Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is a franchise I didn’t think I would enjoy, I wasn’t really into magical girl shows at the time but I’d heard good things so I gave it a shot. I love Nanoha now, it’s a great series, I even like the less popular StrikerS season quite a lot. So when I heard they were adapting the manga Nanoha Vivid into an anime, I was pretty excited, more Nanoha couldn’t be bad right? Oh boy, here we go. Where do I even start with this thing, one of the most disappointing sequels in my recent memory? One of the biggest complaints about Nanoha StrikerS was that the title character herself, Nanoha, was reduced to a supporting role while it mostly focused on new characters. Oh what I wouldn’t give for her to have StrikerS level of involvement, while in that show she was mostly secondary, she was still story relevant and drove the plot along, even having a major scene in the finale. In Vivid she’s a housewife. Yes, Nanoha, one of the most powerful magical girls in any series has been reduced to a housewife. Outside of a single training fight in the midpoint of vivid, she has done literally nothing else. This show is now about her adopted daughter Vivio, something that I’m not totally against in concept, but it continues to get worse. Even Vivio herself, the new title character (Vivid) has also turned into a supporting cast member. The last Five or so episodes were completely lacking in Vivio, she didn’t even have a single important scene in the finale! Sure, the first season has a dual protagonist dynamic with Nanoha and dark magical girl Fate Testarossa, but those were the only characters in focus. A’s managed to add new cast without detracting from the fact that Nanoha was the lead character, and StrikerS is slightly infamous for it’s lack of Nanoha. But at least in StrikerS Nanoha is actively training the cast in focus, making their victories a victory by proxy for Nanoha, their trainer. In Vivid it’s as if they realized that Vivio is a super boring character, she’s almost instantly sidelined by her Chinese knockoff Fate-chan, Einhart Stratos. It gets worse as the show progresses, with episode 10 featuring less then 30 seconds of footage of Vivio OR Einhart, as it shows us a completely irrelevant tournament fight about characters we know almost nothing about. That fight was a joke, they built up one of the girls as a threat, but she’s totally wrecked by somebody we’ve barely even seen before, making it complete filler for a series with a very limited episode count. This show is boring, I mean really, really boring. There hasn’t been a single exciting event of note in the entire 12 episode run, because nothing has any consequences. Gone are the first season’s world effecting, galactic level crisis events. Now we have hotsprings, loli fanservice (not that we had none of that before, but there’s more now), and tournament battles with simulated damage. That’s right; nobody is even in any danger of getting hurt at almost any point in this show, if there’s no threat then why should I care what happens? It’s not like they developed any characters into somebody I would want to root for in a sports competition. I guess if you want a fluffy slice of lifish story with magical girls you could enjoy this. But the almost completely different tone of the series is extremely off-putting to me, a fan of Nanoha for its darker take on magical girls. And don’t even get me started on Vivio and Einhart’s magical devices, some of the dumbest shit I’ve seen in years. Nanoha’s magic device is a necklace that turns into a staff; Fate’s is a wristband that turns into a poleaxe. Vivio’s magical device is… a STUFFED RABBIT! How am I meant to take any of this seriously when a goddamn cartoon rabbit is involved in Vivio’s transformation sequence, where she also turns into a more adult mode (when Nanoha was able to kick ass as a loli, I guess Vivio just sucks). Oh yeah, Einhart’s device is a cat, not a stuffed animal cat, an actual, normal cat. Her device is just a cat, what, why? On the animation side of things, A-1 Pictures does an adequate job of animating the fight scenes, though there is no standout animation like you might see in an Ufotable or Madhouse production. However I do have a problem with the style of the show, and I’m not sure if this is a problem with the manga which I have not read, or the adaption. That problem is the setting backgrounds, Nanoha as of season 3 is set on an alien world full of magical technology, and Vivid is set in the same world. So why does it look like Japan? Did they forget the setting was no longer modern Japan or something; everything looks so standard it barely feels like the same show anymore. The music is so utterly unremarkable that I have nothing to say about it, other then it’s not offensively bad so I guess that’s a plus! But no really, I don’t know much about music, nor do I really pay attention to it unless it sticks out in a big way, like Gurren Lagann’s soundtrack. Of special note however would be how absolutely poorly the music in episode 11 was handled, the episodes starts right away with a blaring rock track that doesn’t fit the action on screen and is far too loud, with similar music coming in at terrible times all throughout, all too loud as well. Now, this part is just personal theory, but let me try and explain what went wrong. Seasons 1 though 3 of Nanoha were all written to be a TV anime, they have a distinct beginning middle and end paced for their episode counts. Vivid however, is an ongoing manga, adapting only a fraction of the content. This would certainly hurt the concise, well planned pace of the other three seasons. It still doesn’t excuse the baffling design decisions and lackluster characters however. It’s also the only reason you should ever introduce a new character in the final episode with no buildup then act like they’re important only for the show to just END, the pace is that of the manga, which is ongoing and thus does not work for an anime. I was going to write here “this is an anime I’d only recommend to hardcore Nanoha fans” but no, a hardcore Nanoha fan would probably be even more disappointed then I am. This is barely a sequel to StrikerS and almost feels totally disconnected to the rest of the series thanks to this far more lighthearted tone, I really can’t recommend this unless you’re desperate for some magical girls, but you’d be better off watching a different magical girl show instead. Edit: Upon further reevaluation, my enjoyment of the initial episodes the first time around was gone, and my score has updated to reflect this.

