#rimone

[arbitrarygreay]

The breadth of Mamiko Noto

[numachi]

[creativeoutpost]

Simoun: A Sequel

Chapter 1

She groaned and slowly opened her green eyes. One minute they were saying goodbye to their friends and then the next they were speeding towards something, going so quickly, that she couldn’t control the Simoun. The rocking and the speed knocked her out, and here she was. She jolted awake and called out to her partner.

“Neviril!” 

No answer.

Quickly, she opened her side of the Simoun and looked up. 

She saw her partner, a pink haired woman, passed out. No signs of bleeding or injury. Feeling relieved that Neviril was probably unconscious like she was, she looked around and took in her surroundings.

She gasped.

Her surroundings were dark, and the air was smokey. It was like someone set Daikūriku permanently on fire and carelessly polluted it. The once beautiful forest was bare and the ground was completely mud. Smoke was coming from a far distance.

What had happened to their beautiful planet?

And then she thought again…

Were they even on Daikūriku?

The second thought was unsettling.

_____________________________________________________________

She ran back into the house to grab the stuffy that was right beside the bed. Not that she needed it to sleep at night, she had Dominura. The stuffy reminded her of her time with Chor Tempest, and though she carried nothing else of that time, she wanted to make sure she kept that.

Grabbing the stuffy, she paused for a second and looked around. They were about to leave their home of the past 5 years and venture off to another place. Thinking for a second, she wanted to fly, but she wasn’t sure if they were going to perform the Emerald Ri Majon again.

Slowly walking out she called out,

“Dominura!”

A woman with amethyst eyes and dark green shaded hair turned around with a warm smile.

“Yes, Limone?”

The once child she had paired with had matured beautifully in her body. She aqua blue hair flowed with the light breeze and her dark ruby eyes stared inquisitively.

“When you said we’re going to see another sky, did you mean that we were going to perform the Emerald Ri Majon, or just fly to another place?”

Dominura smiled. She had given up on giving complete answers, realizing that in the end fate had already decided what they were going to do. She had seen parts of her fate that day on the Meiss. She knew what they were going to do next.

“Why don’t we fly and see where we go?”

Limone looked at her for a moment, and Dominura thought she might inquire more. But Limone shook her head, and with her stuffy, followed Dominura to their Simoun.

Their job in this timeline was not over yet.

[kristaladiosalenz-blog]

Cutie art

Arte adorable

Art: りもね

[golden-theatre]

Adult Limone and Dominura 

[burnouts3s3]

Simoun, a review

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.) Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry! Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for Season (MSRP): 25.00 USD How much I paid: 23 Dollars USD. Number of Episodes: 26 Episodes Price per episode: 1 Dollar per episode Length per Episode: 25 Minutes on average. 21 Without Intro and Ending song. Number of Discs: 5 DVD Discs in total.   Episodes per Disc: 5 or 6. Licensed and Localized by: Media Blasters Animation Studio: Deen Audio: Japanese Audio with Subtitles available Bonus Features: Staff and Voice Actor Commentary. My Personal Biases: I actually saw Simoun a while back but never reviewed it. I like other shows in the Shoujo Ai genre such as Mai Hime, Mai Otome, Maria Watches over Us, Strawberry Panic and yes, even Kannazuki no Miko/Destiny of the Shrine Maiden.   My Verdict: Simoun is probably one of the best shows and anime series I’ve seen even if it wasn’t part of the shoujo ai genre. It stands up to one of the best in the business with its beautiful animation, amazing soundtrack, incredible world building and interesting characters. But its tone and message is joyless, sullen and grim. Even when the series has a handful of hopeful (not happy mind you) scenes, there’s still the sense of loss. If you can stomach some truly heart wrenching scenes, check this show out when you can. A/N: Okay, so Media Blasters is the official licenser of the show and translated most of the subs. A lot of the names were also translated but a lot of fans noticed a change in names. Mainly, a lot of characters whose names end with a “u” end up having the “u” dropped. So Caimu is Kaim, Anubitufu is Anubituf and Aeru is Aer. Also, Rodoreamon is apparently Rotreamon now. I’m going to use the names Media Blasters chose for the characters for the sake of simplicity. Simoun, a review

