First Impressions / Series Introduction / STRIKE WITCHES

「アルプスの魔法少女」 (Arupusu no Mahou Shoujo)
“Magical Girl of the Alps”

Fall season is still just over two days away, but there’s always room to indulge in early premieres and the latest just happens to be everyone’s favourite half naked witches. That’s right, Strike Witches is back on the TV screen, and it’s as though it never left.

First thing out of the gate is quality. Yes, this the first episode, but no, this does not represent what the actual season will be. As is common for such releases, source rips can be hit or miss, and unlike Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear’s pre-air fansub we unfortunately swung out this time—expect the actual premiere on October 7 to be much better! The big thing learned here, however is animation; for better or worse, 3DCGI and animation shortcuts will be the name of the game, especially for the battle scenes. It likely won’t be as obtrusive as what happened in Brave Witches given the main story’s relative popularity, but it’s a good idea to temper any expectations before they get out of hand.

As for the narrative meat and potatoes, well, there are (or should be) no real surprises. As mentioned in the RC Preview this season is a direct follow-up to the Strike Witches movie, so anyone who expects to hop into this blind to see why every girl under the age of 20 has a collective hatred for pants best resign themselves to starting from the first season. For Strike Witches fans there is quite a bit to salivate in expectation for, however; all 501st have already been teased and the first hints of the inevitable squadron reunification and play on all the various personalities at work are in abundance. This opener may have been more about giving main players Yoshika (Fukuen Misato) and Mio (Seto Saori) some introductory screentime and reinforcing just what makes Yoshika so damn special, but don’t worry, everyone (or every Witch) will certainly have their time to shine as the festivities kick into high gear.

After all, when the Neuroi have already been shown to possess some unexpected and unanticipated aquatic abilities (aren’t you glad to know what actually sunk the Titanic?), it won’t take long before peaceful studying and nonchalant tarot reading turns into a fight for life. It might be a bit of a wait for episode two, but you can be sure whatever Strike Witches has planned for this season is going to be a blast.

18 Comments

  1. It’s a bit early to start the Fall season, but the 501st is back in action! Sort of…

    Thing is, I kinda noticed something off about the gunfire sound effects in that initial scene of the 501st (minus Yoshika and Mio) battling a Neuroi:

    Gertrud, Minna and Eila (visibly) use the MG42, best known for its rapid rate of fire. But Minna, Eila and Gertrud’s (dual-wielded) MG42s sounded like they had a lower rate of fire, which was strange. Thankfully, Erica’s own MG42 does sound like it has a rapid rate of fire, as it should. But what’s even stranger is that Perrine’s Bren Gun and Francesca’s Breda-SAFAT MG (both MGs with lower rates of fire than the MG42) also sound like they have the same rapid rate of fire as Erica’s MG42. I was also about to give props for the lower rate of fire SFX on Charlotte’s BAR (as it should), but on her second pass, it suddenly sounds like it has the rapid fire rate of Erica’s MG42!

    I know DavidPro is no stranger to excellent sound design/effects (like the “Seven-page MUDA” from JJBA: Golden Wind) and this is their first rodeo with the Strike Witches series so I’m willing to let the inconsistent SFX slide for now (can’t say the same for the hardcore militaria buffs, though), but the next episodes (and the DVD/Blu-Ray release of this episode) should be more consistent with their gunfire sound effects. (MG42s should really sound like they’re rapid-fire, the Bren and BAR sounding like they have a lower rate of fire, and the Breda-SAFAT somewhere in between.) With that lengthy gripe over…

    Meyer: “Well, hey now! It’s in perfect condition! I swear it!” (*Knocks on old Striker unit, wing portion falls off*)
    Me: “What a piece of junk!”

    Before the reveal that the Battleship Doge (Or should that be Duce?) had high-explosive rounds to use on the iceberg Neuroi, I was just about to ask any World of Warships players reading this whether the Littorio-class BBs can actually use HE rounds in-game and in real life. On a more serious note, the Neuroi being able to travel on water like the Fleet of Fog, Abyssal Fleet, or even the Sirens? Yikes. And that cliffhanger…

    However, being a pre-release/sneak peek episode, fingers crossed that the October 7 premiere (and the whole season in general) will be much better in quality. Can’t wait.

    Incognito
    Reply

    1. https://randomc.net/image/STRIKE%20WITCHES/Strike%20Witches%20Road%20to%20Berlin%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2031.jpg

      It is okay, if Mio can not fly anymore because she lost her Magic (only Witch Magic..)… But she is still a important person for the Squad and she also has administration experience that could take a lot of weight from her shoulders
      https://randomc.net/image/STRIKE%20WITCHES/Strike%20Witches%20Road%20to%20Berlin%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2008.jpg (I assume she is still in Command)

      Mio can handle the Land related things, while the Flying Commander focus on flying and keep them Alive

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

    1. Can’t believe I got noticed by Zenith-senpai… Plenty of mixed emotions on that, though.

      Anyway Zenith, I know you’re reading this, so do take a look at my reply on your post and know why I said what I said.

      Incognito
      Reply

  9. random thoughts:
    -even Neuroi respect Swiss neutrality
    -meme dog becomes a battleship
    (yeah the name is actually after Venetian elected leader, coming from same latin core(Dux) as Duke and Duce, and see the map – Venetia is apparently separate state from rest of Italy)
    -as a WOWS player I posit HE shells on any battleship ingame, they are used aginst lightly armored targets or sections of ships, and historically were used in shore bombardment too

    ewok40k
    Reply

  10. Ep 02:

    No need to Hide, Strike Witches is back in full power and here to stay. The Action was Nice!!. I liked it

    Well, to be honest nothing serious was changed but it did not had to. Just i think they boost the Action Fights and i like it

    Well, no Spoiling the beans, but as all can suggest the 501 Strike Witches Unit is back again

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    1. Also nide note of Me:

      The Ship’s captain is alright. I like how he react and show Emotions, not these old Cold Stone Captains they show us in the past, where nothing could shaken them and such. Keep going with this Setting of Ship Captains, trying to defend Humanity from the Neroui, but like in Girls und Panzer not with using self sacrifice.. Do not even dare to use the word “Kamikaze” in this Anime an in the Future of Movies. “We need to Defend it from the Neroui, even if we Die trying!” is something other then “We Ram it in Full speed and Blow us up!” Solutions. DO NOT EVEN TRY!!!

      it is just an Notice

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. Since ALDNOAH.ZERO (the Female Ship Captain and Crew) i began to like this kind of Captains. So please continue this path

        But, there are times, when even Captains need help

        I just wanted to write that, even if its only now for the Archive

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *