Finishing Simoun for only a second time, I’m struck by how much more impact the ending has on me compared to my first viewing. Its ambiguous nature persists, but it’s nowhere near as vexing now that I’ve had ample opportunity to reflect on the story’s many interconnecting themes and the manner in which they were embodied in its characters. I feel silly for being so fond of the show despite my previous lack of understanding.
My mood upon finishing the show is far from ambiguous, however. I’m feeling blue. It’s actually a familiar feeling that arises every time I finish a show graced with an impressive ensemble cast. Nostalgia with a dash of loneliness, or something like that. It’s the feeling of graduations and farewell parties. Happy occasions or sad occasions, the end of an era is still the end of an era. I suppose this is the mark of any good anime series - or any good story, for that matter - but I truly think it’s the bidding farewell to such a group of beloved characters that makes it all the more bittersweet.
When contemplating on why I’m drawn to anime as I am, I come to the same basic conclusion time and time again: it’s the characterization, stupid. Characterization is something anime does exceptionally well. There are variations in quality, of course; the flat and simple characterization of a harem series has little in common with the detailed and elaborate characterization of a drama series. But an emphasis on characters over plot is something typical of anime. It wasn’t until I start watching anime that I even gave notice to the concept of “character study”.
Simoun is exactly that. A character study. Yes, there’s a fancy story to sweeten the pot - and I don’t mean to diminish the story, for the writing is every bit as impressive as you’ve heard - but it’s truly the priestesses of Chor Tempest who carry the show from first episode to last. That’s why the parting is such sweet sorrow.
It’s also why I’m already plotting my next viewing.
I think Simoun is one of those shows that should get more attention, but due to it’s genre it is simply neglected, such a shame.
I like how you pan harems when the distinction between that and “drama” is as arbitrary as it gets. It makes Wauf cry.
I had to throw a bone to the “hurf durf animu sux” crowd, but yeah. I didn’t like the sentence, either. I wish there was a good way to distinguish between Kiminozo style drama and Kurenai style drama. We need a word.
Histrionics = bad, laziness = bad, etc.?
This is one of those times when I think, “hang on, isn’t the idea of ‘characterisation is king’ stating the bleeding obvious?” except the irony is that an obvious idea like that is often overlooked. Maybe it’s just me but when I was younger the idea of ’stories’ was a series of events but in recent years I’ve noticed that however cool or inventive the ’stuff happening’ aspect was, I couldn’t really immerse myself in it unless the characters were engaging.
I guess the point where I finally realised this was when I began to appreciate drama and slice of life shows - pretty pictures are all well and good but personalities give life to a story…or something. I ought to watch Simoun actually but as with so many others there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day!
>> I didn’t like the sentence, either. I wish there was a good way to distinguish between Kiminozo style drama and Kurenai style drama. We need a word.
Isn’t it the simple difference between character development and no character development?
I don’t think it is so much character development but rather character depth.
P.S. I felt terrible for about half a month after finishing Simoun.
Ah, the sad kind of feeling you get when you finish a good show. When the last episode’s progress bar stops at that 24:59 mark, I start to feel down, with the thought, “It’s all over,” swirling around the back of my head. I always try to avoid experiencing that. and as a result, I end up with a multitude of good shows that have just one or two episodes left, never to be watched again (ie: Clannad, Hayate no Gotoku, Kurenai).
I… really should fix that habit of mine.
I first watched Simoun all in a rush, so that’s how the show felt like to me. So maybe next time, I’ll take things easier, and make that emotional impact hit me in the face again. :3
Zeroblade: ZOMG Kurenai unfinished! You must fix it, if for the LULZ alone.
ILM: yeah, something like that.
You know, I really get annoyed with myself over that trace. It’s the largest, most complicated (it choked Illustrator completely) and most ambitious trace I’ve done. But all that I can see whenever I look at it is that I forgot to colour Rodore’s eyebrows. :(
I really should sit down and watch through the show again now that I’ve got all the DVDs. Don’t know if I can handle seeing “Aer” and “Roatreamon” without getting frustrated though.
The show actually has quite a bit of potential for a sequel, and that thought fills me with an odd sense of ambivalence. On one hand, the show stood on its own extremely well, and a sequel would be without the defining factor that made the season work (the characters). But on the other hand, I’d probably still watch anything that was more of the same, even if it meant a new cast. Shame it’ll never happen regardless.
I still wish they’d explained what the hell was going on in that shot in one of the earlier episodes where Aaeru suddenly had Heterochromia. I don’t know if they edited it out of the DVD release or not, but it was a nasty red herring.
I’m grateful that you put the time and effort into producing all of those traces, NegativeZero, as there isn’t a whole lot of worksafe promotional art for Simoun out there that I can use when writing about the show.
Anyway…
The spelling differences didn’t bother me all that much. I don’t concentrate too closely on subtitles, though - just a quick glance to fill in the gaps, and that’s it. I will admit, however, that, while “Rodoreamon” seems a graceful enough name befitting of its owner (and is easily truncated as “Rodo-chan” for discussion purposes), “Roatreamon” might as well be some sort of kitchen appliance. Oh well.
And the weird heterochromia scene exists on the DVD release as well. I don’t know if that was a red herring, a honest mistake, or something completely innocuous. I just chalked it up as something weird and inexplicable (of which the show has few examples), and left it at.
I was thinking about this show after I recommended it to my friends, and I think Simoun should not have a sequel, to keep the impact of the ambiguous ending. However, it needs a prequel. You know, on Chor Tempest before episode 1. After all, the story of Neviril becoming Sibylla Aurea and Chor Tempest becoming the best has so much potential. The character designs for the characters that go away after the first episode would also not be wasted. This would also give a higher significance to the events of episode 1. Is there anyway to start a petition or something?