Simoun

How long was it since I last saw a yuri anime? Yeah, not really my kind of anime genre although in the past I have watched some out of curiosity. So anyway, I decided to give this yuri themed anime, Simoun a try simply because, ahem, you should all know by now if you followed me. Yup. Mamiko Noto. Heh. Nothing new, right? Yeah. In this fantasy world whereby everyone is born female before getting to choose their permanent sex when they reach 17 years old, I guess that is the basic setting needed for some basic yuri stuffs. What better way to see young teen girls and even lolis kissing each other. Well, they need that kind of power to energize their craft and fight the enemies! Wait, WHAT?! Better than sourcing erotic, horny libido power, right? Maybe not.

Episode 1
The nation of Argentum Archipelago has sent its fleet to attack the Holy Land of Simulacrum so as to steal its aerial technology. Only that nation has ‘witches’ who can pilot machines known as Simoun. We see the best sibyllae (priestesses who pilot Simoun), Amuria and Neviril get ready for a mission to take on those invaders. You bet they are everyone’s favourite pair the way they are fawning over them. To remind us the yuri factor of this show, they both kiss each other as well as their Simoun’s power gem. Yucks. Their other comrades do the same too. As they fly along, they see fallen Simoun and learn the terrifying truth that this entire chor (fleet) have been wiped out. They start to fear and have doubts about Simoun. It is believed that it is a chariot of God and no manmade machine can defeat it. However the enemy does not think like that. It is just a piece of junk and hence it can be shot down! Chor Tempest (Amuria and Neviril’s fleet) are in for more shock when they see a huge number of enemy craft before them. They try to attack and outmanoeuvre but the numbers are just overwhelming and the enemies won’t give them a chance to do Ri Maajon (huge glyphs in the sky for great magic and power). Amuria suggests to do some dangerous Emerald Ri Maajon manoeuvre and Neviril is hesitant at first. But since they want to become stronger and freer, they do so. However something went wrong and Amuria gets killed. In the aftermath, Neviril locks herself to mourn her partner’s death. Some members of Chor Tempest think of leaving as they have decided on their permanent sex as male. When Floe thought Limone intruded into an area only for sibyllae, she then realizes her mistake that Limone is also a newly recruited sibylla for Chor Tempest. There is also another recruit. Oh look, Aaeru is just here in time. She has never seen a real Simoun close up before and is amazed. Chor Tempest. Dux (commander) Guragief briefs Chor Tempest about their next mission to fight the invaders who are expected to invade again but their morale is low and they are scared. Besides, Neviril and Paraietta aren’t even here. However Aaeru is eager to prove herself and hurries into a trainer Simoun to rush into battle.

Episode 2
Oh wow. Aaeru destroying all the enemies like a pro! When she returns, Paraietta tries to chide her for mimicking Neviril’s Ri Maajon. But all Aaeru is interested is to find Neviril and pair with her since she is the best sibylla. She goes around looking for her. Soon she finds her talking to Paraietta and it seems she intends to accompany Erii (who lost her partner too) to the Spring. Aaeru disagrees with this because by doing so, she won’t become her partner anymore. We hear Guragief explain how all are born female until one reaches 17. Then, she will enter Spring and decide a permanent sex. However sibyllae are able to postpone that decision as they are the only ones who can pilot Simoun. She will not stop those who truly wish to go there. Aaeru adds that she doesn’t care or need to have a permanent sex as long as she can pilot Simoun. Since Aaeru insists Neviril pilot with her to see her skills, she plays along. Aaeru talks more about herself but Neviril doesn’t seem interested. Eventually Neviril departs with Erii for Spring. We see her undergo a ritual and Erii at this point still isn’t sure herself. Once the ritual is done, it is hinted that she has decided to become male and her name is now known as Erif. We see her breakdown in tears. Regret? I guess this means Neviril decide not to go ahead with this too and returns to Arcus Prima. She goes back piloting with Aaeru. Since they kiss, I take it she accepts her as her partner?

Episode 3
Mechanic Wapourif wonders who this Morinas is as she just struts in and takes a look at the Simoun. Paraietta says she is a new recruit for Chor Tempest. They talk about Simoun and how its workings is mostly still shrouded in mystery. All they do is just maintain it. Then there’s a clone of Simoun known as Simile. Not as good as the former but it’s to help investigate and research how Simoun works. Morinas isn’t a priestess to begin with and she sure isn’t interested being one. All she cares is just piloting Simoun. Chor Tempest members minus Neviril gather as Paraietta talks about the team doing some Maaju at the pool. This is to help regain their status as an elite team, they have been hit by casualties and departures. Morinas boldly goes up to Neviril to request her to be her partner if she eventually decides to be one. So I guess last episode flight with Aaeru wasn’t it, huh? Yeah, Aaeru assumed that but bear in mind it’s going to take a legend to try and replace Amuria. As all gather at the pool, everyone wonders if Neviril will turn up. Limone gives hope that Neviril returned from the Spring undecided. This means it was her own will that she decided to remain a sibylla. Everyone jumps into the pool. However they are in disarray and almost collide with each other. Until Neviril shows up. Now everyone follows her lead and they’re more in sync. Meanwhile another Simoun unit returns damaged. Anubituf notes to Guragief no matter how much they protect the girls, this is reality.

Episode 4
Without permission, Aaeru and Morinas fly a Simoun to practice. Aaeru’s logic is that they have to keep practising for battle. Is there any other reason to it? Yeah, nobody can get mad since that logic is valid. While Morinas is infatuated with Aaeru, the feeling is not mutual. Oh heck, Morinas must be a slut because she’ll do it with anyone. Some of Chor Tempest members are divided over Aaeru’s actions. But Aaeru warns them that they have to go back to being regular sibyllae or they’ll never be called to the frontlines (after Amuria’s death, Chor Tempest’s tasks have been relegated to mere patrols and shifts). Aaeru tries to go talk to Neviril to practice with her but Neviril tells her straight that she will never be her partner. That night, Aaeru takes Limone as they sneak out to practice. But Aaeru thinks of wanting to find an enemy to fight. They see a crashed Simoun and investigate it. However it is a bait trap as the enemy knocks them out and ties them up. She is going to steal their Simoun for glory but however since she is not a sibylla, she cannot activate it. So she gives up and just guards them. Limone learns more about Aaeru as she is the only one left in her village who has not gone to the Spring. She doesn’t want to choose or let others choose. She’ll be fine as long as she can pilot Simoun. The enemy (speaking a different language they can’t understand) talks about how she was forced with hormones and surgeries that made her male after she was born. That’s why she wants to know how it feels like for them who are neither male nor female before choosing. Aaeru manages to cut herself loose but the enemy won’t give up and hogs the Simoun. She is determined to make it fly but unfortunately she dies from whatever illness she is suffering. Now her body is stuck in the cockpit and too stiff to be removed. Oh well, cut off her hands. Limone gets scared so Aaeru is forced to do all the bloody labour herself. By dawn, they fly back to Arcus Prima and well, I guess nobody is mad because they’re taking responsibility by cleaning and washing the Simoun. Yeah, we’ve seen enough blood on our hands.

