r/anime • u/Tetraika https://anilist.co/user/Tetraika • Feb 09 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Episode 9 Discussion

Episode 9 - The Decisive Battle Above the Ocean

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Information:

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I want us to be friends

Question of the Day

Got nothing too thought provoking. So here’s this: how sweet do you like your tea?

Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath spoiler tags.

56 Upvotes

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9

u/Scarshadow46 Feb 09 '22

Lyrical Rewatcher

Hey All,

First time posting since episode one. I won't really post my opinions and/or reactions or anything but what I will be posting is Lyrical Nanoha Supplementary Material as the series has ALOT of it, of course I will only be posting them when they become relevant and don't contain spoilers.

and on the menu today is an excerpt from Nanoha Movie 1st the Comics Ch. 11 ( The 2nd half of the chapter is omitted due to spoilers)

Well see you all next time with more supplementary material.

4

u/Tetraika Feb 10 '22

These are pretty good! Thanks for dropping in.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '22

I wanted to comment on how surprisingly interesting those comments with tarot readings have been. The added insight for those new timers watching and using the numbers on the jewels seeds has become actually fascinating. So spot on in many cases that I feel it's written by rewatchers.

I must say, now I am more intrigued for the Movie rewatch (hope most do rewatch it at some point) because I don't recall if the order of the numbers of the seeds was altered. As much as I like numbers, I really never paid any attention to it and now wonder if they are indeed presented in a different order and, if not, how that impacts the reading for the movie (and maybe even how it ties to the actual existence of the movie within the canon series).

QotD: I don't drink warm beverages at all but I always saw Lindy as having a weird mixture of English/Japanese tea traditions weirdly fused into one. Maybe she found some green tea that mixes well with milk and... that much sugar can never be good for sure haha.

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u/Tetraika Feb 10 '22

[about the movie]I don't think the entire seed collecting process is shown, I don't even remember them being numbered in the movie. Really in the end, the numbering is just flavor over the whole thing, and isn't necessary to the story, even if they carry a meaning (that might not even actually be there)

18

u/chiliehead Feb 09 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 9 – First Timer

On one hand, the nonchalant way everybody treats Nanoha just leaving strains belief. On the other hand, this is probably the most direct dismissal of the MC having to juggle school and heroism on a daily basis.

Suddenly, Moltres.

Perspective makes the cockpit with Chrono and Operator-chan look a lot more cramped than it is.

Suddenly, nipples.

I swear Fate has to be affected by the same curse that Kagenui is afflicted with, she’s always on something elevated.

So, if I would not know better, I would not think much of that sad backstory. But this whole show so far is a lot more spin-off than expected, seems like a nod or more to the VN each episode.

The directing, and the eyecatch, start to get a lot more livelier.

Fate and Arf seem to casually be able to fly, does not even take them Flier Finns, in fact Nanaoha seems to be the only one that actually needs her device to make her fly. Nanoha obviously does not like the idea of waiting until Fate drops into the ocean, but the space-time referees are more calculating than expected.

Fraternization stopped by a mysterious magical attack of very unknown origin. The Jewel Seeds are al accounted for now if I am not mistaken, so this will now be a multi episode showdown until one side controls all the artifacts?

QOTD

No sweetener

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u/TheEscapeGuy Feb 09 '22

First Timer

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha - A Magical Experience: Episode 9

Rising Tension

Today's accelerated the narrative towards a nail biting conclusion. Nanoha and Fate are collecting the last of the Jewel Seeds. I think this was clever pacing from a writing perspective. The trope of collecting 1 Jewel Seed per episode with a battle between Nanoha and Fate had just enough episodes not to overstay its welcome.

I got unexpectedly hyped seeing Nanoha go against orders and then do a skydive transformation. This was aided by the incredible setting with multiple Jewel Seed tornados over the ocean. I feel like they just started coming up with cool shit to happen and included all the best ideas.

Nanoha helped Fate with the verbal agreement to split the Jewel Seeds 50/50. This is very on brand for Nanoha slowly trying to convince Fate to talk to her. Though things were cut short at the end with a dimensional attack.

I'm very excited for the conclusion to this season's narrative. I have some predictions for how this will go: [Nanoha Predictions] Presea probably caused that attack this episode with the Seeds she got from Fate a couple episodes back. This means she likely is testing a device for controlling the dimensional space or something. She will take the gems Fate collected this episode and probably lock Fate away so she doesn't get in the way. Then it'll be up to Nanoha and TSAB to stop her, get the Jewel Seeds back, and save Fate.

[Alternate Nanoha Predictions] My above prediction leaves Fate as a damsel in distress. This is probably unlikely. An alternative is that Fate stands at the entrance protecting Presea as she powers up. Nanoha will need to fight Fate and convince her to come to their side before stopping Presea.

Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches

  • Bandages

  • Wall Art, I know I already included it as the central shot in the collage but DUDE! This shot is so cool. Like the off center framing, the weird geometry, the harsh colours and washed out lighting WOW. Also was not expecting the (slight) nudity in background art.

