Strike Witches Road to Berlin, Ep 1: Magical Girl of the Alps

Yoshika takes to the skies again when former Strike Witch Mio visits her at medical school.

Episode 1 – “The Magical Girl of the Alps”

First Thoughts.

The last time we saw Strike Witches on TV, the magical girls flashing their panties while wearing thigh-high flying boots, was 10 years ago. Since then, we’ve had a movie, OVA’s, spinoffs, and a short form gag comedy version in 2019. It’s been difficult for an anime-only fan to keep track of the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, so I’m especially glad they came back all together for another season. My most pressing concern was how today’s social norms would impact watching animated teenagers not covering their bottoms. Following Strike Witches on a strafing run from behind was the whole point of the show! I felt relieved during the prologue when they showed the audience that this fictional world still has no conception of skirts or shorts for women. In the year of 2020, Strike Witches keeps giving us the pantsu!

After Strike Witches answered my first question, the second thing I’d like this new season to tackle is the mystery of how the main character Yoshika Miyafuji regained her magical powers. We know that witches naturally lose their powers at age 20 or so (and begin to wear men’s pants), but Strike Witches has never explained to my satisfaction why Yoshika lost her powers and then regained them, except for narrative devices to make her hero’s journey in the movie compelling. I understand the point of the show is to make World War II military tech geeks ogle shapely bottoms as they fly towards hexagonally skinned futuristic alien ships shooting red laser beams, but I’m still curious about how the world of Strike Witches works. I’ll be paying attention to all aspects of the magical girls this season, especially those detailed bottoms.

Hmm.

I’m glad the first episode of Strike Witches included an extended fight scene of the 501st girls battling a Neuroi because it’s just been so long since I’ve seen them all together. I appreciated it so I could remind myself what color and type of panties they wear! I remember Lucchini and Minna best, because they scandalously wear non-white. The Japanese-equivalent girls wear their school swimsuits, so that’s easy to remember, but we need to keep track of who wears pantyhose, tights, and simple white. Why? Because that’s the quickest way to recognize who’s flying around those big Neuroi during the action set pieces. We can’t all be World War II Air Force nerds and keep track of which planes correspond to their thigh-high boots. The only ones I recognize are Shirley’s P-51 Mustang Striker Units and Lynette’s Ultramarine Spitfire.

Heh.

Prologue time for Strike Witches. TV people haven’t seen this show in ten years! That big Neuroi nest is over Berlin. Hey! That’s in the title of this show. Might be important. Where did they come from and what do the Neuroi want? Six years after the invasion and we still don’t know. I love these similar but different names to all the countries in the Strike Witches world. It’s like playing Risk.

Oh yes! Pantsu on flying witches! Unabashedly showing us the crotches! Strike Witches is back, showing all the girls’ backstories. I’m relieved, considering how censorship laws have affected many countries in the last couple of years. After all this time, I’m still agog at the mixing of fetishes in this anime. Animal ears and tails added to up-skirt and panty shots. It’s a winning formula! Oh man, Lucchini with the shimapan. Thank you, Strike Witches, for loving your fans so much. Lynette the thicc sniper is still thicc. I am so glad to see all these girls in action again.

The opening credits has its version of the prologue fight. Seeing Mio in long pants is such a travesty.

Switzerland’s name is a font in Strike Witches… wait! That’s Helvetica, not Helvetia. I always got a kick out of these country names because they’re culturally related, but all the city names are the same as in the real world. Mio in long pants! Yay! Yoshika looks the same. Ha! Mio’s aide Hijikata likes her hair down. Nostalgic. Mio laughs big like always.

Uh oh. Trouble at the circus. Time for Yoshika to remind us of her magical healing abilities. That polar bear doesn’t want to ride a bike anymore. Random Yoshika butt cheek shot. We are absolutely watching a Strike Witches episode. Ooh. Yoshika used defensive and healing magic at the same time. The poor polar bear had a toothache. Altia, Yoshika’s friend at school, just found out her friend is a witch.

Aw. Altia’s father commands a navy ship and speaks highly of the 501st Strike Witches. It’s nice to have military connections to let a girl talk with her navy captain father at sea. Uh oh. Time for the action to start. Eh? An iceberg? What’s happening over there?

Oh man, these eye catches bring me back. Same artist and style. Hijikata likes Mio’s long hair!

Well, that’s not good. That huge iceberg is following that battleship. What part of the Atlantic are they in? I don’t remember Neuroi hating water, but it’s been ten years, and this is an obviously important plot point now. If the Strike Witches speculate that a Neuroi would not pretend to be an iceberg, they will be in that iceberg. Yoshika wants to help. Mio just can’t say no to her.

Hoh. The Swiss, er, Helvetians bought a Striker Unit, but who pilots it? This mechanic doesn’t inspire confidence. Yup. That Striker Unit has been collecting dust for years. Well, they didn’t need that indicator light anyway… Let’s see what Yoshika’s big ball of magic can do with these boots. Oh man, the Strike Witches magical girl transformation with crotch shots is the same as before. Not the best-looking takeoff but Yoshika’s superior magic compensates for the inferior equipment.

Oh yes. We’re getting the band back together. Informally, of course. That contrail is like the Bat Signal for Strike Witches. Eila and Sanya can’t see the contrail from Orussia, but their Tarot Cards can.

That was quick. Yoshika made it from Lausanne to the North Atlantic already. The Neuroi love jamming radio signals, so there’s confirmation already. The battleship firing at an iceberg makes me think of Quixote tilting at windmills. It’s an intelligent iceberg all right. It can move faster than a battleship.

Red beams. Here we go, here we go! That is a honking big Neuroi. Tip of the iceberg is the functional concept here. To be continued!

The end credits show all the air bases for the Strike Witches.

Strike Witches: Road to Berlin streams on Crunchyroll and VRV.