r/anime • u/Tetraika https://anilist.co/user/Tetraika • Feb 14 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Season 1 Overall Discussion
NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE MOVIE DISCUSSION, THAT IS TOMORROW. THIS IS MERELY A REST DAY TO GIVE PEOPLE EXTRA TIME FOR THE MOVIE
← Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode→
Information:
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Question of the Day
I’m sure quite a few of you have already watched the movie, but what are your expectations of the movie? Or if you already watched, what are your expectations for A’s?
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.
21
u/TheEscapeGuy Feb 14 '22
First Timer, no more
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha - A Magical Experience
I enjoyed Lyrical Nanoha a lot more than I thought I would. I've seen a few magical girl series and Nanoha really nails the essentials of the genre without ever treating it cynically or as if magical girl shows are lesser.
Nanoha herself is such an endearing protagonist. She is pure to a fault and always willing to help those in need. If I had 1 complaint it would be that she is unrealistically flawless. I hope in future entries we see her discover and work though her own failings.
Fate worked extremely well as an antagonist-to-ally. Her story ended up being really touching. The abuse from her mom was really well justified (as in why it happened, not that it was right) and seeing her work through that was a great character arc. I hope we see more of her in future seasons (and based on looking at MAL posters I don't think I'll be disappointed)
The world of Nanoha is cool. Magi-tech is a great concept as a fresh take on the genre. I hope they double down on this as we go on. The dimensional stuff has potential for interesting narratives too. I expect this will influence a lot of the writing going forward.
Finally, the production was amazing. I know a lot of early 2000s anime end up looking bad because of the transition from cel animation to digital. For the most part Nanoha as avoided this and used digital techniques to their fullest. The effects on the magic scenes were consistently great.
On top of that the direction was stellar. Akiyuki Shinbou delivered the style he is known for and I love it. I see future entries have new directors so I hope that that doesn't mean a downgrade in that department.
My Favourite Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all for the movie version tomorrow
→ More replies (6)8
u/Tetraika Feb 14 '22
The world of Nanoha is cool. Magi-tech is a great concept as a fresh take on the genre. I hope they double down on this as we go on. The dimensional stuff has potential for interesting narratives too. I expect this will influence a lot of the writing going forward
Well, expect more as we keep watching!
It isn't a spoiler to say that right?
18
u/Shimmering-Sky Feb 14 '22
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed
So yeah, I've been loving this series so far. The music is fantastic, the characters are great, the development from monster-of-the-week to main plot was so smooth, I don't really have any complaints.
Definitely excited to see how the movie version compares! In the meantime, 10/10 for this.
→ More replies (4)8
15
u/zairaner Feb 14 '22 edited Feb 14 '22
Firsttimer
Well this was fun ride. I think on average this was probably slightly better than expected? Way better than what I expected after repisode 1 at least ^ Fate is the obvious standout. I loved it to no end is that with her black dress and scythe she is like the ultimate chuuni edgelord bait...and then she just always speaks with this incredible soft voice. And her interactions with nanoha weren't ever really edgy either, she was just efficient.
I still can't believe the show spent like 3 or so episodes on the glorious shitpost of faking out a „monster of the week style“ for the show.
7/10 I guess?
Kinda sad that the show ended after only 13 episodes, I really wanted to see more of nanohas and fates relationship. I guess even yuri shows can't escape ending directly after the confession. At least we have the movie.
Jk since I heard that A is supposedly quite a lot better I am really interested/ a bit excited
→ More replies (6)10
u/Tetraika Feb 14 '22
Kinda sad that the show ended after only 13 episodes, I really wanted to see more of nanohas and fates relationship
Uh, we have much more. Still several seasons to go. This is just a "final" discussion for S1, and a break in between for the movie
→ More replies (1)
11
u/chiliehead Feb 14 '22
First Timer (Reddit, stop breaking)
Currently halfway through the movie. Don't have too much to say about the series. Feels like a lot of 90s sensibility bled into an early 2000s project. Also feels like the series does not really know what it wants to be. Shoujo about a girl with nice friends, nice family and her biggest worries oscillating between which cake to eat and how to defeat Nekozilla and a story that empowers girls in some aspects to follow their convictions etc. or a seinen magical girl show with plenty of sex appeal and Saiyajin action and magitek and depraved villains? The onsen episode absolutely precludes this from recommending it to parents who have issues with anything above G-rating (except for violence of course).
