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

[Westlo]

That was a great ep with an amazing fight scene, looking forward to the continuation of the story in the next episode.

[SeijiSensei]

Ep. 13 is in subs.

Spoiler for end of fight:

I still don't understand what happened. Balsa clearly inflicted a large chest wound on her opponent, but when he stands up to talk with the teacher it's not there? I think I have to watch this again.

And, for those people who complained about the animation quality in the past few episodes, this one again shows that I.G. knows how to manage a budget, spending their money on the episodes where it matters the most.

[Sorrow-K]

Ep 13

Hell of an episode, with a great fight scene (but they all have been), but I was a little disappointed with, as others have pointed out, the DEM where the warrior just forgot about Balsa, and I thought it was a bit of a cop-out that they didn't show Balsa learning that she hadn't killed him. Still, those are only minor complaints. I love how well this anime is being presented though. And the atmosphere is so incredibly well done. Looking forward to the next ep, certainly.

[MrProphet]

I got my hands on a promotional booklet that Production I.G was sending out to various anime licensors around the world that has the complete synopsis of this story up to the end.

Of course, I did not read it beyond the latest episode, so as not to spoil anything, but I thought you might like to know what the "official" name transliterations and specific term translations are.

Spoiler for Names:

People:

Balsa
Tanda
Chagumu
Sagumu
Jiguro
Sacred Guru Hibi Tonan
Shuga
Gakai
Torogai
Toya
Saya
Mon
Jin
Zen
Torgal the Sacred Founder
Great Sacred Guru Nanai

The Emperor and the Empresses don't have names. Emperor is just referred to and the Emperor and Chagum's mother is referred to as Ninohi (The Second Empress).

Places:

Kosenkyo (capital of New Yogo Empire)
Oginoshita (town of commoners)
Kambal
Tower of Astrology

Various things:

Midsummer Festival
Nerge (a migratory bird from the children's song)
Astrologer
Water Specter
Aspect of Dryness
Yakoo
Nayugu
Nyunga Ro Im
Nyunga Ro Chaga
Guardian of the Spirit

There are also A LOT of new names and terms coming into the picture soon, but I am not sure if you'd like to know their spellings, since they are rather spoilery. In fact, even the spoiler-free synopsis refers to many things that are supposed to be important and that we, in this thread, never even considered or paid much attention to.

Though, as usual, someone in the PR department was suffering from an acute case of schizophrenia, so another booklet that gives some info on creators and the original books lists "Barusa", "Chagum", "Jigro", "Kanbaru". You decide which is correct.

By the way, Tanda is 2 years younger than Barsa. And Shuga is just 20 years old. And Torogai likes to drink a lot. 8)))

[wao]

I watched episode 14, and damn... I need Wrex's episode summary thing soon, I didn't catch more than half of what was being said and I don't want to watch it all over again.

So I guess that booklet thing (which I am so jealous you have, obviously) was sent to licensors outside of the US as well (since that's already given to Geneon)... Please bring it to Singapore, dammit (WITH good subtitles, and in DVD format at the very least)

[kujoe]

Something I've read from wikipedia caught my attention.

Spoiler for general plot structure of the novels:

Apparently, Balsa and Chagum's story ("Guardian series") is only one half of the entire plot. Another story ("Tabibito series") comprises the second half, and it involves a different protagonist. Both stories come together in the final book.

Needless to say, that's quite interesting. I suppose the anime series will only deal with its current intentions.

Originally Posted by MrProphet

By the way, Tanda is 2 years younger than Barsa. And Shuga is just 20 years old. And Torogai likes to drink a lot. 8)))

I think the ages of a few characters were included in some Newtype article or in one of those anime/manga magazines some time ago. I do remember coming across Tanda and Balsa's age. Balsa is 30; Tanda is 28. (Another reason why Balsa's "oneesan" status is so fitting in this case. ) But do you happen to know what Chagum's age is? He seems older now than when he was first introduced at the palace, which seems to be intentional. 12 years old maybe?

