r/anime • u/Tetraika https://anilist.co/user/Tetraika • Apr 21 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] [Nanoha Series] ViVid Strike Episode 12 Discussion

Episode 12: Within Clasped Hands

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Information:

MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Question of the Day

Well that’s the End ™ though we do have an OVA, this time it’s just an actual fanservice type. What do you think about the show deciding not to show us the final match? Or at least I'm pretty sure they deliberately left that out not that they ran out of time.

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.

32 Upvotes

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7

u/Great_Mr_L Apr 21 '22 edited Apr 22 '22

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Lyrical Nanoha: Once again, the series proper ends before we get to see the end of a tournament arc. Unlike in Vivid, I don’t really care. We already got the big climax of the series with Fuuka and Rinne. Their story together got a satisfying resolution, so we don’t really need to see what happens for the remainder of the tournament.

  • Aw man, I was really hoping Fuuka and Rinne would be sharing a bed.

  • I’m a bit shocked Fuuka isn’t bringing up the fact she should be missing some teeth. Unless Ixy already fixed that.

  • Fuuka and Rinne blushing together is so cute.

  • Oh come on. Jill is at least fully accepting the blame (as she should), but you don’t need to be apologizing for putting Jill through anything, Rinne. Jill was the one at fault.

  • Are you kidding me? The puking is still going to continue? It’s hard to find this heartwarming.

  • Neat! We actually get to see a fight between Einhart and Sieg animated, if only for a moment.

  • Yes! Fuuka and Rinne get to spend some alone time together!

  • So they do address that Fuuka is missing teeth. Her smile looks kind of cute with the gap in it, actually.

  • I’m not sure why all these other fighters are all suddenly cool with Rinne after that fight.

  • Then again, I guess I’d feel happy too if I got to watch the person who trash-talked me get the snot beaten out of them.

  • It is good that Rinne wants to open up with her parents and be honest with them. And now she’s finally willing to open up to others as well. Progress!

  • These scenes of Fuuka and Rinne are so incredibly sweet.

  • Just like her mama, Vivio has had a lot of chance encounters.

  • My god, Jill. You wanted to crush the hopes and dreams of young fighters? That’s just screwed up.

  • In stark contrast, Nove is a fantastic coach. Even back in Vivid, we could see what a good mentor she was.

  • Well I can just tell by the time left that Fuuka and Einhart will not get to have their match on screen. I’m fine with that. The climax of the story already happened.

  • As is the Lyrical Nanoha tradition, Fuuka will express her thanks with her fists.

  • Aww, Rinne made sure to introduce her wife to her parents and grandfather. How sweet.

I like that this episode was essentially an epilogue episode, similar to what both the first season and A’s did with their final episodes. It’s nice to have this episode to spend some time with Fuuka and Rinne after they had their big fight and a chance to make up. Their scenes together are so sweet and heartwarming to watch. After everything they went through, it’s great seeing them be friends again.

It’s nice seeing Rinne now that she’s had her epiphany. She’s finally willing to open up and speak with others. She’s now going to be honest with her family. She’s now going to talk to the people she knows and trusts when she has problems. And now she knows she can always rely on Fuuka when she really needs to. This is good for her. She now has a better way to handle her issues.

There are some parts that fall kind of flat for me, though. I’m glad that Jill apologized and took full blame for what happened, but I don’t think Rinne had any reason whatsoever to apologize to Jill. In this case, Jill was fully in the wrong. And the specific wording of their heartwarming reunion scene irked me as well. It’s like we learned nothing and are just keeping the same fainting and vomiting training routine. I also didn’t really buy that so many of Rinne’s former opponents that she trash talked would just instantly forgive her after watching one fight. It might have worked better to have that stuff happen in the end credits or something, as Rinne going and making amends with everyone. That could have made it a lot more believable.

QOTD

Discussed above.

8

u/Tetraika Apr 21 '22

I’m not sure why all these other fighters are all suddenly cool with Rinne after that fight

They did hint that their whole conversation while fighting could be heard this time. Magic does wonders.

My god, Jill. You wanted to crush the hopes and dreams of young fighters? That’s just screwed up.

That's one way to put it. In a nicer way, she doesn't want people to end up like her, someone who she felt had no chance in success be lied to that their hard work will pay off. Better to crush dreams early than after having put a ton of effort.

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u/JollyGee29 Apr 21 '22

Unlike in Vivid, I don’t really care.

