Infinite Stratos 2 is the anime equivalent of a lobotomy. An anime so insipid, so devoid of intelligent thought that a trip to the garbage can would likely yield something more interesting. Maybe you'll feel dirty afterwards, but hey, at least you won't receive brain damage for it.
I struggle to think of a single good thing to say when describing Infinite Stratos 2. Even the absolute worst of the medium (from the infamous Mars of Destruction to the nonsensical Cipher) can at least be laughed at in their awfulness. Not Infinite Stratos. It is everything wrong with the harem genre and the anime industry
...
as a whole, assembled into one cretinous pile of filth. You would need standards so low that they pass the Earth's core and leave the other side of the planet in order to appreciate this trash. Nothing went right. Everything went wrong. Hell, this is awful even by the first season's standards.
Allow me to describe one of Infinite Stratos' most asinine scenes. In the sixth episode, Charlotte finds herself in a situation where her panties have magically disappeared. Rather than simply tell Ichika the situation like any sensible person would, she convinces herself that lifting her skirt and directly showing him is the only way to get her point across. Ichika does as she asks and looks. Her response? "Pervert!"
Another scene involves Ichika being forced to take body measurements of all the girls in the school (which every single one of them is happy about for some incomprehensible reason). He closes his eyes, so embarrassed by female cleavage, thinking to himself that a measuring tape does not require eyes to see. His complete lack of understanding about human anatomy results in him fondling the girl. Every single member of his harem then appears out of thin-air and catches him in the act, screaming and assaulting him as the camera pans away.
Even from the very first episode, we know that a trainwreck awaits. The antagonist walks down a dark corridor and meets five soldiers armed with assault rifles. They open fire... and all the bullets somehow manage to land in front of her feet or behind her. She jumps into the air, pulls out two pistols and shoots them all with perfect accuracy. Yep. Even the most brainless of Hollywood blockbusters aim for better than this, but I suppose Infinite Stratos never cared for quality in the first place.
The final episode is the most brain-damaging of all. The antagonist's sidekick willingly reveals to one of the girls the location of a hidden bomb, and the main antagonist then unleashes a laser attack on thirty or forty armed mech soldiers, annihilating them all instantly. Of course Ichika (the most worthless soldier in the entire school) and the members of his harem can take her on in a one-on-one fight, however. As the final insult to the audience's intelligence, a deus ex machina unfolds, placed in direct sight of the enemy at the most convenient time possible. They then escape, and the story ends with a random onsen scene wherein Ichika passes out in the girl's bath. OK.
I do not know how a show so stupid could have ever been produced. Even putting aside the abysmal writing, the harem aspect (the anime's sole appeal) fares no better. The two new additions to his harem (Tatenashi and Kanzashi) suddenly fall in love with Ichika for no bloody reason at all. In the case of Kanzashi, all Ichika ever had to do was smile a lot and play the white knight role once for her to be head over heels for him. There are so many damn members to his harem that you may as well just throw in the entire school at this point. What do they even see in Ichika, anyway? He is one of the most insipid protagonists ever created, absent of any personality. The animators should have just drawn a rock instead - at least that way there would be one less thing to infuriate the audience.
Aside from having the intellect of a toddler, Ichika has the maturity of one, too. He is so adverse to any female contact (even visibly cringing in one scene where a girl's breasts rub against his arm) that you would ordinarily assume he is a homosexual. The fact that he has seven girls blatantly chasing after him and does not recognise it is a testament to how dreadful his characterisation is. A decent harem series would have the protagonist aware long before this point, if not already actively pursuing one of the girls. Future harem anime should take notes from Sora no Otoshimono and HenNeko, and treat Infinite Stratos like the plague that it is.
Unsurprisingly, the female characters are just as bad. Even the two with a brain (Houki and Charlotte) inevitably fall victim to the show's abysmal writing. The most obnoxious is by far Cecilia, her voice so excruciating that it would be more appropriate in the 9 Circles of Hell. Lin on the other hand has about as much presence as a shadow while Kanzashi lacks any sort of personality or defining feature except "has glasses".
Infinite Stratos 2 is terrible even from a technical perspective. All of the action scenes are rendered in low-budget CG and many times the characters' faces will look as if they were drawn by a 10-year-old with a cheap "How to Draw Manga" textbook. The soundtrack is also rubbish and comprises mainly of elevator music and a tuba endlessly making the same two-three notes. During the action scenes, the music is so turgid and over-dramatic that it almost becomes hilarious when combined with the infantile dialogue.
It is rare to find an anime as bad as Infinite Stratos. It is the exact kind of tripe that gives anime such a bad image in mainstream society. Regardless of whether you enjoy the harem genre or despise it, absolutely nothing of value will be found here. Even as mindless entertainment it fails miserably. Avoid it like the plague, or better yet, convince yourself that it doesn't even exist. You will save yourself some sanity that way.
