(CR) Somali to Mori no Kamisama (Somali and the Forest Spirit)

[HandofFate]

very beautiful first episode.
.
The contrast between the robotic golem and the pure full of life kid is so entertaining.

Looking forward to the pilgrimage of these two in this series

[nojay]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

True, but is there a specific terminology for that genre?

Mono no aware just about fits as a description of this kind of story -- it usually involves the protagonist travelling around and seeing new things, usually in a world of decay and impermanence. There can be drama and peril but it is usually low-level and personal, no Demon Lords to defeat or worlds to save, no great battles.

Other series that are considered "mono no aware" are Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and Mushishi, if you want to compare.

[BWTraveller]

What's a good translation of that? Would "exploration" fit? Seems like what it's about, going about exploring the world and finding the beauty within even the harshest places. Google translate says "the mercy of 'things'"...

[nojay]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

What's a good translation of that?

It's a Japanese saying, it doesn't translate exactly word-for-word into another language. Try explaining to a non-English-speaking person what the phrase "getting on like a house on fire" means, for example.

Mono no aware is the sense of bittersweet melancholy invoked by a piece of art, a poem, a story etc. It should be minor, no great swelling of emotion, it should be sad in a way and its theme should be impermanence, like a sunset. The one experiencing the feeling of mono no aware should know what they are observing is transient and will fade away.

That's my take on it, anyway. Others may differ.

[Eater of All]

Originally Posted by nojay

It's a Japanese saying, it doesn't translate exactly word-for-word into another language. Try explaining to a non-English-speaking person what the phrase "getting on like a house on fire" means, for example.

Mono no aware is the sense of bittersweet melancholy invoked by a piece of art, a poem, a story etc. It should be minor, no great swelling of emotion, it should be sad in a way and its theme should be impermanence, like a sunset. The one experiencing the feeling of mono no aware should know what they are observing is transient and will fade away.

That's my take on it, anyway. Others may differ.

Thanks for that. I also thought of "slice of life" at first, but while it's literally correct, it conveys a completely different kind of story. "Mono no aware" seems to be closest to what I have in mind, though it'll still require explaining / comparing to other shows to get the meaning across.

[Kanon]

That was good. Based on some of the comments here, I expected Somali to be a total brat but she's pretty normal. She behaved like a kid her age, annoying but not that much.

Thought it was a bit dumb how people were so easily fooled by a simple hood.

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 1:

Did not expect I would actually enjoy this.

Was tense when they had to keep quiet.

Also, he's only a golem but he's smart.

Somali so kawaii, must protecc.

When he said "sou ka" at the end. The tone of the voice reminded me of goblin slayer.

Will watch a few more episodes to see where this goes.

[Kanon]

The second episode was pretty heartwarming (hard working Somali was really cute), and a bit bittersweet. We knew the Golem was near the end of his lifespan, but hearing exactly how much time he's got left made it more real. Given his remaining time, I find it highly unlikely he's going to find humans by wandering aimlessly, he needs to gather info like Yabashira told him. And even if he finds humans, they'll most likely be slaves anyway, which is definitely not the future he wants for Somali. His only hope is that there's a hidden human settlement somewhere, but if it's hidden, it'll obviously be hard to find.

[James Rye]

This is the cutest show of the year already! Somali is so precious and Papa-san's fate is so sad and cruel! I love and despair at it at the same time! <3 ;A;

I love how the golem feels pain at Somali's hurt expression and how learned how to make medicine and sweet for her. I love how Somali worked so hard with the house chores and how proud she was when she finished. And I love those two Onis, the dwarf and the normal one, the genius master who's lazy and easy-going and the strict but kind and helpful normal-sized Oni. This show is just too wholesome not to love. <3

I have no idea how that wingbutt squirrel evolves into a wingbutt deer though...

[SeijiSensei]

Wow, this could be the best single episode of anime I've watched in quite some time!

First, it's absolutely gorgeous from start to finish. (See my post on Vincent Nghiem on the first page.) I just watched all of Shirobako earlier, and I'm in awe of the watercolor backgrounds.

Second, this show has great values. Everyone in this episode was kind and helpful, and the only conflict involved a thrown tomato.

