Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 03
魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 03

SPOILER Summary: At the Special Management 6th Mobile Division HQ, Hayate (a Lieutenant Colonel) receives Fate (Enforcer/Captain) and Nanoha (Captain) into her command as part of her command staff alongside Reinforce Zwei, Hayate’s Guardian Knights (Second Lieutenant Vita, Second Lieutenant Signum, Medical Officer Shamal, and Zafira), and Griffith Lowran (adjutant). Hayate addresses the newly formed unit of not only combat mages, but support staff as well, keeping her speech short. Signum reports directly to Fate and for the first time, the two are in the same unit together. Signum feels that maybe its inappropriate to address Fate as “Testarossa” or “hey you” (as she normally did) and that maybe she should use the polite “keigo” speech. Fate figures Signum is joking and tells Signum its OK to address her as normal.

Nanoha meets trainees Subaru, Tia, Caro, and Elio for a training session. First Private Shario Finieno, a mechanical designer (engineer) is there and sets up the training grounds, which is in the middle of a bay (created via hologram?). Nanoha introduces the four trainees to Autonomic Magical Machines, otherwise known as Gadget Drones, which are large, pill-shaped machines which the team will encounter as they do Lost Logia cases. As Subaru pairs up with Elio and Tia with Kyaro, Vita is observing from a distance and is joined by Signum. Once the trainees are further along, she’ll join the unit to help Nanoha in the training.

Meanwhile at the Time-Space Administration Bureau, Midchilda Surface Headquarters, Central Command Center, Hayate and Fate give a briefing on the purpose and goals of the 6th Mobile Division. In addition to looking for Lost Logia, the division will be looking for a specific Lost Logia known as Relic. It looks like a normal gem, but is incredibly powerful, so much so that three of the last four times it has been found, it has caused massive destruction. It appears that some organization may be looking for the Relic now as some destroyed, illegal research facilities seem to indicate. Further evidence is the Gadget Drones which have apparently been deployed by this group, looking for the Relic. After the briefing, HQ completely supports the 6th Mobile Division’s mission.

On the training grounds, the trainees learn first hand about the Gadget Drone’s Anti-Magic Field (AMF) as the drones easily dispel the pair’s magical attacks. After hearing Nanoha’s explanation, Elio takes out some drones by collapsing a bridge on them. Subaru also uses a physical attack to grab a drone and take it out. Caro has her small dragon Fried use a powerful Blast Flare attack which damaged the drones before using summoning magic to create actual, non-magical chains to bind the drones. Two drones are getting away, so Tia figures that if she puts a barrier around her magic bullets, they will cancel the drone’s field and thus destroy the drone. Nanoha tells Shari this as well, but states its a AA-rank skill. Tia pulls it off, destroying the final two drones.

Hayate enters the mess hall after the briefing to find the Guardian Knights there. She joins them and reports that the briefing went well. This means that several admirals have supported the 6th Mobile Division’s mission as well as the Saint Church and the leader of the Church Knights, Carim. Elsewhere, the exhausted trainees are returning to their rooms while Fate joins Nanoha in their large room. Fate asks about the training, which Nanoha states is going well. She promises to train them well.

Thoughts: I had a few problems with the simplistic nature of the dialog at times but otherwise it wasn’t a bad episode. I think if the dialog were done to make this feel like Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate were 19, it would be better. Nanoha did seem more mature when she observed the trainees going through a training session. Most people hate training chapters or episodes. Since we were able to learn something of the 6th Mobile Division’s mission and what they are up against, I don’t see how that can be a bad thing.