Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's

This is the logo to the series.
魔法少女リリカルなのはA's [エース]
(Mahō Shōjo Ririkaru Nanoha A's [Ēsu])
Genre Adventure, Drama, Magical girl
Manga
Author Maki Tsuzuki
Illustrator Kōji Hasegawa
Publisher Flag of Japan Gakken
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Megami Magazine
Original run August 2005 – January 2006
Volumes 1
TV anime
Director Keizō Kusakawa
Studio Flag of Japan Seven Arcs
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada Geneon
Network Flag of Japan Chiba TV
Flag of Malaysia NTV7
Flag of the Republic of China Momo Kids
Original run 1 October 2005 – 25 December 2005
Episodes 13

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's (魔法少女リリカルなのは エース Mahō Shōjo Ririkaru Nanoha Ēsu?) (A's pronounced as Ace) is a thirteen episode sequel to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, a magical girl alternate universe spinoff of the Triangle Heart series of games and OAVs. A third series, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, was released in 2007.

Contents

[edit] Story

See also: List of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha episodes

A's is set six months after the first series and begins by explaining what has happened in the time between the two series. Fate, Yūno and the rest of the Time-Space Administration Bureau return to help Nanoha combat a group of mysterious knights from another dimension called Belka. The knights serve a wheelchair-bound girl named Hayate, whose health will deteriorate until they complete an artifact called the Book of Darkness at the cost of the magic and spirits of civilians. The thirteen-episode series also introduces another new character, Gil Graham, and explains what happened to Lindy Harlaown's husband.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Nanoha characters

[edit] Main characters

Nanoha Takamachi (高町 なのは Takamachi Nanoha?)
Nanoha is a rarity in that she comes from Earth but has a surprisingly strong aptitude for magic. Wielding her device, Raising Heart, she finds her calling in protecting her friends with magic. She awaits the return of her friend, Fate, but it comes just as she is ambushed by Vita for her linker core, and she is thrown into the fray once again.
Fate Testarossa (フェイト・テスタロッサ Feito Tesutarossa?)
  • Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Jennifer Alyx (English)
After the events of the previous season, Fate is acquitted as an accessory to her mother's crime and recruited by the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Quiet and reflective, she serves as a contrast to her dearest friend, Nanoha. Her familiar, Arf, and her device, Bardiche, are the only ones that were always there for her. Lindy Harlaown adopts her after her abusive, insane mother dies while attempting to reach Al Hazard in the first season.
Hayate Yagami (八神 はやて Yagami Hayate?)
Hayate, a sweet wheelchair-bound orphan, is under the care of the Wolkenritter, though they keep their battles from her; she knows that the completion of the Book of Darkness will grant her vast power, but does not want it at the expense of the lives of others. However, the Book of Darkness is feeding off her own life force, causing her paralysis, and will eventually kill her if it is not completed... Hayate and Suzuka become fast friends after Suzuka helps her around the library, which may cause trouble if their respective friends learn that they have been fighting each other.
Yūno Scrya (ユーノ・スクライア Yūno Sukuraia?)
Yūno is an archaeologist hailing from an alternate world named Mid-childa (ミッドチルダ Middo Chiruda?). Yūno is also proficient with protective and binding spells and often provides support for Nanoha and the rest of the team. True to his surname, Yūno has exceptional scrying abilities and was able to find a lot of information regarding the Book of Darkness while sifting through the material located within the Infinity Library (無限書庫 Mugen Shoko?).
When traveling on Earth with Nanoha amongst her family and friends, he transforms himself into a ferret, so as to avoid having to explain the events that the two have been through. It's unclear whether this is a natural ability or a spell (see first season notes)
While the relationship that Nanoha and Yūno shares during battles seem to mirror Fate and Arf's relationship, Yūno is not actually Nanoha's familiar as she did not create him. Yūno also has feelings for Nanoha, as confirmed during the epilogue sequence of the series at the end of the final episode.

Arf (アルフ Arufu?)

