Review of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS

Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS is one of few series (or at least, seasons) that can put me at a complete loss for words. Before I start, I'd like to clarify to anyone unclear that while the previous two seasons were magical girl seasons, the third (and potentially onward) deviate from this so severely that it's almost a complete tonal change, which may detract from the experience, depending on your enjoyment or reason to be invested in this. However, there are severe changes to the formula and many other factors as well. The first major change is that Nanoha (as well as Fate and Hayate) are no longerthe main characters of the series, as they were in previous versions. Despite the series still being named after them, the focus is shifted onto four new characters: best friends/lovers Subaru and Teana, and child summoner Caro Ru and Erio. All of these characters are very much hit-or-miss: in my opinion, you will either hate or love these new characters depending on whether you view these as good or bad. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Subaru and Tea are two of the most unappealing main characters in the series. This isn't even to say they're bad characters, I just don't feel that they're worthy of main character status. Subaru seems to be a rather generic main character, as she embraces the "clumsy yet heroic" archetype many other protagonists use, while not retaining any of the charm. While she does have an appealing backstory, she falls short from being ideal. Tea is a similar story, though Tea's character devolves from a sniper into more of a simple straight man to keep Subaru in check.

The first major issue with the series is its change of pace and setting. The series subtly changes setting to Mid-Childa from Earth with not a very clear explanation and adopts a military theme with a new plot. This wouldn't be too bad, although the plot with the enemies is heavily confusing and frankly crowded. There are approximately a minimum of 10 new characters all wanting screentime, and none of them get enough focus to be made worthwhile. As an example, the main villain, Jail Scaglietti, has twelve underlings, in addition to the aforementioned four new main characters, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, and a whole slew of new characters. Surprisingly enough, old characters more often than not don't return; even main characters formerly (such as Lindy, Chrono, and even Yuuno) all have their screentime slashed significantly, barely appearing beyond an episode or two. Even then, all of them take very minor roles in the grand scheme.

The plot is also heavily confusing. One of the main issues is that for the majority of the series, episodes are separated into a "filler" episode (where everyone trains) and an "action" episode, where the actual fighting occurs. This breaks up the plot and makes following important events even more difficult. The series is also frankly caught up in a heavy political context and tries to make ongoing commentary and usage of its political and military setting. Politics, however, can be somewhat controversial to feature in a show, and this one doesn't really use it all that well, even.

This is a very mixed review, as the series does have some positive themes and elements despite all this. However, several factors let it down: the plot is overly cryptic and doesn't explain what it should explain in a timely manner, and several characters are missing significant development (or any at all in some cases, beyond a one-note trait; examples include Carim, whose only role in the plot is to have clairvoyance to foreshadow a later event). Regrettably, even if you enjoyed the previous seasons, I can't recommend this one; the flaws are too overwhelming for it to be an enjoyable casual watch. 3/10.