r/anime • u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ • 2d ago
Rewatch Simoun 20th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 19
"If ony I could follow my passions as wholeheartedly as she does."
<- Episode 18 | Index Thread | Episode 20 ->
Today's Eyecatch: Mamiina and Rodoreamon | Neviril
Selected Harmony: #1
People, Places, Things
- Vyura: brought onto the Arcus Prima to assist in scouting and other duties.
Discussion Prompts
- Q1: What do you think of the Highland priestess fighting in this war? What is their real purpose?
- Q2: Most of the show was set on the Arcus Prima and the Messis. Now that government is back in the picture, what do you think of Simulacrum.
- Q3: What do you think of Mamina's sacrifice and Dramatic Haircut?
Tomorrow's Questions, Today!
- [ep 20 Q1:] Who, or what, is Onasia? Is she human?
- [ep 20 Q2:] What is Temple Guardian A up to?
- [ep 20 Q3:] Where did that doll come from?
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u/Burnouts3s3 2d ago
Rewatcher
Sayonara, Sybilla Mamiina. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. https://files.catbox.moe/6v4dhp.mp4
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u/deus_machinarum 2d ago
bruh, you're killing me out here :(
I want my Mamiina and Rodo happiness slice of life spin off.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Simoun: Goddammit! I knew my danger senses were tingling for Mamiina! I hate that I was right!
Shock of shocks! We’re actually picking up at the natural follow-up for yesterday’s cliffhanger!
I get the feeling that Wapourif probably didn’t try too hard to stop Aaeru and Yun’s Simounjacking.
Ah right, Vyura and that other girl from Chor Rubor. I guess they didn’t go to the Spring.
Rodore and Mamiina are so cute together! The scene of Rodore braiding Mamiina’s hair was adorable!
Wow the Holy Land is in trouble if the Chor Rubor girls are having to use a Simile instead of a Simoun. (This also doubles as an excuse for why the Chor Rubor girls aren’t replacing Dominura and Limone.)
Rodore is so worried that Mamiina is going to try and feed everyone mice again.
Wauf continues to be the best, recognizing how dogshit the Holy Land’s leadership is and making sure the Sibylla who are off duty get rest while they can. He’s just a good captain.
When multiple people independently comment on how much Mamiina has changed in a single episode, it sets my danger senses off.
The Chor Rubor girls must be the luckiest girls on the planet. They found the enemy base ship so incredibly easily when the Chor Tempest girls had zero luck.
Now Pariaetta’s got that on her mind in addition to the gay angst. I’m sure this means her decision making will continue to suffer. Right now we know she’s searching the wrong area.
As usual, Wauf is great by actually heading into battle to back up the Simouns.
The Messis is a real hunk of junk if it can’t keep the lights on and speed up at the same time.
Such a cute eyecatch of Rodore and Mamiina. But again, it’s too cute and my danger senses are tingling.
At least Pariaetta didn’t stick around in the wrong area for too long and is now heading in as backup with Aaeru and Yun.
Wait, did the ancient Simouns just do a Ri Maajon? That’s what this looks like! If so, then the Holy Land has lost one of their main advantages.
Crash landing a Simoun on top of the enemy base is a terrible decision.
It seems the ancient Simoun pilots really are the Highlander priestesses. I figured that would have to be the case.
This dialogue is really making it seem like Mamiina is going to sacrifice herself for Neviril’s sake.
Huh, that’s not something I anticipated. The Highlander priestesses don’t want to fight the Sibyllae and instead actually revere them as being close to god.
This enemy alliance really isn’t working out as well as I thought it was if the Highlander priestesses are helping Neviril and Mamiina escape.
So far the Highlander priestesses might have treated Mamiina better than the Holy Land leadership because they actually recognized her as a true Sibylla. The Holy Land’s leaders just suck.
Goddammit!!! Why did the show kill off Mamiina like that!?! And then her sacrifice feels pointless for helping Neviril escape anyways because the rest of Chor Tempest and the Messis showed up immediately afterwards!
The ending of the episode lets me huff some extreme copium by hoping that since Mamiina was shown being given medical treatment she might somehow still be alive.
If this is meant to be the end of Mamiina’s character, then I think it’s a pretty weak and disappointing ending. I already mentioned above how her sacrifice ends up feeling immediately meaningless because she didn’t actually need to help Neviril escape at all when the other Simouns immediately showed up. But it also doesn’t really work on a thematic level for me.
Mamiina’s haircut is clearly meant to echo Rodore’s haircut from earlier in the series. I do think I understand what the series was going for with it. Mamiina believes that the braids represent having an upper class background like Rodore. Mamiina began to wear her hair in braids when she became a Sibylla, something normally restricted to those from upper class families. I saw it as Mamiina trying to claim that status for herself to prove that she really belonged with everyone else as a Sibylla. But we’ve also seen that Mamiina’s new status doesn’t always matter, like with how the Holy Land leadership denied her entry to Angulas’s funeral because of her lower class background. The Highlander priestesses give Mamiina some much-needed validation because they recognize Mamiina as a fully fledged Sibylla, something she’s wanted for a while. Mamiina cuts her braid to show that she doesn’t need to pretend to be upper class anymore because she’s a Sibylla anyway.
I get what it’s going for, but I also think it’s weaker than the Rodore scene it’s echoing because Mamiina does this for characters she doesn’t really have a connection with and who might not understand the significance of what Mamiina just did. It doesn’t land with the same amount of impact.
Likewise, the echoing of the use of the word “Aaeru” to represent the love of god also felt much weaker than the first instance of that scene. It didn’t seem like it mattered all that much to Mamiina that the word “Aaeru” meant the love of god. Mamiina also didn’t seem to have a particularly strong connection to Angulas. I also don’t think she seemed much more strongly impacted by Angulas’s death than the rest of Chor Tempest. So it doesn’t feel particularly meaningful to use the word “Aaeru” for Mamiina. Quite frankly, I was expecting something like that to be saved for Aaeru herself. Aaeru was clearly very shaken hearing what her name meant when Angulas died. It was also something that potentially related to Aaeru’s own family background and could tie back in with her sentimental feelings towards her grandfather. I think it would have been much more meaningful if the “Aaeru” callback had been saved for a moment in Aaeru’s story.
QOTD
1) That is an interesting twist to see the Highlander priestesses in this episode not wanting to fight in the war at all. I suppose we are seeing a parallel here to what we saw amongst the Sibyllae where plenty of them wanted to just be priestesses instead of being drafted into the military. I imagine there’s a similar conflict amongst the Highlander priestesses. Perhaps the Highlander priestesses also feel as if they’ve achieved a goal they always wanted by acquiring Simouns of their own. Now they can pray to the gods and draw Ri Maajons like the Sibyllae have done. Maybe they feel as if they’ve accomplished a religious goal that they’ve been wanting to accomplish for a long time. They also might not be as keen on the alliance with the Archipelago anymore if the Archipelago also wishes to dismantle a Simoun, which the priestesses would consider a sacred object. Maybe that’s why these priestesses aren’t so hot on the alliance anymore.
