Infinite Stratos : Generic Harem #237 (plus mecha). Ichika goes to an all-girls school for IS (mecha) pilots and becomes a pimp. Infinite Stratos has quite literally the most generic harem plot you can imagine. In the first episode, Ichika moves to an all girls school. He meets his long-lost childhood friend, Houki. And what a surprise, Ichika discovers that they are roommates when he walks in on Houki in the shower! The first episode was so terrible that I thought it was a parody. Unfortunately, I was being much too generous.
Basically everything that Hourou Musuko did right, Infinite Stratos did wrong. The characters were boring, cliched and inconsistent. We have a straight-laced Japanese childhood friend who practices Kendo, a snobby British girl, a Chinese girl whose family runs a ramen shop and who is also a childhood friend, a cross-dressing French girl (this character was actually decent), and a militaristic German girl who makes a sudden and unexplained transformation into a defenseless moeblob.
But even worse than the vapid characters is the fact that the creators focus on one character for a couple episodes, and then proceed to push them into the background and forget about them. Houki showed up for the first episode and the last two but basically didn’t do anything in the middle. The same can be said of all the other characters as well: they have their two episodes in the spotlight and are discarded, hidden in the recesses of Ichika’s harem.
The creators also decided to go for a dramatic, meaningful and deep psychological ending with everyone joining their power to protect their comrades. With the desire to protect their comrades, the inherent powers of their IS awaken and they power up to defeat the enemy! (my explanation isn’t quite all there is to the ending… for one thing, it makes much more sense than the actual show) This was seriously one of the cheesiest endings I’ve seen in a while. I wish that the creators of shows like this could accept that they don’t have any deep meaning, and trying to make it look otherwise isn’t fooling anyone, only inducing pain and suffering for the viewers. The only reason anyone watches this show is for the stupid harem hijinks, and it’s better to just continue with that than to try to make the final episodes of the show into something it’s not and fail miserably.
There were some good points to this show though. For one, the arc with the French girl, Charles, was actually pretty decent. But my standards may have been set pretty low because of the rest of the show. Also, the animation and choreography of the battles was generally well done, but it would have been more effective had I actually cared about the characters in the fights…
- Plot / Script – 5 / 10 – About as generic as it gets.
- Characters – 5 / 10 – Poorly developed and quickly discarded.
- Production – 7 / 10 – Good fight scenes and consistent animation, but otherwise does nothing to stand out.
- Overall – D
Recommendations – Isekai no Seikish Monogatari, Love Hina, Zero no Tsukaima, etc…. if you like this kind of thing, there are a million ones that are better.
Yet Infinite Stratos is set to sell literally 10-20 times what Hourou Musuko will. Sad. I coudn’t make it through the second episode of IS.
So true. The only reason I managed to get past the second episode is that I was watching it with a friend.
This anime would be better if they put much detail of the story
Did they ever tell you why only women could use this crappy mecha? I say it’s a crappy mecha because it doesn’t even have a chest plate….
I feel that IS is wasted potential and agree with the author. If in the future the society is dominated by the superiority of women why are they tripping over each other for one guy? I expected the other students to be constantly disapproving of Ichika, almost to the point of bullying, so that he has to work twice as hard to earn their respect (similar to what women faced in previous generations). And in what way have women dominated society? Outside of IS in military the world seems to be business as usual. No fleshing out of the government and social changes or other advances (genetic enhancements, artificial reproduction) that would have made males obsolete. IS could have been a real provocative look at a society where the roles are reversed and questions what it means to be the stronger one, how masculinity is perceived and how it evolves against the backdrop of high speed mecha action. Instead we get hormone ridden teenage girls (who are supposedly the best upcoming pilots in the world) chasing a clueless dude with excessive ‘fanservice’ scenes. Yes some parts where pretty funny and the mech fights beautiful but I feel IS fell waaay short of what it could have been. I hope someone takes this concept and fleshes it out in the way it deserves, till then. Meh.
Charlotte was really this show’s saving grace…
First we got a tidal wave of repetitive tsunderes, a german girl with overly-dramatic character development… and then the french girl… Who’s playing in the Saimoe League as we speak.
