All of my reviews contain spoilers for the reviewed material. This is your only warning. 880https://i.ur.com/5lKEtF0.jpg The gender binary works for almost no person on Earth. The national war machines of the world even fewer. In the abstract sense Simoun is about this simple pair of facts and how they relate to the broader systems that define our lives. Moreover it is about how those systems can be dealt with through adaption rejection selfsacrifice selflove and selfknowledge. 880https://i.ur.com/uYLGRvT.jpg Its possible Im betraying a small reference pool here but I find Simoun a true original. Im guilty of overusing terms like unusual and I call enough anime a bit of a weird one that you could conceivably make a drinking game out of it while reading my blog. But qualifiers like a bit are unnecessary here. I dont think Ive seen much else even remotely like Simoun. Frankly I struggle for reference points. A shoujoinflected political war drama with gender identity issues doesnt exactly roll off the tongue. And indeed Simoun is defined by some very unusual stylistic tentpoles. We have here a deliberately slow and ponderous pace sketchbook fantasy architecture a decidedly odd setting with flying vehicles rendered in airbrushed midaughts CGI the titular simouns themselves and a surprisingly complex.well complex of fantastic gender roles and associated dynamics. All this is soundtracked naturally with a combination of very ofitstime canned breaks and fouronthefloor rhythms and a shocking amount of violins. Its a lot to take in. 880https://i.ur.com/NAqTVlz.jpg At its heart Simoun is both the story of its cast all of whom are young girls in a military unit called the Chor Tempest and how they are affected both by the social systems that they live in and each other. If that sounds a bit heady thats because Simoun itself often leans that way. This is a show with a lot on its mind and it spends all twentysix of its episodes pouring it out. Getting into the nittygritty of what Simoun is about requires first explaining a facet of its worldbuilding. Though I called the shows protagonists young girls in the previous paragraph thats not actually entirely correct. Simouns cast consists mostly of young people belonging to a social caste of their country The Theocracy of Simulacrum called sibyllae singular: sibylla who are perhaps best thought of as being a kind of nonbinary although even this is admittedly a simplification. Sibyllae pilot the titular simouns both as ritual instruments in their role as priestesses and as weapons of war in an ongoing conflict with first one and then two other powers the Archipelago of Argentum and The Plumbum Highlands. Two pilots occupy each simoun in a bond called a pair that is both tactical and emotional. Sometimes merely friendly other times romantic. On a few occasions its even adversarial. 880https://i.ur.com/2kUMmEW.jpg Once they reach maturity sibyllae and indeed all of Simulacrums citizens are expected to retire from their role and visit a magic fountain where they will choose to either become male or remain the terminology is somewhat odd but can probably be chalked up to the age of the series female. Alternately if they are uncommitted they can have the fountain itself via its representative a priestess figure named Onashia choose for them. Much ceremony surrounds this and the reasons individual sibyllae give for their choice varies wildly some want to remain with their simoun pair or some other romantic interest and thus choose to become male others seek specific jobs more associated with one gender than another and so on. In the series second episode a sibylla named Elly has the fountain choose her gender for her. We dont see much but we learn as she does that she is to become male. Almost immediately she cries out in anguish and breaks down crying. A lack of commitment on the part of someone who is still essentially a child is punished by being forced into a role that does not fit her and that she is not happy with. To say its hard to watch is an understatement. Its horrifying. And its one Simoun calls back to more than once over the course of its run. It is the first major indication that all of these invented systemics are buildup to a real core not just aesthetics or aimless experimentation. 880https://i.ur.com/CJLhw34.jpg The sibyllae occupy a role that has no direct obvious realworld counterpart which has the benefit of halting any preconceived notions on the part of the viewer. Any notions that do form will be quickly picked apart by the characters themselves. Almost to a one every character in the show has a distinct opinion of the syballae none moreso than the pilots themselves. Some see the sibyllae primarily as priestesses and lament the combat role theyve had to take up in wartime. For others such as Mamina its the entire point a chance to prove oneself and rise above ones station. Others still such as Aeru who is probably the closest thing Simoun has to a proper protagonist primarily serve in order to avoid the inevitability of the fountain. 