(CR) Brave Witches

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Peanutbutter

They're using CG for even the characters during fight scenes, right? And it alternates with key animation from time to time, yes?

So far, I didn't find the difference too glaring thus it's alright for me.

Yes. It stood out more notably for me in the previous episodes. In this one it felt like they cut away from it or transitioned into hand-drawn animation quickly most of the time, and the CG characters themselves didn't look so... conspicuous, at least to me.

Hikari won't get it easy anytime, and Rossmann was able to direct her properly. Now, that's what I call a good sensei.

She's one of the best there is. She's trained a number of aces, including, as was mentioned in this episode, Erica Hartmann from the 501st, who is the top ace in the world. She's the best person to figure out how to get results from Hikari.

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Speaking of Erica, the letter to her asking about how the 501st destroyed the nest will likely get nowhere between the military censors redacting all of the reply or even the 501st/Minna deciding that it's better left unsaid, but I can also imagine a scene where they get a reply and it's the actual truth... and then throw the letter in the trash because the truth sounds absolutely insane.

[Master_Yoma]

So naruto type of training but that is some throw Edytha did there with that hat weird that it didnt blow off in that wind

Well at less Naoe warming up to her

[MeoTwister5]

So... I'm getting mentor death flags from sensei for some reason.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

So... I'm getting mentor death flags from sensei for some reason.

They already used that kind of card with her sister though. And even then she didn't die. She's just in a comatose state until she inevitably wakes up for the finale. This anime isn't going to kill a main character. Even someone waving death flags like mad (such as Sakamoto) never died.

I don't even think the Sensei is in any real danger.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

So... I'm getting mentor death flags from sensei for some reason.

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but we already know that all the Brave Witches will survive this season. Well, all of them except Hikari: we don't know what might happen to her. Everybody else made an appearance in the Strike Witches movie, which is set later in the timeline than Brave Witches.

[Requiem-x]

After a not so long wait, the witches are back... again. Anyway, that was actually a pretty good episode, estabishing Hikari's situation clearly as well as presenting a solution to make her fight properly (also, it's just cool to see witch magic getting used in different ways than usual), and her struggle was pretty endearing, even if the proper drama was minimal, but it was probably for the best, since that's never been a strenght of the franchise.

I'm happy the buddy trio is confirmed, and that for all her hostility, Naoe can be a good friend in her own way. Now here's hoping the rest of the squad is just as nice. Speaking of, we really need to get on to that, because characters are what make this work. Also, I noticed a significant increase in fanservice this episode.

Originally Posted by Gravitas Free Zone

Speaking of Erica, the letter to her asking about how the 501st destroyed the nest will likely get nowhere between the military censors redacting all of the reply or even the 501st/Minna deciding that it's better left unsaid, but I can also imagine a scene where they get a reply and it's the actual truth... and then throw the letter in the trash because the truth sounds absolutely insane.

Also, if it came from Erica, it could easily be mistaken as her just BSing them for laughs

[Ernietheracefan]

Originally Posted by Gravitas Free Zone

Speaking of Erica, the letter to her asking about how the 501st destroyed the nest will likely get nowhere between the military censors redacting all of the reply or even the 501st/Minna deciding that it's better left unsaid, but I can also imagine a scene where they get a reply and it's the actual truth... and then throw the letter in the trash because the truth sounds absolutely insane.

How about Eilanya..? Because they'd go to Orussia during the off duty.

UPDATE: That was awesome.. And Naoe's taunting to Hikari was similar with the court scene from Man of Honor..

BTW, next week: Georgette Lemare is a Healer..?

[grecefar]

soooo... in the last day of the test there's wind, then come an storm, then neurois and when finally she gets the hat the sun came out and then she immediately goes to the battlefield after all the magic spend in that climbing for a week, and even more she's the MVP.

seriously guys at least make it more realistic that was too much.

ps. fuck you kanno.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by grecefar

soooo... in the last day of the test there's wind, then come an storm, then neurois and when finally she gets the hat the suns come out and then she immediately goes to the battlefield after all the magic spend in that climbing for a week, and even more she's the MVP.

seriously guys at least make it more realistic that was too much.

This is a series about magical animal-eared adolescents wearing magitech legwarmers patterned on World War 2 fighter planes flying into battle carrying weapons large enough that they're usually mounted on vehicles and fighting regenerating crystalline laser-spewing death-aliens that spawn infinitely out of a giant storm cloud.

And. You. Want. Realism.

