Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's

After the first season I wondered where they would go with the plot, if they'd do another monster of the week formula or try for something more serialized. The latter it turns out. This season tells a complete and cohesive story arc, which is something I always appreciate from a show with multiple seasons, especially one adapting an already existing work. A lot of shows will end prematurely, break up story arcs between seasons or go on forever with no conclusion, so it's refreshing when you get an ending at all.

I liked the introduction of new characters to fill the role that the blonde one ... played in the first season. Helped to keep things fresh, if a still very predictable. The story isn't going to blow you away with any new or bold ideas, just another story of bad guys doing bad things for misguided reasons getting turned to good by a bright-eyed protagonist. The dog girl said my favorite line near the end about how to beat the big bad. Something along the lines of, "why can't you just all work together to blow it up already." Like it wasn't obvious to the other characters that that would work. But then they realized, "why don't we just take this giant explosion, and push it somewhere else." Pretty much what they do.

So yeah it's a simple story, but it's a complete one, and it ends with a nice flash-forward that looks like it's going to set up a sequel series with a new younger generation. 7/10

Lyrical Nanoha A's is quite a mixed bag. On the one hand, some of its themes may be inappropriate or traumatic, while on the other hand, it's arguably one of the best magical girl series I've seen thus far that blends drama and action naturally without getting bogged down. By that I mean that Nanoha A's doesn't get edgy or forget about its action as some other shows may, and instead finds a way to balance both; the way they typically achieve this is by rotating the episodes very subtly, one focusing on drama and the next on a battle, which works surprisingly well at ... keeping things fresh.

Let's start with the negatives. Nanoha A's can be somewhat explicit at times, showing the uncensored bodies of young girls, which makes it the ideal "don't watch with your parents" anime, especially taking into account the girls are still in elementary school. While this might not be a detractor for some standalone viewers, it's definitely something to consider if you may be offended by this type of content or watching with others. On another note, some elements of the story aren't fully explained, and some details are only mentioned in passing, which can make it difficult to keep up.

On the positive side, Nanoha A's stands out from the competition by bringing a lot of the aforementioned drama and putting it to good use. The drama they use actually makes sense here and helps further character interactions and development as it gets later into the series, to the point that even the "villains" have been subverted a mere six episodes in. This isn't to say they lose their core values, but rather the audience begins to question which side is morally righteous. I have seen this done incorrectly in other series, mostly due to morality being taken too black-and-white, or a slant toward the protagonist's point of view. Everyone develops relationships with each other, including characters they haven't interacted with yet, which a feat worthy of applause.

Another thing Nanoha A's accomplishes better than the first season is its action, and by extension, its magic. As before, the series is mostly content with weapons like swords and magical blasts of energy; however, they're very vibrant and pop out well here, resulting in a light show of sorts.

While it's unfortunate that Presea didn't get a follow-up this season (besides a very passive appearance near the finale), the implications the finale had on Fate are noticeable enough, and the events follow and influence her actions as she progresses. We also learn more about Fate as a whole, who grows into an extremely interesting character.

Overall, the season was good. As mentioned, there was some unmistakable traits that if one is offended by, the season isn't recommended. Overall, however, it was a perfect blend of an action-packed magical girl anime and drama. If you don't mind its flaws, definitely try it. 8/10.