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***spoiler free***

Story 5/10
The story is told in a linear fashion with interesting backstories in between. There are nice slice of life and funny moments in preparation for what's to come. However, there are parts with rushed/cheesy romances, utter predictability (especially episode titles), and a few things left unexplained that can leave a sour feel throughout the series.

Art 5/10
It isn't as crisp, clean and sharp as the other 2014 anime but the aircraft battles that take place look/feel intense as well as the detail of the aircraft itself. The art could've been a little darker since there were themes of hate and revenge.

Sound 7/10
The show has ... lovely orchestral music to fit nicely with each scene from the happy and playful moments to the sad and depressing ones. The same can be said about the voice acting as well. The characters sound quite believable in most situations when conveying their emotions and desires. Although at times it can be overdone to the point where reducing the volume is the best option.

Characters 3/10
The main characters Claire & Kal-el receive interesting/dark backstories to get the viewer sucked in. The way they're both setup is quite intriguing. In contrast to that, there were two problems in the series. First is that there are too many characters to be developed in just 13 episodes. Second, there are moments for certain characters that are made so blatantly obvious that when it becomes their time to shine, the emotional impact doesn't deliver what's intended because of the predictability in past episodes. Couple this with the beautiful music just adds to the confusion of how one should feel about the characters.

Enjoyment 2/10
As for me, I grew to hate this series. It started off very well but the way the characters were setup halfway in the anime was beyond predictable. I just couldn't buy what was being sold to me after that point. Also, hearing the characters scream was an ear sore. And the student's fighting gear against enemies was questionable. The only thing that kept me in was the music.

Overall 4/10
If you like people with dark pasts, intense aircraft battles, nice orchestral music, and romance twist, then give this one a shot. My only complaint would be to tone down the cheesiness of the romance and the predictability of what happens to certain characters. Also, you should read episode titles after you finish each episode so you don't get spoiled when watching. If you can get past those things, you should try this one.

***spoiler free***
i found this series because it was similar to Kannazuki no Miko. i wrote this review while listening to the Yamibou OST songs "dashi rakushou mirai he" & "eve." while the OST was awesome, i stopped half way in the series due to the episodic stories & lack of character development.

1. story: 3/10
the way the story is presented feels random in the first half of the series. the first 6 EPs are episodic, in which a single story is told in 1 EP, then forgotten in the next. the thing is, those mini-stories didn't have any relation ... to the whole plot of finding hatsumi & will make u confused as to how those secondary characters contribute to the story. if ur looking for something that's mostly connected, this anime might not be for u.

2. art: 5/10
the art was ok for 2003 standards. as long as i can see their expressions & fanservice, it's all good.

3. sound: 7/10
i came here because the OST was beautiful, especially the song tracks called "dai shi rakushou mirai he" & "Eve." the tracks fit nicely with each scene to express a desired emotion. however, there were moments were no music was played for a while, which created akward vibes. but listening to the OST itself made me overlook that problem.

4. character: 2/10
there's a severe lack of character development in the first 6 episodes. not a lot of backstory for hazuki, lilith, or hatsumi. most of the time is spent on secondary characters that only get developed in 1 episode, then completely forgotten the next. all we know is that hazuki & lilith are looking for hatsumi. if i don't know the characters well enough, then the story emotionally falls apart.

5. enjoyment 5/10
there are some good moments. lilith trying to mess with hazuki in ecchi ways, the funny talking bird, gargantua in his weird outfit & his way of speaking, and also the fanservice.

6. overall: 4/10
well, i wanted to watch this anime because it looks somewhat like Kannazuki no Miko & the OST was gorgeous. seeing Chikane thru hatsuki brought back good times. however, i ended up dropping the series because it was episodic & lack of character depth in the first 6 episodes.

the main reason reason why i found this series is because i happened to have found the Simoun ost. As i'm listening to the most saddest song on there called (Yuukei no Kumo) and writing my last comment on the show, i'm bidding Simoun farewell.

i've decided to drop this series cuz it's taking forever for the story to show itself. from episodes 1-6, they always seem to be going somewhere on ship...but where to? seems like they're just wandering in places with all the drama that's going on in the ship.

and there's just way too many characters. i like the leads (especially Aer) but not ... enough show time for them.

meh, maybe i'll come back to Simoun if theres nothing else to watch. but dam it, the ost was soooo good and made me cry. i guess the pace of the story is just too slow.

i felt like i got robbed watching this series. overall i give it a 3/10 and here's why:

SPOILERS AHEAD...

1). Fumi x Akira NEVER HAPPENED AT ALL. I fell in love with the opening song, especially the parts where Fumi x Akira are dancing with the flowers & both are bare-skin. It was so dazzling and mesmerizing to watch them dance inside that flower garden & flower tornado. And when Akira drops those flowers gently on Fumi's cheeks...the way they looked at each other (especially how Akira looked at Fumi)... it was so mature and beautiful to watch that it made me wish I could look ... at someone the same way and have someone return those feelings. You can easily tell that they're really in love.

This feeling is what I got from having watched the opening of Episode 1. Around episode 5, I could tell that Fumi x Akira doesn't even look like it will happen because the series kept focusing too much on the other characters. At episode 8, my heart sank even further because there were only 3 episodes left and there's no way a deep bond can be formed with Fumi x Akira in that time span.
& in the final minutes of episode 11, we see a glimpse of Fumi x Akira starting to form but then the series just ends right there. I was left saddened and angry that I couldn't get to see the deep bond that was portrayed between the Fumi x Akira in the opening.

2). Felt like Yasuko x Kyouko were the main characters in this series. It was obvious from the opening that Fumi x Yasuko would end so I didn't care much for Yasuko so much. But it seemed like Yasuko and Kyouko were shown more often than the 2 main leads Fumi and Akira. I started caring more about how Kyouko can't receive the love of Yasuko. & Yasuko who can't receive the love of her teacher. Yasuko x Kyouko weren't even the 'main main' characters. Because of this, Fumi x Akira never got to fully take form.

3. The pace was agonizingly slow. It took forever for something significant to happen. It was like watching baseball, hockey or soccer. Each of those games last like 3-4 hours and you have to wait like 1 hour before a goal is scored. sometimes the games end in a draw of 0-0, which means like u wasted 4 hours watching a 'no-score-nothing-happened' game.

Anyways, I think about around episode 7, where Yasuko introduces Fumi to her family, was when I finally got hooked on the show because Yasuko reveals that she's going out with Fumi; thus declaring her sexual orientation. It was sad to finally get attached to the series starting around the 2nd half. but i knew coming into the series that the genre revolved around Yuri, drama and romance and that the opening was good. Those 4 aspects are what helped me endure.

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well, all in all, i did enjoy the series somewhat despite the reasons stated above. I wanted to know the bond of Fumi x Akira that was shown in the opening. I could never feel the closeness of those 2 anywhere in the episodes. & the fact that this didn't happen at all in the series... that just left me empty inside.