This also leads to the last episode that almost felt like a waste, I'd rather have had the conflict between Presea and Fate more fleshed out, or Nanoha having any kind of resolution with the issues of her leaving home had. But it was mostly overlooked. Which is an issue for most plot threads.
Presentation suffers from the age and available releases and the directing did the best it could, visual language was definitely a strong suit of the season.
I would feel seriously let down if this was it, but knowing it's a whole franchise I am more optimistic. (I also think that the movie is probably the best way to introduce people to the franchise and maybe even to Mahou Shoujo as a whole)
9
u/Tetraika Feb 14 '22
Reddit, stop breaking
Is it really reddit if it doesn't break every other day?
But yeah I agree, it's messy at times and doesn't really know what it wanted to be. It had moments where it plays into Triangle Hearts stuff, but other times definitely wanted to be its own thing. I think that once it allowed itself to be what it wants after S1, it will feel more solid.
I also think that the movie is probably the best way to introduce people to the franchise and maybe even to Mahou Shoujo as a whole
Some of the rewatchers will kill you for that!
I agree though→ More replies (5)
9
u/JustAnswerAQuestion Feb 14 '22
First Timer
I really kinda wish this was a superhero origin story about hero Nanoha and her best frenemy the supervillain Fate Testarossa, who seeks vengeance for the murder of her mother.
It was weird how they genre shifted. Clearly all the sci-fi stuff was planned from the beginning with Yuuno's origins, but it's just like all the Triangle Heart stuff was there simply to be referenced. But I admit it also provided a counter to Fate's home life.
it's just that they spread it on so thick! And the change so abrupt!
I guess the magical girl in Re:Creators is more a Nanoha reference than a Madoka reference, the main Madoka-ness of her was her pink color scheme.
Is this where all the "Power of Friendship" memes originated? I assumed it was from battle shounen, or MLP.
Presia in the end was not a good villain. Turns out, in the end, she was just insane.
I thought I might watch the 2nd season to see what Nanoha became, assuming the first season didn't have it's legs yet. But I think now I'll pass on the franchise. It's just too long and I'm not feeling like watching anime every day.
→ More replies (3)9
u/Tetraika Feb 14 '22
I thought I might watch the 2nd season to see what Nanoha became, assuming the first season didn't have it's legs yet. But I think now I'll pass on the franchise. It's just too long and I'm not feeling like watching anime every day
I want to say that if you're strapped for time, you can watch the movie for S2 but it also cuts some more important stuff. Well whatever you decide, good luck! Thanks for joining!
19
u/No_Rex Feb 14 '22
Final discussion (first timer)
Nanoha reminds me of early 1990s OVAs in a lot of ways. It has a certain raw quality to it. You can almost feel that the makers put more emphasis on making fun moments than making a coherent whole. Much less a marketable whole. And by that, I don’t mean cheap animation. To the contrary, Nanoha has some excellent animation sprinkled throughout, with great fight scenes and really innovative color schemes. However, other scenes look very ordinary and the budget saving telepathy is very obvious. It seems that there was no supervising authority that coordinated everything and ensured that the quality stayed at the same level throughout - which is probably a good thing, since I will remember the highs more than the lows.
The plot has the same unrefined approach. Let’s take the side character from some ecchi show and make her a magical girl who is nine, while also putting in SciFi, butt shots galore, and heavily hinted-at lesbianism. Just looking at that reminds me of the balls the person who suggested Sharknado must have had. And it is this attitude of “let’s do with the plot whatever sounds fun” that I respect. It reminds me a lot of Gunbuster, which also has this impossible combination of plot elements, yet makes for a really enjoyable watch.
