428th G-View: Strike Witches: Road to Berlin

Believe it or not this will be a quick G-View as there is not much to add that I have not already in past coverage of this series. What did this mean for this season of Strike Witches? Find out as we take a look at Strike Witches: Road to Berlin, aka Strike Witches Season 3.

Check out the reviews of Seasons 1 + 2 and the movie HERE.

Note: S3 is set after the events of the movie (S1, S2, OVA, Movie, S3) so there will be spoilers.

Genres: Action, Magic, Science fiction

Themes: Fanservice, Mecha Musume, Military, Yuri, Witches

Number of Episodes: 12

G-Rating: 8/10

Plot Summary: A Neuroi Nest was spotted in Berlin, Germany. The 501st Joint Fighter Wing, aka the Strike Witches reunite once more to take back down Nest. However, since Major Mio Sakamoto had to step down from the front lines after the events of the movie she was succeeded by Minna Wilcke as the new Commander. A new rookie also joined the 501st, Shizuka Hattori.

What I meant in the intro was there not being much new in terms of plot. Road to Berlin, put simply, was another season of our favorite pantless propeller wearing badass cute and sexy flying magic witches in their ongoing war against the alien invaders known as the Neuroi. The only difference in terms of the plot was these Neuroi being far more aggressive and calculating than those previously encountered. Most were beaten at the end of the episode they appeared in but it was clear the girls were pushed to further strengthen their power and resolve to face their biggest challenge yet. This can be seen in the animation that, for the most part, has come a long way, especially in dogfights. Let me put it this way, uncensored goodness will not be the only reason to get the Blu-Rays this time around. The soundtrack is more of the same. It fits the franchise and, simple as that.

Speaking of sexiness one of the main draws of the franchise remains intact in S3 but like GochiUsa S3, apart from the signature booty shots, there is not as much ecchi goodness this time around. Perhaps because fans were blessed with the ladies’ sexiness so many times already there was no need to go all out this time. HAVING SAID THAT, Episode 7, to put it mildly, was a HOOT! Plus the season was not entirely devoid of blessings, just not as much as the previous 2 seasons.

That leaves us with the characters. This, like in S2, is where S3 shines.As mentioned in the summary, Shizuka Hattori (from the movie) joined the Strike Witches after Mio had to put on pants. She essentially got Yoshika’s role as the aspiring rookie with great potential. Though she needed a brief refresher on Yoshika’s greatness she quickly remembered. Her character arc revolved around dependence and following orders. That is all I will say. She is possibly more delightful here than her movie debut.

Yoshika, or as I like to call her, RAMBO, is still the badass friend of the people and big breasts we know and love but she continues to struggle with something thought to have been overcome in the movie. Her arc was tied with Shizuka’s. Normally this would mean the other Witches would get the spotlight and it was not all about RAMBO but the Witches franchise always gave each of the girls their time to shine so one cannot accuse the show of shoving the others take a back seat.

Point being, like past seasons, each of the Witches gets their time to shine either in the spotlight or sharing it with their soul mates. In fact, apart from a certain couple who are lovey-dovey like always, the other couples stepped up their game quite a bit this season leading to some most delightful moments. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond their control one couple missed out on more development. Viewers can tell which as the show progresses.

Overall Strike Witches: Road to Berlin is more vintage SW goodness but ramped up in some ways, namely the action and relationship development. Readers who are Strike Witches fans but have yet to watch this season are encouraged to do so.