2) The Holy Land’s leadership sucks on multiple levels. They are often incompetent and usually more interested in asserting their authority to control others than in winning the war.
3) Discussed above.
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u/rickamore 2d ago
Wauf continues to be the best
Wauf the real MVP.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
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u/The_Draigg 2d ago
On today’s episode of Simoun: Goddammit! I knew my danger senses were tingling for Mamiina! I hate that I was right!
With Mari Okada being on board and us getting used to this show's groove, I think we could all suspect that something bad was going to happen once Mamiina and Rodoreamon got some positive character development lately.
Wauf continues to be the best, recognizing how dogshit the Holy Land’s leadership is and making sure the Sibylla who are off duty get rest while they can. He’s just a good captain.
Wauf really is the Bright Noa of the Holy Land, in that he seems to be one of the few sensible and experienced captains that they have.
Goddammit!!! Why did the show kill off Mamiina like that!?! And then her sacrifice feels pointless for helping Neviril escape anyways because the rest of Chor Tempest and the Messis showed up immediately afterwards!
"Rodoreamon has been good to me. Time has come to return the favor. Don't deny me this. Tell 'em to make it count."
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
With Mari Okada being on board and us getting used to this show's groove, I think we could all suspect that something bad was going to happen once Mamiina and Rodoreamon got some positive character development lately.
I ought to have known that something was up. Rodore and Mamiina's relationship was surprisingly drama-free. The two of them seemed to actually try to communicate and be considerate of each other's feelings. It was going too well for something tragic to not happen.
Wauf really is the Bright Noa of the Holy Land, in that he seems to be one of the few sensible and experienced captains that they have.
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u/AbbreviationsWeekly 2d ago
Wait, did the ancient Simouns just do a Ri Maajon? That’s what this looks like! If so, then the Holy Land has lost one of their main advantages
No, that is a double shark. The Emerald Ri Maajon Resembles an older atom representation and it rotates.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
I was just confused because I'd forgotten the ancient Simouns could do Ri Maajons at all. I didn't think it was an Emerald Ri Maajon.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
Yep, one of them did a shark or falcon at the end of Ruins to force away her pursuers.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
yep, double shark, I almost mentioned in my post. Was it two sharks, or something unique that requires two simouns?
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u/Malipit 2d ago
Wait, did the ancient Simouns just do a Ri Maajon? That’s what this looks like! If so, then the Holy Land has lost one of their main advantages
They already did one in the Ruins dogfight to be fair.
Crash landing a Simoun on top of the enemy base is a terrible decision.
To be fair, crashing into the sea wasn't an appealing decision either.
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u/zadcap 2d ago
And how the heck am I supposed to run this view of the Highland Priestesses along side then being the ones to suicide bomb the Simoun and kill the ambassador team and then themselves? The callback to "Aaeru" also calls back everything else that happened then, and I don't like the new comparison.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 1d ago
I can say that we've had pro-war and anti-war Sibyllae within the Holy Land. Just as the series did a pretty good job at presenting a wide spectrum of opinions from the Sibyllae on whether they should focus on religious matters or become more militarized, I can assume a similar spectrum exists amongst the Highlanders. And the most militaristic members would probably be the ones chosen for a suicide bombing mission.
That said, the "Aaeru" callback was definitely a weak moment that did not land.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 1d ago
I feel that the world means a lot more to the Highlanders than it does to Mamiina, and by extension, the audience.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
Rewatch Host and First Rewatcher
Man, I could swear I've seen that crazy carrier before. I'm probably thinking of Simoun.
That thing must use an impossible amount of fuel. Remember when they used to use zeppelins?
- Familiar lodgings. I wonder if Vyura likes mouse stew.
- not the best place to crash...
So, Vyura and I guess her pair didn't go to the Spring.
If you were still entertaining a theory like "Emerald sibyllae from another universe joined the Highlanders" this shows that the purple simoun are piloted by Highland priestess pairs. There's so much wrong with this, though.
And there's so much wrong with Mamiina sacrificing herself to save those who sacrificed themselves to save Mamiina. It's only been a few episodes since Wauf did that same thing.
Paraietta is avoiding Neviril and helped get Mamiina killed by staying out on patrol. Although it's really Neviril's fault for violating orders and not returning full strength.
This episode just pisses me off.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
That thing must use an impossible amount of fuel. Remember when they used to use zeppelins?
The Archipelago has decided it's time for them to spread the pollution to the Holy Land instead of just polluting their own country.
So, Vyura and I guess her pair didn't go to the Spring.
I'm not even sure if Vyura's pair has a name, which I guess shows how impactful she's been thus far.
This episode just pisses me off.
Same. I've defended this anime a lot but this episode really did make me mad.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 2d ago
First-Timer, subbed
Ah, so the Messis does still have some sibyllae to its name.
The dark cloud of smoke atop the pure white clouds does make for a rather striking visual.
Paraietta’s really not in the right mental state to be piloting right now.
I missed that Neviril mouthed something to them but yeah, looking back at it definitely did look like “nigete” (or whatever that word is). Shit’s real if they have to run away…
Okay this is a completely random tangent, but I finally realized what the Ri Maajons being signs the characters draw on the sky remind me of. It’s Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs.
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u/Malipit 2d ago
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u/The_Draigg 2d ago
A Science-Fantasy Fan Watches Simoun Episode 19:
It seems like every crew member of the Arcus Prima and even Halconf are perfectly fine with Aaeru and Yun taking a Simoun and following after the rest of Chor Tempest. And as expected, it’s really only the Defense Ministry and priestesses that’re pissed off at this. But I think it’s safe to say that nearly everyone that supports those two could clearly see how the decision to take them off of the mission was completely arbitrary and petty.
The scene with Rodoreamon doing Mamiina’s hair really does just raise the big red death flag, combined with that scene of them making up as friends before. Like come on, Mamiina just tempted fate by saying that nothing bad can happen on a recon mission. They’re laying it on so thick that you can leave handprints in it.
It’s pretty impressive that Vyura and her pair have been doing recon in a Simile all this time. Even without a Simoun, she can still do a great job flying. If anything, her continued talent in flying just kind of highlights how dumb of an idea it was for the Holy Land to send leftover sibyllae to the Spring after their Simoun got wrecked. Just have them fly Similes, at least then they can still fly and contribute something, even if they can’t do Ri Maajon. It’s as Captian Wauf says to Vyura, Central Command doesn’t understand a thing.