Episode 5
Chor Tempest is doing Ri Maajon and looks like Limone screws up. Almost forcing the formation to be abandoned, Morinas saves the day as they complete it and wipes out the enemy. Because of that, Dominura has been hired to help Limone regain her glory days as a prodigy. It seems Limone passed all her test in flying colours at a tender young age and that’s why she was scouted into Chor Tempest. But all that seems lacking now. She assures Limone that as long as she is done she is told, she’ll become that prodigy again. As Limone is still traumatized from last episode’s events, she talks to Aaeru but is told that she needs to think for herself on what she wants to do. Aaeru will not tell her. If she wants to leave because she’s afraid, then it’s fine too. Not convinced, she talks to Neviril but that girl is still grieving so she can’t offer any solid advice. On the next recon mission, Limone partners with Dominura. Limone is made to be the main pilot. They stumble into enemy tanks and with this blizzard, it is hard for them to do any Ri Maajon. Worse, Limone is remembering her past trauma whereby her Simoun collided with another after refusing to listen it won’t work and it killed the other sibylla. Now Limone is in shock as she can’t even listen to Dominura. Until Aaeru comes into the picture. She realizes what she always wanted to do is to make the most perfect Ri Maajon. With confidence, she wants to do a Ri Maajon despite Dominura’s objections. Despite the odds, they manage to pull it off. Such a beautiful sight with all the enemies destroyed, eh?

Episode 6
Still waking up from the traumatic nightmares of Amuria’s death, Neviril? Yup. Aaeru continues to bang on her door to wake up or else Chor Tempest will be stuck in doing meaningless chores. Neviril ignores her. WTF Aaeru drawing graffiti on her door?! Paraietta has to clean up but at least this earns her a chance to talk to Neviril. Neviril explains she still cannot decide to go to the Spring or pilot Simoun. Because either decision makes her feel she will betray Amuria. So Paraietta tells her off by saying she is meant to fly a Simoun even if it means betraying Amuria. That got her kicked out. Paraietta is saddened by this so Kaimu goes to cheer her up. Obviously you can tell she is in love with her as she is trying to lead her to a kiss. Yeah, everyone is lonely alright. Then while mock playing on a Simoun, they accidentally activate the gem, causing Paraietta to fall over her. Thinking of a steamy moment? Well, Paraietta having her childhood flashback moments with Neviril. She was close to her and they grew up together, becoming sibyllae together. Even when Amuria chose Neviril, Paraietta continued to admire her. Paraietta thought she was jealous but realized she wasn’t the only one who was hurt. So sorry Kaimu, no lesbian make out for you because Paraietta claims they are all kids and when they try to soothe each other, they only hurt. HUH?! Next day, Paraietta challenges Aaeru to a duel. Last night Paraietta talked to Neviril and realized that Amuria wasn’t the only reason why she couldn’t make a decision. She was also thinking of her as well. She assured she never felt like she was betrayed and will entrust her someone who is better than Amuria. Aaeru defeats Paraietta who believes she must become Neviril’s pair.

Episode 7
Chor Tempest thinks of doing some Ri Maajon to impress Neviril so as to get her back into the team. Because they need to have the full 12 members if they are to pilot the real 6 Simoun. Suddenly Arcus Niger is spotted flying close by. A Simile mocks Chor Tempest and cheekily zooms around them. We see Guragief and Anubituf talking to Neviril’s father, Halconf about some upcoming peace deal conference with the Highlanders of the Plumbum nation. As I understand, all the countries surrounding Simulacrum are in bad shape and thus at war with them to steal their Simoun. Chor Tempest is met with Mamiina and Yun, the sibyllae of that mocking Simile. They laugh when this b*tch tries to show off but she mocks back at Rodoreamon because Mamiina was once her servant and now she is a sibylla. Both have been transferred to Arcus Prima to be part of Chor Tempest. A fuss at Neviril’s room as Halconf is planning to make Mamiina her new partner and thus moving her bed into her room. Neviril thinks she is doing this just to advance her position but Halconf doesn’t understand her. She won’t go to the Spring nor will she fly a Simoun. What is she doing now if she can’t decide? Next day, Mamiina tries to force herself to become Neviril but is told that despite what she does, she will never become her partner. Mamiina becomes angry as Neviril is more interested to attend to Aaeru who snuck into her room from the window! Halconf talks to Guragief about wanting Chor Tempest to perform a certain dangerous Ri Maajon at the conference. If they are incapable of doing that, she won’t let Neviril be sullied anymore. Aaeru thinks Mamiina called her to challenge her to be Neviril’s partner but it is obviously to get rid of her. The rest have to break up this unsightly pathetic girl fight. Chor Tempest is summoned for this disgrace so Halconf says after the conference, Chor Tempest will be disbanded and she will send Neviril to the Spring. No daughter of hers is going to stay in a group like this. She further adds her disappointment in Mamiina and just like that, the b*tch goes into depression.

Episode 8
The conference gets underway as Chor Tempest mainly blames for Mamiina for their eventual disbandment. Mamiina vows to stay a sibylla and fly a Simoun. Chor Tempest is left to babysit one of Plumbum’s priestess, Angulas. It seems she can pronounce all their names except Aaeru’s, making her pout. She talks about her homeland which is freezing cold and many people die from it. Hence her job is to pray and bless those people to live happily with God. Mamiina is still bitter about the war ending because only with war, she can be a sibylla. Cue for her back story on how she trained her to be one until one day her small town was attacked by Plumbum. Nobody else had the guts to fly a Simoun to fight back except Mamiina and she destroyed the enemies with ease. Her point is that because she doesn’t come from a well-known family background so if she becomes Neviril’s pair, no one will treat her as an upstart again. Soon, the Plumbum side shoot some signal flare to their mothership. Time to take action. Angulas takes Kaimu hostage. This whole conference was just a decoy to get them on board and steal Simoun. But in a twist of events, those in the conference kill themselves and Angulas blows herself up in the Simoun hangar. Before her death, she screams out Aaeru’s name. Aaeru is left in shock as Limone explains the meaning of her name in Plumbum’s language: It is the highest form of love, the love of God. While Aaeru is left in shock, Neviril takes command in dealing with the scene at hand. Because the only Simoun that are undamaged from the bombing are Chor Tempest, they are to sortie. Now Neviril spots a different air as she asks Aaeru what she wants to do. Although she herself hasn’t decided yet and that both of them are different, they are still the same. Neviril officially acknowledges Aaeru as her partner.

Episode 9
Neviril takes charge as Chor Tempest sorties into action. Well, we don’t see how they got out of the situation but they did. Because now a damaged Arcus Prima is docked back at base as we see Guragief telling Chor Tempest to get ready for the hearing for their fate. Dominura is missing because she is seen talking to some council members about putting forth the next plan. Neviril only attends the hearing on behalf of her team while the rest prepare for a funeral ceremony to honour those who died in battle. The hearing starts as Chor Tempest’s downfall is blamed on its current members who brought shame to once a great team. Guragief argues about Chor Tempest’s recent actions that saved many lives. Before the priestesses, council members and the grand priestess herself, Onasia, Neviril gives her own true account and feelings of everything. Not sure if the priestesses and council members are ignoring because they look shocked when she narrates the atrocities of war and comrades who perished. Finally, she says the most blasphemous thing that she doesn’t care or believe in their God’s will. Onasia’s verdict is that she will remain a sibylla as long as she wishes. But the priestesses cannot let her comments slide and this is when Guragief calls Vyura from Chor Rubor to give her statement. She says everyone admires Neviril and her team because Chor Tempest is the best team there is and hopes they can remain. And so Onasia gives her blessing for Chor Tempest to remain since there can only be one. As other Chor Tempest members start their Ri Maajon formation, they spot several enemy drones. Looks like they’re bombers. They go into action and the only way is to attempt a Ri Maajon that requires all 12 sibyllae. Don’t worry, Neviril is back to help them achieve that. All enemies destroyed in a flash. Then she relays the good news of Chor Tempest to carry one. Now everyone can continue as a sibylla. Only Halconf is not happy as she thought of having her move on in life but she embarrassed everyone and is sure that Chor Tempest won’t be the same as before. As Arcus Prima continues to be repaired, Chor Tempest will be temporarily stationed on Messis that is helmed by captain Wauf and will only do patrols and recon missions. Better than nothing.