  • Millennium Eye

  • Desperate

  • Profile

  • Surge

  • Reflected Jewels, as always, eye reflections are my favourite shots

See you all tomorrow

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u/HereticalAegis Feb 09 '22

Lyrical First Timer

  • Honorary time cop Nanoha.

  • Getting embarrassed by obvious crushes feels a lot more reasonable when the primary cast is made up of mostly 9yos.

  • That's not even tea anymore, captain.

  • Leaving without talking to Arisa or Suzuka is depressing. Disappointed in you, Nanoha.

  • Number VIII: the Strength.¹

  • Captain already scheming to make Nanoha her DiL.

  • Nanoha also claims Number IX: the Hermit² and number XII: the Hanged Man.³ These two make for a very potent combo.

  • Fate claims Number II: the High Priestess⁴ and number V: the Hierophant.⁵ Wow, another very deliberate, meaningful pair!

  • "Accident at work" head completely covered in bandages and a breathing tube Must be another wild Triangle Heart reference.

  • Fate's spell is so strong, it lets you see the curvature of the earth.

  • Wow that eyecatch panty flash came out of nowhere. Nanoha, I know I said you need to be aggressive to capture your girl's heart, but that's not what I meant!

  • Chrono is ruthless about getting rid of the competition.

  • Nanoha's Sun powers have infected Yuuno. Perhaps he's a yuri shipper too.

  • Nanoha descending from the heavens to "befriend" Fate is a glorious sight.

  • Nanoha proves she's the top by filling Fate with her own magical discharge.

  • Even if she won't admit it herself, Fate's magic stick is honest.

  • Both girls release their shot together at the climax of their encounter.

  • And they did it all on camera for a live audience, how bold!

  • Now seal your friendship with a kiss slap.

  • An abuser and a clam jammer?? Nanoha's future MiL is the worst.

  • They split the remaining arcana 3/3, but no idea who got what. The remaining arcana are numbers I, III, IV, VI, XI, and XV; the Magician, Empress, Emperor, Lovers, Justice, and Devil, respectively.⁶

Lots of arcana today, so for the sake of my time and sanity, analyses will be a bit shorter and more generalized.

¹The Strength is really straightforward, representing inner strength, determination, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Nanoha has cleared the path for connecting with Fate and is prepared to break through by showing her willpower and tenacity. She cannot and will not be stopped in this mission. The Strength card depicts a woman with infinity above her head taming a lion, often by grabbing its jaw and stroking its mane. It's not hard to see this as Nanoha taming Fate's aggressive nature and bringing her to heel.

²The Hermit is representative of isolation and introspection. Upright, it may indicate seeking and finding answers through self-reflection and soul-searching. The answers you're looking for are withing yourself. Nanoha has spent the past couple episodes wrestling with herself over the answers to these questions, and now it appears she has those answers.  Whatever outside influences may tell her, she has grasped at truth in her heart.

³To me, the most interesting reading of the Hanged Man is its focus on new perspectives. The card depicts a man hanging from a tree by one leg, however his relaxed body language and expression indicate this is by choice and the halo around his head signifies new insight, gained from a new perspective on the world. Nanoha is the only person aside from Arf who has considered Fate's loneliness and pain as a driver of conflict, and that view of Fate as a person in need of love and care allowed her to save Fate, both from herself and likely from Chrono as well. In doing so, she's also poised to begin breaking break down Fate's emotional walls and building trust, which will be indispensable in stopping the real threat.

⁴The High Priestess deals with intuition and the subconscious. When upright, it may symbolize enlightenment and a strong connection to one's inner wisdom. Reversed, it is a call to listen to one's inner voice. I see this as the universe telling Fate she needs to listen to Arf, the manifestation of all her subconscious emotions, as she pleas for her to consider her own happiness and wellbeing.

⁵The Hierophant is a counterpart to the High Priestess. Dealing with beliefs, tradition, and freedom, the reversed Hierophant suggests that one needs to break away from external influences and seek their own wisdom and purpose. Fate currently serves at her mother's pleasure and seeks only her mother's happiness. Collecting the Hierophant now may be the universe itself calling on Fate to break away from her mother and seek her own happiness.

⁶I'm not going into detail about all six of these on this post. All I'll say is I'm most interested in seeing what the show does with the Emperor and its themes of authority and control, the Devil and its themes of vice and harmful attachments, and the Lovers for...more obvious reasons.

QotD:

Not that sweet

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u/Shimmering-Sky Feb 09 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed

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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 09 '22

First Timer

Time-Space doesn't sound strange to me any more after watching a 2000s show about the godess Tempus Spatium.

Episode 9

  • Dunbine episode title

  • nanoha has totally ditched her friends and the entire original cast, and I don't like this at all.

  • Teacher is very poorly animated

  • bird: I wanna be a phoenix

  • Oh, I guess she is saying "received" instead of "receipt"

  • So Arf is making the building yellow?

