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+================
+ Strike Witches
+================
+:CreationDate: 2012-09-23 19:40:12
+:Id: anime/review/strike-witches
+:tags: - anime
+       - review
+:rating: 3
+:original: http://www.easternkicks.com/reviews/strike-witches-complete-series-collection
+
+I'm quite a bit surprised about my own reaction to this anime: I
+watched it all in just two evenings. I just couldn't stop: I had to
+see it through to the end.
+
+Let me start by explaining what are the aspects of this series that
+predisposed me to not liking it.
+
+First of all, it's got half-naked lolis. Even if the characters say
+they are 13 or 20, they all look terribly young. Big breasts alone
+don't make a loli look "older", they just make her look misshapen.
+
+Secondly, it's clearly a "fighting story". I think I've already
+written that I don't believe a series of fights or battles constitutes
+a storyline; consequently, a series that seem to revolve around
+battles has to be particularly good to compensate.
+
+So, with this in mind, I started watching Strike Witches.
+
+The premise is something we've already seen many times: an alien
+menace suddenly appears, and it can only be opposed by absurdly young
+"soldiers". In this particular case, the aliens are black flying
+objects with beam weapons, and the "soldiers" are young magical girls
+riding things described as (I kid you not) "a new breed of magic
+brooms".
+
+The year is 1939, in a world quite similar to our own, the main
+differences being the existence of magical girls, and all countries
+being named differently (Britannia, Gallia, Karlsland, Fuso…). At one
+point a character notices, talking about some military higher-up, that
+if they did not have the aliens to fight, they'd all be fighting each
+other, and there would be a world war. Ahem.
+
+The main character is a Japanese—ehrm—Fusoan girl, daughter of the
+inventor of the "Striker Units" (the above-mentioned brooms), that
+gets enlisted / shanghaied into joining the Witches while looking for
+clues about her supposedly deceased father, from whom she's just
+received a letter.
+
+She then proceeds to be the best member of the squadron, overcome most
+of the hostility and jealousy, prevent a military coup, make the first
+step toward peace with the enemy, and retire to her family's magical
+healing hospital, only to receive *another* letter from her
+father. Cue the second series, first released in 2010.
+
+Yes, I have just given you the entire plot of the 12 episodes. I might
+add that nearly every girl is in love with another girl, there's at
+least one triangle (see "jealousy", above), several bathing scenes
+(with and without suits), no scene is free of fan service, and the
+girls sprout animal ears and tails when they use magic.
+
+Oh, and *every* girl is dressed normally on top, but has no skirt or
+trousers. The most covered girl has pantyhose. I'm not just talking
+about the Witches, who could be excused such a weird "uniform", since
+they have to don the Strikers like socks: every young woman lacks
+lower-body garments.
+
+So why oh why did I not just eject the disc in the middle of the
+second episode, watch the last one just for completeness' sake, and
+call it a day? Because it's a well-balanced mix of sure-fire
+ingredients, and I'm apparently a sucker right inside the intended
+market.
+
+Make no mistakes: this series is designed from the ground up to sell,
+every detail is chosen from tried-and-true sources to appeal to a
+certain demographic. The animation, from Gonzo (Origin, Last Exile,
+VanDread) is gorgeous. The alternate-history almost-serious plot gives
+a plausible excuse ("I watch it for the plot, honest!"). The
+characters behave innocently, not noticing that they're mostly
+eye-candy. Even the fights are kept (mostly) short enough.
+
+Even so, I must say that Strike Witches is a solidly crafted work. Not
+art, not by a long stretch, but definitely, if a bit guiltily,
+enjoyable.