(L) Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Asai

Whee, the OST is out. Such gorgeous music. (I hadn't even noted Kawai Kenji did it. I love his work <3) great OST for a great series.

Mine's already in the mail. Should be getting it in about a week's time, I hope.

Although, I slightly saddened that the funeral march from Episode 6 isn't included (at least, I think it isn't, I didn't seem to hear it).

Still, I'm very happy with a number of tracks, including:

4. Hoshi Yomi no Tou (Episode 5, Shuga opens the Secret Tome)

6. Karu! (Episode 3, Balsa engages the four shadow hunters in combat)

19. Inori (Episode 6, Chagum gets his haircut, and prepares to leave with Balsa)

Overall, it's an OST well worth collecting. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the themes remind me vaguely of Sister Drum (Dadawa). There is certainly a very "Asian" sounding vibe to it.

[youknowme]

From the beginning it looked like Saya and Tohya seemed only like siblings, maybe giving Chagum a chance with her, doesnt seem like thats the case anymore...what do you think?

[TinyRedLeaf]

It might have been interesting, but I don't think it would have been plausible, because of their vast difference in backgrounds.

I know it does seem that Chagum had a "chance" in Episodes 5 and 6, but let's not forget that:

1) Saya was just being nice, not necessarily "romantic".

2) Chagum had a lot more things on his mind at the time (like survival, for instance, lol).

3) Plus, I think it's increasingly clear that Chagum doesn't mix very well with children. He behaves like a little adult in many ways, due to his aristocratic upbringing. He doesn't mind being left alone, and in fact seems to prefer it. Not exactly the kind of guy seeking a romance, eh?

[MrProphet]

Episode 12 AKA More Bitching Fodder. 8)

[youknowme]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

It might have been interesting, but I don't think it would have been plausible, because of their vast difference in backgrounds.

I know it does seem that Chagum had a "chance" in Episodes 5 and 6, but let's not forget that:

1) Saya was just being nice, not necessarily "romantic".

2) Chagum had a lot more things on his mind at the time (like survival, for instance, lol).

3) Plus, I think it's increasingly clear that Chagum doesn't mix very well with children. He behaves like a little adult in many ways, due to his aristocratic upbringing. He doesn't mind being left alone, and in fact seems to prefer it. Not exactly the kind of guy seeking a romance, eh?

True on all 3 points, would have been interesting to see though............maybe someone who's read the novels can tell us if he ever does find a girl later on.....

[TinyRedLeaf]

Actually, there are other stuff I'd like to know about too, from those who have read the novels.

1) Why is there a rift between astrologers and shamans? Why did astrologers become the official "clergy" of the Imperial family?

2) What are those dead bird bones thingies that hang on the main doors of country huts?

3) Some background on the countries introduced in the anime would be nice. For example, Kambal and Yogo. I believe Balsa mentioned a few others in Episode 8 as well.

Searching back, Shinjit wrote that Kambal is based loosely on Mongolia. Based on how Balsa described it in Episode 6, I guess that's a close parallel. But the mountain regions between Kambal and Yogo remind a lot of the Himalayas. So is there a country loosely based on Nepal or Tibet as well?

Curious to know.

[glyph]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Actually, there are other stuff I'd like to know about too, from those who have read the novels.

1) Why is there a rift between astrologers and shamans? Why did astrologers become the official "clergy" of the Imperial family?

Well, seeing how the shamans stem from the aborigine Yakue people, and the stargazers from the more civilized culture of the Yogo colonists, possibly they dismiss the shamanistic beliefs as "low" and generally superstitious nonsense out of hand.

[runpsicat]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Actually, there are other stuff I'd like to know about too, from those who have read the novels.

1) Why is there a rift between astrologers and shamans? Why did astrologers become the official "clergy" of the Imperial family?

Spoiler for content from the novel that may be disclosed later on in the series:

The "official" history of the New Yogo Empire is the key.