Episode 10
Gotta get used to the new and less glamorous life on Messis. Yeah, all of Chor Tempest will be sharing the same room. What’s this?! A mouse somewhere???!!! Only countryside girls aren’t afraid of no mice… At the same time, Mamiina is helping out in the kitchen and this makes it awkward for Rodoreamon as it brings back those childhood memories. Yeah, cute little girls they were, eh? While Neviril is still the head of Chor Tempest, Dominura is acting as a liaison between Chor Tempest and Messis. This means she has higher authority too. Later Dominura talks to Neviril who knows she was at the hearing and heard those words. Neviril acknowledges Dominura as the one who actually saved Chor Tempest as she made arrangements with the council to get them on board Messis as well as allowing them to go to the front. She wonders how she can pull it off but Dominura remains silent. Neviril then talks to Paraietta who came back from patrol this morning about the weird enemy patterns she spotted. It is then they realize it is a trap for ambush because the enemy spotted them first and then ran away. Chor Tempest sorties to go take out the trap. Only Mamiina and Rodoreamon are left because the former remains stubborn of not wanting to pair with her. This forces Rodoreamon to cut off one of her braids to remind her that their comrades may die. What’s it got to do with cutting off her hair?! Mamiina relents so they take off and join the rest to take out those enemy drones.

Episode 11
Messis picks up a bunch of guerrilla guys. So they’ve never seen sibyllae before, huh? It seems they will be joining forces to fight some local war. So as the guerrilla guys hang out on Messis, it gets uncomfortable for some of the girls. Yeah, like walking past a construction site filled with men, eh?! However Floe is taken in by this shy boy, Mastif and before you know it, it’s like they’re on their way to become an official couple. Mastif is glad of meeting Floe because she now understands sibyllae aren’t the kind of scary sacred beings she thought they are. During the operation briefing, it seems Chor Tempest’s job will be secretly transporting soldiers in a container and dropping them around the town they are attacking in a pincer attack. This does not sit well with some of them since they are using Simoun for a less than glorious mission. But that is all they have to do. The mission gets started and it seems too easy. Too good to be true because right after they drop the soldiers off, the enemy is seen waiting for them and anticipating their attack. Yeah, whoever took the enemy for being dumb is a dumbass! Because the guerrilla guys are having it tough, Chor Tempest decides to help them out and they prove to be a helpful bunch in turning the tide in their favour. Only Floe cannot concentrate because she is worried if Mastif will get caught in the crossfire. Eventually they decide to do Ri Maajon to wipe out the enemies despite the risk of being too powerful to be used on some low level goons. But it is a success and the guerrilla guys take this chance to advance. Only Mastif is in despair because after seeing their destructive power, she believes they aren’t chariots of God and resemble more like demons.

Episode 12
For the next mission, Dominura wants Kaimu to pair with her sister, Alti. This does not sit well with Kaimu as she thinks Paraietta is good enough. But Dominura insists as this will help bring back Chor Tempest’s good name. Kaimu continues to be displeased… Chor Tempest has to help out in repairing rusty parts of Messis and yeah, hot shower broke so here comes the cold one! Makes you wonder who this junk can still fly. Kaimu continues to sulk even when Paraietta tries to talk to her. Next day, the sisters reluctantly fly together on their mission. Also coming with them is Neviril-Aaeru pair. Kaimu continues to blame Alti for everything. This causes their Simoun to go berserk. Neviril and Aaeru chase them deep into the clouds above as they stumble into the huge enemy ship from Argentum hidden within. Neviril and Alti sneak on board the ship to do recon. We learn as Kaimu tells Aaeru how their sisterly relationship turned sour when they once were always together. The night before Kaimu’s first battle, she was so scared. That was when Alti came in and forced herself on her! So sisters making out is a sin?! In a yuri world?! To Aaeru, she can’t tell who is wrong or right but wonders if Kaimu was the one who led her on. Yeah, are you the bad guy? It is then Kaimu starts to have guilty realizations but since she needs to be certain, she rushes out to go find Alti. At the same time, Alti tells Neviril how Kaimu was the one who always held her whenever she was scared. She just wanted to return the favour. That’s why one day she will become a man to hold her. Kaimu gets spotted by the enemy. Not sure how Neviril and Alti returned to their Simoun fast but Kaimu slips and free falls. They do a Ri Maajon to save her and they escape back to Messis. Neviril advises Alti that only when both of them are strong, only then they can embrace each other. Aaeru hints that Neviril can hold her too if she wants (WTF she bringing up that Amuria trauma?) but a sad Neviril says she can only see an image of Aaeru who never grows old in her eyes. Not herself.

Episode 13
Although the sisters still do not see eye to eye, their relationship has exposed some hidden aspect of the Simoun’s gem. As I understand, if they don’t get along well, Simoun cannot fly because rejecting the other means rejecting Simoun. The duo proved they still could fly Simoun despite their sour relations. When Aaeru learns the Emerald Ri Maajon that got Amuria killed, she goes to find Neviril and says it straight in her face she wants to do that Ri Maajon with her. Oh, it failed with Amuria? That’s why she is confident it can work if she pairs up with her! OMFG. You just brought back that trauma that Amuria seemingly gotten over! Neviril runs and locks herself in the room. Truly, Aaeru has gone too far but she doesn’t see the wrong of her actions! Floe tries to give a pep talk but apparently the right consciousness doesn’t exist in Aaeru’s mind! So Floe trying to teach her about love now? And this in turn has Aaeru talking to Limone about kissing the one you love other than piloting Simoun. And this in turn has Limone giving Dominura a surprise kiss. I bet she needs it since Dominura is upset that the higher ups have ordered to watch over that Argentum ship for now and not pursue. Amuria is resting alone as Aaeru sneaks in to bug her! I have to admit she really has the guts and balls! Aaeru manages to calm her down and they even share a kiss. Only ruined when mama Paraietta shoos Aaeru away. Other girls talk about Amuria and some couldn’t believe she died as she was their pillar of strength. Sad tension gone as Floe has made some creepy (it’s not cute!) doll for Rodoreamon. Paraietta talks to Aaeru about ever feeling despair but Aaeru remains indifferent. She believes entrusting Neviril to her was a mistake. Dominura decides to send scouts to the enemy ship and wants Neviril and Aaeru to pair up. While Aaeru is okay, Neviril doesn’t think so. Dominura tells her to put her feelings aside and the interests of the country first. Despite their awkwardness, they still can fly Simoun. While it proves that feelings for each other doesn’t matter, Aaeru is over the moon thinking Neviril do wants her. But Neviril is confused if she deeply wants Aaeru. Do you?!

