Ask John: Will We Get More Nanoha Anime?

Question:
With Nanoha A’s the second movie being released in July is there any possibility that Nanoha Strikers will be released as movie as well despite it’s lukewarm welcome among Western anime fans? Also, is there the possibility that Nanoha Vivid and Nanoha Force to become anime series as well?

Answer:
I’m not entirely certain that the Lyrical Nanoha manga spin-offs will eventually get anime adaptations, but a Nanoha Strikers movie seems almost an inevitability. Certainly, the third season of the Lyrical Nanoha anime was less popular among international fans than the second season, but the Nanoha franchise was primarily created for Japanese viewers, and the movies have been practically exclusive to Japanese audiences. Thus I can’t envision why a limited international interest in Nanoha Strikers would have any impact at all on the development of a third Nanoha movie. Since the “Strikers” season was successful in Japan, producing only two films out of a seemingly obvious three-film cycle seems illogical. The Nanoha movie are taking quite some time to see release. They’re not appearing swiftly like the Berserk trilogy that’s debuting all three films within a single year. So fans may have to wait a while yet for word of a Nanoha Strikers movie since the A’s movie has yet to hit theaters.

The success of the second and possibly even third Nanoha movies may determine the probability of additional Lyrical Nanoha anime adaptations. After all, there is precedent for anime adaptations of spin-offs from popular franchises. The Carnival Phantasm manga parody spin-off from the Type-Moon universe recently got an anime adaptation, and the “Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya” spin-off manga has had an anime adaptation announced. The Gundam Unicorn novel series has an ongoing anime adaptation. St. Seiya, Saki, and Hokuto no Ken have had spin-off manga adapted into anime series – namely St. Seiya Lost Canvas, Saki Achiga Hen, and Raoh Gaiden. So anime adaptations of Masaki Tsuzuki & Takuya Fujima’s Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Vivid and Tsuzuki & Yuari Higa’s Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force spin-off manga series should definitely be considered viable possibilities.