Abridged Edition (so as to not spoil more than needs be):
Official history has it that to-be Founding Emperor Torgal left Yogo Empire due to the prophecy given to him by the extremely gifted to-be lead astrologer (holy sage, seidoushi, etc.), Nanai. Nanai told Torgal where to find a land of milk and honey suitable for imposing Torgal's divine rule on and so on. The imperial family was in the middle of a bloody inheritance squabble, so Torgal (the 3rd son) was more than happy to believe Nanai's words that he was fated to become the ruler of a new empire elsewhere. After his posse made it to the New Yogo Empire, there was a major drought. Nanai stared at the sky some and informed Torgal about the water demon/fiend/monster causing the drought and told him to go kill it with eight of his best warriors and a sword blessed by Nanai. In the process, they also liberated the long-suffering Yakue from the water demon, which had been plaguing them every hundred years. Torgal's victory was definitive proof of his divine right to rule the land, so he became Emperor. Nanai then set up the system in place today.

I think that basically explains why the Yakue's wisdom is scoffed at and why the astrology division carries a lot of clout in Yogo politics.

2) What are those dead bird bones thingies that hang on the main doors of country huts?

Spoiler:

They are the bones of nahji (which children sing about in ep1 right at the beginning). Yakue believe nahji bones ward off evil spirits.

3) Some background on the countries introduced in the anime would be nice. For example, Kambal and Yogo. I believe Balsa mentioned a few others in Episode 8 as well.

Balsa talks about her homeland in episode 6 and Yogo's background history (which is pivotal in this series, so I don't think you really want to spoil yourself that much) is somewhat addressed in episode 2 (see also the answer to 1). Rota is mentioned in episode 12. I don't have time to really go through the list, but maybe someone else can.

[Impz]

Well, I also started on writing a bit about Seirei no Moribito, and decided to post up my entries so that people can have variation between mine and Wrex (whose summaries are great).

Episode 12 summary + thoughts is up in my blog, and do comment if you think that I did/did not hit the right spots. Cheers!

[TinyRedLeaf]

^ Nice blog. I don't have the patience to start my own, so I much prefer reading other people's stuff.

@ runpsicat:
Hmm...interesting background behind the founding of New Yogo. Thanks!

Balsa talks about her homeland in episode 6 and Yogo's background history (which is pivotal in this series, so I don't think you really want to spoil yourself that much) is somewhat addressed in episode 2 (see also the answer to 1). Rota is mentioned in episode 12. I don't have time to really go through the list, but maybe someone else can.

Sangal was the other country mentioned by Balsa in Episode 8. As for Rota:

Spoiler for Episode 12:

Given the blond hair blue eyes of that country's people, Rota is loosely based on Far Eastern Russia, I suppose.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Sangal was the other country mentioned by Balsa in Episode 8. As for Rota:

Spoiler for Episode 12:

Given the blond hair blue eyes of that country's people, Rota is loosely based on Far Eastern Russia, I suppose.

Sounds a bit unlikely.

Spoiler for Rota:

Slavic people did not settle in the Far East until the XVI-XVII century, and the original inhabitants roughly belonged to the similar ethnic and racial profile as the Manchu, Aleuts and other Mongoloid peoples.

Since SnM time frame belongs somewhere in the Nara-Heian period (VIII-XII century), then we are looking at something else.

Of course, Kamiyama could be shooting from the hip and we don't really have to apply strict measurements.

To me, rotans look more like people from eastern Persia, northern India.

It's extremely hard to judge race in anime, since the Japanese style of drawing includes very little differentiation between races other than slight variations in skin tint.

Originally Posted by runpsicat

PS (off-topic): Nice avatar... what's the source? >.>

Le Comte de Monste-Cristo. A fanart by some unknown person.

[runpsicat]

@ TinyRedLeaf
Ah, I meant list the background info of each mentioned so far. To add another nation to the name list, there is also the Tarsh (tarushu) Empire.

@ MrProphet
Ah, was hoping for a link to the source image since I knew the character already and the avatar looked like a cropped larger image, but I guess I should try Google first. Thanks for the clarification, though!

[godraziert]

Quick question about the OST . . . is the track that played during Balsa's flashback in Episode 3 included ?

[Saffire]

Originally Posted by godraziert

Quick question about the OST . . . is the track that played during Balsa's flashback in Episode 3 included ?

