Ranked #1071

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha

Nanoha is not spectacular in part, but as a whole it shines. I can explain this by saying that the animation, sound, story, and character development as seperate entities are nothing remarkable (with some deference to the opening sound track) - As a complete intertwining smorgasbord of sensual imagery, these elements form an exceptional, and enjoyable investment of time.

The animation got me hooked in the first episode with two short lived but highly innovative sequences that are never again revisited in style or similarity. Lukily for me, that was not near as important in further episodes as I became further engrosed in the series. Overall, the animation is tight and beautiful, but that first episode has burned an image, of what anime COULD be like, in my mind for ever.

The sound is well placed, the voice acting is quite pleasant but the Opening song is well beyond my expectations. Innocent Starter" has found a permanant place in my 5 star playlist.

The story is your typical magical girl with a more mature touch (strange considering the youth of the characters). It does not fall in the trap of overly cute to the point of mindless "kawaiiness" that 99% of "Magical Girl" shows contain. That makes it new in my book!

The characters really shine, besides the robot like, ultra caring of Nanoha herself, she is defined like a "passive aggressive" (all things can be worked out with words before violence) but more than willing to kick some !$! if she has to, kind of character. The character "Fate" is the truly dynamic character entity of this story and her pain and suffering is eclipsed only by Nanoha's compassion. Such character development is undoubtedly rare in "Magical Girl" anime prototypes. Fate-chan is, and will forever be my favorite character.

This is an extremely valuable series, and a bargain at even the most outrageous prices of English Anime DvD's. If it is liscensed, I suggest picking it up with all due haste!

I found myself looking forward to each new episode, all the way through the series' completion. I was ready with my popcorn and soda, and even brought out my most comfy chair, providing myself with the ultimate enjoyable experience.

Overall - 8.5, could not use decimals so I bumped it down to a 8, only because It's sequel is even more innovative and exceptional. read more

As a fan of anime, the magical girl genre has not always been a favorite. Perhaps I have watched the wrong shows up until now and got a bad impression of it. Up till now, magical girls are usually extremely silly shows with way to many loli's, overly long and indecent transformation scenes, and perverted magic animals from other worlds or dimensions. Did I miss something? Happily, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is not one of those.

Starting out there is nothing particularly original or extremely interesting about this show. Nanoha, an ordinary young girl gets magical powers from a magic using ferret from another world. (Pause while that soaks in a bit, boy does it sound silly when I read that) Overlooking the silliness of that, this ferret, named Yuuno has a mission to retrieve some magical artifacts that have slipped into the world so Nanoha agrees to help him. The story starts out pretty predicable and not all that exciting, with the first few episodes being a monster of the week kind of format. Eventually a rival emerges after the same thing as Nanoha but for more sinister reasons. This rival is Fate, and this is when the story really starts to pick up and become more exciting. By episode 7 or 8 I was on the edge of my seat as the action built up to the exciting climax. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and while some of the plot lines were predictable others came as a surprise. In the end I was left with many emotions as the story puts you through the full range from sadness to joy. It was very well done indeed!

Character wise, this show is truly outstanding. Fate and Nanoha are two of the most interesting characters I have seen. The story does a great job in developing them and growing them into what they become by the end. The two familiars, Yuuno and Arf are also fleshed out pretty well and are also very interesting and fun characters. The chief villain is also very well written, and while she is a mean and vile character I felt a wide range of emotions about her too. The supporting characters are pretty good, in a short series like this they don’t get a lot of development, which is ok because doing so would have taken away from the ones who deserved the screen time.

The cast is really good, especially for the main characters. Rie Kugimiya is one of my favorite actresses but shines in a small role as one of Nanoha's friends. The music is also great, the OP, EN songs are catchy, especially the opening. I found myself singing along frequently! Animation is good too, I loved the character models for the most part. Though I’m not a huge fan of how the men and boys were drawn but that’s a personal preference. I’m not a big fan of boys who don’t look like boys. Particularly Yuuno, if they hadn’t told me he was a boy I wouldn’t have known. Also as staple of magical girl anime is the transformation scene. Weeee! We get to see a naked 3rd grader changing into her magical outfit! Hooray! The problem is not so much that I had to endure this scene, it’s that for the first 7 episode or so I had to endure it EVERY TIME!!!!! The FULL SCENE! Come on we’ve seen it 8 times already I know Nanoha's body better than my own now how about the short version now and then?

Despite my frustration with all the transformation scenes for the first half of the show, in the end it didn’t damper my enthusiasm and enjoyment of it once the last episode was over. If you’re a magical girl fan, this is a cant miss show. And if you’re not, this is still a cant miss show.
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While perusing over titles in the magical girl genre it is almost impossible to miss that which is the Nanoha franchise these days. Touted by many as a revolutionary magical girl show with its Gundam like magical battles and its supposed expansive universe, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is certainly not lacking any hype.

However, as reactions may vary, I found this show to be quite the disappointment. This show can definitely be split into two halves.

The very beginning is typical enough for a mahou shoujo show, it certainly plays off the very roots of the genre with how Nanoha first finds and comes into contact with magic, but what the show does after that is where the problems arise. The story is very mundane, and lacks any attractive force to it. Almost set up like a monster of the week show, Nanoha does very little to entertain. I was left questioning what was so damn unique about this show when everything about it just seemed so uninspiring, flat, and just frankly boring. One thing is for sure though and that is I couldn't see what so damn exciting or riveting about the fights at this juncture compared to other mahou shoujos.