Agreed. She was the only thing I ended up liking, more or less.
congratulations Infinite Stratos. Not only that you’re boring and unorganized, but you’re actually worse than useless as well.
i have a brand new anime or manga featuring a normal 40 year old man who is a high school teacher his name is Micheal Yang he lives in Tokyo Japan he has a new student named Maya she has long red hair brown eyes pale light white skin she is statuesque and athletic she was raised by her grandfather named Seth her grandfather is a martial arts master who traveled around the world he became friends with a judo master, a jujitsu master, a sumo master, a boxing master, a karate master, a wrestling master, a master swordsman who is also a master in using melee weapons , a archer, and a Chinese martial arts master, a modern day gladiator, a modern day knight, a modern day samurai, a modern day ninja, and a fencing master plus a former sniper in the military his new friends now live together and started a school or gym for martial arts. Maya would wear a white cotton cloth bandage chest binder and a white loincloth underneath her regular school uniform she would also have on black fishnet stockings and black shoes on she would wear a red kimono with a yellow interior and a blue obi when fighting and training she would wear a maroon kimono as her casual wear she would wear a violet cotton cloth bandage chest binder and a magenta loincloth as her swimwear.
i have a brand new harem anime or manga featuring a normal 17 year old boy named Adam Lee he lives in Tokyo Japan and attends high school in the year 2200 when a black hole or wormhole or a portal into a different dimension was discovered in the 21st century this other world is called Elysium.
we meet students from the world of Elysium like a half human half snake girl, a half human half spider girl, a half human half cat girl, a female harpy, a ogress, a half human half fly girl, a half human half hell hound girl, a female siren, a half human half crab girl, a female mimic, a half human half slime monster girl, a half human half chimera girl, a half human half sphinx girl, a superhuman artificially created humanoid female soldier, a robot girl, a female living doll, a female cupid, a female fairy, a mermaid, a female grim reaper, a half human half raven girl, a half human half tapir girl, a giantess, a half human half snow spirit girl, a two faced mutant girl, a long necked mutant girl, a four legged mutant girl, a mutant girl with reptilian scaly skin and a reptilian tail, a mutant girl with a third eye on her forehead, a mutant girl with prehensile hair, a mutant girl with four arms, a mutant girl with spider like limbs and spider like senses along with the ability to create and use projectile webbing, a mutant girl with fish like fins, a mutant girl with animal like ears a fluffy tail a furry body and glowing golden eyes, a mutant girl with insect like wings and a stinger, a mutant girl with tentacles, a succubus, a female angel, a female cyborg, a female genie, a half human half rabbit girl, a half human half nine tailed fox spirit girl, a half human half raccoon dog girl, a goddess, a female gnome, a female cyclops, a female orc, a half human half unicorn girl, a female elf, a female centaur, a half human half dragon girl, a female goblin, and a female Valkyrie they all attend this special school called paradise academy.
also attending paradise academy we meet a female ghost, a female zombie, a female vampire, a female mummy, a alien girl, a female clone of a caveman, a female dwarf, a immortal eternally young girl, a female werewolf, a female ninja, a female samurai, a female pirate, a female space pirate, a female knight, a oriental far eastern shrine maiden/ priestess, a catholic like nun, a female monk, a female exorcist, a magical girl, a elegant Gothic Lolita princess, a female fortune teller gifted with precognition and telepathy, a female clown, a female alchemist, a witch/ sorceress, and a girl who can create and control fire they all go to paradise academy.
we also meet a feral girl raised by gorillas, a hermaphroditic alien, a girl with a cleft chin, a girl with horns, a long forked tongue, pointy ears, fangs, a pointy arrowhead demonic tail, and demonic bat like wings along with claws , a girl with a halo and angelic wings, a girl with feathers covering her whole body and wings growing from her head, a hunchbacked girl, a girl with tusks, a girl with shark like teeth, a girl with antennae insect like wings and a stinger, a girl with multiple heads, a hag/ crone with accelerated aging, a girl with slow aging and accelerated healing, a cross dressing female butler, a girl with a photographic memory, a female mad scientist, a female professional thief, a daughter of a mafia crime boss, a daughter of a triad crime boss, a female cannibal, a female rogue assassin/ mercenary who later becomes a bounty hunter, a female drug dealer who escapes from prison, a female hacker with the ability to control tech with her mind, a female henchman for a evil overlord, and a female barbarian warlord they all attend paradise academy.
other students include a girl with a always accurate attack, a girl who can see using the vision of animals nearby, a girl who can create and control anti magic, a girl who can astral project herself, a girl who can reflect any attack and create along with control/ use force fields, a girl with aura vision, a female energy being,a girl who can control animals using her mind, a girl born with very good luck, a girl with chameleon like camouflage, a girl who can charm and seduce anyone or anything, a girl who can create and control cold flames, a girl with a deadly gaze, a girl who can detect evil and is a living lie detector, a female dragon slaying amazon hunter who rides a pet dragon, a girl who can enter a persons dreams and change them to her will, a girl who can absorb any element and make elemental barriers from any element in nature, a girl with the power to create and control earth and stone, a girl with the power to create and control air and wind, a girl who can create and control water, and a girl who can create and control electricity also go to paradise academy.
