魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 24
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 24

SPOILER Summary: In a flashback from eight years earlier, we see that Geis was frustrated by the number of criminal and other attacks on the planet and city. The navy and others nabbed high-ranking mages which meant that they had only low-ranking mages and knights on the ground forces. While Geis wasn’t a mage, he did have a knight team, lead by Zest, who were. In that team were Lutecia’s mother as well as Ginga and Subaru’s mother. The team were investigating Combat Cyborgs and discovered the factory when they were ambushed and all slain by Tre, Quattro, and Cinque as well as some powerful Gadgets. Zest was taken back for experimentation and Lutecia’s mother was taken back as well and plans were made to take Lutecia.

Back in the present, Zest asks Geis about the justice they had sought but before he can get an answer, one of the general’s staff places a claw through his chest from the back. It is Due, who binds Zest and slams Auris into a bookcase. After the general’s death, Due plans to kill Zest, only to have her bonds broken, much to her surprise. Hearing the commotion, Signum and Agito rush into the room. They find Auris unconscious, Geis dead, and Due either dead or severely injured.

In the lair, Doctor Scaglietti waxes poetic about Fate’s creation and how she had been named after Project Fate. This is seen by Caro and Elio via the communication holo-screen. Caro continues to try to talk Lutecia out of her present course of action. Lutecia instead summons her big gun, Hakutenou. Caro counters by summoning Voltaire. Two of her Jiraio-type insects arrive and are countered by Fried. Battle ensues and in frustration and a wish to not be alone, Lutecia forces more power into Garyuu and Hakutenou. While this causes Garyuu to have more blades and tendrils, it also causes him to bleed from the new blades as well as to cry blood. Caro pleads with Lutecia, who won’t listen. As such, Caro, Elio, Voltaire, and Fried win their round. Lutecia goes semi-conscious, causing confusion in her summoned critters. As such, Caro and Elio take her on Fried to escape.

Back in the lair, the doctor reveals that he has impregnated all twelve of the Numbers with his clone, complete with his memories. Thus, even if Fate defeats him, she’ll have to get rid of all the Numbers to completely be rid of him. Plus, if she goes into her extreme power mode, she won’t be able to help stop the Saint’s Cradle. Scaglietti accuses Fate of being just like her real mother, who used Fate as a weapon and a tool. He reasons Fate is using Elio and Caro in much the same way. Fate is about to give into despair, but the communication link is still there so that Elio and Caro can tell Fate that they made their own choices and that Fate was a good mother to them when no one else had wanted them. Encouraged, Fate goes into overdrive mode and actives her New Sonic Form.

This is observed by Uno, who’s amazed that Fate’s magic levels have increased so much, especially with the Anti-Magic Fields around her. However, Uno doesn’t have time to think more about it as she is captured by Verossa, who then probes her mind. Sein attempts to flee from Sister Schach with her phasing technique, but Sister Schach is also able to do something similar and thus intercepts and captures the Number. Fate attacks and quickly defeats Sette. Engaging Tre, Fate changes Bardiche’s form to a giant halberd defeats her. She then goes after Scaglietti, who’s excited by her power. Instead of killing him, she knocks him out and arrests him.

Tia faces Nove, who nows that only she, Quattro, and the ship are left. While Tia talks to Nove, Deed comes to and quietly grabs one of her blades to kill Tia. However, she’s shot by Vice, who’s using Storm Raider and his sniper gun from the back of the helicopter. Tia tells Nove that even a weapon like herself can laugh and be kind, citing Subaru as an example. Quattro, seeing that all of her sisters and Scaglietti are defeated, rubs her belly and plans to start over as we see that Vivio has Nanoha smashed into a bulkhead.

Thoughts: OK, so where did Rein go? She got lost in the shuffle unless she flew out to be with Hayate or something.

I like how the writers have worked to incorporate the elements in the first Nanoha series regarding Fate’s creation, Al Hazard, and the like with this current series. It has been a long time since I watched the first series, so I don’t remember the details. That said, I think that the writers have done a decent job trying to make it so that you don’t have to have seen the first series (or the 2nd), but if you haven’t, you’ll want to. ^_^

With all the battles winding down, we only have Nanoha vs. Vivio, Vita trying to get to the Saint’s Cradle engine room, and everyone else doing what they can to bring down Saint’s Cradle. Oh, and I guess Quattro’s still on the loose, so that will need cleaning up.

The stuff about Zest having worked with Subaru and Gigna’s mother as well as Lutecia’s mother didn’t surprise me. I guess I was surprised that they’d been killed on the same mission by the early Numbers. I thought that somehow the writers would find a way to tie in the fire that Subaru and Ginga had to be rescued from to the Combat Cyborgs, but thus far, they haven’t.

Voltaire’s summoning to face Hakutenou ended up being kind of a yawner. His initial appearance was, “Whoa! Caro can summon that? Kick bottom time!” I realize the writers wanted to have an equal counter for the fight but it just makes Voltaire less impressive IMO.

Two more to go. I’m guessing at this point that 25 will basically wrap things up and 26 will be aftermath stuff. I could be wrong though.