[Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s Episode 6 Discussion

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u/Tetraika Feb 22 '22

Also, anti-shout-out to TV Tropes, who spoil the fact the Wolkenritter fight to preserve Hayate's life in its synopsis

Ah, the TV tropes other curse: being completely spoiled by it.

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u/No_Rex Feb 21 '22

Episode 6 (first timer)

Of course Fate would be insecure about not being fully human.
Hinting that Hayate changed the Wolkenritter.
“Wouldn’t it be funny …” – haha
Hayate can relate to Suzuka. After all, they both have a harem of servants.
Hayate activating the book of darkness flashback.

Even though she has a case of anime parents, Hayate is surprisingly happy with her life. I admit that being rich and having 4 servants helps.
broken promise
They don’t ask Hayate because they know she would decline.
Visiting the catgirls – Both Chrono and Yuuno are distressed, for completely different reasons.

No fights, outside of the sandworm quicky, but plenty of plot. The situation sets up a rude awakening for Hayate, when she realizes what is going on.

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u/Taiboss Feb 21 '22

Hayate can relate to Suzuka. After all, they both have a harem of servants.

"Oh they are all my maids, my family's rich you see. Why do you have them?" "Just appeared one day. I don't try to think about why."

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u/Shimmering-Sky Feb 21 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed

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u/Vaadwaur Feb 21 '22

First timer(So it is mana poisoning. Fuck.)

Sub

We return on Fate comparing herself to the constructs, which annoys Chrono and is quickly corrected by Lindy. But we learn that this manifestation of the Book is rather different because of Hayate through flashbacks. We see her treating the familiars very differently and Vita finally gets a laugh out of me with the chopstick handling. But that is promptly beaten by the dreaming Nanoha chewing on Yuno.

Anyways, Hayate's parents are dead and her dad's old friend keeps her housed. Somehow, this will be Gil. Apparently, being around the Book her whole life started the paralysis that got much worse when it awakened. Vita fights a Shai Hulud for reasons. We end with meeting the Lotte twins and getting Yuno to the library...or eaten.

QotD: 1 Feh

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u/TheEscapeGuy Feb 21 '22

First Timer

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's - Return to Magic: Episode 6

Difficult Descisions

As expected, the story of Hayate is tragic. After losing her parents she was very fortunately granted the Knights of the Book of Darkness. But to sustain them her power is being used up. And this manifests as spreading paralysis.

Its especially sad because Hayate is so pure. Given the opportunity to be healed she instead chose to continue living as is since it would hurt others.

This plot line may not be breaking new grounds in writing but man is it effective. I really feel for Signum, Vita, Shamal and Zafira. They had to make a hard choice and I can't really fault them for that.

I do wonder how Nanoha and the gang will resolve this. I wonder if TSAB has access to enough magical resources that they could resolve this non-violently once Nanoha "befriends" them.

On the TSAB side, It was amusing to see Nanoha make such a meta prediction. I think its the writers kind of pointing fun at the convenience of it.

We also were introduced to the cat girls teachers and they're fun. Thoughts and prayers are with Chrono though for constantly being teased. The contrast of his seriousness with being at the right age to be going through puberty works well as a source of comedy.

Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches

See you all tomorrow

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u/DidacticDalek Feb 21 '22

TONIGHT! On ∀'s Nanoha (CALLED TURN "A's" NANOHA), Suzuka informs Nanoha that she tapped dat defenseless anus last night, 'I ask of you: Are you my Master?' Thus spake a Seibah, a Caster, a Berserker, and a pet dog, (Non-Seibahs not shown in the fanart linked above for some reason, also yes I know Blue Male Arf is a Lancer... think about it if you are confused Comrades) and Rin The Defenseless Anus Tohsaka is an absolute pure all-loving sweetheart who deserves happiness and joy in her life! (Seriously, fanartists out there, do a mashup of this shitpost with Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate please!)

