A Luminous Witches PV- Introducing The Allied Air Force Aviation Magic Band

“Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” –Debasish Mridha

Unlike the various Joint Fighter Wings, The Music Squadron are a group of Witches whose role is to provide a morale booster to those in areas afflicted by the Human-Neuroi War. Rather than taking to the skies with machine guns and destroying the Neuroi in aerial combat, the Music Squadron travel around, giving live concerts to people to protect their smiles through the power of music. Of course, when they’re not travelling around Europe and performing, they’re also dealing with the publicity that surrounds being idols: when Lyudmila acquire a camera, they struggle to take proper pictures of one another. A handful of the Witches do seem to have a natural affinity for the limelight, including Aila and Éléonore, who strike various poses, and Sylvie, who feels at home with photo shoots. However, when the girls transform into their performance outfits, pandemonium ensues, ruining their group photo. The Music Squadron made their first animated debut in a short four-minute preview video that was released back in December 2020, and later this year, they’re supposed to get their own dedicated series, Luminous Witches. Very little has been announced insofar, and at the time of writing, it is not known when Luminous Witches will begin airing – I am guessing that we could see this series air during either the summer or fall season of this year.

Screenshots and Commentary

• After the behemoth that was Jon’s Creator Showcase, this post on Luminous Witches is partially to show that yes, I am capable of writing short form posts, too. Here, Virginia, Lyudmila and Shibuya check out the camera, an apparatus which Shibuya believes will capture one’s soul if misused. Photographic have existed since 1825, when Joseph Nicéphore Niépce successfully captured an image using a pewter plate coated with bitumen. By the events of Luminous Witches, 35 mm film would’ve been common, and the existence of cameras would be common knowledge.

• It did therefore strike me as a bit strange that the Witches would be unfamiliar with cameras, and here, Maria, Manaia and Sylvie join the party. Luminous Witches has a sizeable cast, and while a long time ago, this would’ve proven intimidating, these days, larger casts are no problem: it took me a few episodes to properly learn everyone’s name in Brave Witches and so, here in Luminous Witches, I’m sure I’ll be able to do the same once Luminous Witches actually starts airing.

• Because the character archetypes in Magic Squadron seem to have parallels with members of the 501st and 502nd, I immediately felt at home when this preview video began running. When the girls try to photograph Manaia, they are unsuccessful because Manaia isn’t able to keep still. Here, Eleonore is seen holding a flashbulb: while cameras have been around for at least a century by the events of Luminous Witches, the flash bulb is a newer innovation: the earliest flash bulbs were German in origin and date back to 1929, using oxygen gas and a magnesium filament; the resulting reaction created a sufficiently bright light to illuminate a scene, but the intensity would also mean flash bulbs were single-use.

• In the short five-minute runtime, the Luminous Witches PV has a more laid-back feel compared to the more serious moments of combat. Magic Squadron doesn’t actively participate in combat, and I did initially wonder about the feasibility of leaving an entire squadron of Witches to act as musicians and singers in a war where humanity would presumably require all active Witches to be at its most effective. Having said this, Strike Witches has been pushing to convey the idea that there is no small role in war, and much as how there are no small roles in performing arts, Luminous Witches is likely to be a story about preserving hope.

• I believe that Luminous Witches will focus on Virginia as the protagonist: hailing from Britannia, same as Lynette, Virginia is Magic Squadron’s composer, being responsible for arranging both vocal and instrumental music for their songs. Her best friend is Shibuya, who comes from Fuso and bears many similarities to Lynette (both in manner and appearance). While a five-minute PV does not fully show everyone’s attributes, even in this short runtime, one has a reasonable idea of everyone’s traits: Eleonore is a Gallian Witch who is very frank about things, Aila acts as an older sister for the others, and Manaia is like Francesca, being energetic and excitable. Maria, being from Karlsland, is rigid and disciplined, similar to Gertrude and Minna.

• Today is the last day of February, and March is very nearly upon us. While this past month has been hectic and busy, it’s also been fun in retrospect (even if there were more than a handful of stressful moments). To mark the end of February, we ended up picking up dim sum for lunch today (fried squid, steamed char siu bao, siu mai, steamed beef balls, “Phoenix Claw”, cheung fun, deep fried shrimp dumplings, deep-fried taro dumplings and beef ho fun). It’s been quite some time since I enjoyed a good dim sum lunch, so this was most welcoming.

• Mid-session, Joanna finally shows up; it turns out she’d been in the middle of an art project of sorts, and is covered in paint. Coming from Liberion, Joanna designed the logos for everyone in Magic Squadron, and she’s the same age as Francesca. One thing that I noticed in Luminous Witches‘ PV was the prevalence of every Witch’s familiar: these small, supernatural animals are often paired with a Witch to act as an attendant of sorts. Strike Witches and Brave Witches completely dispensed with these elements, preferring to focus on the Witches themselves. If Luminous Witches continues to depict familiars as the PV did, it could be a first for the series.

• After a transformation sequence rivalling those of a magical girls anime, Magic Squadron is finally ready for a group photo. Their stage outfits are quite nice, striking a balance between the Witches’ military backgrounds and possessing the glitz that is most associated with idols. While I possess a reputation indicating a propensity for any anime with the moé aesthetic, I’m admittedly not particularly versed in idol anime: shows like Idolm@ster and Love Live! are probably the first that come to mind, dealing with the daily lives, triumphs and tribulations of those involved in the entertainment industry.

• The only idol anime I’ve ever really gotten into was Wake Up, Girls!, which I picked up out of curiosity and became very into for the story it told. I do have Love Live: School Idol Project on my to-watch list, but after how busy February was, I intend to spend the remainder of March tending to the things I’ve left alone. It was around here that Virginia’s role as Luminous Witches‘ central character became clear: she’s stands at the centre of the photo, and she was also the first character viewers see in the PV.

• An accident causes everyone’s familiars to suddenly reappear, spoiling the group photo and bringing the PV to an end. While the animation and artwork quality in the PV are not to the same level as what I’m accustomed to in Strike Witches or Brave Witches, it does a satisfactory job of giving an idea of what Luminous Witches will feel like. While there’s no airing date for this series yet, I am rather looking forwards to checking out a completely different side to the Strike Witches universe.

Luminous Witches will detail a completely different side of the Human-Neuroi War; up until now, we had largely followed the adventures of the Witches who’ve made a considerable difference at the front lines. However, the other aspects of the Strike Witches universe have not always been fully explored – Luminous Witches presents a chance to portray other parts of a world that viewers rarely get to see. The focus on a more light-hearted, musical side of the Strike Witches universe (without venturing into the realm of an open parody like the Take Off! series) could offer insight into the importance of support: while it is often the case that we only see the faces of those on the frontlines as the heroes, the reality is that all accomplishments were the consequence of a team effort. The Apollo 11 mission, for instance, was backed by no fewer than four hundred thousand scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff that made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s historic lunar landing successful. As such, to see the Music Squadron in action in Luminous Witches will represent an enjoyable change of pace, bringing idol music into the world of Strike Witches. I know a few folks who will be quite enthusiastic about Luminous Witches, as it combines the idol and military-moé genres. Given the extent of world building in Strike Witches, I imagine that Luminous Witches will be something that I’ll find enjoyable, as well.