Strike Witches/Headscratchers

• It seems very odd that the anime whips out the idea of a witch losing her magic ability completely, when nothing else in the (rather extensive) setting's materials ever suggests it, and the reasoning of combat witches being so young is that adolescence is simply when their output is highest. What does a dense death-seeker like Mio know that the rest of the world doesn't?
  • Just finished season 1 and i think you missed something, she says they get weaker, that's why there is the healing mother and grandmother but only their daughter can do shields, I imagine Mio would be the same if extenuating circumstances (the Strikers) weren't bleeding her dry. She would probably end up 40 years old with her only power being her Sharingan eye.
  • But Season 2 ends with Yoshika losing all of her magic, even the basic healing stuff that her mom and grandmother can do. Somehow using Reppumaru causes her to lose not only her power as a Witch but also her magic talent altogether. Where the hell did that come from?
  • There's a bit of a misreading going on with the whole "witches losing magic" thing. From what I've seen and read, there is an age when magical strength for witches is said to be at its peak which is I think from 12 - 19. There are witches below that and witches above that age to be sure, but what makes those years so special? Shields. That's apparently all there is to it. During those years, a witch is able to produce her strongest shields which as you may have noticed is quite crucial to survival since Neuroi shoot powerful laser beams from all over their bodies, so a witch without a shield or effective means to dodge (as seen in Eila's case) spells disaster. In fact, it's also why the witches are not only paid so much, but also given so much leniency even when punished, because their numbers are very hard to replenish. A witch that loses her shield doesn't necessarily lose all her other powers as even a very old witch was shown flying a broom with ease even while carrying heavy loads, but it's the idea that they can't fully protect themselves that gets them taken further from the front lines or combat duty. Now, with regards to Mio, she herself is a special case with regard to her magic in that, she was pushing herself further than perhaps anyone else shown in the series. Hell, pointing a gun to her head still wasn't enough to convince her to stay out of it. Think of it like pushing your body to its limit (and beyond) almost constantly and it's more surprising she didn't flat out kill herself from the strain. Furthermore, in the 2nd season, it reveals that she had spent a considerable amount of time (months at least) and magic into actually forging her magic sword, and then you add in that the sword further drains its wielder with each use without any real limit, and of course she's going to run out of magic eventually. Something similar happened to Barkhorn with the jet striker draining all her magic without any regulations, except that did it to her body's own stamina as well. Hence, she crashed before any permanent damage occurred. Meanwhile, Mio kept using her sword on a regular (likely daily) basis, so her magic energy wasn't replenishing at all, and then when season 2 finally reaches its end, she can no longer draw on her magic. That isn't to say her magic is gone though, because when the Neuroi captured her, it used her body to acquire the ability to produce not one, but several strong shields. That wouldn't have been possible if there wasn't some tiny trace of magic still present in her body. Lastly, regarding Yoshika and the sword. As I said, the sword feeds on and channels magic from the wielder, so when Yoshika forces her body to exert all the magic her body could possibly bear into a single strike, of course it takes all it could from her. That isn't to say it actually left her without magic, but it would be like draining a person's blood from their body without letting their body replace what they had already used up. Therefore, it actually makes a lot of sense that she eventually regains her magic near the end of the movie (which takes place several months, if not a year or so later). Unlike Mio, Yoshika ACTUALLY LEFT HER MAGIC POWERS ALONE, (even if unintentionally) and that allowed her powers to replenish them, so when she finally draws on them again for real, she manages to reawaken them. Maybe not as strong as prior to using the sword, but she has her spark back. Hell I would even say that Mio potentially could reawaken her magic someday to some degree, but with how much she used, for so long, and so rapidly, it would likely take years, if not decades for hers to replenish.

• The Season 2 finale: Okay, so you're making an assault on the home base of the alien menace and you only bring 11 witches and 5 battleships. What were all the other Witches, the 504, the Karlsland Airforce, etc doing? This is the big one, do or die. Everyone should have been there if only to insure the Yamato and the fleet were protected.
  • The existence of other Neuroi nests beyond the targeted one is implied. It's unlikely witches would be stationed in Africa without an active threat there, and other hotspots could exist around the world. Pulling additional forces could have increased the Yamato's chances for success, but would have left vulnerabilities elsewhere.