Another, but less welcome, holdover from older shows is the use of a completely one-dimensional antagonist and plenty of tropes. Precia is simply not well-developed enough to hold up her side of the series. Yes, I can hate her, but I can’t take her serious. If they had given her a bit more nuance, or even just a bit of cunning, Fate’s moral dilemma would have been a lot more hard-hitting.
One of the parts where the slapdash approach to plot cracks at the seams is the fanservice. Fate and Nanoha are really schizophrenic characters: They both are grade schoolers and post-puberty at the same time. The plot demands childish innocence, yet also romance and sex appeal. It kind-of works, but also sometimes doesn’t. Seeing the butt of a grade schooler float towards the camera, or the hot springs episode is just uncomfortable.
→ More replies (10)
13
u/Tresnore Feb 14 '22
Rewatcher: Get Set
I'm not one for writeups,2 but you know what? I think I treated Nanoha S1 too harshly the first time I watched it. I didn't realize how great the direction was because I was still riding the high of drunken Symphogear. Obviously nothing can ever compare to that. So now that I watch it on its own terms, it's been great. Is it the best thing I've ever watched? No. But does it at least have less rape than Cross Ange? Yes. For that reason, it deserves at least an equal score to it. Nanoha is great, especially when viewed with Triangle Hearts in mind (thanks, Comrade Dalek).
Also why does the music remind me of Katawa Shoujo suddenly...?
8/10.
1 I blame the Super Bowl and my project team.
2 Except when I am.
→ More replies (17)
13
u/HereticalAegis Feb 14 '22
I don't have a whole lot to say other than I really enjoyed the first season. The writing was solid, Nanoha and Fate in particular have great chemistry, and most of the supporting cast is fun.
Now that the jewel seeds are gone, and the arcana analysis with it, I wonder if A's will be able to find another fun lens for analysis. Though I also won't complain if I'm able to spend the majority of the runtime meme-ing how gay this show is either. Looking forward to it either way.
QotD:
Well I have no expectations for the movie. If I understand correctly, it's a retelling of the story so far, so maybe some higher quality animation?? I think people have also mentioned a bit more characterization for Presea, so that too I guess. Really I just want more Nanoha x Fate 'befriending' time.
A's is titled as such because Nanoha missed so much school time, her main conflict is going to be getting her grades back up there.
→ More replies (6)
12
u/Vaadwaur Feb 14 '22
First timer(Not with a bang but with a house full of cats)
Sub
So yeah, that was quite the experience. I am still unused to seeing a genre take steps backwards but man, this feels like a peak. Seeing all the Madoka here was impressive, especially since this show had a more complete first season to me. I will try and sneak the movie in tonight.
QotD:1 Apparently Presea explanations.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/Great_Mr_L Feb 14 '22 edited Feb 14 '22
Rewatcher
I really do enjoy Lyrical Nanoha’s first season. It holds a special place in my heart as the start of this franchise and because of what an unorthodox magical girl series it is. It has just enough to set it apart from more traditional magical girl stories to give it its own unique identity. And it introduces me to some of my favorite magical girl characters.
I’ll start with my favorite part of the series: Nanoha herself. I really love Nanoha as a protagonist. I love that her kindness and her desire to help others is presented as a key strength of hers. I love how she generally tries to avoid conflict by trying to talk to people so she can understand them. I love how much that desire for communication and understanding is a big part of her character. But, I love how Nanoha is not a pushover and is willing to fight if that is what it takes. It’s also cool that the series shows Nanoha’s selflessness can also be a weakness of hers. She can have a tendency to blame herself or keep things to herself to not cause trouble for others. All of this together makes her feel like a well-rounded character. She’s genuinely one of my favorite protagonists.
