Review for Strike Witches Complete Series Collection

Introduction

Imagine a world where World War II never happened. Imagine a world where instead, 1939 heralded the arrival of aliens that proceeded to lay waste to the world, driving humanity back and to the verge of extinction. Imagine a world where the only defence against the aliens turned out to be magic, where young witches riding technologically advanced 'brooms' went into battle in the skies against the invaders. Imagine a world where for girls and young women, the only clothing invented for use below the waist was the humble panty, stocking and garter belt. The first two 'imagines' might have got you to Gunparade March, but all four in conjunction can mean only one thing. The UK release of Strike Witches: Season 1 is upon us, which, despite the recurring young female, panties motif got through the BBFC unscathed with a 12 rating.


Truth be told, I haven't exactly been looking forward to Strike Witches, yet another show heavy in fan service, in a year where most of the anime released in the UK has been dripping with the stuff. It's easy to lose sight of the reason why you watch this stuff in the first place, when your initial point of contact keeps being the animated T & A. There's also a part of me that has long wanted to watch Strike Witches. It's notable for me in that it is the first anime that streamed online legally that I didn't watch, although since then, I've missed the majority of online shows through lack of time. Back when Strike Witches was streamed, it was practically the third or fourth such show, when online anime was still really just a test case being heralded by Crunchyroll in conjunction with Gonzo animation. For Strike Witches they tried something different, they put the episodes behind a paywall for everyone, while allowing the free and legal option for only a few hours each week after the Japanese broadcast. That equated to a sensible time for the Pacific Coast of the US, but it was something daft like 2am for the UK. Now that Season 1 is here, I can finally see what all the fuss is about. Panties at 11 o'clock! Dive! Dive! Dive!


In 1939, the Neurois appeared, enigmatic alien creatures that attacked without warning, initiating a world war that drove humanity back, pushing mankind into ever-smaller enclaves. It was the work of one scientist that discovered a defence against the Neurois where no conventional weapon had effect, magic. Those skilled in magic, inheritors of the gift, in other words witches could stand against these creatures and defeat them. The scientist developed technologically advanced 'brooms', Striker Units that the witches wore as mechanical legs with propellers on, that they could ride through the sky at great speed.


Yoshika Miyafuji of the Fuso Empire is strongly talented in magic, having inherited the skill from her mother and grandmother, although she lacks skill and experience. But she doesn't want to fight in the war, and hates violence. For her father was the scientist who found the Neurois' weakness, and after leaving her, promising to return, her tenth birthday present was a letter informing her of his death. Yoshika's talent is one for healing, and that has brought Major Mio Sakamoto all the way to Fuso to recruit her. A desire to protect the ones she loves, and the sudden possibility that her father may still be alive, convinces Yoshika to go with Mio back to Britannia. For Britannia is the front line in the battle against the Neurois. If Yoshika is to fulfil her ambition to protect, she'll have to join the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, an assorted selection of young girls who have come together from all over the world to battle the Neuroi menace, the Strike Witches.


All 12 episodes of the first Strike Witches Series are presented across two discs, although the single OVA episode released a year prior that inspired this series isn't here.

Disc 1

1. Magical Girl
2. That Which I Can Do
3. You're Not Alone
4. Thanks
5. Fast, Big, Soft
6. We're the Same

Disc 2

7. Nice and Breezy
8. I Won't Forget You
9. What I Want to Protect
10. I Want You To Believe
11. Into the Sky…
12. Strike Witches

Picture

Strike Witches gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, which courtesy of Madman Entertainment down under gets a proper PAL conversion. That means the image is as clear and sharp as you would expect of the DVD format, with none of the standards conversion issues that plagued earlier NTSC-PAL discs. For a Gonzo animation, the character designs are surprisingly robust and consistent, while the actual animation remains at their usual high standard. Some of the dogfight sequences are really well accomplished. Of course there is the requisite fan service, and panty shots, intrusive camera angles, and pudenda and booby bounce abounds. There is also that slight bright haze that is typical of Gonzo anime, which is something of their trademark style, but also means an overall softness to the image. It's all pleasant and watchable enough though.

