* Triangle Heart (an h-game turned h-anime)
* Triangle Heart Sweet Songs Forever (which I didn't watch)
* Lyrical Nanoha (magical girl becoming Gundam Wing)
* Lyrical Nanoha A's (Gundam Seed-esque lesbian magical girls)
* Lyrcal Nanoha StrikerS (Gundam Seed Destiny -esque lesbian magical girls)
Now all of this would be fine and dandy (as "magical girl spin-off" material) if Lyrical Nanoha wasn't ripping off Gundam Wing and blasting lasers of cute pink destruction. But since the people behind it are lacking in creativity, originality, and bravery (ala creating a male lead who's of the same age as the featured girls and doesn't sound like a female voice actress is voicing him), it gets worse.
By the time we get to LNS, it's "Gundam Seed Destiny for the magical girl crowd." Not only are the weapons of cute, pink mass destruction continued to be used. But we're re-introduced to Nanoha's other form; the "White Devil." She then proceeds to "school" one of the new characters by blasting her with pink-yet-creepy cuteness.
Well... Tenchi Muyo's Pretty Sammy spin-off was better. The show took the established characters and atleast tried to be good without resorting to the "all is happy," "cherry blossom from the trees" ending.
Or, what's the best way to say it? Stories about mutants and "bump in the night" creatures are better to tell (and sell) than anything about "magical girls." Atleast the former isn't so reliant on "pandering to the otaku-base."