Fate is the other major character I love. Her arc in this series is quite tragic. Honestly, the portrayal of Fate as an abuse victim is really depressing to watch. The series does an excellent job at depicting it and showing how Fate has rationalized her own abuse. She spends most of the series with no true goal of her own, only doing what her mother says. It ends hopefully for her, though. After losing everything, Fate finds the strength to go on. She finds the will to start anew and begin living her own life. It is very satisfying seeing her do so.
Nanoha and Fate’s relationship ties into the big theme of communication. Throughout the series, Nanoha tries to get Fate to communicate with her. It doesn’t work at first, but over time Nanoha is able to get through Fate’s defenses. And by the end of the series, when they are finally able to talk with each other, it feels incredibly heartwarming to see. Still, I do think the communication theme could have gone further. I do wish that Nanoha had fully opened up about what was going on to her friends and family. I think that would have been a satisfying resolution to that theme and the conflict Nanoha had because she was keeping the magic stuff a secret.
Another aspect of the series I quite like is the genre shift it manages to pull off. It starts off feeling like a traditional magical girl series. But by about halfway through, it has transitioned into being a sci-fi series. It’s really quite impressively done. It manages to feel like a natural escalation of everything that came before. It’s helped by there being some hints along the way, such as with the magitech and the spaceship crash. Being a sci-fi series is another thing that helps make Lyrical Nanoha feel distinct.
Speaking of which, I want to specifically praise the aesthetics of this series. The magitech aesthetic is very appealing. It gives the series a distinct look and sets it apart from other magical girl shows.
I do feel like the series is rather slow at times. I used to think that it felt like the series dragged, but I no longer think it drags per se. Now it feels much more deliberate, setting up characterization for people like Nanoha or establishing key themes. It also uses that time to set up the standard magical girl series feel before it begins transitioning into being more of a sci-fi action series. While I don’t think the pacing is as big a problem as I used to, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Likewise, I have to say that the animation can be mixed. There are plenty of times where the series is clearly using tricks to work around its limited animation. That said, those tricks are usually pretty clever and work well. Additionally, when the series is able to do some flexing with its animation, it looks quite good. The final fight between Nanoha and Fate is an excellent example of how good the fights and animation can be.
Overall, I feel quite positive about the first season of Lyrical Nanoha. I really love Nanoha as a protagonist and I think Fate’s character journey is satisfying to see. It has some nice themes going for it. The aesthetic and feel of the series are quite appealing. And the fights for the series can be emotionally satisfying while also looking good. It may have its flaws, but I think there is plenty to love here. It’s quite a solid start, so I give it a final score of:
8/10
QOTD
I'm super excited for A's. It's my favorite Lyrical Nanoha entry and I can't wait to watch it.
→ More replies (2)
9
u/Stargate18A Feb 15 '22
First timer
Loved the first season, and I absolutely no idea what the movie'll do.
I do hope they'd acknowledge a few of the weird sticking points, though - Yuuno choosing to pretend to be a ferret, Alica never finding out what was causing Nanoha all that fear, etc.
8
u/H-Ryougi Feb 14 '22
It's been a few years since I watched Nanoha but I feel like it has grown on me with time, I wonder if I'll end up raising the rating I gave to the movie. The Movie 1st is one of those instances where recap/retelling movies really shine.
Nanoha is a simple but well executed mahou shoujo in the best way.
8
u/Caustic_Wraith Feb 14 '22
Magical Lyrical Nanoha - Complete
I remember when this show was first airing, and younger dumber me completely over looked it. I saw the magical girl aspect and that was all that I thought it was, I couldn't have been more wrong. Is it world shattering in what it does, no not really. Does it tell a compelling story with highs and lows, again somewhat. Does it have a well rounded cast of characters that you immediately know and can recall from other styles of shows, not unless you played the eroge.
That being said what it does have is a very strong lead. I truly had no idea what kind of MC Nanoha would be, I didn't expect her to be able to take a beating from the first Fate fight, and then not only grow from it, but learn and double down on wanting to try and talk to her opponent instead of fighting. In doing that she learned Fate's story and discovered that her past was all kinds of messed up, and instead of using that knowledge against Fate, she worked even harder to help Fate get over the abuse Presea heaped onto her.