This episode was helped by having so much time devoted to Golem-san and the two oni with Somali free to be an incredibly cute and happy-go-lucky kid. The dialogue covered a lot of serious ground especially during the conversation after Somali went to bed. I'm old enough that I can see my end on the horizon, but I'd find knowing the precise date very disturbing. I'm sure I'd adjust, but the lack of any hope for another day is very sad.

I suspect the herbalist oni knows that Somali is human. He keeps talking about secrets that the Golem has. Somali's race is an obvious candidate.

I'm tempted to give this episode a ten, and I don't do that very often. My last candidate was episode twenty of GeGeGe no Kitarou(2018).

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

This episode was helped by having so much time devoted to Golem-san and the two oni with Somali free to be an incredibly cute and happy-go-lucky kid. The dialogue covered a lot of serious ground especially during the conversation after Somali went to bed. I'm old enough that I can see my end on the horizon, but I'd find knowing the precise date very disturbing. I'm sure I'd adjust, but the lack of any hope for another day is very sad.

Golem knew from the very start of his life when exactly he would die so it's just natural to him. We can't apply our values to him, except... he's starting to awaken human emotions. He'll probably gradually become aware that his precious time with Somali is limited. It's heartbreaking that he found a person to love and a reason to live at the end of his lifespan.

The trailer told us "at the of the journey, you will cry", and the way this is going, they're going to make good on that promise.

[Wandering Soul]

That was a pretty good episode that was both heartwarming and heartwrenching. Golem is only just discovering emotions so he doesn't understand why Somali's expression hurts him, but the reason is obvious. A year can go by quickly so his time left with Somali isn't that long, but hopefully he can accomplish his goal and better understand his own feelings by the time his journey reaches its end.

[serenade_beta]

The Golem will eventually die...
But not in the anime, anyways.

[HandofFate]

Good 2nd episode.

Was hoping at the end, the dwarf would reveal he knew she was a human, but he kind of hints it anyway.

Hope this series doesn't turn into a Minotaur Drop like Usagi Drop ended up being...

[Kismet-chan]

Damn, we're only two episodes in and the feels train is already relentless... (Send help.)

I also really like the score so far.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

Good 2nd episode.

Hope this series doesn't turn into a Minotaur Drop like Usagi Drop ended up being...

That is simple not possible, Golem will die before Somali enters her teens, let alone she becomes an adult. Let alone by definition a golem can't reproduce at all.

Seems like I was the only one that was a bit disappointed in this episode, albeit it has become so common it is not even a trope. They mention a day as a measure of time, which would exist in any planet which is not tidally locked (where day or night are eternal). But they also mention that the year is 365 days long, which means they are on earth. But that is not all, they mention liters and minutes. So they are not only on earth, but on the future since the metric system is of recent creation ... or so I would like to say, but chances are they only mention this terms so the audience can understand easily without the hassle of doing their own units of measurement. I expect later on someone to mention there are 12 months, when even here on earth not always we have divided the year by twelve -_-;

[Wandering Soul]

It's pretty sad to hear that Somali fears that her dad wants to get their journey over with as soon as possible. Of course, we know the reason Golem is seemingly rushing this journey, but from an outside perspective, it can seem like he wants to be rid of her.

Don't know what the wolf wants, but it's possible that he sniffed out that Somali is human.

[Kanon]

This show really knows how to tug at your heartstrings. I can see why Somali would misunderstand Golem's reasons for rushing. Her listing the reasons she considers Golem to be her dad was so bittersweet.

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

Don't know what the wolf wants, but it's possible that he sniffed out that Somali is human.

Pretty sure he's a good guy and just trying to protect the kids. He scared her off on purpose at the beginning of the ep precisely so she wouldn't go to this dangerous location.

[Jan-Poo]

You think that if Golem still had 500 years to live he would have acted differently? I think he would have still tried to find some human that would take care of Somali, and he probably would have tried to do it as quickly as possible, both for Somali's sake and to return to his duty as the guardian of the forest.

The alternative is that he would have let Somali live in the forest and never start the journey, but I don't think Golem would have thought that that would have been the best solution. I think he really thinks that Somali needs human parents, especially since he doesn't think to possess emotions.

[Kanon]

It's hard to tell. We don't even know if he abandoned the forest because he was at the end of his lifespan and a new golem was going to replace him soon, or because he just cared about Somali more. Nor whether he wants to find humans because he's at the end of his lifespan and Somali will be left all alone in a hostile world with little chances of survival, or if he believes she needs human parents.