Luftwaffe swimsuits designed by Karls Landerfeld
Summary:
Perrine continues to help out with Gallia’s reconstruction but a broken bridge preventing a loli’s playmate from coming to school haunts her thoughts. After destroying another one of those pesky bridge wrecking Neuroi, she contemplates selling her last Clostermann heirloom to raise money. Yoshika bursts in and excitedly tells her that they are all going to the beach the next day. Which turns out to be water confidence training for Yoshika, Lynne and Perrine.
After completing their drills, they encounter Francesca who had discovered a treasure chest which Perrine immediately covets for the greater good of Gallia’s lolis. Opening a Russian doll series of ever smaller chests, Yoshika then discovers a secret compartment with a map in Latin. The four enter an underwater cave to search for the treasure and the other Witches soon form a search party to look for the former group. After defeating a guardian golem a la Le Chevalier D’Eon, Perrine enters the treasure chamber to find a herb garden, a remnant of the time when the complex was home to a Witch coven. Her disappointment is soothed by Mio’s appreciation of her precious feelings for Gallia and by a letter showing how, through cooperation, the bridge has been made usable again.
(L-R) P-ko, Sister, Maria, Hoshi, Nino, Mayor, Stella
Reaction:
The real highlight of this episode, as noted by Kurogane, was how wine addled Mio deep-kissed Minna FTW. I always savour the delicious taste of Minna’s cries of terror whenever she thinks Mio is in real danger and there was the added dessert of the sweet sorrow of her sigh at the end of the episode. (Erica’s terror at the thought of Mio getting hurt/killed being her fault and Trude’s prudishly shocked eye twitching as well as embarrassment when asked about Minna at the end were also yummy.) Goodness, Rie Tanaka really expresses the love oh so well. Now the Lieutenant Colonel must make a plan to invite Mio to her room, not just for the usual midnight tea party, but a full course candlelight dinner… with many many bottles of very fine wine.
The character interactions I particularly enjoyed this week included Francesca and Shirley‘s imitation of Perrine- which was exactly spot-on in terms of what she would have normally said and how she would have said it. I sometimes think that this would be a fun exercise on the part of the voice cast and it’s always a treat, in school or at the office, when there’s a great mimic who distils (and thus exaggerates for comic effect) the essence of a colleague or superior’s behaviorial ticks. Another fanservicey trope that amused me was Yoshika’s wide-mouthed fascination with Lynne’s very ample chest; does she enjoy them as an external object of desire or it is because they are glories to be aspired to?
So looking forward to next week’s Erica x Trude episode!!
This post was written by...
Zyl – who has written 233 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
I have a penchant for Bishoujo, Oneesama and Yuri character dynamics. Genre-wise I enjoy drama and satire; tilt-wise I am terribly weak against self-consciously arty farty styles and reference humour. Sieg Lunamaria!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Off topic, but it just occurred to me, what would happen when the strike witches meet the cast of hetalia axis powers?
VenezianoxLucchini, Deutsch xTrude anyone?
Somehow methinks pairings btw characters from yuri ‘shipping and yaoi ‘shipping series wouldn’t work all that well.
Really enjoyed this weeks episode was more comical than anything to me at least, drunk Mio was definitely the best part! so far no real big complaints with this series lol well yet anyway..
Good to see that this episode changed my opinions of Perrine a near 180 degrees. I initially found her the least likable of the cast due to her early displays of arrogance in Season 1 but it’s nice to know she has matured a lot since then. She cares about people, and she does it out of the honesty of her heart rather than some obligation as a noble. I also liked that now she’s become some sort of a slightly reserved bosom buddy with Yoshika and Lynne; the two people whom she previously found to be excess baggage during battles. It’s funny how these three ended up making the most unlikely of best friends of sorts.
