Anime Review: Strike Witches – Complete 1st Season
I first heard about Strike Witches at New York Anime Festival 2008. I was on the line to get Rie Tanaka’s autograph and I was asking people what they were getting signed. One particular person showed me a postcard with this character on it. When I asked who that was, he responded “You’ve never heard of Strike Witches? It’s a show about a bunch of girls that fly around and fight aliens. Oh, and they don’t wear pants.”
Yes, that’s right. Strike Witches is a show about a bunch of cute girls that grow animal ears & tails, fly around with big guns, and battle aliens in a post-World War II era. They do not wear pants and the show takes no shame in constantly reminding you of this. After reading that, chances are you think one of two things: (A) this is the stupidest and creepiest idea for a show ever, or (B) this is an AMAZING idea for a show. If you’re in group B, read on…
Set in an alternate-universe post-World War II era, a race of fierce aliens known as the Neuroi have taken over many areas of the planet. Humanity’s only hope for survival are the Strike Witches, a group of girls from all around the globe that have magical powers. Through the use of leg attachments with propellers known as Striker units, the Strike Witches are able to fly. They launch into the air with their guns and battle the Neuroi in hopes to one day help reclaim the areas of Earth that rightfully belong to humans.
Strike Witches constantly shifts among the genres of drama, ecchi comedy, and action. The most exciting scenes in the show are the action scenes, which are very well animated and, through the use of CG, visually impressive. The guns are big, the explosions are loud, and the action is plentiful. When the pacing slows down, the series consists mostly of scenes of the girls in their dormitories acting silly and doing the kinds of stuff you’d see in a typical ecchi comedy. These are the weaker parts of the show, and are also the parts that receive the most criticism. However, this is all part of the show doing what it does best: pandering to its intended fanbase.
Otaku-pandering silliness aside, Strike Witches is actually a damn good series. As I mentioned earlier, the action scenes alone are fantastic. As for the story, it may initially sound like a cliché alien invasion story, but it actually develops into something quite good, and has some excellent twists and turns to it that may surprise viewers. There’s plenty of good drama and character development to go around as well, which help to balance out the less desirable parts of the show.
The FUNimation DVD release includes some nice extras. Because the show contains many characters, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Thankfully, an insert with a character guide on it is included for your convenience. I found myself referring to this guide quite often while I was watching. The DVD release also includes a fairly decent dub, which definitely turned out better than I expected it to be. If you enjoy the show enough and aren’t afraid to express your enjoyment, there’s a free patch included in the box set, which you can sew onto your favorite bag.
Strike Witches is a show that you’re either going to love to death or hate with a fiery passion. If you don’t mind cute girls with fox tails flying around in their panties, then this show is an absolute must for your anime shelf. If you’re creeped out by the mere mention of such things, then you need to stay far away. Strike Witches is a show that knows who it caters to and does exactly that. And it does so spectacularly.
Strike Witches is licensed and distributed by FUNimation Entertainment and is on sale now. Watch it now at funimation.com.
ENJOYMENT
Overall lots of fun, though the fanservice is a bit excessive
4/5
RECOMMENDATION VALUE
IF you are in this show’s intended fanbase…
5/5
REWATCH VALUE
Great action scenes and underlying story make it worth rewatching
4/5
Posted on 2010-04-05, in Anime and tagged action, ecchi, funimation, moe, strike witches, war on pants. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Janai
Antz
OtakuAnthony
jaysteevee
vtine
matty
machineslife
Nyanman
Alright, I got some thoughts to dish out here.
“Strike Witches constantly shifts among the genres of drama, ecchi comedy, and action. The most exciting scenes in the show are the action scenes, which are very well animated and, through the use of CG, visually impressive. The guns are big, the explosions are loud, and the action is plentiful. ”
Well this part I disagree with entirely. Yes, I can see the genres shifting but the action scenes, exciting? It’s been two years or something like that since I watched it, and I think that this part of the show is actually the weakest. From what I can recall, fighting was pretty subpar, and I didn’t really take any of it seriously because there were panty shots abound. I never felt any tension, in fact I remember thinking the last battle was a huge cop out.
Also, the animation was average. The CG moments on the other hand were terrible. Gonzo has always had bad technical use of their CG in my opinion, and Strike Witches was no exception. The Neuroi (or whatever they are called) looked boring in my opinion, just black and red ships with no interesting design behind them.
But these moments in fighting, if I recall correctly, are few and far between… so why would anyone come to this show for that anyway? Especially when you already have the premise …
“When the pacing slows down, the series consists mostly of scenes of the girls in their dormitories acting silly and doing the kinds of stuff you’d see in a typical ecchi comedy. These are the weaker parts of the show, and are also the parts that receive the most criticism. However, this is all part of the show doing what it does best: pandering to its intended fanbase.”
Yet you seem to think otherwise. These would have to be the stronger parts of the show. It was not made to be a dynamic action show or tearjerking drama, it was just ecchi stuff for the typical pervert. In this respect, the show does very well, even if the animation isn’t that great in the first place.
“… As for the story, it may initially sound like a cliché alien invasion story, but it actually develops into something quite good, and has some excellent twists and turns to it that may surprise viewers. There’s plenty of good drama and character development to go around as well, which help to balance out the less desirable parts of the show.”
You say less desirable parts, as if you’re trying to shun the ecchi of it. It is beyond my comprehension that you would watch THIS and call the ecchi moments less desirable. However I’m not sure if that’s what you’re talking about, I’m just assuming it is.
As for the characters, I didn’t see any development or feel any connection to them. I didn’t care really, for this show you really didn’t need much in the first place. I think the standard character archetypes they have in place work just fine for an ecchi show.
And I still feel that the story is the weakest part of the show.
“Strike Witches is a show that you’re either going to love to death or hate with a fiery passion. If you don’t mind cute girls with fox tails flying around in their panties, then this show is an absolute must for your anime shelf. If you’re creeped out by the mere mention of such things, then you need to stay far away. Strike Witches is a show that knows who it caters to and does exactly that. And it does so spectacularly.
I don’t love it or hate. It’s just not my kind of thing, and I’m fine with that. I do think it’s a bad show, but I can see how others would enjoy it.
Oh yeah, I forgot to actually say some beef on the story XD
I honestly don’t remember it that much at all. It’s there but I don’t feel it was so necessary that you had to follow it in order to understand or enjoy it.
@Morendo
I appreciate the feedback, but it seems you may have interpreted some parts of the review as if I was stating fact instead of opinion.
This review, like all of my reviews, is a summary of my personal experience with the show, and is in no way meant to represent an objective view of the show.
I honestly liked the action/story parts of the show much more than the fanservicey parts. I’m not criticizing said parts nor am I saying they weren’t necessary, I’m simply saying I just didn’t particularly enjoy them. I understand that those parts are necessary in order for the show to appeal to who it aims for.
There is much more to Strike Witches than girls walking around in panties, and one of my goals in writing this review was to help bring that to light. The “Strike Witches is just for dirty perverts” stereotype is a great disservice to the show, because I personally feel that the show offers much more than fanservice.
I understand that much. I just found it strange that you enjoyed it for the opposite reasons I would have thought most people would enjoy it for.
Strike Witches don’t have to “just be for perverts” I don’t agree with that because I know there are multiple ways to enjoy things. It’s just very very strong in that department.