Episode 14
Wapourif tells Morinas about her and Floe once being lovers. Don’t understand it’s because Floe told her to say that when others ask. Morinas can’t help laugh and wants to tell this secret to everyone?! Later Dominura talks to Wapourif about Simoun. Despite being chariots of God, some got shot down. It means they are just machines just like Wapourif once said. She wants Wapourif to take apart Simoun and solve its mysteries. Of course Wapourif will not do it because it is an act of defiling the sacred. Dominura warns her that with the Argentum ship spotted nearby Plumbum’s regions, it could mean both nations have allied against Simulacrum. They must act now or their nation will fall. These secrets will help save Simulacrum. Sorry, Wapourif isn’t ready to defile Simoun. She thinks back after Amuria’s death, her Simoun was bent and twisted like never before. However her body was not found. Was she thrown out? Where is she? Wapourif talks to Morinas and the latter really thinking Simoun as chariots of God, this has Wapourif waver on her stance. Wauf talks to Dominura and has done a little background checking. Dominura as the only survivor of Chor Dextra whose team was formed to specifically complete the Emerald Ri Maajon. Now she is a sibylla under the direct command of the defence ministry and not even the highest priestess can overwrite their orders. Dominura admits to it but Wauf is telling her all this because as she warns, someone is watching her and if she believes in doing something, she must believe it all the way. That night, Wapourif goes to Morinas while she is sleeping, kisses her, cries and corrects her that Simoun aren’t chariots of God. Looks like she is ready to begin taking Simoun apart. Once she has done so, she finds nothing significant. However when Dominura looks into it, she becomes scared and shocked. Her scream wakes up everybody! Oh sh*t! She is now a vegetable?! So loud her cries that Aaeru and Neviril who are just returning from their recon thought they heard something!

Episode 15
Neviril reports that she couldn’t find any enemies and that Argentum ship isn’t anywhere to be found. Wapourif is praying to God as repentance for the defiling. Morinas needs her to spit out what Dominura saw but since she is still regretting that she should not have taken apart Simoun, Morinas vows she will not let her do that anymore. The enemy is spotted but it is not attacking. This has Paraietta take over from Dominura during her absence and this makes the rest feel like they’re in a military. Kaimu and Yun are ordered to scout it. Aaeru tries to apologize to Neviril since she was in the wrong but Neviril will not accept it. This has Floe tell off Neviril how uncool she is. If a loli tells you that, something is REALLY wrong. Hence Neviril talks to Paraietta and tries to lean on her but the latter doesn’t want to give her false hope and brushes her away. Yeah, even when Neviril starts crying, Paraietta still has to embrace her, right? With another batch of enemies spotted, Alti-Floe and Mamiina- Rodoreamon head out. Limone stumbles upon a disillusioned Dominura in her room. She learns that Dominura was an immigrant and was given a second chance by this country instead of dying. Hence Chor Dextra. She wanted to be felt needed. Limone asserts she wants to do Emerald Ri Maajon with her. Because she is her pair. Paraietta is starting to feel worthless when Neviril against her wishes, pairs with Morinas to go on a scouting mission. When Limone tells Aaeru that Dominura is going to die because of those eyes, speak of the devil, she is back up! And now all she wants is to just eat? Paraietta tries to get her to spill the beans but is ignored. Feeling even more worthless? Later Dominura tells Limone about what she saw. It isn’t exactly what she saw but something beyond that. Hence the only way to ascertain it is to do it. Yes, they’re going to do Emerald Ri Maajon.

Episode 16
With a swarm of enemies spotted, Messis is forced to fly low enough to hide within the trees. Dominura is like a changed character. Now she believes Simoun as the chariot of God. Messis successfully hides until the enemy passes. But thanks to Aaeru’s suggestion to wait a little longer, Messis remains undetected because the enemy circled back just to make sure. This makes Paraietta in despair because she almost made a bad decision. Later Wauf tells the sibyllae about the enemy’s tactic to lure the Simoun out one by one as to divide their strength. Yeah, the only ones left on Messis are Paraietta, Aaeru, Dominura and Limone. With the sun rising soon, in no time the enemy will find them so Wauf’s only option is to leave the area. This makes Paraietta mad because it’s like they’re abandoning their Chor Tempest comrades who haven’t return. However no one is with Paraietta as they believe she is only concern for Neviril and using Chor Tempest’s name in her favour. They even chide her for thinking she is better than Neviril. Despite Paraietta slapping Aaeru, the latter will still partner her for the sake of saving their comrades. Dominura sees Wapourif still praying and repenting. She smashes the holy symbol. Though she has seen something she did not want to know, she wants to forget about that day. That will be her final word. Our sibyllae fight off the enemy horde but whatever Ri Maajon formation they make, the enemy has learnt fast to avoid being caught in it. Hence Dominura and Limone thinks the only way is to do Emerald Ri Maajon. Seeing how Messis is trying their best to distract the enemies, this only strengthens their will to do it. Trauma for all those sibyllae to see this Emerald Ri Maajon in the sky forming again. Dominura hints about what she saw that day was so terrible that it destroyed everything she believed in. But that is not what she’s afraid of but what she glimpsed beyond that horror. Hard to put it in words, the closest she could describe it as hope. The duo successfully perform Emerald Ri Maajon and disappear. Enemies still around! But thankfully the other sibyllae and especially Arcus Prima have arrived in the nick of time.

Episode 17
Chor Tempest is returned to Arcus Prima as they are being updated on many things. Among them include the confirmation of Argentum and Plumbum forming an alliance. Also, Chor Tempest is the only team they’ve got now as there have been no Simoun replacements ever since. This means the other teams have many of their sibyllae head to the Spring. Aaeru thinks they’ve been relieved of their duty. Halconf mentions their next mission is to head to the ruins, the most sacred place in Simulacrum. They must reach there before the alliance does. Of course, this mission is mandatory since there is no other team left. Sorry for those girls who want to go to the Spring. Neviril and Aaeru practice in the pool. I guess this is necessary so as to showcase us this episode’s yuri moment. Yup, how romantic it is for them to kiss in the pool? Wauf talks to Guragief and Anubituf about Dominura and Limone’s disappearance. She believes they are not dead and perhaps they’ll find their answers at the ruins. As Chor Tempest enters the vicinity of the ruins, suddenly 3 enemy Simoun pop out! They are shocked to see the enemy is able to fly as well as them as well as performing a few simple Ri Maajon. While they fight and give chase, only Aaeru-Neviril pair decide to head into the ruins to investigate since Aaeru’s music box is playing even if it is closed. As they wander inside, Neviril is shocked to see this place similar as the Spring. Before them is Onasia. So who is she? Uhm, someone who is everywhere yet nowhere. When you give that kind of answer, I am thinking you’re not human to begin with. And something about Onasia saying about their faith watching over the people, giving them endless blessings and terror. So God is also the devil? F*ck. Don’t understand this cryptic talk. Aaeru thinks this place is the actual Spring itself. While the enemy Simoun got away, Yun-Mamiina manage to shoot down one. As they go investigate who the pilot is, they are shocked to see the corpse of Angulas in the cockpit!

