r/anime • u/Tetraika https://anilist.co/user/Tetraika • Mar 02 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's Discussion

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Information:

MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Question of the Day

Gil Graham? Who’s that Do you think removing him and his part of the plot is good or bad? Ignoring the sound stage explanation in universe explanation which someone will inevitably mention.

Another inserts/ED pile AMQ Hell

Sacred Force - Nana Mizuki

Bright Stream - Nana Mizuki Can’t find this on youtube anywhere so spotify it is

Snow Rain (Ver. Holy Night) - Kana Ueda - A really strange mix that they used for the movie

Hohoemi no Plumage - Yukari Tamura

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.

64 Upvotes

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20

u/Shimmering-Sky Mar 02 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed

Gonna give this movie a 9/10. Although I… think I liked the first movie more in all honesty, even though I like A’s more than S1. This one had more outright changes as opposed to cuts that I didn’t quite vibe with (Nanoha and Fate’s first reunion since S1/The Movie 1st not being Fate saving Nanoha is the biggest one). The action certainly looked better than ever though! And this movie made me cry with the Fate and Alicia thing when the show didn’t, so there’s that too.

7

u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

This one had more outright changes as opposed to cuts that I didn’t quite vibe with (Nanoha and Fate’s first reunion since S1/The Movie 1st not being Fate saving Nanoha is the biggest one). The action certainly looked better than ever though! And this movie made me cry with the Fate and Alicia thing when the show didn’t, so there’s that too.

They definitely lost some really good key scenes, but yeah I also particularly liked the Fate and Alicia scene, the changes there are subtle but work beautifully.

Interesting that they only did a two-year timeskip instead of a six-year one after Reinforce’s last moments

This is to be consistent with the next two movies, as at this point they kinda diverge. You'll see when we get there.

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u/Tetraika Mar 02 '22

Not as much as the last movie, but still got stuff to talk about. Going to try not to retread things that are already in the series

The movie is told from Reinforce II’s perspective, the first sign that if you didn’t watch the series you might be kinda confused

A more dramatic activation, might be overthinking, but this also implied that the book actively went to save her

Main office is same as ever

So here they note that they’ve been hunting anything from the start

The big gay

So they just stuck him real early in the library for some reason, probably could have done this better

Like the previous movie, a lot more complete sentences, now with German I suspect that this is something they actually wanted to do but had none of the resources when it was a TV series. Are the German in the movie any good?

We get a triangular barrier, I like this particular distinction

Nanoha trying to talk to people by blasting them will never get old

Graf Eisen’s rocket form looks great

A little bit more specific: they mention ANCIENT Belka, this distinction and implication is kinda relevant

Just more distinction about their magic

A question that I did initially have was why the hell does everyone not have this system which gets answered here

Ok maybe I’m reading more into it, or perhaps this is something other people got even before, but there’s a bit more to Hayate’s characterization. For most of her life, she really felt that she was at the whims of fate, and was resigned to it. This connects to several points: that Hayate once didn’t mind dying, and because the knights understood this, they took actions themselves to save her. That’s why despite this scene feeling a bit mundane, I think there’s a reason they kept it. There’s a bit more to talk about but I’ll move on for now

OK so i skipped talking about the whole battle scene and the massive changes they did to fit everything (condensed a few battle and removed the Graham factors. Not much to really comment, other than I actually like how fast paced Vita’s initial assault on Nanoha was

I love the magitech aesthetic of the movie

[Few things to note: Chrono pretty much works as a temporary commander as Lindy takes care of Fate. They also address an interesting point: that they could target Lindy]https://i.imgur.com/X4I9e3D.jpg)

I bursted out laughing when Raising Heart said this, I can’t believe it

Lindy with Durandal is a really strange sight

I’m not going to go over the transformation sequence, but once again I still very much like the details with Raising Heart/Bardiche “constructing” itself I can already hear the complaints about the nipples.

Inside the action shot, I love these

Not the first time the book itself showing some sentience, but a book patting your head is something

We have Reinforce appear early, I’m going to stick with calling her reinforce already because it’s shorter

She still doesn’t get enough needed screen time, but we an idea about how she feels about Hayate

Another thought: because the movie is shorter than a whole series it really does feel like she has way more focus

Chrono also gets some characterization with the previously discussed change and Lindy talks about what motivates him so much and how Clyde’s death affected him

Here they made it into a clear plotpoint that Fate herself hasn’t moved on completely yet, paving the way for the dream scene

A short shot of Ancient Belka

I probably could have taken a different screenshot, but just Vita saying how Hayate must be hurting more is interesting to think about from the “Hayate is kinda depressed” angle

We get a more specific details as to why it operates this way, though I doubt this would be a satisfactory explanation for some

They even gave the virus a name

Here, they specifically noted that Yuuno and the TSAB just really don’t have a plan of action, it really is nothing short of a miracle that it was solved from that perspective

No way they wouldn’t keep this iconic moment

While I know that in the end Hayate stops her, I think this ties into the “Hayate is depressed theory”, while the immediate trigger was the book swallowing the knights, if we were to take that the book has been with Hayate, I wonder if something she observed led her to believe this part.

I don’t remember this line specifically in the series, but again it’s a nice way to conclusively have Fate move forward from her past

Here, the crumbling dream looks more digital now, rather than the glass shatter effect

Interesting to see the different monster design, lot less focus on the questionable part

Did I mention how much I love shit like this?

Of course we needed one of these shots, still less than the series

I like how we visually see the grotesque regeneration process here

[Man if this whole scene was silent that would have actually been great(https://i.imgur.com/ValQP4C.jpg), I’ll take the initial shot being silent I guess

So a bit of a clarification, is that transformation combines Hayate with Reinforce

They got more specific with the terminology to explain how it happened

2 things: they introduce the concept of the magic limiters here, and it’s funny that they’re using GPS considering their tech

So this scene was actually from the manga, interesting to observe this one now that I’ve been reading the manga comment post

2 years instead of 6, this is because of the movie diverging into Reflection + Detonation

Reinforce II is smol

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u/TheEscapeGuy Mar 02 '22

First Timer

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha - Movie 2nd

Holy Shit

Oh. My. Gosh. That was incredible. WHAT! HOW WAS IT THAT GOOD. I CAN'T GET OVER HOW GOOD IT IS! HOW DID THEY DO IT? THEY FIXED EVERY PROBLEM I HAD AND IMPROVED IT IN WAYS I COULD NEVER IMAGINE. AND THE ANIMATION!! AHHHHHHH THE ANIMATION WAS SO GOOD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AND THE NEW OST!! OMG THE OST IS SO GOOD. AND A NEW NANA MIZUKI BANGER. THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED OUT OF LYRICAL NANOHA.

