| | I practically fell out of my chair laughing when the opening credits for the Strike Witches prelude rolled across the screen. The show at once incorporates elements from brash, militaristic anime mecha (Gunparade, Gundam, and the more serious moments of FMP), cutesy mahoushojo, and simultaneously gritty and over-the-top "female warrior" archetypes (think Gunslinger Girls, Black Lagoon, and the dire moments in Magical Nanoha.)
How can a show that dares so much in the first few seconds not be worth watching? How can anyone fail to be reduced to giggles at the sight of deadpan, 1920s-style mockumentary with flying robot-suited anime girls in the place of fighter planes? The latest of science, technology, and magic indeed! The attention paid to detail is captivating.
Strike Witches is a strange smorgasboard of anime archetypes, all thrown together in some cosmic blender. Even things that logically do not fit together are added to the mix - for example, there are WWI-style base camps and raw recruit/drill sergeant hazing scenes. There are also stereotypical schoolgirl interactions, catgirls, and gigantic, overly visible spell channeling circles of the type found in Fate: Stay/Night and the aforementioned Nanoha. Sadly, and a bit disturbingly, it seems that fanservice made the cut as well. It's especially jarring when it involves cat-eared, half-machine schoolgirls who can lift two tons.
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| | Posted 3/26/2007 9:53 AM - 256 Views - 4 eProps - 2 comments
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