Several Sequels

Symphogear G:  C+
Toaru Railgun S:  C
Infinite Stratos 2:  F

So I gave Chuunibyou Ren a full post, though it's very relevant to what I'm talking about, as is Haganai Next.  The three shows I'm actually reviewing all came out last year but none of them were good or bad enough to justify their own posts (though I did make a funny gif about Railgun S), and all of them are different kinds of bad sequels.

Infinite Stratos: Final

Infinite Stratos:  C++

Pretty much everything good about the series right here.

Right, so I spent my sunday rewatching IS, and I've concluded that overall, the series does not quite deserve a B. It has a fair number of truly brilliant moments, a good ending, and I do like the series, but my critic's mind tells me that it doesn't deserve to be in the same category as a shows of genuinely higher quality.

IS belongs in a special "Guilty Pleasure" box for me: It's fun, it's funny, it's pretty to look at, but it's lacking in depth, emotion, meaning or comedy that I really want from a series that I would give a higher rating to.  It's a little all over the place (which is to be expected from a series whose mission statement is "harem/mecha"), and jumps between unwanted harem humor and real robot drama, doing an only okay job of each.

All that being said, I would watch a second season, especially if they didn't go overboard with introducing new characters and just developed Ichika, the five girls, Chifuyu and Tabane.  And maybe Pika-tan.

Infinite Stratos

So, the last episode of Infinite Stratos came out last week, and I was lazy and haven't finished the series until tonight.

You're probably wondering how I'm going to grade it.  Honestly, I am too.  It's between a C+ and a B.

I was all set to give it a C+ before the last two episodes, because Episodes 9 and 10 are pretty meh, but they really do manage to bring the ending around, though it's the kinda sappy thing you'd expect.

So, I'm withholding judgment for a little while.  When I have the time I'll watch it all in one sitting and give a final score.  Because as much as it's not good, it is fun, and fun is worth about half a letter to me.

Short version: If harem anime isn't your thing, stay away.  But if the idea of watching a series where the protagonist is not only a chick magnet, but totally emotionally oblivious and quite possibly gay (it's not canon, but it's a reasonable accusation), plus some entertaining flying around in power armor with explosions and pretty girls in swimsuits, then go for it.

Infinite Stratos: Update

So, I finished the last post around episode 6.  Having just finished episode 9 (which is the obligatory beach episode), my opinion of the series has improved.  It will take a truly awful ending drop this series to a D, and it's got a good chance at being a B series.

A lot of the weaknesses in characterization have been lampshaded, which eases my mind about them, and we've had a bit of time away from plot to get to know the girls (who are now in full on vicious competition mode).

I still would characterize it as a bit of a guilty pleasure series, but it has avoided the thing I was most afraid of.  I worried that Ichika was going to kick all the girls' asses and prove how superior it is to have a Y chromosome, which has been mercifully avoided completely.  The series has taken a few hops in the direction of comedy as well, which also eases my mind regarding everything.

However, due to the earthquake and Ayako Fansub's general laziness, I suspect it'll be a while before I get to finish the series, which is a shame because we're into the home stretch, where they get to try and wrap up what has been thus far the background plot.  How well they do it will be the deciding factor in whether it's a C or a B.

Infinite Stratos

So this is an incomplete series, I can't give a fully review of this show yet.  I'll post a followup when all twelve episodes have aired.  I started watching it because it's being subbed by the same folks who are subbing Toaru Majutsu no Index II and Kore wa Zombie desu ka, both of which I'm enjoying (if not quite completed).  And they had a couple funny shots from IS, so I watched the first episode.

I wasn't impressed, but I don't have a lot of other new stuff, so I tonight I figured I'd watch the second.

The mecha are gorgeous and the combat is lovingly rendered, and the events of the story are surprising and twisty.  The weakest part of the story is the romance plot, which rather impressively conspires to place the main character at the center of a Love Dodecahedron.  His popularity as the only boy in an all-girl school isn't necessarily inaccurate, but it's a little bit overplayed.

And yet, to avoid any significant spoilers, every time the series is getting bad enough that I'd stop watching, something unpredictable and awesome happens that keeps my interest.  As usual, the series starts out within a step of where it'll end up, and it started out as a C.  With solid buildup and resolution it could be a high B, with a really miserable one it could be a D.

Would I recommend it?  If you're willing to swallow some awkward romance plots for some absolutely glorious mechanized violence mostly perpetrated by teenage girls in swimsuits wearing techno-armor, rock out.  If you're looking for well-written characters and clever dialogue, and aren't that into mecha or laser swords or explosions or girls in swimsuits, go ahead and skip it.