The show however does become much better in its second half or so when the character Fate Testarossa arrives. I was reaching the point of insurmountable rage about how this show could ever be considered such a classic in the genre when everything about it screamed boring. Fate, probably the best character in the show as far as I can see, injected this show with much needed life. Finally the universe in this show finally starts to be explored, even if just a little bit. There's a tangible conflict beyond finding little jewel shards. The conflict is exciting, and the events that unfold were nice to see. The relationship that Nanoha forms with Fate also becomes a very endearing one to behold.

Another major improvement in the show was the action. Finally it started becoming more exciting. It wasn't the most riveting action ever by any means, but it finally achieved a standard of reasonably entertaining. I do however criticize the action in this show for lacking any sort of mental exercise. The action mostly consisted of beam spamming, shields, and binds, all which were executed at random intervals and varying strength. There is no real strategy to each engagement, so I can hardly consider it top tier action.

However despite my positive comments on the second half, the jarring contrast between these two halves of the show is quite stark. Everything before Fate was a very light hearted mundane affair, but one of the things we're treated to in the second half is much darker (Compared to the first half) and it is hard to believe that this is the same show. It never really felt like there was a transition to this sort of violence and such as the show went along. Worst, it was only at this point that the show seemed like it really wanted to take itself seriously.

The reason I take issue with the show suddenly wanting to take itself very seriously is that it becomes rather hard to hold a strong enough suspension of disbelief over the course of this show. I often quip that this show's title should be Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Therapist Girl Nanoha, because really, Nannoha displays wisdom way beyond her years. She's shown to be like an adult at the prime age of 9. The way she talks to both foes and allies displays a mental maturity beyond many adults you see in real life.

Further things that arise over the course of the show that one must question is the incredibly weird family situation that Nanoha is in. The way they accept her going out at night without much suspicion, the way the mother lets Nanoha leave for months at a time with strangers for no good reason at all, is mind boggling. If a story wants to take itself serious, I also expect them to take care of such details seriously as well.

Unfortunately, despite the major improvements in the second half of the show, it nonetheless concludes in a disappointing manner. The final conflict delivered isn't the type of conclusion I thought it deserved, and many of the characters were shafted. There were a couple of nice moments between some of the characters at the end, but everything felt rather underwhelming.

Overall, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha isn't a bad series. If it had focused more on the elements presented in its second half, had better execution, and other such touch-ups, I'm sure I would've considered this quite the nice show. As is though, it skimps out on too many corners its story and presentation, and the first parts of this were extremely boring. It is hard to see this as a great show, let alone the classic that many tout it to be.

This is both an overrated anime and a mahou shoujo, but is not a waste of your time.

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Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (I'll abbreviate it to MSLN in the review for the sake of convenience) is an anime about a magical girl named Nanoha. Along the way, she meets another magical girl named Fate, and tries to help her with her problems.

story;
At first, MSLN seems very typical. There's a girl, she discovers that she has magical powers, and she sets off to seal the jewel seeds which have gone rampant. As I said, typical, right? But then, along comes Fate Testarossa, and the whole story changes. Around the second half of the series, the plot picks up its pace, and it's hard to stop watching. Despite its childish appearance, the storyline is anything but that.

art;
The graphics in MSLN are very nice. Nanoha and Fate's battle outfits and weapons are well designed; they are complex, with much detail. The animation is smooth, and the transformation scenes are well done. My only complaint is how the ending theme was done. Whoever did that was very, VERY lazy. You'll know why when you see it. But besides that, the anime was very eye-pleasing.

sound;
The voices were good; they all matched the personalities of the characters. The opening was nice as well, but again, I found the ending quite lacking. The ending theme was a bit too childish, and the voice bothered me. But it's easy to skip over, so I guess I can't complain. Lastly, I'll comment on the weapons themselves. I understand why they speak, and why they speak in english, but some of the phrases were unnecessary and gave a strange feeling. For example, Nanoha's Raising Heart actually says 'all right', when Nanoha issues a command.

character;
The characters were well developed, in my opinion. Nanoha's situation was introduced early on, and much attention went to Fate's situation. Nanoha is the kind, caring girl with the perfect family, and Fate is the sad, desperate girl with the not-so-perfect family. The characters are lovable, and it's fun to watch them.

enjoyment;
MSLN was very enjoyable to watch. The 13 episodes went by fast. The characters are awesome, the battles are awesome, and the plot is great. I definitely enjoyed watching this anime. Maybe it's because I haven't watched a magical girl series in a long, long time (ie. Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura when I was little), but the anime was a refreshing change from all of the dramatic romance I've been watching.

Overall, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha receives an 8. It was a very worthwhile watch, and I recommend it. I can't guarantee that it'll be your cup of tea, but it was definitely better than I'd expected.

♥ read more

5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Mahou shoujo with some zing

I watched “Triangle Heart ~Sweet Songs Forever~” before Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, and personally, I’m glad that MSLN’s story is a lot different from Triangle Heart.

Nanoha Takamachi was also a character in Triangle Heart, but she was sort of an extra character there. She takes the stage as main character in MSLN as a normal third grader who suddenly meets a ferret who is actually a mage from another world, and he asks Nanoha to help her collect Jewel Seeds that have scattered all over her world. It seems a lot like Card Captor Sakura, but each MSLN episode isn’t as uniform as CCS episodes. The pacing is faster, which is good since MSLN only has 12 episodes. Also, Jewel Seeds aren’t cutesy like Clow Cards – they are way more dangerous and threatening.

