Sora no Woto

[Ryllharu]

Isn't it "Filicia"? Her name is carved right into the stone of the observation posts.

I think my favorite part was when Kanata immediately tried to grab her trumpet to signal for help before even starting, and Noel grabbed her sidearm in an attempt to use it. Whether that was on herself or shooting Rio for making them do this is up for debate.

No Man's Land was predictably a desert wasteland of a city, utterly destroyed by war. Probably heavy ordinance was used as well, leading it to become all sand, trashed machines of war, and collapsed buildings. It was interesting to see holographics on the observation posts. It reminded me of Castle in the Sky.

[shinta|hikari]

Ah yes, indeed it is Filicia. I based the spelling off ANN. That needs to be updated then.

I can't believe I forgot to mention those parts. I really liked those too. I must have been distracted laughing at how blank and desperate they looked.

[Buffalobiian]

I wonder if this show's post-apocalyptic setting is based on our future. In contrast to the Japanese school, that holographic machine really does seem fantasy like. I can't see our own technology advancing in that direction.

If it really was that advanced, then looking at the level of tech they're at now and factoring in that the War was so long ago, society really must have started from scratch.

In any case, it was a fun episode.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Sora no Woto - 06 [720p]
[HorribleSubs] Sora no Woto - 06 [480p]

---------------------------------

For a moe slice of life series, this one is wonderfully multi-faceted. The two parallel stories in this episode tied together in a really amusing way and then ended in a warm and fuzzy way at the end.

I can't really say I'm all that surprised that the girls turned out to be mildly corrupt. They're a small, often forgotten, poorly equipped isolated military squad. They might not need it for combat in their present duties being so close to the wasteland, but Filicia (and her predecessors apparently) kept alternate means to outfit themselves. Moreover, they're bootleggers! If there is one thing I have always enjoyed in fiction, it is small military squads doing illegal (but still morally above the level) things to keep themselves properly outfitted.

The little play acting was funny, Filicia probably wouldn't need to go very far to become a mafia tsarina in her own right. Rio of course being her enforcer.

I had also taken the flashbacks of her sobbing in the rain to mean Kanata was an orphan herself, but she has quite a number of family members alive and well.

As for the little revelations:
- Sieze has a minor criminal element who is used to move material around under the radar.
- There is a large central mafia with a great deal of power, who was probably would have been interested in expanding into unclaimed territory like Sieze.
- The church still knows kanji.
- Rio's mother loves the wine/liquor that the Sieze squads secretly produce, and with as wealthy/powerful as Rio's family seems to be, arranged for her to be stationed in Sieze both safe and willing to reluctantly go along with the minor corruption (uncharacteristic for someone as upstanding as Rio is).
- A force exists, called the Invisible Reaper, and it razes towns. Rogue robot tank or perhaps some random monster? Or maybe it is a secret military squad of another nation (possibly in control of some of the high-tech ancient technology).

[Pandadice]

[pwq]
HD - SD

-
I really enjoyed the two-sidedness of this episode. Though I enjoyed the latter story more than the first one. I didn't really like the mob-play they did :\

didn't they give wine to that one military dude?

and what was this, Tacky Sunday in Sieze? I guess there's no accounting for taste in the future :\

all in all, another great episode. This show's innocent lightheartedness really reminds me of Haibane Renmei, and Sketchbook full Colors, only it doesn't seem as dragging as either of those. Of course, they could just be because I'm not marathoning this as I did those <.<

- A force exists, called the Invisible Reaper, and it razes towns. Rogue robot tank or perhaps some random monster? Or maybe it is a secret military squad of another nation (possibly in control of some of the high-tech ancient technology).

interesting. pwq tl'd that as "the town stricken by the Invisible Death". So I naturally associated it with a disease, like the Black Death. I didn't think of it as a "force" at all, but I guess we'll just have to wait to hear more on that (assuming it's actually relevant at all).

[Buffalobiian]

I really enjoyed the two-sidedness of this episode. Though I enjoyed the latter story more than the first one. I didn't really like the mob-play they did :\

Heh, I thought it was great

Kureha and Noel's expressions fit those trigger-happy Mafia grunts all too well.

interesting. pwq tl'd that as "the town stricken by the Invisible Death". So I naturally associated it with a disease, like the Black Death. I didn't think of it as a "force" at all, but I guess we'll just have to wait to hear more on that (assuming it's actually relevant at all).

That's interesting. I'm pretty sure I heard "shinigami" in that phrase, which translates to Death God. It could always be a figurative term though, likening the disease to the arrival of Death in the city.

[shinta|hikari]

I find it funny that everyone who receives Rio's supposedly scolding/mocking comments always seem to take it as praise.

[Ryllharu]

interesting. pwq tl'd that as "the town stricken by the Invisible Death". So I naturally associated it with a disease, like the Black Death. I didn't think of it as a "force" at all, but I guess we'll just have to wait to hear more on that (assuming it's actually relevant at all).

That's interesting. I'm pretty sure I heard "shinigami" in that phrase, which translates to Death God. It could always be a figurative term though, likening the disease to the arrival of Death in the city.