If this is the future of the anime industry, then god help us.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: IS〈インフィニット・ストラトス〉2
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 4, 2013 to Dec 20, 2013
Premiered:
Fall 2013
Broadcast:
Fridays at 01:58 (JST)
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
8bit
Source:
Light novel
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#70492
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#584
Members:
391,731
Favorites:
522
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 54 / 57
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Dec 24, 2013
Infinite Stratos 2 is the anime equivalent of a lobotomy. An anime so insipid, so devoid of intelligent thought that a trip to the garbage can would likely yield something more interesting. Maybe you'll feel dirty afterwards, but hey, at least you won't receive brain damage for it.
I struggle to think of a single good thing to say when describing Infinite Stratos 2. Even the absolute worst of the medium (from the infamous Mars of Destruction to the nonsensical Cipher) can at least be laughed at in their awfulness. Not Infinite Stratos. It is everything wrong with the harem genre and the anime industry ... Dec 25, 2013
There was once a time in the early 2000s when Harem shows were one of the more popular genres of anime, even in a few parts of the western world with titles such as Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina. Though many anime fans didn’t love the latter because of this specific trope, the former focused on the anime community with its quirky characters. Nowadays, the harem genre isn’t as it once was, not in terms of merit but popularity. Once in a while, we get trying to put different ideas on viewing the genre in terms of parody, comedy, and character development. But some don’t
...
Dec 21, 2013
Chances are that if you are plan on watching Infinite Stratos 2, you probably want to see how the story goes on between Ichika and the friends he has made at IS Academy in this brand new adventure. After all, season 1 didn’t end with an exactly a high note with its indecisive conclusion. Yes, I’m talking about Ichika and his dense mind along with the irrational decisions he makes. The story itself only had some moments that shined while others fell under the typical harem tropes with little development. Unfortunately, Infinite Stratos 2 doesn’t get any better. In fact, it went backwards and became
...
Jul 10, 2014
Sometimes at night when I'm having trouble sleeping, I find myself wondering; if you could shove in as many dere heroines as possible (with individual fanservice, of course) into an anime, what would it look like? My highly philosophical questions of utter importance have been answered: IS 2. In a way, I'm genuinely impressed. How did they think of this? Or rather, how did they not think of anything else than stereotypical characters falling in love with the main character which, coincidentally, has the stereotypical brain that consists of concrete. Is he supposed to be portrayed as stupid? If so, apologize to the stupid people,
...
Dec 23, 2013
I've read a couple of reviews bashing IS2 quite heavily now and whilst I feel that many of their points are justified and I agree with most of them... I can't help but feel the need to throw this series a life-line. For a summary skip to 'enjoyment' section.
Story: 5 The only word I can think of to describe the story in IS2 in a nut-shell would have to be 'filler'. The story is effectively non-existent consisting mostly of the girls (Ichika's harem - which he remains completely oblivious to as is now a custom with harems echii or not as it would seem) throwing their ... Jan 7, 2014
You know, for quite sometime now, I forgot about this anime...since there is nothing memorable about garbage. This sequel to IS has the same amount of bullshit as Old McDonald's farm. Once you're on the tip of your chair or what ever you're sitting on, it pushes you back down making you say "Really...you're really going to do that". Of course this isn't the first time it did this *cough* season one *cough* but this time I was really,really, really let down.
The story from season one.... really didn't move. Even though the series did have some highlights like mecha fights, getting chased...by girls, misunderstandings...., and ... Dec 20, 2013
With an ending as open as Infinite Stratos's was, there was a lot to expect when the sequel was announced a little over a year later. As with most sequels, people come to expect that with the introductions and character building out of the way, a fresh start can open new possibilities for the title to showcase with more air time. Unfortunately, there are titles that take advantage of this gargantuan amount of free space and use it to try and attract a larger audience through obscene amounts of fan service and the unnecessary plot devices that arise out of it. While these types of
...
Jan 12, 2014
I'm gonna start off by saying I've always hated Infinite Stratos. I was unfortunate to be invited in by the concept alone, expecting some good science-fiction action. I was very upset only to find it to be a very poorly written and generic harem with few redeeming qualities. However, I looked forward to the second season with almost no expectations, only to find that it had slaughtered said redeeming qualities from the first season.
In case you didn't know what Infinite Stratos is all about, let me remind you: It's set in the near future where the eponymous weaponized armors are the norm in military warfare. ... Feb 3, 2014
Wow. It's hard to decide where to begin. I suppose I should mention in advance that the first season of IS was one of the first anime I had ever watched, and I was naive enough to think, "This is pretty good!" I assumed the dialogue and plot were supposed to be cheesy and nonsensical. I laughed at what a silly guy that Ichika was! And so, after rewatching this franchise, I wish to apologize to every person that viewed my list in the last year and saw an 8 or 9. Undoubtedly, you shook your head in shame and wept at my foolishness, with
...
Jun 2, 2015
A very short review.
