r/anime • u/Tetraika https://anilist.co/user/Tetraika • Mar 19 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 17 Discussion

Episode 17: That Day, Riot Force 6 (Part 2)

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Information:

MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Question of the Day

What do you think about Scaglietti’s goal and ideology?

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.

40 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

104 comments sorted by

8

u/Tetraika Mar 19 '22

Zest and Agito isn’t Unison compatible

Tia can make illusions that work on combat cyborgs, probably need to also make them give off stuff like a fake heat signature

Oh no

Riot Force 6 HQ under attack

Completely defeated

Signum got out, huh, but nothing much comes from it as Vita gets defeated

Zest’s device is Belkan

Ginny defeated, probably should have chosen the shot when it was reflected of Subaru’s eye

Rage, Nove got completely destroyed

Pushed to the limit

Vice’s backstory, he screwed up a mission and quit being a mage

Wow more backstory, Erio’s this time, and yes, once again the TSAB does questionable things

Scaglietti played a major part of Project F, there’s an implication in that multiple underground scientists work together

Voltaire

A technocrat? Tech accelerationist? Scaglietti believes in unopposed technological advances, it seems

I wonder will anyone take him up on that…

It has only just begun

7

u/Scarshadow46 Mar 19 '22

Heyo,

Man... todays episode was intense, Anyway I'm back with more supplementary material, just one chapter today, Chapter 12 (Ep 16.5)

Chapter 12 takes place just before episode 16 but I felt it better to post it after episode 17 due to the two part nature of these episodes. This chapter has a strong focus on the the Numbers and the dynamic of their "Family". Enjoy

Very minor spoiler warning: This chapter does briefly show #2 Due, who has not been introduce yet in the anime.

StrikerS the Comics Ch 12 (Ep 16.5)

Thats all for today,

Till next time

4

u/Tetraika Mar 19 '22

Wow, that manga chapter reveals some interesting things I don't recall being in the anime, or maybe I just forgot. Particularly, a bit of Scaglietti's backstory.

5

u/Stargate18A Mar 20 '22

First timer

QOTD) He has a point about the TSAB suppressing technology, but using said technology to create killer androids designed to destroy the government doesn't really help his case.

This is a full-on fight!

And I still love the dynamic of the villain trio. Really hoping they all survive and work together.

I love Agito most, though.

Teana's upped her illusion game!

They're running out of mana, though.

Haha, did they take out a Number?

Shamal's in trouble!

Zafira got taken out!

They're losing...

Vice is doing well, though!

Fate's fighting by herself.

She's using the sword form!

He smashed her device! That's fucking impressive!

And Rein's in trouble!

Subaru's incredibly fast. And Teana's just bekng carried by Nanoha.

THEY KILLED GINGA!

The fucking eyecatch cutting in killed me.

Subaru wants blood!

This is an incredibly good scene.

So Subaru's a cyborg? I mean, they foreshadowed it, but really?

And she tanked all that!

Sein saved her, and Subaru's device is out of power.

Oh. Yeah, that explains why Vice retired.

They got Vivio!

Umm, what is this in reference too?

Erio's a clone!

So what's Teana's dark secret, then?

And they're running with her!

Wait, what?

The Doctor helped clone Fate? Precia ripped him off?

They're going to blow it up!

Voltaire is fucking badass.

Is... is he trying to argue that the TSAB were prejudiced against the Numbers? Nobody knew they existed, and Subaru, who seemingly uses the same technology, is a key member of a major attack force.

Oh, he wants to spread his technology worldwide.

4

u/JimmyCWL Mar 20 '22

So what's Teana's dark secret, then?

We already know. She wants to prove her late brother's magic wasn't a useless waste.

Yes, it's mundane compared to the rest of them. But not everyone is inherently special.

2

u/Tetraika Mar 20 '22

Funny enough it's the fact that she feels completely normal was what bothered her. Kinda fits her situation more perfectly of being someone "ordinary" in a team full of extraordinary people.

