Strike Witches Review

Written by fightbait

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To say that this show exceeds expectations would be a misnomer. Upon hearing the concept’s explanation, anticipate expectations to be set so low they could be considered nonexistent. The year is 1939 and the Neuroi are attacking Earth. In order to fight back, scientists have created a new weapon called the Striker Unit. Because the Strike Unit relies on magic, witches from all around the world are gathered to form our new line of defense: the Strike Witches. For many fans, anime is a change of pace. It’s something to watch when they’re tired of the overly episodic American entertainment industry. Some of us even dream that anime will one day be accepted in the mainstream. While Director Hayao Miyazaki has made a name for himself in America, it’s far from the utopia that we dream of seeing. Shows like Strike Witches are preventing this acceptance from developing any further than “Japanese Disney.”Strike Witches is a show where underage girls with cat ears fly around with airplane legs while fighting aliens. Oh yeah, they do this with obscenely large guns and no pants.

Trivia
Shimada Humikane created Strike Witches through a number of illustrations he did for Monthly Comp Ace. To some, it was just another mecha musumé drawing, but Humikane wasn’t satisfied. His dream was to spread mecha musumé over multiple mediums. His wish was granted when the concept was made into a light novel series as well as a manga.

These adaptations did so well that Studio Gonzo made it into a seven minute OVA. The video consisted of nothing more than a battle sequence.
A year after the production, it was decided to turn this short movie into a 12 episode anime. The project was given to Kazuhiro Takamura. Normally working as an animator, this would be his debut in the director’s chair. Having a tremendous amount of faith in his abilities, Gonzo broadcasted the show worldwide via Crunchyroll, YouTube, and Joost.

Every week, millions of viewers went online to watch the newest episode. The series did shockingly well, and when the first volume was released on DVD, it sold over 10,000 copies, making anime news headlines.

Review
The most unsettling thing about this show is the age of the female characters. With very little exception, they are all underage. This is justified by the fact that a witch’s power starts to deplete as they approach the age of 20.

These young girls must also remain in their underwear at all times. This is so they can easily slip into their Striker Unit at a moment’s notice. At least, that’s what the creator wants you to think. There are numerous non-Strike Witch characters that dress this way. Whether it’s the nurse at the hospital or an entire middle school class, every woman in this show subscribes to this ridiculously revealing fashion faux pas.

Along with age is the ever-present furry problem. When the main character, Miyafuji, uses her power, she grows cat ears and a tail. The other witches experience similar transformation, each becoming a different animal. The furry aspect isn’t even what’s troublesome; it’s the fact that they never bring up why it happens. Maybe it’s explained in the novels, but it’s highly unlikely.

This show also suffers from relying too much on its base concept. If you take away the underage girls, the panties, and the airplane legs, you're left with nothing.

The story is terrible. The Neuroi are so insanely overpowered that it often takes the entirety of the Strike Witches to take out just one. Conveniently, the Neuroi only show up one at a time. What are the Neuroi? Why are they attacking? Good luck figuring that out.

There’s almost no character motivation. Miyafuji seems to do whatever the writer wants. In the first episode she doesn’t want anything to do with the Strike Witches. Then in the second episode, for almost no reason she’s putting on the Striker Unit and fighting the Neuroi—BY HERSELF! After somehow winning the battle despite—well, everything--she begs the Lieutenant to let her join.

The show also spends the majority of its run being episodic. In the last four episodes, they attempted to add tension. To their credit, it worked…at first. There is nothing short of a point-for-point plot synopsis that could’ve prepared you for what happens at the end of episode eight. But it’s quickly brushed off in the first five minutes of the next episode leaving the viewer unfulfilled.

Despite all of its flaws, Strike Witches was green-lit for a second season. Judging from how poorly Gonzo’s been doing lately, they will try to ride this cash cow as long as possible. Does that mean we’ll get the exposition the first series was missing?—probably not. But we will get to watch the foundations of respectable anime fandom crumble before our feet.

Bottom line: D

Anime 3000 reviews anime, manga, and games based on specific criteria designated by each medium's respective editor. Anime is reviewed on a scale from F to A+. Series or movies that receive a score of A- or above are considered outstanding, B- to B+ recommendable, C- to C+ average, D- to D+ unrecommended, and F terrible.

All in all: Even though this was a show that had an entire episode revolving around panty theft, parts of it (very few parts) can be enjoyed ironically. It also makes for great ranting material if you have a podcast.

Anime Stockholm Syndrome: The more you watch this show, the better you’ll think it is. The truth is that you’re just becoming desensitized. Remember: just because you’ve accepted little girls in their underwear as a plot device, it doesn’t make it right.

Fun fact: In an attempt to justify having watched this show, I’ve now done two reviews.

News: FUNimation has acquired the distribution rights for this series.  