There are actually two magical girls in MSLN, there is Nanoha of course, and there’s also Fate Testarossa. I happen to like Fate more, because sometimes Nanoha’s too nice that you get tired of it. Fate is sort of like a 9 year old Rei Ayanami with better hair, so I definitely like her more. Some characters from Triangle Heart have also reappeared for MSLN, such as other members of the Takamachi family. The only difference is that they’re all leading normal lives and not working as bodyguards or agents for secret services.

I’m familiar with most of the voice cast, but the names that stood out for me the most are Rie Kugimiya (Alisa Bannings) and Ai Shimizu (Suzuka Tsukimura). I liked their work in other series, especially Rie Kugimiya (Shana in Shakugan no Shana, Nagi from Hayate no Gotoku, Alphonse Elric from FMA), so I’m kind of disappointed that they got smaller parts in the series. Also, I like Raging Heart and Bardiche’s voice actors. I don’t know why but I like it when Raging Heart and Bardiche talk.

I’m a bit iffy about the visuals, specially the character design. Nanoha and Fate’s designs were both age appropriate and proportionate, but for the older women, I didn’t like the oversized chests and wide hips. It’s also a bit inconsistent, scenes from the first episode looked different compared to the latter episodes. All in all, animation was good.

Nana Mizuki did a great job in singing “Innocent Starter”, the opening theme. I wish it was more upbeat though, but since it was performed by the voice actor of Fate Testarossa, I guess I shouldn’t expect something more lively. I liked the ending theme more, “Little Wish ~Lyrical Step~” by Yukari Tamura, Nanoha’s voice actor.. It really fit Nanoha’s personality, and it was cute and catchy. I learned it right away.

At first I was hesitant to watch Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, because I wasn’t really a fan of the Mahou Shoujo genre, thinking that most series of such genre was the same. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha had something in it, which makes it worth watching. read more

Ah, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. When I first watched it, I dropped it. Untill recently! I came to the conclusion that the first episodes are so typical mahou shoujo, but I continued. Indeed: it turned out to be a good anime if you like mahou shoujo in any way.

The story is, like I already said, very mahou shoujo. Girl meets unknown person, person needs help with collecting stuff, girl helps the person. Yeah, very typical. The story is in the beginning very Cardcaptor Sakura like, but later on the real and interesting story begins. The real story is interesting and emotional.

The art of the anime was nice. The character art is very nice: Nanoha, Fate and the other characters are well done. The battle costumes are awesome, but the normal scenes are not that pretty. Think about the background art etcetera. Despite that, I give it a 7!

The sound was all right. The opening is just beautiful : I never skipped it an episode! It's so catchy... The ending was okay. The backgroundmusic and effects are nice too.

The characters looked pretty, but not all the characters had the time to develope themselves emotionally. A pity! The outside of the characters are very cool, especially Fate. The costumes look great, the hairstyle was nice and the weapons are awesome. The only character that was not pretty was the real villain, but hey, that's what you can expect...

I crawled through the first episodes: they are way too typical mahou shoujo. But then a part of the story finally starts and thinks start to happen : awesome fights. The characters looked nice, just as the sound was and the art was so-so at some moments. Despite the fact that the story only started for real at the last episodes, I enjoyed this series till the last moment. Enjoyment and overall an 8! read more

How does something that starts with a load of magical girl cliches end up transcending the entire genre by the end? Nanoha starts as a thinly-veiled Cardcaptor Sakura ripoff, yet by the end, it stands as an anime unlike anything other "magical girl" anime out there and quite possibly the most well-thought-out of them all.

Despite the three episodes of classic magical girl exposition, the character Fate appears afterward and instigates the series' rapid evolution into something much more respectable. The elements of the plot become darker with the passing of time, especially parts of the plot that regard Fate and her reasons for fighting. Soon, the plot twists fly left and right and by the end, Nanoha is nothing like the series it was when it started. And that's a very good thing!

Though Nanoha may scream "Sakura clone" at first, she quickly separates herself from her predecesors by taking up a buster rifle and a no-nonsense unhesitant attitude toward her new duties. Supporting characters Fate and Arf also contribute heavily to the narrative and are enjoyable characters in their own right as well.

Nanoha's first season was directed by Shinbo Akiyuki, infamous for his inventive animation style, but don't expect any kind of surreal post-modernism here. Do expect surprisingly fluid, almost movie quality animation that stays relatively consistent throughout. Not to mention the extended transformation sequence is one of the most amazingly lavish of the genre.

The soundtrack is highlighted by a beautiful Nana Mizuki number as the OP, though the BGM and ED aren't nearly as impressive. The BGM works without being obtrusive but it's nothing that requires any more thought.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is an ironic title, as after the first three episodes, everything it does separates itself from the "magical girl" moniker. It's darker than most, and far more well-thought-out in terms of narrative. The first installment to the now cult-status franchise, Nanoha is far more enjoyable than you'd be led to believe at first glance.

Overall I give Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha an 8 out of 10 read more

This would be my first review, so I'll get straight to the point...

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha stands by its names as a magical girl show in the sense of girl discovering magical powers with near-nude transformation and such, however it has several points that place it apart from it peers. It has action that is on par with Shounen with its battles and a more realistic plot then most magical girl series.

The show itselfs is short and goes by quick and lacks the 'slow' nature of most magical girl animes. The biggest thing about Nanoha is its straight to the point, we don't waste time battle random villains till the real villain reveals their FINAL plot in the last episodes. We get a straight story from episode one with no side-trips. The staffs the character's use are really interesting, I would explain more but its best for you to watch it and see for yourself.

The only downside is your left wanting more development of the smaller characters. It latest only 13 episodes and leaves no room for secondary character development and cause of that it suffers a bit in storyline and character. However considering how much plot they stuffed in 13 episodes I don't think many would complain about this.

Review Recommendation: If you like this title then It's sequel, "Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's" will impress you even more. It has even better battles, more actions, with a deeper plot.
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*Magical Girl Lyrical* NANOHA is generic mahou shoujo...with a twist, it has shounen written all over it. Action, adventure, a dumb but sweet protagonist who is led by the plot and a heart of gold, good versus evil with do-or-die reasons; all spell "perfect" for those who wished for mahou shoujo, being a supernatural fantasy, to seriously work on improvising with the times. But for all said, this is a complete generic: generic shoujo kindheartedness+generic shounen monster-of-the-week action=best of all generics-...I mean "best" as in great for those who enjoy cliches without hiccups. And to top it off, it has a beautiful slice-of-life atmosphere that one can love if they have the patience.

Story - As all shoujo stories, it started out bland, cutesy, and sweet, but, as the initial few seconds, there is an underlying darkness that gradually envelops the entire plot. The former sentence can describe how the second half decisively holds a candle to the first; it is progressive. Days pass in between episodes which only starts where the main story continues, meaning that all 13 episodes are filler-free and mainly fulfilling; plot-orientated. There can be many positives in the story, however, the plot can be cliched at times, like sacrifice and the power of love; standard mahou shoujo elements. At least it is satisfied in its "safe" zone instead of trying its luck, which would have failed given it's simple structure, but a fine example of how good a series can be as it is.

Animation - The best animations go to action scenes, some to the repeated magical transformations, and, especially, to the magic itself(standard for the magic genre lately). The art is mild but distinguished, except that in making all the characters look childishly cute the guys end up looking rather feminine, which can be deterring. What caught my eye from this kind of art was how colourful the hair turned out; purple, orange, etc. with soft tinges; which makes for lovely decor for otherwise feminine features that are hard to tell apart, eg. chubby faces. Opening and ending fit well with the progression without feeling out of place as well, although the ending was a mismatch during those cliffhanger endings near the finish.

Sound - The OST was clear and sweet, though it was hard to notice the slower tracks, but at least it successfully blended into the environment and worked with it. The voice acting was heavily feminine, guys sound mellow while girls sound cute, but Fate's was the exception.

Character - Nanoha and Fate didn't have extraordinary characteristics but what made them interesting were their personalities, which are similar to shounen females, not like role models for little girls to be selfless. The staffs could also count as part of the characterization; they had AI, CG-animation, and operated as collapsible laser cannons! These magical staffs helped bring some tech power into the mahou shoujo picture, a simple add-on but it works.

Enjoyment - As always, fantasy is as good as it lasts. The blend of magical girls and action, with a touch of "sci-fi" rods and the palm-sized ferret is great enough to enjoy this series. Some problems would be the nudity in transformations, slow start, or the girl-only friendship; the ferret stays a cute informant.

Overall - NANOHA isn't innovative, playing it too safely, but improvises on the well-received concepts it functions on. Perfect for those who find magical girl series repetitive, with the age-old morals of feminism, but are looking for actual entertainment. In fact, it caters to shounen fans. read more

Before watching this, remember: MSLN is *not* a magical girl shoujo anime. It's a 100% straight action series. In fact, when I describe it to my friends, I describe it as "equal parts Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z and Star Trek, of just the right length".

The first few chapters are typical magical girl fare, yeah, but that's just a bait and switch story that paves the way to a completely different story that focuses on the conflict between Fate's superiors, her relationship with Nanoha, Nanoha's own life issues, her new career as a magical girl, and the powers that are behind Nanoha's job. And all of that is carried on with the most awesome fighting scenes you'll ever see. I'm not talking about just magical girls throwing powers; I'm talking about real badasses duking it out!

The story is flawless, the voice acting is great, the story starts out clichéd but that's before the real story kicks in halfway through, the animation is awesome especially during the fight scenes (I could swear they poured a blockbuster-like budget on this!), and overall, this is one of the best of the best anime series I've watched in my life. I'm definitely looking forward to A's and Strikers. read more

When I heard about this anime, I thought it sounded generic, but fun. I was kinda right. If you've ever watched any magical girl show where the main heroine fights monsters, then its probably like this. But still, it can be fun.

In this anime, the main 9-year-old heroine, Nanoha, finds a talking animal that gives her magic powers, and now she must find these "Jewel Seeds". However, another young girl, Fate, is also searching for them.

One major problem I had was Fate's motivation. I won't spoil it, but it felt lame. Her reasons were so dumb, I couldn't believe it.

The fan-service can be annoying. I mean, these are under-age kids. WTH? The gay-undertones were a bit heavy, most notably in the final episode.

These gripes aside, this is a fun, simple magical girl series, and fans of the genre should love it. read more

As a old and long time magical girl fan I can say this series isn't intended for magical girl entusiasts because in the first 3 episodes the series does the generic and clliché things in the story (sometimes imitating a lot Cardcaptor Sakura) but after that is very clear this is a series not intended for everyone but mainly for boys because it shows soft fanservice and the main focus in the story is the action and the fighting not the drama and romance someone is expecting in magical girls series.
The characters are fine for an action series but not so deeply developed sometimes they feeel a little generic being similar to some stereotypes in shounen series.
If you look it as shounen action series it's enjoyable by its action and visuals, the character designs have its own style but the characters besides the protagonist sometimes look alike.
In sounds nothing spectacular but it uses the stock SFX in shounen anime very well with some "Engrish" used for the magical powers.
The story seems that it could had gone further and deeper making it more complete but I suppose because the short length of 13 episodes they had to resume and end the story very quickly.
In conclusion don't watch it if you're looking for a standard magical girl series, watch it if you're looking for a magical girl series turned shounen action series. read more

Length: 13 Episodes
Original Airdates: 10/04 - 12/04
Demographic: Unknown (betting on Shounen)
Genres: Fantasy, Magic
Also Known As: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, MGLN

Plot Synopsis
Yuuno Scraia is a mage from a distant planet working to fix the problem he started when Jewel Seeds were accidentally spread around the world. In a failed attempt to seal a seed properly, he winds up on Earth in the form of a ferret. However, his battle with the seeds did not end upon reaching the Earth and he needs somebody else's help to seal the seeds for him. Takamachi Nanoha hears his telepathic cries for help and comes to his rescue. When she is given a pearl known as the Raging Heart she is able to transform into Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and wield a staff to fend off the evil that lies within the Seeds. In order to help Yuuno complete his mission, she needs to seal all 21 Jewel Seeds away, but Fate may be playing a hand in the matter to prevent Nanoha's goals.
(Source: ANN)

Personal Opinion
In my recent ventures into the Mahou Shoujo genre, I had heard favorable reviews about Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. So, I decided to watch it.
Referring to MGLN as a Mahou Shoujo anime, will lead to many misinterpretations. When I hear "Magical Girl", I envision an cute elementary school girl wearing short skirts and firing off attacks that are littered with hearts. Don't expect that in MGLN.
MGLN in a Magical Girl anime in which the lead characters engage in fights that are usually reserved for shounen animes. This probably was the main reason I could watch this anime.
I mean story-wise, It's very simple... almost generic. The first half of the show moved incredibly slow and I contemplated a few times if I should drop it. It's a good thing I didn't because the 2nd half of the show was filled with intense action. After episode 6, I was sucked in. MGLN can be quite emotional when it needs to The show has an antagonist who is really easy to pity.

So overall... It didn't quite meet the expectations that I had for it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless (Especially the 2nd half)

7/10

Similar to...
- Bleach
Instead of Shinigami's firing of huge attacks and surviving the impact... it's 9 year old elementary school girls.

- Noein
The concept of multiple worlds makes an appearance in both read more

Consider this a review of all three seasons and the 2010 movie.

PROPER MINDSET
Nanoha is a mahou shojo that messed with the archetypical formula in an attempt to not bore the viewers with a Sailor Moon rehash. Although that partially did the trick, in the longrun it felt victim of its own inability to change or make use of its own duration.

THE STAFF
- Animated by studio Seven Arcs which is famous for making colorful ecchi comedies.
- Directed by the all-famous Shimbo Akiyuki, who turned the other studio he usually works in into a colossus. His style to combine the cute with the artsy and the symbolical is very interesting yet this particual work is by far amongst his tamed ones.
- Based on an erotic game, and this is hy the show borders lolicon and hentai at times.

PRODUCTION VALUES
- The production values are good as far as the artwork goes. Nanoha’s setting blended the modern world with the magic of the past and the technology of the future and thus you are offered three-in-one. It has a certain variety that sets it apart from others of its kind and, when the animators were paid fully, it looked very eye-catchy.
- The characters are all drawn to be cute and most of them are kids for most of the story. Being a mahou shojo means that almost anyone important to the plot is a girl, with funky uniforms and magic gizmos that create all sorts of energy attacks. I can’t say I liked their looks; they were all quite generic and not really memorable. Plus, the animators went for fan service and thus there are lots of scenes where the girls are naked or with underwear. Nothing explicit but at many scenes this show is not targeted at little girls but rather horny otakus.
- The contemporary Japan areas are very typical and have nothing of interest to look at. The magic devices and the space-time spaceships on the other hand were an interesting combination.
- There are too many obvious budget problems which results to the use of stiff characters, scrolling panels and reused scenes. And yes, they still reuse a lot the transformation and attack clips. Also, the action scenes are to the most part simplistic exchange of energy beams that end up being tiresome after awhile.
- One thing that will not disappoint is the huge amount of lights and energy beams. They are filling the screen with all sorts of shapes and colors and patterns to the point you can faint if you are photo-epileptic. Very eye-catching and helps you to fight the otherwise boring battles.
- Damn, I rarely find something to write about the sound part. Ok, I had absolutely no problem with it. The voices were not annoying (not too high-pitched to irritate me), the sound effects had an equal variety with the visual ones and the music themes were likable. But not memorable or great for any reason.

STORY SECTION: S1: 5/10, S2: 7/10, S3: 3/10, M: 5/10 (Overall: 5/10)
The story begins in a typical fashion; cute good-hearted girl Nanoha finds Yuuno magic critter and gets powers in order to find something or stop someone. Along the way the story gets more complicating with the addition of an organization that protects the various dimensions from cosmic threats. It sounded very interesting as it blended magic with technology. But the pacing GAH, a complete mess. A major problem with the franchise that made most to give up on it.

- The first season was at first to find scattered spheres from an advanced civilization, and up until the first half it was plain boring. Nanoha and her friends had nothing of interest to fill the slice-of-life moments and the battles were short and simplistic. It is only when her rival Fate is introduced in the story that something good starts to happen. Suddenly she is taken aboard her fuzzy mascot’s spaceship, meats lots of officials and villains with their own spaceship are close by. It was a lot more enjoyable this way but towards the end you could easily see that even this twist didn’t save the story from its genericness. It was mostly about befriending the enemy rather than fighting with wits and the villains pretty much just stormed in and had their way like security didn’t matter. The finale is sweet if you like the power of friendship but otherwise very anti-climactic action-wise.
- The second season is now about finding an evil book that if it charges up fully will create lots of trouble. This season is enjoyable most of the time because it has far more interesting characters, far better action scenes, and in generally far more interesting rivals and objectives. It is otherwise again full of silly moments and again the power of friendship is all that matters in the end. One wonders why the hell do they have all these cool weapons or why they fight in general if all it takes is to just hug the enemy and cry. But anyways, the second season is to the most part good.
- The third season is a bloody mess. Since nobody in this series ever dies, new characters are constantly introduced and the older ones are still present. As a result you have a huge cast that needed a lot of fleshing out or at least episodes dedicated to each one individually. Unfortunately most of the plot was nothing but a very slowly developed military operation with lots of pointless action and uninteresting villains. Plus while the duration is now twice as before, instead of using that extra time to flesh out the characters, or provide emersion to the story, or focus on the established cast, they just slowed down the pacing, leaving most of them as stunts and background decoration. IT WAS HORRIBLE!
- The movie is basically a retelling of the first season. You know, better visuals, more action, less plot, and now loli boobs come with nipples. Just for those who saw the series and want to see the same thing all over again with more superficial entertainment and less context.

In all, the main story had something good going but hardly took advantage of its potential and ended up being a half-baked cake.

CHARACTER SECTION: S1: 6/10, S2: 7/10, S3: 2/10, M: 5/10 (Overall: 5/10)
In all honesty, the cast of the franchise is pretty much stock material. They are all archetypes you will encounter in all mahou shojo in general. So all that mattered was to simply have them colorized throughout every season.

- The first season did a good job with what it had. The problem is, it only had two important girls and one secondary male mascot sidekick for twelve episodes. Although they were quite colorful, they were still archetypes and very few to excuse the duration. Otherwise, not bad for a trio.
- The second season adds almost a dozen more to the main and secondary cast and this is where things become interesting. Although nobody is still special for any reason, there is a lot of variety in personalities and their interactions feel more colorful and less bipolar in good guys – bad guys. Rather good in overall.
- The third season blew it to pieces. It introduced even more characters and pretty much didn’t bother to develop or colorize anyone enough. Not only that but now all the main girls are adults working in a military organization. Where did the magical feeling of those little girls go to? They turned from pure hearted children to military personnel; the magic is gone.

The cast was never special in any way but at least the first two seasons had some innocence in them. The third just makes everybody to feel like a footsoldier in some military academy doing his duty. Very distasteful development. Not only that, but the fan service element never left; it was there all the time showing the girls in various forms of undress. That didn’t add context to them; it took away their dignity. And seriously, watching Nanoha’s and Fate’s adult boobs bouncing like that all the time just felt like they became bitches. And wait a second; isn’t this a mahou shojo show? What the hell does a military organization doing here? And where are the romances? Not a single trace of a girl liking a boy… or another girl. Oh sure; lots of yuri innuendos for the doujins but nothing on screen. What is there to spice things about them? Their bonds of friendship? Not enough.

LEGACY
Although it has its share of loyal fans, it is not a franchise that can keep you interested for long. In fact, I get to believe half of those who like it is because of the fan service and not because of the generic slow story or the stock characters. I see no reason for anyone to spend money on it or even a reason to rewatch it. And let’s be honest, all its interesting plot points were taken directly into their next project, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Just compare the first and last episodes of season one with each other and you will see what I mean. The very little it has is already used elsewhere in a more eye-captivating way and the rest is just Sailor Moon all over again. With added lolicon and pantsu.

VERDICT: S1: 5/10, S2: 6/10, S3: 4/10, M: 4.5/10 (Overall: 5/10)

And now for some excused scorings.
ART SECTION: 7/10
General Artwork 1/2 (rather run down)
Character Figures 1/2 (generic)
Backgrounds 2/2 (fancy blend of magic with technology)
Animation 1/2 (basic)
Visual Effects 2/2 (lots of pretty lights)

SOUND SECTION: 7/10
Voice Acting 2/3 (corny but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Music Themes 3/4 (not great but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess)

STORY SECTION: 5/10
Premise 2/2 (interesting)
Pacing 1/2 (erratic)
Complexity 1/2 (not much)
Plausibility 0/2 (none)
Conclusion 1/2 (cheesy)

CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10
Presence 1/2 (generic)
Personality 2/2 (rather cheesy but well founded)
Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there)
Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there)
Catharsis 1/2 (overblown but it’s there)

