Haifuri Episode 3: In a Pinch in Pajamas!

Shiro a cute!

Impression

All of the student ships are being called back to the school port? Will things really go that smoothly? I mean, every non-Yokusuka ship has most likely been told that they can sink the Harekaze without any repercussions. Now that this mutiny plot is in full swing, I have a feeling that simply returning to school is easier said than done. An issue also currently persists with the Musashi and exactly what’s going on with the other student ships – in the first scene with the principal, is that screen supposed to be indicating all the ships which have sunk or they’ve otherwise lost contact with? It almost seems like this entire thing is a massive conspiracy against the principal – with the Maritime Safety Support Department (sounds like the government to me) classifying it as a large-scale insurrection and threatening to seize all her school’s ships, it’s almost like she’s the real target.

How long will Nanoha be able to keep smiling? I was really proud of how cheery she’s managed to be in front of the others, even in times of stress – but she looked a lot more strained than she was last week. I guess Moka really was the straw that broke the camel’s back for her. She must have spent a good while feeling torn over her dual responsibilities. As the captain, the obvious decision is to immediately take the shortest course back to school so they can clear up this mess. The Harekaze has limited ammunition and every hostile encounter leaves them worse for wear. But as Moka’s friend, she wants nothing more than to respond to the emergency distress call from the Musashi and speed to their aid immediately. Moka has always been her legal wife after all, no matter how great a relationship she seems to have (or could have) with either Shiro-chan or Fate (or both). Actually, I don’t think Wilhelmina is Fate-like enough to justify being called Fate. She’s a fun addition to the cast though (and useful on the bridge given her experience).

Shiro-chan has an adorable room, by the way. And an adorable stuffed shark. It’s been three episodes, and I can now confirm that she’s the cutest. Yes, even cuter than the fluffy loli on the bridge whose name escapes me. And torpedo girl Mei. Shiro-chan’s best girl points are fast on the rise.

I was actually quite worried when the submarine appeared, for all the wrong reasons. An all-boys school having any sort of significant screen time would not have sat well with me at all. I don’t mind a few boys, don’t get me wrong. As an example, Flying Witch has several male characters despite a female-dominated cast and it’s still hands-down the best series this season. Even Saki, with its pure unadulterated lesbianism still had a male announcer for some matches. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t exist at all. But an entire class of boys would totally defeat the purpose of this show. So I was very relieved when they were depicted in a similar way to the Admiral Spee and we never got any perspective on the battle from the opponent’s point of view. It’s also interesting as well, because that way the suspense over exactly what’s wrong with all these ships continues to permeate each episode. I don’t know exactly what Wilhelmina means by ‘everyone suddenly stopped obeying orders’ and what an electronics breakdown has to do with that, but she almost made it sound like something supernatural was at work. It’s like they were brainwashed or something – that’s the only conclusion I can think of given that there’s no way entire crews of ships are secretly on the side of Furushou and the insurgents (or whatever they are). It looks like only Wilhelmina and the captain of the Admiral Spee weren’t affected (the latter may have been ‘turned’ by now) and I really wouldn’t be surprised if Moka is experiencing something similar on the Musashi.