Somali and the Forest Spirit Episode 9

Somali and the Forest Spirit Episode 9

Memories of Minor Days

Somali and the Forest Spirit episode 9 definitely wasn’t one of the best episodes of the series, but I still enjoyed it a lot. We got to see two different biomes, a new town, and the map from episode 1, along with the end of the series (or first season) being set up.

Let’s start out with that final point this week.

Towards the end of the episode, while our travelers are in Bygone City, we learn about a phenomenon known as the snowcrossing. This is basically a week-long snow storm which hits the city every year. But the reason it’s important is because we see Somali and Golem traveling through a snow storm in the OP.

In fact, their trek across what appear to be snowy mountains is the final part of the OP to be seen in the series. They’ve already traveled across grasslands and deserts, through forests of various types, and have finally reached the tundra.

As for whether or not the series is going to end with episode 12, I’m not sure. Just because they’ve traveled to the “end of the world” doesn’t mean their adventure is complete. We know that the humans come from another continent, or island, so we can assume they’ll have to reach the sea at some point.

But the sea isn’t depicted in the OP. So does that mean they won’t actually be going there? Unlikely. My guess is that there’s going to be a second season at some point. After all, we only have three episodes left with a lot yet to cover.

Next episode is going to be about when Somali and Golem first met, then we have more Bygone City content, and then crossing the mountains. I don’t think a series conclusion can fit as well.

Candy Baum Forest

Episode 9 starts off with Somali and Golem in a forest of some sort. It looks a lot like the forest in which they first met, so it could be the same kind. It’s also tough to determine what kind of forest it is based on other information such as the weather or proximity to other biomes.

The rainy weather and fact that the only animal we saw was a type of frog would have me believe it’s supposed to be more tropical than the forest from the start of the series. However, the reason we don’t see any other animals could simply be due to the rain.

Also, we know that this forest is fairly close to a more tundra-like region, so a it being a tropical forest doesn’t really make sense. Additionally, Golem states that Somali is going to get a cold if they don’t find shelter, which is generally associated with colder rain.

Somali playing frog from the anime series Somali and the Forest Spirit
Somali playing frog

So, we could come to the conclusion that this is a boreal forest, or taiga, due to the temperature and proximity to the tundra, but even that doesn’t really make sense. Even in our world, there are very few frogs which live in boreal forests, so the fauna we see doesn’t really make sense for that conclusion.

And on the flora side, like I said, it basically looks exactly like the forest the series started in. The only difference is that this forest has trees known as candy baum trees. Unfortunately, although we know the sap from these trees is harvested and turned into sugar, that doesn’t tell us anything about what kind of forest this actually is.

Bygone City

I think Anthole City is still my favorite city in this series from an aesthetic perspective, but I love the look and feel of Bygone City too. It’s a city on the edge of the wilderness, is home to all kinds of thugs and black market traders, and you really get that vibe from the appearance of the city itself.

The buildings are made from a dark grey stone with the bones of various beasts used as decoration. There are chimneys billowing smoke off in the backgrounds, and you get the sense that when it isn’t snowing here, the city is covered in a perpetual layer of soot.

And way in the distance we can see the towering mountains from which the snowcrossing is coming — the wilderness where the creatures whose bones adorn the buildings are probably found.

Bygone City from the anime series Somali and the Forest Spirit
Bygone City

The aesthetic combination of medieval European town, wintry castle fortress, and industrial revolution pollution really tells you everything you need to know about this place. Just by looking at the image above, I feel like we know enough about this city to have spent an entire 12 episodes here.

It’s also nice to see a slightly different side of the Grotesques in this city. Obviously when it comes to humans, we know the Grotesques have been violent in the past, but other than that we haven’t actually seen any criminals. This city is crawling with them.

Whatever the ruling power is that keeps the peace in the other cities Somali and Golem have visited during their travels, it doesn’t quite reach Bygone City.

Denticians of Chewton

The two oni who Somali and Golem met in like episode 2 were traveling to Bygone City and ran into their old friends in the forest. Okay, cool, but why are they in such a dangerous part of the world? Also, does this mean they also crossed the Osuna Desert?

That second question aside, the reason they’re here is because the dwarf oni (I forget both of their names) wanted to meet a world-renowned dentician (dentist). And as we learn when we meet the dentist, all, or most, dentists in this world are of the same race: hydromy.

Hydromys are real creatures, although they don’t talk or practice dentistry, unfortunately. They’re semi-aquatic rodents, which makes a lot of sense considering the appearance of this dentist. And the reason they enter the dentistry field is because they’re small enough to hop inside the mouths of their patients to check out their teeth.

Somali missing a baby tooth from the anime series Somali and the Forest Spirit
Somali missing a baby tooth

But what I like the most about the hydromy dentist is the fact that he, and apparently all dentists in this world, come from a city, town, or region known as Chewton. Get it? Chew — like what you use your teeth for.

We’re probably never going to get to see what Chewton looks like, but that doesn’t really matter. The fact that the city’s name is a play on words tells us more than enough. I bet the entire aesthetic of the city is based around teeth and dentistry, with little hydromys running all over the place.

Conclusion

So what did you think of Somali and the Fores Spirit episode 9? What kind of forest do you think Somali and Golem were in at the start of the episode? And do you think the series will end after they travel through the tundra? Let me know in the comments, along with your favorite location from the series so far.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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