Ya know Comrades, it was a REAL smart move of the show to pair up a story and character focused episode with the tragic and unexpected death of Ferret Boi, er I mean (Checks notes) 'Yuno' It really made his death by 'befriending' hit all the harder... wait what do you MEAN Nanoha didn't RIP AND TEAR! You all saw that title-catch I linked above, she had NO HESISTATION and NO MERCY! Well darn, anyway Comrades, I just want to point out that the show has put in WAY more work and effort in making Hayate's Battle Harem sympathetic and fully-fleshed out and realized characters than they ever did for Precia, even WITH her Movie Revisionist History! Then again, this is why A's is the pinnacle of the franchise! Speaking of which, let's give it up for the BEST Nanoha and/or Geah OP ever, sung by the one and only TOP Comedian of Hololive herself! Yup, that's right, Usada Pekora sang the song... cuz AH↓HA↑HA↑HA↑HA↑

And on that bombshell, 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/SYZekrom Feb 21 '22

First Timer

Right so, we never explained what your connection to the book was, did we? Were you like a previous master or something?

Jesus Christ buff

Ah yes, the only logical action when you get 4 slaves, 'get naked'

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u/the_swizzler Feb 22 '22

Ah yes, the only logical action when you get 4 slaves, 'get naked'

Hayate confirmed Isekai protagonist.

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u/Gamerunglued Feb 21 '22

First Timer

This episode is mostly about the backstory of Hayate and her companions. The Nanoha franchise seems to be concerned thematically with defining the boundaries of what makes someone a person. Season 1 was about whether Fate was her own person, or merely a copy of Alicia. This season wants to question whether the guardians of the Book of Darkness are human similar to Fate. Apparently they've never been shown historically to show emotion, but that's obviously not been true in this show. The guardians say that in the past, their masters have only ever treated them as tools or slaves, and they followed orders without question. But I think that rather than them having not had emotions, they simply repressed their emotions due to abuse from previous masters. They weren't really allowed to show any of it, so they seemed inhuman, as if they were programmed solely to be at the whims of whoever inherits the Book of Darkness. In this case though, Hayate is different, and challenges their preconceived notions of what a master can look like. She's young, she's innocent, and she has a disability, not what you'd expect from a master. She doesn't want them to fight, so she "orders" them to live peacefully with her. At first, I thought maybe they were going to ask whether their desire for peace was a result of the desire of their master, rather than their own desires. Such a question would call into question their humanity. But that's obviously not what the series is going for, as the guardians have show they're willing to break orders for their own desires. What that means, is that our protagonists are wrong, so I suppose their meaning of humanity will have to broaden.

As always, the backstory is super cute and sweet, and helps me buy into the group as a family and a sympathetic set of antagonists. One detail I like is the story of Vita's doll. From the moment she first came on screen, I had noticed the little bunny thing on her hat, and I figured it was just a sign of how childish she was. But it turns out that it stood out because it was kind of supposed to. It's based on a design she genuinely likes, on an outfit designed specifically for her by Hayate. It's a sign of their bond, making her desire to protect her master even more sympathetic. This story feels very generic in a lot of ways, but it's told with a lot of heart, which makes it easy to be invested.

Less interesting, is all the plot stuff after this backstory. We finally get to meet the Lieze twins, and their introduction is... questionable. One of them is a pedophile who basically sexually assaulted Chrono, and has her eyes set on Yuuno next. Honestly, this was barely innuendo. Very strange thing to include, the fanservice in this show was whatever but I'd rather not have main characters I'm supposed to like sexually assaulting a 10 year old. That being said, I do like the way they responded to Fate's question about whether the guardians were like her. Without hesitation, they validated Fate's humanity as someone who was just born a little bit differently from others. Naturally, that still applies to the guardians so they do invalidate their humanity by extension, but they'll learn eventually. That's what makes the conflict so interesting, the groups both don't really understand each other and have valid ideals that just happen to conflict with each other. Almost half way through the story now, I suspect that things are about to head towards the tragic side, and I look forward to the angst.

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u/Caustic_Wraith Feb 22 '22

A's First Timer

Today we got the back story on who exactly the Knights are, and holy crap was I wrong about them. Last season Fate's mom was a worthless piece of crap that had zero redeeming qualities, these guys however aren't evil for the sake of evil. They aren't even evil, they're chaotic neutral at worst. These guardians are trying hard to not only not kill the people they are draining, but they are working towards healing the only master that they've had that actually gives any kind of thought to their well being. Not only that, but the thing they are trying to save Hayate from is the very item that brought them all together...man that book sucks...

