<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2015-10-3161Za7IeU8JL.jpg">
<b>Review of Infinite Stratos 2 by ColdCobra</b>
<em>Definition: Harem - a sub-genre of anime and manga where the protagonist is surrounded by adoring members of the opposite sex and is caught up in numerous awkward and amusing situations due to it. See: Infinite Stratos.</em><br>
In the near future a new type of powered exoskeleton is created called the "Infinite Stratos", and it is soon distributed around the world to prevent one nation from dominating others. Due to the fact that only women can pilot IS suits, an all-female IS school is created and attended by all able women around the world... that is until Japanese student Ichika Orimura becomes the first male able to pilot an IS suit, and soon got himself surrounded by beautiful women and powerful exo-suits.<br>
The second season picks up where the first ended, Ichika is joined by adoring students Houki Shinonono, his childhood friend who is strictly dedicated to the art of Kendo... and who has large breasts (not an observation, it's a character trait. Trust me), Cecilia Alcott from the UK, bad at cooking but good with a high-powered IS Sniper Rifle, Huang Lingyin from China, also an old friend, a great cook and quick to anger, Charlotte Dunois from France, often mistaken for a boy but otherwise surprisingly normal, and Laura Bodewig from Germany, a genetically-engineered super-soldier who's trying to get used to experiencing normal feelings. This series also adds Tatenashi Sarashiki, powerful student council president who likes to make Ichika feel as uncomfortable as possible by using her body, and Kanzashi Sarashiki, Tatenashi's shy, shut-in sister who slowly comes out of her shell because of, you guessed it, feelings for Ichika.<br>
It's probably not hard to tell at this point that this is obviously comedy first, mech-like anime second, and never does it really want to be taken too seriously. Based on Izuru Yumizuru's light novels series of the same name, the 12 episodes feel like the comedown from the end of one story arc, and the build up to the next, without giving anything solid to sink your teeth into. I can only imagine that it's because that's what they were adapting, but when Episode 12 ends with the villains of the story finally fighting full-on, losing a bit, then deciding to leave without any resolution, it's hard not to feel a little cheated, especially with no third season in the pipeline.<br>
Still, if you like seeing a teen boy blush because he's happened to find himself in some sort of mildly sexual situation with a girl who also begins to blush before punching him across the room, this is the series for you! Both the Japanese and English casts do fine, Ichika himself is well performed in both, though the attempted British, French and German accents in the English dub do verge on the very bad, which made it hard to watch at times. The animation was fine, very colourful, and the switches to CG models for sweeping camera angles during IS fights were well blended into the traditional 2D scenes. The opening, "True Blue Traveller" by Minami Kuribayashi, and ending, "Beautiful Sky" by a whole host of different women that I can't be bothered to type out, are fine upbeat songs that are available here clean and textless if you so desire.<br>
So, should you watch I<em>nfinite Stratos 2</em>? Well, if you're looking for light-hearted teen embarrassment gags but don't care about the story that's happening around them, then you'll enjoy this, because it is a quality production and the humour often hits well. Overall though, the story was lacking any substance, the characters barely developed, and although there were some well choreographed fight scenes, they were few and far between, and not worth sitting through another scene of Ichika accidentally finding himself looking at a fellow student's breasts or panties... or both, if you're not into that kind of thing. To be honest you're probably better off buying the first series and then leaving this, unless a third series is confirmed, because at least that had a proper beginning, middle and end.<br>
<b>Final score: 6 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_000.JPG">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_007.JPG">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_008.JPG">
<b>Review of Infinite Stratos 2 by ColdCobra</b>
<em>Definition: Harem - a sub-genre of anime and manga where the protagonist is surrounded by adoring members of the opposite sex and is caught up in numerous awkward and amusing situations due to it. See: Infinite Stratos.</em><br>
In the near future a new type of powered exoskeleton is created called the "Infinite Stratos", and it is soon distributed around the world to prevent one nation from dominating others. Due to the fact that only women can pilot IS suits, an all-female IS school is created and attended by all able women around the world... that is until Japanese student Ichika Orimura becomes the first male able to pilot an IS suit, and soon got himself surrounded by beautiful women and powerful exo-suits.<br>
The second season picks up where the first ended, Ichika is joined by adoring students Houki Shinonono, his childhood friend who is strictly dedicated to the art of Kendo... and who has large breasts (not an observation, it's a character trait. Trust me), Cecilia Alcott from the UK, bad at cooking but good with a high-powered IS Sniper Rifle, Huang Lingyin from China, also an old friend, a great cook and quick to anger, Charlotte Dunois from France, often mistaken for a boy but otherwise surprisingly normal, and Laura Bodewig from Germany, a genetically-engineered super-soldier who's trying to get used to experiencing normal feelings. This series also adds Tatenashi Sarashiki, powerful student council president who likes to make Ichika feel as uncomfortable as possible by using her body, and Kanzashi Sarashiki, Tatenashi's shy, shut-in sister who slowly comes out of her shell because of, you guessed it, feelings for Ichika.<br>
It's probably not hard to tell at this point that this is obviously comedy first, mech-like anime second, and never does it really want to be taken too seriously. Based on Izuru Yumizuru's light novels series of the same name, the 12 episodes feel like the comedown from the end of one story arc, and the build up to the next, without giving anything solid to sink your teeth into. I can only imagine that it's because that's what they were adapting, but when Episode 12 ends with the villains of the story finally fighting full-on, losing a bit, then deciding to leave without any resolution, it's hard not to feel a little cheated, especially with no third season in the pipeline.<br>
Still, if you like seeing a teen boy blush because he's happened to find himself in some sort of mildly sexual situation with a girl who also begins to blush before punching him across the room, this is the series for you! Both the Japanese and English casts do fine, Ichika himself is well performed in both, though the attempted British, French and German accents in the English dub do verge on the very bad, which made it hard to watch at times. The animation was fine, very colourful, and the switches to CG models for sweeping camera angles during IS fights were well blended into the traditional 2D scenes. The opening, "True Blue Traveller" by Minami Kuribayashi, and ending, "Beautiful Sky" by a whole host of different women that I can't be bothered to type out, are fine upbeat songs that are available here clean and textless if you so desire.<br>
So, should you watch I<em>nfinite Stratos 2</em>? Well, if you're looking for light-hearted teen embarrassment gags but don't care about the story that's happening around them, then you'll enjoy this, because it is a quality production and the humour often hits well. Overall though, the story was lacking any substance, the characters barely developed, and although there were some well choreographed fight scenes, they were few and far between, and not worth sitting through another scene of Ichika accidentally finding himself looking at a fellow student's breasts or panties... or both, if you're not into that kind of thing. To be honest you're probably better off buying the first series and then leaving this, unless a third series is confirmed, because at least that had a proper beginning, middle and end.<br>
<b>Final score: 6 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_000.JPG">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_007.JPG">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-31PDVD_008.JPG">