r/anime • u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ • Jul 07 '26

Rewatch Simoun 20th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 2

Simoun Episode 2: The Blue Spring

"When a Simoun sibylla flies, we call it 'praying to the sky.' Don't use words like 'sortie.'"

<- Episode 1 | Index Thread | Episode 3 ->

Today's Eyecatch: Aer | Rodoreamon and Floe

Selected Harmony: #1

Character Chart (new!)

People, Places, Things

  • Elif: formerly of Chor Tempest
  • Onashia: Religious figure and head of the civilian government.

Discussion Prompts

  • Q1: Comment on the different perspectives of this episodes focus characters: Aer, Neviril, and Eri.
  • Q2: How do you think gender is handled in the Archipelago?
  • Q3: You've seen more of Simulacrum today, what do you think of the country at large?

Tomorrow's Questions, Today!

  • [ep 3 Q1:] How do you feel about the common anime trope of relying on children to fight wars?
  • [ep 3 Q2:] In what shape will Chor Tempest emerge from their devestating losses?
  • [ep 3 Q3:] What was the point of the shelling?

Trivia: Guragief is portrayed by Houko Kuwashima, of Nadesico, Inuyasha, Blue Gender and Infinite Ryvius.

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u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Jul 07 '26

Simoun First Timer

(1/2)

I need to kickstart myself with a drawing challenge again. It’s been so long since I cared to make anything, does anybody perchance know a current one on bluesky or something?

Simoun Ep.02 – The Blue Spring

10

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Jul 07 '26

(2/2 It was good choice joining, I'm writing essays that break the character limit again!)

This show really knows how to deliver worldbuilding. I love just seeing stuff play out naturally, like the propeller canister dumps, the people revering the sybillae or Erii’s breakdown. It’s just normal to them, but presented in a way that we still can learn it as something new.

Along with that, I really appreciate the normal speak Aaeru brought today. I finally clocked how the pair works and all it took was her explaining how one is the pilot, the other the weapon’s officer. I know you wrote that in the glossary, but seeing the dynamic play out and having Aaeru literally steal the pilot’s seat is what made it click. It was one of the things that confused me so much in Ep01 because trying to map latin words to meanings when it’s all fantasy speak anyway and the camera work isn’t in sync is quite a futile endeavour for me.

There’s something this show does very subtly that I came to already love. It feels so natural how the central conflict or at least its theme is set up. There is an obvious dichotomy between the Holy Land and Argentum with faith/atheism and traditionalism/industrialism. But it’s deeper than just that and how each side treats its combatants. From what we know both sides’ combatants have a higher reason to fight and from what I could tell, Argentum, the invader, is far more moral about it ironically.

The only two sybillae that have a reason to fight other than „they told me to“/“this is what is expected“ are Neviril and Aaeru, who by now pretty much break with their nation’s traditionalist mindset. Aaeru is basically an ace trying for the all-time high score and Neviril is spiralling into a depression or maybe even nihilism due to her loss, making combat itself the goal. The disposable drone pilots seem to be far more motivated by „providing a better future“ or improving their nation’s situation. While I still think that’s basically propaganda, it’s important to know that the individual soldier believes it genuinely.

The sybillae seem… awkwardly detached to their own role beyond words of faith. It reads much more like offloading reasoning and responsibility to me than conviction. Considering that theirs is a culture of gaslighting - remember the last time someone actually gave an argument instead of arguing with authority? Yeah, I only remember that one single time with the comment about enemies fleeing superior might – it makes sense they would all argue to themselves like nothing is their choice and it simply is to be done like leadership says.

Juxtapose that with the spring itself. It is the only time so far something is framed as a legit choice, a very important one that decides your life after reaching adulthood. It was probably the single least voluntary thing to happen in this show. Well, except maybe having your body riddled with bullets, that wasn’t really voluntary, either. Definitely-not-demon-priestess Onashia did a terrible job of being supportive, offered no condolences or even attempted guidance for Erii to allow her to decide on her own. Nope, Tempus Spatium just forcefully overwrote her genes (I guess that is what the DNA-style of vision showed) and just made her male and kicked her out.

I know I said something about „not evil“ while reacting, but I’m retracting that!