Nanoha’s really grown on me, from a series I didn't think much of the first time I saw it to one of my favorite franchises today. I was excited when they announced Vivid, because it's the first new Nanoha anime to come out since I really became a fan. So how does it stack up? For me it was a 7.5/10 series (rounded down to 7 for reasons I’ll get to) and mostly met my expectations, but it also had some issues that kept it from matching the heights of previous seasons. Here are a few of its biggest strengths, weaknesses, and things that could go either way depending on your personal tastes. If you don’t want to read everything you can skip to the tl;dr section at the bottom for my quick take on whether or not you should watch Vivid. Strengths: + Some of the new characters. Corona and especially Einhart are worthy additions to the Nanoha cast, with the latter’s personal growth driving much of the story. Rio has less to do in these 12 episodes but also shows some promise if there’s ever a second season. Several characters who played smaller roles in StrikerS also get more (and welcome) development. + Voice cast. Returning veterans like Nana Mizuki, Yukari Tamura, and Kana Ueda have been voicing these characters for a decade and don’t miss a beat here. The real star of Vivid to me, though, was Mamiko Noto as Einhart. She's a complex character who has to be played as confident and ambitious, but still likable and sympathetic, and Noto's performance has the right mix of noble-born grace and emotional vulnerability to make the character work. I also liked Yumi Uchiyama in a small but memorable role as a delinquent fighting in the tournament. + Lots of well-animated fight scenes. The switch from Seven Arcs to a higher-budget studio in A-1 is most noticeable in the fight choreography, which compared to earlier seasons has more dynamic motion and hand-to-hand combat, a much wider variety of combat styles, and a whole lot less of characters just standing in one place and beamspamming each other. + World Building. StrikerS gave us some of the history of Midchilda. Vivid goes further back in time, exploring some of the history of the Belkan home world and the Ancient Belkan empire. Anyone interested in learning more about the Nanohaverse will enjoy those parts. YMMV: * The entry barrier. This is NOT a series for first-time Nanoha watchers. Most returning characters get little or no introduction (and a lot of them are walking spoilers for past seasons). Some, like Ixy, never even appeared in the anime before, only the audio drama CDs, but Vivid still expects you to know who they are too. The show doesn’t review old concepts like intelligent devices or the differences between Belkan and Midchildan magic, either. Veteran Nanoha fans will appreciate not hearing all that again, but anyone coming into this series without watching the first three seasons is going to have lots of unanswered questions. * Missing old favorites. This is basically a spinoff series focusing on Vivio and her new friends, and the returning cast with the biggest roles all come from StrikerS. Except for one arc, even Nanoha and Fate are rarely seen outside their homes, while other fan favorites from seasons one and two only make brief cameos or don’t appear at all. * Genre switch. Even though it has transformation scenes and a few other magical girl trappings, Vivid isn't a true magical girl series. It’s really a shounen tournament battle series with all the staples of that genre: training scenes, monologues about getting stronger, rivals-turned-friends, new characters who are abruptly introduced and given backstory two minutes before their first big fight, etc. If you like that kind of anime, great. If you don’t, Vivid’s not going to change your mind. * Fanservice. Nanoha’s no stranger to fanservice anyway, but compared to previous seasons Vivid ups the stakes with lots more panty shots, ripped clothes, girls bathing together, and so on. A-1 also updated the old character designs to look "cuter" than before. As usual, some fans will welcome these changes, and some won’t. Weaknesses: - The Stakes. The first three seasons of Nanoha all involved major threats, with deadly consequences if Nanoha and her friends failed. Vivid’s stakes are so much lower that it practically feels like a slice-of-life show compared to its predecessors, and the dramatic tension that powered the climaxes of earlier seasons just isn’t there. - Vivio. While I applauded Mamiko Noto earlier for the way she balances Einhart's personality, Vivio's a much more straightforward "cheerful child" type, and Kaori Mizuhashi doesn’t have to stretch herself much in the role. Unfortunately, it also makes Vivio a rather one-note character, and not nearly as interesting or