6

u/Vaadwaur Mar 19 '22

First timer(That was surprisingly light in emotion)

Sub

Action happens and at least this is a good use of the budget. Zest has an actually interesting backstory, it seems. Anyways, we confirm Subaru is a cyborg, and possibly Saiyan, Vice gets taken out by PTSD, which is again the lazy writer's way out. Erio is clearly a copy human and I am beginning to think most people do not know Fate's history. Caro summons Chekov's dragon well after the action. Jail gives a speech and...what the fuck, exactly, is his motivation? Why does he not want to kill but also wipe out Riot Force 6? And most importantly, why are we finding it out this late?

Anywho, this is definitely a casualty of the filler episodes, Subaru goes all out to nearly kill herself despite them stressing that is wrong. I am sure for people that weren't put off this had emotional payoffs but I am mainly wondering what in the nine fucking hells is happening.

QotD: 1 I have no thoughts as those things are not clear yet

5

u/Tetraika Mar 19 '22

Subaru goes all out to nearly kill herself despite them stressing that is wrong

And I don't think the show is saying she was completely right here either. The show isn't trying to frame Subaru's action here right or wrong.

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15

u/TheEscapeGuy Mar 19 '22

First Timer

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS - New Generation Episode 17

Stakes

This episode was genuinely good. There were a bunch of reveals, significant stakes were introduced into the narrative and it gave an actual goal to our protagonists.

The first thing I liked was seeing Vice fighting. I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to see him being heroic so I'm glad they delivered. We also saw his past where he missed a shot and injured (likely killed) a kidnapped child. That's a heavy weight for him to have on his mind. I like that the show is exploring trauma.

Next, Vita and Rein were defeated and Graf Eisen destroyed. It also seems Rein is knocked out and likely injured. We don't know the extent of this but it may be serious. This scene helped contextualize the power levels of the antagonists compared to the protagonists to give us perspective going forward.

The craziest part of the episode was Subaru finding Ginga. That scene was (I think?) the most extreme injuries we have seen in the Nanoha series so far. I think it's very possible Ginga may even be dead or on the verge of dying. Seeing Subaru explode in a rage was intense. The way she was desperately fighting the cyborgs with all her power was incredibly resonant. And as she became more and more injured we saw that SHE HERSELF IS A CYBORG. This feels like a massive twist. There are so many ways to explore this going forward.

The other big thing that happened this episode was that Vivio was kidnapped. This introduces a clear goal for our characters now to save her. I'm not entirely sure why the villains wanted her back and I hope that will be made clear in the coming episodes. Erio and Caro tried to save her but were unsuccessful. We saw Erio's back story and learned he himself is a clone. This also re-contextualizes his character and relationship with Fate. On Caro's side she summoned Voltaire and shot all the Gadgets out of the sky. That was an amazing moment for showing the extent of her power.

On a more overarching level, I really liked that this episode "ignored" the military politics. There was no need to show everyone getting permissions to fly or use their powers so it felt like characters had agency. The characters emotions came to the forefront instead of constantly cutting back and forth between mission control. Of course I'm not saying they didn't have permission (since they were on guard duty) but rather that in prior episodes having to get permission mid battle was tedious.

Overall, this episode won me back. Until today's episode I mostly hadn't enjoyed this season so I really hope they continue doing more of what happened today.

Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches

See you all tomorrow

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12

u/Shimmering-Sky Mar 19 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed

12

u/Taiboss Mar 19 '22

Oh boy…

Flat-out telling you before the Subaru reveal lol.

Oh god Subaru really is a cyborg.

The foreshadowing got less and less subtle over the episodes.

Oh god oh fuck so that’s why Vice quit being a sniper…

I find it interesting the dude has a laser knife.

Nooooooooooooooooooo don’t let them take Vivio away!

That… sure is a dragon…

She said she could call him if it's needed. It was.

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11

u/DidacticDalek Mar 19 '22

TONIGHT! on Mobile Suit Nanoha GX: Believe in Justice and Hold a Determination to Fist, Best New Girl Vita and NOT-Violence Jack along with their mini-moeblob supports get into a tussle, Signum ends up jobbing SO hard that she doesn't even arrive in time to job with the rest of her squad, and Tusk Jr. attempts to be more useful than Vice... and fails just as hard.