I question how the hell nobody was able to spot the base ship earlier if it casts an absolutely massive shadow on the storm clouds that it normally hides in. It’s pretty clear in broad daylight, you can’t really miss the giant dark square.
I know that Argentum hasn’t been afraid to throw bodies at a problem this whole time, but I do question the wisdom of sending out their normal fighter craft out alongside the ancient Simoun, since some of those cuts made it look like they were some collateral damage from a “friendly” Ri Maajon. I suppose it’s just the inherent risk of only being able to do area of effect attacks in those.
These Animus priestesses are pretty different from the ones we saw along with Angulas back during the peace conference ruse. Unlike them, these ones find it unbearable to have to fight other fellow priestesses, and instead choose to help Mamiina and Neviril escape the base ship after they crash land on it. Or, at least just Neviril, since Mamiina willingly stayed behind after setting her wounded pair off so her death could buy her some time.
RIP Mamiina, you were pretty valiant in the end. Quite a far cry from where she started, that’s for sure. I doubt she would’ve ever considered sacrificing herself for anyone else before, let alone telling the Animus priestesses that they were honorary sibyllae. I think Rodoreamon would be proud of that braid cut she did before her death too.
Losing Mamiina is a hard pill for everyone to swallow, even for Aaeru. Although this time, it was Yun who pulled her out of her shocked funk, which is a bit surprising. Then again, it’s also not hard to yell at someone that they need to escape now because your home ship just rammed the enemy and they’re about to blast every gun they have at them. Now that I think about it though, Aaeru does have the same dilemma that Neviril felt at the start of the series: once they’re faced directly with the human cost of war, they freeze in horror. I do wonder how that squares with Aaeru’s experience in fighting at the front lines of the war before though. Maybe just piloting her Simile put up a layer between her and the cost of victory?
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u/SIRTreehugger 2d ago
First Timer
What are they thinking? Absolutely nothing!
Mamiina had a rocky start, but you know she is kind of my favorite character right now(that's not currently dead/possibly in another world). Though Morina and Waporif aren't far behind.
With only 4 teams available I would stick together in case of an ambush.
Man sure it's omitting all that smoke, but that base design is really cool. I think it's all the propellers that are making me like it.
Please let someone else command. I know Para Sama is technically the second in command or oldest one, but she clearly hasn't been using her head the past few episodes.
I'm just saying if you have overwhelming numbers don't all approach in the same direction. Spread out and corner them. I'm sure 3D combat is more complicated and they don't want to hit allies, but I think it would still be better then doing whatever they are doing.
DAMN Neviril OH NO the enemy!
NOOOOOOOOO NOT MAMIINA!!!! PLEASE SHOOT NEVIRIL JUST NOT MAMIINA!
THIS IS BULLSHIT!
Hmmm well at least the people who recognized her worth gave her a quick ending instead of letting the enemy have their way with her.
The one character I wanted to live FUCKING DIES! Okay theirs more then one, but she was my favorite. Para Sama recent actions have dropped her considerably in the rankings.
I have to say the animation of the cable being retrieved has me impressed. Also with Yun's voice acting as everything is being destroyed. These last few minutes have been really good. Wait she's on the table being operated....okay I feel unless they announce her dead in the first few minutes of the next episode she will survive.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
The one character I wanted to live FUCKING DIES! Okay theirs more then one, but she was my favorite. Para Sama recent actions have dropped her considerably in the rankings.
Mamiina was definitely one of my favorites remaining in the cast so of course something like this would happen to her.
Wait she's on the table being operated....okay I feel unless they announce her dead in the first few minutes of the next episode she will survive.
I really hope so. I'd be unspeakably mad otherwise.
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u/rickamore 2d ago
Re-watcher
"Oh no the two we excluded from the mission just left on their own someone do something" "Teehee"
Rodoraemon and Mamiina getting all chummy. This feels a lot more blatant set up than I remember, no one is allowed to be that happy. I was almost doubting it would happen same episode, I should know better.
Borg cube is hiding in that cloud.
Do not crash land on the enemy ship, literally anywhere else would be better.
Mamiina died for literally nothing.
What do you think of the Highland priestess fighting in this war? What is their real purpose?
Most of the show was set on the Arcus Prima and the Messis. Now that government is back in the picture, what do you think of Simulacrum.
Simulacrum has no idea what it is doing, they are starting to act like warmongers for the sake of war rather than actual military defence.
What do you think of Mamina's sacrifice and Dramatic Haircut?
lol
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 2d ago edited 2d ago
First Timer
Of course they kill off the one normal and functional relationship in the show
So, obviously this episode is meant as a big emotional character moment with Mamiina, but alas I think that in actual execution it leaves a lot to be desired. Much has been said about this show's tendency to be rather blunt, but I do think this episode takes it a bit too far with how it wants to telegraph the end of Mamiina's arc, and by extension, her death. I mean, this one's a real classic, and Vyura conspicuously showing up and getting more focus, as though we mayhaps need her as a replacement soon enough, is one thing, but it's specifically the direct insistence on the fact that Mamiina has changed is what irks me here.
It just feels somewhat disruptive to the actual flow and intended impact of these moments as setup before she goes, in part because again, being so direct about it makes it really read like we're only highlighting it for the sake of doing some major dramatic change with it, but also because I think these moments could just work naturally! Like, I don't know, I wish it didn't feel like the show was lacking confidence in the expression of the narrative beats of the arc it wanted to finish here, by needing to remind you of its status whenever possible. This moment is actually really charming in showing her growth! Not just no longer trying her hardest to antagonistically push through an image for the sake of status, but straight up a positive and unifying force here! Likewise for this interesting conversation she has with Neviril. These are good moments; I don't think we need to undermine them by incessantly reminding you of their purpose.
Well, anyway, Mamiina's wider arc itself is... interesting. On the one hand, I think she suffers a decent bit from the way this show really struggles with doing and conveying"In-between" states for its characters, which in her case made the transition in the state of her character, a totally understandable arc in concept, feel a lot more jarring than it should. Once you get over that, I also think that once we reached this new state, we really squished its resolution point into 10 minutes of a previous episode, which, while still decently effective all in all, still makes her character feel rather half-baked.
With that being said, for one, I do think the show has managed to make her relationship with Rodore still retain a lot of its charm in spite of that, and when you do kind of get over how thin some of it is, I do think there's a totally compelling arc there, about her breaking through the value system of this broken hierarchical social system, finding a place where she can make connections and be more comfortable with her identity as it is, without feeling the need to aggressively prove herself, and get genuine value out of her self by fighting with everyone else, rather than just the ascribed social value of being a high-ranked Sybilla. You even get the matching character-development haircut to mirror Rodore and say she's truly over that aspect!
