Warning: Contains some mild yuri scenes
Genres: drama, romance, science fiction
Themes: gender switch, religion, shoujo-ai, war.
Simoun is a Japanese anime television series that was broadcast in Japan in 2006. It ran for 26 weekly episodes from 3 April to 25 September.
Soundtrack by Toshihiko Sahashi, who did compose soundtracks for famous animes such as Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, Gunslinger Girl, Full Metal Panic!
Summary:
In the world of Daikuuriku, everyone is born female, and chooses which sex they wish to become at age 17. In this world, the peaceful theocracy of Simulacrum is guarded by magical flying machines called "Simoun", which can only be piloted by young girls who haven't chosen a sex yet. The Simoun can activate a magical power known as "Ri Maajon" that can destroy large numbers of enemies at once. When the industrialized nation of Argentum decides that it needs to invade Simulacrum to acquire the secret of the Simoun, war breaks out, drawing the Simoun "Sibyllae" (priestesses who fly the Simoun) into a lopsided battle. Because the war is raging, the Sibyllae are granted an exemption from choosing a permanent sex for as long as they're willing to keep flying. Aaeru, a determined young Sibylla with a mysterious past, and Neviril, the leader of Chor Tempest, Simulacrum's most elite Simoun squadron, must lead their fellow priestesses through conflict both within their ranks and in the sky.
A character-driven story that can really get its hooks into you. It takes on some very big subjects - war, patriotism, class antagonisms, and faith and handles them well. Ultimately, it is a story about loss. By the end of the first episode, the central characters have lost half of their squadron, and by the end of the series, they have lost everything but each other - and some of them have lost even that.
Episodes 1-3 (subs by Doremi)
Video type: .avi
Codec: XVID
Resolution: 704 x 396
Audio codec: mpga
Bit rate: 160 kb/s
Episodes 4-26 (subs by Simoun-Fans)
Video type: mkv
Codec: avc1
Resolution: 832x464
Audio codec: mp4a
Sample rate: 48000 Hz
Subtitles are integrated in the videos.