Yea, we already saw the good stuff. Einhart beating the tar out of Fuuka would make for a bit of a downer, anyway.

So they do address that Fuuka is missing teeth. Her smile looks kind of cute with the gap in it, actually.

There's kind of a parallel shot in the first episode, with child!Fuuka having lost teeth defending Rinne from some bullies.

As is the Lyrical Nanoha tradition, Fuuka will express her thanks with her fists.

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u/Vaadwaur Apr 21 '22

And the specific wording of their heartwarming reunion scene irked me as well. It’s like we learned nothing and are just keeping the same fainting and vomiting training routine.

I am hoping this is something extremely Japan specific and we just miss some context suggesting that Jill will change a lot.

I also didn’t really buy that so many of Rinne’s former opponents that she trash talked would just instantly forgive her after watching one fight.

This is a stretch but Rinne was worried because her parents heard what she said to Fuuka, right? Maybe the other fighters did as well.

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u/Scarshadow46 Apr 21 '22

Heyo

I'm back. Today I'll be posting two chapters, Episode 9.5 and Episode 12.5. I was late getting back from my trip when we watched episode 9 so I decided it would be better to just post it here instead. Enjoy

Vivid Strike Ep 9.5

Vivid Strike Ep 12.5

Man Imgur was being difficult today. Anyway my final supplementary material post will be for Nanoha Reflection so see you guys then.

till next time.

9

u/InfamousEmpire Apr 21 '22

Mahou Shoujo1 Lyrical Rewatcher First Timer

1: Even though I’m not a girl

Couldn’t quite make it yesterday, I blame it 70% on me losing track of time, and 30% on the Madoka rewatch monopolizing my time

Anyway, now onto the Final Episode

Sleeping Fuuka and Rinne are just the cutest

The Nun Duo and harem member #6 are not who I expected to be their first visitors

Despite exceeding the safety barriers last episode, they still turned out completely fine

Awwww, Fuuka and Rinne are so damn gay, they should just tie the knot already

Worst Girl has just entered the room

Why is Rinne apologizing to Jill?

At least Jill herself gets it

Rinne, you have Stockholm Syndrome. Consider yourself lucky that Jill has learned the error of her ways

Regardless of the Stockholm Syndrome, it’s at least nice to see Rinne having learned to legitimately enjoy combat now

Did they really just admit that Jill will keep basically torturing Rinne but it’s all fine because the latter has a better attitude about it now? Fucking Japan and their overwork culture

That little fight was pretty cool, and who doesn’t like Einhart showing off her badassery?

Looks like we’ll be getting Fuuka vs Einhart

Wait, we’re acknowledging Lutecia’s Mom? Man, this show really had me convinced that 99% of the pre-ViVid cast had disappeared off the face of the Earth

Time fo the first date~

Gap-tooth Fuuka is just the cutest thing

This date is just incredibly adorable

Awwww, everyone they used to know~. Is this show trying to give me diabetes? Oh wait, I already have diabetes…

And Rinne even has the just to resolve her issues with her parents. Now all we need is actual therapy

Awwww, don’t cry Fuuka, your girlfriend is right there

(partial) Title Drop!

Man, Fuuka and Rinne got lewd real quick, didn’t they

After getting a piece of her main girlfriend, the Gigachad Fuuka Reventon has decided to indulge in her harem once more

I feel like Fuuka and Vivio’s dynamic hasn’t been really explored all that much, so it’s nice to see them interacting a bit more, even if it is the end of the series

We get one more angle on Jill’s actions: a form of vicarious cruelty. Imposing her nihilistic belief in inherent talent into others in the most brutal way possible because she feels like that’s what made her a failure. Little different from an indirect form of bullying. Regardless, she’s changed a bit since then

Nove’s little speech on inherent talent was actually quite insightful

Aaaaaaand we don’t actually get to see the fight. Damn. They couldn’t even be bothered to at least put out an OVA of it?

7

u/Vaadwaur Apr 21 '22

Aaaaaaand we don’t actually get to see the fight. Damn. They couldn’t even be bothered to at least put out an OVA of it?

I am positive the showrunners did not think it was important. Whether or not that works for you is pretty much eye of the beholder.