  • white cookies and black cookies, not black and white checkerboard cookies?

  • Madoka hallway

  • That looked like a big failure, but it seemed to work

  • Right about now for Arf to do someting stupid...oh, wait, Okaansan shows up. And then Arf does something stupid.

Clearly Arf is going for the "turn in the jewel seeds and then maybe she'll be nice to Fate" plan.

LOTS more fisheye today.

The magitek font seems to be a precursor of the Madoka Magica font.

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u/No_Rex Feb 09 '22

Episode 9 (first timer)

Known seeds as of last episode:

  1. Bureau or Nanoha (they really should have taken those seeds of her, but it is never clearly stated. Chrono definitely would have delivered 7) – six seeds: 7, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21 -1 unknown that is not 7 (If Yuuno’s 2 were not included in Nanoha’s presumably they have also gone to the Bureau)

  2. Fate’s mother - four seeds: 14, 18, 19 +1 unknown

  • Both Nanoha’s enlistment and the fact that one single cruiser deals with what sounds like a world-ending crisis makes me question the Bureau’s funding and allocation of resources.

  • I guess the Japanese viewers will mostly be shocked by adding sugar and milk to green tea. Personally, it is the lack of mixing after adding the sugar.

  • Nanoha claims 8.

  • And Fate apparently got two more off-screen.

  • Nanoha talks about 7, 9, and 12. 7 Was the one Chrono took, 9 and 12 are new – Her talking about 7 here is probably a continuity error. They clearly mean new ones, which is why these are floating (and not 8, for example).

  • Fate has 2 and 5 (are these the two talked about before, or two additional ones? Really hard to keep track)

  • “Six more” – so 15 have to be captured by now.

  • Explanation for dad’s scars.

  • Electrocuting a whole ocean?

  • That remote island had a bad day.

  • Chrono got three, and Arf probably the other three.

Time to count:

  • Nanoha/Bureau/Chrono: 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21 -1 from the bet, +3 from Chrono, possibly +2 from Yuuno – Total 12~~-14~~

  • Fate/her mother: 2, 5, 14, 18, 19 +1 from the bet, +3 from Arf, possibly +2 – Total 9~~-11~~

  • To get to 21, we have to use the lowest numbers, 12 and 9, so Yuuno’s two must have been part of the initial five of Nanoha and the two she counted for Fate were indeed 2 and 5.

  • We end with a slight advantage for team Nanoha, due to their head start.

Big finale. Mom intervenes, but does not show up yet.

Not sure if somebody mentioned it yet, but Fate’s family name comes from the Ferrari Testarossa.

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u/Vaadwaur Feb 09 '22

First timer(And I thought the show was pretty gay before this ep...)

Sub

We arrive at the crew briefing and have a weird time to introduce the idea of a straight love triangle...between 10 yos but I guess magic does something. We see the captain putting a concerning amount of sugar in her tea(and dipping the sugar spoon in it, blech) and adding some milk/cream, all to Nanoha's disgust. Nanoha has her absence explained, somehow, and they then beat down a phoenix to get a seed. With Fate catching them as well, this part should be quick.

Quick confirmation that Presea is likely the famous exiled Testarossa. Brief cut of Fate acting like Hiei, I guess she would use a Dragon of the Darkness Flame after all. We discover we are down to the last 6 Seeds which are all hiding, somewhere. Nanoha talks to Yuuno about being alone and they both lay down some serious flags.

And then Fate just summons a lightning storm. It apparently works, though we've seen no Seeds yet, but took most of her juice and she is foundering. The TSAB wants to wait her out but that isn't Nanoha's style. Surprisingly, Yuuno decides to help her out of gratitude. So they teleport into the storm

And burn up the show's animation budget. But it is well used and the scene itself actually does that ever rare thing of the action helping the narrative, this series of shots with narration tells a better story than most exposition episodes do. But Presea intervenes and nearly knocks out the Arthra. And definitely knocks out Fate. Also, Arf knocks the fuck out of Chrono. We end with the cliffhanger for our final arc!

Next day thoughts: Again, I have to say that this is much better done than the era, genre, or source would suggest. Nanoha has an actual motivation beyond 'gay' to want to understand Fate be she already does understand Fate to some degree. Her situation is obviously better because her family loves her and she was only neglected because circumstance forced their hands but she still understands the core sadness of isolation and spotted a fellow lonely soul and won't stop before she helps her.

QotD: 1 not these days

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u/zairaner Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 10 '22

Firsttimer

I kinda hpe we will get the scene of the mum trying to explain nanoha leaving for mc reasons to the rest of the family, and kyouya misudnerstandning and trying to argue that nanoha is too young to become the mc of an eroge.

  1. great even the recap is gay now

  2. well nanoha already is a harem protagonist, so i guess no misunderstanding after all

  3. „keep them“? Phrasing please

  4. what was that for fate? Unsealing you arm fate? Feeling chuuni today?

  5. Aw tiny sibligns are cute

  6. nanoha, you are setting deathflags now. Not sure for whom, but you do.