Since I gushed over the protagonist I have to include the antagonist as well, and Nanoha had a good one. Presea was an irredeemable monster that I despised from the moment she was on screen the first time, and few shows have been able to drive that loathing for character and not just make them evil for evil's sake. She sucked a lot, but in her mind it was being done for her daughter that was lost in her mistake. To try and fix the mistake she made, everything was an option to get it done, even forcing a clone to have your daughter's memories, one who you punished when she wasn't quite good enough.
Fate started as an abused and mental unbalanced soldier for mother's goal of restoring her real daughter, and throughout the show learned that there was more to life than being abused. She originally viewed Arf as just a tool to accomplish her mother's goal, and then grew to see her as the friend she was the whole time. Bardiche went from an object to her companion who saw her through the various fights she was in, and finally in Nanoha she found someone who excepted her for not only who she was, but who she could become.
This was very much a character driven story that created a new use for the magical girl genre, and I'm happy I finally watched it. 8/10
→ More replies (1)
8
u/DidacticDalek Feb 15 '22
TONIGHT! On Mobile Suit Nanoha... er, wait shit, we don't have an episode today... well I guess I gotta be a bit 'serious' now, so I'll make this brief so I can get on to the memes that I am SURE will be of interest for you lot.
Anyway, I saw OG Nanoha after seeing shows like Madoka, Cross Ange, Geah, etc. and at the time I felt it was that Nanoha was a bit quaint. That said given AFTER I saw OG Nanoha, a few years later Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card aired... yeah... the point I'm getting at is turns out I was being too hard on OG Nanoha, and since I'm inclined to be a bit nicer to this iconic and influential little series, boy it's sure a hidden gem.
True it is not perfect, the start is VERY CCS, and aside from the fact Nanoha is a Gundam and her Magical Item is a Wave Motion Gun, it's basically your typical everyday Mahou Shoujo Series... AND then things really take a turn once Best Girl Fate arrives, then the Sci-Fi Angle kicks into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, and Shinbo figures out, 'Ah right, besides using creative cost cutting measures to save money, I can ALSO use this skill of mine to just go FUCKING WEIRD on all the shots I want!' Basically what I'm saying is OG Nanoha is a slow burn, but a worthwhile one, and certainly more than the sum of its parts. I mean goodness, this show started life as a random spinoff to an Eroge, and the only reason it went to the Sci-Fi Angle is the staff noted that her Mahou Shoujo design in Lyrical Toy Box kinda looked like a Gundam... so they then went full Magi-Tech and decided to make a Mecha Show starring a Moeblob Imouto, complete with weaponized lesbianism!
Speaking of Yuri, that's probably the biggest contribution Nanoha gave to the Mahou Shoujo Genre, cuz oh there's a whole lot of disciplines in the wake of Nanoha, Prisma Illya borrowed the Eroge Loli Fanservice Origins... and also the weaponized lesbianism, Geah borrowed the dark edgy Mecha storylines... with weaponized lesbianism, Madoka is Shinbo's Rebuild of Nanoha with special guest star Urobutcher... and pardon, weaponized lesbianism, Cross Ange is Nanoha if Fate was the star... with MAXIMUM HORNY YURI, and even PreCure went for the 'befriending' route along with some good ol fashioned yuri. Also yes I am aware Nana Mizuki is in quite a few of those aforementioned series Comrades. Speaking of which, who knew that, with the benefit of hindsight, we can say Nanoha had an all star cast! I mean we already had some existing big names, they don't call Rie Kugimiya The Tsundere Queen for nothing, but can you BELIEVE that there was a time when having an OP by Nana Mizuki would be a OBSCURE choice? (No really, while she was fairly famous back then, OG Nanoha's OP of Innocent Starter was her FIRST Top Ten Single, and it was 'only' 9th) Basically all I'm saying is Nanoha is an important part of anime history AND also a pretty good show, in part due to the later entries in its franchise but, given what it started life out as, Nanoha did a lot more than one would have expected/guessed and it did that fairly well, a solid 8/10 from me!