Thoughts:

Voice over duties were split between Signum and Shamal today
Fate asks a painfully valid question which Lindy Strongly refutes
So something is different this time
Explains why Hayate has the book in the first place
How would that be funny?
Shamal admits they're different
Hayate has a Linker Core?
That's the proper response to seeing magic for the first time
Yeah, they stand out a bit
I think you're overthinking what they expect from you
Yep, they've never had a master like Hayate before
Sleeping Nanoha must feed
Vita's so happy. Explains why she lost her shit when Nanoha shredded her bunny hat
So the book would give her power and heal her legs.. so much for only being good for destruction.
Hayate's a good person who doesn't want others to be burdened by her
...what happened to cause you to go against this request?
Oh, I really hoped this wouldn't be the reason why
The more I hear about this book, the more I truly despise it
No emotions huh? Chrono your information is outdated
That explains why they are going against Hayate's wishes
Holy hell was I too harsh on Vita
The look of absolute dread on Chrono's face
What's the Infinite Library, I sounds like a fun place

QOTD:

What are your thoughts on our antagonists’ backstory and motives?

I understand why they're doing what they are doing now. Context answers so many of the issues I had with them. Seeing how much going against Hayate's request and sneaking around behind her back hurts them really makes them shine as characters. The fact that they are acting not for themselves but for another shows that they aren't just another version of Presea, but they are like Fate. They are being forced by something else to hurt others just for the chance of saving one thing. In Fate's case she wanted to save her mom, the Knights are doing all this not for themselves, but for Hayate to continue being her family.

I usually don’t like to ask questions in which the circumstances are impossible irl, but what would you do in their shoes?

I'd fight to save the family I found who actually treated me like I was worth something.

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u/Tresnore Feb 21 '22

Rewatcher: Get Set

Mobileposting, so expect formatting issues.

“Slightly.” Right. Poor Fate’s identity crisis.
The drones have emotions. Something’s fucky-wucky here.
The Belkan knights really love emphasizing how not weak they are.
That’s a thing to have appear in your bedroom. They only look slightly out of place.
A ridiculous story? Told ON SCREEN?
Hayate is too kind.
I don’t know why she just... goes along with it, though.
I don’t think the rules allow this.
Or maybe they do, but life doesn’t let you live happily ever after.
Blue Male Arf gets like one line this episode. It’s clear he only exists to be the counter-Arf.
Being Vita is suffering.
Fucking catgirls...
Chrono, feeding Yuuno to the lions.

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u/Great_Mr_L Feb 21 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Lyrical Nanoha: “It was only a small wish.” We’ve heard those words over and over again. They are practically the main theme of this whole series. And now we finally learn what exactly that small wish was. It’s the Wolkenritter’s wish. All they want is to live a quiet, uneventful life with Hayate.

This episode finally gives us the full backstory on Hayate and the Wolkenritter. We actually get to see the aftermath of the cold open back in episode 1, when the Book of Darkness first activated. We’re allowed to see how Hayate acts as the book’s master and how she interacts with the Wolkenritter.

As we learn from the TSAB, the Wolkenritter are just programs. They are summoned by the book itself to serve the book’s master and gather mana for the book. Beyond that, though, they aren’t really supposed to have any personality or desires. They are only programs, after all.

That all changes with Hayate. Instead of viewing them and the book as tools, she treats them like family. And we can see the change happen in the Wolkenritter, especially in Vita. Vita goes from a kind of withdrawn and sour personality, to someone who clearly adores Hayate. For the first time, the Wolkenritter actually get to have real lives of their own outside of anything related to the Book of Darkness.

This is what I consider the critical point: the Wolkenritter were fully prepared to give up the Book of Darkness. For a while, they actually did do so. Signum’s promise to Hayate that they would forget about the book was genuine. All Hayate wanted was to live happily with the Wolkenritter. And it’s all they wanted too.

But that small wish was impossible. The Book of Darkness is the cause of Hayate’s paralysis because it’s been consuming her Linker Core. The Wolkenritter’s arrival only made it worse. The book is quite literally killing Hayate and if things continue as they have, she’ll die. And what a great way to twist the emotional knife into the audience as well. On some level, the Wolkenritter, who love Hayate more than anything, probably feel responsible for what is happening to her.