Episode 18
Strange. Angulas is given a funeral procession back at Simulacrum. I thought she was the enemy? Are they trying to induct her into their faith as part of some war strategy against the enemies? After that, Neviril talks to Aaeru to find out what she means then about the Spring. Aaeru’s grandpa once told her it is another world. She didn’t understand what she said about decisions and possibilities and that Simoun allows one to see what’s coming. She believes grandpa longed to go there. Coupled in with the mystery workings of Simoun as well as Onasia being omnipresent, it ties to the fairytale legend that Simoun could manipulate time and space and hence another world. This means that Angulas, Dominura and Limone didn’t die and went to the other world. Are we not going to say Amuria’s name too?! With this realization, both decide to keep this a secret. The ministries are here to see Chor Tempest do their most lethal and dangerous Ri Maajon at the pool. They brush off interrupting their prayers when in fact it is all military training. Neviril and Aaeru do the simplest and least damaging Ri Maajon, upsetting those military dudes. Later those guys have a meeting as they discuss their next plan against the enemy. That is, to send Chor Tempest to scout the enemy base and take them out. Halconf thinks it would be too dangerous since they only have Chor Tempest but is told off there will never be a safe moment to send them if that’s the case. If a problem arises, Halconf will be forced to reconsider her position as vice chairman. Later Yun is not pleased that the ministries are taking away Angulas’ body. She tries to stop them but is shoved aside. As Chor Tempest is given their next assignment, it seems Aaeru and Yun are left out from this recon mission. I take it. The minister doesn’t like blondes… Neviril demands an explanation for she is Aaeru’s partner but Halconf tells her not to make it more difficult for her. That night as Paraietta is still confused about her standing with Neviril, goes to dance with her. However she misinterprets about Neviril talking about another world. She gets jealous thinking Aaeru will show her the another world so Paraietta forces herself on Neviril just to show that another world to her. We’re not on the same page. But whatever. Yuri world okay! Paraietta comes to her senses after noting Neviril somewhat rejected her and runs away. Next day after Chor Tempest leaves on their mission, Aaeru and Yun will not stay back as they too defy orders and head out.

Episode 19
Chor Tempest rendezvous on Messis to meet up with Wauf as well with Vyura and some of the other sibyllae of disbanded units who are reassigned to this ship. They discuss about their plan in locating the Argentum ship. As they fly out, you can’t miss that huge mother above the clouds. As the enemies launch a counterattack, they too have a couple of Simoun. Mamiina-Yun pair gets shot down as they crash land on the Argentum ship. Neviril is injured and is barely conscious. The sibyllae of the enemy Simoun land and approach Mamiina who tries to secure Neviril’s safety by negotiating with them. In a twist of events, the enemy sibyllae who are Plumbum’s priestesses claim they are admirers of Simulacrum and are nothing like soldiers of this ship. Therefore they do not wish to fight or capture them. However with the enemies fast approaching to contain them, it looked like the priestesses hope on board to escape with them. However they change their mind and jump back down as they believe Mamiina will be killed if she gets captured. But Mamiina knows the priestesses will be put to death for letting her escape so she jumps down with them and lets Neviril fly back alone. Uhm, isn’t the Simoun free falling? Unfortunately for Mamiina, after screaming Aaeru, she gets shot. Other Chor Tempest sibyllae are horrified to see this. This affects Aaeru the most as she is overcome with grief and anger but yet too much in shock to do anything. Messis makes a forceful crash land on the ship to clear the enemies out. This is just to snatch Mamiina before everyone makes a lightning retreat.

Episode 20
Guragief and Anubituf think sending out Chor Tempest was a reckless move as it cost the life of a sibylla and now that the enemy has a Simoun technology, Simulacrum no longer has the upper hand. But the minster thinks they have struck a blow on the enemy ship and believes they won’t make an attack soon. All thanks to Mamiina’s death who bought them some time. Chor Tempest mourns by Mamiina’s body as Floe thinks eventually all of them will die like her. Yun tells her off the atrocities of war but she will not take this crap and storms off. Neviril thinks she couldn’t cry for Mamiina because her heart died with Amuria. She sees Aaeru practising alone at the pool. Aaeru blaming herself if she was only stronger, Mamiina wouldn’t have died. Have we seen Aaeru cried this hard? Simulacrum’s high priestess talks to Anubituf about calling Onasia behind the minister’s back. She thinks this war has taken its toll thanks to all the warmongers and it’s time to open a new door to a new world. For that, she wants Anubituf to revive Chor Dextra. Wapourif wants Morinas to go to the Spring but she won’t since she is more than happy to fly a Simoun. Paraietta continues to wallow in self-pity and being useless. Alti talks to her about wanting to see Kaimu’s smile again and for that sake, the reason she distances herself from her. More drama as Floe wants to leave for the Spring as has had it with this war. But the biggest atrocity is when they see a Simile towing away Mamiina’s body. They confront the minister as they are told her body is sent back to her hometown. Even if that’s the case, it should have been done after her funeral procession on Arcus Prima. The minister then has Vyura join Chor Tempest as replacement and wants them to do the strongest Ri Maajon. Neviril warns her that they just experienced the death of a comrade and are in no position to fly. However she is told off not to let Mamiina’s sacrifice go to waste. Later Yun is approached by Onasia who gives her Mamiina’s cut braids. She claims her soul is in here and her death had meaning. Yun then gives this to Rodoreamon to accept her death. More Rodoreamon-Mamiina moments. Just wanted to be friends, huh? Cue for Rodoreamon to break down. Neviril tells her comrades this isn’t just the role of a sibylla to fight. There’s more to it. So all of them defy orders as they fly their Simoun to practice a few Ri Maajon patterns. Somebody shoots the Simile and sends it crashing. Mamiina’s body crashing down on the bed of flowers below. RIP, Mamiina.

Episode 21
The minister orders Chor Tempest to be returned. Can she be acting so authoritative now that Onasia has shown herself before her? We are now assured that Dominura and Limone are alive as we see them living the happy idyllic life in some countryside. Are they running an orphanage? All those happy little kids playing around the Simoun ruins. When Chor Tempest returns, the minister tries to reprimand them but they are not fazed. Onasia then sees Chor Tempest. She will bring Neviril and Aaeru to see the new world. Yun wants to come too. Later Yun confronts Onasia in her chambers to ascertain if she heard Mamiina’s voice. If that is the case, can she hear the voices of her dead comrades too? Can she set their souls free? Onasia knows what Yun wants is to be set free as she is trying to live close to the place where her comrades died but yet trying to escape to a place faraway from here. Onasia brings Neviril, Aaeru and Yun to the ruins. Aaeru’s music box is playing up again as Onasia explains that melody is the door to another melody and all those who perished here. Yes, this was also the training ground for Chor Dextra whom Aaeru’s grandpa was the leader. The explanation now begins as it is believed that Simoun came from a civilization long ago that was vastly more advanced than theirs. Because of endless wars, the land became sterile and such technology became useless to the starving masses. It was then ultimately forgotten. And then from the sky, a Simoun from another world came. They introduced themselves as sibyllae and shared the secrets of Emerald Ri Maajon. Hence, Simoun and Emerald Ri Maajon are the ultimate time travelling crap device! But whether it is to the past or future is anyone’s guess. The same is explained by Dominura to Limone as she adds what she saw then was perhaps the memories of someone. Because they became obsessed in Simoun and perfecting Ri Maajon, they never stopped to think what if Simoun never existed in this world. She thinks had not Simoun existed, she herself too will not exist. But Limone is glad it did because she wouldn’t have met Chor Tempest. It is hinted that Dominura could be that legendary sibylla who came from another world. After all, she was the only Chor Dextra survivor. Simulacrum’s high priestess confirms Dominura and Limone’s survival because of this theory but can’t say for Amuria. Trying to leave us hanging, huh? She will entrust Emerald Ri Maajon to Neviril and Aaeru. Meanwhile a Simoun from Arcus Niger crashes onto Arcus Prima. The sibylla claims Arcus Niger is destroyed. The enemy is closing in.