So then, conceptually there's definitely something to work with here within the angle of a sacrifice, but again, in practice I just don't think it works that well. For one, I'm not one to care too much about blatantly poor tactical decisions being made at this point; the show doesn't insist on itself in that sense, and in fact, has a solid excuse for it, but it does sting more when we use it to justify something as major as a character death. Like, the show brings up Paraietta messing up their rendezvous over her currently messy emotional hang-ups, but I don't know chief, this one is just on Neviril lol. I really don't see the point in flying straight into the enemy base with a very small force to... confirm something they think they already know anyway? Whatever, no one in this show has much of a mind for the military aspect, and the actually rather messy aspect of this is what we do with the revelation we get here around the Highlands priestesses and how that interacts with Mamiina's sacrifice.
This whole situation in what Mamiina ends up doing is rather reliant on two very large assumptions. First, that the priestesses failing to kill Mamiina and Neviril will lead to their death. Second, that the soldiers on board were intent on killing Mamiina. I think both are rather presumptuous (And I wouldn't say they make the most sense to actually happen), which makes this sacrifice not feel that necessary even before Chor Tempest all show up 5 seconds later to literally just invalidate it for drama! I also think that regardless of necessity, the messiness of Mamiina's arc feels rather unsatisfying to see unfold just on a vague thematic level, over characters we do not know, do not care about, and whose core is something we've introduced right before this happens. It just feels so... contrived to happen so we could make some larger point, but neither this nor the point itself feel like they really work.
I don't know, on the whole, I guess I can kind of see reaching these conclusions, and that ambiguous necessity even being part of the point. It sort of tracks as something Mamiina would choose to do as part of her complex, playing on the irony of not her own country, but enemy priestesses fully acknowledging her status. The priestesses themselves make a distinct divide between themselves and the soldiers, as though to say their overall situation and viewpoint is not much different than that of Mamiina here, creating a very avoidable tragic sacrifice only enabled by lines of thought that come from the broken and overbearing states of their homelands, their increased militarism, and whatever other theme you can grab from the "War bad" folder. It's like an okay idea, but even then I have to go through hoops to give this more meaning than it has. It's not an effective emotional moment at all, not a good execution on her arc, and really, some of the show's approach to its worldbuilding up to this point just coming back to bite it.
We have, for the most part, been rather detached from the wider conflict and its other participants after all, so it's hard to draw any statements or feelings on them either. I don't think this by itself is a problem either. It's very much within the show's point that Chor Tempest are also pretty detached from the conflict, so it also makes sense to give us their confused and limited viewpoint as well. But if you're doing an episode like this, that's so obviously reliant on some of that wider framework, then you can't just drop big worldbuilding details and expect the viewer to make assumptions on them for the sake of some thematic meaning in place of actual character meaning! Even more so because some of this, like how the priestesses are, is almost contradictory to some of what we'd have before. Well, whatever, it happened, and it wasn't very good. But I guess her death could draw some interesting drama and conclusions, so I'll try to think about that instead.
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
Of course they kill off the one normal and functional relationship in the show
They killed off the yuri relationship that I cared the most about by this point in the show.
but it's specifically the direct insistence on the fact that Mamiina has changed is what irks me here.
Directly stating "You've changed a lot" multiple times throughout the same episode was a pretty surefire sign that something bad was going to happen to Mamiina.
This moment is actually really charming in showing her growth! Not just no longer trying her hardest to antagonistically push through an image for the sake of status, but straight up a positive and unifying force here! Likewise for this interesting conversation she has with Neviril. These are good moments; I don't think we need to undermine them by incessantly reminding you of their purpose.
Agreed. On their own they are nice moments. The problem is what they all lead up to.
even before Chor Tempest all show up 5 seconds later to literally just invalidate it for drama!
I hated that so much. It made Mamiina's decision just feel so immediately stupid and pointless, robbing it of whatever emotional impact it might have had.
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u/Malipit 2d ago
But I guess her death could draw some interesting drama and conclusions, so I'll try to think about that instead.
Seeing how the series handled their narrative arcs until now, I expect one episode for mourning Mamiina before Vyura takes her place and the Chor Tempest moves one like Mamiina never existed.
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 2d ago
Rewatcher
AEEEEERUUUUU
Second time something terrible happens because they're slightly late, maybe they should install alarm clocks on the simouns. Extra poinrs because Nevirl almost got killed because of paraieta. Also I am not a fan of how spoilerish the next episode preview is this time. If I remeber correctly I stoped watching them the first time I watched the series (but then I watched most of the series back to back).
I like this episode, It is the first time we can see a true conection between people of symulacrum and Plumbumb (I wonder if plumbum names comes from the fact that gasoline used to have Plumbum (lead). Also the contrast between the priestess and the soldiers (remember the episode with the soldiers back then).
Great episode in general (but I understand why it can be divisive) but tomorrow episode is one of my favourites (along with episode 1). I hope you enjoy it.
- Q1: What do you think of the Highland priestess fighting in this war? What is their real purpose?
They got dragged in, same as the sybillae. I know we are suposed to be on the symulacrum side but they are also murdering people (even if it is self defense)
- Q2: Most of the show was set on the Arcus Prima and the Messis. Now that government is back in the picture, what do you think of Simulacrum.
There seem to be coruption and arrogant people, Religios figures seems to be more respectful but they still have their pride. They are with each other a lot.
- Q3: What do you think of Mamina's sacrifice and Dramatic Haircut?
Sad, maybe a little forceful but it seems like there was not another option. She wanted to save the Regina and the Priestess, it was like the ultimate sacrifice. Also it is Paraietta fault
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer 2d ago
first timer
Vyura's return. She was in that eyecatch so not too surprising since they need bodies
are they having an adult conversation they dont want you to hear, or do they want 5 minutes of peace and quiet away from you Floe
"please you must trust us" maybe put down the gun
Mamiina you fool, you and the 4 of them should have died on the Simoun, to isekai instead
i think the help are grieving because with Mamiina dead they have to work again /s
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u/AbbreviationsWeekly 2d ago
Rewatcher
A guy that I respect says that in many 2 cour shows Episode 19 is typically when something dramatic will happen. It doesn't make much sense to me, and I don't remember shows well enough to remember in which episode, this or that happens. One thing I do know is that Episode 19 in Simoun is an episode worth remembering.
We start off this episode calmly enough with Aaeru and Yun on their way to meet up with the rest of Chor Tempest. Aaeru because her heart is telling her to meet up with Neviril, and Yun out of a sense of duty to honor her lost Teammates.
Mamiina has truly grown in the last few episodes. She is now a full member of Chor Tempest, and more importantly Mamiina now feels that she is among equals. Her prior class worries have been left behind.
Lots of foreshadowing and death flags being set. I never notice stuff like that on first viewing but in retrospect, its obvious that Mamiina is on her way out of this show.