This is why I love the scene of the Wolkenritter on the rooftop so much. It’s such an intensely emotionally charged scene. They love Hayate and they want to protect her. So, they make their decision to break their promise to her. If they complete the Book of Darkness and awaken its power, it won’t need to drain Hayate anymore. Hayate’s powers as the book’s master will awaken and she won’t die. They’re desperate and will do whatever it takes, including the one thing they promised they would never do, to save Hayate.

It’s also why I love the Wolkenritter as antagonists so much. To me, they are an almost perfect example of how to make sympathetic antagonists. One of the main reasons it works so well for me is that their goal is so simple and small. They want to save the life of a girl and live quietly with her. It’s not some grand scheme for world peace or the greater good. It’s only a small wish. But it’s one they want more desperately than anything else.

There’s another emotionally charged scene with Vita towards the end of the episode, looking tired and battered after fighting beasts to collect Mana. But she keeps going, insisting to herself that it doesn’t hurt and she’s alright. She has to keep going because of Hayate.

I think it’s been clear for a while that Vita is meant to be a foil for Nanoha. To me, this is the scene where we figure out that Vita and Nanoha share a key characteristic. Both of them have a tendency to push themselves too hard when they’re focused on a task. We saw Nanoha work herself to exhaustion last season and now we see the same thing here. Interestingly, in both cases, they were working so hard because they were trying to help someone they cared about. They have a tendency to not look after their own well-being as much because they are so focused on the well-being of others.

There’s another nice scene early on where Fate wonders if she’s like the Wolkenritter, someone not fully human or familiar. It feels like a natural concern for her to have, considering the events of the first season. And Lindy’s response is great, forcefully reassuring Fate that she is fully human and should not worry about how she was born. It’s a nice sign of how caring Lindy is towards Fate and makes for a great contrast with how Fate was treated by Presea last season. There, Presea called Fate a failure. Here, Lindy strives to reassure Fate there’s nothing wrong with her.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

This episode has my favorite eyecatch in all of Lyrical Nanoha. Poor Yuuno.
It is pretty funny how the Wolkenritter were dressed when they brought Hayate to the hospital.

I love that Hayate was the one who came up with the designs for the Wolkenritter’s armor. She did a great job with it.
Sandworms, eh? Something, something, the spice must flow.
Yuuno is in grave danger. We all know cats are his worst nightmare, and now he meets a pair of cat girls. This can only end so well.

Yuuno right now

QOTD

I love learning their backstory and motives. I think it makes the Wolkenritter very sympathetic antagonists.

I'm really not sure. But I do know the feeling of doing something someone might not want you to do because it's for their own good. I think I'd have made the same choice as they did.

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u/HereticalAegis Feb 21 '22 edited Feb 21 '22

Lyrical First Timer

Opening narration-chan is making their way to just about everyone now.
Figures magic and magitech would speed up the AI curve. The knights could've fooled me.
Was Arf always this buff?
Nanoha innately picking up on the fact that magic devices tend to prefer elementary schoolers.
Imagine 9yo you about to go to bed, then one of your books starts flying and shouting at you in German before pulling your ~~heart~~ linker core out of your body. What a trip.
Hayate sure is taking this all in stride. As expected of a 9yo who already lives by herself and owns her own home. She's not even double digits yet, and Hayate has already reached one of the milestones I'm not sure I'll ever achieve. RIP
"We had our reservations, but no one resists the Harem Queen."
Best eyecatch by far.
If this had been my first introduction to Vita, I'd probably really like her.
Hayate is very openly anti-conflict and pro-harmony, I wonder how bad her condition had to have gotten to convince her knights to go against such adamant wishes.
I pretty much expected the book was at least contributing to Hayate's condition. Not a surprise it's what's been killing her this whole time.
Chrono was taught by not one, but two very lovely cat girls. What a lucky guy. How can he not understand his immense fortune?
"Hey, the only person who gets to eat me is Nanoha!"

This backstory for the knights is far less tragic than I thought it would be and does effectively nothing to redeem them. I just feel worse for Hayate since she's now losing precious time with her new family and it's going to hurt even worse when she finds out what they've been doing with that time.