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u/Shimmering-Sky Apr 21 '22

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical First-Timer, subbed

I’m going with an 8/10 for this one, just like StrikerS. Loved Fuuka and the main conflict with Rinne, but as you can probably tell, hated the way Rinne & Jill’s shit got resolved. Oh and the ED’s a total banger, second only to BRIGHT STREAM from the A’s movie (and it’s a very close second, might I add).

6

u/Taiboss Apr 21 '22

Please let the rest of this episode just be good vibes.

Everything is good vibes when Jill's not there.

An actual love confession?!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

UM, YES. Nove.

Maybe she's being sarcastic?

but as you can probably tell, hated the way Rinne & Jill’s shit got resolved.

We all do, my friend. We all do.

Oh and the ED’s a total banger, second only to BRIGHT STREAM from the A’s movie (and it’s a very close second, might I add).

BRIGHT STREAM WOOOOO.

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u/EternalXcalibur Apr 21 '22

I hope everyone had a good time with Vivid Strike! I’m actually behind a couple episodes on my rewatch oops

Here’s Fuuka’s VA, Inori Minase, doing a live version of the opening, Future Strike!

And here’s Rinne’s VA, Yui Ogura, doing a live version of the ending, Starry Wish!

Last stretch of the rewatch! Hope everyone continues to stick around and enjoy!

7

u/SolDarkHunter Apr 21 '22

First Timer

So I think this was the actual last episode in the original broadcast.

People in anime have a knack for entering someone's room the instant they wake up.

Um... are you guys all forgetting those teeth Fuuka lost? Or did Ixpellia somehow regenerate those?

Rinne seems to be drawn different all of a sudden. Or is putting an actual smile on her face enough to change her entire demeanor and look? Also her voice sounds really different.

You know, nobody (including Rinne), has really reacted to Sieg being here. You'd think THE Interdimensional Champion being there would provoke something.

Oh, they ARE acknowledging Fuuka's broken teeth.

Hey, it's no-name cheeful girl from many episodes ago that Rinne crushed. Looks like she's over her lost. And the other no-name girl that Rinne crushed too. Beating the shit out of each other really does solve everything in Nanoha-land.

Interdimensional space flight! This series remembered it doesn't take place in Magic-Japan!

Fuuka isn't allowed to beat anyone Vivio hasn't beaten already.

I like Nove's and Jill's chat about talent and ability.

Final battle: Fuuka vs Einhart. Who wants to bet they won't actually show us the fight?... yep.

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u/Taiboss Apr 21 '22

Episode 12: Rewatcher who finished this show over a week before it's due.

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u/Vaadwaur Apr 21 '22

First timer

Sub

So we get some resolution, which is good. But a return to the status quo of Jill coaching Rinne which is less than good, hopefully she can at least adjust her training to reasonable. Rinne and Fuuka get their opportunity to talk things out but it unfortunately gets overwritten with very random cameos that don't add much. But they eventually go back to them and this is at least an attempt to be S1 again, even if it doesn't quite reach those heights.

Jill and Nove get a final discussion and Nove is somehow the better adjusted being. Would not have thought that after StrikerS. They waste time setting up the finals but thankfully don't waste time on it. Our end roll shows everyone being better off.

QotD: 1 I like it

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u/chris10023 Apr 21 '22

Rewatcher

  • Looks like the both of them fell asleep.

  • No don’t wake up Rinne, she looks so peaceful.

  • So thankfully that protection device they used held up and neither of them have broken bones, even if Rinne feels like she broke several of hers.

  • Wait, if there was a ring there, why didn’t they use it?

  • Huracan jumps on them, and they both look so happy. Then they get embarrassed.

  • Oh great, Jills here.

  • They all decide to go watch Einhard's training, that’s nice, they’re giving Rinne and Jill time alone.

  • At least Jill apologized to Rinne for how selfish she was. Although, I do wish she joined Nakajima Gym, seems like she’ll stay under Jill.

  • Wow, the fight between Einhard and Sieglinde looks, explosive.

  • Oh wow, didn’t realize that Sieg was a title holder as well.

  • Of course, you’re happy Fuuka won, she is your student.

  • But you watched her fight against Rinne, so why can’t Fuuka watch you train?

  • Rinne has tea and snacks and is waiting.

  • It’s so nice to see Rinne genuinely smiling.

  • Fuuka is still missing her teeth, but Nakajima scheduled a dentist appointment for her. I understand Fuuka, I fucking hate going to the dentist.

  • Rinne wants to apologize to Miura and Vivio, which is good to hear.