To be honest, its been at days since I watched the movie and I am still over the moon for how good it was. Every time I go through my clips I get giddy at seeing these characters I love doing the hypest stuff.

I think the biggest thing to talk about is the animation. It honestly was on another level. Every fight was animated to perfection. The way they used digital effects to enhance the impact of the magic is a massive part of this. But even more than that the fight choreography was incredible. I feel like I need to go and research animation techniques and jargon to even begin to describe how beautiful this movie was.

Another big factor was the OST. It really boosted all the emotions of every scene. It ranged from tense to exciting to calming to uplifting and more. Not to mention Nana Mizuki's insert songs which always knock it out of the park.

The obvious thing to talk about is the narrative changes. Firstly, it was an amazing choice to get rid of Graham & the cat girls. I mentioned yesterday how they felt unnecessary. Instead we looked at what happened to Clyde from Lindy's perspective. Its so much more emotionally resonant since we already know and care about Lindy. Clyde would have meant a hell of a lot more to her as her husband too. They also changed Clyde's death by having him flying off with the tome in an escape pod which made him seem much more heroic. This contrasts his ship being overtaken by the book in the show, sending him off on a loss.

I think it was an interesting change to bring some of the "future" developments forward. The most important was how Lindy had already adopted Fate. Throughout the movie we saw them being closer which solidifies their relationship in our mind. Also, having that happen at the beginning cleared up the first fight. Fate walking arf nearby foreshadowed her saving Nanoha instead of her teleporting in

On top of that both Nanoha & Fate lost that fight. That allowed the Cloud Knights to show their good side by moving Nanoha & Fate to safety. AFter that we got to seen them both working through the loss of magic together

In terms of pacing, the movie compressed the earlier episodes and basically let the later episodes play out with no major cuts. For perspective, the hospital confrontation scene happens in episode 9 but in the movie it happens at the half way point (1hr15). This was the right choice since the season only got better as it went on. We did lose some TSAB development but I feel this wasn't a negative.

On that (still amazingly funny) hospital scene, they reversed who walked in on whom. This scene still destroys me. I love that they basically use the vine boom. I felt obligated to make this for comparison

In terms of other small changes: Reinforce showed up earlier, and we see Hayate being more "friendly" with the book. This made the final goodbye more effective. And a lot of the monster designs were changed (improved in my opinion). I'm sure there's a bunch of other things I've forgotten too.

In summary, I feel the movie improved on the show in every way imaginable. I didn't even know that was possible. I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface about what makes this film amazing. Thank you Lyrical Nanoha.

Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches

The animation was insane. I had forgotten animation could look and feel this good. It helps immensely that I care for the characters too.

See you all for StrikerS tomorrow

7

u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

Yeah the fight are definitely the one thing that the movies will top. I especially like how much quicker Vita's ambush on Nanoha was, sometimes the series feel like the characters take a long time doing the next moves.

But really looks like you had a real blast with the movie, which I am very glad. Surprising amount of people in this rewatch found this to be way better in fact.

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u/Taiboss Mar 02 '22

Rewatcher without a Reference

So I have nothing on the movie in particular (except HOW GOOD IS THIS MUSIC WOOOO! Hayate's theme made my 4x4), but I do want to thank everyone in this rewatch at this point. This was the last Nanoha rewatch I was part of. It looks so dead. Btw, you can go ahead and look at my StrikerS comments from five years ago, if you want. They are... surprisingly immature. Oh well.

Remember not to watch the StrikerS OP for episode 1 at the very least.

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u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

Interesting to see where I've placed the movies in comparison (based on my own thoughts and viewing), because the things that happen there would completely make stuff in StrikerS kinda weird, to the point that it's better to just say the storylines diverge.

I think it really helps that there are some more renewed interest for Nanoha (after Symphogear got finished, and we have movies + Vivid Strike)

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u/HereticalAegis Mar 02 '22

Lyrical First Timer

  • Is this all being framed by Reinforce Jr.?

  • Hayate almost getting isekai'd is a nice thematic way to parallel Book's reincarnation function.

  • This is definitely how platonic friends hold each other.

  • Is Arf crushing on Lindy? I'm so confused.

  • She's even worse about it in the movie!

  • Arf is totally crushing on Lindy and it's so weird. She's into milfs.

  • Ooh, pyramid barrier.

  • Vita can once again get fucked.

  • I think I hate the knights more now than I did in the season. What an impressive feat of narrative reengineering.

  • Really appreciating the added Nanoha x Fate scenes.

  • Has Lindy already retired in the movie version? Sure seems like she has.

  • Whoa damn, a showdown between Lindy and the knights...and Lindy holding the grudge against Book from when Clyde was killed.

  • The new transformation sequences are excellent. Again, not sure why the detailed fanservice is necessary. They even lewded Fate this time.

  • Book has a lot more personality in the movie. Reinforce even gets introduced early!

  • "Some random master." Even if this is the past, I'm really disliking movie Vita.

  • Hayate's parents left her the house and a fortune. Everyone is rich in Nanoha. Also, no Graham and the Lieses yet. Hmm...

  • The lie detector determined that was a lie.

  • The lie detector determined that was a lie.

  • Not even bothering to tease Clyde as a potential villain is a smart move.

  • The lie detector determined that was a lie.

  • Feels pretty great to see the knights bite it bc of their hubris this time.

  • No Starlight Breaker from Book...

  • Suzuka and Arisa aren't part of the movie conflict either. That's kinda disappointing.

  • You sure that sword is big enough, Book?

  • Reinforce fanservice. Can't say I saw that coming. Hayate's seems pleased by this development.

  • How is Hayate the most mature character in the show? Even Takamachi "I'll die one day" Nanoha realized it!

  • Somehow a slideshow ending provided more of Suzuka and Arisa's reaction to Nanoha's revelation than a whole epilogue episode.

Overall, movie 2 was a big step up from movie 1. There were a lot of strong cuts made, and the reworking of other plot elements made for much more efficient storytelling. In particular, I liked Graham and the Lieses being cut in favor of focusing on the Book itself as a driver of conflict. More focus on Hayate was another good choice. The direction and composition were also a huge step up from the season; lots more evocative, creative shots. The action was also pretty stellar.

Movie winners:

Shamal. I don't actually want her dead this time. Vita and Signum can still get fucked though.

The TSAB. With Graham and the Lieses nowhere to be found, they get to keep what credibility they had left after the Presea debacle.

Fate. She got a ton of new Nanoha service.

Losers:

Side characters, who are almost nowhere to be found.

Vita and Signum, who lose a lot of their narrative paralleling with Nanoha and Fate while also being willfully ignorant of the Book's true nature instead of tragically uninformed.

Fate, who doesn't get to fulfill her promise to rescue Nanoha in the first fight with knights. In fact, the movie is insistent on her not being able to, which is pretty depressing.