I consider myself a fan of shoujo-ai or Yuri anime. I own a couple of boxsets of Yuri anime. I watch Yuri anime. Even the stuff that bores me (Strawberry Panic) or annoys me (Kannazuki no Miko/Destiny of the Shrine Maiden) at least makes me rewatch it again and again. Like all things, I tend to have agreements of which shows I like and which shows I detest like the fucking plague. But, then comes a series that not only makes me rethink preconceptions I had about religion, war, politics, children, innocence and romances, but also makes me rethink myself and how I rate things on a good or bad rating. Simoun is a particularly hard series for me to review. It’s a study of contrasts. While I can honestly say the efforts put forth by the director, the animators, the voice actors and the writers is nothing less than something I find in a movie studio and the passion put into this project is nothing less than soul bearing, it remains one of the most polarizing and controversial shows I’ve ever reviewed. So, let me say this upfront so you can understand where I’m coming from: Simoun is a fantastic anime that covers the concepts of children at war, religion rivaling technology, gender roles, maturity, war in the name of religion, and the loss of innocence… that also happens to have lesbian romances. It’s probably one of the few shows that’s legitimately good and can recommend to people who aren’t shoujo ai fans. The scope magnificent, the animation, even the stilled shots, are gorgeous to look at, the music is haunting and the characters and voice actors do their absolute best to make the characters come alive. Even the use of CGI ships against a 2D backdrop manage to still look compelling (if a bit dated). A war breaks out between three nations Simulacrum, Argentum, and Plumbum over Simulacrum helical motor technology that powers the airships known as Simouns. Two fleets of the Simoun, Chor Caput and Chor Tempest, stumble upon a huge Argentum airship fleet attempting steal a Simoun. Suffering massive losses in the battle, the pair Neviril and Amuria of Chor Tempest attempt an extremely powerful but extremely dangerous maneuver out of desperation named the Emerald Ri Mājon. Neviril hesitates after making eye contact with the enemy, and the pair fail resulting in an explosion that takes Amuria with it. The fight leaves the sibyllae or members of Chor Tempest extremely demoralized and Neviril in despair. This is not Strawberry Panic, an all-girls school romance; this is Ender’s Game and Top Gun for the Shoujo Ai Genre. I would even hesitate to use the word Romance to describe this show because of how dark and at times bleak it can get. But, if you can stomach through the hardships and the gut wrenching scenes, you will find a light at the end of the tunnel and will find hope for the world and its characters. The people of Daikūriku are all born female. In Simulacrum, the girls grow up until age of seventeen, when they make a pilgrimage to a holy place known as "the Spring" to select their permanent sex. Four new sibyllae join Chor Tempest, one of them an excellent pilot with an unshakeable morale named Aer. Aer immediately decides to partner with Neviril, however despite her persistent attempts, Neviril remains too mired in her grief over Amuria's death to accept her. How committed are the producers to this premise of everyone being born female? So committed that they literally hired only female voice performers to voice all the characters, even the older men with facial hair. It’s that fact that haunts the world around them. Certain countries do not have access to the well so they have to perform sex reassignment surgery operations for half of the population to keep them afloat. And the use of such technology is polluting their world to the point of seeing nothing but red and black. This show came out in 2006 before the idea of there being more than 2 genders, debates on whether gender and general roles are a social or biological constructs and gender fluidity became popularized on internet sites like Tumblr. (I will point out to my internet skeptic friends that the show’s setting depicts EVERYONE as being born biologically female and, according to this world, that certain members MUST transition to the male gender to keep society functioning.) But be warned; the show can get bleak and downright depressing at times. If you thought it was hard to sit through some of the darker parts of Kannazuki no Miko or My-Hime, you haven’t seen anything yet! For example, as early as Episode 4 (one of the ‘filler’ episodes), Aer and Rimone take an unauthorized flight and get ambushed on the ground by an enemy soldier. The Soldier dies only to have his body stiffen up with his hands on the controls of the Simoun. Rimone points out that prying his hands off will break the controls, stranding them there in enemy territory while the enemy comes closer. So Aer has to take her tiny pocket knife and SAW OFF THE SOLDIER’S HANDS FROM THE REST OF HIS BODY. It’s not even the amount of blood or gore that’s disturbing; it’s seeing a child having to endure and do such a thing that’s so messed up. See, one of the interesting things I love is seeing how characters interact or react to the world around them. In Simoun, the Sybillae are so used to the idea of war that hearing about people dying is nothing new for them but the idea of having to deal with a mouse is frightening. It’s the type of world where a kiss on the lips between women is so commonplace but Rotreamon cutting off her braids is more dramatic. If there’s a consequence to the proceedings it’s the characters. Don’t get me wrong; the characters aren’t ‘bad’ per say and a lot are very interesting and have interesting dynamics, such as the incestuous undertone of Kaim and Alti, the mechanic Waporif dealing with the idea of faith and technology, the class struggle between Roderamon and Mamina. Even Floe, the cute girl and comedic relief, doesn’t escape the world unscathed. It’s just that the world and the situations and the conflict are so interesting, that you start to notice that the characters are a bit on the stock type. (Then again, I think you need familiar stock types so you can digest some of the bigger concepts.) But our main pair, Neviril and Aer, are the center of the proceedings and it’s their relationship that nails it. You get the sense that Neviril and Aer are both locked in a sense of immaturity, albeit from different perspectives. Neviril is locked in the idea of being pure and being a priestess forever, even going so far as to not fly again once Amuria dies. Aer, meanwhile, is an impulsive hothead who wants to do nothing but fly, even at the cost of being an adolescence. But as the war rages on and the casualties of people they know and love start piling up, the two eventually find comfort in each other’s arms. It first seems like Aer is the stronger of the two only for her to completely break down when one death becomes one death too many. If Junji Nishimura’s direction and co-writing are what brings the characters alive, Toshihiko Sahashi’s music is what makes them transcendent. Every so often, he would incorporate pieces of church music, classical music and tango to make the dichotomy and juxtaposition of certain scenes blow you away. Yes, Tango.

