After spending the last week having their breasts enlarged by some possessed doll, the witches return to business as usual and get back to fighting the Neuroi. Road to Berlin treats us with yet another new type of Neuroi. It seems like this season has been getting creative with enemy types which I very much appreciate. This time the witches go up against an enemy they cannot see because it uses the fog to conceal its position. I feel like the Neuroi have become much smarter as the series progresses, but even more so in this season alone. A smarter Neuroi means the witches are forced to adjust their battle strategy and seeing them go through a trial and error period is what makes it most exciting.

Sanya and Eila are out on patrol and everything is normal until they suddenly encounter a patch of thick fog. Sanya has the ability to sense an enemy without actually seeing them and her sensor alerts her of an incoming hostile. Sanya and Eila are put on the defensive as a Neuroi shoots at them from the fog only to retreat further back into the mist. The show can never go wrong when it challenges another pair of veterans because that’s what keeps the battle interesting and the outcome more suspenseful.  While Sanya is able to detect enemies from a distance and Eila is able to predict the near future with her foresight skill, you would think these techniques combined would give them the advantage even when they can’t see the Neuroi, but the Neuroi is smart enough to exploit their weaknesses. Rather than having the witches chase down the Neuroi and overwhelm it with fire power, the show welcomes a challenge and forces the witches to improvise with a new strategy.     

The anime raises the stakes further by explaining that the Neuroi have once again occupied the base at Kiel which is needed to carry out the assault on Berlin. Hearing that makes me feel like we are getting closer to the end since I’m sure the season will close out with a final battle in Berlin. If that’s the case, then it makes sense why Kiel has been difficult to liberate since it could be the last piece of the puzzle. The fog has taken over the airspace around Kiel so now the Neuroi that Sanya and Eila had encountered must be confronted. Despite being long time veterans, Sanya and Eila recruit Yoshika and Shizuka for assistance and the four undergo some new training exercises. The exercise consists of learning how to fly blindfolded which is to simulate what it would be like flying through the fog. I really liked seeing this because rather than having the witches be so powerful to tank through anything, we are reminded with moments like this that there is always something new to learn. It makes the witches feel relatable especially when someone as strong as Yoshika was struggling to maintain her coordination while blindfolded.

The Neuroi hidden in the fog was a bit of a mystery. Not only was it rarely seen before the final battle, but Eila had sensed another Neuroi lurking around. Sanya was convinced there was only one, but since no one ever saw it, it remained a mystery. It turns out Eila was right. One was a decoy and the other was the actual Neuroi. Despite going though training to keep the group coordinated within the fog, they were unprepared to face two different Neuroi. Eila already knew there was two so she went to locate the core of the actual Neuroi. If you defeat the real one, then the decoy is destroyed as well. Their training and teamwork pulled through in the end all thanks to Eila’s clutch moment.

This was a great episode for me. The witches have come so far in developing their abilities since season one and continue to do so. At this point in an anime usually there is a character who is already strong enough to pretty much beat everyone, but I’m glad to say that Road to Berlin has been careful to avoid that so far. Yoshika had to adjust in fighting a Neuroi with a damaged striker unit earlier this season. Erica and Trude faced a Neuroi that was better than them not too long ago. Now Sanya and Eila had a challenge to face and were able to overcome it with creative training. While most of the characters have been challenged in some way, I’d be interested to see if they put Minna in a situation like this next.