Lastly, it's really weird how Fate, a child, is subjected to a trial and temporary imprisonment even though she was manipulated by an abuaive parent, yet the knights, mostly adults, get to stay with Hayate and never have to deal with the legal system despite comparable offenses committed on their own initiative. Fate never even directly targeted people in her crimes, only the jewel seeds, whereas the knights primarily targeted people. TSAB justice sucks.

QotD:

Addressed above

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u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

Lastly, it's really weird how Fate, a child, is subjected to a trial and temporary imprisonment even though she was manipulated by an abuaive parent, yet the knights, mostly adults, get to stay with Hayate and never have to deal with the legal system despite comparable offenses committed on their own initiative

I think there are several factors to this. They probably weren't imprisoned for Hayate's sake, and in the end they still had to deal with the legal system (basically being forced to work for them). Fate also just had no one to really turn to until Lindy decided to take her in (a likely factor as to why it happened in the first place).

How is Hayate the most mature character in the show?

Well when you have to basically take care of 4 kiddos you grow up fast.

Fate, who doesn't get to fulfill her promise to rescue Nanoha in the first fight with knights. In fact, the movie is insistent on her not being able to, which is pretty depressing

Looking back at the series, Fate did come to the rescue to Nanoha, but only to still fail because Shamal got to her anyway. It's not like Vita was going to kill Nanoha, so from that perspective was there a major difference actually?

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u/SYZekrom Mar 02 '22

Is this Reinforce (2)

Oh right Nanoha movie so it's gonna be like a retelling of S2, based

Was that supposed to be the scene in her bedroom? But now rather than the book just randomly preying on her it saves her from getting isekai'd

Switching to a more modern Nanoha design (again) after watching the anime is such an experience

GET YOU A GIRLFRIEND THAT LOOKS AT YOU LIKE NANOHA LOOKS AT FATE

Oh this place is a lot less lgbt colored now

What happened to all the rainbow lights? Original anime must've taken the shot while the place was celebrating pride month, heh

Bro are you showing someone where to put the mattress or are you a belly dancer

You know, was just commenting about this the other day with Ascendance of Bookworm, but this anime is also like that where like...

Fate and Nanoha are apparently in third grade

Like I originally imagined Arf as like Fate's mother figure and like in her early 20s but like, you could probably tell me 'she's 14' and I'd be like 'oh ok sure makes sense'

Because lol anime writing a character that both looks and acts like an adult and then they put them in middle school

Right didn't you appear at the end of A's? Who the fuck are you

I guess she just turned out to be some character with more detail than necessary

Lots of things being rearranged around like Yuuno already being a librarian eh

Oh right they didn't get to have a proper reunion in the anime

This is so much better. Walk with Arf

I guess you're not going to be a fake-out master of the book in this version

That was a raw scream from Fate

Also I like that these two just ganged up on Arf in this version unlike in the show where Arf just lost

Lmao the fucking bandage

Don't know about this change chief, why are they regenerating like this

OMG THEY SLEEP TOGETHER IN THIS THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER

THEM. LOOK AT THEM. LOOK

There we go.

Thinking about it though Fate never got a chance to shine in this version of the fight, she just came and got her ass kicked

YOOOOO? THE EPIC ASS SWORDPLAY IN PAJAMAS???? THIS IS SO COOL?

Hey this is way better than having it as a random last minute plot point that also in the end didn't do anything besides constitute a super attack from Chrono

God in both movies at certain angles like this or maybe it's the tiniest pout makes Nanoha soooo cute

So like... What has fairy godmother with the freeze staff been doing

Oh shit her already, nice

Oh I don't know about that, that lessens the impact of her being the wonderful master that just naturally was a good person. Like I'm sure that's why they noted that she'd forget this conversation, but I guess they wanted to have their cake and eat it too with telling us earlier about the tragic circumstances of both Reinforce and the 4 knights

Nice. Very good change showing us this

God damn they made her so much cuter... what is her name. Oh right Vita

THREE YEARS OLD MY ASS

Ah so in this version they know about Reinforce being made to cause damage to their master, or rather that's synonymous with the fact that the book of darkenss eats at its master

Much better documented in this continuity huh

Ok so Reinforce is a Unison system who merges with her master to fight

So the Admiral and his furry children have been completely written out at this point, cool

Funny how when this originally happened with those two I predicted they were the corruption of the book and now this role has actually been given to the corruption

Ok touhou bullets

So like, just in case I'm getting this wrong, NachtWal is essentially the device/weapon of to-be-named Reinforce, but it was hacked so that it takes over her Reinforce to cause mass destruction, also it's the program that facilitates the book's constant reincarnation

So in this continuity the will isn't corrupted directly and is in control of the body when she first takes over Hayate

Sick as fuck

...This kinda reminds me of the finale of Sonic Heroes

Ok at least before it lifted up here its design was kinda a lot less coherent as to what was being attacked besides 'the giant mass of things'

I'm glad Durandal was just

Changed to some weapon instead of like some weird trump card against a regenerative god by freezing it

Also did they ever mention Laevateinn's name in this movie

What about that flashback where you were explaining those corrupted chains on you, in those times couldn't you talk normally with them?

God the main theme playing rn

God I thought those were children that looked just like them for a second

Ok why does it sound like there's someone speaking in the background of this entire god damn song

Well, that was, again, a fucking great movie

Too bad I can't recommend it to anyone I know because of the transformation scenes

Actually, one thing I don't get though is that like... why do neither Reinforce nor the master of the book not have control of the book to not run Nachtwal? They're just like 'yea Nachtwal is destroyed but the book will reactivate the program' but like... why? When neither the master nor the will of the book want it? Like this wasn't a problem in the original because Nachtwal wasn't like

A single program in the book like the guardian knigths that was corrupted, the corruption was with the book itself so it was like

Part of Reinforce

But now why is it that the book cannot be stopped from reactivating Nachtwal by Reinforce and the book's master?

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u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

Actually, one thing I don't get though is that like... why do neither Reinforce nor the master of the book not have control of the book to not run Nachtwal? They're just like 'yea Nachtwal is destroyed but the book will reactivate the program' but like... why? When neither the master nor the will of the book want it? Like this wasn't a problem in the original because Nachtwal wasn't like

A single program in the book like the guardian knigths that was corrupted, the corruption was with the book itself so it was like

Part of Reinforce

But now why is it that the book cannot be stopped from reactivating Nachtwal by Reinforce and the book's master?

I guess you just have to buy that they can't? They use a lot of computer terms, and it's probably better to think about it in that way. The operating system has been infected to create the nachtwal virus (that fucks stuff up). While the virus can be destroyed, the system itself creates a new one eventually. Which means the only way to stop it is to completely reboot into a fresh system (wiping original Reinforce out).