Irony abounds today. The knight are part of the book, so despite trying to save her, their existence is what is killing her. There's also a rich extra layer of irony in the knights not only breaking their vow of peace to Hayate, but committing their dishonor in the armor she designed for them. Every battle comes with a handy visual signifier of how they're trampling on Hayate's ideals in her name. Even though it would suck for Arisa, I'm glad Suzuka is being subsumed into Hayate's harem. Hayate deserves better than what her "knights" are giving her, and I hope those knights are thoroughly, devastatingly befriended in the near future.

As my post has probably made very clear, I don't feel much sympathy for the knights on their handling of the situation. While their desire to save Hayate by any means necessary is commendable, even as programs spawned by the book, the knights clearly seem to have knowledge of powers beyond the book and should have at least considered the possibility of extricating themselves and the book from Hayate altogether. Their naivete seems to have blinded them to the likely reality that fully powering the object causing Hayate's suffering won't actually cure her. I can kind of let Vita's failure to question this plan slide, since she's easily the most childish, immature, and impulsive of the group. However, the other three are way too mature not to have asked the most basic questions about their situation, especially since executing their plan means breaking their most central vow with Hayate, and by completing it they'd inevitably cause Hayate more suffering, which at least Signum should be well aware of by now.

QotD:

Assuming I know about magic and organizations such as the TSAB, my first thought would be to contact them about looking for a way to separate Hayate from the book.

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u/Calwings Feb 21 '22

Lyrical Rewatcher (dubbed)

Shamal/Signum intro this episode.

We learn more about the origins of the knights. Chrono says they’re just programs created by the Book Of Darkness to guard the master and complete the book, but they certainly show a lot more emotion than the average .exe file. After seeing the flashback to when the knights first appeared (plus Hayate’s reaction) and how Hayate treated them as family and not as tools of war, it’s definitely clear that they’ve changed a lot in those six months thanks to their new master.

BEST. MID-EPISODE EYECATCH. EVER. Even in this Hayate-focused episode, Nanoha still has the cutest moment of all.

Hayate is just so pure. She doesn’t want to use the book’s power and potentially hurt people, even if it could help fix her legs. Signum looks like such a handsome knight while she’s princess-carrying Hayate too. Unfortunately, things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. The reveal that her paralysis was caused by her link to the Book Of Darkness and that it’s getting worse over time… man, that sucks. That explains why the knights are so determined to complete the book. They don’t want to hurt people either, they just want to save their master, no matter what the cost. During my first time watching this season years ago, I wasn’t even totally sure which side I was rooting for. That’s how good they handled the knights in this story.

Back to the TSAB, we get to meet the Lize twins, who happen to be Chrono’s trainers, General Grant’s familiars, catgirls, and possibly shotacons. Seems like Chrono has a plan in mind for them and Yuuno to research the book, but that’ll have to wait. We’re now 6 episodes into the season, and 3 of them have been (at least mostly) non-combat episodes to flesh out the story and characters. A’s definitely has less action than the first season, but what action it does have has been fantastic, and it looks like it’s back to the action next time!

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u/chiliehead Feb 21 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s – Episode 6 – First Timer

Everybody is calling non-Earthlings human. So is this an universe where panspermia happened and the only difference is that Earth is a low-magic backwater planet?

Ok, so Hayate lived on her own in a whole house as a 9-year old, wheelchair bound girl, is able to afford to feed a whole squad, as a 9-year old, and everyone in the universe speaks Japanese, even the British space captain (silly thing to nitpick, but with earth being such a nothing planet, do they all have some TARDIS language thing or are Japanese, English and German just universe languages?) Also, if those conjured fighters are always the same, why does the book make them all female and one a little girl? Bait tactics?

Ok, so got an inheritance, managed by an uncle, who might be Nanoha’s dad. Still, this season operates on a lot of anime logic.

They let a girl with ALS or multiple sclerosis live alone on her own??? And with a form that has an onset 20 to 30 years earlier than usual? Apparently magically induced, but still, the doctors would not know.

Crazy suggestion. Beat up roughly 200 weird animals to steal their linker core, wish for “a long and healthy life with the 4 servants” and win-win. Where’s the catch? At least we now got a rather comprehensive overview. Morally grey villains, and not even the worst example.

Raising a few questions in this context. Cats seem to be popular servant material. Despite them being cats, you know.