If you're into the plot and storyline, DON'T WATCH THIS. If you're into hot chicks, then watch this (specifically Episode 5). IS 2 is just a continuation of the first season, with no improvement, however with new characters. Amazing VAs in the series, but I didn't like the plot. I enjoyed it thanks to Charlotte Dunois and Tatenashi Sarashiki. Hopefully, season 3 would mark a big improvement to the series, and let's just hope Ichika isn't that dense anymore (it probably wouldn't happen, read the light novels/manga/wiki). GG. Dec 20, 2013
Bueno, as the info states this season 2 was compose of chapters from 5 to 8 of the manga and quite frankly the way studio 8-bit executed it was not very impressive compare to season 1, now, it's difficult to say as to whats going on in the mind of this anime's director, Yasuhito Kikuchi and writer, Fukihiko Shimo that they've decide to come out with a season 2 where a clique harem was more profound than the action. Also, the introduction of Tatenashi didn't do much, for I hated her more than the antagonists called "Phantom task," which brings us next subject as to
...
Dec 30, 2013
When the second season of Infinite Stratos was first announced, I couldn't wait for it to come out. The first two episodes were fine, but from there on it just went downhill.
Story (5/10): The first season of Infinite Stratos helps to put in place most of the characters seen in Season 2. At least back then, there was something to be achieved, unlike this continuation of a series. Aside from the fact that there is a bare minimum of what a "plot" there is, the MAIN flaw would have to be how there is this "alternation" between plot and no plot every alternate episode. ... Nov 12, 2015
If this is what the anime industry honestly has in store for us, I might as well go live under a rock from now on.
Sequels, in all honesty, should build on their predecessor and deliver a new splash of flavor to the series - whether it be a more invigorating plot, new/interesting characters, or a more in-depth back story that does not fail to amaze. IS: 2 fails to do any of this - it, in fact, is the epitome of everything that can go wrong. Enter Ichika Oriumra, the same male lead from the first season of IS. You would imagine by this point that ... Feb 12, 2015
I initially didn't plan on writing a review, but I wanted to more or less try to tell about how... Mixed the feelings when watching this show are.
First, it was heavily criticized by the viewers it seems, and like them I totally agree with the negative point. This show was awful in its structure and totally cliché with fanservice all the way. No originality. There was a plot. We pretty much forgot about it until a few reminders sometimes, the pace is horrible. To make things worse, they rushed it totally at the end of the show, with nothing answered at all even though something was ... Jul 30, 2015
Ohhhhhhh, Infinite Stratos! How I loladkv----loveevasfdsa-love-hate this! Okay, I'm just kidding I don't actually hate this show, but I am joking when I say I love it.
Season 1 of this show, was well pretty good. (I'm hesitant on actually writing a review on that season) Not good enough to make me go, "OH MY GOOOOOOODNESSS!!!" But more to the point of, hmm, okay let's just watch season 2 of this show, for poops and gigs. Before I continue on, if you want someone more experienced, and someone more in depth on this series, go right ahead and skip this read. I do also expect ... Jun 18, 2014
"He's been closing and opening his left hand for a while. When that habit shows up, he usually makes simple mistakes."
And that mistake my friends, was the second season if IS: Infinite Stratos. To start off, let me just say I was a fan of the first season. I understood where everyone was coming from when they were talking about the cliche harem aspects of the anime, as well as the completely dense protagonist, but I enjoyed it anyways! Why? It had good visuals, some of the characters were awesome (IE Charlotte and Laura), and the action scenes? Beautiful. I was looking forward to a season ... Feb 28, 2014
What can I say about the sequel to the big hit known as Infinite Stratos? Infinite Stratos 2? More like Infinite Shit 2! The first season wasn't the greatest thing ever animated but how far are you willing to fall before you fall into the abyss known as IS2? Read on please!
STORY: 1 One could argue there is no story! Only emptiness. There is a story however and it sucks. If they had no specific storyline and instead centered on tournaments fighting for Ichika's happy sacks until they graduated, I would be totally unopposed to it and it would've garnered it a 7 or 8. Unfortunately ... Feb 27, 2014
Compared to the first season of IS: Infinite Stratos, the second season feels very similar. Just like the first season, the mecha theme is brought back, along with the harem, the ecchiness, the gag. In simpler words, it doesn't feel like anything has changed.
Like other harem animes, IS: Infinite Stratos 2 brings a cast of girls chasing one guy, but the difference is that the setting is in a girls-only school with the protagonist, Ichika, the sole male in the school. Judging it as a harem anime, sure, this is a pretty smart idea. However, since both the characters and the story are ridiculously ... Jan 14, 2014
10 notes that I wrote after the first episode of the show.
1. Besides this piece of writing, there would not be any further comments on IS. I might rant on Facebook, but I would probably not to do so. 2. The reason that I would not write anything for IS is that it does not need any review. Simply put, nobody would care if IS had got any actual plot or not. The first episode already proved my point by having the French and The German (that’s my acronym for the characters inside this show.) eating Crapes, The Male (yes, there is only one ... Dec 21, 2013
An interesting sequel to the original infinite stratos anime it becomes a fairly mediocre but enjoyable series.
To get the main thing out of the way first this season of Infinite Stratos is a harem, echhi, comedy with SOME story in it. NOT an aspiring story with some harem, ecchi, and comedy in it (yes there's a difference). The anime follows Ichika with all the main characters from the first series placed into this one. A lot of it becomes the awkward harem ecchi that is to be expected from Infinite Stratos with little deviation from the original seasons. The character development wasn't too bad ... |