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REVIEW: Strike Witches: Road to Berlin




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MesousaGaby



Joined: 16 Oct 2018
Posts: 71
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:46 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, this season was better than season 2, which was just...there. Special mention to episode 7 of the season, where a statue slowly curses each of the witches having big breasts...but it makes them act all alien-like by speaking nonsense, then framing it as a horror episode with hilarious jump scares, to boot. The 6th episode was also an example of why I actually dig this franchise a lot too; it actually has quite a lot of heart to the characters, and considering the series has actually decreased it's fanservice, it actually makes this season probably feel rather mainstream compared to the other two.

With that said, my only minor quips about the season is hat Hanzo's addition ended up being kinda...meh. She's really a Yoshika fangirl and...that's about it. It gets pretty annoying in the last few epiosdes, you just kinda want her to shut up sometimes.

The other issue is that one episode teased one of the witches from Brave Witches, Hikari, having a cameo, and...nothing comes from that. No idea why they'd do that than just saying that yes, it could happen at some point.

But yeah, it was a nice fine season, and the end could tease that we might have maybe two more down the line, so we'll see.

I'm also pretty curious how Luminous Witches is gonna work out. That one might probbaly be the most experimental SW show is it involves about witches entertaining folks during the war, which sounds very...anachronistic, so I'm sure it'll be nuts. Oh, and SHAFT will animate it. I smell a lot of style over substance in this case.
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cookiemanstah



Joined: 09 Dec 2013
Posts: 546
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:21 pm Reply with quote
well, that was a really unexpected read. Strike Witches is one of those properties I'd never expect to receive openly positive feedback considering its infamy.
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zrdb





PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:13 pm Reply with quote
I love the main (canon) SW series but the side comedic series are shit as far as I'm concerned. Road To Berlin was quite good.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:30 am Reply with quote
cookiemanstah wrote:
well, that was a really unexpected read. Strike Witches is one of those properties I'd never expect to receive openly positive feedback considering its infamy.


Then you obviously have not read any of the reviews done here. There has always been a mix of some that gave it more favorable reviews, and some that did not here. The negative aspects are well noted and for good reason. There are positives to the shows which have also been noted.
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Electric Wooloo



Joined: 19 Aug 2020
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:05 am Reply with quote
MesousaGaby wrote:
The 6th episode was also an example of why I actually dig this franchise a lot too; it actually has quite a lot of heart to the characters
.


Even though I disagree with you about Season 2 being a low point I'll agree about episode 6 this season. The Karlsland group in the 501st have always been my least favorite, but they managed to actually make me care for Trude that episode. Strike witches really shines in the intercharacter relationships, like in that episode and Episode 6 of S2, or when it's playing of it's historical archetypes.

Overall a pretty solid season. Not as good as the OVA's imo, and Yoshika's power boosts are not explained satisfactorily, but I wasn't expecting a masterpiece. It's more anime comfort food.

Luminous Withces... we'll see. It seems like they felt like they needed an idol and music group to sell things even when it only barely connects to the main series (some of the idol Witches being based on real life singers and the idea of entertaining troops at the front). Plus with Shaft's less than stellar showing with Assault Lily (Same Director that Luminous Witches will have last I heard) and them changing canon to make familiars a thing again judging by the PV, I'm very cautious about it.
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nDroae



Joined: 26 May 2017
Posts: 382
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:14 am Reply with quote
Not getting to see several different wings team up at the end was my only disappointment. Despite that, this was an absolute moe military masterpiece This and Tonikaku Kawaii ended my streak of three years without a 10/10. I love it when a series ascends so dramatically - Strike Witches first season, I felt like I may have been generous by giving a 7.

Idol Witches I've been highly anticipating since the announcement in 2018, I'm in love with the absurdity of it. I know, I can't expect a cynical corporate committee concept to ever again work out as well as Uma Musume has, but it would be difficult for Luminous Witches not to turn out fun. Especially if some of the Assault Lily team are working on it, since that show was good in the SoL parts that made up most of its runtime.

Now hurry up and bring me my Jimmy Stewart-based waifu. Culture.
https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/03/13-1/magical-musical-luminous-witches-adds-new-character-to-its-ranks
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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:31 am Reply with quote
My fav has to be the one with Trude fighting against the Neuroi barehanded. It even had its own accompanying song and this is probably the first time she called Hartmann by her given name on screen. I also noticed that Hartmann was less of a slob than usual

Quote:
Over the course of the series Mina also starts to develop concerns that she may be getting close to aging out.


Trude as well as they're both the same age
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7jaws7



Joined: 17 Aug 2013
Posts: 704
Location: New York State
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
That leads to the (re)reformation of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing


Fixed

I'd love to see the 506th JFW in action for once instead of being teased with a distant shot of them, but there are obviously difficulties bringing in the voice actresses. It's like the director is telling us, "We want the Noble Witches in the anime, but we can't" and as a fan that just makes me Rolling Eyes
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Jatts



Joined: 20 Jan 2021
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 7:08 am Reply with quote
cookiemanstah wrote:
well, that was a really unexpected read. Strike Witches is one of those properties I'd never expect to receive openly positive feedback considering its infamy.


Well yeah, thats what happens when the only thing a person ever looks at is the hate and complaints which have been widely overblown since 2008.

The older I get, the more I realize just how much of a gem this franchise truly is, and I get more sad that there are so many mainstream anime fans who will never get to enjoy it due to either the fanservice, or they are just simply told "oh Strike Witches is a bad anime and is trash" despite it actually being considered a good show in Japan (which it is), and even a classic in some ways. Hell, even the creator of Evangelion is a fan.

Oh but despite the hated fanservice, I have seen anime with 10x worse examples that are far more popular than SW and widely accepted for the most part... anime that contains large amounts of sexual content, nudity, rape, and so on. But no, Strike Witches is the "bottom of the barrel" amirite... lol. In addition, its world and lore is very interesting with alot of neat stuff in it (mangas, spinoffs, etc), as well as many wholesome and/or emotional moments, plus fantastic characters that are very hard to not care about imo. As for the action, its of course really nice as well. Lastly, the fanservice can be a highlight for those who are interested in it... but for those who are not, its really not a big deal and you honestly get used to it.

But yeah, as for RtB... I thought it was absolutely fantastic! I'd dare say it was some of the best episodes of the entire series, and it was definitely beautiful visually too. As usual, the music was also great!

zrdb wrote:
I love the main (canon) SW series but the side comedic series are shit as far as I'm concerned. Road To Berlin was quite good.


I will honestly never understand why Take Off is hated so much by the Western side of the fandom, but the spinoffs are hilarious to be completely honest... then again, there's also people who say the english dub is actually better than the original Japanese cast, lmao! So, there are some mysteries better left alone I suppose...
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