Episode 22
Chor Tempest sorties but since the fight is taking over the city of Simulacrum, many of the destroyed enemy debris are falling all over. The citizens are evacuated but eventually the enemy retreats. Anubituf speaks privately to Guragief about the enemy intercepting the Simile carrying Mamiina’s body. It proves they no longer have control over their airspace. However she wants her to keep this a secret from Chor Tempest. This does not sit well with Guragief especially the minister who thinks Mamiina’s body is now a trivial matter. While Neviril and Aaeru go down to bless the people, Anubituf and the rest discuss about a proposed ceasefire and peace treaty by the alliance. Once bitten, twice shy, the minister thinks it is a ruse considering what happened the last time. Rodoreamon returns Mamiina’s braid to Yun, believing it is best suited with her. Guragief tells Chor Tempest to let them know about the possible peace treaty and if that happens, they’ll be able to leave the battlefield. When a horde of enemies is soon spotted coming to attack, the minister panics as Anubituf has not given the sortie order to Chor Tempest and instead has them on standby. Anubituf leaves the command of Arcus Prima to Guragief as she goes down to pilot with Chor Tempest. She was once a sibylla and because they don’t have enough Simoun, she will fly a Simile and lead them to battle. Chor Tempest emerges victorious from this skirmish. In the aftermath, those in the central command realized the war is a lost cause and accepted the peace treaty from the alliance a few days later.

Episode 23
So looks like war is really over, huh? A peace treaty is signed between the nations for real. This has Aaeru and Neviril ponder if they will have the chance to go to another world. So with Argentum and Plumbum soldiers occupying Arcus Prima, it’s getting rowdy. When Plumbum’s priestesses seek forgiveness from Neviril, she blesses them instead, shocking everyone. Yun is surprised to see Onasia at the Spring. Wasn’t she at the ruins? Onasia explains that the many attempts by Chor Dextra to complete Emerald Ri Maajon ended in failure here resulted the change in space-time thingy. Hence the Spring is existing simultaneously in both places. Onasia knows about Yun’s predicament because she too was once like her, unable to decide. She believes she has been waiting for someone like her. Chor Tempest is shocked to hear from the minister the disbandment of their team as part of the condition of the peace treaty. Equal footing they say, huh? While it is sad that this has become so, Neviril gives hope to the rest. Chor Tempest might be no more but they are still the same Simoun sibyllae. While Paraietta is talking to Neviril, Simulacrum’s high priestess is in a panic as she is looking for them. She is trying to get them to fly and do Emerald Ri Maajon before the door closes forever. She is soon taken away by soldiers. Paraietta suspects Neviril is hiding a secret but nevertheless still wants to be her friend. Onasia further reveals she was a member of Chor Dextra and dreamt of becoming the Eternal Maiden. A Simoun is like a maiden and the Simoun’s gem reflects her wavering heart while forever escaping reality and painting the sky with her endless beauty. She then shows the consequences of refusing to decide on one’s sex. Uhm, is she translucent?

Episode 24
Onasia adds that this is her penance for unable to become an Eternal Maiden or go to another world. So now she cannot touch others and cannot be touched. Hence she became a keeper of the Spring to guide future maidens so they don’t err in their decisions. Chor Tempest is further shocked to hear from the minister that after their disbandment, they must head to the Spring immediately. Can we have more time to think, please? Morinas learns from Wapourif that all the mechanics will be relocated to Plumbum as proof that Simulacrum has no more desire to fly Simoun. She was once perplex by the mysteries of Simoun but now no longer cares about it as long as Morinas is safe. We also see Alti and Kaimu reminiscing their past. I take it, this is their reconciliation moment, right? However a bust up between Aaeru and Neviril because the former thinks she wants to go to another world just to see Amuria. You jealous now, girl? When Paraietta tells her comrades about the other world, this has Neviril talk privately to Aaeru. It is true that she wants to go see Amuria but it is Aaeru the only one she loves as she saved her from darkness. This leaves Aaeru in shock. Neviril doesn’t expect an answer from her. She just wanted to let her know. That’s all. Aaeru’s heart starting to hurt… Yun returns to Onasia at the Spring. Looks like she intends to save her. Onasia has been waiting for that. After Yun hugs her, Onasia disappears. It is Chor Tempest’s last day on Arcus Prima so they’re being lively and all. Soon they leave and head to the Spring. Save for Neviril and Aaeru. They continue to remain on Arcus Prima as they still need more time. So when the ex-Chor Tempest sibyllae arrive at the Spring, ready to decide their sex and move on in life, they are shocked to see Yun before them. So she the new keeper of the Spring now?

Episode 25
They realize this is what Yun has chosen. With that, they move forward into the Spring. Meanwhile, Aaeru confronts Neviril and wants her to explain why her heart hurts. It’s love, silly! And just like that, both of them confess they love each other. No kiss yet? Maybe save the best for last, eh? Ex-Chor Tempest members have returned from the Spring. Everyone chose to be female except for Vyura and Floe who chose to be male. Yeah, I’m surprised either. This means Paraietta has chosen to be female as she requests to dance with Neviril. Neviril reveals she did not choose Aaeru so as to protect Paraietta but it was more of an excuse to protect her own feelings. She thought Amuria and Aaeru chose her for some reason but in actual fact it is her who was attracted to their unwavering dreams. Unlike her, they aren’t afraid of getting hurt. Because there are some who feel impatient, Neviril and Aaeru are being captured and isolated. They want them to head to the Spring by night fall. Isolated in different cells, both try to talk, touch and feel each other. Damn, weird to see them kissing the wall in between! The rest try to devise a plan to stop this but they fail. At least all of them have the chance to say goodbye to them when they leave. When that time comes, the Plumbum priestesses help restrain those soldiers so as to let Neviril and Aaeru escape in a Simoun. Adios!

Episode 26
We see how everyone is doing in this time skip. Limone is all grown up as she sees a pair off. Aira and Hanna are going to do Emerald Ri Maajon and go to another world and spread the happiness and blessing. Morinas is working under Wauf in some cargo transport and she’s pregnant. No prizes to guess Wapourif is her husband. A very feminine looking Paraietta and Rodoreamon run an orphanage dedicated to house war orphans. Alti and Kaimu are enjoying each other’s company in their own home. Flashback reveals after Neviril and Aaeru escaped, the higher ups were not amused even though Anubituf tried to explain to them about how they’re just trying to find the new land of hope. However they send a few Simoun to go after them instead. There’s nothing else everyone else can do. But when Aaeru and Neviril realize those Simoun on their tail and they are performing a strange Ri Maajon, it is not a Ri Maajon of the offensive kind. It is of the ceremonial kind that bids farewell to a comrade who depart on a journey. Looks like everyone especially the males realize they were once sibyllae and maidens. With that, Aaeru and Neviril perform Ri Maajon and disappear. Back to Limone, a girl is interested to pair with her so they can do Emerald Ri Maajon. However Limone refuses as she views Dominura as her only partner. Also, Dominura seems uninterested in doing that ever since. Until now. Because now she decides to want to get back into flying and look forward to travel to the next sky with Limone. We see Vyuraf (Vyura) visiting and (Floef) Floe but they are being recalled as a war is going to break out between Argentum and Plumbum. This means both will be on different sides now. They bid farewell as Floe heads off to Arcus Prima which is now an abandoned and sunken liner. She thinks back why they were so insistent in sending Aaeru and Neviril to another world. Was it to fight against the flow of time? Was it to project their thoughts onto them that being an adult is scary? More like, they wanted to carve their names and show they were here. So where are these Eternal Maidens now? Who knows? We see them dancing in the deserted Arcus Prima. GHOSTS?!