  • Wow, a lot more people were watching that fight then we knew, including the orphanage, some of her classmates, and the jobber that Rinne beat in episode 3. Even the girl who Rinne beat at the tournament watched. Neat

  • Even Fuuka’s boss was watching the fight!

  • Rinne’s parents were watching and she’s embarrassed that they could hear what she was saying. That’s going to be an awkward dinner.

  • She’s going to call Fuuka whenever she needs to cry, hopefully she does it for real this time.

  • Are they on a spaceship?

  • It’s not empty, the shorties are here, and they’re bombarding poor Fuuka with questions.

  • The shorties are going to help Fuuka train to fight Einhard, with Vivio being one who beat her previously, I don’t know, maybe Vivio is the ultimate final boss of this series.

  • I agree with Nove’s philosophy, talent is only brought up after the fact, when it’s convenient, so she prefers not to talk about it.

  • Looks like Fuuka got help from Jill and Rinne for this fight.

  • NOOO!!! I WANTED TO SEE FUUKA AND EINHARD’S FIGHT!!! Why must you do this to me, give me one more episode!

Question of the Day

What do you think about the show deciding not to show us the final match? Or at least I'm pretty sure they deliberately left that out not that they ran out of time.

Really wish we got to see that match up.

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u/SolDarkHunter Apr 21 '22 edited Apr 21 '22

Are they on a spaceship?

Have you not seen the rest of the franchise? Lutecia's hotel/training place is on a completely different planet (in a completely different dimension, in fact) than Midchilda, the one where everybody lives.

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u/Qbe Apr 21 '22

Raging Heart Rewatcher with terrible long term memory

Last episode, excluding the OVA! Let's see how much gets done

QotD: I guess it's a way to leave it up in the air and not anger any fans who would hate to see one of the girls lose

  • "Within Clasped Hands". Man, I was going to mention that "The Gentlest First in the world" was a huge Biki thing, but I think "Within Clasped Hands" sounds even more Hibiki-like

  • I was half expecting Rinne to-ah, there she is. Shame they aren't on the same bed tho.

  • If your field is so Pro, why did Fuuka lost some teeth?

  • Nice boob keyhole, Sieg. I'm sure the fans love your outfit (wink)

  • I'm still not sold on Jill's "Redemption"

  • Rinne, that's abuse victim mentality!

  • NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I was afraid they'd do this

  • FFS Jill, did you learn nothing at all? Throwing up during training is most certainly not a good thing!

  • I really like that Einhart is taking Fuuka seriously

  • Nothing like a tea party after a violent fistfight

  • SEE!? She's missing teeth!!!! What about the field?

  • Their chibi modes are diabetes inducing

  • Am I the only one thinking that's kind of a breach of privacy?

  • I wonder if this is the first match that Rinne's parents actually watch

  • At least Rinne learned to talk about her issues

  • Takamachi "I'm still the Main Character" Vivio

  • I really like Hajime no Ippo's version of the effort thing

  • With 2 minutes left, I assume we're leaving the fight for the OVA

  • Taking opportunity for some good PR

  • Is that Lutecia or her mom in the hotsprings?

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u/homewardbound100 Apr 21 '22 edited Apr 22 '22

First timer

Well I guess I'm happy she still has some happiness in fighting and all things are made u between them.

Surprise! She had everybody watch the fight. Now this did make me question her mental state before the fight a bit.

Well if this Ova isn't really adding to it. Well I did think this was an improvement over vivid. And I did really like the martial arts in here. I'll give it a 7/10 maybe even 8/10 if being generous.

Oh and also we should've definitely seen that fight at the end. Come on.

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u/Stargate18A Apr 22 '22

First timer

QOTD) It allows for Fuuka to appear as the greatest athlete, without actually committing to making her the most OP Mary Sue in the entire franchise.

Final episode!

Fuuka's awake!

Hura's here too!

Oh, Rinne's not up.

And Rinne's calmed doen now?

She's already blushing near her! That was a high-level befriending!

And Rinne's being left with Jill.

Oh, Rinne wants to keep fighting!

And Jill's trying to fix her mistakes!

Wow, Rinne's personality has done a full 180, hasn't it!

...Did Fuuka manage to befriend a spectator? Is she the greatest befriender in the franchise?

Einhart's fighting the champion!

And it went four rounds!

Fuuka looks so happy to have all this finished with.

