|
Digital Downloads
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Tuesday, 26 August 2008 16:00 |
 Another week, another adventure for the girls of the 501st. This time around, someone's a bit over-concerned at the risks of contact with the opposite sex, while the Neuroi seem to have a few new tricks up their sleeves...
Commander Minna, second-in-command of the 501st, seems to be taking a new hard line on the Witches having dealings with other people, especially men - the base staff have been instructed only to speak to the girls when necessary, and when a crewman from the Akagi tries to give Yoshika a thank-you letter, Minna confiscates it before Yoshika gets the chance to open it. Just what's causing the Commander's harsh behaviour? Later, the girls face the latest Neuroi to cross the Channel - but this one's not like any they've faced before...
It doesn't take too long to figure out where Commander Minna's coming from - she's suffered the pain of having lost a loved one, killed when Calais fell to the Neuroi, and her proscription against the girls having any contact with men is her heavy-handed way of making sure none of them have to feel the same pain. Somehow all the girl-girl hints around the 501st seem to have passed her by.
I'm a sucker for just about any story that gives you a glimpse into someone's past life, and the way our look at Minna's is handled here is surprisingly touching and sensitive for a show that's usually so heavy on the fanservice. That fanservice is pretty much out of the picture this episode - apart from the incidental stuff that comes from the girls' outfits, there's only minimal titillation - and what there is is very mild. It changes the feel of the episode a little, but not in a bad way.
If anything, then, this episode is a little bit more enjoyable than the usual Strike Witches romp, although despite having a few ominous pointers to future Neuroi problems it's still not going to win any prizes for depth of story. I never expect to be blown away going into an episode of this series - I just expect to have 25 minutes of light-hearted fun, and so far I haven't been disappointed.
|