Mm.. from me going back, watching the episode 3 scene, and listening to the soundtrack, I'm inclined to say no, unfortunately. However, considering this was "Music Collection 1", we'll no doubt be seeing another soundtrack (or two!..Yes please!) in the future. The soundtrack is actually missing several of the songs I was hoping to see on this soundtrack, including the pretty funeral procession one, as well as the horse chase scene track. And since those are such great and magnificent tracks, I'm expecting they will be on a CD in the future.. or rather, they had better be, or I'll be rather disappointed.

[godraziert]

Originally Posted by Saffire

Mm.. from me going back, watching the episode 3 scene, and listening to the soundtrack, I'm inclined to say no, unfortunately. However, considering this was "Music Collection 1", we'll no doubt be seeing another soundtrack (or two!..Yes please!) in the future. The soundtrack is actually missing several of the songs I was hoping to see on this soundtrack, including the pretty funeral procession one, as well as the horse chase scene track. And since those are such great and magnificent tracks, I'm expecting they will be on a CD in the future.. or rather, they had better be, or I'll be rather disappointed.

I hope so too, love those tracks especially as well. Thanks for the prompt reply.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Saffire

The soundtrack is actually missing several of the songs I was hoping to see on this soundtrack, including the pretty funeral procession one, as well as the horse chase scene track.

I may be wrong, but I think the horse chase track is Track 26: Eiyuu, Tatsu, isn't it?

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by runpsicat

Ah, was hoping for a link to the source image since I knew the character already and the avatar looked like a cropped larger image, but I guess I should try Google first. Thanks for the clarification, though!

Yeah, I figured as much. I wanted to upload the full version, but it has mysteriously disappeared from my hard drive. Which kind of sucks, since I really liked that image of the Count.

Oh well, what the 4chan giveth, 4chan also taketh away. 8(

EDIT: Actually, I found it. Enjoy.

[Saffire]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

I may be wrong, but I think the horse chase track is Track 26: Eiyuu, Tatsu, isn't it?

No, it isn't. "Eiyuu, Tatsu" is one of my favorite tracks though. (I translated the title as "Rise, Hero" and am quite fond of the name XD). There's a big difference between the two. The beat is somewhat similar, but if you listen to the vocals in the horse chase scene, there is a distinct, female vocal sequence that "Eiyuu, Tatsu" just doesn't have. I've listened to both, as I recorded the chase scene from right off the original video awhile back, as I really liked the music, and decided I could ignore the voices until the real track came out (along with the funeral procession).

[monir]

Originally Posted by wao

Have I?

You have.. and I quote:

It's based off a series of fantasy novels by Shihoko Uehashi (Uehashi not Kamihashi right?), set in an Asian sort of background.

Take responsibility! Oh and, happy belated birthday. I say that because I was pretty sure you were 17 when the last time I logged in. You are now officially one of the grown ups. Condescending? Hellz yeah.

[wao]

Oh but that doesn't count, I thought surely anyone would have been able to figure out that it's a fantasy story from the first episode onwards...

Speaking of which, my god, it's Saturday afternoon already. That means it's aired. I shouldn't have slept at 3am.... Time to go watch it! Wheee

and yes, it was my birthday about a week ago, so thank you :0

EDIT: Just watched it. Not bad at all - if you wanted to see SERIOUS, PISSED-OFF Barsa, this is the episode! I was seriously very very worried for her when she got into bloodlust-mode sort of.
Also, if you noticed the drawings were particularly shiny-looking/conventionally pretty-looking in parts, it's prolly partly because of one of the animation directors this ep, Kensuke Ishikawa - and I hate that guy if only for the way he went with the drawings in ep 2 and 7 of Noein. Cannot quite forgive him for that. I don't know what it says when there were a whole group of other ADs listed after him, did they have to clean up his drawings I wonder...

Also - Yamaguchi Kappei as a guest role.

Next episode DEFINITELY looks like they're going ahead with the main story, but I thought this ep was a good way to segue into the action part of the story, because it ramped up the speed/tension but wasn't directly connected into the main plot. So the next episodes' tension and preparation for escape (I assume? I don't know, actually) would not feel out of place.