Of all the shows coming out this season, the only one I really want to watch is Nanoha Vivid. Not just because I have no clue what the other shows are about. But because Vivid actually looks very promising. StrikerS being the worst Nanoha series is very much a consensus among the Nanoha fanbase. The two newly released movies have been quality remakes, but just that. The Nanoha fans in Japan must've been super hyped when the TV adaptation was announced. I certainly was.

Looking back at it, Nanoha may well be the most formulaic magical girl series out there. To be sure, most magical girl shows are formulaic to begin with, but Nanoha took it to the next level. That's probably because Nanoha was explicitly aimed at a seinen audience, while 'classic' magical girl shows like PreCure were really designed for little girls. Unsurprisingly, Nanoha became filled with what its audience wanted: action, cute girls, yuri, and serious drama (way before Madoka). If the first series was more like a more violent version of Cardcaptor Sakura, A`s definitely set the benchmark for what a good Nanoha series should resemble.

So far, Vivid has ticked all the boxes. I'm actually quite happy at how things turned out, and that they played it safe when sticking to the Nanoha formula. One major reason behind my dislike of StrikerS was that there was too much violence and not enough fanservice. Not just shower scenes, but cuddling, Nanoha and Fate being gay, drinking tea and eating cake, that sort of stuff. StrikerS took out most of those things, and instead portrayed a violence-filled, government-run training camp. StrikerS wasn't really 'magical' enough, if you get what I mean!

Vivid has its share of action, to be sure, but the fanservice so far has been great. Not so little that you can't spot it, but not so much that it overwhelms you. I thought that episode two's shower scene was really well done, for example. They did a great job portraying the sort of quasi-parental relationship between Nanoha and Fate (for once, I actually prefer their adult form). Beyond shower scenes and whatnot, a lot of screen-time was also devoted to mundane things: eating breakfast, schoolgirls saying 'Ohayo!' to one another, and etcetera. My complaint is that Vivid isn't (so far) nearly as yuri as A`s was, but that can't be helped. Nanoha and Fate's pairing was one of a kind.

I'm looking forward to finishing off this series by the end of the week. The story seems interesting, although I prefer to get distracted by elaborate transformation scenes, mindless violence between cute girls, 'the power of friendship', the standard Nanoha content. My only wish is that Vivid and Einhard stay in their loli form for the rest of the series. I was very, very upset (at first) seeing Nanoha and Fate becoming adults, and the fact that Vivid and Einhard can turn into adults at will is almost depressing. Well, they've got to grow up some time. Maybe it's time for me to grow up, and stop watching little girl cartoons. Ha!

Also, I just remembered that Einhard's VA voiced Sawako from KnT. Wherever you hear her voice, drama is sure to follow.