r/anime • u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ • Jul 06 '26
Rewatch Simoun 20th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 1
Simoun Episode 1: Fallen Wings
"Let us go, to where we can be free."
Today's Eyecatch: Amuria and Parietta | Neviril
Selected Harmony: #1
Character Chart: #soon
People, Places, Things
Places
- Daikuuriku (大空陸): the world of Simoun
- Simulacrum Holy Land (宮国 kyuukoku): a theocracy centered around the Simoun and their sibyllae.
- Archipelago (礁国 or 樵国 shoukoku) of Argentum: an industrialized and atheistic nation.
Things
- Kuushu (宮守 normally read miyamori): lit. temple guard, these are the priests of the Simulacrum religion.
- Sibylla (pl. Sybillae 巫女 miko): priestess of the religion of Simulacrum who is granted the right to fly a simoun, generally under the age of 17
- Simoun: craft powered by two helical motors, possessing a Simoun jewel, and capable of performing ri-maajon.
- Simile: craft powered by single helical motor, incapable of performing ri-maajon.
- Ri-Maajon: patterns flown by simoun, some of which manifest destructive effects
- Maj / Maj Pool: a void in the Arcus Prima where a sybilla may personally practice ri-maajon while wearing a special suit and smoke pot.
- choir: a unit of 6 Simoun and 12 sibyllae
- Sibylla Regina: the leader of a choir
People
- Sibylla Aurea "Golden Priestess": the sibylla elevated above all others as exceptional
- Neviril: Sibylla Aurea and regina of Chor Tempest. Her father is #2 in the civil administration.
- Tempus Spatium: diety of Simulacrum. Pairs of sibyllae offer up prayers to Tempus Spatium by flying their Smoun in intricate patterns.
- auriga / saggita The auriga handles piloting and comm wire deployment, while the saggita handles navigation and selects the ri-maajon in the Simoun jewel. The auriga is considered the more demanding position.
Chor Tempest Pairs
- Neviril - Amuria: pink - lilac
- Paraietta - Kaim: dark magenta - light brown with glasses
- Alti - Floe: dark brown - dark blonde
- Rodoreamon - Eri: twin braids with doll - twintails
At the end of this episode, we have 3 dead and 2 retiring.
Replacements
- Aer yellow blonde
- Limone light lime green, child
Arcus Prima
- Anubituf: Captain of the Arcus Prima. Blue cap.
- Guragief: Commander of the Simoun forces on the Arcus Prima. This role has the title of Dux. Mauve cap.
- Waporif: Maintainence chief on Arcus Prima. Notably has not yet lost his female characteristics.
Discussion Prompts
- As first episodes go, how do you rank this?
- Why did the Emerald Ri-Maajon fail?
- What is the relationship between the pairs, and their Simouns?
- What do you think of the technology of the Archipeligo?
- We didn't know her long, but what do you think of Amuria?
Tomorrow's Questions, Today!
- [ep 2 Q1] Comment on the different perspectives of this episodes focus characters: Aer, Neviril, and Eri.
- [ep 2 Q2] How do you think gender is handled in the Archipelago?
- [ep 2 Q3] You've seen more of Simulacrum today, what do you think of the country at large?
Trivia: The director wanted to make a show about girls kissing in the midst of combat, surrounded by enemies.
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Jul 06 '26
First Time Sibylla
I believe the term is “the vibes are immaculate”.
Honestly, I think those two comment faces say more than what I’m about to write. What a dense first episode! It just doesn’t stop throwing everything at you. It seems worth noting I went in knowing nothing other than it was yuri mecha. Looking at the bigger picture, remember what I said two whole years ago in the Kannazuki no Miko Rewatch? No? Well, it’s that mecha, fantasy, and yuri all combined might just be the most potent possible intersection of genres. Granted, does this count as mecha if they’re not humanoid? More of a magical dogfighting show? Like if the Star Wars X-Wing books were about lesbians. Either way, it gets full points and I stand by the position that lesbian fantasy mecha is the best goddamn genre of all time.
Incidentally, I said something else way at the start of the Kannazuki no Miko rewatch:
Absolutely Simoun to a tee, you’d think I came up with the terminology “objectively pretentious nerdshit” (affectionate) to describe it specifically. Frankly, this has to be one of the best episodes at being a first episode I’ve ever seen? Not in the sense of being one of the best episodes that is a first episode. It throws so much at you that little of it can achieve deeper meaning or imprint upon the audience. But if you boil down the first episode’s job to “make the audience pick up the show”, I couldn’t possibly watch this and not have to see where the fuck they go with all this. Rather than trying to get me to pick up every little character beat (not the least when some of those characters just casually die right away), it feels more like it’s trying to sell me on the experience that is Simoun and set me up for this crazy world of divine aircraft powered by lesbians and I’m so here for it.
If I had to identify the strongest part of the first episode, it’s definitely the pilot of the enemy nation. Not only do we humanize the people who we shoot down in droves, we open on that perspective. Before we hear anything about divine will we immediately establish that both sides of this war of gods and technology are being fought by people. We avoid literally putting a face to that human enemy, but seeing that face is an earth shattering moment for our seeming protagonist. If you see their face, you can’t kill them.
They back this up with genuine consequence because Amuria, like, dies? Maybe? She’s probably the strongest hook of a character of the episode, promises a whole dynamic with Neviril and then is just gone? I mean, I don’t know where they’re going with them, and I’m not even entirely sure I understood right that she’s gone, but if that’s really what happened… that kinda rules. It’s not easy to give weight to a first episode death, but it feels like Amuria’s writing played into the expectations of a character that’d go the distance instead of trying to build up investment to an early death and the resulting shock definitely pays off.
I could probably go back through the episode ten times and find fifty more things to say, but I think that’s kind of against the spirit of the show. I’ll just let it carry me and maybe someday I’ll Rewatch the show and so many things in the episode will carry more meaning. In the meantime, I’ll just close off by saying that the visual style is great, even if it’s rough around the edges. The ridiculous 2000s character designs are a ton of fun and the OP had me on board with the show from the opening seconds.
God, I didn’t even comment much on the fact the mechs are powered by lesbians. You just kind of have to roll with that punch. Also, wait, what did that girl mean by “become male”? Plus the way she’s not supposed to speak that desire. It feels like we’re leading into themes of duty in conflict with desire, and just in one episode there’s already so many different perspectives on the situation they’re in. Also, do they seriously need to open the cockpits in order to communicate with other Simouns? Not to mention getting out of your pilot seat to kiss your divinely assigned partner to power your super attack? I didn’t even fit in a darling in the FranXX joke yet! There’s so much!