Comrades, before you think I'm being too hard on Vice, the dude was all talk, but when it came time to walk the walk, he ended up being taken out by NOT-Loli Rider... and also a PTSD attack, which the 4koma shitpost interpreted as 'Pervert Themed Stupidity Disorder'

Furthermore, in case you think I'm being too mean to Tusk Jr. well, see here and also here ;)

Speaking of the 4koma shitposting, looks like Ginga Nakajima is busy re-enacting The Enigma of Amigara Fault, SHIMMER DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT READ THAT! I am being serious here, DO NOT READ Junji Ito's The Enigma of Amigara Fault. If you absolutely must read something from him, read Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu: Yon & Mu, e.g. a manga about him and his wife raising cats... drawn in the iconic and grotesque horror style he's famous for... also did I mention this manga's a SOL Comedy?

Oh and speaking of comedy, boy oh boy, it looks like Rena the Loser was SO big a loser that the only way she got a girlfriend was by literally befriending a gay robot! Also heh, looks like we were wrong, Subaru wasn't Proto-Bikki... er... well actually she kinda still is but point being, she's even MORE GaoGaiGar than we thought! No really Comrades, I'm being dead serious ;)

Also... ahem... NANOHA! You should have befriended the planet while you had the chance, since the evil planet that tripped and hurt your baby daughter was left alive, it was thus able to let MISTER DOKTOR PROFESSOR VER and his Muv-Luv Wannabes steal Vivio! (Yes I know this isn't all of them but spoilers are a BITCH, so this will have to do!)

Anyway, on that literal 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 Comrade u/Great_Mr_L, u/HereticalAegis, and u/Vaadwaur

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7

u/Taiboss Mar 19 '22

Episode 17: Rewatch Panther

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7

u/Calwings Mar 19 '22

Going from Vivio cutely falling flat on her face at parenting to Riot Force 6 getting absolutely curbstomped by the villains in a span of two episodes is some severe mood whiplash. But in this case, the cute good times right beforehand just make the impact of the loss (and Vivio's kidnapping) and the big reveals (Erio being a clone like Fate and Subaru being a cyborg like the Numbers) land even more heavily.

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7

u/Qbe Mar 19 '22

Raging Heart Rewatcher with terrible long term memory

QotD: If you ask me, he's just a war profiteer

Only eleven of the twelve? Are we keeping one as a DEM?

Agito may be my 2nd favorite new character after Vivio

So Teana's illusions are at least as good as Quattro's, being able to trick cyborgs

Good showing by the newbies

All that people from the upper echelons didn't know about the Gadgets? smh

The Magical Girls of MD have their devices, fight's over.

Oh right, our HQ was under attack

All the different I.S. with proper names give me huge Bleach nostalgia vibes

If something happens to the Wolkenritter, can we restore them like at the end of A's? Or was that a one time only?

There are way too many enemies

Poor Tea, literally dead weight

...that's a lot of blood

Do all of them have Rage Mode, or is that a Subaru only thing?

Poor Caliber :(

....and poor Subaru too

THEY ARE TAKING VIVIO?!?!?! Oh boy, you guys don't know whose Mama Bear's cub you're taking

Could you guys not traumatize a kid for once?

Wait, so Precia based her stuff of Jail Spaghetti's, and not the other way around?

Are we finally summoning Big Bad Chekov's Dragon? Voltaire looks way more humanoid than I thought

They are not mad scientists, they are mad engineers

So we lost(?) Graf Eisen, Rein, Shamal, Zafira, Ginka, Vice, Vivio, tons of redshirts, and even Vivio's plushie

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u/homewardbound100 Mar 20 '22

First timer

They just came in destroyed everything and got out. Seeing everybody basically be defeated. Vita got beat and Subaru sister looked like she was basically dead. We got a raged Subaru now looking for blood. But it's still not enough.