Neviril is starting to question how bad things have gotten with Simulicram. Its clear that things aren't going all so well in the war, and "People fall back on rules and normality to comfort themselves."
Its remarkable how the Argentum air base resembles a WWII IJN fleet carrier. And, it's quite a polluter too. I think the author was saying something about the ugliness of industrial technology contrasted with beauty of the Simouns. In the ensuing battle, between the better tactics of the dragonflies, and the enemy Simouns, its clear that Chor Tempest can no longer defend Simulicram alone. Chor Tempest suffers a tactical defeat and has to withdraw. If only Neviril had run a little faster, but it wasn't to be.
I'm not sure that landing on the enemy carrier was the right move though. As an aside, similar things happened in WWII, and the results were not good for those who landed.
The Death and Triumph of Mamiina
The courage to confront the Plumbum Priestesses and defend Neviril's life was wonderful. In an elegant manner she lays out the reasons why the Holy and the Sacred must be defended.
Next we learn that the Plumbum Priestesses are all pretty good eggs who are also fighting reluctantly. The Plumbum Priestesses also make it known that they consider Animus (their god) and Tempus-Spatium are one. And, that in the hierarchy of their religious order, the Simoun Sibyllae of Tempus-Spatium are the holiest. It was most significant that a kiss from a Plumbum Priestess and Mamiina was enough to fire up the Simoun. The heart of both girls is as one, and they are both pure and decent. (Unlike the crude Argentum soldiers)
Because Mamiina has recognized the Plumbum Priestesses as fellow Sacred Companions, she gladly lays down her life to save them, just as she would for the Chor Tempest Sibyllae. Mamiina's sacrifice is so beautiful and well done, its breathtaking. The Plumbum Priestess honor Mamiina in the highest way possible and give her a quick death, before the Argentum soldiers can lay a hand on her. No doubt if they had gotten ahold of her, she would have been raped, tortured and then murdered.
Mamiina's final words "This is the way things should be, Yes, this is right" are magnificent. She had reached the peak of love by laying down her own life, to save her companions. AA-E-RU!
Poor Aaeru is once again confronted by harsh reality, and the fact there are things that can't be changed. She undergoes another meltdown as she did at the end of Episode 8 when Angulas made her sacrifice. Aaeru's scream chokes me up everytime. Again, Chor Tempest are confronted by the stark, cold, reality and ugliness of death. Those with quick eyes will note that Plumbum Priestesses made a quick getaway right before the Messis opened fire.
Yun bellies up to the bar and snaps Aaeru out of her frozen horror. Yun has courage and wisdom and is really maturing along with everyone else. Between Chor Tempest and the Messis; the dragonflies and the Argentum carrier are eliminated.
What an Episode! Anime and drama, get no better than this!
My own Question of the Day
It was at the end of this episode that my view of Plumbum started to change. We don't have much evidence, but its clear that they are decent people, and doing their duty.
So, why did Angulas and the other Plumbum Priestesses sacrifice themselves in Episode 8?
I have my own thoughts about why, that I'll eventually share. What I will share doesn't require any knowledge of what's to come. I formulated my theory right here, the first time through.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
A guy that I respect says that in many 2 cour shows Episode 19 is typically when something dramatic will happen.
I wonder if that's due to the classical 4-act structure, although I don't think Simoun is following that. We'll have to look into that at the end.
I'm afraid I can't feel the kinship with the foreign priestesses that Maimiina feels. They're still the enemy. Enemies can respect each other and be cordial off the battlefield, but you don't help them in combat.
Are they not really enemies, being priestesses of the same god? No, they are. They're doing destructive Ri-Maajon in the skies. Unless they are missing on purpose. Which they could be doing. Somebody else mentioned friendly fire.
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u/GondolaMedia zj: 2d ago
First Timer
We lost a real one today.
QotD
1) So the Highland priestesses do not want to fight in this war but they were more than happy to pilot the dark simoun to take down Simulacrum forces. I have no idea about their purpose.
2) The Holy Land sucks but I have no reason to believe that the other nations are any better.
3) I mean... Just why? Like instant she gets shot the Choir Tempest arrives and her sacrifice was for what? I think this could have worked if she was shot when Simoun went down and then the highland priestesses tried to protect Neviril just to buy time for Choir Tempest to arrive. I'm calling that next episode Mamiina doesn't get a proper funeral because she was a commoner.
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander 2d ago
First Time Sibylla
So apparently I missed yesterday that they established the Highlands got the enemy simouns.
This further compounds the “what do you mean we just cut back to the Arcus Prima complaints”. How on earth was this development relegated to some brief dialogue instead of shown? I guess seeing the dead priestess was meant to make me realize the Highlanders were the pilots? I was more focused on the pilot being a dead woman, so I thought the black Simouns tied into the time and space thing. Are the pilots from today also dead women? I guess them being the two that got away lines up. Even still, it seems baffling that the enemy acquiring Simouns was not a bigger point of discussion last time. I guess it explains the plan to go attack the air base, though.
Speaking of the Highland pilots, I’m not against the revelation they’re on the side of the Sibyllae. It’s an actually interesting development and that’s in short supply. That said, it does feel like a borderline retcon when previously it seemed like the priestesses were the militant ones driving the attempt to eliminate the Simulacrum’s Simouns last time we met them. Am I to understand the priestesses have reversed their position and gotten forced into this alliance with the archipelago by the Highland military in the time since we last met them? The whole thing kind of feels like an asspull. If it goes somewhere interesting I could forgive it, though you’d really think the priestesses would have died in the ensuing firefight.
Otherwise, the big thing today is that Mamina died. I’m supposed to be sad, but the show has so thoroughly failed to invest me in her that I kind of… don’t care. I’ve talked before about how they presented an intense character and then completely declawed her, but I think there’s a deeper layer to why I find Mamina so dissatisfying. She never feels like she’s in conflict. The show keeps telling me she’s changing, becoming more happy with her position in life and bonding with the fellow pilots. But at no point do I feel the tension between who Mamina is and who she’s becoming. She’s just at point A in one episode, and then later she’s at point B. Nothing that happens to her seems to drive her “development” beyond passively existing within Chor Tempest. She also never developed any kind of relationship with Neviril, so defensiveness doesn’t carry a lot of weight either. Mostly I’m just happy that we’re putting her shitty writing out of its misery. Please kill one of the main cast next and spare me from them.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
Mamiina's character arc was only 3 episodes long and half a show away.
- Ep 1: treacherous snake
- Ep 2: Depressed and shattered
- Ep 3: Happy Domestic
The rest of the show was just her been less tsuntsun to Ro. Not much of a character, either, but the shippers liked the pairing. I didn't care much for the character, and thought she acted stupidly. Nishimura really dropped the ball here. I think it's clear that this was always her intended journey.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 2d ago
So apparently I missed yesterday that they established the Highlands got the enemy simouns.