Towards the latter half of the series, I noticed that the animation liked to use still shots with characters still talking. At first, I thought this was intentional by the showrunners. But, as I rewatched the series, it dawned on me that the animation budget was probably blown on the CGI battles and the rest of the team had to resort to cost saving techniques for the show. CAVEAT: Shows like Simoun do not get made every day. Directors and writers willing this bold of a risk to tell this dense of a tale should be rewarded. And yet for the same time, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not for the casual viewer. In some ways, it’s not even for anime fans. This is the anime version of 12 years a Slave as it provides a brutal, harsh and unflinching look at the world. Do you hate this show? No, because if I hated it, I’d simply write it off and say it’s a piece of crap just to be done with it. It’s not. If anything, Simoun is an ambitious anime made by well-intentioned people that for a lot of people is not going to resonate with them. And I’m not even throwing shade on religious viewers who have trouble digesting the heavier concepts. Even more progressive minded viewers are not going to sign on to a lot of the negative and just melancholy tones throughout the work. The work isn’t so much dark as say parts of Kannazuki or Mai Hime are as it is bleak. There’s a sense of melancholy in the air that just persists and there’s no getting rid of it with glimmers of hope scattered here and there. Why is recommending the anime so hard for you if you thought it was good? Because for a lot of people, a lot of the world building, concept provoking and issue debates are not what they wanted. Aside from the heavy themes and messages, a lot of the technical flaws do stick out. Neviril and other character designs were a bit off putting to me the first time I saw it, resembling more like dolls than usual anime characters. The CGI Simouns are interesting in concept (and I like the idea of rendering them in CG to show off how alien/foreign they are) but do show a dated look. And for some people, the slow (intentionally deliberate or not) pacing will drive them nuts.   I came upon Simoun as I was exploring Yuri anime and wanted to see, yes, anime girls kissing. What I got instead were thought provoking concepts that only changed my view but changed the views of people around me. Buying this show just to watch girls kissing each other is like, as Jeff Foxworthy said, buying a 747 just to eat the peanuts. Erica Friedman, writer of the blog Okazu Yuri, once said this show is not for the Lowest Common Denominator. And upon rewatching Simoun, I had the startling realization that not only was Friedman right but also that I was part of the Lowest Common Denominator. Simoun is more of a show that I admire and respect the hell of, than I actually like and the fault lies more because of me than what the show did. And for 23 USD with the amount of content AND the numerous special features including Director Commentary and cast interviews, this is truly a must buy! That ending shot gets me every time. Verdict: Buy it!

[arbitrarygreay]

I talked about this in a previous post, but for this ship, it's not so much "the people involved" as "the situation they're in". Fandom shipping loves the concept of kismet above all else (that these characters will fall in love in every AU), but I often like the idea of the opposite: that these characters would not fall in love except for these very specific circumstances making this relationship viable. It makes the relationship that much more precious. Dominura and Rimone should not be together in the majority of worlds, and especially not together in the way they are in canon, but that only makes the canon version of them even more of a transient snowflake. Get wabi-sabi-pilled. Feel the 蕩れ.