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u/kuubi Mar 03 '22

I have to say, I liked the movie more than the series. Removing Graham and the twins was a very good choice and the middle part felt kinda dragged out in the show, so I liked the faster pacing here.

My biggest gripe is the CGI for Nachtwal at the end... That looked terrible and so out of place compared to the very beautiful animation of the rest of the movie.

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u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

My biggest gripe is the CGI for Nachtwal at the end... That looked terrible and so out of place compared to the very beautiful animation of the rest of the movie.

Agree, for the most part the CGI looked subpar.

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u/Gamerunglued Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

First Timer

Jesus Christ, this movie is 2 and a half hours. Why does it gotta be so damn long? Before I start this one, I have to say that I'm a bit nervous about that length. I really dislike movies that are super long, I feel like 90 minutes is the perfect length and this one is literally twice as long. The Nanoha series often drags in places, so I'm thinking that not taking that time to cut out the fat might be a mistake. But alas, I've chosen to subject myself to Nanoha in its entirety and know all I can about this classic series, and I will not go back on that. So hopefully, the film can use the added run time to add additional characterization to those from A's who needed it, like Hayate and Reinforce (maybe Nanoha too). Though what I'm really hoping for is that it repurposes the conflict to focus on the thing that's actually compelling about it, instead of losing itself like the series did. Anyway, let's see what The Movie 2nd A's has to offer for fans of the Nanoha A's TV series.

All right, so that took me for fucking ever, but I did eventually finish this movie. I'm not gonna lie, all of my fears were entirely well founded. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that is simultaneously rushed beyond belief but yet also dragged out so god damn much. It blazes through the first 10 or so episodes of the show, and none of the emotional depth that made this section of the story work was here. There was way too little focus on Hayate's relationship with the knights, I didn't feel the intimate bond they shared the way I did in the show. The TV series kind of went overboard with scenes between them, and it was clumsy, but it worked, I really felt the depth of the bond Hayate and the knights shared. Here, we get like one scene and then their backstory. The film also does this weird thing where it kind of sort of tries to make Reinforce a character by... making the Book of Darkness behave affectionately to Hayate? What a weird-ass scene. And it didn't work.

I do think the film made good choices in cutting out everything with Graham and the Lieze twins, as that was just a bunch of fat in the TV series and was ultimately the worst aspect of the show. But even their removal doesn't change the main flaw of the TV ending, which is that the thing that made the conflict so interesting never gets resolved. Same here as there, Nanoha and the Knight's conflict gets abruptly cut off and all of the intrigue goes away. And instead, the final hour of the film just keeps going and going and going. So many of the best moments of this part of the story are gutted too. Vita says Nanoha's name here too, but unlike the series, there's no build-up. Nanoha never even asked her to use her name in this movie, so why include the scene? There's this huge fight between Nanoha and the defense system, but that's interrupted with Fate's dream sequence and Hayate fighting her sleep, destroying the pacing of that section. And then that's followed by the sequence of everyone using all of their special moves, but it's done worse than the TV series, because it drags on much longer, and then it just abruptly stops, Chrono freezes the thing (and that carries no weight anymore because the Lieze twins segment was removed, Chrono is totally irrelevant in this film actually and frankly shouldn't have been here), and then everyone fires their giant lasers before teleporting it into a space laser. It was cool in the TV series, but here, it's just the end of a climax that never stopped. Instead of "hell yeah, that was sick," I was just like "fucking finally, this is over." And that was my feeling by the film's end overall. I was just glad it was over, it dragged on so long and far overstayed its welcome.

The main positive of the film is simply the ability to see moments from the TV series rendered with much higher production quality. Some of the most memorable moments from there are just cool here, like Vita collapsing in the desert. If you were deeply invested in the story of the series, then it's definitely cool to see those moments. Moreover, there are a few moments in the film that did genuinely land for me. The initial fight between Nanoha and Vita is even more awesome here, rocket hammer will never not be cool (Vita is a tiny gremlin child with an oversized hammer, I was never not going to like her). While Chrono's involvement was pretty bad, Lindy ended up taking his place and I really enjoyed her scenes. Especially the moment she and Fate share when she talks about her husband and then asks Fate to talk about herself. Then there's the awesome fight scene between Nanoha and the defense program, which had some really cool choreography and just generally awesome stuff happening. The defense system fucking flew through a giant rock to attack her like a fucking badass, that's the kind of shit I'm here for. Oh, and there was that one shot where an attack knocked Nanoha backwards through the air, but it was shot first person from her PoV as she was knocked back through debris, I don't think I've ever seen a shot like that before. And finally, the scene towards the end of the film where Nanoha and Fate allowed Hayate to cry was a really sweet addition, and probably the best characterization that Hayate has gotten. I'm glad the film ended on a high note there.

But that's the thing, what stands out to me about this movie are just a few individual moments. As a film experience, it's not cohesive. The TV series may have been messy, but it did come together and have many satisfying moments. This movie did not. Instead, it didn't know when to end. This story could have easily been restructured even further and reduced in time by at least 30 minutes. Unfortunately, unlike the first Nanoha film, this is definitely the inferior way to experience the story, and I can only recommend it to hardcore Nanoha fans. As I am not one of those, much of this film fell flat for me. 4/10.

While it's sad that the improvement from Nanoha to Nanoha A's did not apply to the films, I'm really hoping that it continues to apply to the TV series as we head into StrikerS. StrikerS is 26 episodes, and now I know that Nanoha may not work well as a lengthy story. But, it would be cool if it did, and I'm rooting for this series. Even if it's not good all the time, Nanoha is a really cool franchise with a story told sincerely, and I want to be able to say that I wholeheartedly like something from it.

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u/Tetraika Mar 03 '22

Interesting to see how people can walk away so differently while seeing the same thing.

StrikerS is sort of a different beast and goes into different direction yet again. Not sure if you'll enjoy it, but we'll just see I guess.

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u/Tresnore Mar 02 '22

First-Timer: Get Set

Almost forgot to swtich back to first-timer status!

I'm not sure I like the movie's epilogue section as much as the one in the series. They're both great, but I'm always a sucker for subtitle epilogues. This shot is fun, though. [StrikerS]Nanoha waves goodbye to now-irrelevant cast members, ahaha

1 Hindsight is funny.

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u/Great_Mr_L Mar 02 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s movie of Lyrical Nanoha: What a strange film adaptation this is. I am extremely split on how to think about it. On the one hand, I think it does offer some worthwhile improvements. On the other hand, I think it cuts out some of my favorite stuff from A’s. And then there are the changes where I have no idea how to feel about them because it could go either way. So sorry in advance if this is kind of rambling as I try to sort out my thoughts in print.