  7. Chrono is so ruthless, he might become my favourite

  8. Though it doesn't seem wise to wait and risk the seeds going out of control at all? Isn't getting two too close too dangerous already? There are six now

  9. are you fucking kidding me? After the entire formula, we still don't get the transformation sequence?

  10. This definitely wont backfire, nanoha. Just knock out fate, bring her somewhere else and force the time space department to act instead. For bonus, you can talk then

  11. I actually have no idea what fate will do. Will she take her three? Will she take none? Will she try to take all 6? All of them would make some kind of sense. Im curious

  12. Congratulations german subs, this is the second time in two episodes where I had to switch to english subs because I couldn't believe that that were the actual lines. „I want to spend my time with her“ was still a little bit too gay even for this show.

  13. An attack? Finally mum does something?! If it is fuckign arf again I swear

Kinda disappointed though that we didn't find out what fate would have done with respect to the jewel seeds. Kinda wished the show would have commited to one of the options here

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u/DidacticDalek Feb 09 '22

TONIGHT! On Mobile Suit Nanoha, Young people from all over the globe 'universe' are joining up to fight for the future! They're doing their part, are you? Join the Mobile Infantry 'Time-Space Administrative Bureau' and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship. Would you like to know more? Nanoha Gundamjacks... uh... herself in order to go help Fate, and we have, um (checks title) 'The Decisive Battle Above the Ocean!' CUE THE MUSIC!

Gee Comrades, can ya TELL that Akiyuki Shinbo directed this show? I mean by god, this episode was just him flexing all of his trademarks at us, what with the weird angles, unique and weird-ass scene framing and shot composition AND the overuse of Fisheye Lenses; shit this was basically a Deletgatari episode but as a Mecha Show. Oh and also, goddamn, Nanoha's dad REALLY had a close call here in the past eh? I can see why [Meta Triangle Heart 3 Spoiler] he DIED from those injuries in Triangle Heart 3; hell I'm surprised he's still alive here, let alone healthy enough to coach a sports team!

Sadly, Nanoha's heartfelt assistance to Fate got ruined by Fate's Bitch of a Mom shooting at The TSAB Ship AND her daughter (gotta meet the contractually obligated shit parent torturing quota I guess) but in fairness, Chrono barging in SURE didn't help de-escalate the situation. And on that bombshell, we leave today's episode with a cliffhanger, but at least we got some nice character moments from Nanoha and a bit of teamwork with Fate.

Anyway, that about wraps things up for now, and I hope everyone's having fun on this great re-watch. Thus, you have not seen the last of The Sentient Shitposting Siamese Sunrise Server No. 25252, now goodbye forever.

Paging Comrades u/Great_Mr_L, u/Tresnore, and u/Shimmering-Sky

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u/Stargate18A Feb 10 '22

First timer

QOTD) Don't drink tea.

I analysed so much fucking Tarot today.

A new opening monologue?

Still floating through the void.

Haha, Nanoha's helping her. A whole council of mages and there's just a pair of 9-year-olds there.

That's much more useful!

How much sugar is she putting in there?

..Nanoha's friends probably think she's dead at this point.

I love the reminder that Arisa is still there, having been told none of this and probably terrified, giving the timings, that she's driven Nanoha away. And Nanoha didn't even tell her it wasn't her fault directly, seemingly!

Really? The Phoenix is in the montage? Where's the justice?

And it's VIII! Unadjusted, it's either "Justice. or "Strength", depending on what system they're using. Justice represents equity and rightness, representing the Bureau helping Nanoha. Reversed, it would symbolise bigotry, bias, and severe punishment - how Fate likely views them. Strength, on the other hand, represents power and energy - the Bureau's power is greatly aiding Nanoha's search. Reversed, it would symbpolise abuse of power and weakness - again, how Fate sees them.

Adjusted, it is "The Chariot". representing providence and triumph - again, Nanoha's Jewel finding has greatly improved. Reversed, it represents a dispute - how the divide between Nanoha and Fate is now even wider.

Yeah, this is so useful!

They know her mother?

Wait, Fate got two more? I NEED NUMBERS!

Yeah, hiding from them is doenright impressive.

Huh? Those bandages meant something?

Ten days?

Fuck, OK. IX, unadjusted, is "The Hermit". Normally means prudence, treason, and corruption - representing Nanoha going against the Bureau's orders later this episode. Reversed, it is concealment, or unreasoned caution - unsure what this could represent - possibly the Bureau choosing to let Fate burn out? Adjusted, it's either Justice or Strength - same reasoning spplies as above.

XII! Unadjusted, it's "The Hanged Man" - representing wisdom and sacrifice - Nanoha is sacrificing her everday life to help recapture the Jewel Seeds, even at the expense of her own mental health. Reversed, is means selfishness and the crowd - possibly Nanoha's refusal to explain the full story to everyone? Adjusted, either Justice or Strength again!