This series works on its own degree of Rule of Drama. The storm and the Neuroi attack came up to beat down Hikari's will to continue, to drive her into thinking that she couldn't go on. The sun coming out when she made it... do I even have to recount the symbolism of the sun shining through the clouds? These things aren't intended to be realistic situations: they are dramatic tools used for plot purposes. That's always the way it has been.

As for Hikari still having the strength to fly, she had actually gotten a full day and night's rest before that final day, so she'd likely recovered most of her power. And there was nothing wrong with what she accomplished in the battle. Now that she understood how to conentrate her power into her striker unit she was able to fly decently at last, so mostly what she managed was to not need someone else to protect her. But her main contribution was spotting the core, which she only accomplished by crashing into the Neuroi. That's her power, and it's been her power since the second episode, so complaining about it now is silly.

ps. fuck you kanno.

...Did you not get that basically all of Kanno's behavior towards Hikari in this episode was reverse psychology, used to push Hikari into trying harder when she might otherwise be thinking about giving up? Kanno deliberately acted like the antagonist in order to motivate Hikari. Every time we saw her when Hikari wasn't looking, Kanno was just as worried about her as Nipa.

[grecefar]

It mitgh be but so? that doesn't mean that I have to like it. And recover by just 1 night after all that work yeah right, and now she have the kyubi inside her.

and as for kanno, reverse psychology?, yeah acted like a bitch most of the chapter to push her foward yes, but I hate that kind of attitude and I hate the character, It's my opinion you don't have to like it again.

[Benigmatica]

Episode 4:
Looks like Hikari Karibuchi will stay in Petersburg. Still, using her ability would put her into a coma just like Takami.

[EroKing]

[drobertbaker]

"Reverse Psychology"??? I don't think so.

She just a bitch who was disappointed that her friend, the sister, wasn't coming back and so she took it out on our girl. And she wanted the Shiden Kai for herself. She finally yielded grudging respect to the tough nut who took it all and wouldn't quit.

And our girl IS a tough nut. I was especially impressed by the repeated five story falls onto stone that she just shook off and kept on ticking. I think what she has is not so much Contact Eye from touching the aliens, but rather "Smack Her in the Head Eye" whereby she has visions if you hit her hard enough.

The 501 was more interesting and fun. And more pantsu. Lucchini was hilarious and Perrine was sexy.

These northern girls are cold and dull.

[RX-78GP04G Gerbera]

Originally Posted by drobertbaker

"Reverse Psychology"??? I don't think so.

She just a bitch who was disappointed that her friend, the sister, wasn't coming back and so she took it out on our girl. And she wanted the Shiden Kai for herself. She finally yielded grudging respect to the tough nut who took it all and wouldn't quit.

And our girl IS a tough nut. I was especially impressed by the repeated five story falls onto stone that she just shook off and kept on ticking. I think what she has is not so much Contact Eye from touching the aliens, but rather "Smack Her in the Head Eye" whereby she has visions if you hit her hard enough.

The 501 was more interesting and fun. And more pantsu. Lucchini was hilarious and Perrine was sexy.

These northern girls are cold and dull.

Yes, Naoe took out her initial frustrations of what happened to Takami out on Hikari, but once she calmed down and got to observe Hikari, it's clear with the way she acted after being "bitchy" to Hikari throughout the episode that she was trying to push her to succeed. And after Hikari does succeed, Naoe immediately drops that "bitchiness," smiles and is telling Hikari to hurry up to join them in the air.

The 501st was simply more light-hearted, maybe even a little too much so considering the situation the world is in, usually only becoming more serious during the final couple episodes. Here, the 502nd has not one, not two, but three Neuroi nests all near their location at the same time, with one of them being a very real threat in changing the battle lines due to being in a position of cutting off supplies.

[MeoTwister5]

This injection of grim seriousness is personally what the show needs for people to take it a bit more... seriously as opposed to just having pantsu in your face every 10 seconds.

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

This injection of grim seriousness is personally what the show needs for people to take it a bit more... seriously as opposed to just having pantsu in your face every 10 seconds.

It might be too soon to say that. Last episode had a considerable increase in the service department.

[The 48th Ronin]

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

It might be too soon to say that. Last episode had a considerable increase in the service department.

That's just SW being SW.

I think they figured out how to balance the plot and the "plot" at this point.

[drobertbaker]

Well, if they're going to be less fun, I would like them to be more "military" focused. But I see less of that, too.

It was fun to try to identify what model of aircraft the old neuroi craft were imitating and there was at least a modicum of strategy and tactics. Here, the girls just fire away at strangely shaped flying objects.

Bring back Neuroi-chan!

[Ernietheracefan]

Next week is the Orussian episode..