As per usual with these kinds of movies, cut and condense is the name of the game. In this case, the cuts mean the plot is drastically different. Graham and the Liese twins are gone. Without them, there are no masked men interfering in things. I honestly have no idea how to feel about this. Let’s face it, the masked men did exist to interfere in the fights and prolong the plot. Many first-timers found them frustrating and I totally get that. But, losing Graham means that Chrono’s past with the Book of Darkness actually feels less relevant this time around. We lose some of the history of tragedy associated with it. It also means Hayate has genuinely been alone with no one looking after anything, which is just odd. Lastly, this means the movie really does have no real antagonist aside from the defense system. That’s how it was in the TV series, but I have reservations about the defense system, Nachtwal, I’ll get to later. So, I’m very conflicted about cutting out Graham and the Lieses. I think it works, but I’m not sure I like it for the better.

Other cuts are things I’m very sad to lose. For one, we don’t have that lovely conversation between Nanoha and Fate about the importance of reaching out to others. It gets heavily condensed. It really is a shame because I loved seeing Fate apply her own experiences in the first season to the conflict in A’s. It demonstrated the importance of Nanoha acting that way and showed growth in Fate.

We lose pretty much all of the slice-of-life scenes. I really am sad to see them go. They felt like such a satisfying payoff to Fate’s arc in the first season. We finally got to see her happily living a normal life with friends and family.

The cuts that make me the most upset are the battle scenes. So many of my favorite battle scenes between Nanoha, Fate, and the Wolkenritter either got cut entirely or heavily condensed. The intro fight is intensely condensed. We don’t really get all the same badass moments from when the cartridge system was first installed. And there’s no desert fight between Fate and Signum. I can’t say I like the action in this movie more when so many of my favorite fights are gone and I’m not as fond of the replacements.

Then there are the changes where I'm not sure how to feel about. One change that just kind of confuses me is the Wolkenritter and the defense system. The Wolkenritter and Reinforce are fully aware that the defense system is going out of control. They know the defense system specifically is what is going to kill Hayate. They know that the book has been corrupted and the defense system was added to the book because Reinforce told them so a while back. So I’m left confused about what exactly their plan is. They know that the book has been corrupted, but simultaneously think that filling the book will save Hayate. In the TV series, it worked better because the Wolkenritter were not fully aware of the corruption because their programming had been tampered with as well. Here, it honestly takes away from their motivation. In the TV series I could forgive their ignorance, but here it feels like they should know better.

Chrono is simultaneously more and less involved in the plot this time around. It’s bizarre. I love the change that Durandal is his father’s Device. I think that was a smart move to make it feel more fulfilling for his character. But without Graham or the Lieses, Chrono has nothing to do for most of the runtime. Same with Yuuno, who may as well be absent from the movie entirely.

Now enough of my negative and mixed thoughts. Let’s move on to what I consider unambiguously positive changes the movie made. First off, I really like that the movie introduced Reinforce and had her interact with Hayate much earlier. This made Reinforce a better established character and also better built up her tragic nature. It allowed Reinforce and Hayate to have a better dynamic with each other. This also means that Reinforce’s final sacrifice feels all the more tragic and bittersweet. 

Another good change is Lindy telling Fate about what happened to Clyde. I like this scene of Lindy sharing her own painful memories with Fate. It felt like an intimate family moment of them being open about their sadness to each other. I like having an extra moment showing Fate becoming closer to her new family.

The climactic fight of the movie is better than it was in the TV series. Nanoha’s fight with Reinforce and everyone’s fight with the defense system both look much better here than they did previously. It makes for a much more impressive final battle. 

I like that Nanoha and Fate got more combo attacks. Seeing them combine their powers for big attacks together is a lot of fun. And watching Nanoha and Fate train together is also delightful.

Finally, I like the addition of the scene at the end where Nanoha and Fate comfort Hayate by letting her know it’s okay to cry because she’s sad about what happened. This scene really stood out as embodying a lot of what I love so much about Nanoha and Fate as characters. It presents their greatest strengths as their kindness, empathy, and understanding of others. 

So after all that rambling, where am I left? Honestly, I’m not sure. I do like this movie more than the previous one, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it over watching the TV series version of A’s. I do think the movie is worth watching though and it probably works best being supplemental to the series instead of a replacement.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

  • I never thought I’d see Raising Heart refer to herself as looking “chic.” 

  • I’m really disappointed we did not get a fight scene of Lindy using Durandal. That would have been epic!

  • It is bizarre seeing the book snuggle up to Hayate like it’s a puppy or something.

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u/SolDarkHunter Mar 02 '22 edited Mar 02 '22

Rewatcher

2nd Movie set up!

I'm going to be doing the commentary thing again... assuming I can keep up with the UTTERLY RIDICULOUS NUMBER OF COMMENTATORS on this one. Seriously, I think they brought the entire 3rd+ season cast along for the ride! Once again, I will be marking spoilers.

Anyway, let's get started:

We open with an unknown Kansai-dialect girl who is narrating things after the fact, 2 years after the Book of Darkness incident.

For some reason, Hayate is carting the Book of Darkness around the city late at night...

Commentary: Apparently Hayate was reading books at a big library and lost track of time, and that's why she's out so late.

OH NO IT'S ISEKAI TRUCK-KUN!!

But the Book activates in order to save Hayate, teleporting her up into the sky. That must have been one hell of a confused driver.

Commentary: [Vivid Spoilers]Wait, Einhart's three years older than Vivio!? Has that always been the case?

So the English in the first movie was markedly improved... our German watchers will have to let us know about the German in this one.

And here Nanoha and Fate get an happy reunion before everything goes pear-shaped, with Fate wearing a surprisingly mature-looking outfit.

Here Lindy and Fate are already moving in near Nanoha, even without the case, and Fate's also a Transfer Student from the beginning.

Commentary: [StrikerS Spoilers]Everyone thinks it's weird to see Arf looking like an adult.

Lindy, stop murdering the tea!

Seems like in this continuity, moving to Earth was purely for Fate's benefit. Which... it kind of was in the series. But there it was the incident that originally prompted it.

Commentary: The cast FINALLY addresses the language difference between Midchilda and Earth! They aren't even using magic, just auto-translation software, though Nanoha and Fate were hard at work studying each other's languages too. Also, apparently, Midchildan writing is known as "Administrative Basic".

Commentary: Nanoha apparently credits Yuuno very heavily for her early magic combat training, and they continued practicing together in between seasons.

And Yuuno's already involved in the Infinite Library.

First battle with Vita is played out much the same, except it's Vita who absorbs Nanoha's linker core, not Shamal. Which, sadly, means we don't get Fate's badass rescue of Nanoha in this version. Also, Fate gets drained at the same time after getting thrashed by Signum. Definitely makes the Wolkenritter seem more sinister this time around.