880https://i.ur.com/RJm7ahJ.jpg Some are just as lost as the audience Neviril around whom much of the series revolves is engaged with a desperate search for purpose after the loss of her partner in the first episode. This is all without even mentioning the complex and thorny dynamic of having a bunch of children who are essentially miko pilot the simoun themselves. Given that the vehicles are when deployed at their full strength functionally magical nuclear bombers. These are just some of the many issues that Simoun picks at numerous times over the course of its run. Its unsurprising then that tonally Simoun is iron and rain. The foggy atmosphere tints the deep regret unrequited love and crises of faith that permeate the series. As it progresses conflicting ideals of religious and noble duty clash with those of militaristic nationalism the individuals that espouse these ideas caught in between. Simoun is heavy as lead. This is not a show you watch for fun. 880https://i.ur.com/Dz6f81y.jpg This means that the show does have a few not weaknesses exactly but quirks. The way it handles big emotional moments is almost more reminiscent of dramatic theater than anything else. But make no mistake that stately sense of gravitas is absolutely capable of sending chills up the spines of the unprepared. Its a trait the series shares with some other bigpicture war dramas your Gundams and such making it the thing that most easily places Simoun within the obvious broader context of its medium. As for actual weaknesses it wouldnt be inaccurate to call Simoun something of a slog. Its not pointless which is what that term usually implies but it is definitely not anyones idea of a breezy watch. There are very few moments of emotional catharsis or even many pleasant interludes during the entire run of the show these only really coming to fruition in Simouns final half dozen episodes. It works well with the series thematic core but it doesnt make it any easier to stomach on a moment to moment basis and I must confess my millennial ADHD brain found itself struggling to keep my attention focused on the screen at times. Its almost impressive given that Simoun is only a fairly short 26 episodes. Simoun also looks very much of its time. I grew to appreciate its mid2000s charm over the course of watching it but I would be unsurprised if others were less charitable. 880https://i.ur.com/hMfUJUZ.png So those are the ups and downs. It is fair then to ask where all of this goes and the truth is that Simouns greatest strength is that by spending all of that time on worldbuilding and similar details it earns an incredible amount of leeway to take the entire thing wherever it pleases. Simouns true core thesis then is wonderful. The series broadly rejects all notion of heroic narrative the ostensible main military conflict fizzles out with four episodes left to go. Its finale is not about any grand confrontation but about how the sibyllae who remain deal with the end of the war and consequently the end of their special relevance to the Theocracy. 880https://i.ur.com/kndWWyL.jpeg All of this is broadly a metaphor for coming of age. A thematic line that many anime explore but Simouns closest compatriot at least from my own pool of knowledge is none other than Revolutionary Girl Utena. The two share something that looks like fatalism from a distance but is both more practical and more resonant up close. Unlike many other anime Simoun offers no dramatic moment of breaking the system. The system in a way wins in that it continues to exist even after the war. The sibyllaes own choices are where the revolution lies for many to go to the fountain for one to replace Onashia as its keeper and for two something far stranger and not unlike Utena and Anthys great escape at the end of their own series film. It is a revolution not of the world but the self. One could argue that this thesis is incomplete maybe even irresponsible. I would counter that no single work of art is obligated to depict all aspects of the human condition on its own. We need lovers as much as fighters and Simoun is decidedly for the former. This school of thematic material lives on in anime to this very day for that exact reason. For the flaws it admittedly does have Simouns final catharsis is wonderfully wellearned. The hours of our lives tick on and somewhere far beyond them spin two eternal maidens in a land of hope and dance. Notes Disclaimers Usage of Anilists review feature does not constitute endorsement for Anilist as a platform the Anilist community or any individual member thereof or any of Anilists policies or rules. All views expressed are solely my own opinions and conclusions and should not be taken to reflect the opinions of any other persons groups or organizations. All text is owned by me. Do not duplicate without permission. All images are owned by their original copyright holders.