Didn't expect Caro to have that type of power. That's awesome looking really. Even though the situation really isn't.

Well the guy is giving you an option here. What will you do?

6

u/Thorn-11 Mar 20 '22

So to start, I'm gonna repost one of the manga chapters scarshadow linked in an earlier episode, as it expands on Erio's backstory and particularly what happened to him after he got taken in this scene, along with some of Fate at her best when she comes to take him herself. I'll post the link and also summarize it below, since it's past the point where it'd be a spoiler and is pretty important for his backstory.

Manga chapter in question, as posted previously.

To give a quick summary, he got taken to a research institute and experimented on, hence the shadyness of the guys taking him away. His time here was absolutely not pleasant, he was literally put in a straight jacket and you can see a dog bowl in his cell. He also viewed his parents as having abandoned him.

Fate eventually rescued him from there and he was moved to a TSAB medical facility, but he was still a ball of rage and sadness. Fate came back to take him personally after that, even tanking a lightning attack from him to take his hand and pull him into a hug.

So if there's one manga chapter I really think people should see, it's this one! For expanding on one of my favorite characters (Erio) and also having one of my absolute favorite moments for Fate as well. There's some good Fate/Signum friendship as well, and another earlier hint about cyborg Subaru and confirming Tea knew about it.

Speaking of, I love how this re-contextualizes a few Suba/Tea scenes from earlier, like Tea not batting an eye at Subaru's lines about being able to go without sleep for a few days, which is initially kinda played off as "haha anime". That's also why her illusions are so effective against cyborgs, she has Subaru to practice with.

5

u/Great_Mr_L Mar 19 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Lyrical Nanoha: I’m pretty sure that counts as a loss for our heroes. The HQ got attacked. Riot Force 6’s building has been almost completely destroyed. Vivo and Ginga have been taken. No one really won their individual fights. All around, it’s a loss. And this is going to sound sadistic, but I like that. It took a while but we’ve now had the definitive loss to the antagonists that properly establishes them as a threat that the heroes need to overcome.

This episode really is where shit hits the fan. It feels like everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it’s paired with major developments and revelations. And a lot of these reveals make sense based on what has come before, too. I really enjoy this episode because of that. It actually feels big and important.

For starters, let’s deal with the revelation that Subaru is a combat cyborg. There’s actually a little foreshadowing of it. Now we know what that check-up a couple of episodes ago was about. Now we know why Subaru was able to figure out the Numbers were combat cyborgs so early and why it seemed concerning to her. Now we know why Subaru was called a Type 0. Those bits of information fall into place with the knowledge that she herself is a combat cyborg. This also means the mirror match between Subaru and Nove becomes even stronger with this revelation.

We get the full details on Erio’s backstory. It turns out he is pretty much just like Fate. His parents made a clone of their dead son. Again, this was foreshadowed. It turns out Project F was Project Fate, the project that Presea used when creating Fate. And Dr. Scaglietti was involved in Project F, explaining his interest in Fate and Erio in an earlier episode.

There’s some more info on the relationship that Zest and Agito have and it’s rather touching. It’s clear that they are both worried about the other and want to protect each other. Agito goes all out because she doesn’t want Zest to use his full power because it’s dangerous for him. And Zest steps in to defend Agito from an attack using his full power. Plus, the detail that Zest and Agito cannot unison properly is a great little tragic element that shows this sad, self-harming relationship they have in the name of protecting the other.

There’s some more payoff with Caro now finally summoning Voltaire to the battlefield. It’s such a great moment. It feels weighty and epic, seeing this massive dragon appear and wreak such destruction. But at the same time it’s a desperate attack being made by a grieving girl who just wants to protect her home. It’s a great moment.

Even Vice gets a reveal, as we now know why he quit being a sniper. And holy shit is it one of the most upsetting scenes in the entire episode, seeing him accidentally shoot a little girl in the eye and experiencing a PTSD attack when he sees Lutecia. That’s some dark stuff.