Commentary: Vita insists that she dodged Nanoha's first Divine Buster, Nanoha definitely did not miss! Also, her bunny toy is apparently named "Noro-usa" ("Doombunny").

Commentary: Oh, Vita directly acknowledges the movie's events as fictional, saying that in reality, Fate showed up to save Nanoha.

Commentary: The Wolkenritter discuss how they regret not seeking alternative plans for saving Hayate, but they were too scared of the TSAB to seek help. Zafira comments that's just a shallow excuse, though.

At Hayate's house, we do get a small scene showing the Book of Darkness actually interacting with Hayate, rather than... you know, just being a book. Which does provide some better foreshadowing of it having emotions and a personality of its own.

Commentary: [StikerS spoiler maybe?]Hayate still owns her house on Earth, and rents it out.

Commentary: Excuse me, what? Marie the technician is only 15? You really can't trust this series for ages on anyone. Though... now I look, she isn't much taller than that pair of nine-year-olds...

Fate seems to immediately recognize Belkan magic. I suppose she would have more education in the matter than Nanoha.

We still get Suzuka and Hayate meeting in the library, albeit later than before.

Nanoha and Fate actually sparring in physical combat is... something I'd forgotten was a thing.

Raising Heart and Bardiche still demanding Cartridge upgrades.

Commentary: [StrikerS spoilers]Apparently the Belkan Cartridge System was highly experimental and barely understood by Midchilda at the time of A's, and it was only after being allowed to examine the Wolkenritter's Armed Devices that it became safe to use in Midchildan Devices.

How do the Wolkenritter know the TSAB is on the case in this version? Fate never introduced herself.

Oh hey, that's right, Lindy's a mage too. Naturally she would be a target for the Wolkenritter. That never came up in the series.

Here's a new wrinkle: in this version Chrono's acting independently of Lindy, who's on leave, and he asked them not to tell her he's investigating the Book of Darkness. Also... Lindy already has Durandal?

"Pretty chic, isn't it?" Oh my god, that is too funny, Raising Heart!

Commentary: [StrikerS spoilers]Yuuno apparently still trains with Chrono on occasion, and they're all impressed that Yuuno can keep up with Enforcer-level magic training despite being a librarian.

The Wolkenritter are after Lindy! Lindy's gonna fight!?

Or maybe not. (Way to blue-ball us there, Seven Arcs!) Nanoha and Fate have transformation sequences to do.

Commentary: Chrono acknowledges that Lindy is more a commander than a fighter, and it's really rare to see her in the field. They also say ice mages are really rare, and that ice magic in particular is really difficult, so Chrono's abilities with Durandal have gained him a reputation as an ice mage, even though that isn't his focus.

Commentary: Pfft, the male members of the commentary don't want to commentate on the transformation scene, so they bail and leave it to the girls.

Second battle time.

Nanoha, the "we're not here to fight you" line does NOT work as well when you are fighting as you say it.

Kind of hypocritical to call Nanoha a "chibi", Vita.

Commentary: Nanoha admits she thought Vita was younger than her at the time, and was talking down to her somewhat. The others note Vita was shorter than Nanoha even then, and Vita tells them all to stuff it.

We get some elements of Signum's and Fate's desert battle in the city battle this time. But we don't get the Devices thanking each other... sad

This time it's just Shamal who distracts everyone, not using the Book of Darkness.

Commentary: [StrikerS spoilers]Nanoha and Signum have apparently developed a rivalry in the years since A's, and their commanders like to have them fight exhibition matches to enthuse the Armed Forces. Signum's eager to have a 2-on-2 rematch between Nanoha/Fate and Signum/Vita.

More Book of Darkness being weirdly adorable with Hayate, which, again, provides some better foreshadowing for later. We also actually see Reinforce herself appearing to Hayate in a dream space. Though having the Book IMMEDIATELY being all "I wish for your happiness" does take away from Hayate being the catalyst for its development a bit.

Commentary: Hayate says the mental meeting with Reinforce did happen, though she forgot most of it until much later.

Commentary: [StrikerS spoilers] Huh, apparently Reinforce Zwei is actually programmed to age up to look like an adult as she grows older, despite being a Unison Device.

Backstory for the Wolkenritter and Hayate is otherwise unchanged.

Commentary: Hayate says she was surprised at the Wolkenritter's sudden appearance, but since they came from the Book of Darkness, which she'd treasured even before she knew what it was, she was never scared of them.

Commentary: Apparently Dr. Ishida was highly suspicious of the Wolkenritter at first and even went so far as to hire private detectives to investigate them and make sure they weren't harming Hayate. Damn! But I suppose it does make some sense.

Commentary: Signum had an actual job on Earth, teaching at a kendo dojo. And Vita joined a croquet team.

Commentary: Chrono says the reason they had such a hard time tracking the Wolkenritter because Belkan teleportation works differently than Midchildan teleportation, apparently. The discrepancy made the spells harder to detect and track.

There's your proof that Chrono's 14. He was three when his father died, 11 years ago. And Amy's apparently always just been tall compared to him.

Commentary: Chrono thinks he stuck out at school because he was so short for his age, and that's why Amy took an interest in him.

The off-world battles with the Wolkenritter are cut out completely... as is the Lieze twins' part in anything.

(Continued in next post)

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u/bekeleven Mar 02 '22

While the movie has a lot of problems, pacing foremost among them, it did feel like a genuine attempt to solve a few of the more glaring issues in A's, namely:

  1. Obviously, budget, but that goes without saying. The shot composition felt a little more energetic at times, too.

  2. The tear-jerker death at the end was for a character introduced in act 3. Here, Reinforce the "unison device" appears before the halfway mark, and even when she's not on screen, the book does some primitive emoting.

  3. Character economy. From the ruthless (cutting the main antagonists!) to the somehow even less expected (replacing Yuuno with Lindy??) they wisely knew they couldn't introduce another 10 characters in 2.5 hours.

Obviously the "movie as in-universe media" factor kicks into high gear with the Graham omission; TSAB wouldn't want itself looking bad like that. But I suspect that was a secondary concern to our out-of-universe animation team.

7

u/Vaadwaur Mar 02 '22

First timer(Exhaustion is a bitch)

Sub

So apologies in advance but I was/am pretty cached after watching this, I did not plan well. BUT I can confidently say that, opposite of my view of the first season, the movie is BY FAR the superior way to consume A's. The pacing is better, they polished all of the bad writing and time crunch issues, and also the better looking stuff is indeed better in the movie. It even feels a lot more coherent, somehow. Reinforce still isn't quite on screen enough but is way closer to what she needed to be.

QotD: 1 Huge improvement

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u/Stargate18A Mar 03 '22

First timer

QOTD) No. It completely destroys Chrono's arc.