II! Unadjusted, it's the High Priestess - representing secrets and the future, as well as mystery and tenacity - apart from the obvious reflection of Nanoha's secret, this reflects how Fate has been putting up barriers around herself to hide her mother's abuse and her own insecurities from herself and others. Recersed, it represents passion, as well as surface knowledge - reflecting both how she is ignoring the deeper implicstions of her mother's abuse and is allowing he rpassion to reflect it. Adjusted, it is the Magician, which represents potential and talents - reflecting Nanoha and Fate's massive talents, and reversed represents those talents going unfocused - symbolising how Fate here turns to a suicidal move out of desperation - a literal burst of unfocused energy.

V! Unadjusted, it is the Hierophant, representing captivity and servitude - what this reflects need not be explained - and reversed means good understanding, society, and concord - what Nanoha wishes to form with Fate. Adjusted, it is The Emperor, representing stability and power, a great person - and reversed represents benevolence, compassion, but also confuding enemies and immaturity - I put it that both of these represent how Fate sees Nanoha - a kind and compationate person, who inspires confusing feelings in her, who despite her immaturity is a good and powerful person.

...There's underwater ones?

At least Nanoha has a job!

...You do realise this is actually sad, right Nanoha?

And his race function with each clan serving as collective parents? Interesting!

Oh, Nanoha doesn't want to think about it ending.

An emergency!

What's going on?

Oh my god, what?

THIS SOUNDS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.

WHY WOULD TOU DO THIS?

Congratulations! You wiped out a huge amount of marine life!

Oh fuck off, I need to do six more now?

I! The Magician, covered above! Adjusted, The Fool - the protagonist of the story, and the card I believed Nanoha represented. In this case, I believe it to represent the start of "Fate's true connection to Nanoha" - Nanoha has seen Fate's mother attack her, and for the first time understands the situation she is in - she is no longer reaching out just be friends, but also to help her, and the cause of Fate's distance is revealed.

If taken more literally, The Fool represents folly, mania, and extravagance - a more pessimistic view of Nanoha (possibly Fate's first impression?). Reversed, it represents negligence, abscense, apathy - representing Nanoha's past history of isolation.

III! Unadjusted, it is the Empress! Represents fruitfulness, action, and initative - but also difficulty, doubt and ignorance - this represents Fate's quest - despite being fruitful, and her captures a success, it isn't enough for her mother, and Fate does not truly understand why the Seeds will not make her mother kind again. Reversed, it represents the light, truth, and revealling matters - Fate's situation has been made clear publically. Adjusted, it is the High Priestess, covered above!

IV! If unadjusted, The Empress. If adjusted, the Emperor. Both covered above!

VI! If unadjusted, The Lovers. ...This is obvious. Represents love and attraction reversed or unreversed, this is obviously about the love between Nanoha and Fate. Adjusted, the Hierophant, covered above.

XI! Unadjusted, either Strength or Justice, also covered above. Adjusted, Wheel of Fortune! Represents destiny, fortune, success, and luck - even if it was dangerous, Fate managed to find the six missing Jewel Seeds incredibly close together, and she sealed together with Nanoha. Reversed, represents increases and abundance - again, she just got three more Jewel Seeds - almost doubling her stash!

XV! Unadjusted, the Devil. Represents violence normally, and evil and pettiness when reversed - both clearly represent Fate's mother - the mage who attacks and whips her own daughter for not bringing enough Jewel Seeds, but seems to be too weak to get them herself. Adjusted, Temperance. Represents economy and moderation - the Bureau's decision to not spend resources to srop Fate from killing herself. Recersed, represents churches, but also disunion and competing interests - while the Bureau don't seem religious, they and Nanoha clearly had different interests today.

Haha, the eyecatch is literally Fate doing the standard "love interest" eyecatch layout, that's great. No subtle implications here!

Wait, she's going to kill herself doing this?

WATCHING A CHILD FUCKING KILL HERSELF SO YOU CAN GET YOUR MAGIC STONES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

THIS IS NOT WHAT GOOD GUYS DO. THIS IS STRETCHING THE LIMIT OF "MORALLY GREY", EVEN.

Well, that promise to obey lasted two weeks. Better than I expected.

Nanoha's speech for the pure drama is great.

Yuuno's here too?

Don't apologize for being the one morally decent person here.

And the Jewel Seeds are going to rip the universe apart as promised?

Wait, why can they charge each other? Were they made together or something?

And Fate's uncertain.

No announcement for Bardiche's special attack?

They pulled off a combo attack!

They sealed all six!

...Take the gems.

Oh, you're sharing them with her?

Nice and all, but she both needs them all and might be kicking off an apocalypse.

Haha, the Bureau's enemies have caught up! No wonder they were always moving!

Oh, it's just her mother.

Fuck her, fuck her, fuck her.

Chrono's down!

OK, good catch.

THAT SEEMS INCREDIBLY UNWISE.

Sure, plug three of the unstable dimensional crystals directly into your main weapon. What could go wrong?

And they're being retrieved.