• In episode 5, Yoshika and Lynne are shown to have incredible trouble staying afloat while wearing their Strikers during beach training. So why didn't they have any trouble after crashing in the water in episode 3, after shooting down the 'Separating Rocket' Neuroi?
  • It might have just been a goof, but maybe... The Centipede's Dilemma?

• Is it really absolutely necessary that the witches must go without pants? I mean they could wear short shorts or a skirt and still be able to operate the Striker units. I realize that in real life it was done for fan service, but I'm talking logistically here within the world of the show.

• • In-universe most witches don't bother because it's acceptable for them to go without pants or skirts. Lampshaded in S1 when Hartmann tries to stop a truck by posing, and it doesn't work - everyone's used to it. Then again, Sanya somewhat compensates for the witches' lack of attire by wearing opaque tights AND a miniskirt over her underwear.
    • Underwear? Take another look, buddy. She only wear's undies when she's snuggling up to Eila. Those tights and skirt are covering her cameltoe; she's going commando.

• If the Strike Witches Universe equivalent of China doesn't exist, how the heck can firearms exist since they were the ones who accidentally discovered the black explosive powder while trying to develop an elixir for immortality? Wouldn't the world technically be another Fantasy Gun Control world?
  • Not to mention the compass and ton of other inventions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_inventions
  • It's fairly daft to assume somehow ONLY the Chinese could invent it. Europe had tons of alchemists too so it's not even the slightest stretch to assume one of them blundered on it instead. Perhaps somewhat later, but not enough to matter. For guns to somehow not exist at all we'd have to assume that somehow no one on earth discovers the most basic of explosives... FOR A THOUSAND YEARS.

• What about the Neuroi? What's their deal? I mean, you have these replicating, regenerating, laser shooting honeycomb aliens and theirs nothing regarding what they are exactly? When you first saw them they were weird, alien looking and when they fought they looked dangerous and freakin' wicked. In the Doujin they cut through conventional forces with ease. You'd think their would be some sort of look into some of the mystery of the Neuroi to find some answers about what they are. Or where they came from. Or why they are even attacking earth in the first place. Like are they from space or some sort of alternate dimension? I'm not entirely, 100% sure but is possible they could be a sort of sentient,crystalline machines of some sort. But then that brings up other questions regarding biology, social structure, history and what not. You'd think they'd be revealing stuff like this at least during the second season, but apparently not. Heck they even mentioned a schism within the Neuroi's ranks, but that little tidbit is just briefly mentioned and then forgotten about.

• What's the deal with the Africa Doujinshis being "semi-canon"? How are they (or anything) "semi-canon"?

• Are the characters really as Les Yay as we are led to believe? (or are some closer to Bi?)
  • Yoshika - Yes she has a thing for large breasts, but it could also be seen as her associating them with the idea of motherhood and nurturing others. (Both her mother AND grandmother are witches, doctors, and parents after all.)
  • Lynette - Both she AND Yoshika are said to have grown up attending all-girl schools so their actual experience with males was limited to begin with and could arguably be considered a matter of environmental exposure than genuinely being one way or another.
  • Perrine - Her thing for the major. IS it genuine? Or is it her feelings and admiration of her parents who were said to have been nobles (people of authority) that she lost being projected onto Mio (a person of authority she's close to)?
  • Barkhorn - She spent years looking after and worrying about her sister, so she projects it on those who remind her of Chris. (Such as Yoshika or even Hartmann at times.)
  • Shirley and Franchesca - Franchesca is still very child-like in demeanor (which fits considering she's the youngest of the witches in the 501st). Shirley on the other hand acts like somewhat of a big-sister and possibly mother-like figure toward her during their time in service together.
  • Mio and Minna - Minna is definitely projecting the love she once had for her boyfriend that died onto Mio. Why? One can speculate countless possible explanations, but there's little to actually go by. For her part, Mio likely doesn't share such feelings toward pretty much anyone. The only thing close is either with her looking after her troops or kissing Minna, but even that is discredited since she was drunk at the time.
  • Eila and Sanya - For Eila's part, absolutely. For Sanya's? Probably, but not as obvious as Eila.