The Infinite Stratos (or IS for short) has quickly become at once the greatest tool and deadliest enemy during world conflicts. Unique for the IS, however, is it's limitation: only women are able to pilot them. Enter Ichika Orimura, brother of one of the greatest IS pilots in history, and after coming in contact with an IS at 15, oddly capable of piloting one himself. This strange occurrence opens up new worlds for him, and he is immediately enrolled in a school that specializes in IS pilot training. A school that, apart from him, is attended purely by girls. Is this a dream come true, or a nightmare come to life..?
There once was a show, a comedy series, that featured talented athletes being brought together to a special school, where they would learn to compete in a sporting event that had replaced war as the way of settling mankind's differences. Infinite Stratos, meanwhile, brings the talents IS pilots of the world together to a special school, where they'll learn to use the machines to take part in sporting events. Hmm. It's Battle Athletes Victory, just on the ground instead of at University Satellite (and Ichika isn't half as cute as Akari Kanzaki was) - or at least, that's what the first impression is, although the pre-credit sequence at the start of the episode does imply that there's more going on.
This episode is pretty much all about introducing the characters, though, and as you may expect Ichika's finding that being the only boy at an all-girl boarding school has certain advantages (they've got to work their hormones out on someone) - so the harem element is strong with this one. What it doesn't have, though, is huge amounts of fanservice - which after Anime Network's last two simulcast shows (Highschool of the Dead and Samurai Girls) is a bit of a change. The service is there, but it's far more restrained.
The Good: Um, I'll get back to you on that. There's a certain appeal here, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is yet.
The Bad: You've seen it all before, multiple times from multiple other shows. Don't expect originality.
The jury's still out on Infinite Stratos - I was bored watching it, but I was having a hard time finding much in it that would be worth pointing out as reasons why you should watch it, either. Here's hoping the next few episodes make it stand out a little more from the crowd.
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Series:
IS: Infinite Stratos