Sound

You have the choice of DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese, with optional translated subtitles and a signs only track. I went with the Japanese, as always and found it to be acceptable if unremarkable. The characters are voiced to their particular clichés, while the action sequences make use of the stereo to good effect. I noticed that the Japanese audio did have an unfortunate crackle to it around 34 minutes into disc 1, but that was the sole flaw that I heard. I gave the English dub a spin, and I have to admit that the 5.1 does work wonders with the airborne action sequences. The dub actresses do avoid the potential Hetalia situation of comedy accents for the multinational characters, but they are still the adult actresses playing a shopping mall full of high-pitched teenaged girls, which can be a little annoying.

Strike Witches is one of the shows that suffers from licensing issues, namely Funimation couldn't get the rights to Lili Marleen, an insert song in episode 8. Another song from the Strike Witches game soundtrack CD by the same voice actress is substituted, and you won't notice the change unless you're specifically aware of it beforehand.

Extras

As is usual for anime releases these days, the discs get static menus with the theme song playing in the background, and jacket pictures for the DVD player (if compatible) to load up when the disc isn't spinning.

The only extras are on disc 2, beginning with the ubiquitous textless credit sequences, although the textless end credits for episode 12 aren't here.

What is here is the episode 12 commentary, where ADR director Scott Sager gathers cast members Kate Bristol (Lynette Bishop), and Cherami Leigh (Yoshika Miyafuji) for a chat about the show. Given the fan service quotient, you can expect a bit of a gigglefest at least, but it was surprisingly less than I expected, a Funimation commentary that had some interesting observations about the show for a change.

Conclusion

It was hate at first sight. In a summer of fan service heavy shows from Manga Entertainment, Strike Witches is probably the heaviest. Every second show this year has to have cute girls with pneumatic breasts, and a tendency to suffer wardrobe malfunctions at the slightest breeze. The girls also have to follow the pre-established character tropes that appeal to the Japanese target demographic. It's that target demographic which ultimately determines what anime we get to see in the UK, as it's the target demographic that anime producers aim at in Japan. It's the crowd that watches the late night anime slots, mostly young, male, and with the disposable income to purchase the DVDs, Blu-rays, and the associated merchandising, including the life-size character body pillows. When you note that Japanese fans pay up to $100 for two episodes on a disc, you'll understand that these otaku, few in number though they are, have the ability to prop up an animation studio on their own, as long as they keep buying. Keep these fans happy; deliver what they want, and the money keeps on rolling in. Deviate one iota from their expectations and then watch the message boards and the Internet forums flame up. Ironically, it's anime's biggest fans in Japan that may be stifling all the creativity in the industry.


Strike Witches is a fan service aficionado's dream, ticking every box on the checklist. It's designed for that demographic I mentioned, perfect for them in every way. You have your extensive cast of girls, all of them hitting the correct personality traits. You have the shy, awkward one, the mischievous scamp, the tsundere (abrasive with a soft centre), the sisterly/motherly one, the brash, large breasted one (breasts are a character trait), the cold, hurt one that needs healing, the moe (well, they're all have to be moe) and so on and so forth. The heroine is an eager young go-getter, who is instantly likeable, and makes friends with everyone, and changes their lives for the better through sheer force of likeability.


Whereas the harem shows of old required an everyman wimpy teen male character for the girls to fixate on, and fans to get vicarious about, modern harems have ditched the male completely, and the girls pair up and nurse platonic crushes on each other. No actual lesbianism occurs, but the overtones are so thickly laid on, that fans may actually suffer a comedy anime nosebleed, in real life. And furry fans are catered for too. When magic occurs, the girls sprout animal ears, and a little furry tail, giving them the aspect of a cute pet. And before you start talking to me about those crazy Japanese, explain the Cadbury's Caramel Bunny.


And yes, random nudity does occur, all within the confines of a 12 rating. Communal bath scenes abound, boobs are grabbed, fondled, compared, nuzzled. There is an obligatory swimsuit episode, but this is trumped by the episode where one of the witch's knickers goes missing. Another fan service checklist item, anime logic applies to the girls' wardrobes. No skirts exist, no uniform pants, they have to go to battle in just their knickers. And the anime cameraman gets awfully creative with his angles. Seriously, the BBFC passed this at 12, which I agree is a fair rating for the content, but banned 3 minutes of similar booby grabbing from Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny. That's not exactly consistency.