Yeah, it was 'shinigami,' so it really could be both of these. It may mean a presumed supernatural force like a disease (that assumes they don't know too much about medicine), which is supported by Rio freaking out when Kanata caught "malaria" and the medicine seemed very World War I era. I hadn't thought about that possibility.

But I think that the mention that he town was near another border gives greater support to kind of military power or some kind of monster in lieu of disease. A "reaper" bringing death in a physical manner rather than the personification of something like plague.

It sounded like the town was physically destroyed, and then her mother caught something along the way to Sieze, rather than the people being killed and her mother succumbed to it after they fled.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, it was 'shinigami,' so it really could be both of these. It may mean a presumed supernatural force like a disease (that assumes they don't know too much about medicine), which is supported by Rio freaking out when Kanata caught "malaria" and the medicine seemed very World War I era. I hadn't thought about that possibility.

But I think that the mention that he town was near another border gives greater support to kind of military power or some kind of monster in lieu of disease. A "reaper" bringing death in a physical manner rather than the personification of something like plague.

It sounded like the town was physically destroyed, and then her mother caught something along the way to Sieze, rather than the people being killed and her mother succumbed to it after they fled.

The thing that supports a "physical reaper" most, so to speak, for me was the fact that they didn't mention anything about quarantining refugees, and that scene with the girl being in physical contact with her mum before she died. If it was such a deadly and feared disease, any mum would not allow their daughter to come so close.

[shinta|hikari]

Indeed. But they did name it "Invisible", so whatever struck that town still remains a mystery, even to the people in the story.

[Ryllharu]

Sora no Woto's true colors.

[HorribleSubs] Sora no Woto - 07 [720p]
[HorribleSubs] Sora no Woto - 07 [480p]

--------------------------

Wow. This was an immensely powerful episode.

There was so much in this episode, I'm not really sure where to start.

I guess it is easy to say that Kanata comes from a very Japanese influenced part of Helvetica. She was involved in more Obon traditions than she was in Festival de Lumines derivatives. That's understandable, because as the lead heroine, she is the one the audience is supposed to identify with the most.

Kureha is the orphan. No wonder she has such a strong urge to fight. Perhaps she is after revenge.

More surprising was the very dark turn this series took with Filicia's history. As it turns out, both Filicia and apparently Noel are combat veterans, while Rio most notably is not. This goes a long way in explaining why Filicia runs her squad the way she does. She said it outright, she doesn't want them to suffer the same way she had to suffer. Rio might know the facts about Filicia, but she really knows nothing, which Noel subtly accused her of.

Filicia also seems to have a mild to severe (perhaps only on Obon) case of PTSD. After seeing what happened to her former squad, I can't say I blame her. She saw them burn to death, and now she has a bad case of survivor's guilt.

Then there was the flashback with the ancient era soldier. Earth was destroyed by those monsters, and humans lost nearly completely. We don't know if there are more of them, but that skeleton that Kanata saw under the river is certainly one of them. Whatever they had, they outclassed the most advanced weaponry that humanity had. If they're not dead, it took nearly everything to keep humanity from the brink, including the oceans getting sterilized, and effectively "killing" the world. I wonder if these things were the "Invisible Reaper." They're fast, powerful, and can destroy swaths of a city in a single shot.

Then, the woman who Rio, and Kanata, and Filicia all know from their memories turns out to be the Princess. At first I had thought that the necklace around Rio's neck was Iria's, but with the priest's comments, now I am not so sure. That one may be her own. It doesn't take much speculation to make the jump that Rio is in fact, royalty. This would explain why her mother or family has the influence to get Rio stationed to the most remote, most peaceful station in Helvetica. If Rio isn't royalty, she is without a doubt nobility.

It was surprising to see Rio's apathy. She really doesn't understand. Princess Iria saved Filicia with an apology for being late, and giving her a reason to carry on. Rio doesn't take after Iria, she doesn't have much of a will to fight for anything. So in essence, all her brash ordering the other three about is really just posturing.

This episode added just a tremendous amount of depth to all of the girls. I'm not sure I can really process it all in one post.

[Buffalobiian]

There was also the very silent but obvious scenes where Noel refused and/or couldn't make a lantern and pray for anyone. Episode4 had her mentioning about which of humanity or machines was to blame for the bad deeds of the world, leading me to believe that she was an orphan who grew up with machines, or was betrayed by her companions before that. There wasn't anywhere near enough development in Episode 4 to hypothesis anything like we could this episode.

(edit: ^ revisiting some scenes in episode 4, at around 10:00 where the kid slaps Noel's hand away, saying all soldiers are killers had a different effect after having seen the latest ep. At first it seemed Noel was simply accepting the fact that they were soldiers, and that killing was part of their job. But rewatching that again, Noel's feelings are best described herself:

I know first hand (what solders are.))

I'm speculative as to whether this Invisble Reaper is the alien too. All that was visible this episode was the tanks were shooting at some sort of spire.

Combining everything that's happened to date, I'm even more convinced that the order from HQ in one of the previous episodes (right before the magaton-backpack mission) was an order to mobilise the Seize squad in the hear future.

