Movies / Animé and Toons

Infinite Stratos Complete Collection

By Chris Zimmerman
April 12, 2012 - 13:02

If anime has taught us anything, it is that the harem genre can blend with just about any other genre. Case in point: Infinite Stratos, a blending of harem and mecha originating from a light novel series. The strength of the genre arguably stems from tried and true elements that – while stale – still illicit a popular response among audiences.

Sure, the main character is still a rather hunky young man besieged by a group of beautiful women that include childhood crushes and former enemies; and yes, there are plenty of fan service and questionable scenes featuring the girls to make any mature adult look over their shoulder while watching to make sure they are safe from judging eyes. But it is these concepts that define the genre. Whether these concepts are stale or not make little difference in the genre’s popularity so much as their execution, and that is where Infinite Statos comes up short.

The protagonist Ichika is incredibly dense, to the point that he nearly ruins every scene his is featured in. With so many girls surrounding him, and having to interact with them everyday, how can he not take notice of their budding feelings toward him? Few harem series tread this path, most often playing up the antics of the women competing for the lead’ affection while said lead struggles to escape the girl’s shenanigans. But Infinite Stratos opts to keep Ichika in the dark while all the women attempt to win him over, leaving viewers wanting to throw their remote through the television.  

For a main character to be so thick to the point of stupidity would usually amount to a nail in the coffin for any series. Fortunately the action scenes carry the show to being acceptable. The array of weapons coupled with the sleek designs of the armor make for a visual spectacle. The animation, courtesy of Eight Bit is consistent with the assimilation of 2D and 3D animation being some of the best in anime. The character designs however are stagnant. Ichika in particular looks as though he could have walked out of any series, bearing no substantial intricacies to distinguish him from the archetypal male lead.

Sentai Filmworks offers a substantial helping of bonus features this time around, including a bonus OVA, a disc devoted to extras, and a fourth disc housing the series’ soundtrack. The deluxe treatment is questionable given how little exposure the series had compared to some of its other licenses (Grave of the Fireflies) but is appreciated none-the-less. Three commentaries featuring the original voice cast along with the OVA round out the main selection of extras on the first two DVDs, with the third disc’s content being a 41 minute Radio IS video, featuring the Japanese voice actors, and a 10 minute interview with director Yasuhito Kikuchi.

As a blending of harem and mecha genres, Infinite Stratos exploits all the popular clichés a fan of either could hope for. Sadly, the series fails to competently execute even the most basic elements that have been retread so many times they have become a gimmick of any popular harem series. The animation is well done, but an idiot for a protagonist, and a group of bland character designs keep it from being anything more than average at best.

C   

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51