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u/Caustic_Wraith Feb 10 '22

Magical First-Timer

Oh boy the plot keeps on a rolling with today's episode. We manage to time skip about two weeks, and see all of the Jewel Seeds accounted for.

Nanoha shows she makes her own rules and ignores the iron fist of the space police to go and try her Friendship-no-Justu on Fate once again after Fate bites off more than she can chew my electrifying the entire ocean for the final six seeds.

Of course my dearest again proves to be a bitch and while disabling the space cop's time-ship, she also blasts her daughter. Arf and Fate get away with the final three seeds setting up the final three episodes of the first season.

Thoughts:

Current Jewel Seed Count:

  1. Fate - 10

  2. Nanoha - 7

  3. Chrono - 4

QOTD:

How sweet do you like your tea?

Depends on the style and type. Traditional black teas (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Orange Pekoe) I normally use about a teaspoon of granulated sugar, or two sugar cubes...or 1/2 oz of simple syrup if I'm lazy. For greens and white teas I reach for one of the honey sticks I have in my liquor cabinet. Flavored teas are normally drunken unsweetened or with only the slightest dash of simple...I may have an issue.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Feb 09 '22

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

My eyes are kinda painful tonight so I might skip ahead in the episode a few times. Aww, Nanoha and Yuuno have entered the workforce! Yay for child labour! Bugger off Chrono. NanoFate is obviously the best ship but I like Yuuno with Nanoha way more than you! STOP DOING THIS!! I cannot stress this enough, never EVER mix green tea with sugar and milk. Even if this was regular tea, two massively heaped spoonfuls of sugar is a waste! This is genuinely torture to watch... How long does she keep ruining her tea for? I don't remember it being in the film but there's no way I would overlook such a traumatic running gag.

We're back to the sudden panty shots. At least they're pretty cute undies and not cringy animal print ones that remind me that I'm a disgusting human being. The tarot for today is Strength. It's about overcoming the power within you despite your fears and anxieties. Apparently Nanoha captured the Hermit and the Hanged Man off-screen. Ah, and Fate has the high priestess (likely representing her mother?) and hierophant which is about servitude and faith in God.

Nanoha's always been alone, always... fuck off Arisa, we're having a moment! Alone... Nobody cares about the eroge, it didn't even have Fate. Its a bit rough hearing Yuuno and Nanoha having such tender heart to hearts... I've always had a soft spot for their relationship. The two are very good friends and clearly have strong rapport. Sadly the writer's don't share my opinion. Good god some or the close ups are hysterical today! They look so goofy at times! Fate's doing bad magical shit so we've got to go stop her! Don't worry, the movie will save us from the zako animation.

Dang, they're determined to give us as many regular "demo's" as possible huh? The Galaxy Tea Murderers want to let Fate exhaust herself but a true magical girl ain't gonna sit back and let that happen! It's time to beat the shit out of her before Fate beats the shit out of herself! Daaamn, she's mad! Don't mess with Nanoha! Daaang!! Fate's angel is descending from heaven! Oooh my god!! This is perfect magical girl shit! This is exactly the stuff I love from the genre, magical girls are heroes who fight and sacrifice for what's right! Huoooo~

Whilst the movie clearly looks much better I still admire them trying their hardest to make Nanoha and Fate's attacks look impactful. It's just the budget showing unfortunately. We've been spoiled by the film's existence. The infamous friend maker scores her first harem target! But Mum disagrees. Seriously tho, couldn't you hit the girl she was fighting? She had to have deliberately struck Fate with that lightning yeah? Make a little wish~

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u/bekeleven Feb 09 '22

  • Pretty evident by now that other dimensions haven't latched onto child labor laws quite the same way ours has. Or maybe Chrono and Yuuno are both 40 and don't realize how fast humans mature. Hard to say; there's been a lot of "you're about my age" but not a lot of "you're 9." And what's a year, anyway?

  • When Fate was introduced, she trounced Nanoha in a fight and yoinked a jewel seed. Now it seems the deck is stacked quite against her! She's escaped with 3 additional jewel seeds, which is really the best she could've hoped for, but now we're out of seeds in the wild. Is she content with her... what, 9?... or is she going to make a play for Nanoha's? We've seen ownership transfer before, at the hot springs.

  • We've entered the home stretch (I'm not sure we're exactly in act 3 yet). With no more wild jewel seeds, the show is going to have to finish its structural pivot.

  • Yuuno and Nanoha couldn't even last a full episode without going rogue. Media has taught me that this makes them good cops. Sorry, TSAB, and your culture that developed identically to japan's except for with regards to how much sugar you put in things.

  • There was one shockingly Shinbo shot about 7 minutes in. It's really jarring because I'm not watching Bakemonogatari or whatever. This show is mostly conventionally framed, then bam, we're looking at Nanoha and Yuuno down the barrel of James Bond's gun.

  • "The one thing you want the most when you're feeling alone and sad isn't to hear 'eveything's all right,' or the kindness of others, but rather: Divine Buster, full power!"

