Fate saves Nanoha's ass.

Fate Testarossa, Nanoha A's costume.

There's an apparently canonical manga bridging Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's with the upcoming third season, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. Here, we get our first view of the characters' new battle costumes:

Fate, Hayate, and Nanoha in their StrikerS guise.

Fate T. Haraoun, StrikerS costume.

Admittedly, it is not an especially good look, but it's clear enough to see the basic elements of the new costumes. I'll have to see it in its final form and animated to be sure, but so far I like Fate's old EVIL DRACULA CAPE garb more than her new light-colored cape over dark-colored double-breasted long coat combo. The new appearance is more business-like, while the old costure was more about beatdowns—moe beatdowns.

So apparently there is a doujin-type Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's shooter. Aside from that, I can't tell you much else about it except that it's a Bullet Hell sort of shooter, and that I'm horrible at it since my ability to see into the future has diminished considerably as I've gotten closer to it. I also really need to get myself a good USB arcade stick, because this gamepad madness is not cutting it.

You could also play as Nanoha if you were so inclined. Theoretically. I'm just sayin'.

I should probably also take this opportunity to drum up more interest in the upcoming Nanoha sequel, StrikerS. I would tell you it's going to be badass, but I'm hesitant as a matter or principle because (a) I don't see Fate's Dracula cape anywhere, and (b) they're introducing more new characters. Has there ever been a sequel to anything that had fewer characters than the original instead of more?

Maybe I'm just saying this since I've always kinda wished Vita had killed Nanoha in episode two of A's, so that series could have been about the entire Adminstration Bureau desperately trying to keep Fate (insane with rage and grief and consumed by unholy bloodlust) under control as she spent the next 10 episodes hunting down and whacking each of the Knights—with considerable collateral damage. Ah, don't worry, she would have let Hayate live.

Megami StrikerS poster.

Like everyone else, I have high hopes for Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. Likewise, I am also disconcerted by the heavy influx of new characters. I also have issues with the grown-up character designs. As I've mentioned before, I think Fate should keep her Dracula cape. But perhaps more importantly, I think Fate's and Nanoha's faces now look somewhat vacant. They aren't entirely vacuous, but there are definite negative side effects from what I assume are attempts to maintain their original youthful appearances while making the characters themselves older.

I didn't comment on it earlier, since all that was available was promotional art. Now that the series' start date is only days away (and at least one animated promo is available, albeit sans any FEITO scenes), it seems likely the anime character designs will at least closely match the newest stills. Hopefully they'll look better in final animated form.

P.S. Needs more belt-fed Bardiche.

P.P.S. I hope the character named Subaru is a Brat.

Teana and Subaru race for the finish.

Okay, first of all, I can't help but think of Subaru as a dude. This is not exactly the most feminine Nanoha character around. Even the reverse trap girl from Idolm@ster Xenoglossia looks more feminine than Subaru.

What we have here is FAILURE to think ahead.

Teana seems okay. I keep thinking she belongs inside a GIANT ROBOT, though.

Teana and Subaru recognize their predicament.

Fate and Nanoha look a lot better animated than in the early promotional art, although Fate looks kinda horsey in the ED. Other times she looks like Sawachika Eri from School Rumble cosplaying a magikal girl.

Nanoha probably knew they would screw up.

But what I really want to know is what Fate was about to do at the end of episode one. I mean, we have Subaru going, "LUDICROUS SPEED!" and Teana is like, "OH SHIT, NO BRAKES!" and Nanoha goes, "Raising Heart, ACTIVE GUARD with HOLDING NET, hoorah," and Raising Heart is all, "Raising Heart? more like RAGING HART, my dear (ha ha, I kill me)," and beam spams accordingly.

Jeez, Active Guard with Holding Net is your answer to everything, Takamachi Nantoka.

Then we see FATE leaning out of the helicopter with her arm already powered up, while Hayate is busy looking for the right page since books don't have CTRL-F—not even magic ones, but FATE had to get out of her chair and open the helicopter door whereas Nanoha was already standing by since we all knew these new characters would find someway to screw up, so FEITO is all, "Ah, never mind. Goddamn magikal blue balls."

"CRAP. We were just about to do something this episode."

And we never find out what Fate was planning on doing to save Teana and Subaru. Whatever it was, I bet you it was going to be AWESOME. Way better than some dumb net. AWESOME is the only way Fate knows how to do things.

In other news, I hope StrikerS has Fate returning to her glaring-down-at-people-ominously-while-standing-on-light-poles ways. Maybe once we find out SPOILERS is back, and Fate gets to re-live her childhood traumarama. I bet you that YOU KNOW WHO isn't dead, yo.