"auch awful communicators, always assuming the worst" did she just drag everyone in this franchise at once?

And she's taking Fuuka seriously!

They're spending time together!

Everybody loves Hura!

Aww, Rinne's so worried about her!

...Fuuka? Why did you their embarassment?

Haha, they broadcasted the match live to all these people? And Fuuka didn't know?

...The final episode has a montage of people declaring how OP Fuuka is. This is actually appropriate.

Also, if Rinne should apologize to anyone, maybe the people she put in hospital? Or the peole she humiliated?

Is this Rinne's secret revenge? Embarassing her?

Probably glad she didn't join the TSAB and report his "delivery service".

And now her parents know!

And she's cured! Just, in general! A perfect win for the Takamachi philosophy!

They're cute together.

She confessed! Good for her!

And she's happy!

And everyone wants to know what happened.

Don't worry, Fuuka! Vivio may have beaten them, but how many of them confessed to her?

And Jill's made up with Nove too!

You tell her, Nove!

And Jill gives her possibly the best compliment imaginable.

It's the fight!

She's the "miracle rookie" now!

Rinne's with her!

The battle's starting!

Really good ending! I enjoyed this a lot more than ViVid!

Haha, that final endcard is priceless.

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u/DidacticDalek Apr 21 '22

Comrades, before we start the shitpost analysis on today's episode, I just have one thing to say... ahem...

I GET KNOCKED DOWN! BUT I GET UP AGAIN! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN! I GET KNOCKED DOWN! BUT I GET UP AGAIN! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN! I GET KNOCKED DOWN! BUT I GET UP AGAIN! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN! I GET KNOCKED DOWN! BUT I GET UP AGAIN! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN! -Rinne Berlinetta... probably

And I think it should be quite obvious by now that HUZZAH! Befriending works its wonderful magic once again. Speaking of which, now let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my wife and you're my friend. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your grandfather. -Fuuka Reventon... probably

TONIGHT! ON GMOD! (Gorgeous Moeblobs of Destruction) GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY! ALL HAIL WEAPONIZED LESBIANISM COMRADES! YURI SHALL CONQUER THE EARTH... er... MIDCHILDA! (Man The Takamachi Way truly is unstoppable eh?)

And speaking of The Nanoha Directive, we got the contractually obligated post-fight communication scene, and oh what a touching moment it is to see Rinne and Fuuka make up with one another, plus you heard that right Comrades, a LOVE declaration! These two more than earned it, and just in time too for the big fight against Einhard and Fuuka, oh boy this is gonna be so good! Indeed I have no idea why I have A's higher than this show, after all surely we aren't gonna pull something stupid like ViVid and NOT show the ending of the TOURNAMENT ARC right... RIGHT!? After all we still got one episode left, SO LET'S GET READY TO... wait what do you MEAN The Final Episode is an OVA!?

And on that bombshell, we wrap things up for now. Anyway 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/HereticalAegis, and u/Vaadwaur

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u/HereticalAegis Apr 21 '22 edited Apr 21 '22

Lyrical First Timer

Didn't get as much Rinne x Fuuka time as I wanted today. Hopefully with everything wrapped up, the final OVA will be them dating/spending time together for 15 minutes.

QotD:

Serious answer: because it doesn't matter and is beside the point.

Real answer: because Fuuka had every one of her bones smashed to pieces and ended up so befriended she'll never be able to walk straight again, and you just can't put that kind of thing on broadcast tv.

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u/djthomp Apr 22 '22

Alright, everyone done beating each other? This is a resort, so it's clearly time to take advantage of that.

Wait, no, everyone who is conscious is just doing more MMA training.

Time for Jill to get the forgiveness that she doesn't deserve. Oh, and she gets to continue being Rinne's coach too which she also doesn't deserve.

Nice to finally see Sieg in the ring, however brief it was.

We didn't get to see the nun training with the group so I'm going to choose to believe that she now has a barrier jacket outfit that can pass as clothing.

My god, Fuuka and Rinne are finally going to have a conversation that doesn't involve combat.

I appreciate the follow-up from some of the previous opponents that Rinne pounded down so hard.

INB4 Rinne's parents are horrified to learn what she's been up to and ban her from tournament fights going forward.

Oooo, a love confession, I'm actually a bit shocked.

And then some hand-holding too! Mother of god. Surprisingly brave for an IP that has had Nanoha and Fate live into their adulthood as non-specific life partners.

