One thing's for sure, you can't accuse
Strike Witches of being unoriginal. While the concept of "
magical-girls" is nothing new in the world of anime, magical girls who can replace their appendages with airplane parts is pretty unique.
Strike Witches started out as a mixed-media project from Humikane Shimada, who created the light novel series (2006) while a manga (2005) was written by Yoshiyuki Kazumi and published in Comp Ace magazine. An OVA was released by Gonzon in 2007 before the studio began the anime series in 2008. The film was produced by AIC and released in Japanese theaters in 2012.
The new dub cast for the film includes:
Cristina Valenzuela as Shizuka Hattori
Bryn Apprill as Heidemarie W. Schnaufer
Krystal LaPorte as Nikka Edvardine Katajainen
Monica Rial as Aleksandra I. Pokryshkin
Alison Viktorin as Rosalie de Hemricourt de Grunne
Rachel Robinson as Heinrike Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein
Sarah Wiedenheft as Amelie Planchard
Returning from the dub-cast of the anime series are:
Cherami Leigh as Yoshika Miyafuji
Kira Vincent-Davis as Mio Sakamoto
Anastasia Munoz as Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke
Kate Bristol as Lynette “Lynne” Bishop
Jad Saxton as Perrine H. Clostermann
Luci Christian as Erica Hartmann
Stephanie Sheh as Gertrud Barkhorn
Trina Nishimura as Francesca Lucchini
Jamie Marchi as Charlotte “Shirley” E. Yeager
Caitlin Glass as Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
Jennifer Forrester as Sanya V. Litvyak
Alexis Tipton as Martina Crespi
Jasmine Mendigo as Luciana Mazzei
Maxey Whitehead as Fernandia Malvezzi
The Neuroi, a large and dangerous alien race, still roam parts of the world leaving destruction in their path. The Strike Witches”a group of girls with extraordinary powers, formidable weapons, and advanced aircraft appendages”have made great strides against the Neuroi. But the war against them still rages on. Yoshika Miyafuji was once a member of the Strike Witches and sacrificed the ability to use her powers in a major fight against the Neuroi. Unable to fight, she now wishes to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor and continue to help people. When new soldier and witch Shizuka Hattori comes to escort her to a prestigious European medical school, their journey becomes far more dangerous than originally planned. The Neuroi have changed, and their abilities are far stronger than before. Can the Strike Witches comes together once again to face their enemy? Or will they be able to without Yoshika's abilities?