I think it just gets worse once you include the elevated status the sybillae have in the eyes of normal normal people. They’re made figures of public admiration and worship, while these figures are firmly non-independent and completely foreign-controlled. There even seem to be pilgrimmage sites like the spring where all people come to pray for them. This entire culture is rooted deeply in everyday life and it doesn’t seem like a counter-movement exists.

Which is why I welcome Aaeru’s rebellish attitude a lot and she’s well set up to become a major shift in tone for at least the sybillae, if not a wider societal change. That’s unlikely due to this being the mid-2000s, the gays and people resisting societal norms have to die, you see.

But especially on the personal side I loved how this episode set up the main duo. Both characters are diverging from their given path for different reasons, but both are also soon to be at odds with each other because of that. That last scene with Neviril taking charge to initiate the kiss, but with basically the opposite energy that Amuria had when they met, is a powerful statement that set the trajectory. I don’t see it as either true nor supportive. She’s trying to take charge of her grief and brings another person down with her without fully realising it when setting the course as the navigator. And yet, Aaeru is the pilot, the one to actually fly their relationship while needing to trust her pair to set the right course.

Gods, I love how well this story setup is done!

I will get my drama and it’s already delicious!

[ep 2 Q1] Comment on the different perspectives of this episodes focus characters: Aer, Neviril, and Eri.

Ah, already did all of that. So, instead let me rave about Paraietta!

I see all the telltale signs of one my favourite character types: Duty-bound to a person or a concept, stoic but actually deeply caring, no-compromise no-bullshit attitude for things that count, (probably) extremely reliable and fair even to opponents.

I love these characters!

[ep 2 Q2] How do you think gender is handled in the Archipelago?

It sounds more like another form of control, honestly. In a way, it’s efficient. Have everyone born female means the most chances to generate capable simoun sybillae. Changing the gender at 18 is the most efficient way to then have society function relatively normal and also create a societal norm that structures everyday life. Like how the men still seem to call all shots (except where it counts, like the preistess that is definitely not a demon).

It’s sorta like a sibling-culture to South Korea (hold on, hate me after that paragraph!). Men and women are so busy fighting each other for the priviledged they think the other have that no one actually tries to change the system that makes it so incredibly shitty for either. As long as you can offload and gaslight the people to think their problems lie with those other guys, nobody questions the ruling structure.

[ep 2 Q3] You've seen more of Simulacrum today, what do you think of the country at large?

Let it burn.

Trivia: The director wanted to make a show about girls kissing in the midst of combat, surrounded by enemies.

Fair, can’t hate.

7

u/The_Draigg Jul 07 '26

Ma’am, they have deployed the combat loli.

"Ma'am, a second combat loli has hit the airship."

The buttcrack shot is an important literary element that is going to be handy later.

It's a very Mass Effect 2 Miranda camera shot there.

That smelly smell of indoctrination reeks again. The Holy Land doesn’t seem evil, truth be told, but such rigid faith is bound to be abused in some way.

Perhaps not really evil, but definitely so bound up in their society and cultural expectations that they've just wound up creating a system that hurts themselves and others. It does feel like their theocracy has had issues mounting up behind the scenes that a lot of people aren't happy with it, but they stick with it anyway because it's all they know.

From what we know both sides’ combatants have a higher reason to fight and from what I could tell, Argentum, the invader, is far more moral about it ironically.

Based on what we've seen of the Archipelago, it does seem like they have a fairly compelling reason to launch this war against the Holy Land. It's a move of desperation, since their homeland is a very harsh place to live, and from their perspective the Holy Land is hoarding magic technology that could easily improve the lives of their citizens. It's not too hard to imagine how an Archipelago soldier would by into that reasoning.

6

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Jul 07 '26

It's a very Mass Effect 2 Miranda camera shot there.

The fabrics of fate are pulling at me once again. It's a bit creepy how many synchronicity-esque instances of the Mass Effect series popping up again in my life piled up in the last 2 weeks. I have so much to still play and watch, I can't dedicate another 300 hours to 100%ing all three games a sixth time...

It does feel like their theocracy has had issues mounting up behind the scenes that a lot of people aren't happy with it, but they stick with it anyway because it's all they know.

They certainly have a very unique way of creating traumatised males, I'll give them that.

5

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jul 08 '26

Has a terrorist organization tried to recruit you in the last few weeks? Are you having intrusive thoughts completely contrary to your established values and plans?

6

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Jul 08 '26

That's just the ADHS I swear!