Strait Jacket
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"I challenge the laws of nature and reason by summoning the power of destruction!" |
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Strait Jacket is a 2007 OVA based on a series of light novels that can basically be described as Hellsing with the magic system from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and dashes of Steampunk.
To put it in more detail, it's about Leiot Steinberg, wearer of a Badass Longcoat, who fights demons along with his partners: Isaac Hammond, Kapelteta and Nerin Simmons. The premise is simple: In an Alternate History of 1899, sorcery is now a common technology, whose use has crept its way into every industry. However, those that use it run a risk... that they may become demons. Despite armor known as Molds designed to prevent this, there is always a chance. Thus enter Tactical Sorcerists, those that use sorcery to battle demons, while running the risk that they may become demons themselves.
Not to be confused with a digital straitjacket, better known as DRM.
Tropes used in Strait Jacket include:
- The Ace: Leiot
- All There in the Manual: The light novels, to most western viewers; they haven't been given official translations, and if scanlations exist they're nigh-impossible to find.
- Exclusively Evil: Demons, by way of Ax Crazy.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Magic in general acts as this.
- The Atoner: Leiot
- Ax Crazy: Demons are always this. The only exception is Isaac, and we see him as a demon for all of five minutes before Leiot turns him into bloody chunks.
- Badass: Pretty much everyone at some point or another.
- Badass Longcoat: Leiot
- BFG: The magic wands used by Tactical Sorcerists.
- Bifauxnen: Filisis. Aside from a barely-noticeable bust, she could pass for a White-Haired Pretty Boy.
- Blood-Splattered Innocents: Isaac, after Rachel dies. Interesting in that he wasn't there when she died; he gets the blood on his hands after cradling her corpse. Later used for a Gory Discretion Shot when Isaac offs his corrupt boss and the blood paints the other side of his face. He wears it like war-paint until the end.
- Body Horror: Every demon. EVERY demon. Even the one that looks (sort of) like a pretty flower.
- Calling Your Attacks: Justified as its the only way to get the spells activated.
- Celebrity Is Overrated: Both Leiot and Isaac.
- Cool Old Guy: The Sorcerist who saved the young Isaac and Rachel and who taught a young Leiot to kill demons. Vulnerable to Mentor Occupational Hazard and The Plot Reaper, as he becomes infected himself and must be mercy-killed by a young Leiot twelve years before the movie starts.
- Creepy Child: Kapelteta
- Dark Is Not Evil: Leiot.
- Death Seeker: Leiot. Likely Isaac by the end, going by the pre-battle talk.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Leiot's "Accelerator" technique.
- Dead Little Sister: Literally, for Isaac.
- Death by Materialism: Or, why you should never team up with terrorists in order to foster a need for your services, even if it seems like a good business opportunity.
- Duel to the Death: The finale. ... Almost. Ends in a Mercy Kill.
- Dungeon Bypass: Leiot's somewhat infamous preferred form of quick-entry.
- Dungeon Punk
- Dying as Yourself: Isaac. Presumably being blown apart kept him from going feral like the other demons.
- Expy: Strait Jacket features an orange-haired, green-eyed female scientist who, while associated with what's purportedly a military-powered organization, seems to distinctly lack martial ability herself. Although she carries a weapon, she's much more suited to motivating the other characters and moving the plot along, characterized by an apparent naivete and a stubborn streak. She wears a military uniform, with a skirt, but wears her hair long, and has glasses. Now, am I describing Nerin Simmons or Shion Uzuki?
- Fallen Hero: Isaac Hammond after the Start of Darkness noted below.
- Fan Nickname: "Blumdam" for Leiot; he's voiced by Steve Blum in the English dub and his Powered Armor kind of resembles a Zaku.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Overdosing on magic turns humans into into terrifying Biological Mashups.
- Government Conspiracy: The director of the Sorcery Management Bureau, who sabotages Molds to ensure a steady flow of "business." It's implied that there would still be some incidents, but not at the stupidly high current rate.
