Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Ep.02 - Fate is also here! So those are the other...

Episode 2 of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS: Gun Blaze Vengeance continues right from where we left off, introducing a whole load of new characters and setting up what is going to be the central focus of the narrative: defeating the core that is generating the monsters in the world.

Of course, things aren't that simple because you have a race of modified humans (Majin) that, like the protagonist Shiina, can use supernatural powers. They want to use them for their own benefit, and, of course, there are other factions that instead want to eradicate them at all costs.

Just how can you possibly refuse anything from Nanoha and Fate when they smile in this way? Absolutely impossible.

Hayate being older is a pity, but I guess they wanted someone from the cast being old enough to have actual political power.

Almost all of the new characters are basically Majins like Shiina, but they are all on the hunt for other Majins to exterminate them. The range of ages goes from the youngest at 13 to the oldest at 20, which sort of fits the typical range that you see in these mahou shoujo series.

They are the "target" for Shiina to befriend in this series. You know, it's a must in the Nanoha series: having an antagonistic, but not evil, set of girls and then having Nanoha (or whoever is the protagonist) befriend them one Starlight Breaker at a time. The memes just write themselves.

Speaking of Nanoha, we also got the introduction of Fate this week, and she's just as adorable as I expected her to be. Remember, this is the young Fate, and she doesn't have the influence of her mother, so she's sweet and approachable, but still has a more serious voice. I've loved Fate in pretty much every series, so it doesn't change here; she's my favorite!

Oh, and there's Hayate, too, but they picked the adult version for this series; I didn't like the young version of Hayate much, and the adult is even less likable. She's in somewhat of a leader position, so we won't see her fight either—she's more of a supporting character for the others.

They are not enemies, but their actions are pretty direct so I'm guessing they'll be befriended by our heroines, one Starlight breaker at a time.

Shiina decided Fate and Nanoha are hers. The journey to build an harem for her has begun! How many will she gather?

Next episode looks like we'll be getting the first contact between Shiina and the "Majin Hunter" faction. How will they react knowing that Shiina is another Majin and is affiliated with the government? Will she be a target to kill, or will they try to recruit her as one of their own?