Gender Fluid: Yuri Sky Defenders
Hmm… I can’t say I am completely satisfied with that kind of ending but I myself have thought if I could come up with a better one. None! Oh well, got to accept what was given and since it is a bit open, it is up to viewers’ discretion to ponder about the meaning and whereabouts of Aaeru and Neviril. Surely, they are not dead but very much alive in some other different timeline. Whatever they may find or whatever they want to do with their lives thereafter, it is all up to them as long as they are happy together. Can we all not be happy for them? After all, got to remind myself this is an originally written anime and not based on any manga, light novel or game source.

If you look generally at the story, it isn’t anything interesting. Basically a war breaking out between the nations and the nation in focus AKA Simulacrum trying to defend their nation via a mysterious technology and machine that other nations don’t have, thus giving them most of the advantage and upper hand. Oh heck, I don’t think that story was even the main focus. Because we are always solely concentrated on the Simulacrum side and never see from the points of view of the Argentum and Plumbum nations. Thus I feel that this war setting plot isn’t the most prominent and important subject throughout this series. Its main focus are the Chor Tempest members and ultimately the secret behind the Simoun and Emerald Ri Maajon. Yeah, who’d knew it was some time travelling machine. I think I’m going to get confused if I talk about the time paradox issues here so I’m going to just leave that out.

This series has its own set of terminologies and jargons. And oh boy, the first few episodes spamming their unique terms did confuse the hell out of me. Although it wasn’t all that bad but I guess there were a few other terms that I didn’t really quite catch on and didn’t remember. For instance, I think the pilot seats of the Simoun have different terms depending if you’re helming the front or the back pilot seat. But thankfully, most of the common names like sibyllae and Ri Maajon, they’re spammed enough so you bet my puny simpleton brain is enough to catch on and remember what they mean by the time the series reaches halfway.

Speaking of names, you thought that having such elegant sounding terms and even really unique character names would really give this feel of a different and unique elegant fantasy world. Until you hear the names of the countries involved! Like, WTF suddenly we have countries named after chemical elements?! It just sounds so inelegant! When you have really nice fancy names and then all of a sudden, you have countries with names like Argentum and Plumbum. Really. Did they give up in coming up with a more stylish name than this! Oh sure, it’s probably to reflect those countries using the kind of elements in their technology like Argentum using lots of silver in their drones while Plumbum’s ship keeps oozing out those toxic lead. And here I assumed Simulacrum is supposed to be some sort of chemical element that I have not heard of and yeah, to my surprise it’s not really an element. WTF this image or representation definition I get from Google search?! Oh you people, you don’t have other posh names to come up for your countries, huh?!

While some call the character development to be great, I mostly find it a mixed baggage. More accurately, a hit and miss. After all, when you have a dozen characters in Chor Tempest itself to focus on, the limelight cannot be spread equally among them. Not even a double cour season seems reasonable enough to do that because in some ways it could be also a bit draggy. Of course with Aaeru and Neviril being the main pair, it is obviously they have the biggest share of the limelight. As you can see, both are on the different end of the poles with Aaeru being more free spirited and crude as compared to the more reserved and feminine Neviril. So the whole idea is to finally make them a pair because I don’t know when suddenly it’s like Neviril dropped the bomb on us that she was in love with Aaeru all along. Uh huh. They trolled us with her grieving of Amuria, huh? Some excuse about not wanting to hurt Paraietta and thus this whole roundabout way of declaring their love for each other only came to light just as Chor Tempest disbanded. Well, good for them, right? I take it that means Neviril can stop crying over Amuria’s dead (or rather missing) body and move forward.

Some of the Chor Tempest members weren’t really memorable and sometimes I question their role. Because I think they’re only there to fill in the quota of a dozen members. For instance, Yun. I find her really forgettable and not really having an impact. Save for the last part when she is supposed to replace Onasia as the keeper of the Spring. Like, what difference does it make? Was her character written just for this role? Then there is Rodoreamon and Mamiina. I kept wondering why the pair have been given a little more focus ever since the latter joined Chor Tempest and I didn’t see it coming as Mamiina’s death flag. Oh yeah. Got to show some sort of reconciliation for the former master and servant. Got to show that they are friends right now. And then, Mamiina dies. Vyura replaces her just for the numbers. The other girls have their own episode in focus but sometimes I feel it is just for the sake of that. Like the sisters, Kaimu and Alti just to showcase their strained relationship. That’s about it. What about Floe whom I thought was going to really go forward with her love with Mastif but suddenly it’s like they forgot all about this kid and it’s like their love never existed in the first place. Uh huh. What happened to him? Did he chicken out because he realized sibyllae are like demons? No wonder he doesn’t deserve Floe’s love. And to think Floe turned into male in the end must be one of the shocking twists for me. Of all the characters, I really thought she would stay a female. Then there is Morinas. I think I have myself to blame for expecting she would have some sort of important role to play alongside Aaeru. Too bad she fell quickly to the wayside and it’s like her only role was to become Wapourif’s love interest. Boring. Paraietta. It’s like she’s trying to break out of Neviril’s shadow or something.

I think I’m going to be confused thinking about the time paradox that Dominura and Chor Dextra made so I’m not going to think it over how it is that time slip that made her introduced Simoun to this current timeline and story. But what I want to say is that I am a bit curious of how Dominura and Limone met. It is not fleshed out and explained very well as I wonder how far their relationship goes. You see, Dominura is already an adult while Limone is a little girl who would probably still be in kindergarten if not for her being a prodigy. Limone can’t be a legal loli. It is proven she grew up in the end. So it is a curious thing to see them being paired like they knew each other for a long time. Wait. Don’t tell me. Time paradox thingy so Limone is Dominura’s daughter somehow!!! ARGH! What about Onasia being the other member of Chor Dextra? I thought Dominura was the only survivor? Well, it’s not like both women meet each other in this anime so it’s like Onasia’s origins are just to add more question marks than answers.

Last but not least, Amuria. The reason Chor Tempest went downhill, eh? All I want to say about her is that how the f*ck did she vanish herself? Shouldn’t Neviril meet the same fate when they did Emerald Ri Maajon together? Lest you tell me, to save Neviril, Amuria pushed her out of the Simoun. I don’t know. Maybe. Wasn’t paying attention on that part. Amuria’s disappearance I guess is supposed to keep us guessing and a topic for discussion if she went to another world because that’s the only possibility, right?

Being a yuri themed anime, there are going to be a few kissing scenes but from this point where I stand, I am considering the yuri elements to be mild. Yes, I have seen a few shows that are more daring than this (and I guarantee there are much more ‘terrifying’ ones out there) but I guess back in 2006, this might be still considered controversial for the mass public. After all, I think it doesn’t really matter in the end if a girl becomes a man in the end because they’re still once a girl so it’s still yuri when they make out. Yeah. Because my only concern is for how long a girl who wished to turn into a male would take. Since it doesn’t happen overnight and takes time, I’m trying to envision how the vagina will suddenly grow into a penis!!! This is not my mind being hentai but mind you, I’d really like to know how! Unless you tell me males here don’t have dicks but they somehow can impregnate females in some twisted yuri logic! As we have seen, Wapourif is male and although we don’t know how long she has decided to become one, her process took a long time. I mean, obviously you can see those huge boobs. Only towards the end she looked more masculine and lost those twin peaks. So yes, I’m really curious about this gender change thingy as it is never explained in detail except for the dumb conspiracy theory of mine that they want to have underage and teen yuri setting.

