Almost everyone becoming female kinda bugged me. Not only because it totally ruined my beloved Paraietta/Kaimu relationship and created Floe
f (
), but because I was afraid that the writers would end up doing this to preserve the yuri factor. I hope that turns out to not be the case.
I really really loved all the interaction between Anubituf and Guragief. Like some others mentioned before, it didn't seem romantic. It felt more like Anubituf was showing his support for Guragief. It's hard to explain exactly what I got from it, since the whole scene had a lot of very complex emotions and meaning in it, but it felt more like a kiss between Sybillae than a kiss between lovers. I didn't interperet the hand thing as romantic, either. Anuibituf was just try to keep Guragief from blowing his top. The look on Anubituf's face made that clear.
And major points for the ending. When the Plumbum priestesses (and Guragief
) took control of the situation and
flew the Simoun up through the Maajon pool, I got a huge high from the 'ZOMG Teh k00l!' factor and from the fact that things were going to turn out like they should after all. Then, Aaeru and Neviril jump in the Simoun and look back at all their friends, and suddenly it hits you: this is goodbye. Then the bittersweet mix of hope and sadness takes over as they all say their tearful goodbye's. Just... wow.
At first, the lack of closure on the ending bothered me; mostly because I expected the ultra-epic ending full of revealed secrets and satisfying explaination. Then, I realized that that would have contradicted Simoun's message. Simoun is about living, and life rarely has any kind of resolution. Life goes on; even when it seems like it won't.