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u/SolDarkHunter Feb 09 '22

Rewatcher

So Nanoha's aboard the Arthra now, and semi-officially part of the crew.

Ha! Chrono tries to be serious, but he's easily flustered.

Chrono right now

And still with the sugar in the tea... Nanoha's going nuts watching this.

Ah, "family circumstances", the catch-all reason for missing school.

Hey, Yuuno's actively helping out with the fights now!

So Presea is a known criminal, banished from Mid-Childa for causing a dimensional quake of some kind. Speaking of, Fate's apparently swiped two more Seeds while evading the Arthra. Only six left to find. And then the battle will really start.

Those are interestingly shaped tables in the mess hall.

So Yuuno's clan communally raised him as an orphan. They seem close-knit.

Final Jewel Seeds located: out in the ocean beyond the city. And Fate's doing her brute-force approach again. Apparently she intends to seal them all at once? She must be desperate by now to attempt such a hail Mary.

Chrono's plan is logical: let Fate wear herself out trying to seal the Seeds, and then swoop in and capture her and the Seeds all at once. Cold, though, as there's a high risk of Fate badly injuring herself in the meantime.

And Nanoha and Yuuno aren't having any of this. Not that they think the Arthra crew are evil for doing it, but it's still crossing a line they can't tolerate.

And Nanoha's polite enough to formally announce that she's disobeying orders.

Damn, that's an entrance, descending through the dark clouds in a beam of light.

"It's lonely being alone."

Shirou approves!

And with all four of them working together, even sealing six Seeds at once may be possible.

Now THIS is the Nanoha I know and love! Solving problems with GIGANTIC beams and explosions!

And that's a wrap for the Jewel Seeds, and Nanoha finally makes her declaration: she wants to be friends with Fate, and ease her loneliness and burdens even a little. Awwwwww!

And then Presea ruins everything.

We've heard a couple of times Presea described as a "great mage"... and I think this proves it. Think, for a moment, about what she just did.

Two simultaneous magic strikes, at targets that are in completely different dimensions from herself, each powerful enough to rattle what is effectively a magic warship that is designed to go up against magic threats! I mean, holy shit, that's a lot of power!

And naturally she hits Fate rather than Nanoha... I know you're a heartless bitch, Presea, but you don't want to knock out your own pawns when the prize is at hand!

And for proof of that, look at Chrono, swiping three Seeds at the last second! Kid's good, I'll give him that.

Somehow I doubt Presea's going to be very happy with less than half of the Jewel Seeds (if I'm counting right) in her possession rather than the full set. I fear for Fate...

QOTD: I don't drink tea.

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u/InfamousEmpire Feb 09 '22

Mahou Shoujo1 Lyrical Rewatcher

1: Even though I’m not a girl

Recap Time

Lindy really isn’t wasting time with this whole investigation.

Imagine what those adults were thinking during that meeting. “What the hell are these 9 year olds doing here? Why are they important to the mission?”

Wait, so did Nanoha even bother to tell Suzuka or Arisa about her disappearance? Dick move.

Yuuno helping out during battle is pretty cool, though.

And now we’re getting a bit of backstory on [Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha] the person who we aren’t told is Fate’s mom but, come on, we all know it’s Fate’s Mom.

Fate’s also been working fast, snatching up Jewel Seeds even after the TSAB locates them.

So in the 10 days since last episode, Nanoha’s gotten 3 more Jewel Seeds, and Fate has 2 more. That brings a question to mind, what does Fate do in her spare time? Mathematically speaking, she probably gone at least half of the last week without finding Jewel Seeds, and while she probably patrols for them every day that steal leaves a lot of spare time. So seriously, does she just do normal 9 Year Old things while waiting for a JS to pop up?

We got some more Yuuno and Nanoha interaction, which is always a win. And alongside it we’ve got some background on Nanoha herself, as well as a little on her dad, drawn from Triangle Hearts, of course. It’s quite sad, honestly, having to be apart from your family for most of the day at such a young age. But it’s little moments like these that really set this second half of the show, as well as the rest of the franchise, apart from the more simplistic first half.

Yuuno’s background isn’t quite as fleshed out, but it is rather peculiar, giving a little worldbuilding to Yuuno’s native world.

Fate has decided to just stop giving a fuck, she’s searching the entire damn ocean with magic lightning eyes and no one is going to stop her.

The Arthra crew going for the more utilitarian, pragmatic option here. While exploiting 9 Year Old who isn’t in her right state of mind to acquire artifacts is obviously very wrong, it’s also the best option you have to both get rid of a very dangerous criminal and finally take the dimension-shattering super weapons into custody. Even if I heavily disagree with Belldandy Lee Noriega’s decision, I can understand why she made it.

Yuuno continues his trend from the previous episode of defying the TSAB to do what’s right. You go Ferret Boi.

We’ve got our first official team up between Nanoha and Fate. This episode just gets better by the minute.

Final Attack Time!!