[Jiji]

Originally Posted by kujoe

Something I've read from wikipedia caught my attention.

Spoiler for general plot structure of the novels:

Apparently, Balsa and Chagum's story ("Guardian series") is only one half of the entire plot. Another story ("Tabibito series") comprises the second half, and it involves a different protagonist. Both stories come together in the final book.

That's veeeery interesting to me... I've only been paying occasional attention to this thread, but I wonder if there are any thoughts about

Spoiler for plot:

a second series for the "tabibito" arc, followed by an OVA for the "wrap-up"?

Although it's all dependent on the current series being *profitable* enough (as with anything).

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by Ueda

That's veeeery interesting to me... I've only been paying occasional attention to this thread, but I wonder if there are any thoughts about

Spoiler for plot:

a second series for the "tabibito" arc, followed by an OVA for the "wrap-up"?

My mistake.

Spoiler:

It's not exactly "one half." There's a lot more about Balsa and Chagum if I'm not mistaken. More like two plots (or one main plot and one subplot) in one story it seems. Maybe they could make an OVA out of the second one. Interestingly, Seirei no Moribito is simply the title of the first book.

Perhaps those who've read the novels could shed some more light on this.

[MrProphet]

Chagum is 11 years old.

As for the story...

Spoiler for possible spoilers, but nothing major:

There are 7 books in this universe, but this series covers only the events of the first book which deals with Barsa, Chagum and the spirit egg. The second book, "Yami no Moribito" (Guardian of Darkness) continues the plot, but with a completely new adventure. "Tabibito" books start on the 4th volume in sequence.

The production notes I've mentioned above say this:

Seirei no Moribito

Genre: Fantasy
Format: TV animation series, 30 mintues x 26 episodes (planned)
Target: Upper grades of elementary school, males and females in their twenties.
Written by: Nahoko Uehashi; adopted from "Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)" and "Yami no Moribito (Guardian of Darkness)" (Kaiseisha).
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Production: Production IG

However, the synopsis for the series basically describes only the events of the first book. They didn't divide the plot by episodes, but judging by the amount they still need to cover, it doesn't seem likely that the are planning to jam 2 books into 26 episodes.

They are probably just banking on this series being a success, so that they can continue the story in another season, the same way the did with GITS:SAC.

[kujoe]

So...

Spoiler for discussion above:

The anime will involve the first two books then. Since there doesn't seem to be enough space within 26 episodes to cover the second book, I wonder if it's that's a sign that a second season is possible? Especially considering fact that the second book involves a new adventure?

[MrProphet]

Seems like it.

Since this is a satellite PPV show, there are no ratings for it, but I wonder what is the fans' reaction to Seirei no Moribito? It's one thing to make countless GITS incarnations, because that's basically a no-brainer, but SnM is different.

Perhaps wao can enlighten us? What does 2ch say?

[MrProphet]

Watched episode 14 as well. The animation aspect was rather minimal and I was slightly annoyed in several scenes by the weirdness of the genga, but otherwise it was another fine episode that sort of moved the main story.

Spoiler for episode 14:

Shuga is convinced that Chagum is alive and that the answer to the perplexing disparity between the continuing sign of draught and generally good weather lies in the secret archive of Holy Sage Nanai.

With the help of two friendly attendants, Shuga sneaks into the archive room and starts once again deciphering the tablets. As he is translating the text, he starts noticing difference between Nanai's writings and the official story of how Emperor Torgal and his 8 warriors defeated the Water Spirit. Shuga is convinved that the official version is untrue. But the Holy Sage suddenly enters the archives and the attendants are forced to barricade the entrance to the secret room in order to hide Shuga. The holy sage examines and entrance and removes the key from the lock, trapping Shuga inside.

