Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 06
魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 06

SPOILER Summary: Rein writes her log on the first mission for the 6th Mobile Division and that Seal #9 Relic is at Central Lab being researched. Shari reports to Rein that the new Devices are working well. Meanwhile on the training ground, Vita is combat training with Subaru and attacks, which Subaru defends against, but cannot help but be pushed back into some trees. Vita explains that Subaru is a “front attacker,” like herself. As such, their job is to get through enemy lines without assistance and lead the defensive lines for the team. As such, Subaru will need to be skilled at barrier magic (nullify hits), shield magic (repel hits), and field magic (personal protection). She also tells Subaru how to avoid being pushed back and to better utilize her gantlet Device, Mach Calibre.

Fate teaches Elio and Caro the basics of evasion tactics since they aren’t going to have as great a defensive strength. She demonstrates making it through the course at slow speed, then at rapid speed. The drones on the training course appear to have nailed Fate, but she not only avoided all hits, but ended up behind Elio and Caro without them even seeing it, which impresses them. Fate explains to Elio that he’s a “guard wing,” which means he’ll be attacking and supporting from any position. Caro is a “full back,” and will require speed to aid the others.

Nanoha is training Tia, launching energy balls near and at Tia for Tia to shoot down. Like Nanoha, Tia is a “center guard” due to her being a shooter. Tia finds herself about to be hit by Nahoha’s attacks and starts evading. Nanoha teaches her to not fall into the trap of trying to evade attacks because unlike Elio and Caro, Tia’s job will be to use her own firepower to shoot down incoming fire with the proper counter-ammunition and accuracy.

The training is observed by Signum and helicopter pilot Vice. Vice asks about Signum not participating in the training of the rookies. Signum doesn’t feel she has anything to teach the others due to her being an old-style knight. Her magic style and fighting with a sword are not skills that will aid the others as she sees it unless they wanted to get in close and slice someone. Plus, she’s not a teacher.

The morning training session ends and since Fate’s other duties will prevent her from heavily participating in training sessions, Vita promises the rookies to be there often. Fate wants to make sure that the rookies take good care of themselves, which they promise to do. With that, the group is off to get some lunch where they encounter Hayate, Shari, and Rein. Hayate is on her way to meet Major Nakajima, Subaru’s father. Hayate asks if Subaru has any messages for her father or sister, which she doesn’t.

At lunch, the rookies talk about Subaru’s family and how at one point, Hayate had served in her father’s command. The discussion leads to how well connected the 6th Mobile Division is. Shari reveals to the rookies that Hayate and Nanoha came from the same world (Non-Administered World 97, aka: Earth) and that Fate had lived there for a while. Subaru says that her father’s ancestors also came from that world, but that she’s never been there. Subaru asks about Elio’s place of origin, which he reveals to have been the main office for the Space-Time Bureau’s facility for special kids. Fate is his guardian, who because of her childhood, goes out of her way to help children like Elio or Caro.

At Lt. Colonel Hayate’s meeting with Major Nakajima, his daughter (and Subaru’s oneechan) Ginga comes in, who’s in her father’s command. Hayate wants Nakajima’s help investigating smuggling routes for her Lost Logia case (the Relic). Since investigating smuggling cases his his unit’s main objective, he doesn’t mind helping Hayate but wonders she wants his unit to assist her rather than get HQ’s investigators. She says she has already enlisted their help, but Hayate feels that Nakajima’s unit, who know the area well, are the best suited for the job, which he can’t deny. Ginga will be the liaison on his side and Fate, who’s leading the investigation for Hayate, will handle things on their end. Considering that Fate had rescued Ginga four years earlier, they should work well together.