as developed as her rival Einhart. That may change if we get a second season, but saying that also brings us to one of the biggest problems with this series. - The Ending. As in, there isn’t one. It just adapts 12 episodes worth of material from the manga and stops. Now this isn't an issue if A-1 announces another season, but right now Vivid is glaringly incomplete. That's also the biggest reason I’m only giving it a 7, at least so far. Tl;dr: Watch It: if you liked all three prior seasons of Nanoha and you’re just happy to spend more time in its universe, even if it’s mostly with a new set of characters. You May Be Disappointed: if you really just want more of the classic season 1 and 2 characters (none of them have large roles in this series), or if you aren’t a fan of shounen tournament battle anime, since that’s Vivid's main genre. Don’t Watch It: if you’ve never watched Nanoha before, because you'll only get confused and spoiled. Go start with the first season instead. You can always come back to Vivid later.

It's time to look at Seven Arcs' incredibly Sapphic Nanoha franchise once more. Although, this one was handed over to A-1 Pictures. Which isn't that odd when you consider that Seven Arcs is more into the business end of animation these days and less into actually animating. Let's start with a quick recap of the prior series. In Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, our young heroine gained magical powers and developed a serious crush on young Fate. Their budding relationship was adorable. In Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's, the two teamed up against a sympathetic threat. In the process their first love started blossoming into a deeper and more meaningful relationship, which was adorable. In Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, the two were fully grown, living as a couple and adopted a child together. Eventually rescuing their young daughter from the machinations of a nutter and his elite force of female cyborgs. Their relationship continued to be adorable. If there are two things I can predict based on the other series they're that Nanoha and Fate will have an adorable relationship and the transformation sequences are going to be awful. Let's see if those patterns continue to hold up with Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Vivid. Story: Vivid takes place four years after Strikers and follows ten year old Vivio as she practices her martial arts under the tutelage of Nove, one of the reformed cyborgs, alongside her two best friends, Corona and Rio. The three are quickly joined by a fourth student, Einhald Stratos, whom Nove invites in order to guide. Vivio is instantly enamoured with Einhald in a way that's somewhat reminiscent of how her moms were when they met. The four participate in a mock battle with most of the main cast from Strikers, minus Hayate and her guardian knights. Lutecia and Nove use the opportunity to tell Einhald about the Inter-Middle tournament for young mages. She agrees to enter, encouraged by Vivio. The rest of the series is about Vivio, Corona, Rio and Einhald preparing themselves for and facing the first few rounds of the tournament. The biggest issue with this one is that it has no real stakes. In the prior three series, there was something major and important that the characters were fighting for. Including Vivio's life in the last series. In this one, we're primarily following four kids who are competing in a tournament. Even if they lose they can compete again next year and lose nothing important. There's no real tension from the plot as a result. About the most tension we get is over whether or not Vivio will confess her feelings to Einhald. The plot itself is also one we've seen before, a lot, usually as part of a bigger work but sometimes by itself like this. At this point, it's quite a banal spectacle. The series also suffers from some gratuitous fan-service scenes because when your main characters are ten you really need those. Way to keep it classy, A-1 and/or manga writer Tsuzuki Masaki. That being said, the story does flow from one narrative point to another really effectively and, even though it is a standard plot, it's well told. There are lots of good slice of life moments. Both with the Takamachi family and with Vivio and her friends and it is interesting to see what became of the reformed combat cyborgs. I also appreciate that they didn't try to force a more serious situation and have Nanoha and Fate inexplicably absent or beaten in order to let Vivio take the lead. Characters: The characters are still a strength of the series. We don't see as much of a focus on Nanoha, Fate and their comrades but they're still strong characters. The new characters we get are