Here's some more inconsistency. I loved Strike Witches. My initial misgivings aside, I quickly grew fond of this predictable, fan service filled, girls with guns action show, and wound up glued to the screen over the nights that I spent watching it. Because, once you take a peek beneath all those tropes and clichés that Gonzo adhered to so closely to sate their fanbase, you'll find a cast of very likeable characters, and an interesting story. It's proof again that once you have the basics right, it doesn't matter too much what the fripperies are. If you are into your fan service and cute girls, Strike Witches is just what you are looking for. If like me, you're beginning to tire of the fan service because you see it in everything in modern anime, then the story in Strike Witches is strong enough, the character development well thought out enough, to actually make you ignore the fan service. There are very few shows of this nature that can do that.


The alternate history presented in Strike Witches is an interesting one, if not exactly original. World War II is forestalled by an alien invasion, and the nations of the world have to unite in fighting them. This is a parallel world though, where names and places are different, Japan becomes the Fuso Empire, France becomes Gallia, the UK Britannia, The US Liberion and so on and so forth. There are also plenty of nods to real world history that will tantalise any anime loving history buff, not least of which is Charlotte Yeager (the booby brash one) breaking the sound barrier. It's also a world where magic exists, although only certain girls can use it, and then only usefully up to the age of twenty or so. Which is how we get a squadron full of teenaged girls riding techno-brooms (more like robotic socks) into battle against the enigmatic aliens.


Yoshika Miyafuji is a schoolgirl from Fuso, although the war against the Neuroi has a personal meaning for her. Her father left her family to join the war effort when the invasion began, is in fact responsible for the tactics being used against the alien, but he apparently died for his efforts. This has engendered a strong pacifistic streak in Yoshika, and although she has magical talent, she would rather use it to heal rather than to fight. It's the coincidental arrival of Major Mio Sakamoto who is looking to recruit her, and the belated delivery of her father's final letter that changes her mind. From then on, she becomes determined to protect those she cares for, and becoming one of the Strike Witches would do that, but it also conflicts with her reluctance to fight. The show follows her as she tries and reconciles her feelings and her wishes. We also get to meet the rest of the Strike Witches, ten of them in total, and the show takes the time to develop their characters as well, usually for comic and fan service effect, but some, like Commander Mina, Trude, Mio, Lynne and Sanya get interesting back stories as well, and we can see their characters affected by Yoshika's influence, growing and developing as a result. Twelve episodes isn't exactly a lot in which to introduce and develop eleven discrete characters, build an elaborate world and back story, as well as develop the overarching story as well, but Strike Witches manages it effortlessly.


The first half of the series is very much devoted to female bonding of the sort that the male otaku demographic hope would happen in a schoolgirl dormitory, but with the additional depth to the characters and the story growing in the background appeals to the broader audience as well. The fan service elements are treated with a light and comedic touch, so that even with the most egregious of such episodes, the panty theft infused Nice and Breezy, is one I enjoyed and laughed at as much as I did when I watched Love Hina, back when I actively sought out and devoured fan service.


The final few episodes, where the story comes to a head, and the comedy naughtiness subsides sees Yoshika's pacifistic nature come to the forefront, when she realises that the Neuroi may not be just the faceless demonic enemy that they have been made out as. That is complicated when the military's newest anti-Neuroi weapon, designed to make the Strike Witches obsolete is revealed, and as is the nature of these stories, it turns out to be more of a menace than the enemies that it is designed to fight. Despite everything, Strike Witches turns out to be really very good. I can understand why a second series was commissioned off the back of this one, although with Gonzo facing troubles at the time, the production of Season 2 fell to Studio AIC. If you're wondering how essential that second season is, the story in this 12-episode collection is complete in and of itself. If you never see the second season, you won't miss it. But Funimation have licensed and are releasing season 2 in the US, and as this show will likely sell like hotcakes in the UK, I wouldn't be surprised if we see Season 2 in the UK within 12 months.