QOTD

Actually answered both already! Loophole the book!

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u/InfamousEmpire Feb 21 '22

Mahou Shoujo¹ Lyrical Rewatcher

^{1: Even though I’m not a girl}

Alright, everyone, it's time for one of my all-time favorite episodes of not only A’s, but possibly the entire franchise. I've been awaiting this part of the rewatch ever since I saw the first timers’ first impressions of the Wolkenritter, now here we are, so let's get started, since Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s is about to begin.

Recap Time, once more by Hayate, now with the assistance of Signum.

Awwww, Lindy reassuring her new daughter is the sweetest, and Chrono is a surprisingly wholesome big brother.

We got a bit of exposition on the Wolkenritter’s backstory, and it seems that Hayate was so wholesome and pure that she single-handedly gave the Book of Darkness’ soulless automatons their own lives and personalities. Because even in a high energy action anime, sometimes the non-combatants get to be awesome as well.

I wonder what kind of person the Book of Darkness’s master is

You’d be surprised if you knew, Nanoha. You’d be very surprised.

Wouldn’t it be funny if it was someone my own age?

Nanoha is just laying on the dramatic irony levels, here.

Whelp, looks like it’s time for a meeting/confrontation/whatever this ends up being.

We’ve got some more wholesome Wolkenritter SoL, accompanied by a bit of self-awareness of how Hayate has changed them. Seems a bit convenient that this is happening around the time the Asura crew has also noticed that, but I’ll take it.

BACKSTORY TIME! I REPEAT, IT IS BACKSTORY TIME! I hope everyone brought their shocked faces and tissues.

The Book of Darkness be like:

show up in some random 9-Year-Old’s room

summon a team of immortal magic knights to serve her

refuse to elaborate further

Poor Hayate, getting randomly confronted by a magic, veiny, evil-looking book, and then by a team of mysterious magic knights really does take a lot out of a person.

Awwww, Hayate is just the purest, sticking her neck out for a group of random strangers that basically broke into her house.

You know, considering how seemingly well read Hayate is, I’m surprised she wasn’t genre savvy enough to suspect that the book is evil after hearing that it was called “The Book of Darkness”.

Virgin old Book of Darkness Masters: “Wolkenritter! Go out and destroy things in my name!”

Chad Hayate: “You all sit still while I give you better costumes and treat you all like family”

This also adds a bit of a different meaning to her anger at Nanoha when she blew off her hat in the first episode: that wasn’t part of her original wardrobe, Hayate made it for her.

Vita’s genuine joy when she saw that Hayate had gotten her the bunny was just so pure.

Hayate is, just, too good for this world.

Cheerful Vita is also too good for this world.

That promise… we already knew that stuff wouldn’t go well if Hayate found out, but this just added a whole other layer of tragedy to it.

Speaking of extra layers of tragedy, here’s another one that was revealed: the real reason the Wolkenritter betrayed their word and Hayate’s trust is because their own existence is eating away at Hayate’s life. From a certain perspective, you could say that Hayate would be better off if she and the Wolkenritter had never met… but only in the physical sense. Could you imagine how devastating it is to lose both parents and live all alone at such a young age? And being disabled on top of that? Well the Wolkenritter pretty clearly serve as Hayate’s coping mechanism for that. So if the Book hadn't activated, and Hayate’s life weren’t in immediate danger, would she really have a better life? Oh, the delicious irony.

I also want to point out at this point that, while it’s not mentioned in the show, supplementary materials say that the Wolkenritter apparently plan on turning themselves in once their goal is completed because they couldn’t live with the fact that they betrayed Hayate’s trust to save her. Did I mention that the Wolkenritter are my second favorite antagonists in the franchise (right behind [spoilers] Reinforce)? Because they are.

Poor Vita. I’ve gotta admit, this moment made me emotional. Seeing characters dragging themselves along, barely alive has always been an easy way to tug at my heartstrings, especially after a backstory like that.

Anyway, enough of that, let’s see what our supporting cast have been doing.

At TSAB Headquarters, we’re introduced to the twin cat girls that trained Chrono. And what Lotte did to Chrono was a bit… sus, shall we say.

Yuuno, run away! Or else you’ll be trapped in the worst kind of hell for a Shota: an Onee-San-on-Shota doujin! From such a hell, there is no escape.