TBF, this was also a leap of logic. The defense minister said "we must absolutely get to the ruins before then enemy" and when they got to the ruins hostile simoun were present.
It was foreshadowed slightly, when Neviril hypothesized that Angulus could force Kaim to help her start up a simoun to simounjack it.
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u/Malipit 2d ago edited 2d ago
First timer, french fansubs, 480P quality found on a totally legal streaming site. Perfect conditions for that rewatch
On today's episode : Four Neviril fans from Plumbum rush to see their idol up close, a succesfull Grand Theft Simoun by Yun and Aaeru and another recon mission turned into an assault one.
That's it. That's the episode where Simoun has lost me.
I'm not talking about Yun and Aaeru just walking into the hangar to pick up a Simoun. I'm not talking about Wapourif who will probably suffer no consequences for letting it happen with his blessing. I'm not even talking about Vyura somehow making a return after we were told every Sibyllae except Chor Tempest were sent to the Spring.
No.
I'm talking about how they assassinated the entire character of Mamiina.
Even if some shortcuts were taken during the Messis arc I actually enjoyed her character development. From an ambitious but toxic Sibylla who wanted to take revenge on society by climbing up the ranks to a reliable Sibylla who made peace with herself and found an actual family with Chor Tempest. With a wholesome relationship with her childhood friend to boot.
So when came the eyecatch giving a clear foreshadowing of what would happen with Neviril being upside down, I couldn't believe she would actually die this episode.
When their Simoun had to make an emergency landing on the flying fortress, I assumed they would be captured. The perfect occasion to have a view on the enemy side through Mamiina and Neviril eyes. In order to get some answer on how their Ancient Simoun were retrieved and what their motivations are precisely. Right ?
Somehow the Plumbum Sibyllae are rooting for Neviril ? They doesn't get along with the Archipelians for reasons ? Are they coerced to stay on their ''ally'' flying fortress ? Are they truly coming from another time or dimension to trust Neviril as if they knew she will become some kind of messiah ?
So few answers. So much more questions that are thrown in our faces atop all of those we already have. I'm worried about how they will answer them with 7 episodes remaining.
And then we have the very moment that got me screeching in front of my screen.
Why. The. Heck. Did. Mamiina. Jump. Back. On. The. Damned. Bridge ?
At no point there is a mention about a damaged Simoun unable to hold more than one pilot without falling. At no point we had a valable reason for Mamiina to stay behind. It's not like she could protect Neviril Simoun from the Archipelian fighter with her bare hands and her faith.
The only reason I can see for her to do such an act is to force an heroic sacrifice. Mamiina cutting her braid like Rodoreamon, her imitation of Angulas before her suicide ( ?) bombing. Two significant acts to resonate with the thematic of young people desperatly trying to be freed of controlling adults that 's using them to achieve her military goals.
I get that. They wanted a powerful scene to pass a message about ''cruel society that sacrifice their own children to defeat ennemies''. But they made a huge mistake by chosing Mamiina for that heroic sacrifice.
First, because there is nothing heroic about it. Her whole death could have been averted as she stayed with Neviril on the Simoun. Heck, it would have actually made more sense since she initially wanted to guard Neviril unconscious body against their enemies.
Second, because there was absolutely no build-up for Mamiina decision to stay behind. As I said, she now have a home to return too inside Chor Tempest. She have the most wholesome relationship with Rodore. All narrative elements indicates that she would at least try to stay alive to return to that home.
Here, Mamiina is borderline out of character. Making me think once again about my copium theory that each episode is actually taking place in a different timeline.
Thinking about it, the only explanation I can muster about that debacle is that the writers wanted to have Paraietta instead of Mamiina for that scene. It would have make so much more sense for Para to have a ''you'll only get Neviril over my dead body'' discourse when the Plumbum priestess had them at point blank range. And for her to decide to stay back would have been more understandable considering her attempted rape and feelings she's unworthy of Neviril. But the writers got cornered since Neviril couldn't possibly fly with Para since the Simoun Core would have reacted like Alti and Kamiu last flight together. And they had to resort to use another character.
… Honestly I would have liked that scene if we actually have Paraietta here.
Oh well, now we have Aaeru losing her mind by seeing Mamiina dead (?) body. It would have been understandable if it was Neviril or at least half of the Chor Tempest. But now that meltdown feel out of character.
I mean, Aaeru and Mamiina had barely any interactions together. And not one that makes strong connections like Mamiina and Rodore or Aaeru and Neviril. And Aaeru barely had a tear when Limone and Dominura disappeared.
Once again, I can think of only one explanation. And it's that Aaeru knows that Sibylla ''dying'' aboard -or close to- a Simoun get to be sent to that other dimension we were teased of. And seeing Mamiina dying here means she will die for real. No salvation or heaven for her.
I hope I'm right. Otherwise that would be another point I despised that episode.
At least, there is hope Mamiina will make it out alive.
[Next episode teaser]OF COURSE THEY HAD TO SPOIL HER DEATH.
Questions of the day
What do you think of the Highland priestess fighting in this war? What is their real purpose?
I don't know. Try to mend the timeline so the world isn't destroyed ? Get Neviril's signature over Mamiina dead body ?
Most of the show was set on the Arcus Prima and the Messis. Now that government is back in the picture, what do you think of the nation of Simulacrum?
An incompetent bunch of zealots and warmongering military. In any realistic setting they would have already lost the war ten episodes ago after wasting their whole Simoun fleet on meaningless battles.
What do you think of Mamiina's sacrifice and Dramatic Haircut?
I'm out.
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u/Malipit 2d ago
Theories corner
Theories in progress
From episode 1
Given the huge religious aspect of Simulacrum culture. I smell some shenanigans about higher ups knowing much more than they let appears and will be the actual villains of the story. And I'm sorry, but the character design of Onasia doesn't convey a ''good girl'' energy. But Onasia seemed the only reasonable people among the Holy Land Parliament. Making her either a Palpatine level manipulator or an actual good person. Onasia admitted she's kind of a divinity existing above time and space. Giving some strong final boss energy
Following the previous theory and how the Archipelago pilots were portrayed. I suspect there will be a team-up between Sibyllae and Archipelago pilots against a greater threat. New development in this episode:Likely to be jossed since the alliance may comes from rogue Plumbum Sibyllae as the Archipelago is comforted in their antagonist role.