Ginga and Rein discuss this and Ginga is excited to be working with Fate. Rein has a present for Ginga, a Device that is the same model as Subaru’s, only designed for Ginga. Ginga wonders if this is OK, which Rein assures her it is. After all, if Ginga is to accompany Fate, she’ll need a Device, so it may as well be a good one. Meanwhile, Hayate and Nakajima sit and talk over tea, with Nakajima marveling at how rapidly Hayate rose in the ranks so that she now outranks him because of her mage abilities. Hayate says that the rank is basically decoration since she’s still treated by other officers as a young girl. 1st Lt. Rad Caritas interrupts via communication holo-screen and is instructed by Nakajima to secure a conference room and make sure Ginga gets there for a briefing.

At the Time-Space Administration Bureau Central Surface HQ, Fate and Shari are going over Relic data. Shari doesn’t understand the purpose of the Relic since it doesn’t conform to normal crystallized energy forms and it really can’t be used as a proper power generator. Fate reminds her that Lost Logia aren’t easily understood. Looking over the data of Type-3 Gadget, Fate immediately sees something in the destroyed Gadget that she recognizes. It is a Lost Logia, known as a Jewel Seed, something she and Nanoha had been collecting a decade earlier. As a Lost Logia, all of the Jewel Seeds should be under the Bureau’s control. A further look at the images reveals the name Jail Scaglietti, a scientist (doctor) who’s tied to a number of Lost Logia crimes and for whom Fate has searched for a long time. Shari wonders why he’d leave such easily identifiable clues, to which Fate answers that Doctor Scaglietti is either baiting them or someone is trying to frame him. Either way, the people behind the Gadgets know that Nanoha and Fate are on the case. Fate wants Shari to take the data and set up an emergency meeting to discuss this revelation.

Hayate is eating dinner with Nakajima and Ginga when she gets word of the emergency meeting. She takes her leave of the two of them, telling Ginga that either herself or Fate will contact Ginga. Hayate reaches for the bill, but Nakajima refuses to allow her to pay. Meanwhile, Hayate and Shari are on their way to the meeting where Fate explains that Doctor Scaglietti has a number of uses for the Relics, and that his “Doctor” title is from his great skill at biological research and manipulation, for which he is obsessed.

In a lab, Doctor Scaglietti walks down a large, green-lit hall, with numerous, liquid-filled glass canisters contain naked women with roman numerals on the canister base. Not ever tube contains a girl though. He reaches his destination, where a communication holo-screen has his female assistant report that a Zest and Lutecia have resumed their activities. She also relays his client’s instructions. He has her remind the client that the Gadgets, once transfered to autonomic control, are no longer completely controlled by him and that he has a request of the client, which she says she’ll relay.

On a planet, a man and a young girl walk with hoods up, the girl having strange markings on her forehead and appears to wear a Device of some sort.

On the training grounds, night has fallen and Nanoha releases the rookies for the day. As Nanoha shuts down the simulator, Vita marvels that Nanoha stays with them all day. As the combat instructor for the division, Nanoha simply states that this is part of her job. Vita also expresses a concern over what she feels is Nanoha’s lenient training style since their own official training had been strict on all front, including the proper way to walk and speak. Nanoha says that her training regiment is basically the same as others in the organization. If there’s time to get onto the rookies for little things, then that time should be spent in simulation for a more precise and complete training. Besides, the rookies are people who are trying to be better mages. As they walk home behind the trainees, Vita promises herself to protect them.

Thoughts: The story is moving along with more groundwork being laid out for the main story arc. We learn the name of the scientist interested in Lost Logia and we see the rookies training increase without being bored with the actual details. Its enough to see that they are training and that it is tough, even if Vita thinks that Nanoha might be a little to nice with the newbies.

Now I understand why some Japanese names are done in Western order and why Nanoha and Hayate’s names are still Japanese order. Because the two of them are from Japan, they continue to follow the traditional Japanese naming conventions, but someone like Subaru, who’s never been to Earth but descends from there, has a Japanese name in Western order (obviously her father and sister the same). Something like this makes me wonder even more why R1 companies feel the compulsion to make all names (except Chinese names) in Western order?