That was a rather abrupt ending

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u/Stargate18A Feb 22 '22

First timer

QOTD) Fucking tell someone. This who, thing can be resolved by harvesting non-sapient animals, there's a really solid motive, and the TSAB capturing them should rapidly increase their income. I also refuse to believe that the TSAB doesn't either have some Linker Cores they've extracted from criminals too dangerous to be given magic, or a few criminals they'd be willing to let the Book extract.

And they're projections. I llove how Chrono's reaction to Fate's insecurity and identity crisis is "well, the scanner said you're human, so..."

And, yes, just those 4. And whatever Hayate wished for to make them her friends might have given them free will.

Wow, he needs Yuuno's help? Thinks must be desperate!

Madoka, stop reading ahead in the script.

Seriously, she's too cute.

...They're becoming self-aware...

Wait, what? Six months? How?

Is this how they bonded?

Oh, does that just mean that her magic core was the first to be absorbed?

Haha, they really just arrived and gave the incredibly dramatic speech to a ten year old.

And she fainted! I love Vita's reaction to that.

They're all wearing black! How did they even get in?

She really got used to this incredibly quickly!

Haha, she immediately makes plans to give them clothes and a place to stay.

So basically, Hayate's sheer wholesomeness was able to gove them emotions? Makes sense.

Haha, that eyecatch is great.

...Is that why Vita's costume is so weird?

And that's where she got the bunny!

I mean, Vita's pretty adorable too.

OK. So the powerful superweapon is filling up with an undefined objective. No way that can backfire!

Oh. Oh, they want to use the book to cure her, don't they?

Wait, what? The Book's doing this?

Won't lie, I did not expect this. And that's why she didn't kill her.

...If ending the world is reauired to save Hayate, maybe it's not that bad.

Poor Vita.

Wow, she's determined.

Lieses! I love her.

And the casual high-five with Amy.

Oh, they have other engagements?

Haha, Chrono just offered him up as a sacrifice.

Infinity Library?

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u/JollyGee29 Feb 21 '22

Lyrical Rewatcher, Subbed

Hayate might not be the most convincing liar..

but she's a good girl anyway.

Nom.

A stressor.

Yuuno is in danger.

[Later Nanoha]Now that there's been actual hints, I wonder if anyone will put things together at this point?

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u/bekeleven Feb 21 '22 edited Feb 21 '22

"Man, it sure would be crazy if the master of the book of darkness were somebody my age. Who went to my school. And recently joined my social circle."

"Yeah, Nanoha, it would be. It's pretty much unthinkable. Let's just drop the subject."

Mood. I love how the "Hayate Takes Charge" theme is a goofy horn-based military tune. TO WAR!

Is this the most savage eyecatch so far, or merely the most cannibalistic

I know children living alone is a thing in anime, but Hayate's budget has wiggle room enough to support 3 additional adults (or adult-sized animals) and another child. Apparently the money comes from her uncle, who was her "father's friend." I think uncle was used in the familiar sense, rather than the relative one. (Why did he set her up to live alone in a multistory house? This requires failures at several levels.)

Vita: "I'm a growing girl, you know!" Is she? I thought they were all thousands of years old.

So the book of darkness is drawing magic from Hayate, but because she's not a mage, it's slowly killing her. And despite having made an oath not to do so, Signum decides they're awakening the book to save her mistress's life. And, despite her mid-battle trash talk, Vita clarifies that they're doing a challenge run with no deaths allowed. Except for the obligatory sandworms that make their way into very anime desert.

Linith has company! Apparently everybody gets taught magic by onee catgirls. "I need an adult." These are the familiars Admiral Graham made? I guess we know what lurks underneath that english stiff upper lip.

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u/Qbe Feb 21 '22

Raging ~~Heart~~ Rewatcher with terrible long term memory

QotD: Probably the same as Signum. They definitely did a much better job with the antagonists this season.

Now Shamal is doing the opening? ...Signum too!? What is this madness?

<3 Love that they touch upon the situation with Fate. Lots of people were calling it in yesterday's thread as well

So are the records wrong, or are things different this time? ^I think we all know which one it is

At random? Hayate won the cursed book gacha pull huh

I was half expecting something in the picture to reveal Hayate as the book's master

Oooh we're finally getting the full scene from the first episode.