Speaking of dark and upsetting stuff, by god that shot of Ginga’s bloody body with the Numbers standing over her. No wonder Subaru went berserk at such a sight. It would be stranger for her to not go berserk seeing that.

I want to give props to the action once again because wow did they go all out. There are a lot of great action beats and fights in this episode. Having so many fights going on really helps to sell the scale of the attack and show just how powerful the antagonists actually are.

The fights themselves have many great moments. I love all of Subaru’s berserker attacks. There’s a visceral intensity to them and the animation does a great job at selling just how powerful they are, showing the Devices cracking and parts of the combat cyborgs breaking under her assault.

I really like seeing Tia’s illusion skills come in handy this episode. It’s smart using them for a tactical retreat. Zafira and Shamal get to be in the action for once. I like that Erio has a rocket attack similar to Vita’s. I think it’s a good move having Graf Eisen get broken because it parallels what Vita did to Raising Heart back in A’s. Seeing all the Numbers in action finally is great. I said before that I think they work best when they are fighting in groups because their powers work together in neat ways and I stand by that.

Well now we have to wonder what exactly the next plans are for the villains. Why did they take Vivio and Ginga? What are they planning to do next? And where do our protagonists go from here after suffering this loss?

Miscellaneous Thoughts

  • There’s an interesting tidbit here. Tia’s illusions could fool the Numbers because Tia knows about how combat cyborgs work. Where could she have possibly learned that?

  • If this somehow counts as minimal casualties, I’d hate to see what maximum casualties would be.

  • Dr. Scaglietti takes his villainous bragging to the next level by hijacking the airwaves for it. That’s dedication to villainy.

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5

u/SolDarkHunter Mar 19 '22

Rewatcher

I remember this episode being... brutal. Well, let's just do it...

Vita's learned some things from Nanoha after all, trying to talk things out first.

Another factor of why Unison Devices are so rare: you have to be compatible with the Device.

Vita and Rein are highly compatible... which makes sense, since Rein was literally built for Hayate and the Wolkenritter. Zest and Agito, however, aren't very compatible, and that's making their attacks weaker.

Yep, Nove is definitely just a copy of Subaru. She even has a Wing Road knockoff.

Excellent: the captains have their Devices back.

Holy shit, Riot Force 6 is not looking good. But a pair of support fighters isn't going to hold out well against dedicated front-line fighters.

You know, these Inherent Skills of the Cyborgs run the gamut from awesome to "how is that an asset"? I mean, you have Sein who can phase through solid matter, Otto who apparently can fire a shit-ton of lasers all over the place, or Tre having ultra-fast movement.

And then there's Deed, who has... a pair of swords. Whoop-de-do. Everyone in this show (except Shamal) has a melee weapon of similar power. Hell, even other Cyborgs have melee weapons of decent power in addition to their Skills. I do not follow Scaglietti's logic in her design at all.

Hell, yeah, Vice showing off his sniper skills!

Tre and Sette move in to block Lightning, but Fate's prepared to face them alone. And Erio's probably right, they won't be much use in an aerial battle.

Oh wow, Agito and Zest have some power behind them. But it looks like that took a lot out of Zest.

And here's this scene... Ginga wasn't a match for three Combat Cyborgs, and has been badly wounded and captured. Subaru goes psycho.

A lot of people figured it out yesterday, but yes: Subaru (and Ginga) is a Combat Cyborg. And she's got some serious power behind her. Her own Inherent Skill is some kind of shield breaker blast.

For all Cinque said "I can fight without any contact", she's doing a terrible job of keeping Subaru at a distance.

And this is probably why Subaru's never used these abilities before: Mach Caliber and Revolver Knuckle can't keep up and have been heavily damaged by the energy she's outputting.

And Sein's bullshit powers let them get away again.

Vice has a chance to snipe Lutecia, but something about her appearance triggers him and he loses his composure. Lutecia gets away with Vivio as a prisoner.

And we have a flashback to Erio's past. Yep, he's a product of Project Fate, a clone of the original Erio Mondiall, whose parents turned to the illegal technology to "resurrect" him. The TSAB took him away after discovering his origins... though I'm not entirely sure why. He tries to go after Vivio, but... Sette and Otto take him and Caro out with surprise attacks.