[Pandadice]

DVDs to included extra episodes

looks like we're getting some ovas ^^

[pwq] episode 7: HD - SD

[Ryllharu]

There was also the very silent but obvious scenes where Noel refused and/or couldn't make a lantern and pray for anyone. Episode4 had her mentioning about which of humanity or machines was to blame for the bad deeds of the world, leading me to believe that she was an orphan who grew up with machines, or was betrayed by her companions before that. There wasn't anywhere near enough development in Episode 4 to hypothesis anything like we could this episode.

(edit: ^ revisiting some scenes in episode 4, at around 10:00 where the kid slaps Noel's hand away, saying all soldiers are killers had a different effect after having seen the latest ep. At first it seemed Noel was simply accepting the fact that they were soldiers, and that killing was part of their job. But rewatching that again, Noel's feelings are best described herself:

I know first hand (what solders are.))

What conclusion are we to draw from this? That Noel experienced similar events to what Filicia did, or that Noel is a killer herself? She asked whether it was machines or people, but she liked Kanata's answer that people act, not the tools they use. Does she view herself as the machine (simply following orders)?

I'm speculative as to whether this Invisble Reaper is the alien too. All that was visible this episode was the tanks were shooting at some sort of spire.

I think they were attacking something clinging to an office building in Japan (since the soldier wrote in Japanese). There was a brief but distinctive flutter of feathers on an appendage (not sure if it is a wing or not) before the beam shot out.

[Buffalobiian]

Horriblesubs - Episode 08



---------------------------
~Seiya gets a boner!

[Kraco]

Wow. This was an immensely powerful episode.

More surprising was the very dark turn this series took with Filicia's history. As it turns out, both Filicia and apparently Noel are combat veterans, while Rio most notably is not. This goes a long way in explaining why Filicia runs her squad the way she does. She said it outright, she doesn't want them to suffer the same way she had to suffer. Rio might know the facts about Filicia, but she really knows nothing, which Noel subtly accused her of.

Filicia also seems to have a mild to severe (perhaps only on Obon) case of PTSD. After seeing what happened to her former squad, I can't say I blame her. She saw them burn to death, and now she has a bad case of survivor's guilt.

Since I'm watching Yuurisan-m33w subs only, I only now watched the seventh ep. This leaves me out of the discussion, unfortunately, but I couldn't help but leave a comment here. This was supposed to be a powerful episode, for sure, and it contained a lot of valuable information but unfortunately it was ruined for me by the early Filicia memories. I hate it when that happens because I surely didn't want to dislike this episode.

But I simply couldn't get over by how poorly Filicia's captain was leading her squad. Thus the death of the crew was left me with a thought: They totally had it coming and deserved it, instead of any sympathy. I'm no armored division man but still the way the captain lead the fighting looked completely ridiculous. First they shot at a group of enemies, then stop that lumbering tank of theirs, open the hatches and start to play the trumpet... What on earth was that captain thinking? It was made all worse by how much Filicia seems to miss her, despite the fact she got herself and most of her group stupidly killed.

Well, like I said, it was a fine episode otherwise but I hated the Filicia sadness parts due to it all being a result of extremely bad battle tactics.

[Xelbair]

That trumpet annoys me - signaling destruction of ONE unit? its just totally stupid idea! I'm no warfare specialist - but i think that no army in the world signals taking down one unit with such lengthy signal, and i don't think that they signal one unit but destruction of like 10-50 if they do.

[Ryllharu]

But I simply couldn't get over by how poorly Filicia's captain was leading her squad. Thus the death of the crew was left me with a thought: They totally had it coming and deserved it, instead of any sympathy. I'm no armored division man but still the way the captain lead the fighting looked completely ridiculous. First they shot at a group of enemies, then stop that lumbering tank of theirs, open the hatches and start to play the trumpet... What on earth was that captain thinking? It was made all worse by how much Filicia seems to miss her, despite the fact she got herself and most of her group stupidly killed.

That trumpet annoys me - signaling destruction of ONE unit? its just totally stupid idea! I'm no warfare specialist - but i think that no army in the world signals taking down one unit with such lengthy signal, and i don't think that they signal one unit but destruction of like 10-50 if they do.

They weren't signaling the destruction of one unit, they were signaling the Advance of the rest of the squad as a result of destroying that one unit, which included Princess Iliya I imagine. They were part of the unit who was on point.

I will agree that it was their fault they didn't notice any enemy flanking them, and Filicia feels guilt because she was supposed to be covering them but got out of the tank too slowly and couldn't swing the gun around in time. Granted, I don't think it would have helped a whole lot in preventing the tank shell from taking them out, but that is where Filicia's self-blame comes from. They just didn't notice another coming in from the side around the debris of a fallen building. I can't really blame them for that.

[shinta|hikari]

The trumpet signal, while quite impractical as a way of informing other units as compared to a let's say a radio, is still necessary because it is their main means of mass communication. Like Ryll said, it wasn't done because they were bragging about a single kill, but rather a way of informing their allies of what action to take.

[Xelbair]

remember the training part? they said there that they were signaling the destruction of unit - it was after one shot! it was the same trumpet melody.