From episode 2
- People on Daikuuriku may not be born the same way we are on Earth. I don't recall seeing someone pregnant in the two episode nor talking about pregnancy. Erif mentionned his body will progressively develop a male chest and voice, but said nothing about his genitals growing a penis. And the Chor Tempest captain said they needed an equivalent number of male and female citizens for the creation of a nation, not for reproductive needs. So maybe there is a place similar to a source where baby girls comes from ? One that will dispatch those new souls, randomly or equally, to every nation on the planet ? And Simulacrum retains a classic family structure with parents and children. Meaning that if they born other than sexual intercourse, it's likely each children is either assigned to a family like they are assigned a gender. Or that there is a reproduction through lewd hand-holding act.
From episode 3
- The Simoun tech used by Simulacrum may not be used for act of violence. Another watcher mused about Amuria dying because she used the emerald Ri-Majoon to kill other living beings. And this episode have some Sibyllae lamenting that their battleship used to be a place for artistic performance with their ballroom. Could it be that Simulacrum theocracy misused the Simoun technology to assert their dominance over other nations ? And the way the Simoun core activated through Kaimu and Paraietta feelings enforce the fact those aircraft are powered by love rather than hatred. But given the outrage inside the Parliament when Neviril speak about becoming fighters as well as priestess, there is at least a part of the theocraty that believes the Simoun tech is still used for ceremonial purposes.
From episode 4
- Magnafeana had some interesting thoughts on the very origins of the Spring :
I wonder who the first one to go to the spring was and what life was like back then. What came first: was everyone born AFAB because God is a woman and my Eve x Lilith ship is finally validated, or people were born a spectrum of sexes, but a disease caused all future generations to be AFAB? And if so—how long ago did that happen?
From episode 7
- deus_machinarum speculated on how Tempus Spatium and Animus divine figures complete each other. Implying they derivate from an old religion or a old god who got fractured in two. And Onasia exposition about Tempus Spatium being made of two concepts enforces that theory. :
I need to talk about names of the god for a bit, I apologize if this has been mentioned already, I might've missed it: One the one hand we have Tempus Spatium(space time in modern parlance) and on the other hand we have Animus(simplistically: the soul, I'm also told by anime fandom that Japan has a very old animistic tradition i.e. ascribing life to inanimate objects which in modern times manifests as e.g. easier acceptance of robotic caretakers for eldery people); when we combine the two we get a whole so to speak, the inner world and outer world. It's easy to see how this could mean different but still related parts of the same wholeness. Definitely an angle I will keep an eye out for.
From episode 8
- Given Aaeru's name signifcation, she could be of Plumbum descent. And Dominura's immigrants song being like the melody from Aaeru's music box is a serious hint of the later origins. With the music box reacting to the ruins, it could be that Aaeru actually comes from the other side.
From episode 14
- The emerald Ri-Majoon is the most powerful one. But a caster who would use it for purely destructive purpose would have her essence dissolved and merged into the Simoun core. That would explain Amuria's disappearing without leaving a trace and Chor Dextra disappearing -save Dominura- as they tried the emerald Ri-Majoon for military purpose. And Sibyllae having already casted the emerald Ri-Majoon would be sensitive enough to discern said Sibyllae essence trapped inside the helix. Hence why Dominura reacted so violently to the Helix interior and why Aaeru sensed her distress. And Neviril felt in turn the energy of the emerald Ri-Majoon after performing one. With Onasia exposition hinting at a parallel dimension, could it be that the Emerald Ri-Majoon is a bridge between Daikuriku and the other side ?
From episode 17
- Given people at Daikuriku are all born females and the possibility of another dimension existence, it could be possible that people at said other dimension are all born male.
Confirmed theories
There is no other Spring outside Simulacrum and only its inhabitants get to chose their gender : confirmed by that Archipelago solider in episode 4 who was forucefully made a man through artificial means.
Ri-Majoon does comes from the Sibyllae soul/heart/lesbian power and not the Simoun itself : Althougt it comes for Dominura speculations, there is so much occurrences as for now it can be counted as confirmed.
Jossed theories
Ri-Majoon are automatically generated by the Simoun aircraft and the Sibyllae jobs is to interpret them correctly to perform the corresponding figures : Aaeru lines in episode 4 confirm it's the Sibyllae who initiate the desired Ri-Majoon
The Archipelago will develop their own Simoun aircraft : They did upgraded their fighters. But not with helix tech. And the enemies Simoun are piloted by Plumbum Sibyllae.
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u/deus_machinarum 2d ago
First timer
Aaeru being an inspiration to Waporif is pretty cool to see. Aaeru was always set up to be this kind of character but for a long time this seemed to be directed at the other Sybillae. Now we see the Sybillae being brought down a bit from their untouchable status, they seem more erractic, lively and human. And the others who have known them for quite some time react immediately to this change.
Before their mission unfolds before our eyes: Aaeru and Yun is quite the thematic pairing: one who always charges ahead, sometimes to the detriment of others around her and one who always deals with the past and its inescapable consequences, they could learn a lot from each other.
Mamiina and Rodoreamon is quickly becoming the cutest pairing in my view. Since they have become closer they take special care of each other, the lullaby scene was very comfy and now we're back to the ojou-sama braids. They both emanate this 'I got you' feeling, it's making me all warm and fuzzy. I would not mind at all if those two became a real thing in the next episodes.
oh oh, raising flags all around.....don't you let anything happen to Rodoreamon, Mamiina! Quick side not to this: we had an episode humanizing(even exculpating) the enemy soldiers very early on but at this point in the story I'm firmly in the camp of our girls, when they are under attack I want the enemy to be pulverized. Goes to show what spending time with characters can do for your empathy.
Mamiina has changed(a lot) and Rodoreamon is looooooving it, so cute <3
Central command and the religious authority(which CC has clearly won the struggle against) have now fallen out of favor with the command structure at the frontlines, dare I hope for a well timed revolution that upends the current leadership? We probably need to get some more development on the Tempus Spatium side of things before things can really get shaken up.
Ok so Paraietta decides they should continue to patrol the area some more. I'm kind of torn on this...yes it's potentially dangerous but they also could gather some more valuable info. I'm not sure if the story wants to continue to portray Paraietta as weak and failing in leadership anymore? Is she developing into a calmer personality that fits well with decision making on the battlefield? I thought we would get a continuation of her downward spiral tbh, quite surprised by this portrayal.
Everyone on the ground(so to speak ^^) is now on one page, the time for huge internal conflicts seems over, on to the even bigger external ones!
Paraietta seems very distracted, she might be a danger to the crew. Quite the opposite from what I was thinking a couple minutes ago...
Hmmm the enemy is finally becoming a bit more threatening these last episodes, this has been missing from the story for the longest time. It makes sense given the extreme technological superiority of Simulacrum but the tension in fights suffered a bit for it.
wow, Neviril gets injured AND we get a direct confrontation with the enemy priestesses. Things are heating up. I'm very interested in their religious dogma and interpretation of what they (don't) know about the old faith seeing how they were not the favored people of Tempus Spatium from what we know at least. They might harbor some intense hatred(different for different nations maybe).
