A lot of anime bloggers these days blogs about Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (MGLN) StrikerS. StrikerS is the third season of a popular ongoing series of a girl named Nanoha. For those who aren’t related with the popular series it remains a mystery how people loves Nanoha so much. It’s just a story about some magical girls flying around in beautiful uniforms. They battle around and keep the planet safe fighting together as friends. Linear plot uh? It’s what the anime bloggers complains in the last season. But it’s not like that, it’s just the start. So, what’s Nanoha about.

For me the Nanoha series is special. A bit revealing of my past will clarify it. Not for all to long I watch anime and the first anime I ever watched was Ragnarok the Animation, at November 2004. At the very first time I tasted the fruits of anime existence and fellows I loved it. So I went to animesuki to get some unlicensed anime. (I still do, great anime resource.)

The episodes are ~10 minutes each. Therefore I decided to blog the first ep as first impression with additional information.

Binchou-tan wakes up when the the first drops of morning light shines into her room. The birds chirps and a great day starts. Binchou-tan lives alone in these woods but she do fine. After she wakes up she do some house activities and go for an walk.

I’ve been watching W.I.T.C.H. for awhile and couldn’t find any license so I’m thinking to upload it since downloading using torrents are in pain and IRC can’t be found. Too much people lack knowledge about torrents they never seed or even think about re-seeding. Also you can see this at Jetix, even for us Europe guys, so it seems to be free as long as it’s not a dvd release. (Any case)

Storyline

W.I.T.C.H. is about five teenagers students who become guardians of the Veil. As guardians it’s their duty to close all portals leading from earth to the ‘other world’ named Meridian. At Meridian prince Phobos makes plan to rule Meridian and eventually earth. To achieve his goal he needs the power of the rightfull ruler of Meridian who’s his sister Elyon. Though she’s not aware of Meridian neither she’s a princess since she’s hiding from birth on earth. She’s unaware of her own powers and the danger which lays ahead. Can she tell the gaurdians are on her side or Phobos does? Who will claim the throne and can the princess be saved? Will the bound friends hold up or will it perish in their fight? It’s time for W.I.T.C.H. “Gaurdians unite”.

Fairy Musketeer Akazukin
anidb info also known as Otogi-Jushi Akazukin.
Streaming Promo vid at youtube
Opening theme at youtube

*Warning, this first impression contains spoilers of episode 1*

A fairy cute anime and might be the cutest on the run. When Suzukaze Souta was just a little kid his mom told him a fairy tale about a man who was so powerfull the king divided the world into science and magic. The world of magic named Fandavale knows of the existence of earth, the world of science. They try to protect the world borders but there is always someone who wants all the power.

Other title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
Synonyms: A viagem de Chihiro, Chihiro Og Heksene, Chihiro Szellemországban, El viaje de Chihiro, Henkien Kätkemä, La Città Incantata, W krainie bogow
Directed: Hayao Miyazaki
Official Website: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/sen/
Length: 2:05 hours

What’s all about?
As the movie starts, Chihiro moves to her new home. She’s sad because she loses her friends. Her parents tries to cheer her up but it is no use.

Not too long on the way they got lost and finds their self at a dead end just before a large massive red building. Chihiro shivers, she get’s a tight feeling on her chest and wants to go away. But her dad, who droves the car think it’s a great oppertunity to take a break.

In the building she hears a train, looks like she’s fond to it because she starts too look around, still holding her mother’s arm. A moment later her father finds some restaurants. Her parents like to eat but no shopkeeper is around. Her father decides they pay up when they show their faces and starts eating. Her mom joins him but Chihiro is a little awkward. She takes a little tour and finds the train beneath the bridge.

It’s where the movie really starts. On the bridge is a boy, not rather surprised but more frightend she’s her. She isn’t allowed to come her, ‘go back inmediately’ he calls, ‘I’ll distract them’. Chihiro driven by the boys energy runs away to pick up her parents and leave this place once for all. Returned by her parents she finds out they are turned into pigs!

Other title: Hauru no ugoku shiro
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Official website:  http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/castle/
Genre: Magic, Fantasy, Mystery
Length: ~ 2:30 hours, feels like to short when you watches it
We didn’t even had a break in the movies, well I’m happy I didn’t need to go ..

What’s all about?
How’s moving castle is a great anime about a women named Sophie. She lives in a quiet neigbourhood as an hatter. It’s a fine job though she does it only since it’s her mothers store. The movie starts when Howl comes to this city, he meets Sophie in an alley where two stubborn soldiers is making fun of her. Howl helps her out but he has been followed by creatures from the witch of the waste. The witch is a mighty person and feared by everyone, despite she’s a nightmare for everyone it seems she has a crush on Howl.

When the witch enters Sophie’s store after curfew she’s is nicely informed by that the store is closed. Though the witch is not willing and a bit surprised she dares to face her. Sophie even get’s mad and points her the way out.
The with looks like she holds her tempered but then she suddenly curses poor Sophie. The spell will make Sophie as old as she thinks she is, instantly a 90 year old women. She’s a granny now! What now? She can’t stay home, no one can see her like this. So she left the town to live on her own and finds Howl.

Howl self is a deserted and fleeing magician. As Howl says, he’s more a coward than a great mage (still he is), strugling to survive without a real purpose. Lucky for Sophie he’s very friendly and she may stay as a housekeeper.

Mahou Shoujotai, which means ‘the girl who wants to learn/ to do magic’, happens in a world were magic is common and sprites are used to obtain the stuff witches need perform magic .

The episodes are short, if I substract the end and open sequence I would have 10 minutes to watch. So I will each time, for this anime, give a summary of a pair of episodes. Meaning that I will now tell about episode 1 and 2. The next would be the episodes 3 and 4, go on.

Impression
My first impression of this anime is that it is great, a must watch anime for those who love magic and cute girls. The creators succesfully made an entire new world where magic is common. It’s sometimes a bit weird what is what, but it all looks good.

Mahou Shoujotai is a high quality anime, pitifull it’s only for ten minutes each episode. It might be a small time but I think that it didn’t ruined the story. The anime is not created on the fly neither does rush it as I thought it would be. Still you need to watch seriously to the anime if you doesn’t wish to end up with, ‘uh?’. It’s not the easiest anime to follow, but it’s worth to see.

The first episode starts with the history of Alicia. After that we directly go to the magic world where she finds herself in trouble and got locked up. She must witness her deeds, she was keeping witches off work, capturing a sprite. So she tells about the human world and how she came in this world. She was just toying with her friends untill she slipped out reaching for her book which her friend reached out of her (picture 5). When she woke up, she was in de middle of the forbidden forest.

Eva let her go in trade of some eatable nuts. Alicia frees all the sprites and have to flee together with Eva and Sheila to get out in one piece. Sheila and Eva, the two apprentices who are responsible for the dungeon, get punished for Alicia actions. Alicia tells them she set the sprites free at purpose, according to her sprites should be free. Sheila is furious because she took action with none knownledge of the world and so the apprentices and Alicia end up seperated.
Generall info at anidb.

Episode 1 (First Impression)

Introduction
It was a very busy month when this Anime was announced. Mass new anime’s tuned up. To be honest, I readed the information at http://anidb.info/ and I didn’t like it. I don’t really like drama genre’s so I back off inmediately when I read it. Still, after the final release of the last episode lot’s of people amazes and talks about the great animation and atmosphere in ‘Aria the Animation’. So, let’s take a look.