Meanwhile, while returning from her duel with Karbo, Barsa suddenly discovers Torogai in a mud pit. When Tanda is able to revive his teacher, Torogai tells them a story of how she visited the Nayugu and was trying to escape to the mortal world.

The denizens of Nayugu are afraid to tell Torogai anything beyond the fact that someone called Rarunga the Egg-Devourer is involved with the Nyunga Ro Im, the water spirit. As Torogai tries to leave the Knot, she is attacked by a malicious fire spirit that chases her througout the underground caverns inside the Knot until Torogai finds another water spirit that is able to transport her to the mud pit where Barsa found her.

I thought it was alright, though certainly not mind-blowing. Torogai's adventure was pretty wacky. And it was nice to see Shuga once again. Although the next episode preview spoils the dramatic moments at the end of episode 14 a bit, I am still interested in where this story is moving right now.

[wao]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Seems like it.

Since this is a satellite PPV show, there are no ratings for it, but I wonder what is the fans' reaction to Seirei no Moribito? It's one thing to make countless GITS incarnations, because that's basically a no-brainer, but SnM is different.

Perhaps wao can enlighten us? What does 2ch say?

Spoiler for blah blah 2ch blah:

I only followed the Moribito thread at 2ch before it aired, it was too much for me to follow the myriad of Dennou Coil threads, the DtB spoiler thread and Moribito threads at one time so I didn't follow Moribito... But I should think most people are definitely impressed by the show...? It's just that it's on satellite TV and at that time so not that many people can watch it.
The complaints I remember reading about it were that it was too... pedestrian? Yet it seems that to most people the basic appeal of it looking Really Pretty by normal standards wins out. This is just my amateur gut feeling.

If one reads the most recent Moribito thread it seems as if there are a lot of them flaming Denno Coil and saying the times should be swapped and so on, but that's hardly anything to judge by because a. the thread is new b. it could be flamers who'd use different PCs/IPs/whatever to get different IDs each time and post the same sort of thing
You'd have to read them all to get a good grasp but I haven't read them, so.

Honestly, I really am in absolutely no position to say anything about how commercially successful Moribito is in Japan but based on poorly-founded gut reactions I don't think it'll do as well as GITS:SAC or Coil (which has the added advantage of a. 6:30pm non-satellite timeslot b. relatively cheap DVD prices, and also judging by the activity of the threads it has a lot more "manic" fans)
But I don't think it will flop... I think.
Actually I have a feeling that a decision to make a continuation will depend very much on how well this does overseas as well, so until we see how that works out...

Also, bizarrely enough even though it's an NHK satellite show the raws - everything not on the DVD! seriously! - have not disappeared from a certain Japanese streaming video site while Dennou Coil's always get deleted by Monday. This might not mean anything at all but it's interesting to me anyway... They couldn't possibly be closing one eye on this in the hopes of letting others watch it and want to buy the HQ version on DVD?

Also, for anyone who's read the novels, is it true that this episode is an anime original episode? I read it briefly somewhere but I have no idea whether it was or not. All that I can say is that I didn't think it did much for me, animation or story-wise.

[wrex_japan]

Originally Posted by kujoe

So...

Spoiler for discussion above:

The anime will involve the first two books then. Since there doesn't seem to be enough space within 26 episodes to cover the second book, I wonder if it's that's a sign that a second season is possible? Especially considering fact that the second book involves a new adventure?

I think the anime will only cover the first novel. They're really stretching things out (fillers). I've only finished the first novel (waiting for the others to come out in paperback), but I believe the second novel's theme is completely different from Seirei (Barsa goes back to homelands to clear her foster father's name).

And Ep. 14 summary and pics

[KiNA]

Hello.. in light of the Animesuki banner contest.. I'm trying to find a good pic for this series .. Do anyone have any high resolution picture to donate? I have the animage picture posted here.. and the OST pictures as well.

