There is some news for
Mamiina fans like myself. Her
seiyuu,
Morinaga Rika, has an art/gothic-rock band called
function code(), which is putting out its first single, "Undying Love," this fall. Some of the PV (promotional video) is available on
the band's website or on
Rika's website. Seems to require a lot of bandwidth, so if you have trouble with that, there is an interview with her and part of a previous PV
on YouTube. The PV is near the end of the clip.
Rika cuts quite a figure. She is a slight person under 4'11" (149cm), wears some wild (and attractive) outfits, and sings with strength and abandon. To give some idea of her image, she says in
her blog that she is starting a new radio show next month called "Morinaga Rika's Outlaw Radio." She was represented by I"m Enterprise, the agency that had the recent scandal, but left them because, she said, her musical and
seiyuu work had to be handled by one agency -- her.
She seems to be getting plenty of work since
Simoun. She is Ren, the hero's little brother, in
Kaze no Stigma, and has roles in
Princess Resurrection, Seto no Hanayome, Touka Gettan, and
Moetan.
On an entirely different mater, I'm glad that
darthfury posted his/her thoughts and got the recent discussion going, but I agree with most people here that removing the "transgender issues" would make this no longer
Simoun, but some other show. I don't think this could ever be a
Naruto, since it's really the emotions and relationships and characters that are important, rather than the action.
It would be possible to make another show featuring similar technology, but it wouldn't be
Simoun. Certainly, from my point of view, the
shoujo-ai and transgender aspects of this show are the heart of the show, but I understand that many people in the world find them hard to deal with.
The discussion made me wonder if simply removing the sibyllae's kisses from the OP (lovely as they are) would have removed some of what put some people off. I can picture people either being repelled right away, before there is a chance for them to be captivated, or being led to expect more non-subtext
yuri than the show provides.
In any case, despite the comparative lack of success in Japan, it is pretty wonderful that the show has been licensed for distribution abroad. I would never have expected it. Shows that someone thinks there is an audience for it.
I keep scanning the staff lists of new shows, looking for a show done by the same staff as this one. The director is writing and/or directing some episodes of
Code-E, which is a pleasant show, but it's no
Simoun.