fleshed out well and get some development. Even their major opponents in the tournament have enough to them to give them a good level of verisimilitude. The interactions are Vivid's biggest strength. The dynamics amongst these characters are really well done whether the mentor relationship between Nove and the girls, the familial stuff between Vivio and her moms, the sapphic tension or just the friendly relationships. They're all really good. Art: Well, I was right about the transformation sequences. They're still terrible, lovingly outlining all the contours. The artwork also suffers from gratuitous fan-service, some of which involves ten year old girls. Even some of the designs suffer from being fan-service based. Like Sister Chantez and her battle habit complete with under-boob. She's fourteen, by the way. Far too young to be showing under-boob. That being said, most of the character designs are really good and don't do that. The action scenes are almost really good, except that the crass fan-service rears its ugly head and a lot of the action sequences result in the girls getting their clothes torn in a way that's supposed to be sexy. Remember last series where they fought for their lives and, somehow, kept their clothes largely intact? Why exactly is it that they can't manage that when having sparring matches? I get the feeling that the answer involves despicable art direction. Sound: The performances remain stellar. Saito Chiwa gives a really strong one as Nove, also as Subaru but Subaru has less of a role in this series. Mizuhashi Kaori, Noto Mamiko, Fukuen Misato and Kitamura Eri all do excellent vocal work as our main four. The music is also really good, suiting the series perfectly. Ho-yay: There's a lot. In addition to our NanoFate moments, Subaru and Teana still appear to be an item but the main focus is on Vivio and Einhald. The two of them aren't really as adorable as Nanoha and Fate were in prior series, but they get a lot of good moments and their blossoming love is really cute. There's also an episode where Sein does something that's completely uncool, but still homo-erotic. Final Thoughts: Vivid is the weakest instalment in this franchise yet. That isn't to say it's bad, it has a lot of strong moments, excellent characters and great sound, but the narrative itself is a lot weaker than prior instalments and it really suffers from the crass and gratuitous fan-service. So, while still a good series, it's not a superb one. My final rating is going to be a 7/10. Next week I'll end the year with a look at Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.

The 'Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha' franchise, is one I've liked for a while so I was very excited that Nanoha ViViD released as an anime, however it is too short which makes the story quite undeveloped. I do feel like this anime was to get viewers interested in the original manga itself, however they still should of focused on the anime's story and it's main characters progress. I like how they kept the previous voice actors for majority of the characters, it bodes well. Maybe they should make a second season (I think it would be pretty good for all those characters that didn't fight in this season, to appear clearly in the next one). This series is quite different from the previous three, it's not as climatic (in a life or death manner), this involves more slice of life/competition within itself kind of anime; it's good however not intense. Overall, I do like where this anime is coming from, but it lacks in a lot of ways. So hopefully, there is a second season that has more episodes (preferably 24). For all those out there who are interested in this anime; - If you've watched the previous three seasons: go ahead, it's a whole new experience though might be disappointing for few. It's still a pretty good watch. - If you haven't watched the previous three seasons: this might pose a problem, since it's different completely different to the previous three, but if you intend to, watch the three seasons first. :)

