Strike Witches Volume 2

“War is not nice.” – Barbara Bush.

Somewhere in an alternative version of the Earth, war is still raging between humans and aliens, war is still being led by young girls with magical powers boosted by machines strapped to their legs, and war is still pants.

The second series of this fan service-laden series sees Yoshika Miyafuji return to the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, aka the Strike Witches, as they battle again the alien invaders known as the Neuroi. Having successfully saved Britannia (the UK) from the invaders in their own Battle of Britain, series two sees them in the Adriatic Sea as they fight in the skies of Romagna (South Italy).

During this series stiff Karlslander (German) Gertrud Barkhorn tests out a new jet-powered Striker Unit called the V1; native of Romagna Francesca Luuchini returns to her hometown of Rome; Gallian (French) Perrine Clostermann tries to raise funds to repair a bridge back home which leads to a treasure hunt; and Yoshika’s native commander Mio Sakamoto worries she is losing her powers.

Given that in this series you see young girls in their underwear all the time (although in Yoshika’s case it is a swimsuit), the fan service content of the series is set pretty high already. Personally I do not mind this because at least you know what you are getting. Better to have a series that you know will have a lot of fan service rather than one that just sticks it in for no good reason. Of all the episodes the one with the most is the seventh, in which a tiny bug-sized Neuroi, which happens to have a fondness of creeping inside the girls’ panties, enters the Strike Witches HQ. Not only that, but the episode is mostly set in their bath so there is also quite a bit visible on top as well as down below.

However, there is more to Strike Witches than just smut. As the series goes on, especially in the concluding episodes, it does get rather emotional. Not only do you see Sakamoto losing her magical abilities, but Yoshika risking everything in order to help her friend and superior.

I would say that the second series follows up the first pretty well. It has some emotion like the previous episode, and for those that enjoy fan service it still has it in spades. A Strike Witches film was made earlier this year, and hopefully it will be released in the West too.