even more students include a girl who can manipulate the weather, a girl who can create and control light, a girl who can create and control darkness and shadows, a girl who can create and control plants, a girl with the ability to heal other people of any illness or injury or stress with her touch, a female necromancer, a female spiritual medium, a female shaman, a girl with the ability to manipulate love, a girl who can create and control metal, a girl with poisonous hair skin nails and organs, a girl who can create and control lava, a girl with the powers of the sun, a girl with the powers of the stars, a girl with the powers of the moon, a girl who can use psychic radar, a girl who can use psychic surgery, a girl who can use hypnosis, a girl who can manipulate magnetism, a girl who can create and control mud and sand, a girl who can time travel and manipulate time and space, a girl who can manipulate gravity and levitate, a girl who can create and control ashes, a girl who can create and control acid, a girl with extreme empathy, a girl who can manipulate emotions, a girl who can absorb and donate energy, and a girl who can eat just about anything they all attend paradise academy.
another group of students at paradise academy also include a girl who can shoot beams of energy from her eyes and her hands, a girl who can create and control faux flames, a girl who can fly, a girl who can turn herself into living crystal, a girl who can leap in a single bound, a girl who can change size at will, a girl with natural night vision, a girl whose skin can become a armor like coating, a girl who can become intangible, a invisible girl, a genius girl who made her own suit of powered exoskeleton like armor a jet pack, a hoovering board, a utility belt, and other cool gadgets, a girl who can manipulate chi, a girl with a super sonic scream, a girl who can make any living thing rot and is a walking wasteland,a girl who is a master of illusions, and a girl who can open and shut any doorway or container .
there is even more students at paradise academy who include a girl who can create and control paper, a girl who can manipulate pests, a girl who can copy and nullify any power with her touch, a girl with the power of creation, a girl with the power of void, a demonically possessed girl, a girl who can warp reality, a girl who can stretch herself like rubber, a girl who can duplicate herself at will, a girl with a shatter point tap and a shock wave causing clap, a girl who can talk to animals, a girl who can create swords growing from her own body, a girl with superhuman breath, a girl who can create and control rainbow colored beams and shiny glittery blasts of energy, a girl with superhuman intelligence, a girl with superhuman reflexes, a girl with superhuman senses, a girl with superhuman speed, a girl with superhuman strength, a girl with superhuman toughness, a girl with venomous spit, and a girl who can create and control smoke, gas, and mist.
the next group of students who attend paradise academy includes a girl who can create and control portals, wormholes, and black holes, a girl with the kiss and touch of death, a girl with unbreakable bones, a girl with a vacuum like mouth, a girl with a lamprey like mouth, a girl with a flower like mouth, a girl with a extra mouth on her belly, a girl who can drain the life force out of her enemies, a girl who can crawl on walls, a girl who can walk on water, a girl who can become wreathed in flames, a girl with x ray vision, a girl who cannot feel pain or any emotions, a girl with hyper awareness, a girl who is a scarily competent tracker, a girl who is a expert sniper, a girl who is expert in archery, a girl who is a master swordsman,a female judo expert, a female jujitsu expert, a female karate expert, a female boxing expert, a female wrestling expert, a female sumo wrestler, a female gladiator, a female fencer, a female space marine, a female bodyguard, a female maid in a french maid outfit, a female stripper/ erotic dancer, a female belly dancer, a female clone of a caliph, and a female paranormal investigator.
even more students at paradise academy include a half human half shrew girl,a half human half camel girl,a half human half alpaca girl, a half human half llama girl, a half human half vicuna girl, a half human half bison girl, a half human half goat girl, a female satyr, a half human half sheep girl, a half human half water buffalo girl, a half human half deer girl, a half human half moose girl, a half human half giraffe girl, a half human half pig girl, a half human half warthog girl, a half human half hippo girl, a half human half dolphin girl, a half human half whale girl, a half human half killer whale girl, a half human half sperm whale girl, a half human half tapir girl, and a half human half rhino girl.
even more odd students at paradise academy include a half human half lobster girl, a half human half crayfish girl, a half human half butterfly girl, a half human half moth girl, a half human half cockroach girl, a half human half cricket girl, a half human half grasshopper girl, a half human half boil weevil girl, a half human half weevil girl, a half human half potato bug girl, a half human half Japanese beetle girl, a half human half June bug girl ,a half human half scarab girl, a half human half click beetle girl, a half human half ladybug girl, a half human half firefly girl, a half human half bean beetle girl, a half human half burying beetle girl, a half human half carpet beetle girl, and a half human half deathwatch girl.