| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha | |
| 魔法少女リリカルなのは (Mahō Shōjo Ririkaru Nanoha) |
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| Genre | Magical girl, Science fiction |
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (魔法少女リリカルなのは Mahō Shōjo Ririkaru Nanoha) is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses three anime television series, a theatrical adaptation of the first series, multiple manga and Drama CD adaptations and sequels, as well as model figures and plastic models. It began in 2004 with Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, an alternative universe spin-off of the Triangle Heart series, and is on-going to date.
The series is named after its protagonist Nanoha Takamachi. At the beginning of the series, Nanoha is a 9-year old schoolgirl in modern-day Japan, who is swept into a conflict between extra-dimensional factions vying for control over magical artifacts they discovered on Earth. Nanoha herself is revealed to be tremendously powerful in the extra-dimensional techno-magic and in later installments, leaves Earth altogether to pursue a magical career. In the chronologically latest franchise entry, Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force, she is 25.
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Nanoha Takamachi first appeared as a minor character in the eroge visual novel Triangle Heart 3, released on December 8, 2000.[1] She was first cast as a magical girl on a merchandise CD Triangle Heart 3 ~Lyrical Toy Box~, released on June 29, 2001.[2] Nanoha's first animated appearance was in the first episode of Triangle Heart 3 OVA adaptation, released on July 24, 2003. All three titles, as well as the entire spin-off franchise starring Nanoha, were written by Masaki Tsuzuki (都築真紀).
In the plot premise of the original series, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004), 21 "Jewel Seeds", highly destructive artifacts from another dimension, are accidentally scattered across Earth. After Nanoha assists an injured extradimensional magician in collecting them, she is drawn into a magical battle against a female mage named Fate Testarossa, who came to Earth to collect Jewel Seeds for her mother Precia. Attracted by their activity, the interdimensional police TSAB ("Time-Space Administration Bureau") intervenes to secure and seal the artifacts. In the end, Nanoha convinces Fate to rebel against Precia, who is defeated and apparently dies.
In Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's (2005), Nanoha continues her magical training. Six months after the original series, she and Fate encounter the "Wolkenritter", four mages who steal others' magical abilities to save Hayate Yagami, a wheelchair-using Japanese girl. Since the Wolkenritter are skilled in Ancient Belkan combat magic far superior to theirs, Nanoha and Fate fail to stop them and the Book of Darkness, an ancient artifact bound to Hayate, is activated. A worldwide catastrophe is only prevented thanks to TSAB and, most importantly, Hayate's intervention. In the following years, all primary characters leave Earth to pursue magical careers in the TSAB homeworld Mid-Childa.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (2007) takes place ten years after A's and is set on Mid-Childa. Hayate, now a Lieutenant Colonel of TSAB, forms a special Riot Force 6 to counter the impending terrorist crisis organized by Dr. Scaglietti, former colleague and accomplice of Precia Testarossa, and his combat cyborgs ("Numbers"). Nanoha, Fate, and the Wolkenritter join the unit, along with four young mages whom they personally train ("Forwards"). Despite their preparations, the unit fails to protect Vivio, a girl targeted by Scaglietti and adopted by Nanoha, and the crisis strikes in full force, stopped in the nick of time by Riot Force 6's heroic efforts. The unit is then dissolved, with its members returning to their original posts.
A Drama CD titled Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Sound Stage X (2008) is set three years after the Jail Scaglietti Incident. It features the characters first introduced in StrikerS, mainly, the Forwards and the Numbers, investigating a serial murder case on Mid-Childa. Their investigation eventually leads them to the Mariage [sic], semi-sentient humanoid weapons from the Ancient Belkan era, and their elusive creator, Dark King Ixpellia.
Vivio's story is continued in the manga Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid (2009-ongoing), which is set four years after StrikerS. Vivio now attends a magical academy on Mid-Childa, where she meets Einhart Stratos, another descendant of the Ancient Belkan royalty.
Another manga, Magical Chronicle Lyrical Nanoha Force (2009-ongoing), set six years after StrikerS, focuses on a new protagonist, Touma Avenir. After Touma rescues a mute girl named Lily Strosek on remote world, he unwittingly becomes a fugitive from TSAB. The ex-members of Riot Force 6 join forces once again to avert a new crisis caused by dangerous Ancient Belkan legacy, the Book of the Silver Cross, to which Lily is apparently connected.
| Title | Format | Start date | End date | Episodes | Chronology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (魔法少女リリカルなのは) |
TV | 2004-10-01 | 2004-12-24 | 13 | 0065 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's (魔法少女リリカルなのは エース) |
TV | 2005-10-01 | 2005-12-24 | 13 | 0065-66 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS) |
TV | 2007-04-01 | 2007-09-23 | 26 | 0075-76[3] |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st (魔法少女リリカルなのは The MOVIE 1st) |
Film | 2010-01-23 | N/A | N/A | 0065 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A's (魔法少女リリカルなのは The MOVIE 2nd A's) |
Film | TBA 2012 | N/A | N/A | 0065-66 |
The MOVIEs are not expansions of the existing continuity but are instead re-tellings of the original animated series.[4][5]
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha novel is an adaptation of the first season, while Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's manga and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS THE COMICS are collections of short side-stories expanding the respective anime series. ViVid and Force are standalone, independent story arcs that take place several years after the events of StrikerS. The MOVIE 1st manga is an adapation of the animated film.
| Title | Format | Start date | End date | Volumes | Chronology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (魔法少女リリカルなのは) |
Novel | 2005-09[6] | N/A | 1 | 0065 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's (魔法少女リリカルなのは エース) |
Manga | 2005-08[7] | 2006-01[8] | 1[9] | 0065-66 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS THE COMICS (魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS THE COMICS) |
Manga | 2006-11[10] | 2008-02[11] | 2[12][13] | 0075-76 |
| Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force (魔法戦記リリカルなのはForce) |
Manga | 2009-04-30[14] | TBA | TBA | 0081 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid (魔法少女リリカルなのはViVid) |
Manga | 2009-05-26 | TBA | TBA | 0079 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha MOVIE 1st THE COMICS (魔法少女リリカルなのはMOVIE 1st THE COMICS) |
Manga | 2009-11 | TBA | TBA | 0065 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Force Dimension (魔法少女リリカルなのは Force Dimension) |
Manga | 2011-03[15] | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Title | Platforms | Developer | Publisher | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces | PSP | Witch Craft | Namco-Bandai | 2010-01-21 |
| Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Gears of Destiny | PSP | Witch Craft | Namco-Bandai | TBA |
| Nendoroid Generation | PSP | Banpresto | Namco-Bandai | TBA |
The franchise takes an innovative approach to the magical girl genre, focusing equally on characterization and magical combat. It was also praised for taking a more serious approach to social problems than other magical girl anime.[16]
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