- Hey, It's That Voice!: Watching the dub, you will wonder what Spike is doing with purple hair and Powered Armor.
- It's also not Blum's first time shouting Magna Blast.
- Holding Out for a Hero: Played brutally straight. A jumpy SWAT officer fires a shot, attracts the attention of a demon the police can't even hurt, and all hell breaks loose.
- Instant Runes
- Knight in Shining Armor: Isaac, even to the point where he saves a kid and takes off his helmet while spotlit by sunlight.
- Lolicon: Depending on how you view the relationship between Leiot and Kapel.
- Madness Mantra: All demons (save for Isaac) have them, to unnerving effect; see High Octane Nightmare Fuel.
- Magic Bullets: Literally, as we're given a scene where techie Sorcerists somehow cause a glowing ball of light to become ready-made bullets for the wands.
- Men Don't Cry: Subverted; despite being clearly broken at Rachel's death, Isaac doesn't shed a tear.
- Morality Pet: Again, depending on how you view the relationship between Leiot and Kapel.
- Morality Chain: Apparently, Kapel is the only thing keeping Leiot from killing lots of people for no apparent reason.
- Mundane Utility: Magic either kills things quickly or powers various modern utilities. In the OVA, we see more of the former.
- Naughty Tentacles: One of the demons is essentially a face with tentacles who asks an injured girl if she "wants to play doctor" while slinking a tentacle towards her.
- Not So Different: When Isaac accuses Leiot of giving all Sorcerists the reputation of murderers, Leiot replies that they're all killers. Later repeated in a Flashback Echo.
- Possible Fridge Logic since it's stated that once a human enters the 'gibbering madness' state they're a demon through-and-through. Since demons are mindless and horrific abominations that prey on humanity, Leiot's maintaining that killing demons makes them murderers is... maybe a little not right.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Isaac, to Leiot.
- Powered Armor: Molds are powered armor with the function of preventing the wearer from turning into a demon. Yeah, right. Tell that to Isaac.
- To be fair, Molds and the underlying rune array vastly decrease the likelihood of the user turning into a demon, so long as said Mold is properly maintained and functioning as intended. Using powerful spells repeatedly is still not a good idea. Plus, what with the intentional sabotage of Molds going around...
- Redshirt Army: The police.
- Retirony: A variation: Isaac's sister, Rachel, is the victim of a demon attack shortly before Issac is set to retire.
- Rule of Cool: Yes.
- Steampunk: Steampunk Powered Armor is used by most of the Tactical Sorcerists.
- Suicide by Cop: One interpretation of Issac's death; he had nothing left to live for after the death of his sister and discovering the dark secret behind his force.
- Superpower Meltdown: Isaac turns into a demon from overusing his wand and firing off a spell while his mold was shattered, and Leiot has to mercy-kill him before Isaac becomes completely inhuman and rampages like the other demons.
- Tired of Running: Or, why Leiot almost died amidst the rubble. Prompting Nerin to give a Rousing Speech.
- Token Loli: Kapelteta.
- Trauma Conga Line: Isaac. He realizes that his childhood hero was murdered by the man now tarnishing the reputation of his entire corps, possibly due to infection received while saving Isaac and Rachel because No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. His beloved younger sister and only family implores him to leave the job he loves, shortly before being horrifically killed by a demon. He finds out that his Corrupt Corporate Executive boss, whom he trusted and was apparently friendly with, had indirectly killed said sister by arranging demon attacks with the terrorists via sabotaged Molds. Then he mutates into a horrific Eldritch Abomination and death is probably a relief after all of that.
- We Can Rule Together: The director of the SMB, to Isaac. Isaac's response? A bullet to the face.
- We Help the Helpless: The Mold-armored cops, supposedly. Particularly applies to Isaac, what with his Chronic Hero Syndrome.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Demons are about five times as large as humans, and significantly more powerful. They're also Ax Crazy and Exclusively Evil.
- X Meets Y: Hellsing, Iron Man, and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.