Then there is one thing I would like to note that I noticed lately as the series draws to a close: Noticed how characters who have turned male that have their name changed, all their names end with an ‘f’! Not sure if this is some sort of sign to indicate they were once female (and hence ‘f’) but it is so freaking obvious that all the males here ends with that letter. So if you are not sure if a character is male or female and she looks a lot like feminine, just take a look at the name. Thus I bet I can tell what kind of new name the female character will get if she turned into male. Aaeru = Aaeruf. Neviril = Neviriluf. Paraietta = Paraiettaf. Morinas = Morinasuf. Yeah. So easy. And since girls who wish to remain girls get to keep their original names, huh?

Now we move on to the art and animation. Another mixed baggage her. While the characters especially the sibyllae are obviously anime standard cute and kawaii, sometimes the backgrounds are just simple sketches and it feels awkward. Uh huh. It’s like they had no time to finish it and they just had somebody use whatever colour pencils to finish it off. It really feels a bit out of place considering you have some decent 2D animation for the characters and whatever props in the foreground but come the background, they look more like elementary school kids’ art! Yeah. True. Then there is the use of CGI too. Although it is not that bad, however the CGI is so smooth that the animation somewhat feels unreal! Not sure if that’s a good thing but sometimes watching it feels odd. Especially Simoun with its helical rotors spinning. Impressive but too smooth!

As we all know that all characters are born female and only become male once they decided to become one after visiting the Spring, the thing that bugged me is that how many of these males have this feminine look. I know anime is always drawing the fine line between this androgynous thingy but when I look at the ‘male-d’ females, they look more like trans people. Even the most rugged and macho of males especially those lowly soldiers, they display that sort of trans look. It definitely comes off as weird especially when you look in today’s era of new wave of feminism and the woke, looking at these characters really do give off that sort of vibe. Not good. It’s like those who transformed to a man became uglier instead. I mean look at Floef and Vyuraf. They’re not even the bishonen kind! Okay, maybe Anubituf and Guragief but they’re just barely winging it (I credit their decent casual clothes they wear to hide their horrible trans looks). And when they grow old, they’ll be looking like Wauf and Halconf who looks like a eunuch or something. Heh. Worse, their voice is female too and that adds to the worsening depiction I already have. Imagine hearing that macho moustachioed guy with a female voice! Oh man, I don’t know if this is cringe I am feeling. And because of all that, I am so confused as you would notice that I just refer to all those males using the she and her pronouns. Yeah, it was hard and confusing doing that too but what the heck. Everybody’s a female before, right? Hope you happy.

As for the designs, let me just note that the Simoun reminds me of the nautilus. You know, those ancient marine mollusc of the cephalopod family. Yeah, those helical motors must be it. As for the characters, I bet I see many of the characters from some other anime but I guess I am too lazy to figure out now. Some of them look strange like Neviril whom at first I thought looked like some Harajuku fashion doll and she’s got a bit of a high forehead area. And then there’s Dominura who looks more like some evil dominatrix witch but her personality isn’t. Damn. This anime was done by Studio Deen who did KonoSuba, Fate/Stay Night, Vampire Knight and the original Fruits Basket anime.

Action wise, they have its moments but it is not the main factor. It just feels obligatory because when you have cute chicks who ride a mysterious weapon into battle, it is only a must to see them take out tons of enemy drones. Gotta give it to those enemies who are vast in numbers flying into their deaths despite knowing the odds in taking down a Simoun is very miniscule. Even more so when many have this Stormtrooper aim because they fire all their bullets and almost none hit the Simoun unless it’s for plot convenience. Oddly, the different Ri Maajon patterns don’t feel memorable. Sometimes the way they name them feels like how the constellations were named! Hah! Weird to see them zipping around like mosquitoes to draw some lines in the sky and then voila! Big explosion! Feels like the FPS game, Doom’s BFG 9000. Room clearing, rather, sky clearing weapon. The more complicated the pattern, the more enemies it can take out, I suppose. And why do some Ri Maajon patterns remind me of Windows’ old screen saver? Mystify, was it called?

As for the voice acting (which is entirely female), it is no doubt that I have to remind you all whether you like it or not that Mamiko Noto is still my main motivator to watch this show and as Limone, she’s pretty standard and awesome in her typical trademark voice. Although it seems weird for a loli character like her to have such a not squeaky voice. Other seiyuus I recognized are Nana Mizuki as Morinas, Mikako Takahashi as Rodoreamon, Ami Koshimizu as Paraietta and Eri Kitamura as Amuria. The other casts are Michi Niino as Aaeru (Ena in Shikabane Hime), Rieko Takahashi as Neviril (Margaret in Freezing), Yukana as Dominura (Ai in Amagami SS), Kaori Nazuka as Yun (Chelsea in Akame Ga Kill), Michiko Hosokoshi as Kaimu, Megumi Toyoguchi as Alti (Revy in Black Lagoon), Michiru Aizawa as Floe (Suzu in Amuri In Star Ocean), Rika Morinaga as Mamiina (Sousei Seki in Rozen Maiden), Ai Hayasaka as Vyura, Fumie Mizusawa as Wapourif (Elise in Freezing), Houko Kuwashima as Guragief (Sango in Inu Yasha), Reiko Kiuchi as Anubituf (titular character in Beet The Vandel Buster), Sakiko Tamagawa as Onasia (Natsumi in You’re Under Arrest), Urara Takano as Wauf (Maria in Sakura Taisen) and the late Miyu Matsuki as Angulas (Yoshinoya in Hidamari Sketch). I also noticed that many of them also voiced multiple characters albeit they are minor background characters. I only noticed that because Mamiko Noto’s voice was also used in many of such characters so it confused the hell out of me and made me think how come Limone suddenly turned into this character.

The opening theme, Utsukushi Kereba Sore De Ii by Chiaki Ishikawa has that dramatic feel and I guess it’s rather okay fitting the theme of the series. The song somewhat reminds me of the ending theme for Gundam Seed, Anna Ni Issho Ni Datta No Ni. Well, same singer, duh! No wonder. As for the ending theme, Inori No Uta by Savage Genius another enigmatic piece and with some of the synthesizer effects, reminds me of some of the old retro anime songs I used to listen like Onegai Twins.

Another thing to note about this series is the myriad of BGMs. While it has a lot of variety, some of them feel weird. For example, there is one especially that sound Italian-like (Youen Naru Kizuna No Hibiki) which gives the impression of some comical Italian chase scene because of the accordion, it is often played in tense dramatic moments, making the whole scene feeling a bit comedic. I mean, when you have that drama being played out, then this WTF Italian music, definitely it ruins the scene. There’s another one too with a similar vibe, which is the waltz sounding one (Rekishi Wa Kataru). I’m sure it’s not meant to have that effect but I just can’t help raise my eyebrows each time I hear these songs play out in such scenes. These songs are not bad, it just feels it doesn’t match the scene. And one last thing to note about the sound effect especially when the Simoun zips by. Uhm, does it sound very close like Star Wars’ TIE fighter???!!! Please don’t say Simoun technology came from that series!

Overall, this anime is just passable and okay in my books. It is not exactly terrible or mediocre but I’m not saying I really love it either. Since I’m not a yuri fan despite seeing a few series in the past myself, so yuri kissing as an excuse to pilot the craft feels pretty meh to me rather than stimulating. This series is more character driven than the story so if you like seeing them navigate their various issues like sacrifice, growing up and searching for their own identity, this series offers some of that. Long before the current woke mob argued and whined about choosing genders and all (and forcing us to play along with your self-image game), remember we had this series where there existed a single gender before being given the choice to choose. A series where girls had balls and risked their lives at the frontlines of the war. Feeling gender fluid now?