Finished watching
Simoun today. Overall I liked it, although I had to work to overlook its massive and glaring flaws.
Maybe I'll write about that some other day. The interesting thing about
Simoun, though, is that some aspects of it fit so well with a sort of mirror-world Pacific War. In the war of the world of
Simoun, the main characters' country begins with unquestioned aerial superiority, which gradually is wiped out by the clever adaptations and increased industrial production of the enemy. As they lose ground, they have to give things up, make compromises. Military interests take over the government. Eventually they lose. One key condition of their surrender is to separate the state religion from the military. And there's a very interesting "superweapon" element that looks a bit like a nuclear bomb (although I think that one may be pushing it.)
The details are different -- but they'd have to be, I think. The impulses that led to the war in reality still exist, but they will never look that way again. Modern fascists don't goose-step. Any filmmaker who pretends otherwise is being lazy. Sometimes it's forgivable and sometimes it's not.
Anyway, I don't really think it's a retelling of the decline and fall of the Japanese Empire. It's a characteristic Studio Deen series -- well-paced and plotted, with engaging characters, understated but somehow lovely watercolor backgrounds, solid but somehow insipid character designs, irritatingly conspicuous CG, and some moments of cringeworthy animation. Watch it for the characters.
words from chris, 2009-07-19 04:36:51, los angeles
