Yoshika works hard to defeat the Iceberg Neuroi by herself but timely help from her friends save the day.
Episode 2 – “The Strike Witches Come Together”
Hmm.
In past seasons of Strike Witches, the Neuroi battle scenes never struck me as compelling. I only looked forward to them for the emotional beats the characters would hit as they referred to something else that happened between them in the episode. The action set pieces were at the service of character development, which is great for a show with a big cast of cute girls wearing no pants. I expected more of the same in Strike Witches Road to Berlin, but I was wrong! Yoshika’s solo fight against the Iceberg Neuroi was pure action entertainment, with ebbs and flows, and tons of satisfying heroic moments. The storytelling impressed me.
Yoshika’s character bore most of the responsibility of carrying the dramatic tension and she absolutely delivered. If you saw Strike Witches the Movie, you would remember this version of Yoshika who joined a fight without her witch powers. Here, she rushed into battle without even a gun! I enjoyed how she fulfilled her reputation as a famous witch of the 501st.
The Iceberg Neuroi made for a great enemy too. So many things were novel about how it fought. From its iceberg camouflage, to approaching an assault by sea, and how it used misdirection to achieve its mission. It’s not a coincidence that the Neuroi attacked a strategic port on the eve of a new human military campaign to retake Berlin. This is all good foreshadowing to show us that the Neuroi of Strike Witches Road to Berlin are on a different level than the ones we saw over Romagna and Venezia. I don’t think these original Neuroi would make one small enough for Minna to crush with her tight butt cheeks.
Heh.
Yoshika is famous for her strong defensive shields. Ack! Yoshika can’t fly with a broken Striker Unit! Let’s see how the conventional military handles Neuroi attacks. They have improved anti-Neuroi shells. Elite forces technology trickles down, even from squads like the Strike Witches. Yoshika crash lands on the Doge. She can heal those guys, right? Nice. I enjoy a bit of hero worship for anime main characters. Yoshika earned her reputation and fame. These military guys need to figure out how to stop that Neuroi jamming. Good thing those other Strike Witches saw a contrail heading toward Antwerpen.
Man, I thought Switzerland, er, Helvetia took pride in its neutrality by excelling in war readiness and precision maintenance. Not so much for those Striker Units. The manufacturers should have put a watch on there somewhere to keep them interested. The Doge and the fort will need to do the best they can while the ship engineers try to jerry-rig Yoshika’s boots.
Let’s see how imaginative is this Iceberg Neuroi. The parts of the Neuroi’s arms are flying bombs. Worst Lego kit ever! Strike Witches continues to use military weapons future concepts, slap black skin and red lights on them, and then make them shoot red lasers. It’s a winning formula! Oh, nice. The Doge has anti-Neuroi armor. That should help for a while. I’m just waiting for the other Strike Witches to come to the rescue after Yoshika almost wins. Ooh, good idea. Hit the explosive arms and start a chain reaction.
The eye catches show us the current state of the war against the Neuroi and more lovely art from Shimada Fumikane. I’m still hoping for another season of Frame Arms Girl.
Yoshika can’t fly just yet, but she still has her huge shield to help the Doge. Yes! Yoshika 2nd Act starts now! Just don’t fly too hard… Effective use of the musical score to make an emotional reaction. Yoshika is a badass! Oh no. Yoshika will need a bigger gun to get to the core underneath the ice. Wait a minute. I know some people with bigger guns! Will all this cooperation be enough? Of course not! We need the other girls to arrive first. What an amazing image of the core. Foo! Stupid, lazy Helvetians! Oh well, this just means it’s time for soft yuri reunions in the middle of a battle.
Oh yes! It’s the return of Minna’s super tight butt! Who will save Yoshika? Her best yuri friend Lynette of course! The gang’s all here. Time for individual hero shots. Ha! The Neuroi had enough. Run away! The Strike Witches don’t miss a beat on their formations. Eh? They let Hartmann get the kill shot? Oh. Shizuka, Mio’s replacement is here too. She’s shy around Yoshika.
Oh no! That iceberg is still heading straight for the port at Antwerpen. That Neuroi accomplished its mission anyway. Mio and Altia drove all the way to Antwerpen from Lausanne by dusk? Hijikata must have a lead foot. Minna and Mio reunited, and it feels so good! Except Mio is in long pants and has her hair up… Oh hey, remember that thing Mio wanted to talk to Yoshika about? It looks like Yoshika already found herself in the middle of it.
Minna says the Strike Witches are about to start humanity’s offensive against the Neuroi nest in Germany, er, Karlsland. Barkhorn feels fired up. Hartmann, less so. Shizuka received her formal orders to join the 501st. She looks overwhelmed. 501st reformed. To be continued in a relaxing tale of a yuri duo becoming a yuri threesome. I can’t wait!
Strike Witches Road to Berlin streams on Crunchyroll and VRV.