Arf is Fate's familiar and is a fox/wolf hybrid in her regular form. However, she no longer assumes this form since it is less intimidating for Fate's friends when she is down on Earth and instead changes into the form of a puppy dog. She is capable of casting both offensive attack spells and support-based binding spells. In major battles, Arf is usually alongside Yūno, acting as support by nullifying the enemies' attack capabilities with their binding spells. She has a 'human' form that is actually more in keeping with a fox demihuman.

[edit] Wolkenritter ("Cloud Knights")

Signum (シグナム Shigunamu?)

Signum has a long pink ponytail and appears to be the oldest of the group. Lævatein , her chain-link sword, is a powerful weapon that crosses Fate and Bardiche in every battle. Signum, unlike Vita, keeps calm at almost all times and, though she has a strong will to absorb her enemies' Linker Cores into the Book, Signum nonetheless respects their level of power and does not take them lightly. She has an extensive knowledge of how the mind works, which is probably what made her the group's leader, besides her strength.
Shamal (シャマル Shamaru?)
Shamal, being Yūno's counterpart, does not actually fight, but uses her ring devices to defend, create portals, absorb victims' Linker Cores into the Book of Darkness, and the like. Shamal acts as the 'mother' of the group, doing the shopping, worrying excessively over the others' well-being, and constructing excuses to Hayate as to why they're out so often ("The grocery store doesn't have our brand of olive oil"). She knows that Hayate does not want them to fight anyone for her, but it is still no question that they must. Though sometimes she taken care the house chores when Hayate's not present or unable to, other's not too fond with that, since her cooking rather tasted terrible.

Vita (ヴィータ Vīta?)

A rash and hot-tempered young redhead who is known within the Of Wolkenritter as the Knight of the Steel Hammer. Of all the Wolkenritter, she's the one who devotes herself to Hayate the most, and is quick to defend her from any perceived threats. Vita treasures the knight armor given to her by Hayate. In one battle where she loses her hate, Vita goes into a berserk rage and she almost kills her opponent, despite her promise not to kill anyone in order to avoid staining Hayate's future with blood. She begins to question why she doesn't remember the fates of her former masters. Always pitted against Nanoha in battles, she uses her mallet, Graf Eisen, to fight. Vita stubbornly refuses to call Nanoha by her real name, always inventing some variation, until she and Nanoha join forces in the final battle.
Zafira (ザフィーラ Zafīra?)
The Wolkenritter's Beast of the Shield is a large gray/blue wolf. He can transform into a muscular dark-skinned man, and in most battles, always finds himself facing Arf. He is the least vocal of the Guardian Knights and like Signum, he is cool and collected at all times. Like the rest of the Wolkenritter, he is fully dedicated to his mistress and companions and will act on their behalf without question, whether it is right or wrong.

[edit] Manga

A manga adaptation of the story was serialized in Megami Magazine, with a few changes to the storyline, mostly elaborating on the characters. For example, Nanoha must also deal with Raising Heart draining her magical power with every move she makes, and explores how Hayate views the Wolkenritter as her children.

[edit] Music

Opening themes
Ending theme
Insert themes
  • "Snow Rain" : Episode 11
    Lyrics by: Masaki Tsuzuki
    Composition by: happy soul man
    Arrangement by: Ayumi Yasui
    Performed by: Kana Ueda
  • "Brave Phoenix" : Episode 12
    Lyrics, Composition and Arrangement by: Noriyasu Agematsu
    Performed by: Nana Mizuki

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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[edit] External links

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Nanoha
Series: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha | A's | Strikers | Triangle Heart
Characters
Main: Nanoha Takamachi | Yūno Scrya | Fate Testarossa | Arf | Hayate Yagami | Subaru Nakajima
Wolkenritter: Vita | Signum | Shamal | Zafira | Reinforce
Time-Space Administration Bureau: Chrono Harlaown | Teana Lanster | Erio Mondial | Caro Ru Lushe
Takamachi Family: Kyōya Takamachi | Miyuki Takamachi | Vivio
Scaglietti's organization: Jail Scaglietti | Uno | Due | Tre | Quattro | Sette
Others: Precia Testarossa |Alisa Bannings | Suzuka Tsukimura | Lutecia Alpine | Agito
Zest Grangaitz | Cinque | Sein | Otto | Nove | Dieci | Wendi | Deed | Minor characters
Other
Glossary | Episodes