Left image from yesy fansubs and right image from Taedium’s DVD rip. I really appreciate that yesy has completed the subbing of StrikerS especially doing their best within the constraints of the lower-than-usual quality of the raws too. The latter (right, from the DVD rip) is definitely brighter, sharper, and better looking - makes the DVDs better VFM. But as the title of the post suggests, I’m a bitty bit upset by the cleaning up of one detail which made me go OMG! in the first time round.
Upskirt.
Shoulder shrink.
Thumbnail and blood trail.
Round and round the mulberry bush~
At first, it was quite shocking to see Nanoha looking so physically weary but I really liked it as it matched Yukari Tamura’s excellent voice acting and made Nanoha both more human (by showing her as obviously being emotionally vulnerable - which Vivo later brought out well) as well as bringing out her White Devil Instructor mode. This was easily my second most favouritest scene in StrikerS (the top spot being held by Ep 25’s BLASTER THREE DIVINE BUSTER ownage of Quattro).
I think the original depiction was more powerful, though you could call it blatant, but it seems that Japanese fandom responded well to it too - see, for example, Chanomi’s take which has the punchline of: ‘No, waitaminute, why the second shot…?’
Bring back, oh bring back, oh bring back the eyebags for meeeeee! :3
In the former, she looks more… psycho, perhaps? Or at least stressed and hollow-eyed; in the latter, she’s ‘normal cheerful Nanoha’. It’s a heck of a change, really - like a cheerfully psycho Rena from Higurashi versus the hollow-eyed killing machine that swung that large knife around during the last arc of the first season.
The Higurashi comparison is appropriate–the art is just as bad.
Really though, did they redraw everything? Even Subaru has different art in that one screenshot. That would really make the DVDs worth owning.
It’s more or less a given that the TV versions of Nanoha look really really bad compared to the DVD releases. I do wish they kept those eyebags though.
Probably because the original drawings caused too much misunderstanding in the viewers on the actual motives of Nanoha, and the reasoning behind her actions.
Cheers.
I guess Eyebagged Nanoha would have been too much for some of the fanbase who were already howling in agony at the de-lolified Nanoha and Fate. LOL
Haesslich, great call on the Higurashi comparison. Rooftop fighto with meidofuku penalty game FTW!
I’m torn. I’m with the OP… the total mood shift on Nanoha’s part gave the scene a lot of impact but was also fairly out of line with the way they cleaned up the whole mess within the next episode… the whole affair was obviously played up for shock value and fanservice to the ‘White Devil’ crowd and a bit on the OOC side.
I guess if you can reconcile her relatively benevolent motivations with the callousness of their pursuit the change is a loss, but if the scene strained your credulity it’s better off cleaned-up. Personally I was willing to accept Nanoha losing a little of her luster, but I couldn’t get over how willing everyone was to accept the explanation. If I was Subaru I would have stayed traumatized for a while. So I guess I approve.
Man, TV Nanoha always feels like a bad beta. The company didn’t want recruits to think they had to work long hours, so they made Nanoha use some eyecream (like all the adsense ads here haha).
NOOO!
My Eyes!
My Eyessss!!!
The TV was waay better in this scene!
Why Oh Why did they have to completely change her look?!!
There goes white devil!
I guess I will just keep the TV for this particular episode!
damn… and i just had my friend burn me a copy of the tv version…
can you provide other reference episodes?
Opticalmaser, re: callousness of pursuit - the military training context justifies so many things! Bad memories… bad memories… orz
Kabitzin, I didn’t know that there was eyebag surgery available too! Simply amazing, the kinds of things I learn everyday from web ads.
Demon Eyes, LOL and ;_; at the same time.
V2, I didn’t download the DVD subs except Taedium’s 7-9 and I’ve already deleted them so, sorry, I’m not doing any other ep comparisons.