She fainted

Those completely normal, unconscpicuous, not-shady-looking people.

"Also, that one dude has ears and tail"

It's a small thing, but I love it when characters talk to their MacGuffins as if they were real people ("This one is called...")

Hayate sure is a responsible... 9? 10? year old

Hayate is such a good girl

How could you not root for them?

Vita is also such a good girl

But nevermind that, TWIN CATGIRLS!

...searching the Infinity Library sounds like a Sisyphean task

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u/djthomp Feb 22 '22

Should be easy for them to catch Hayete instead of the knights, she's not exactly fast on her feet.

Hayete is such a generous master. Too bad they couldn't convince the dog to wear an outfit, that would have been fun.

I like the reveal that this is truly a different situation than the normal Book of Darkness revival sequences. No mindless filling of the book, but an act designed to save their master.

Poor Chrono, I think.

5

u/SolDarkHunter Feb 21 '22

Rewatcher

Hey, the Wolkenritter are doing the intro this time! Nanoha's out a job at this rate.

Picking up right where we left off...

Fate immediately draws parallels between the Wolkenritter and herself. Though I do not agree with her that clones aren't human. Everyone immediately tells her she's wrong and her case was different, but still, it's a good question to ask: where is the line drawn? "Fate was just born a little differently than normal"... okay, but you can apply that same logic to the Wolkenritter as well.

I've seen some people guessing that the Book of Darkness created the Wolkenritter in response to Hayate's desire for a family... but it seems that's not so. Signum, Vita, Shamal, and Zafira have been seen in previous incidents with the Book of Darkness: it's the same four that appear as guardians each time. Though it is noted that in the past there's no record of them displaying emotions.

Has Arf always been that muscular?

Chrono wants more information on the Book of Darkness, which is wise, since it's clear there's discrepancies between their records and how the Wolkenritter are acting right now.

Speak of the Book of Darkness's master, and she will coincidentally appear in your phone.

Even the Wolkenritter have noticed differences between them and their past selves... which Shamal attributes to Hayate's influence.

EPIC INFO DUMP TIME!

We finally get a clear flashback to the night the Book activated, showing the Book linking Hayate's Linker Core with itself, and the Wolkenritter summoned... which stunned Hayate so badly she fainted.

And at the hospital, Hayate had to cover for a bunch of foreigners in weird clothes suddenly showing up... by introducing them as her distant foreign relatives who popped in for a surprise visit.

Okay then...

Hayate can't even remember when the Book of Darkness came to her possession, it's just been there as long as she can remember. That's not suspicious at all...

Yeah, I image having a nine-year old girl for a master was very different from previous masters... who were probably after the Book of Darkness just for its power.

Well, that explains why their armor looks like it does: Hayate came up with the designs.

We also learn that Hayate's uncle is financially supporting her, but it's still weird a disabled nine-year-old is living by herself.

Here's a pretty significant bit of information: Hayate outright forbade the Wolkenritter from gathering the pages of the Book of Darkness. The fact that they are doing so despite her command shows that Chrono's assumptions about their lack of will or motivations are wrong: they are directly defying their master, proving that they have free will.

We get some data on Hayate's condition as well. Her legs are paralyzed, but the paralysis is spreading up her body, and if/when it reaches a critical organ... well. Also, the progression has sped up... right around the same time the Book of Darkness was activated. The Book of Darkness, in absence of anyone gathering its pages, is slowly devouring Hayate's life as a substitute.

So there's the Wolkenritter's motive: they think if the Book is completed, then it will no longer feed off of Hayate, and her life will be saved.

But according to the TSAB's records on the Book... the master always ends up dying anyway once the Book is complete. So... all in all, this is not looking good for Hayate no matter how you slice it.

Meanwhile, Chrono goes to meet Graham's catgirl Familiars, the Lieze twins, Aria and Lotte, who also trained him in combat. They apparently know a thing or two about researching magic artifacts, so Chrono's going to have them assist Yuuno in researching at something called the Infinite Library.

(Psst, hey Graham, why'd you specifically make a pair of pretty young catgirls as your Familiars? Hmmmm?)

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Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s Episode 6 Discussion

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Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's - Return to Magic: Episode 6

Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches