Ranked #126

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's

After how much I enjoyed the first season of Nanoha, I immediately set to watching this sequel. And I will tell you something that rarely happens for me, I don’t think I got up from my sofa from episode 1 until the end. In many ways, A's outshines the original as a lot of the peeves I had from that show are non-existent now. I really loved this series a lot, it just had a few warts that prevent me from giving it a perfect grade.

The story in the original was really good, A's takes it all to a different level and there is almost no comparison. The action picks up from basically the first minute of the show and doesn’t let up. No fillers, no trips to the hot springs, I think this might be the first time I have watched a series and could say that. The plot though is outstanding. A wonderful world of magic is further expanded is a story that puts you through all the emotions and has a number of shocking surprises that you won’t see coming. It’s so delightful to watch such a mature and complex storyline in a genre that is usually silly and plots written more to appeal to youngsters and pervs. There is also a very nice mix of drama and action. The action is more intense than the first season by a lot. Almost every episode it’s full of explosive magical combat but it does a wonderful job of giving great drama and comedic moments.

Nanoha and Fate return to be the same wonderful characters I loved so much from the first series. They get new powers and spells and it’s wonderful to see them in action again. There role with the Space-Time Administration Bureau expands more and we get to know better Lindy, Amy, and Chrono better as well as some new characters within the agency. It was disappointing though that several characters from the original series were left out a bit as we see very little of Yuuno, Arf, Arisa, and Suzuka. There is however a plethora of new characters and my opinion of them is mixed. They are interesting, have complex motivations for why they do what they do. A lot of them made me mad, wanting to throw my remote through the TV screen and scream "I won’t forgive you!". But I guess that is the sign of a well made character huh? The main problem is that now there are so many new characters that the cast just becomes so large that it’s impossible to really get to know any of them that well.

Visually, A's is stunning. The characters are beautifully drawn and animated. They have some great costumes and weapons (especially the new knights). Were it really is spectacular is the action scenes. The fights are exciting, explosive, and on a much grander scale than anything from the first series. It was also a nice surprise at the end of the series to see Nanoha and her friends grown up. I was pleasantly surprised that the transformation scenes were toned down and reduced a lot. This was a complaint of my from the first season, not that they existed, but that we had to watch them in full every time Nanoha transformed.

The music is where this show really fails. While a lot of the background music is the same, I was not a big fan of the EN theme in particular and the OP was not really that much better. I found myself several times just fast forwarding through them which is something I almost never do. The voice acting is still great, but my overall disappointment with the music drives my score down.

In the end this show is really outstanding, my dissatisfaction with the musical score and some of the characters prevents me from giving it a '10' though. This show transcends the magic girl genre and I don’t think should be thought of as such. So if you are resisting watching this series because you don’t like magic girls, don’t! You will not regret it!
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Every once in a while or so, appears an anime that is literally compelling, rich, and truly irresistible. This is one of those- the franchise flourishes with support from the first season and absolutely comes back even more powerful to capture and entice the watcher in loving this well-constructed presentation. Seven Arcs has accomplished many great deeds with this release: executing a fantastic sequel to attract more awareness out of a type of "Dark Horse" anime. The Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series (will use MSLN for short in later instances) isn't really "well-known" or "popularly watched" by the general audience, at least imo); Seven Arcs delivers a work of art that not only entertains, but transports the watcher behind the scenes with an aftertaste of desiring "I want to be there with (insert MSLN character name here);" and has composed a groundbreaking successful title full of truly entrancing characters (one of them really sticks out in my mind above the rest), a profoundly dramatic story, and slightly euphoric sounds that leaves a highly enjoyable watch of wanting even more after each striking episode.

The story continues from where the first season departed. However, old friends must reunite to defeat the newly arrived opposing forces. These new enemies come about to wreak havoc to save their mistress from an impending doom. A new mystery must be unveiled to uncover hidden truths. The prototypes of antiquated weaponry will need upgrades to defend and attack against foes. A touching and shocking conclusion lies near the end which will greatly move your heart.

The animation is definitely a tremendous plus: the visual effects are utterly sensually appealing. The contrasts from lighting and colors are exceptionally amazing. Seven Arcs really respect their art styles and have succeeded in this regard. The battles, the transformation scenes, the adorable scenes of one character that I truly revere, all still leave an afterimage in my enigmatic thought processes. MSLN A’s demonstrates only top-notch animation. The animation has been fine tuned enough and has the ability to withstand many viewers’ tastes to ensnare their visual senses.

Furthermore, the sound is also another banging feature. “Eternal Blaze” by the infamous and alluring Mizuki Nana activates the ability of echoic memory or of experiencing an overdose of the appealing music into your head. Whenever the situation became unpleasant, the BGM tended to fit that mood. A select few may even be cherished by the raving fans that found specific scenes to be special. Overall, the sound complemented the thrilling and epic battles. The music strengthened the attributes of the show’s addictiveness.

Of paramount interest, the utilization and how they were portrayed of the seductive characters has been the aspect that has deeply impacted me the most. A majority of the viewers that have finished have taken a liking to Fate or Nanoha or Hayate or Signum or all or whoever; the style, animation, and flair the characters has to display has been the most remarkable feature A’s has to offer. Each one has a context that they serve and fulfill. However, I will put this bluntly that Fate alone has made me consider that this title has been framed, fueled, and augmented by her, without a doubt. I do find her to be truly mind-boggling, lovable, the perfect “all-in-one,” the list goes on and on type of character. Nonetheless, the characters are a huge positive perspective when it comes to enjoying this watch.

Conclusively, with all these magnificent elements being incorporated in this title, or rather sequel, it creates a magnetic pull to actually view this landmark in history. Whether you’ve read the unique synopsis and/or the more or less influential reviews, this title simply cannot be overlooked. If you’ve dropped or constituted a hiatus on the first season and somehow managed to endure to the end of this review, it’s highly recommended that you pick this up again as it won’t disappoint. This title possesses a plethora to offer since it’s extremely appealing and evokes many sentimental feelings when heeded. Ultimately, I hope this review has been an interesting read and for you to savor and appreciate the show like I did.
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Following up on the surprise hit of the first season, Nanoha A's comes with more energy and more faults, but it's still a worthy second season.

The second season dives headfirst back into the action that made the first season so remarkable by the end. There are still many enjoyable twists, though not as impressive in comparison to the previous season. This is no fault of the series itself though. By now, it's become more "girls who fight with magic" than "magical girl" so the various new plays on the genre don't sell as well as they did before. Battle scenes are no longer highlights, but the majority of the series. If you liked the action more than the drama last time, then you're in for a treat.

Characterization remains as incredible as ever despite the more convoluted plot and a 100% addition to the already quite large cast. This means certain characters once influential to the plot end up as nothing more than glorified cameos. Even Fate's importance to the series is lessened considerably. Like the first season, Nanoha is once again not the focus despite being in the series title. Like how Fate was the main element last season, new girl Hayate and her knights are the focus in these thriteen episodes. Fortunately, their complicated relationship is handled with enough care that it's hard to complain.

Animation continues to be stellar as ever, fluid from start to finish. Because the series is now more action than drama, the quality shines with spectacular brilliance. They even manage to outdo the incredible transformation sequence of the first season with a double transformation scene. Though it only occurs once, it is positively breathtaking in quality.

Soundwork continues to stay relatively enjoyable, highlighted once again with another fantastic Nana Mizuki OP.

Like it's predecesor, Nanoha A's is another dose of no-nonsense magic battles and surprising drama. It's a worthy sequel, but the sum of its parts are still less than those of the first season. Nanoha A's is essentially Nanoha overkill in that it lavishs on more of what made it enjoyable in the first place. Just a little too much of an already good thing.

Overall I give Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's an 8 out of 10. read more

5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Better than the first season

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s certainly strayed away from the usual, formulaic mahou shoujo stereotype. No more collecting Jewel Seeds for Nanoha and Fate. This time they face bigger, more powerful enemies that get in their way.

The new plot really made me excited, mostly because I’ve been waiting for Fate and Nanoha to become closer friends as well as become team mates. The new characters were also very intriguing and interesting, especially the Velka-type Knights. I like how Nanoha and Fate have to go against them, because they’re not as evil or twisted as Precia Testarossa from last season, but their objective is much more threatening.

Speaking of the Velka-type Knights, they are Signum, Shamal, Vita and Zafira. They all have different personalities and abilities that mix well together, that’s why I consider them formidable opponents for Nanoha and Fate. To make things more interesting, their master, Hayate Yagami, is absolutely adorable. Out of all the new characters, I like Hayate and Signum the best.

Since there new additions to the cast, there are also new voice actors. I like Vita’s voice actor the best, who is Asami Sanada. Her voice screams tsundere. It really reminds me of Rie Kugimiya’s work in Shakugan no Shana. Also, just as I like Raging Heart and Bardiche’s voice actors, I also like Levantine and Graf Eisen’s voice actor. I thought for sure he was German – he was really convincing.

I think animation has also improved, because the drawings are more consistent compared to the first season. I also love the character design, the new characters and their battle outfits are really flashy and modern. The transformation scenes are less ecchi but more eye catching too.

There might have been a switch regarding the opening and ending themes for this season. Nana Mizuki still sang the opening song, “Eternal Blaze”, and I love it because of its faster beat. I definitely like it more than the OP of the first season. Also, this time around, Yukari Tamura sang the mellow song, which is the ending theme “Spiritual Garden”. It’s cute, but I like the ED of the first season better.

Since the second season was so much better than the first season, I could only hope that the third season is even better and possibly the best out of the three and it does look that way. read more

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's comes up a bit lacking compared to its predecessor, but is a solid continuation. Like the first Lyrical Nanoha series, A's boils down a fairly conventional mahou shoujo story arc (the heroines battle determined foes with sympathetic motivations but an ultimately destructive goal) into a single 13-episode season, while somehow leaving intact all the drama and character development one would expect to see in a series two or three times its length. (It's like mahou shoujo for people who don't have time for mahou shoujo.)

Nanoha and Fate work side-by-side in A's, but those who come in expecting the sequel to dwell on them may be slightly disappointed. The dramatic core of the series is a group of new characters, Hayate and the Velka Knights, and so much time is needed to develop their relationships and storyline that they sometimes take over the show. It doesn't make the series a whit less enjoyable because they ARE a legitimately interesting bunch (I especially like Vita and Signum). And even though the focus is on them, it doesn't mean other characters are totally on the back burner. Fate i particular has a nice moment late in the series dealing with her past, and her "warrior's camaraderie" with Signum is an agreeable development. Even though I was looking forward to more Nanoha in particular, I found I didn't mind the shift in focus that much.

What I DID mind -- though, the one thing that really bothered me about A's -- is that it just doesn't look as handsome as the first series. Not every episode of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha was as smoothly animated as the first, but they were always well drawn and directed. There were small details that made the everyday sections feel authentic, and the battles always gave a sense of how devastatingly powerful Nanoha and Fate were, especially after the halfway mark. But I only rarely had the same sense in A's. Rest assured, the producers haven't resorted to stock animation attacks a la Sailormoon, but rarely is there the same sense of impact and urgency, or anything quite as awesome as Nanoha using Starlight Breaker for the first time. Still, the quality is consistently high, which means it looks better than a great many series out there. I don't know if the relative brevity of the series is a way of ensuring quality control (i.e., the budget isn't stretched thin by having to produce too many episodes), but there does still seem to be a commitment to putting out a good-looking show. (On a side note, though, do all the adult women seem to have smaller busts than in the first series?)

Overall, even if A's isn't as jaw-dropping as its predecessor, I'd still give it a hearty recommendation. With the third series -- Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS -- starting soon, now is an excellent time to watch A's if you haven't already. StrikerS will again introduce a number of new characters, which means that Supremely Competent Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha may once again not get as much time in front of the camera as one would expect. But that didn't make A's unwatchable by any means, so I suspect that even if that is the case, StrikerS will be worth a watch. read more

PS: Review is based on both seasons. Although there is no spoilers, it's recommended you've watched the 1st season before reading on.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is indeed one of the fine "Mahou Shoujo" series you will pick up. The beginning does drag a while but it makes it up in the miiddle and end of the season 1 and with the beginning of A's, there is no stopping you in getting into the series until the very end.

Season 1 starts off with the introduction of Nanoha and her sudden involvement in helping Yuuno in finding all the Jewel Seeds. When Nanoha starts to get use of her magical powers and the search for the Jewel Seeds seem reachable an unexpected Mahou Shoujo arrives by the name of Fate Testarossa, whose purpose is to capture all the Jewel Seeds as well for her own purposes. This makes Nanoha job more complicated considering she has a rival with the same goal. Not going into anymore further details about the storyline, the events and twist throughout the 1st season will leave you satisfied it was a good 1st season to complete. Even though the pacing was slow, the battle scenes sure does make it up.

Season 2 begins a couple of months after the events in Season 1. With a few new rivals and a new mission, it starts off very fast paced and you couldn't wish for a better start than this. The storyline is more compelling and exciting compared the the first and the battle scenes looks more of a challenge where it may get your heart racing on the outcome of the battle.

In conclusion, this series is for anyone from ppl who are starting to enjoy anime to the casual watchers and for the long term anime watchers. It has a good OP and ED single to get into the series, good storyline and good character development. It does deliver the entertainment requirements you need. read more

If you asked me to name an anime I truly and utterly hated, my immediate response would probably be ‘Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.’ I found the original series to be utterly horrible in every way, in spite of it being the work of my favorite director, Akiyuki Shinbo. I’d heard from a number of people that Nanoha A’s was much better and would justify the first season. To my surprise, it went above and beyond mere justification and was in fact one of the outright best anime I’ve seen in a long time. I’d go so far as to call it a masterpiece.

Sound

The OST for Nanoha A’s is composed by Hiroaki Sano (Other Seven Arcs productions, Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile) who I thought did an incredible job. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the OST. I managed to find a collection of ’sound stage’ CDs, which are kind of like drama CDs in that it is simply an audio of the actresses performing various selections. There are a handful of songs performed by the actresses across the CDs, but none of the in-show music. While I can’t give an in-depth review of the OST, I’ll say that what I heard in the show was very gripping. The music was dramatic and powerful, and the heroic tunes during transformation sequences and fight scenes were very empowering. No complaints in this area.

The opening theme, ETERNAL BLAZE by Nana Mizuki, was above average but didn’t really grab my attention. It’s a lot like every other opening song that’s done by the show’s seiyuu, but this one was at l east very well-written. The ending theme, Spiritual Garden, featured the other major seiyuu from the show, Yukari Tamura, and got a similar reaction from me. Simply put, not my choice of genre. All of the songs on the sound stage CDs were very similar to this and will surely be a big treat for fans of the seiyuu and J-pop. One song had particularly nice bass, which I enjoyed.

Voice acting is a pretty enormous deal in Nanoha, because almost every seiyuu in the show is a huge name and these are some of their most famous performances. Starting with Yukari Tamura (Kanami in Scryed, Ink in Moetan, Tenten in Naruto), I recall totally hating her performance in the first series, likening it to ‘icepicks being jammed in my ears.’ However, I had no problem with her this time. Perhaps it’s because of the cuteness being toned down or this show’s script, or because she’s gotten more used to the roll now, or it could just be my mistake the first time around.

Fate Testarossa is played by Nana Mizuki (Kirihara in Darker Than Black, Wrath in FullMetal Alchemist, Morinas in Simoun, Hinata in Naruto) who seems intent to appear in all of my reviews, lol. She plays a very shy girl for a lot of parts, but on the battlefield she gains a sternness and feeling of being in control. this duality is perfect for her character and adds more depth to her. Kana Ueda (Rin in Fate/Stay Night, Kinon in Gurren Lagann, Yumi in Marimite, Fumika in Shigofumi) plays Hayate and is adorable with some really great emotional moments towards the end of the series. the focus is on cuteness for sure with her, but she still rounds out her character very well.

My absolute favorite performance in the show was Vita played by Asami Sanada (Di Gi Charat, Tamaki in Kurenai, Kanako in Maria Holic, Matoi in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei). This performance had everything - a very real voice and personality for the character which was moving in it’s anger, touching in it’s happiness, and a ton of fun in comedy moments. I’d call this one of my favorite vocal performances ever, actually, it was just that good. She truly made Vita a sympathetic and memorable character whose strength of heart shined through. I also feel the need to mention Kaori Shimizu as Signum because she played Boogiepop read more

Story: 8

Set shortly after the first series, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's begins with a wheelchair bound girl being seemingly attacked by a book. Shortly after, Nanoha is attacked and critically injured by another mage. After being saved by her friend Fate, the two and their allies are thrust into a battle over the "Book of Darkness".

As their allies scramble to discover the master of the book, Fate and Nanoha repeatedly clash with the Knights of the book. But, their is more to the book and the knights than first meets the eye.

Let me just say, that the story is a radical improvement over the first series. Not necessarily because it is better, but because of the characters involved. This show could have easily fallen on it's face, especially in the story department. But, it doesn't because of the characters.

Art: 8

Another improvement over the first series. The returning characters all look the same, but the art is more consistent. Those who have seen the first season, should remember how the first half of the first episode looked different from the second. That doesn't happen here, because the same art style is used the entire time.

One thing i've never been a fan of, and it isn't necessarily this shows fault because all magical girl shows are guilty of this, is the transformation scenes. Thankfully, by the fifth episode these scenes are all but non-existent.

Sound: 8

The music was pretty great in the first season, as it is in this season. So, I wouldn't call it an improvement. But, honestly I did prefer the first seasons opening theme song. The music is emotional when it needs to be, and fast when a scene is action packed.

Character: 9

This category has been a series strength since the first season. The Nanoha series is one franchise which seems to have no desire to feature generic cookie cutter villains. Just like Fate Testarossa from the first season, these guys have a reason (and a very good one to boot) for their actions.

The franchise main characters, Nanoha and Fate, are just the same. They have obviously become the best of friends, since the first season. But, honestly this season is really about the "knights".

Enjoyment: 9

I loved almost every minute of this show.

Overall: 8

This is how you do an action series, characters who are actually likable in a show like this is rare. Villains who actually get as much, if not more, character development than the Heroes is rare. But, this show does just that; and I applaud Nanoha A's for it.

Also, the fights are incredible and fast paced. It can't be a bad thing when half way through you happen to forget that most character are 9 nine year old lolis. I loved this show and I hope you guys do too. read more

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's is the sequl to Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, I don't recommend watching this or reading this review till at least watching it.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's follows up only a few months after the end of the original. Nanoha has been training herself in magic while Fate and the other are awaiting the verdict on her trail. All seems well till one night while doing homework, Raging Heart warns her of danger.

It follows the original in the sense that the plot is straight and to the point, with no side trips. We get to see the cast come back with the introduction to the new foes of the show. The battles are taken up a notch, longer lasting, and with more intensity.

The battles are more detailed and have far more movement and action in them. The storyline is driven harder using a simple but pointed, tragic conflict, that might very well make you wonder who to cheer for. It bought in more characters and once again lacked secondary character development due to shoving a 26 episode plot into 13 episodes.

Reviewer Recommendation: It felt like the end of the saga the way it ends but once again another sequel has appeared, which might very well knock it up another notch. Stay tuned for Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS! read more

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