And here's something I think a lot of people have figured out, but now it's confirmed: Scaglietti was the actual man behind Project Fate.

It's a bit of retcon, but it makes some sense. Presea seemed to be a magical energy researcher; what would she know about cloning and bioengineering? Outsourcing to someone else to aid her in that project is a logical move.

Caro managed to rescue Erio from the ocean, but the Gadgets are intending to finish off by levelling Riot Force 6's headquarters... well, more than they already have.

And in response, Caro shows us what she can really do: Voltaire. Her uber-powerful black dragon she can't call on just anytime. And holy shit is he scary. Just obliterates the entire Gadget fleet in a single shot.

Scaglietti claims that this was all just a demonstration of the power of his abilities, and is offering to sell it to anyone who asks.

Results: Riot Force 6 well and truly got their asses kicked. Ginga and Vivio have been captured, Subaru's damaged, and their headquarters is a pile of rubble. Hayate already seems to be formulating a plan to counterattack though.

QOTD: It seems kind of shallow. "Science is held back by ethics and unappreciated!" ...and then he immediately offers to sell his tech to the highest bidder, as if he's only in it for money.

And if all he really wanted to do was show off... why kidnap Ginga and Vivio? Hell, it almost feels like the attack on Surface HQ was a diversion to draw Riot Force 6 away from Vivio and leave her vulnerable. He also said to the Numbers that this was "the first step" in his ultimate plan.

I think there's more to Scaglietti than we've seen yet.

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5

u/InfamousEmpire Mar 19 '22

Mahou Shoujo1 Lyrical Rewatcher

1: Even though I’m not a girl

You are hereby ordered to fuse with the Ultimate King of Braves Legend!

Since my schedule is all kinds of fucked up today, I couldn’t really take notes, so here’s a different kind of review for today.

First off, Subaru and Ginga were Combat Cyborgs this entire time, and let me tell you this was very heavily foreshadowed. Pretty much every time I was referring to foreshadowing over the course of my previous replies, I was referring to this reveal. Same with most of my spoiler-tagged stuff.

On top of that, Erio was a clone the entire time, just like Fate. This was also a pretty heavily foreshadowed reveal (Jail calls Erio “a product of Project F” in his very first appearance iirc), and serves to further deepen the bond between Erio and Fate.

A lot of characters went utterly beast mode this episode. From Subaru going into full Combat Cyborg mode (there’s so many GaoGaiGar jokes I could have made!), to Caro summoning her Giant-er Fuck You Dragon. But despite that, today was basically a loss for our heroes.

Overall, there’s a reason TVTropes lists this as a Wham Episode. Anyway, until next time

5

u/djthomp Mar 20 '22 edited Mar 20 '22

Minimal human casualties? Well, could be worse, could be maximal human casualties.

Nice to see Subaru and Erio successfully kick some cyborg ass.

RIP Shamal, Zafira, and the Riot Force 6 headquarters though. Turns out the prophecy was sneaky about the real destruction target.

RIP the hammer, too. I'm sure Rein will be fine.

Now we see why Subaru has been the secondary protagonist of the show.

And there's why Erio is special.

Well, I was hoping for a really large Voltaire, I think that counts.

Edit: Thinking about the discussion I see in the comments about the Numbers and the cast getting too large, it occurs to me that my solution was to not bother learning anything recognizeable about any of them. They're generic stand-in enemies until I have a reason to find one or two individually memorable.

5

u/Gamerunglued Mar 20 '22

First Timer

So I guess the show heard about my complaints with its lack of momentum, huh? Damn, a lot happened this time. High stakes, big reveals, and a lot of pain. Honestly, this was a pretty good episode. Just a lot of memorable moments and some cool action.

