English Dub Review: Strike Witches – Road to Berlin “Shizuka, Come In!”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The Witches begin Operation Southwind and their plan to finally rescue Berlin. Shizuka tries to protect Yoshika, whose magical power is lagging behind, but gets injured. Yoshika finds out her magic is completely depleted.

OUR TAKE

Alright, we finally arrive at the fourth quarter of the season and the mission they’ve been planning the whole time to reclaim Berlin, a major nest for the Neuroi (though not the only nest as we’ll soon find out). And with all of the other characters having gotten their time to shine, it only makes sense that these last few episodes will be centered on our two protagonists Yoshika and Shizuka. Yoshika is still dealing with her magical incontinence which is going on and off at dramatically inappropriate times, while Shizuka is finally coming into her own as a member of the team and showing what she brings to the table, which is actually a lot as it turns out! And yet I still feel like she’s definitely not as fleshed out as the other girls, though that is more than likely due to with the fact that every other principle character has about two full seasons head start on character development, which is in no way her fault. I guess they could have made use of this season and given her more info about her background and used that to help her bond with her teammates, maybe even construct a clearer character arc for her that could come to fruition with these last few episodes.

But yeah, she’s pretty much just been Yoshika’s sidekick this whole time, which I suppose is all she was ever meant to be. It’s just a bit of a shame. This series is not really known for the most detailed worldbuilding or most elaborate characters (the Neuroi are far and away the most generic and boring part of the series, even if they do facilitate the combat) in the first place, but it still at least felt like everyone involved in the main group had something they contributed to the group dynamic. Along with the ass and tits, obviously, though I try to avoid discussing all that lest the FBI break through my door. And hey, if this is Shizuka’s big shining moment for the season, then I’m alright with that. We’ve got two more episodes so it’s not like she doesn’t have more chances to show how far she’s come as a member of the 501st, but a part of me will always be wondering about what could have been. We won’t have to wait long to see what is as we fly into the last two episodes of the season soon.