Going into the first ViVid series, I was really excited! This was before "ViVid Strike!" aired, so I was expecting this side story to be a one and done deal. I thought the idea of a short, slice-of-life that focused on Vivio's life with her two mothers would be both heartwarming and a nice change of pace from the darker atmosphere in "StrikerS", but it was less of a "Today's Menu for the Emiya Family" and more like a championship face-off, with an even larger cast, that have minimal characterization and are impossible to have any emotional investment in! ⚠️ This review of Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid will be spoiler-free ⚠️ —Story/Characters Since Fate and Nanoha are never really shown at all, only enough to give a nod to the returning viewers, the main "yuri" romance (the guiding light of "ViVid") is the flirty friendship between Vivio and Einhart Stratos! The little sprinklings of Corona and Rio are cute, but it's difficult to really have a stake in their characters by comparison, especially since Vivio was so important in the previous ("StrikerS") series! Many of the characters that had distinctive personalities in "StrikerS" are shaved down and given off-model faces, similar to what you would see in the "Kanon" anime adaptation. I blame the difference in mood to the replacement in directors, Keizō Kusakawa (the mastermind behind "A's", "StrikerS", and the reanimated films) was replaced by Yūki Itō (※director of the first "Granblue Fantasy" adaptation). The reappearing cast members from "StrikerS" or the Belkan Knights from "A's", just feel... plastic, like all of their memorable traits were reinstalled in a layer of drywall. ※If you have seen that series, you'll know that the man is not very good with pacing and maintaining a coherent story! Einhart Stratos is the patron saint of the series, her bombastic and delightful ambience was the best part of the series. Though I knew Vivio from the "StrikerS" series, there wasn't a lot of emotional complexity or intrigue to her character (until "ViVid Strike!"), she felt like just another generic magical girl spin-off like Sasami Kawai (an alternate universe variant of Sasami Masaki Jurai from "Tenchi Muyō") and Illya von Einzbern ("Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya"), this character archetype is used so often, that I'm sure that Madoka Kaname's character in "Mahō Shōjo Madoka★Magica" was meant to be a spoof of it. To condense the bulk of my argument against this series, if you want fanservice and magical, loli characters that know kung-fu, then this is a show that you might find enjoyment from. Regardless, it strays away from Keizō Kusakawa's ironclad vision of sci-fi, dark subplots, and technical magic at its finest. It feels like a husk of its former self. Luna's Favorite Works by Each Respective Creator = ✅ Yūki Itō (director), notable works: * Granblue Fantasy the Animation Commentary: Mr. Itō might be my least favorite director at A-1 Pictures. He completely sucked the substance out of both the "Nanoha" franchise and the "Granblue Fantasy" adaptation. I hate to be rude in my commentary, but I haven't been a fan of his work. The best thing that he did was the first two episodes of "Granblue Fantasy" and the character splash in the last episode. That's really all. Good Seiyū Work = ✅ Really Enjoyed the Seiyū's Performance = ✅ ✅ One of Luna's Favorite Performances OF ALL TIME = ✅ ✅ ✅ Yukari Tamura as Nanoha Takamachi, notable roles: * Michiru, Air * Mine, Akame ga Kill ✅ * Mayu Watanabe CG-3, AKB0048 ✅ ✅ * Remon Yamano, Ano Natsu de Matteru ("Waiting in the Summer") ✅ ✅ * Asuha Tōhara, Astarotte no Omocha! * Chihaya Ikaruga, Asu no Yo'ichi! ("Samurai Harem") * Yamada, B-gata H-kei * Koko Ninna-Nanna, Bōkyaku no Senritsu * Fear Kubrick, C³ * Honey Kisaragi, Cutey Honey Universe * Sakura Kisaragi, Da Capo * Kaoru Tsunashi, Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken ("I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying") * Nia, DearS * Dōnyatsu, Dōnyatsu * Moro, Dotto Koni-chan * Hikaru Saitō, Futarigurashi * Chiharu, Fūun Ishin Dai☆Shogun * Ranpha Franboise, Galaxy Angel ✅ * Saki Hanano, Gintama ✅ * Rino Rando, Gokujō Seitokai * Io Euclase, Granblue Fantasy the Animation ✅ ✅ * Rika Furude and Frederica Bernkastel, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni ✅ ✅ ✅ * Rika Furude and Ōka Furude, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei ✅ ✅ ✅ * Ruru Amour, Hug tto! PreCure * Ai, I: Wish You Were Here * Iori Minase, iDOLM@STER Xenoglossia —stand-in for Rie Kugamiya * Maiko Tamaki, Interlude * Tabane Shinonono, IS: Infinite Stratos ✅ ✅ ✅ * Rinne Ohara, Island ✅ * Haruka Minazuki, Kaitō Tenshi Twin Angel * Mai Kawasumi, Kanon ✅ ✅ * Tomari Kurusu, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl * Togame, Katanagatari ✅ ✅ * Nui Harime, Kill la Kill ✅ ✅ * Komaki Asagiri, Kujjibiki Unbalance * Excel, Kurokami the Animation * Elizabeth Midford, Kuroshitsuji ("Black Butler") ✅ ✅ * Yotsuba, Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shibō Desu Prologue * Choco, Last Period: The Journey to the End of the Despair ✅ * Finis, Last Song * Midori Sugiura, Mai-HiME * Lu Amano, Miami Guns * Ink Nijihara, Moetan * Nightingale, Monster Strike * Shuri Wakatsuki, Myself;Yourself ✅ * Muromi-san, Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san * Tenten, Naruto ✅ * Jibril, No Game No Life ✅ ✅ * Ringo Kinoshita, Nōrin ✅ ✅ ✅ * Kanako Kurusu and Meruru, Ore no Imōto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai ✅ ✅ ✅ * Masuzu Natsukawa, Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru ("Oreshura") ✅ ✅ ✅ * Akazukin, Otogi Jūshi Akazukin * Zesshi Zetsumei, Overlord II ✅ * Misha, Pita Ten * Clala, Quiz Magic Academy: The Original Animation * Priscilla Barielle, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu ✅ ✅ * Kanami Yuta, s.CRY.ed ✅ * Chiyo Yumehara, Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan ✅ * Hayari Mizuhara, Saki Zenkoku-hen ✅ * Beatrix Brehme, Schwarzesmarken ✅ * Eva-R, Seikon no Qwaser * Tiriel, Shakugan no Shana ✅ * M4 SOPMOD II, Shàonǚ Qiánxiàn ("Girls' Frontline") ✅ * Ellis Valentine, Shinkon Gattai Godannar!! * Kazane Shishidō, Sora wo Kakeru Shōjo * Suzuha Amane, Steins;Gate (series) ✅ ✅ ✅ * Saku Tōyama, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes * Ai Kunugi, Teizokurei Daydream ("Ghost Talker's Daydream") ✅ * Frederica Bernkastel, Umineko no Naku Koro ni ✅ ✅ ✅ * Michiru Munakata, Uta-Kata ✅ ✅ * Hisako Ichiki, X-Men * KōRyū, AnRyū, and TenRyūJin — Yūsha-Ō GaoGaiGar Final Commentary: Ms. Tamura is an incredibly talented seiyū; as a testament to their legendary performances in the "Lyrical Nanoha" franchise, both she and Nana Mizuki (voice of "Fate Testarossa") received honorary voice actor Nendoroids, that Good Smile Company released after the original production of the Nanoha Takamachi and Fate Testarossa figures! Their collection performances (in the first two series particularly), are just that monumental! I would compare Ms. Tamura's role in "Lyrical Nanoha" to her roles as Michiru Munakata ("Uta-Kata") and Io Euclase ("Granblue Fantasy the Animation"), though Ms. Tamura is one of the most versatile voice actresses, when it comes to the variety of characters that she's voiced over the years! Fantastic work with the character! Nana Mizuki as Fate Testarossa, notable roles: * Nanase Kotobuki, "Bungaku Shōjo" * Allison Whittington and Lillianne Aicasia Corazón Whittington-Schultz, Allison to Lillia * Akiko, Aoi Bungaku Series * Oboro Iga, Basilisk * Kururu, Binzume Yōsei * Saya Kisaragi, Blood-C * Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryū no Rondo * Misaki Kirihara, Darker Than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha * Nanami Takatsuki and Ricotta Elmar, Dog Days * Hannah, Dragon's Dogma * Sieglinde Baumgarde, Dragonaut: The Resonance * Cisqua, Erementar Gerad * Wrath, Fullmetal Alchemist ✅ ✅ * Bi Fei, Gin no Guardian * Lydia Carlton, Hakushaku to Yōsei * Tsubomi Hanasaki, HeartCatch! PreCure! ✅ ✅ ✅ * Yu Minamoto, Ichigo 100% * Kotoko Aihara, Itazura na Kiss * Tsugumi Shibata, Jigoku Shōjo ("Hell Girl") ✅ ✅ * Sora Yamato, Jikū Tantei Genshi-kun * Tiz, Jū Ō Sei * Yin Fu, Ken En Ken: Aoki Kagayaki * Roya, Kiba * Yuno Rukina, Kiss Dum: Engage Planet * Alois Tran…

I think the name of Nanoha made this series more harm than good. In many aspects, it is very different from the previous seasons; however, when viewed as something independent, rather than another part of the ongoing story, I find it quite appealing. Where the old series explores such themes as child abuse, usage of children in terrorism and human experiments; ViVid deals with a sport instead. Whereas the old Nanoha is dark and tense, ViVid is much more lighthearted and optimistic. While in previous installments Nanoha was an important character integral to the story; in ViVid she is only a housewife in the background. For many, such a drastic change was unwelcome, and I can understand this standpoint: the people came here expecting to see another season of -Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha-, but instead they were given this. However, for this review, let's imagine that these four words were never a part of the series' title; and talk about -ViVid- as a story of its own. The main story doesn't present us with anything groundbreaking, but I haven't noticed any significant flaws either, aside from the less than perfect placement of the season boundary. The Belkan side story is interesting to me, and it adds flavor to the Nanoha lore; so I rate it as very good. I am not a very good judge of art and sound since I only notice when they are obnoxiously bad. I did not notice such things in ViVid, if you wonder. Characters are likeable. Their development is smooth, and follows the causes behind it. As for the enjoyment, I personally liked this series better than the actual Nanoha ones. Due to several things, such as notoriously bad English of the devices or less than reasonable actions of characters, especially villains, made them seem more like "narm" than actual tragedy to me. ViVid avoids that entirely, and that made me enjoy its story much more.