[arbitrarygreay]

Simoun rewatch episodes 17-20

So, there are 4 primary points people tend to get into histrionics over when attempting to criticize the show: 1) Dominura and Rimone 2) Kaimu and Alti 3) Paraietta sexually assaulting Neviril 4) The fact that Kyoukoku is a patriarchy

4 is not even worth engaging with. That is some "1984 problematic" level nonsense. 2 is also fine, which I talked about in a previous post. The show overtly has Alti say that that wasn't what she actually wanted, and even in Kaimu's recounting of events, it happened in response to wartime trauma. 3 happened in this stretch of episodes, and drumroll.....it's fine! Who woulda thought!? /s This is some "RGU problematic" level stuff. And, like, yeah you can make "2006 yuri anime" jokes which are true, but I am increasingly less sympathetic to those kinds of arguments holding water about a story's actual merits the more time marches on (see my post on Sora no Woto). In the context of Simoun alone, this is a legit move. Paraietta has been watching Neviril be drawn to Amuria and Aaeru, two people who pushed Neviril's limits, chased her and challenged her boundaries. We saw Amuria keep surprising Neviril with kisses and escalating to making out without any warning, and Neviril giving in, culminating in Amuria overriding Neviril's concerns to perform the Emerald RiMaajon. Then, Aaeru seemingly got her way after banging down Neviril's door for while, and bulldozed through a lot of Chor Tempest's other norms. Paraietta watched Aaeru throw Neviril into disarray (by insensitively pushing for the Emerald), saw Aaeru calmly take command and be correct about it in the field, and then Neviril choosing to get over her own upset and deepen her connection with Aaeru anyways. That's a lot of evidence (from Paraietta's limited perspective) for the ol' "why do girls love them bad boys". Neviril has just told Paraietta that she doesn't want to lean on Paraietta, which is the role Paraietta had taken upon herself. So, if that's not working, why not go with the opposite strategy, which evidently worked on Neviril twice before? Paraietta is just a conflicted teenager. She doesn't have the means to understand the nuances in why Neviril feels the way she does. She hasn't seen Aaeru get put into context vs. Halconf trying to force Mamiina upon Neviril, or the way Neviril and Aaeru have been able to discuss the state of Kyoukoku and the nature of freedom together. So, Paraietta tries to brazenly challenge Neviril's boundaries, and instead blunders into taking Neviril's choices away instead. That, my friends, is what we call good writing. 1 is the closest the show comes to actually letting a ~*~Les Problematique~*~ ship through, but also not really? The writing obviously knows that Dominura is a broken person, latching on to the first person who showed an ounce of unconditional affection. It's an unhealthy state of affairs, for sure, but "Dominura devotes herself to making Rimone's dreams come true instead of trying to further manipulate the local situation politically or militarily" is far from the actual problem with age gap ships. I'll talk more in future posts as more of their story unfolds. At any rate, the show is definitely indicting Kyoukoku for driving these two together in the first place. By miring itself in arrogant war, the government exploited Dominura to where she's 18 and never known an honest relationship, and then made Rimone an actual child soldier, and then forced Chor Tempest into increasingly dangerous situations where they had only their Pairs to rely on, in ships where intimacy grants power. "In a situation where everything is inescapable trauma, you can still find honest connections with people, even if those relationships are fraught with blurry lines." Shinji strangles Asuka upon the post-apocalypse beach, and that nightmare of a hedgehog dilemma is still preferable to the lie of perfect orange tang. Dominura and Rimone aren't ideal, but in the environment they're trapped in, they don't have the luxury of waiting for something better. Denying herself in service of the greater situation is what broke Dominura in the first place, and what would inevitably await Rimone in the long run (would she have to hack the enemy's hands off herself next time?). So they forge forward to seize their freedom together. Whoops I accidentally a detour. Anyways, that was just episode 18! :D 17, the Ruins episode, has a whole lot of world-building implications I think I'll talk about in a separate post. 19 and 20, of course, is all about Mamiina. Honestly, I don't have much to talk about it, as it speaks for itself. There are still more world-building implications, though, which we've touched on with our Yun discussions.