In the magical girl genre, it is inevitable to consider “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha” which has been a staple franchise since the first anime featuring Nanoha and Fate aired in 2004.
The previous anime “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS” jumped ahead in the timeline and also introduced Vivio, a young girl who is taken in and raised by adult Nanoha and Fate. Vivio became the protagonist of the “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid” manga.
Was glad to see “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid” would be adapted into anime form and air this spring. Although it does have all the typical elements of the Nanoha franchise, its overall style and tone being the same as the previous stories, it is more focused on martial arts inspired combat and a large tournament dominates much of the story.
Enjoyed the first episode, although knowledge of the previous Nanoha series is advised, especially to better understand who the secondary cast and their respective relationships are, the anime will nonetheless be easy to follow for anyone familiar with the typical magical girl type show.
“Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid” is similar to other magical girl anime like the recent “Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya”, studio Silver Link’s animation level on that show does surpass what studio A-1 Pictures manages here, though the animation in “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid” is still quite good.
Wholeheartedly recommend “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid” to any fan of the genre as it is likely to be a classic magical girl show, although it will not surprise us with plot twists or heart wrenching drama like “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” or “Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru”.
Do wonder how far the anime will reach in the story or if they will alter the original plot considering the Inter-Middle Championship tournament takes up most of the story.
