Alright folks, we’re strapping in for another episode of Nanoha! Last we checked in on this series, Nanoha had just fired a giant magical girl railgun at an evil tree, thereby saving her town. Personally, the most exciting part of that whole climax for me was the epilogue, where we learned the damage dealt by that tree was permanent. Magical girl shows often depend on a return to the status quo between isolated adventures, so I’m intrigued by Nanoha’s choice to allow for lasting, dramatic consequences, and hope it signals the show’s coming transition out of its initial, relatively familiar formula.
Outside of that, I’ll be frank – these first three episodes have been pretty darn messy so far, with only the visual creativity of the first elevating it into something truly noteworthy. Fortunately, having consulted my Nanoha-enjoying friends on twitter, it appears the consensus is “yep, Nanoha’s early parts are kind of a mess.” That relieves my fear that I’m just missing whatever it is people love about this show, and makes me eager to see where this rambling story leads. Nanoha is a very significant property in recent magical girl history, and given this site’s already been taken over by a mix of Doremi, Tutu, and Precure, it’s only appropriate that Nanoha hangs around too. Let’s see how this show handles the aftermath of its first truly consequential battle!
Episode 4
Opening with a recap segment that gets to show off some of that beautiful Raising Heart mechanical animation. “Make the wand a gundam” is a pretty smart way to expand the potential audience for a magical girl show
“What I received was a courageous heart.” I’m pretty sure this is just evocative fluff, though it’s the kind of line that makes my theme ears perk up a bit
“Was the encounter that led me along this magical path just a coincidence, or was it fate?” Another line that could either be dramatic garnish or an actual thematic point, especially considering “who you want to grow up to be” seems to be a major point in this series
The percussion and first couple notes of this OP always remind me of Stable Staple
Oh man, I love this shot of the city. It’s so minimal yet so evocative, presenting the whole town as a series of blue tones overwhelmed by the looming sky
Our first shots of the black-robed girl, whose outfit and wand make for a direct counterpoint for Nanoha’s white-themed yet very similar clothes
She’s seeking the Lost Logia
Hah, she’s even got a familiar, though hers is an imposing dog-beast. Also really like the shot introducing this animal, obscured through the foreground elements of the rooftop. Dynamic visuals so far this time
Looks like this one was storyboarded and directed by Masashi Abe, who’s got scattered direction credits across the last thirty years, but few shows of his own. Blue Gender seems to be his most prominent directorial credit, and Blue Gender was not a good show
Her wolf creature is sick as hell
“A Rival?! Another Magical Girl”
Nanoha’s brother is walking her to someone else’s house, where apparently there’s also a girl he likes named Shinobu. Once again, we’re including some transition scenes that are generally skipped over, presumably to spend a bit more time with both of Nanoha’s siblings
And then, on the bus there, Nanoha again explains what they’re doing, as we sit watching them pass the ocean. This show’s inconsistent dedication to displaying life at the pace it is experienced is the weirdest thing – like, this isn’t operating in the way a slice of life might, even those just cut to important moments. It’s not even really a bad thing, since I actually really enjoy peaceful moments like this, it’s just profoundly odd
The Tsukimura family is rich. We meet their head maid, Noel. I feel like there must be more maids in anime-Japan than ever concurrently existed in the real world
And apparently Suzuka also has a personal maid, Farin. I’m once again wondering whether we’re dealing with information that will eventually be important, or was once important to the visual novel
It looks like Kyouya and Shinobu are actually dating
Alright, Yuuno getting chased by a cat, that’s the excitement we’re here for
Dang, that sure was like thirty seconds dedicated to a half-baked pratfall
This show doesn’t really have the sense of humor or expressiveness of character to work as a slice of life, but it’s doing its best
The girls discuss the pain of separating from kittens you’ve raised, gesturing towards this show’s overarching family focus
KITTEN DON’T TOUCH THAT JEWEL SEED YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE IT’S BEEN
It’s interesting how the relative stakes and priorities of this show makes “Nanoha excusing herself from her friends” a genuine conflict. Normally this moment would be breezed over in a quick “gotta go to the bathroom” or something, but Nanoha the show seems genuinely interested in exploring the compromises necessary for balancing a normal and magical life. Last episode actually hinged on Nanoha feeling guilty for not immediately recognizing and fulfilling her duty, so this time she’s taking no chances
The kitty transforms into… an extremely large kitty. I actually laughed at that one. Good gag, good reaction faces
We even get a kitty-specific eyecatch, with a giant paw knocking Nanoha over
The persistent earth-shaking meowing in the background is a very good gag
“It’d probably be a big problem for Suzuka-chan if it stayed that size.” Yes, a condo-sized kitten might present problems
SOMEONE SHOT THE KITTY WITH A LASER WHAT THE FUCK
Ooh, Fate’s introduction is excellent. We return to the two-tone art design of the show’s opening, this time contrasting yellow against black, her key colors. From the sky against the telephone lines, this shot zooms in to Fate herself, heavy shadows maintaining the yellow-against-black look. Iconic stuff
Fate’s staff is british, apparently
“How do we establish this character’s an enemy?” “I dunno, have her shoot lasers at kittens”
Megakitty falls over
Fate’s staff can also turn into a scythe. Super unfair
“Why are you doing this?” “Even if I answer, it’ll probably mean nothing from you.” From her antagonism to her emotionless affect to answers like this, it feels like Fate’s character was a clear inspiration for Homura from Madoka Magica
I like how the consistent mechanical responses from the staffs underline the cold brutality of this exchange
This early in a franchise like this, fights essentially have to be more iconic displays of intent than complex back-and-forth. Nanoha hasn’t really learned to fight yet, so she basically just demos her main powers so far, is distracted by her compassion, and is defeated by Fate’s pragmatic choice to hit her while she’s distracted
Fate’s powers all have a lightning motif, fitting her black-and-yellow color scheme
She takes a moment to look at the defeated Nanoha. I’m beginning to get a little more accustomed to this show’s pacing – it’s not specific scenes that are slow, the entire production seems compelled to take an extra moment here and there for quiet reflection
Even Fate’s home reflects her aesthetic, a bright yellow building contrasted against the darkness
“Wait for me, mother. I’ll return to you soon.” And of course, Fate’s story is tied to family as well
And Done
Pretty interesting! That episode was certainly better than the last couple, and basically got us hooked into what I assume will be the show’s actual main conflict – Nanoha’s battles with Fate, and presumably her battles with Fate’s mother after that. The first half of this episode was very slow, but I feel like I’m getting more accustomed to Nanoha’s generally languid pacing, and there were also a fair number of nice visual highlights throughout. Fate’s visual motifs align very well with Shinbo’s general visual sensibilities, naturally lending themselves to the two-tone compositions he likes using for dramatic moments. I’m guessing things will only get more interesting as Fate gets more involved in the story, so here’s to more battles to come!
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