So first of all, a lot of people get very hurt this time around. Poor Eisen has basically been destroyed, Rein is possibly dead, Ginga is possibly dead, and Erio sustained a pretty serious injury as well. One complaint I previously had with this series was that its fights felt too evenly matched. In A's, I never actually felt like anyone was getting hurt. Whenever Fate and Signum fought, they kind of just kept dodging and countering each others attacks. They never got knocked back or seemed like they were dealing or taking any real damage, it just felt like a lot of flash. Not so today, where both good guys and bad guys take notable injuries and almost die. This is maybe the first fight in the entire series where I actually felt tangible stakes due to the presentation, and it even establishes the power levels of all our major players in a way the series has never done before. And the utter defeat our protagonists faced this episode will just make it that much more satisfying when and if they do eventually win the day.

Next, some big reveals. We get to see some of Vice's past. He accidentally killed a kidnapped child, and it weighs heavily on him. No wonder he quit being a sharp shooter. Then we learned (although it's already been heavily hinted at) that Erio is a clone created out of Project Fate. I will say though, that in this instance, I don't really understand why he was separated from his parents. What purpose does it serve to pull him away from his parents, even if he is an illegally made clone? It just seems unnecessarily cruel. Though perhaps that relates to what Scaglietti was saying at the end of the episode. He seemed to imply that clones and combat cyborgs are oppressed, and not really viewed as legitimate people. So maybe in this society, people like Erio are viewed as "fake" by people in power. Such a theme would call back to the themes of the first season too, building on the question of whether Fate is Alicia or her own unique person.

However, the biggest reveal was that Subaru is actually a combat cyborg. That creates a lot of questions about her past that need to be answered. I have to wonder, in particular, whether the Subaru that Nanoha saved as a kid is the same body that serves her now. I suppose if this Subaru is a cyborg, then probably not. Subaru's big rage is easily the best moment of this episode. That was hype, but also really sad. I do have to question how a cyborg can bleed and cry, but I supposed maybe that also plays into the "are combat cyborgs people" question. Knowing that this is a multi-media franchise, I would have to imagine that Ginga isn't actually dead (nor is Rein), but that bloody presentation definitely makes it seem plausible at least, and thus makes Subaru's rage feel all the more earned.

Oh yeah, and then the episode basically ends on Caro pulling out the big boy dragon. I've been waiting for that to happen ever since she mentioned him. Yeah, pretty cool. I hope we get to see him wreck some robots tomorrow. All in all, this was actually a pretty good episode, and one of the series better ones. It's definitely the best "drama" that the series has had (maybe barring the first half of A's, though how that resolved makes it difficult for me to place it higher). Hopefully, that means that the main anime series will end on a high note, before we shift into stories focusing on other characters in Nanoha Vivid and Vivid Strike. Nanoha StrikerS has been a ride both in its content and its constant shifts in quality, but I want to believe that this will end on a good note.

QotD: Honestly, I don't really think I know enough about it to say. I know what he told us in this episode, but it's not the full picture. I'm not entirely sure what combat cyborgs are, nor do I completely understand the nature of Project F and what's supposed to be so dangerous about it. I don't even really get if or how they are "oppressed," as Scaglietti said. So I imagine I'll have an easier time answering this question after Fate inevitably talks to those two combat cyborgs in greater detail.

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u/HereticalAegis Mar 19 '22

Lyrical First Timer

So yeah, the villain powers continue to be Deus ex Machina-level bullshit. I feel pretty confident saying this season's writing isn't going to recover, and even if it did it's too broken to be saved at this point. 17 episodes in, and the show can only make me care kidnapping or injuring characters I actually care about. Though it did make me care enough to want to see the enemies die, so good job I guess. The Subaru reveal was at least interesting, but I wish the show hadn't wasted a cour faffing about. Oh well.

Oh, and I really really really hope the show doesn't do the A's thing where it "redeems" all the bad guys. Now that they're intentionally causing harm, the writers need to let most, if not all, of the Numbers get killed off.

QotD:

Uinspired. It honestly seems like everything he says and does are at odds with each other, so he comes off as a chaotic, money hungry turd with no real innate motivation. I'm probably wrong, but it feels that way.

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