Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is a spinoff series that originally aired in 2004. The series begins with an ordinary girl named Nanoha meeting a mage named Yunno—who hails from a different world. He asks Nanoha to help him find 12 ‘Jewel Seeds’ that are scattered in her world. While the plot begins with a very classic Magical Girl anime plot, it quickly deviates into a science fiction fantasy setting. I say both science fiction and fantasy because within the series, Magic very much is sufficiently advanced technology. 

Basic Paradigm 

Although Mages can perform magic without any additional equipment, there is a vast array of items that can help with magic. In addition, magic is understood enough within the context of this setting to be understood as a form of technology. Most of the supporting cast also flies around between dimensions in what can only be described as a space ship. 

Magic can also be thought of as a program within this paradigm. Devices can essentially run these programs either via orders from their owner—or autonomously in the case of Intelligent Devices. These devices can have several ‘modes’ in which they can change functionality. In some cases, they can transform into what resembles science-fiction fighter jets to automatically attack. 

Both devices and magic also respond to emotional intensity. Individuals have different types of magic they are good at, and, because this is a Magical Girl Series, stronger bonds = stronger magic. This is definitely a ‘flashy magic’ sort of paradigm where cities and even worlds get blown up. Sometimes Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is jokingly referred to as a show where ‘Friendship is Cultivated through Superior Firepower.’ The main character does often make friends with those she first defeats. 

There are two general magical systems seen most often within Nanoha: Belkan and Midchildan. Belkan magic/technology is considered to be ‘ancient’ and is not widely known. Midchildan seems to be the ‘main’ or most commonly used system. There isn’t much information regarding the main differences between these systems. 

Equipment

The most notable equipment in this series is the variety of ‘Intelligent Devices.’ These devices can take multiple forms and often shift between those forms: including weapons, jewels, armor, and others. The most unobtrusive form is a jewel or another object like a book or a gem on a glove. Devices can be repaired or upgraded with additional features—which reminds me of the wands in Sugar Sugar Rune. 

Interestingly, these jewel forms seem related to the magical color of their owner’s magic. Fate’s magic is gold, and the jewel core of her device is either yellow or gold. Nanoha’s magic color is pink, and her device’s core is red. This trend continues with Prescea Testarossa—who has purple magic and a device with a purple core. Magical color is also related to personality. A non-exhaustive list of color, associated personality aspects, and characters is available on the fandom wiki. Enjoyers of personality quizzes, rejoice. 

A Barrier Jacket is another form of equipment, although they seem to come included with an Intelligent Device. This is essentially a magically manifested form of armor—and it doesn’t have to look like actual armor. 

Concerns

Like many ‘flashy’ magical paradigms, this one might cause some disappointment because the magic is not going to be that visible in real life. This paradigm does not have any innate dangers to becoming a mage or practicing magic—which makes is rather safe. For those who are interested in the intersection between magic and technology, this may be very interesting indeed. 

There also isn’t a lot of flexibility or utility in this paradigm as is. It’s mostly used for combat—which more or less translates to wards, astral defense, and the concept of intelligent devices that can be upgraded. 

Final Grade: A (Or A’s, if you know what I mean)