Strike Witches Road to Berlin, Ep 6: Hounds of Vengeance

The 501st takes the fight to the Neuroi, but Hartmann becomes trapped behind enemy lines. Barkhorn vows to rescue her friend.

Episode 6 – “Hounds of Vengeance”

Hmm.

It seemed like Strike Witches used the Neuroi of the Week plot device again, but it didn’t. The main story is finally on the road to Berlin, so there was more than one type of Neuroi to defeat as the Strike Witches’ first mission is to secure an operational port behind enemy lines. The military is taking back territory from the Neuroi, so there isn’t time for fluffy stories focusing on the witches’ relationships. That’s right. It’s now time for gritty stories focusing on the different Strike Witches pairs! The odd couple of Hartmann and Barkhorn gave us a chance to see how much Trude cares for her slobby friend Erica.

The Odd Couple movie, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, based on the play by Neil Simon, is the prototype of the relationship Erica and Trude have of two clashing personalities coming to genuinely care for each other. It doesn’t look like Erica’s easygoing ways have mellowed out the fastidious Trude yet, but Erica’s pigpen pile of garbage isn’t as big. It could also be that she just hasn’t been at the new Strike Witches base long enough to gather so much trash yet.

I enjoyed how the Strike Witches plot made us think that Hartmann’s absence so greatly affected Barkhorn’s emotional stability that she might develop a mental crisis. Fits of temper, loss of appetite, and losing weight are the symptoms we see in dogs who miss their master or other pet companions. Hartmann and Barkhorn are both doggy natured in their magic, so I liked seeing that connection. Of course, the disciplined Barkhorn wasn’t losing her mind. She was cutting weight to handle the Neuroi enemy’s sudden stops and starts!

While Barkhorn wasn’t showing symptoms of doggy grief, the Strike Witches’ second-in-command did have a brittle hold on the hope that Hartmann had survived her crash landing, which was slowly turning into desperation. Trude’s moment of despair when she thought Erica had died was a subtle way for Erica to come to her rescue. It was a dramatic switch, because we thought Trude avoided the seeming mental crisis she was forming back at the base. The two friends rescued each other, which is a theme Strike Witches comes back to repeatedly. That moment when Erica could hear how much she meant to Trude, when Trude didn’t know Erica could hear her over the broken radio, is something Erica can use to her advantage over the tsundere Trude for years to come.

Heh.

Oh man. Hartmann’s pile of garbage in Strike Witches always makes me laugh. Do I see a banana peel on the floor? Ah. Barkhorn found it. She also found Hartmann’s missing panties. Such a good roommate.

Oh look, it’s Mio with Generals Patton and Bradley. Patton has a nice scar. They’ve designated the Neuroi hive in Berlin as “Wolf.” The generals want to retake the port at Kiel to supply the campaign towards Berlin. Antwerpen’s port is taking too long to repair.

Aw. Trude let Erica have her chocolate. Uh oh. Fast Neuroi. That thing looks like a dark skin version of GI Joe’s Conquest X-30 fighter jet. The Neuroi is way faster than the Strike Witches. Oh no. It shot down Hartmann and got behind Barkhorn. Yoshika and Shizuka saved Trude, but they needed to leave Erica behind. These Karlsland Neuroi don’t mess around.

Trude is mad and in the sauna. Super strength might be a bad mix of magic and temperament for the Strike Witches now. Trude makes a list of all the things she did wrong, but then says no training would have defeated the Neuroi. Sounds defeatist. Is she working out a plan?

Erica looks okay except for a lightly injured knee. Her Striker Unit does not look okay. Malfunctioning radio too. Trude isn’t eating. Uh oh. But eating is part of the mission! The other Strike Witches worry. Yoshika remembers her lessons. Trude works out without eating. Is she trying to cut weight? She might have a plan! She has a plan. When she starts being possessive about her business, she has a plan. Trude already knows Shirley can’t beat the X-30 Neuroi. She must think it’s a different question than speed. Trude doesn’t look healthy with shadows under her eyes.

Trude and Erica feature in the eye catches. Trude is already 19 years old. She’ll need to worry about losing her magic soon.

Ha. The X-30 is fast, but it’s dumb too. Erica knows how to assemble trash into her decoy version. Nice mud track on the fake crash landing too. Good thing Trude gave Erica that chocolate bar. Oh! Was Erica’s radio just out of range? Oh… the transmitter broke. Erica will need to figure out how to use her radio receiver properly.

Trude was right. Shirley, the fastest of the Strike Witches, comes back utterly defeated. Yeah, Trude has a plan. She knew Shirley could accelerate, but the problem is the NX-30 stopping and starting. A Strike Witches pilot needs to match the deceleration too. Trude is cutting weight like a boxer! She’s dehydrated and weak like a fighter at the weigh-in. Shirley and Trude stripped down a P-51H for pure weight savings and aerodynamics. Best yet, Trude transformed her body! Now, she’s ready for that swimsuit issue… I mean, ready for that NX-30! And what did Shirley stick in Trude’s back? I don’t think she has pockets back there… Yoshika and Shizuka will carry Trude to the battle space so she can save her energy.

Meanwhile, Erica enjoys playing with the trash in the forest. No, Strike Witches does an excellent job of showing Hartmann having a good attitude and doing the right things. She’s just lazy when she’s around Trude. It’s time for Trude to shine!

Nice. Trude takes it to the NX-30. Trude wins! Yay! Erica celebrates. Uh oh. There’s still too much time left in this Strike Witches episode. Shizuka, Yoshika, and Trude saw Erica’s decoy. Not good. Also, not good — another NX-30. The sight of a dead Hartmann demoralizes Trude. Shizuka and Yoshika have no offensive power. It’s up to Erica! She can fly a little bit with one Striker Unit, but she needs an active Trude. Erica can hear Trude’s love confession. There’s motivation. Erica knows exactly where she dumps her trash. See, chocolate is life. Chocolate is love.

Trude doesn’t need guns when she has fists and super strength. Erica with the assist! Ho. Shirley gave Trude a big gun! Her underwear is tight enough to hold that thing. Scratch two NX-30 Neuroi types. Reunited and it feels so good. Until Trude slips on another banana peel again in Strike Witches. Trude likes to keep things in her cleavage. A .44 Magnum in her butt cleavage and a chocolate bar in her breast cleavage. Impressive. Erica will keep some things she learned about Trude to herself. Yoshika has no tact. Flying off into the sunset.

Next time, the Strike Witches become bigger and bouncier than ever!

Strike Witches Road to Berlin streams on Crunchyroll and VRV.