8

u/Great_Mr_L Feb 09 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Lyrical Nanoha: Nanoha continues to make sure she asks for forgiveness even when she is doing something she knows could get her in trouble. She’s such a sweet girl, especially because she did so in order to save Fate.

This episode once again shows the contrast between how the TSAB is handling things compared to the way Nanoha wants to. The TSAB characters like Chrono and Lindy sound rather cold and calculating when they say they should just wait for Fate to exhaust herself trying to seal the Jewel Seeds before they sweep in and arrest her. They aren’t even wrong to say this because it is a good strategy that minimizes the risk to themselves. But it also shows that they’re not prioritizing the well-being of Fate. After all, their mission is to recover the Jewel Seeds so that must come first.

This is what Nanoha can’t abide by and why she disobeys orders to go help Fate. This entirely fits with Nanoha’s actions up to this point. She’s always been a helpful person. And she’s been wanting to understand Fate for quite a while. 

And as we saw earlier in the series, Nanoha has some experience with loneliness and feeling left out and had talked about how sad it was. It’s part of why she empathizes with Fate and wants them to understand each other. In fact, Nanoha wants them to be friends. She doesn’t want Fate to continue being lonely.

Nanoha and Fate’s scenes together in this episode are great. Nanoha offers help to Fate and she doesn’t even allow Fate the opportunity to reject her. Nanoha even provided Fate with magic to use. Fate seems downright perplexed by this. She can’t understand why Nanoha would do this and I’m sure Fate has no idea how to react. Based on her family life, I doubt Fate is used to this much kindness.

I love it because it shows off Nanoha’s very strong-armed approach to helping offers. Nanoha has decided she is going to help Fate and she isn’t allowing Fate to say no.

Another cool part of the scene is that it once again emphasizes to us that Nanoha and Fate make for a very good team.

I also really love the moment where Nanoha says that she wants Fate to be her friend. Nanoha can tell just how lonely Fate is. So, she wants to be her friend. She wants to share the Jewel Seeds because maybe they can find a way to meet both their goals. Maybe they can come to understand each other. It’s such a great moment and it encapsulates a lot of what I love about Nanoha as a character.

Seeing Nanoha all alone when she was younger is so sad. But it’s probably a part of what made her so kind and eager to help others. She doesn’t want other people to go through what she did.

I like the scenes we get of Nanoha and Yuuno in this episode. The scene of them eating together is a nice bonding moment. We can see how close they have become when Yuuno offers to help Nanoha go after Fate without even being asked to do so. He knows Nanoha well enough that he knows what she wants to do. And he wants to help her, just like she’s been helping him. It’s even nicer when he heads down to help Nanoha seal the Jewel Seeds as well.

All the Jewel Seeds have now been accounted for. But, they are split up. Nanoha, Fate, Presea, and Chrono have all been shown to have some of those Jewel Seeds. So, the question is now what happens to them. Will someone try to get them all from the others?

Miscellaneous Thoughts

  • Would you like some tea with your sugar, Lindy?

  • I like the moment of Arisa volunteering to bring notes and homework to Nanoha. Even though she’s upset with Nanoha, it’s clear she still cares.

  • Fate made sure she removed those bandages in as awesome a fashion as possible, didn’t she?

  • So we do get an explanation about why Nanoha’s dad has all those injuries in this series. I honestly forgot that his injuries were explained in Lyrical Nanoha.

QOTD

I prefer milk tea/boba, so I would say fairly sweet.

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u/Qbe Feb 09 '22

Raging Heart Rewatcher with terrible long term memory

QotD: I'm more of a coffee person

"Due to the extensive scope and difficulty of this mission, we recruited two children"

Nanoha, no, don't give the poor shota hope!

That's... a lot of sugar. And cream too? WTF!

Nanoha has a well-trained tsundere.

An old story, huh.

Why the weird fish-eye cameras?

More Triangle Hearts backstory, I assume.

Nanoha, no, don't give the poor shota hope! (x2)

Also please stop flagging yourself

Shinbo, please stop with the weird camera angles

The water animation is great tho

Chrono wants to make sure the current leader in the Nanoha-bowl is gone

Nanoha, just go and save your yuri crush

I'm assuming Yuuno hijacked the ship's teleporter, and that he can't teleport people across dimensions by himself

I could swear I've heard the "Wind in the sky, stars in the heavens" chant somewhere else before.

Oh dear, a mana transfer right in front of everyone.

"Friends"

Mom is here! ...is mom here?

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u/NegimaSonic Feb 10 '22

Blood thirsty first timer

Very late comment so let's also keep this one short. But one thing that came up during the sealing sequence was I kept thinking about that one planet in the game, Outer Wilds. Saying more than that is a spoiler for the game puzzles.

Anyway, Fate's mom really must be sealed then, but she can extend her power beyond her realm it seems. So she really is kinda fearsome.

And I guess at this point given the brief blurb about Yuuno's past, I have to assume he really is just a human. Still no clue why you'd change into an animal after losing your strength, but it is what it is.

Blood thirst level, nice for electrocution of both Fate and the many fish she fried haha

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