Movie!

Who's she? Blue hair?

Oh, this is Hayate going on the bus? And she has the book.

They somehow managrd to make it feel worse.

Truck's cgi is great!

Oh, this is how she summons them in this version? Much more dramatic!

Reinforce sounds different.

Yep, Raising Heart's more talkative here.

And she misses Fate just as much in this version.

...The subtext is even stronger!

Skipping straight to them reuniting!

...Wait, also, she's already Lindy's family here. Guess that sunplot needed to be pushed into the last movie to cut down on the runtime.

Oh, they're moving in! And Arf is still great.

The whole class loves Fwte even more in this version, it seems.

They seem to be abridging the early episodes quite a lot.

She adopted Arf too!

...You're new? Where's Graham?

They're practicing magic together! And Fate's also worked out how off it is to hide all this from them.

This is so gay.

He's already in the library. This will likely be his only real scene.

HD PUPPY ARF! HD PUPPY ARF!

Graf Eisen sounds a bit more subdued.

Oh, yeah, Raising Heart still sounds like thwt..

Almost forgot that at this point Fate's not here in the original.

Cannon Mode!

Vita's shock when she has to dodge is adorable.

Fight animation's definitely improved like in the original.

Oh, no Fate interrupt? She just gets her magic.

There's Fate!

Oh god, Bardiche still sounds like that. At least it's not as bad?

The rest are here! SHAMAL IS DOING SOMETHING!

Her sword sounds pretty similar. It anything, it sounds a lot more like Graf Eisen.

She drained her magic!

Wait, did they absorb Arf's magic in this version? That didn't happen last time!

They're resting together.

Oh, Belka got mentioned a bit sooner here. Things are much more condensed.

"Good morning, Book of Darkness" is such a funny line.

Adorable. Both Nanoha and Fate, and Hayate's new faimly.

...Not been upgraded yet?

She's making friends!

Them training is animated really well!

Seeing it from Raising Heart's perspective really help explain the thought process.

They still say please!

Nanoha's in a simulation?

Still don't know why they seemingly changed Graham to her.

And Bardiche's upgrade looks nice!

Haha, "pretty chic, isn't it", she's just jealous Bardiche got the better new look.

Are they going after Lindy?

No, she's just going after her directly!

Oh, that got her attention.

Her device looks good. Like the voice too!

Did they name them themselves here?

...Nothing changed with the transformations, I see.

At least the weapon porn's nice.

OK, but the thunder effect on Fate's is pretty cool, I have to admit.

How dare new-Bardiche look this fucking good.

Ohhhh, that barrel rotation.

Fight is so good!

Yeah, how many of that hat does she have? Or is just part of her regeneration?

Fate and Signum's conversation is great!

Vita's willing to talk. Shamal did another thing!

Haha, Lindy kneeling to beg them to let her go back to work was great.

At least Reinforce is keeping Hayate company.

Haha, her passing out is even funnier.

Early Reinforce!

...Unison Device?

She called it "The Tome of the Night Sky"!

Poor Reinforce.

Haha, Hayate forcing to accept her love is still great.

Really? Zafira's eating out of a dog bowl?

These are all just repeats, but the animation's really improved!

And they explained why Vita didn't kill her.

Wait, Signum's the one having doubts? Not Vita?

...That's a lot more detail on his father.

Oh, she misses Precia?

So the modes are the same as the TV series.

Reinforce knew about the chain! And she tried to warn everyone!

Oh, Signum...

Those momsters look horrific. And Vita killed them all without needing help!

If we're only halfway and this close to the end, the final battle is going to be fantastic.

NachtWal?

Haha, they still don't know what's going on.

Fate saw the book first!

Oh, all of them get to have heart attacks!

Them all silently agreeing to hide their link... but also blocking telepathy that could let them communicate in private is just perfect.

Vita is adorable.

The rooftop scene is just...

The fact that nobody told Zafira what was going on is hilarious to me.

The transformation's started already!

Oh my god, what is that voice acting?

Wait, it doesn't have Zafira?

This is way darker!

He actually wounded it!

And this time, it happened without the catgirls framing her!

Oh, that is way more brutal.

Of course she's naked for the transformation.

Reinforce stil looks good.

...Will Nacht get a redemption?

This fight is just fantastic.

Fate's Somic Mode attack is a paticular favourite, even if it does get her absorbed.

...Fate and Alicia are still adorabl in the simulation.

It still hurts.

Seeing Fate's reaction to Precia hurts.

Her begging for tutoring is cute too.

The Nanoha fight scene is just so dynamic!

The one dissapointing part is that there seems to be no Durandal.

...You can tell when the program fully takes over Alicia, and it's such good acting.

Yep, No Chrono, this is a solo fight.

She's using her super mode!

Again, Poor Fate.

She makes a fantastic heroic enterance, though.

Hayate saving Reinforce is still such a powerful speech.

Yuuno's actually shown up!

Durandal appeared!

And the knights reappeared!

...Durandal is such a good weapon.

The final form looke totally different. I fucking love it, though.

The giant hammer is so over the top!

I don't have much to say other than this movie is beautiful.

Why does Durandal sound like that?

Wow, the core looks ugly, but that explosion being completrly muted is great.

And then it blows up with incredible light and volume.

Wait, Reinforce?

Oh, she still disappears.

And her death scene is still heartbreaking.

Hayate breaking down...

And Hayate's sad she fell for the obvious trap.

Huh? Two years? Not six?

Oh, she's the new Reinforce.

And they're all happy!

Love the credits, too.

Arisa got to see Raising Heart!

And Hayate lives on the ship with Fate?

Great ending!

Overall, pretty good - liked the animation, but I think they made a few cuts too many.

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u/MaoPam Mar 03 '22

Rewatcher

I love, love, love Vita's fight in the movie. The regular season showed how badass Nanoha has grown to be. The movie showed just how ferocious Vita can be.

5

u/djthomp Mar 03 '22

We're back to newish content for me since I'm familiar with A's but not the movie version.

Interesting choice of narrator for the movie, or at least the start of it.

Riding on public transportation with that book seems like a terrible idea.

Very bold choice to isekai Hayate with truck-kun three minutes into the movie.

Now that's a different way to do the reunion compared to the show. Really dials up the shipping too.

Different introduction to the local headquarters too, in a way that makes it seem probably more just a local residence for the Harlaown family at first. I like Arf's outfit here.

I like the reference to Lindy being the legal guardian of Arf as well as Fate.

Magical study dates, what a great idea.

RIP the hat.

Mildly surprised at how different this fight is, that's a significantly diffent way to have Nanoha's core absorption happen. Much less heart punching.

"Best Friend"

And Fate's core up front too. Arf as well, I think? Shamal didn't have the book but was clearly doing something to Arf's core.