The direction authors and creators took with Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha after Lost Logia shows complete aimless story with no real ending. Nanoha was great until A's. After she grew up in the subsequent series, the story deterred. I cannot recommend the story to anyone else at all. They're going to do the championship and then what? Nanoha is no longer the starring role (she's already 22 and unimportant - thus boring), it's Vivio. The story is poor. While all these fighting is enjoyable, I wish they went back to Earth. Showed us the normal life style again and then tell us another mishap at the place with which she needed to protect yet another monster or even that her friends learned/found magic to fight with her. This series completely disappointed me - just like Nanoha StrikerS.

Vivid is an oddity, the circumstances of it's creation unclear: A show that was supposed to be longer but had it's budget cut? A contractual obligation? Something whose sequel relied on it being successful? (Then again, we had Vivid Strike the next year). It's hard to talk about an anime that only covers 1/3 of it's manga, does so without much in the form of a thematic conclusion, and that simply ended when it finally took shape on what it wanted to be. However, if I was able to praise StrikerS for having it's entire anime be a build-up for it's final arc, seeing strikers as a build-up for episode 11 guarantees it a "Mixed Feelings" rather than a "Not Recommended". The Nanoha franchise as a whole was ever a bit ambiguous about the identity it wanted to have: Season one starts as a monster-of-the-week mahou shoujo for three episodes, transitions to a urban fantasy and finally to a sci-fi setting. A's settles in a mix of it's urban fantasy and sci-fi aspects, while StrikerS steers away from it's urban fantasy elements and goes full-on in it's Sci-Fi and Fantasy mix. Vivid decides to once again do a big change in the form of going to an initially more light-hearted slice-of-life direction until finally finding it's identity as a light-hearted fighting story. While this works for it's manga, since that would be the majority of it, in an anime where it is only the latter third of it, it gives the idea that Vivid is directionless. That's not to say that there aren't positive aspects to it: It manages to inherit much of the more "fantastic" type of magic present in the original as well as A's (From golems to transformations), but that were "toned down" in StrikerS in favor of a more down-to-earth approach, while also inheriting the "personal stakes" character dynamics that made the fights in StrikerS work, and in that way it succeeds at making us care about fights between characters that were barely shown. For the characters, they follow the same philosophy as the conflicts in StrikerS: Not that much depth to them, yet they're definitely entertaining and charismatic. As previously stated, Vivid has a somewhat magical way of making us care for characters we've barely met, and this synergizes well with the StrikerS philosophy of "rotating" your focus between different characters. I would have to say, however (Perhaps due to the distance between it and StrikerS) that the way the characters sound feels more "generic", to the point that I had to double-check if no voice-actors were changed. This could've been solely due to Vivid haing a more "happy" vibe (Likely the best example of this being the character of Lutecia). Honestly? It's a fairly obvious "Just go read the manga" situation. The first of it's kind, as Vivid was the first Nanoha TV anime to not be original, but rather an adaptation of a source material.

