OVA Information

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Producers: GONZO
Genres: Magical Girl, Military, Science Fiction
Duration: 9 minutes
Strike Witches

I finally got around to watching this after so long. This was a pretty short OVA but despite the length, I really liked it. The introduction was brief and to the point and the girls were all introduced in a rather fast yet proper way to be at least familiar with their faces. I really like the premise of their gear. Though I’m wondering why they get animal ears and a tail when they equip those Strikers. I’ve really taken a liking to the characters, especially the ones that were more involved and vocal within the roughly 9-minute long limit. I’m glad that a TV series was announced this past Christmas as I’d really like to see more of the characters and their individual backgrounds. I’d say it’s definitely worth watching especially since it’s only around 9 minutes in duration.

[ Episode 6: At the end of the decision]

Here’s the start of my before-the-end-of-the-year reviews.

This finale was rather well done though I couldn’t help but feel that it was pretty anticlimactic. Cecilia died in a way I wasn’t expecting especially for someone who taunted that she had so much power though I suppose her defeat was because of her arrogance. Kaito was pretty lame as I thought he’d put up more of a fight against Faris but he got utterly defeated. Speaking of which, his reason for wanting to destroy the world was stupid. “Because even though war almost destroyed the world people are still fighting”? That’s some silly thinking if you ask me. It was sad to see that Faris’ partners and the loli twins had to go though because of Teoria shutting down but I can’t say I really felt it that much.

The ending is sort of open as well with Faris and Alita still unable to return to their original bodies. I thought that they would have switched at the very end but it just didn’t happen. Still though, at least at the very end Faris is still beating the hell out of fools while looking gorgeous. ^_^

[ Final Thoughts ]

So, after six episodes, Murder Princess has definitely been an interesting ride. It started out great but ended rather poorly. The plot was good enough but still lacked that “it” that would have made it feel complete but the characters, at least the protagonists, are what made this series a good watch. Faris and Alita are both decent characters and I love how their personalities differ so much yet they are able to get along.

The other major highlight of the series is the music. It’s some of the best you’ll hear if you ask me, especially if you like rock and punk. So while Murder Princess overall wasn’t exactly amazing I’d still recommend it to those who are looking for a easy to understand plot, with fantasy/sci-fi elements, and some nice action scenes. Oh, and also for Faris and Alita since they’re so good together.

[Overall series review: 73/100]

Ah~, yes. I remember this chapter quite well in the manga. Though, I found it interesting how the OVA skipped quite a few chapters but it does make some sense that they wouldn’t start from the very beginning since the TV series aired right after this. Anyways, this OVA mainly focused on Rin in the eyes of Mimi and her interactions with Reiji and Aoki. Kodomo no Jikan in general is a very serious emotional and psychological story that, while it does have loli-fanservice, can’t be downplayed. Those who read the manga know what I’m talking about and such themes as death and personality disorders are present as well.

Overall though I enjoyed this OVA as it was very well animated and the cast is great. I look forward to their performances in the TV series. My entries on that will follow very soon. ^__^

[ Episode 5: Destiny]

Lost Technology? Space and Time? This is stuff straight out of RPGs.

Wow. Now that was a lot of stuff to process. Lost Technology, androids, cyborgs, time and space…that was a ton of stuff. Apparently the world was destroyed once before when it was at the peak of human development. Sure, it’s been done before but I found it quite interesting. And it looks like I was right about Faris/Arita being out for the majority of the episode. She only really managed to pick up a sword near the end and was able to slash Kaito once before feeling dizzy again. Her partners did most of the fighting which was surprising because they pulled their evolved forms almost out of nowhere.

Anyways, it looks like Faris/Arita has recovered from most of her injuries though and now long side of Arita/Morino, she’ll be returning to the castle to end it all. Cecilia is most likely going to die since she was responsible for killing a man who seems to be Faris’ father in the past (amazing how Cecilia still looks so hot). Faris/Arita definitely has a hard fight ahead of her since she’s such a powerful mage (maybe she’ll use that demon-mode again since it is the final episode). I’m not sure what’s going to happen with Kaito though. It seems he’s a bit freaked after realizing that Morino is the real Arita so I’m not sure what’s going to happen to him. I’m looking forward to the final episode and hoping the ending is satisfying. ^^;

[ Episode 4: Banishment]

I wonder how Cecilia managed to turn Kaito against his own country. *looks at her face and her chest*

I see…

Now this episode was a huge improvement over the previous one. Man, I just knew that armored guy had to be Prince Kaito. He came back to the kingdom too conveniently. Cecilia looks to be the real mastermind here despite Kaito being coronated at the end of the episode. I had to feel for Arita/Morino and Faris/Arita though. Arita in that she had to witness her brother betraying her and the country, and Faris because she was really the only one able to put up a fight against both Cecilia and Kaito and ended up getting injured really badly. Surprisingly I felt a bit sad for the lolis as well since now their master is dead thanks to Kaito stabbing him through the chest. It’s hard to tell where this is going and how it’s all going to end since I’m sure Faris/Arita will need quite a bit of time to recover from her wounds. She’ll probably be out for most of episode five unless she awakens into that “demon-mode” she showed in episode two. That’s the only way I see her having a chance against a double-team from Cecilia and Kaito right now.

[ Episode 3: Return]

Not much Arita/Faris this time around but there is more of the hot green-haired woman!

I didn’t find this episode as awesome as the preview two but it was decent nonetheless. I just think those lolis and that scientist are a waste of time in regards to being antagonists. Right now I’m only interested in the green-haired woman who has yet to shown herself to Arita since she first appeared. She looks strong and seems to have an equally strong comrade or two with her. As for Arita and Faris, I’m glad they made up even though the reason why they were angry with each other was pretty silly to begin with. More importantly though, I find it interesting that Kaito decided to return at such a time. Is it just a coincidence he returned after so long or is there more to it? Looks like we’ll be finding that answer out in the next episode as the preview shows some pretty exciting stuff going down.