VALUE SECTION: 3/10
Historical Value 1/3 (kinda famous)
Rewatchability 1/3 (low because of too little plot)
Memorability 1/4 (the mix of technology and magic make it memorable but Madoka Magica did it better)

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 5/10
Art 1/1 (looks interesting)
Sound 1/2 (sounds meh)
Story 1/3 (good ideas but very dull plot)
Characters 2/4 (they are stereotypes)

VERDICT: 6/10 read more

:::INTRO

Hello all, this is PrimeSonic, here to bring you my review one of my all time favorite anime series: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

Lyrical Nanoha starts off like an overly generic mahou shoujo anime.
We have a magical mentor figure in animal form who gives magical powers to a seemingly ordinary elementary school girl to help him recover a bunch of dangerous magical items that threaten to cause chaos and destruction if left unchecked.

This would be Yuuno who asks Nanoha to help him recover the Jewel Seeds and gives her the Raising Heart, an intelligent magical device that holds her staff and armor.
For the first three episodes the plot remains this generic with little to distinguish it from other magical girl anime... and then the plot twists begin.

We're presented to a rival magical girl who's also collecting the Jewel Seeds for reasons unknown at first.
Nothing too unique yet until we find out about halfway into the series that the battle for the Jewel Seeds has caught the eye of what can only be described as an inter-dimensional military police force.

This was when I realized that this wasn't your typical mahou shoujo.
Lyrical Nanoha presents itself as a simple, if somewhat generic, magical girl anime at first, but when you actually get into it, it turns out to be a unique and character-driven story that will both break and warm your heart.

:::MAIN CHARACTERS

:Nanoha Takamachi

Most of this series revolves around Nanoha and the hunt for the Jewel Seeds.
She never rejected the magical powers or ever cried about wanting to live a normal life. Rather, she fully accepted magic and the new paths it opened to her.
As the series progresses we find out that this little third grader has a lot of guts and a whole lot of heart, putting herself in danger to keep others safe. She continues the hunt not out of obligation, but out of her own will to do what she must to see her city safe.

This is not your fledgling magical girl.
After her chance encounter with Yuuno we find that she's actually a very talented mage. Immediately displaying impressive amounts of magical powers.
Early enough you'll see this little girl shooting energy blasts comparable to Dragonball Z characters.

:Fate Testarossa

Fate is originally presented as the dark magical girl rival.
After her introduction we're slowly revealed her side of the story.
Without spoiling too much, let's say due to a complex family situation, Fate is determined to recover the Jewel Seeds herself and must strike down anyone who gets in her way.
As a mage, she's stronger and more experienced than Nanoha, practically walking through her in their first battle.

As far as her personality goes, this is a girl who has every reason in the world to go completely emo and yet she maintains a strong will and determination, never running away and always facing things head on.
She's very soft spoken most of the time, never one to mince words. She's also loyal almost to a fault as we see her struggle with her tragic past and confront it towards the end of the series.

:::SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

:Yuuno Scrya

Being as important to the plot as he is, Yuuno definitely takes the back seat of a
supporting character early on.
For the most part he stays in his animal form: a ferret, having first gone into it to recover from some serious wounds after battling a creature created by a Jewel Seed.
He's pretty smart and knows a good deal of support magic. We also find out early on that it was his archeological team that discovered the Jewel Seeds.
All-in-all, he remains loyal to his new friend to the end, willing to do what he must to help Nanoha just as she helped him.
He's no older than Nanoha and doesn't handle the show's fanservice too well.

:Suzuka Tsukimura and Arisa Bannings

Suzuka and Arisa are Nanoha's classmates and best friends.These two are more important than they seem at first.
They're the ones that first notice that Nanoha is going through something important, as Nanoha has less free time to spend with them as starts looking a bit down as the plot with Fate unfolds.
Arisa is the big hot head of the two while Suzuka maintains a quiet, if somewhat shy, profile, which, again, keeps Nanoha as the straight man of the group.
They both also happen to be obscenely rich but aren't snobs about it, though they do sometimes ride home from school in a limo.


There are plenty more supporting characters, but unless you plan on watching Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Forever, they aren't worth discussing in length.

::: GOOD THINGS

Personally, when I first started watching this series I was expecting a generic magical girl anime with perhaps a cliche ending with the capturing of the last Jewel Seeds. I was wrong about that. Around half-way through the series I started receiving one surprise after another.
My first surprise was finding out that the target audience wasn't exactly the young girls that most anime of the genre aim for. Rather, this show was aired primarily with shounen and seinen audiences in mind, which isn't all that surprising when you consider what the studio was originally making before they got to Lyrical Nanoha.

Another unique aspect of the show I really liked was the magical devices. They're presented as being form of technology with artificial intelligence.
In fact, throughout the whole trilogy, magic is seen as the pinnacle of technology.
The devices themselves speak in engrish, making for a few unintentionally funny moments.

The ending to Lyrical Nanoha was quite possibly one of the most genuinely heartwarming endings to an anime I've seen thus far, exemplifying friendship in a powerful form.

:: BAD THINGS

For being as great as it is, Lyrical Nanoha wasn't beyond some of the trademark
transgressions of the mahou shoujol genre.
For example, there are several stock animation sequences that are repeated throughout the series, such as the transformation scene and a few signature moves. They're brief but sometimes feel like animated filler.
Fortunately, they don't overdo it and nearly stop using them entirely by the second half of the series.