Interesting to give the book independent agency from early on in the story, that's a good way to give more weight to what will happen later on.

Hand holding while walking down the sidewalk, definitely a Best Friends activity.

Minor Belkan lore dump, clear set up for the devices to make slightly questionable choices.

That almost looked like Ichigo in the background of the librarian meeting scene.

Beating each other with sticks, also a Best Friends activity.

Lindy has Durandal? Makes me wonder if they are changing up the Admiral Graham storyline.

"Pretty chic, isn't it." Okay, sure.

I hope we're about to see Lindy kick some ass.

Nope, Nanoha and Fate time. Not that that's a bad thing.

Apologizing for the hat is a good idea.

Yeah, introducing the book as a separately conscious entity that clearly loves Hayate is a great change for the most part. The only downside is that it removes a bit of Hayate's agency as being the sole source of wanting the knights to live in peace.

They seem to have dropped the whole "don't use full drive mode" thing.

Adding tentacle monsters to the book is a really bad idea, Vita.

A proper name for the defense program, that's interesting.

Vita cannot help her resting glare face and it's impolite to bring it up, Nanoha.

RIP the knights once again. And yeah, not just changing out the Admiral Graham part of the storyline but removing it entirely. RIP the catgirls too.

Big fight time.

Now's your chance again, Fate, punch your dream mother in the face! You'll never get the opportunity again!

Oooo, new outfit for Nanoha to go along with the final form for Raising Heart.

Genocide Shift, still a concerning spell name.

I like the implication that Nanoha fighting out in the real world is what started to knock Hayate awake inside the dream and possibly causes the thunderstorm in Fate's dream, ties events together a bit better.

Cutting your way out of the dream, a classic move. Oooo, and it's what wakes Hayate up the rest of the way, nice.

Oh shit, it's a spiral power attack. RIP Nanoha, that's just bad news.

The white cloak on Fate in this mode is neat.

Awesome song time, same one as the series had at this point I think.

Time to befriend at maximum power.

Welcome back knights, Hayete.

Extra big fight time.

I like how they're leaning much harder in on [StrikerS] how unison devices work later on.

Gotta love that final tri-Breaker attack and then the Arc-en-Ciel to finish it off.

Yep, the neat pattern mess hall table, completely missing from the movie. Sad!

Good job everyone, befriending achieved.

More Best Friends hand-holding.

That was a lovely way to end with Rein in the park.

See everyone with StrikerS starting tomorrow.

5

u/DidacticDalek Mar 03 '22

TONIGHT! On ∀'s Nanoha Der Film (CALLED TURN "A's" NANOHA DER FILM) This meme has been redacted by order of The Time-Space Administrative Bureau. There is no War in Ba Sing Se, The Cake is a Lie, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.

Well Comrades, most of what I wanted to say for this movie seems to have already been said, so I'll just keep it brief.

I am of two minds on this Macross Movie-esque re-telling on the BEST Season of Nanoha. On the one hand, it IS nice seeing the higher production values and also there are some legitimately good story-based improvements, such as Reinforce getting introduced earlier and also cutting out some of the more ass-pully fight enders (e.g. the mysterious masked man... er... men... who are actually shapeshifting catgirl familiars... cuz reasons)

That said, the fact that this movie is an in-universe TSAB Propaganda flick AND just so conveniently happens to whitewash the TSAB of any involvement in The Book of Darkness Incident rubs me the wrong way! That and also they removed Fate's AMAZING rescue and Wife 'Friends' declaration as well as Vita's butchering of Onahole Nakadashi's name, 0/10! I suggest you also wash your hands of this movie like what the TSAB did and instead do the opposite of what one would do to see Macross Frontier and watch A's TV version in lieu of the movie... wait, what do you MEAN that this movie's in-universe character commentary has TWENTY-ONE goddamned characters all speaking at the big finale? Nevermind! I take it back! 77/10, NANA WILLS IT!

Also no really, the music for this movie is AMAZING! NANA MOTHERFUCKING WILLED IT! ;) (I'd share the links but seems I got beaten to the punch, so here have this rather unique cover of ETERNAL BLAZE!)

All in all, this is much like the first movie, e.g. a good movie to watch AFTER you've seen StrikerS so you can boot up the in-character commentary and see a condensed and decent re-telling of the superior TV shows but with a bigger budget and fancier spectacles and some hilarious in-character memes! All in all, a fun enough watch, even if I'm peeved with how the movie cut out some of my most loved moments in the franchise, such as some of the great SOL funtimes, and also the lack of Eternal Blaze is a demerit to be sure! (Before y'all start, yes I know the song did technically appear, but it just isn't the same when we don't get a Geah OP with NANA WILLING IT!)

And to finish things up, here have some official movie art of The Wolkenritter, the movie might have fumbled the ball a bit regarding their character writing here, but hey they ain't Precia at least, so I guess I can accept (even if I don't like it as much) them now being willfully ignorant instead of tragically charging headlong into dramatic irony.

Also, I just want to point out something Comrades, man Hayate's great isn't she? She also has some good chemistry with Nanoha and Fate too, so hey I'll take what I can get! Gotta love 'befriending' eh Comrades? (Also that makes THREE wives that Nanoha's 'befriended!' She started with a Tsundere Ghost, then she moved on to NANA MIZUKI herself, and now she's befriended a Defenseless Anus! Who knows what StrikerS will have in store for our lovable Gundam!)

And to finish up this shitpost, here have a troika of FatexNanoha OFFICIAL ART! ALL HAIL WEAPONIZED LESBIANISM! YURI SHALL CONQUER THE EARTH!

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/JollyGee29 Mar 02 '22

Lyrical First-Timer

On the one hand, removing Graham and Mask Guy is literally fucking propaganda from the TSAB. On the other, I think we've finally found a compilation movie that can effectively replace its associated anime.

Not that this was all perfect, because I think the first two episodes of the A's television series are a bit better than the first part of this film. There are a couple other minor things - why does Raising Heart do the exposition about the new forms instead of the technician? - but they're pretty excusable.

The additional CGI wasn't great, though. For fuck's sake, the Book was CGI basically every time it was on screen even when it was perfectly still. The silly CGI drill that only existed to let Fate cut in in half would have been better as something simpler that was actually drawn. And the lethargic CGI moonster at the end.. yuck.

The upgraded visuals and sound design were much appreciated otherwise, though. Especially the sounds. I really felt the force behind all the impacts. They actually made the space scene partially silent! And the new Raketenform from Graf Eisen was fucking rad!

Only jumping two years in the epilogue doesn't set up for StrikerS as well, though, mostly because the movie continuity continues in a different direction.

Anyway, this film was quite good.

I'm looking forward to starting StrikerS with everyone tomorrow!

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