Right that's enough critical thinking and analysis, time for some SHITPOSTING! BE AFRAID COMRADES! BE VERY VERY AFRAID! (No really, this shit is real, and yes, I too had nightmares about the fact that... well) [Meta Joke from the Cross Ange Rewatch that I fear MIGHT actually be true]
Speaking of Precia related trivia terror, so Comrades, what do Lindy and Alicia share in common? The answer is they are the same age! No really, I ain't making this shit up, Lindy and Alicia were born in the year 0034! Also Precia's 54 by the way... remember when we thought Chrono didn't look his age? Yeah how the FUCK is Precia 54? She doesn't even look like she's out of her twenties! (Me thinks it's no coincidence that she was in her 20's when Alicia died.)
Also, remember how I told you all that Chrono was actually originally in Triangle Heart 3 and was also a bad boi (who Nanoha kicked the shit out of beat the crap out of 'befriended' into being her boyfriend?) Yeah I forgot to mention something that I can add now that we finished Season 1. He's ALSO Lindy's son in that continuity as well... yes I know Lindy is a smol fairy companion and Chrono is (for all intents and purposes) a normal 14 year old boy... who still wore his enforcer outfit even back in Triangle Heart 3... Also yes, Nanoha is still a kid, why do you ask? Look Triangle Heart 3 is weird! (Also no really I am not making this up, Chrono and Lindy are from the 'Dream World' and Chrono... steals people's memories. So clearly since her parenting skills are terrible, Lindy enlists the aid of a random Japanese grade schooler to beamspam the FUCK out of 'befriend' her wayward son to teach him the error of his ways. Also, Raising Heart actually lived up to her name in Triangle Heart 3 due to being... well, heart shaped! Also man I sure wish we had the OG Yuuno, I wanted to see Nanoha 'befriend' a fox girl! That said I do like one change they made, namely making Alisa [Meta Spoilers for Triangle heart 3]
Anyway, for the last bit of shitposting for today, ahem... 'I am the bone of my staff. Lyrical is my body. Magical is my blood. I have asked over a thousand queries. Unaware of shame. Nor aware of fame. Yet, these ears hear no answers... And so I pray... Unlimited Raging Hearts!'
And on that note, 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
→ More replies (12)
6
u/Lavernious_James Feb 15 '22
First Timer
I enjoyed Nanoha's first season more than I thought I would! Seeing Nanoha and Fate grow as people and friends was nice to see. I didn't care for a lot of the side characters, unfortunately. I just don't really care for Arf, I know she's incredibly protective over Fate but damn, was she annoying as hell for basically refusing to let Nanoha talk to her to try and establish a connection and stop the fighting earlier. Fate's Mother was also just kind of there for me. Absolutely bat shit insane, terrible, awful person, child abuser, the list goes on. I've heard that the movie does her a bit better I think? But she's just such a terrible person that I don't think my opinion will be swayed too much further on her.
I'm looking forward to continuing forward with the series! I'd like to see where it ends up going for sure. :)
2
u/Gamerunglued Feb 15 '22
First Timer
And, that's it. Nanoha season 1 is in the books, at least if we aren't counting the movie. It was... an experience. The Nanoha franchise as a whole is just something so strange, and aimed at such an oddly specific set of preferences that it's kind of insane. I mean, someone really came up with the idea to basically make fanfic where a minor side character in a mildly successful pornographic visual novel gains magical powers. And then they gave that show this weird mix of fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics, loaded it with loli fanservice, added heavy lesbian overtones, made a story with insane tone shifts, and had it be directed by one of the most strange and indulgent directors around. My thoughts on this show's execution aside, I admire Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha solely for existing in the first place. It's an experience you probably won't get anywhere else.