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile. ------ ✦Story You know.. it was somewhat boring and somewhat fun. From standpoint of previous seasons, this was a bad sequel because old Nanoha (1st and 2nd season) were serious and darker tuned with fun trademark magical girl spell circle Anime. From standalone point this anime was okay. But probably my biggest complaint would be that it was too bright and cheerful and combat became sport. And the whole Anime was about cute girls doing cute stuff and then doing some flashy magic and martial arts fights. In a sense this whole thing is a fanservice. (cute girls doing cute stuff, nostalgia, magic, fancy battles, a tad bit lewdness etc..) Story is for most part non-existent. And since it's a direct sequel to the whole franchise, this would be also aspect that made me axe the score. ✦Art&Sound Art was quite good, lot of cute character designs, great looking magic, well done fights sequences and overall art is quite simple and vivid. But hence the issue bringing 1st and 2nd season in the game. Which again I have to mention, an issue where more serious toned Anime turns into modernized generic/flat colored and artstyled piece of work. With a little bit lewd side fanservice, but minimal. Music&OST was okay, didn't impress nor dislike it. Had some presence, but was nothing special. ✦Character Fate X Nanoha, don't care what facts say from previous season. For me they are a lesbian married couple and Vivio is their lovechild. Anyhow, characters I did like for the moe-blob slice-of-life side of the Anime. They were cute and fun. That there really is all to comment. Nothing serious here, simple magic school battle fiesta series. ✦Enjoyment&Overall After 1st and 2nd series things were changed too much and went in a downhill as the whole franchise. But as standalone this season this was fine. Cute, colorful, simple,magic circles were okay, magic overall was splendid, fight sequences were nice enough. Nevertheless it got modernized and kinda turned into less serious and more boring than the first seasons. Fair amount disappointment, still hoped the seriousness would continue. In the end I did enjoy it for what it was, even though I did end up fast-forwarding a bit some episodes around the end. To sum up. It wasn't as trademark magical girls and was more of a "modern generic school battle magic fiesta, with slice-of-life cute girls doing cute stuff aspect"

Lyrical Nanoha ViVid is probably going to be one of the more difficult shows I'll have written a review for lately. It's not the series' fault, as it genuinely does try to stay on-topic with what it presents and progress reasonably. The issue is that the series feels way too ambivalent to commit to anything at times, as well as a few other issues. Unfortunately, Nanoha is no longer the series it was when it started; Nanoha herself actually barely appears outside a few seasons, and even Vivio fails to get any significant amount of spotlight. You can forget Fate and Hayate too, Fate appearing once or twice all season long, and Hayate only appearing a single time for a very minor scene. So, what's the hook? A girl named Einhart Stratos, who has the memories of a past lifetime and the regrets of the person who used to be, as well as his mysterious relationship with a woman. The first major issue with Einhart is that the show rather debatably ignores her backstory and developed lore, for better or for worse. Instead, the focus shifts to how it affects her current life without really delving into her past at all, aside from where the series used it as a plot stepping stone to its current situations. Instead, her development is used to show how she can adjust to her normal life, make friends, and hone her skills. ...Which is actually a great message on its own, even if it does come off as a bit of a deceptive concept. Despite this, her character is remarkably well-developed; it's surprising how well they manage to flesh her out despite this, showing how she copes with her past. The tournament arc, supposedly the main arc, takes a backseat and isn't mentioned for quite a while into the series, appearing somewhat underwhelming when it does by following a rather strict formula and not changing things up. I'm not saying it's bad, but it could have used a bit more creativity and thought.

Get ready to do some supplementary homework for this series, because they sure aren't going to explain a whole lot in the show itself. What this feels like is you're getting the middle section of a larger story, with no hand holding about what happened before and what happens after. There is no climax or resolution, it just sort of ends. So to start it we have yet another time skip. It's jarring watching the entire series and seeing just how often we just ahead a few years. It's fine to do it once, but you're going to lose your audience quickly if you just keep doing it. It's like every entry in the Nanoha franchise is a soft reboot. It's getting old. Part of what makes it so frustrating is how many characters there are to keep track of now. They just keep introducing new ones, and expecting you to care about them just as much as you did the last batch. Why should I? Because they know characters I do care about? There's never really any story beats in this series that feel like make it so I should care about any of these new younger girls. They are superficially connected to Nanoha and so don't need to actually establish any emotional connection, apparently. It's also strange to see how wildly the genre has shifted over the course of the last couple seasons. It barely feels like a magical girl anime anymore. It's like My Hero Academia with mahou shoujo set dressing. It's lazy. It's boring. It doesn't even have an ending. And as mentioned there is a lot of stuff that has happened since the last series that just goes unexplained because you're expected to have a working knowledge of the expanded lore from supplementary material like manga and stage play recordings. I spent so much time on the wiki just trying to understand half of what was going on, I eventually gave up trying. 6/10 at least it can't get worse, right?