The late-starting fall show Soukou no Strain has really surprised me. I mean, I'm not a mecha fan, but this show has so much good characterization, voice-acting, and story that I'm even starting to enjoy the mechas. Perhaps it's because it has loosely based itself on A Little Princess, the 1903 novella by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the authoress of A Secret Garden. And perhaps it's the outstanding voice work by Kawasumi Ayako and Yukana. Kawasumi-san gives two of the greatest screams I have ever heard in anime.In any case, here is a page giving pictures of all the main characters and of the seiyuus who voice them, along with links to more info about the seiyuus.The protagonist of the story is Sara Welleck (Kawasumi Ayako), a member of a long-standing military family whose brother goes off to be a Strain mecha pilot light-years away, so she will never see him again. In order to see him again, she determines to become a pilot herself, and follow him. During her training, her training base is attacked, and her brother re-enters the story in a totally unexpected way. Her career hits snags, she is bullied by other cadets, and she is befriended by the little queen of Strain pilots (Yukana), who senses a kindred soul. And her amazing skill as a pilot reveals itself. Mysteries, combat, and fanservice abound.
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