The storyline follows Nanoha Takamachi, a nine-year-old Japanese girl attending elementary school, who lives with her parents and her older siblings.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The storyline follows Nanoha Takamachi, a nine-year-old Japanese girl attending elementary school, who lives with her parents and her older siblings. Nanoha's regular everyday life ends when she rescues an injured ferret who turns out to be a young shapeshifting mage named Yūno Scrya. An archaeologist from a parallel universe, Yūno came to Earth to collect the set of twenty-one dangerous ancient artifacts named the "Jewel Seeds" (ジュエルシード, Jueru Shīdo) he first discovered in his own world. Jewel Seeds turn living beings who come into contact with them into monsters and Yūno, injured while collecting them, must now rely on Nanoha while he convalesces in the ferret form. He gives Nanoha an "intelligent device" (magical wand) called "Raising Heart" (レイジングハート, Reijingu Hāto) and she unexpectedly shows strong aptitude for magic. As the two begin to gather Jewel Seeds, Nanoha learns magic from Yūno while continuing with her ordinary everyday life.
While retrieving her sixth Jewel Seed, Nanoha is confronted by Fate Testarossa and her familiar Arf. Fate's mother, Precia Testarossa, sent her out to collect the Jewel Seeds, which she needs to travel to the lost world of Al Hazard, where all wishes are said to be fulfilled. More than a year before the story began, Precia went insane when her daughter Alicia died and initiated "Project Fate", an illegal research of cloning and resurrection, making her a fugitive from the interdimensional police known as Time-Space Administration Bureau (TSAB). Precia cloned Alicia to create Fate and implanted with Alicia's memories but she is nevertheless unable to see Fate as Alicia and instead abuses her regularly. Despite the abuse, Fate is extremely loyal to her because of Alicia's happy childhood memories she holds for her own. In the series, Precia uses Fate to collect Jewel Seeds and reach Al Hazard, where Alicia could be truly brought back to life.
Nanoha and Fate face off against each other over each new Jewel Seed, and the TSAB soon interferes to prevent the collateral damage caused by their battles. Nanoha eventually manages to overpower Fate and brings her to the TSAB, prompting Precia to abandon her and to attempt a dimensional jump to Al Hazard with the power of the few Jewel Seeds Fate managed to gather so far. Gathering her resolve, Fate decides to aid the TSAB and Nanoha in their fight to stop Precia. Although they manage to minimize the destructive side-effects of using the Jewel Seeds, they are unable to prevent Precia from finishing the spell and her final whereabouts are unknown. Fate and Nanoha decide to become friends but first, Fate must travel to TSAB homeworld to prove she was an unwilling accessory in Precia's crimes.