Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 11
魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 11

SPOILER Summary:

Admiral Chrono Harlaown is visiting with Knight Carim when the alert comes in about the found Relic. Caro has placed a seal on the one case with the young, unconscious girl but Elio points out that there is a second chain from the case, indicating there should be a second case which would also contain a Relic. Fate, Nanoha, Rein, and Shamal are being dispatched to the scene by Vice. Shamal reports the girl should be find and so she’s to be carried to the helicopter to be taken back to HQ.

Shari reports that a large number of Gadgets are in the sewer approaching their location. In addition, a large number of aerial Gadgets are approaching. Vita is flying to the scene and Ginga, who’d been researching the accident, request permission to join in since her accident investigation is related to the Gadget attack. Hayate dispatches the rookies to retrieve the Relic case in the sewers, where they will be joined by Ginga. Fate and Nanoha will help work on some of the aerial units while Vice evacuates Shamal, the Relic case, and the young girl.

Meanwhile, Lutecia gets a report from Doctor Scaglietti’s assistant that Lutecia’s sisters will go after the Relic in the helicopter while Lutecia is to go into the sewers to obtain the Relic there. While Lutecia is not with her normal companions, she’s not alone and summons Garyuu before heading down in the sewers, where the rookies have engaged the Gadgets. In the skies above, Fate and Nanoha engaged the Gadgets. Meanwhile, as Ginga heads to join the rookies, she reports but soon discover that that the girl may be an artifical mage — a person created in a lab for the purpose of using magic.

Vita and Rein take out a group of flying Gadgets but suddenly, there are an innumerable number of additional flying Gadgets arriving on the scene. While they are able to determine that there is some illusion work going on, it is difficult to sort out the real Gadgets from the illusions. Fate is going to have Nanoha assist Vita in clearing the skies while Fate has her limiter removed to use a wide-area attack. However, Hayate overrides this and has joined the battle personally. She orders Fate and Nanoha to protect the helicopter while Vita and Rein are to join the rookies and Ginga in the sewers. Hayate is going to have Chrono release her limiter, who along with Knight Carim is the only one with the authority to do so. However, it is a one-time deal as getting authority to do so a second time is very difficult, though since Hayate is not asking for a complete release (she’ll be taken to the S-rank), Knight Carim feels it will be a bit easier to get permission again.

Once her limiter is released, she has Shari assist her in the long-ranged attack since Rein, who’d normally do this function, is not there. Hayate casts the Hræsvelgr spell, which sends numerous, devastating magical attacks that destroy everything within a wide area. In the sewers, the rookies and Ginga are doing well, but then come up against Garyuu just as Cara discovers the case. During the fight with Garyuu, Lutecia picks up the case with the Relic in it. Subaru, not realizing Lutecia is an enemy, warns her of the danger of the case. She continues to walk away and is intercepted by Tia, who’d been invisible. However, Lutecia has an ace up her sleeve in the form of Agito (who’s the size of Rein), who uses a Starling Howl attack to stop the rookies and Ginga. Tia tries to shoot, but Garyuu knocks her down. She quickly recovers and fires at Lutecia, only to have Garyuu take the hit with minor damage.

Thoughts:

Have I mentioned how much I hate henshin sequences? The ultimate in filler, I guess, but tedious as all get out.

It really is a shame that the dialog is so kiddie at times. It is a little odd since I’m told this has always been an otaku mahou shoujo title and not a regular mahou shoujo title targeted at girls. Maybe the otaku were too “busy” to notice. _

Story-wise, the bureaucracy in this story is incredible. I understand the desire to keep your most powerful mages under control to prevent them turning on you (though it implies that Fate, Nanoha, and Hayate can’t be trusted), but to have it so that an admiral can only release the limiter only once without major hassle seems a bit much. It also means that the people in charge are a bunch of pansies just waiting to get their collective butts kicked. From a story perspective, I realize it is a plot device to weaken your overly powerful characters so that they are challenged from time to time.

We finally have our first person to person battles, which makes things a bit more “real” if you will. Attacking mechanical things means nothing. Attacking another person means something.

Speaking of battles, I already see an Agito vs. Rein battle in the future. I wonder if Agito is the same as Rein.