I’d like to think the sorrow was more related to her getting kissed by a drunk Mio rather than a sober Mio. Oh how delicious it would have been if Mio was sober instead. But by warped (fictional?) convention, alcohol is supposed to make one bolder in expressing their hidden desires, so… MIO x MINNA DEEP KISSU 4 THE FREAKING W1N indeed. As expected of the squadron’s two leaders. Way to guide the yuri unit YO! And did I mention I was LOL @ Minna’s discreet smile when she was piggybacking on Erica? She must’ve been having one heck of a sweet dream. ;P
Perrine’s charitable side seems to stem from noblesse oblige that’s so deeply ingrained (her mental refrains to her father and mother) that it’s become second nature. It still surprises me whenever that side of her comes out though. Her friendship with Yoshika and Lynne also continues to delight and surprise though if one thinks about it, it’s not like she can join the other cliques so easily – Shirley x Francesca as well as Sanya x Elia are solid couples, the Karlslanders go way back, Minna x Mio are the commanders so Perrine, by elimination, has to come to an accommodation with the two youngest and most junior girls.
wrt Minna’s sigh, I do see where you’re coming from. She’d definitely prefer to be kissed by a sober Mio and she’s probably also sad that Mio can’t remember what happened. Also think that Minna is also really confused. On the one hand, Mio treats her like she never heard her confession from Season 1 and then this deep kissu comes out from nowhere.
Yes, I noticed that smile (with blush). Also loved how she was at Mio’s side in a flash after Trude broke the pot.
KYAAAAAA! Episode 9 really hyped me up! I was really depressed before watching the episode and then WOW! Mio x Minna! KYAAAAAAA! WOOT!
I wonder how Minna will act towards Mio after that deep kiss? I really do wonder about that… XDDDDD
*bursts with joy*
Mio x Minna really do make such a splendid couple. I really do want to see them make more progress along this front.
Mio doesn’t seem to remember what happened at all so I’m guessing that a lot will depend on how much Minna wants to take the bull by the horns and to raise the issue directly and forthrightly with Mio (hints won’t work). Hopefully we’ll get further developments in the next episode and for the rest of the season!
Epic episode! Perrine certainly shined in this. I knew there was something more to her ojousama facade lol. Wonder how sturdy that bridge is though.
Oh but the definite show stealer is what everyone’s talking about. Mio kissing Minna. And what a kiss THAT was. Definite win in my book.
Although with the buzz of Mio not recalling the event(s) after being conked and doused in wine, I wonder what her own reaction would be if someone were to ever shed some light on that. Playing devil’s advocate, a part of me thinks she will react in such a way that she would feel that she had violated a close comrade. And because Mio is a person of honor as a lot of Japanese people are brought up to be (especially decorated ones like Mio), I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked Minna to provide her with a suitable punishment.
Now I automatically assumed that Mio would think of doing the “honorable thing” like most Japanese people of that time but then I had forgotten that she was modeled after the Japanese fighter pilot, Saburo Sakai who’s motto was, “Never Give Up.” And Sakai-sama was never a big fan of self-inflicted death with good reason.
If the incident is EVER brought to light(which I’m hoping soon), I hope Minna reassures her that she was not offended by such an act. Then again, the director may toy with the fans and keep her in the dark until the next installment which was recently announced. It makes sense we’d get more Strike Witches since by now we should have gotten a serious turn of events.
Overall, great episode and perhaps I’m speculating too much based on what I’ve learned about Japanese soldier’s sense of honor. Who knows…it might not even be touched at all in the anime adaptation but there’s always the Strike Witches Otome no Maki novels to follow up with in indepth look.
It would be very Mio to pretend that nothing happened in order to save face for Minna – fits her code of honour as you’ve pointed out and her self-confessed denseness when it comes to romance.
But if this was entirely the case, she’d be such a good actress that she’s fooling herself. She seemed to have had the wine completely blot the memory out when she casually asked Shirley, Trude and Erica what happened to Minna and then seemed genuinely puzzled when the trio all looked embarrassed and/or flustered.
But it’s a very sweet yet GAR theory nonetheless.