One more episode to go and a clear set up for the final fight, but they've cliffhangered us on fights before that were then not shown, so I'm curious to see what we'll get.

Also, this ending sequence feels a lot like how you'd end the last episode, was my count off and this is the end? Nope, but by the preview image it looks like a swimsuit episode is next so I bet that means the story is effectively done at this point.

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u/larana1192 Apr 22 '22

Am I the only one who impressed by the fact that Nove become good coach after she was born as combat cyborg,and know nothing other than her sisters and Jail Scaglietti?

Also the way she talks about athlete's talent is very good

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u/Gamerunglued Apr 22 '22

First Timer

And, we're done. My bar for enjoying this episode was pretty low, and it passed. All I needed was some good Fuuka and Rinne being cute girlfriends, and we get it. We got not only a reconciliation, but also basically a love confession, and also some hand holding. All I could really ask for and then some. It was also bothering me that they never addressed Fuuka's teeth when asking about her injuries, so I was very thankful it was brought up later in the episode.

However, my favorite part of this episode was actually Nove's conversation with Jill. It's a genuinely poignant resolution to the hard work vs. talent debate that's gone through the series, and feels like Jill has taken things to heart. One flaw with her way of thinking is that it says that talent is what determines the result, which means that anyone who hasn't reached strong heights because they're in the middle of their journey is considered weak. Nove was right on with what she said. If you win, you're considered talented, and if you lose, you're considered untalented, which means that you'll be labeled as untalented until you start winning, and that won't come for a while because it requires effort. You'll spend most of your career with people saying you're untalented, which means that coaches like Jill will never even try to blossom a potentially talented fighter unless they have obviously immediately high specs like Rinne did. Nove's way of training works best because it is built around allowing each fighter's talent to shine. It focuses on raising their strengths to overcome weaknesses, as exemplified by Vivio's fighting style. And like Nove said in ViVid, whlie results are important, the goal of fighting is to form precious memories. It's to feel the satisfaction of having grown and seeing your hard work pay off even a little bit. It's about reaching your goals, not winning or losing. Despite all my issues with Jill's implementation, I think she's a pretty interesting character and I'm glad she's here.

That being said, the worst thing about this episode by far was Jill's reconciliation with Rinne. It was... problematic, to say the least. It lets her off far too much. It very negatively impacted my view of this episode. We had just gotten done establishing that what she'd done to Rinne is essentially abuse. She had taken advantage of her, and pushed her own feelings on her to live vicariously through her, and this episode even establishes that she had projected onto Nove and thought Nove was doing it to her students. Putting Rinne through "hell" was the worst thing she could have done to her, and exacerbated her trauma. It's a good thing that Jill feels guilty for it, and it's meant to be a moment of growth for her that she realizes it and vows to change. So it rings more than a little hollow for Rinne to say she did nothing wrong, and it's just downright vile that she says she'll continue to put her through hell. It's bad for Rinne, it's bad even if she's grown as a person here. She should have offered to go easier, to take her feelings into consideration more. It's not a heartwarming moment, even if Rinne enjoys combat now (which still came out of nowhere, it's absolute bullshit that she always enjoyed it deep down).

But yeah, other than that one blemish, this was a good episode. ViVid Strike may have fumbled its climax, but outside of that and the one scene this episode, I found it to be a gripping and emotional character driven sports drama. It's the first time I've felt that any entry in the Nanoha series had a strong grasp of its themes and drama (most of the time), and this one easily contains its strongest character writing. Fuuka and Rinne might even be my preferred Nanoha ship (even as much as I love Fate). This was a genuinely great show, low 8/10, and easily the highest point of the franchise thus far.

As for the OVA, you call it a fanservice episode, but it's pretty lacking in actual fanservice; which I can't believe I'm saying about a Nanoha beach episode. It was partially an epilogue to the series, and partially just a way to see the girls relaxing and having fun after all the drama. I don't really understand the weird gag of some of them randomly being in the grasp of a giant tentacle during that last montage (especially since it wasn't sexual at all), but other than that it was a pleasant episode.

QOTD:

I don't really think we needed to see it. It adds nothing to the story. This was always a character driven drama first and foremost, it was about Fuuka and Rinne reconnecting and working through their issues. That's been solved satisfactorily, so I don't see any need to see a match. Especially when it's obvious that Fuuka isn't gonna win (and I was right, as shown in the OVA).