly. But there are hints in bits and pieces of dialogue that only make sense in a context like this. On the other hand, one of the things that struck me about Simoun was the amount of meaning would seem to be packed into a single “Eh?” as two characters regarded one another.
And, I have to admit, that the best way to hook me on a series is to drop tantalyzing hints that are never explained. Simoun abounds in those.
After reading the summary regarding episode 2, I can’t help but wonder about the decision that was placed upon Erii at the springs temple. I got the impression that the male gender was forced on her by the preistess because she couldn’t make the choice on her own. In retrospect, I do believe that Erii was seriously leaning towards choosing the female gender.
The forced actions by the priestess led to the tragic consequences that would affect Erii for the rest of her life as a man. I don’t believe that she would have seriously chosen the male gender option if she had made a firm decision beforehand. As the result of the actions that was not of her own choosing, Erii is made to suffer emotional turmoil as she undergoes her transformation to a man. This is certainly a classic case of a woman’s mind forever trapped in a man’s body.
I was doing some research on Erii/Erij in the Simoun manga. Does she appear in that series as well? If so, was the fate placed on her the same as in the anime? From what I’ve read so far about the springs temple in the manga, it mentioned that the process can be reversed. In contrast, the gender selection is permanent. Is this true?
It’s ashame that Erii was made into a scapegoat for this circumstance. I would have loved to have seen a great deal of character development made to her by the writing staff. Erii could have been a interesting character if they had kept her around thoughout the series as a pliot and her interactions with the other cast members. I do feel that the wrong character was used for this controversial decision.
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However, if Eri never existed in the manga, then I’ll assume that the writers of this series created her as a entrapment to draw more people to this series, as Erii/Erij was only used 2-3 times. If this was their intension, then they did an excellent job at doing just that.
Simoun had the potential to become another Eureka 7 without the yuri attached to it for the mainstream audience. Instead, they made it into a controversial series surrounding the transgender issue among the girls as they reached the age of 17. This is probably the only thing that would keep the series from reaching the popular maintream level of Eureka 7.
I am certainly convinced that Simoun could have gone on to 52 episodes. Also, I do feel that Erii would have been an interesting FEMALE character. Too bad they wrote her off as a man.