Failing that.. Can anyone provide me with a better screen shot for these? Its from the 1st episode .. scavenged from wrex blog above .. A HD raw screenshot should at least suffice to make a banner >_<

[karumofin]

wow, thats pretty exciting, knowing there is sitll so much story left to be told...
if the series is a success we'll be provided with excellent stuff for years to come!

[runpsicat]

I've been following the 2ch dialogues on SnM somewhat regularly, and there is actually a fair amount of criticism/jibing going on, enough that there is now an anti-SnM thread and an anti-anti-SnM thread (well, maybe this is the norm in 2ch, I don't know). A select group has taken offense at how SnM seems to be about Korea with the New Yogo Empire situated on a peninsula, Chagum's name, etc., and is spamming threads. All that aside, sentiments like "the DVDs are too expensive to generate good sales" and "only this many posts n hrs/days after the episode aired?" have been popping up fairly regularly. I also vaguely remember a post saying SnM DVD vol.1 sold far less copies than Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny but somewhat more than Kanon, which isn't saying much. I'd love to see the rest of the series animated, but...

Oh, and the strange thing about Production IG (English site) saying that the anime is an adaptation of the first two novels is that Uehashi Naoko herself denies that here (ctrl-F her name). It's a fan site she actually frequents, so I'm inclined to believe that it's actually her. Also, on the official JP anime site, if you click on the "Staff" link, only the first novel's title's mentioned as being the original story. The anime does include elements from some of the other novels in the Moribito universe, but perhaps Production IG (USA) just messed up.

[leongsh]

Originally Posted by runpsicat

I also vaguely remember a post saying SnM DVD vol.1 sold far less copies than Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny but somewhat more than Kanon, which isn't saying much. I'd love to see the rest of the series animated, but...

Whether there will be more of the series animated is likely to be determined by the overseas sales of the DVDs - I'm looking at the R1 release. Seirei no Moribito feels like more of a show geared towards the R1 market rather than the R2J market. If there's strong sales of the R1 DVD release, there's definitely a good chance of the rest of the series being animated.

Can most of us here enjoying the show now buy the R1 DVDs when they are released to show the support? It's deeds like buying the official DVDs and not words like asking/begging for a continuing series that will increase the chances of the rest of the series being animated. In other words, put up your money people. No ifs and buts.

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by runpsicat

I've been following the 2ch dialogues on SnM somewhat regularly, and there is actually a fair amount of criticism/jibing going on, enough that there is now an anti-SnM thread and an anti-anti-SnM thread (well, maybe this is the norm in 2ch, I don't know). A select group has taken offense at how SnM seems to be about Korea with the New Yogo Empire situated on a peninsula, Chagum's name, etc., and is spamming threads.

Guess I'm not the only one who thought that New Yogo and a few characters sound somewhat Korean, at least in name. It's unfortunate that negative sentiment of this sort is going around just because of this, but it's 2ch, so I'm not that surprised if such a thread exists. Great...

Originally Posted by leongsh

Can most of us here enjoying the show now buy the R1 DVDs when they are released to show the support? It's deeds like buying the official DVDs and not words like asking/begging for a continuing series that will increase the chances of the rest of the series being animated. In other words, put up your money people. No ifs and buts.

I would be more than happy to, but I have a feeling my wallet probably isn't going to be as happy at this prospect. Seriously though, this series is already a must buy for me.

[Zu Ra]

Finally saw Ep 1 : D

I loved the feel of this anime I love fantasy based samurai genres. Balsa reminds me of Saya from Blood the Last Vampire Animation is really nice, the payer flags fluttering with the wind and the view revolving were a nice touch. I have to say this again the opening sequence and following animation blew me away the paddy fields the rough lining of land all have been done to perfection Only one other anime rivals this anime in top notch art and that is Claymore

The story is weaved nicely together even minor characters have been well bought out. Plot is really good and the characterization is very realistic. Balsa sure has some cool skills after I read Claymore I played Diablo again with this one I may play once again in Amazon mode