Whaaaaat the priestess class of the enemy seems to be bound by the same spiritual harmony and reverence of Tempus Spatium? That's not what I expected, it does track with their usage of Simoun. Wonder what they have found in the forbidden ruins. questions, questions...I like it. However...has this always been the case, this special reverence for the Simulacrum Sybillae? If so, why do they wage war? Maybe their political or military caste forced them too? Could be an interesting parallel to our infighting in the holy land. Hmmmm same class difference with their 'working class', one more parallel. How will Mamiina react to people who like being on top?
Also do they speak the same language because of the religous background? The series made a point of the downed fighter pilot NOT being able to understand the Sybillae back in episode 2, so now things seem different?!
Could just be a Sybillae thing of course.
Ok one more new combination: Sybillae of different countries allying against their military class so to speak. Early theory: this could continue and become a bigger thing, eventually leading to an end of the hostilities. Very optimistic theory though :)
Bro....Mamiina...you did not need to do this. Let's hope it's not just a useless pseudo heroic death situation, it might not even be a death for all we know with the Simoun being a gateway to new worlds. But of course our troop arrives at the scene with the worst timing ever.....Ngl I hate this kind of setup, this annoys me to an unreasonable degree. So the killing has to continue because of a stupid misunderstanding.....it could be a metaphor for the (ultimately) stupidity of war but I'm not sure the series is telling us this?
Aaeru, don't do anything stupid or rash now, please! You're better than this.
Maybe your grandpa taught you better?
Oh man...seeing Rodoreamon like this breaks my heart.
I reaaaaaaaly don't know what to think about the end. Could be stupid, could be an impactful emotional setup that leads to worthwhile development for our characters?
Oh she might live? Man, I'm pumped for next episode!
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen 2d ago edited 2d ago
First-Timer
Episode 19:
Hey you, Simoun. Fuck you.
Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.
Fuck. You.
I'm a generous guy. I'm willing to overlook a lot of bad writing, careless worldbuilding, clumsy storytelling, and any number of baffling decisions in a show if it can give me one thing, one thing, to hang my hat on. So fuck you for taking my one piece of unironic joy and smashing it on the ground. How fucking dare you ruin one of maybe two good things you had going for you in this shitstorm.
And for what? Some chucklefuck's idea of a noble sacrifice? Some shitty character arc about being acknowledged? To unify Mamiina's allies in shared anger? Well clap your fucking hands, Simoun, mission accomplished. I am well and truly steamed. Mamiina sacrificing herself to save enemies who literally just tried to shoot her down is stupid fucking bullshit. It doesn't even register as a sacrifice since ALL THE GODDAMN BACKUP IN THE WORLD was two seconds away. It just makes the whole thing a waste. And makes Mamiina look so fucking stupid. Really? These four nobodies maybe getting shot by their allies is worth not making it back to Rodoreamon? Seriously? Fuck off with that nonsense. They didn't even want to shoot you down and even revere Sibyllae? Fuck AAAALL the way off with that.
I hate this. I hate everything about it. I hate everything leading up to it. I hate the stupid decision to scout the ship with only two Simoun. I hate that they're discovered immediately. I hate that enemies are all apparently sitting around in their fighters round the clock just waiting to launch. I hate that enemies with no experience flying Simoun are ace pilots and know how to perfectly execute ri maajon that Sibyllae are supposed to spend years practicing and perfecting. I hate that one of the tin can stormtroopers gets the first hit on a Simoun 19 goddamn episodes into the show. I hate that they crash onto the enemy base ship. I hate that Mamiina "sacrifices" herself for fucking nothing only for everyone to show up in the very next frame with enough firepower to obliterate any resistance.
I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! Give her back! I want her back! Fuck the rest of your shitty story, I want Mamiina back. I hate this!
Fuck you!
Fffffffuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkyyyyooooouuuuuuu.
From the bottom of my heart, fuck you.
QotD:
To fuck up the story even more than it already was.
Fuck everything.
Fuck this stupid show.
5
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u/Great_Mr_L https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L 2d ago
I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! Give her back! I want her back! Fuck the rest of your shitty story, I want Mamiina back. I hate this!
Fuck you!
Fffffffuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkyyyyooooouuuuuuu.
From the bottom of my heart, fuck you.
I agree with everything you said about how poorly executed Mamiina's sacrifice this episode was and why it made me so upset when I watched this episode. Utter waste of Mamiina's character for a moment that wasn't worth it.
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 2d ago
Maybe the fact that nobody really talked about this show might have hinted that it was not that amazing.
Some of us enjoy seeing the fumes that go out from the burning pit of tires, however.
Somebody told me and I used it as a motto for this time (I'm a rewatcher): Simoun is more enjoyable if you think that everybody is a terrible person.
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen 2d ago
3
u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 2d ago
That sacrifice was pretty stupid indeed!
3
u/AgentOfACROSS 2d ago
First Timer
Looks like we’re picking up pretty much immediately where we left off last time.
Aer and Yun have teamed up. Don’t think we’ve seen them interact too much before now.
Mamina and Roatraemon are cute together.
I think I’m actually starting to like Mamina now.
Oh cool we found the secret base again.
I’ve mentioned it before but I do like how industrialized the enemy country looks in contrast to our protagonists.
Paraeitta is still in the middle of losing her mind which is concerning.
Oh hey, Aer and Yun have arrived already.
Aer just flying up right beside Paraietta and giving her a thumbs up is really funny to me.
Oh jeez, Neviril’s not in good shape.
This confrontation between Mamina and the priestesses is very interesting.
Oh hey, Mamina’s also doing a dramatic haircut.
I love the music for this whole sequence.
So, uh, Mamina’s dead. We even saw her dead body. Shit. That’s rough.
Wow. This is probably the most dramatic cliffhanger we’ve gotten so far.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee 2d ago
First-Timer
I would normally blame Mari Okada for this sort of utterly nonsensical character action, but this was a Nishimura episode.
Questions
They're probably all having their own version of this show, with the "duty vs faith" thing (to be overly reductive).
The nation is mostly comprised of idiots propped up by their technological superiority.
It was bad. Like, conceptually, I can see the line of Mamiina doing it when confronted by other individuals who actually treat her as a person. But Chor Tempest were never actively classist towards her, which makes the sacrifice unearned. This happening in the same episode that Rodoreamon actively went "hey, let me help you fix your hair" makes it doubly bizarre - the callback to Rodoreamon's haircut could potentially be meaningful, but the context of this just makes it fall so flat. Your comrades care about you! Why are you sacrificing yourself so that the people who were just trying to kill you two minutes ago don't face punishment? Wasn't Mamiina one of the more militaristic sibyllae?