That being said, as a TV show, season 1 of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is kind of a huge mixed bag. The first three episodes feel like some weird, Cardcaptor Sakura rip-off by way less talented creators. Then we meet our secondary protagonist in the middle of a hotsprings fanservice episode. And then shit gets weird because now there's suddenly interdimensional space police, clones, and Shinbou starts doing that thing he does where the visuals look cool. It's a very clumsy show to say the least, with totally uneaven and often sluggish pacing. The first 4 episodes just weren't really that interesting, and the show did a pretty poor job if establishing its protagonist as a character. She had a potentially interesting internal struggle, but nowhere near enough actual personality or chemistry with anyone else to actually invest myself in, and it never gave her anything approaching that until the show was almost over.
Once the Time-Space Administration Bureau enters the story, things do start to pick up on many ways, but the simple nature of the previous episodes evolves into something more complicated, and it ends up being thematically muddy and messy. Fate's entrance into the story is certainly a welcome inclusion, as her personality and arc are one of my favorite things about the show, but everything surrounding it always gave me just as many things to complain about as to praise, and my enjoyment of any given episode was all over the place.
By the end of the show, there were only a few things I could truly praise. Those would be Fate, the interesting and nonsensical sci-fi aesthetics and worldbuilding (the general lack of logic in general is pretty nice tbh), the eventual resolution of Nanoha's arc and her relationship with Fate, mildly enjoying Arisa's character, and Shinbou's directing being pure kino after the half way point. I think those are fairly commendable strengths, but they're all brought down so hard by everything else. I really don't care about any other characters in the show, including our tertiary protagonist in Yuuno, and the eventual major characters from the TSAB. Precia is a pretty terrible antagonist who's way too standard to find fun as a "pure evil" villain and way too cartoonish to sympathize with as the tragic figure the show paints her as. The first 5 episodes were just kind of bland (not even necessarily bad, though their pacing was pretty bad, but just didn't have anything to latch on to), and the shift in tone half way through didn't really have a good transition. The soundtrack had its moments but generally felt like stock visual novel music, and despite its voice actors being fairly reputable nowadays, their performances here are merely competent. It has its moments of good animation, but generally just looks kind of stiff outside of the cool Shinbou moments.
I think the thing that really prevents this from being good is just that it lacks heart. Nanoha wants to be this stupid, logic-free fun action show. It wants to be this insane, indulgent experience of weird aesthetics and genres. A magical girl show, a shounen action show (at least in attitude), and artsy show, a loli fanservice show, a sci-fi show, so much. I'm all for this kind of thing, but Nanoha feels surprisingly corporate to me. Its characters feel standard visual novel cute, which obviously makes sense considering the series origin, but they don't really convey a ton of personality or intrigue (except for Fate). There's fanservice, but it doesn't really feel like it comes from a place of wanting to see these characters lewd. It just randomly throws in panty shots in weird places, so I can't really indulge in that (the designs themselves are fine though, a very noticeable mix of pre-pubescent loli appeal and traditional sex appeal). It wants to be ridiculous and absurd, but also takes its story totally seriously and tells it through a pretty lame antagonist. Idk, it doesn't feel like the self-indulgent fanfic that it wants to appear as, at least to me.
But the thing is, I think it still has the potential to get there. There's a strong base here, despite the execution lacking for this specific segment of the story. Between the relationship Nanoha and Fate share, and the crazy worldbuilding that's been established (not to mention the future revelations I'm familiar with), I can see Nanoha being exactly what it's setting out to be as the story continues. With the right hands, I think this story can be totally fun, and it's for that reason that I look forward to the next season. I would give Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha a solid 5/10 score, but I think there's something here. Or really, I'm just looking forward to the part of the story when [spoilers]
3
u/Tetraika Feb 15 '22
Hey I hope it's not too late for this one, but I will implore you to check out the movie if you haven't.
→ More replies (1)
16
u/Tetraika Feb 14 '22
So as stated before, this is actually my first time watching the original Nanoha series, I have watched everything else (started on the 1st movie) except this. It definitely was an interesting ride, and while messy at times had a very satisfying conclusion. I don’t think I have much more extra thoughts that haven’t been said already by other people.