It presented a bit of a plot hole at one point, when we're told of an important conversation but don't get to actually hear what was said. To explain it without spoiling too much, Nanoha keeping her magical powers secret is not a major element to the plot. These moments are glossed over as the story keeps focus on the more exceptional events rather than the ordinary ones.

:::CONCLUSION

This is the anime that threw me into the full fledged obsession I'm in now.
It started out as just a spin-off for Triangle Heart, taking the young little Nanoha and turning her into a magical girl for who knows what reason.
With two sequels released, turns out that Triangle Heart is now known more for its spin-off than for itself.

Compared to the sequels that came after it, Lyrical Nanoha is almost lacking in quality, though this is a must see starting point for anyone who wants to get into the Nanoha saga.

I give this series an well deserved 8 out of 10. The story kept me hooked, the characters were impossible not to love, and the action scenes were just plain fun to watch.

read more

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (abreviando para MSLN) apesar de ser um anime "garota mágica" aos moldes de Card Captor Sakura se diferencia da grande maioria dos mahou shoujos por ser mais profundo e um pouquinho complexo.

História - 10:
A Nanoha (que no começo é bem chatinha e muito madura para a idade dela) encontra o Furão Yuno e ele a transforma em uma Mahou Shoujo para ajudar em seu objetivo que é pegar as Jewel Seed, típico de Mahou Shoujo; a trama segue bem tranquila até surgir a ríval Fate Testarossa, com os mesmos objetivos mas com outros motivos (que são tristes), e aí sim, MSLN se destaca dos demais, pois é a partir da Fate que a trama fica muito interessante.

Arte - 8:
O traço é meio fraco para o ano de 2004, mas os duelos mágicos são muito bem feitos. Os personagens são muito fofos e transmitem bem o que estão sentindo.

Som - 10:
O som vale 10000000 graças a perfeita abertura Innocent Starter, cantada pela excelente cantora Nana Mizuki, nunca pulei essa abertura, sempre canto ela porque é muito perfeita, uma das melhores anime songs que existe, merece ser ouvida.

Personagens - 10:
O 10 é garantido graças a Fate e a Arf (companheira da Fate), a relação delas, a amizade mesmo é muito legal, você sem perceber quer que elas cumpram os objetivos delas. A Nanoha é muito crescida para a idade, ela deveria se comportar mais como uma criança de 9 anos. A Arisa e a Suzuka não sõ lá essas coisas e o Yuno é irrritante. Ainda existe outros personagens mas eles não são bem explorados. A relação Nanoha e Fate também é muito interessante e bonita (na verdade, são 2 garotas de 9 anos descobrindo a atração pelo mesmo sexo: YURI)

Aproveitamento - 10:
Nanoha é sem sombra de dúvidas o Mahou Shoujo mais interessante que existe e a primeira temporada possui um toque inocente que junto com a trama e a abertura perfeita garante uma sensação "ainda bem que assisti..."

Tudo - 10:
Mesmo com o traço meio fraco é injusto tirar a perfeição da série.
Quer assistir um Mahou Shoujo sem frescura ou besteira? Assista Nanoha! Pra começar pela abertura, trama, a Fate e a Arf garantem a perfeição da série. Se você gostou, não entre em depressão, pois ainda tem a A's, a segunda temporada. read more

bence biraz çoçuk işiydi sihirli kız türünde gene de ii iş çıkarmışlar karakterler felan epey cool du hele ki fate epey iyidi onun dışında savaş sahneleri hoşuma gitti zaten büyü çemberi meraklısı olduğum için izlemeye başlamıştım hemencecikte bitirdim sıkıcı değil hatta diğer bölümde ne olcak diye merak ettirdiği sahneleri de var

Nanoha is a very interesting anime and it isn't one of my favorites but shines brightly in its own way. The story was quite interesting and I don't have much to say really but I think it was very creative. The genres were really there and one word to describe this anime is "epic". It's an amazing anime and will make you entertained!

Quick review:
=========
Story starts generic and then gets quite interesting (3rd episode on).

Animation quality is very good. Characters and backgrounds are fairly well detailed. The combat sequences on are par with higher quality fighting anime.

Audio was also well done. I really enjoyed the OP and am trying to find the soundtrack.

Overall: A hidden gem of a series. Well worth watching.

Detailed review:
============
Standby Ready.

This series popped up as a recommendation when during my quest for Cardcaptor Sakura and I immediately noticed similarities. My initial response was "meh at least I bought it as a discount."

And then something strange happened...
The more I watched it the more I liked it. I went from watching the first two episodes over a couple of months...to one a week...to the last half in one day.
I'd expect certain generic mediocre themes...and the show would almost always surprise by doing them differently and better.

Even the combat sequences are more than just the "wave the magic wand and it's done.'' In fact I'd consider this more shounen than shoujo.

There are several nice touches. The OP "Innocent Starter" is a light-hearted, yet touching piece (sung by the voice actor for Fate by the way) that captured the essence of series.

The main characters are very well developed. There isn't enough time to develop the supporting characters sadly but the show did well with the time frame they had.

Overall I'd say the series is quite short (13) yet the show accomplishes far more than being "just another magic girl" saga. The series doesn't need dozens or hundreds of episodes to develop, tell, and bring to a conclusion a well written story. And the writers do this without being contrived or cliché.

A final note: I'd strongly recommend the second season (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's) it's even *better* read more