IS: Infinite Stratos 2

***Spoilers Ahead*** Alright, everyone, this isn't your typical harem/school/robot/fighting/ecchi/romance anime. Why? Because Bahamut exists. To be frank, this show isn't for those who can't do absurd, unrealistic moments that seriously question how many drugs it took the writers of the show to approve. What I'm getting at is this anime shouldn't be set to high expectations, because it doesn't intend to aim for them. This show is something that you should only watch if you're familiar with ecchi/harem. If you are, then you'll be pleased to know that this is a step ahead of some of the trash you may encounter when trying to watch a good show. Think of it like Highschool of the Dead compared to Highschool DxD. Similar to DxD, Infinite Stratos goes in hard and comes away with a few questionable moments, a few WTF am I watching scenes, but at times, a few memorable and inspiring parts that show the potential it has. Anyways, enough with the pep talk. Let's dive in... STORY 6/10 If I had to give you a story about what this anime is about, I couldn't. There are machines called IS Units, which (for some plot development) can only be piloted by women. Why does this matter? Because a boy for the first time in history can wield one as well (again, why? I don't know plot armor I guess). Having the ability to do so, he goes to a private school to learn more about the IS Units, how to control his own, master the mechanics, and potentially become a representative of his country (Japan). The problem is that the school he goes to is an all-girls one (since only girls at that time could pilot an IS), and he has to adjust/adapt accordingly. See what I'm getting at? The show consists of his training, some combat tournaments, and a few fights with a mysterious organization, where one of the members has a bone to pick with the main character's older sister (who is a teacher at the school). The show also dives into his personal life and day-to-day interactions with other characters (again, this is an ecchi anime, so you probably know what to expect ;3 ). There's not a lot of backbone to this anime in terms of story, but it gives a somewhat reasonable set-up to follow through with. ART 8.5/10 I have to give it to them, some of these shots are gorgeous. The fighting scenes, the vibrant colors, everything in terms of art are underestimated in my opinion. Even though it's overshadowed by the main purpose of the anime, I can't write this review without mentioning how well the artists did. SOUND 8/10 The sound is a nice touch as well. The drastic, feeling of chaos through an enemies' appearance, or the valiant heroic trumpets that preach to the heavens when a character finds the strength to persevere. Even the soft parts in the background of school-life make this series easier to watch and immerse yourself as a student of IS Academy. Character ???/10 Oh boy, now my least favorite part of the anime. There are so many unnecessary characters and parts that really tone down how well this anime could have done. I'll start off with the worst ones. Cecilia Alcott and Lingyin Huang (3/10 and 0/10) Wow, what a shame for these two. The signature combo deal of underused and lack of personality given to these two. Essentially, both were put in the spotlight for one or two animes before being kicked to the curb and used only in tandem with other main characters. They offer no significant purpose to the storyline and are mainly used for comedic relief or straight up frustration in the viewer. In all honesty, they didn't even need Ling, she was such a waste of space and only had "2nd childhood friend" going for her. Laura had some moments, but not enough to be taken out of this group. Houki Shinonono (4-5/10) I just don't like this one. I mean, you got childhood friend (boring way to bring up a character) who has this kind of off and on relationship with the main character. She's practically useless for the first ten episodes of the season until she gets her own IS, and even then she isn't up to standards against some of the other characters in the story. She is better than the two below, but honestly is just a boring character who the writers couldn't do much with, in my opinion. Ichika Orimura (6/10) Oh boy, the dumbest dude on the block who can't even take a hint to save his life. Honestly, Ichika wasn't as bad as I thought he was. To be fair, he is dumb and he is a typical ecchi main character. However, he did have a few redeeming qualities that put him above the others in this category. THE MAIN CHARACTER ISN'T OP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, so basically, this dude is weak, right? He can't do much in combat against others, but that doesn't stop him from trying. He goes in recklessly, usually with no plan, but also has the ability to protect others in times of need. Plot armor is pretty good, eh? Ichika is just average, but his interactions with some special characters up above show the chemistry between the two and I think the writers did a good job with that. Kanzashi Sarashiki (7/10) I'm just going to call her Kanz cause it's easier than typing it out. Introduced in season 2, Kanz is the younger sibling to Tatenashi. She was supposed to have her own IS unit, but didn't receive one because the company that makes them had switched to build Ichika's. Kanz is quiet, an outsider looking in. She managed to build her own IS and has a special connection with her sister. She wants to stand with her, instead of always being behind her. It becomes clear to her that Tatenashi was the person who she always admired, and we see their bond in a scene where Tate blocks an incoming attack, protecting Kanz but also wounding herself in the process. It's moments like these where the anime has that glimpse of the spark that some of the greatest anime's in history have; The ability to show vulnerability. Kanz was a good addition to this season and fits in nicely with the crew. Laura Bodewig and Chifuyu Orimura (8/10 for both) Now we're getting into my favorites of the whole anime. Laura is just adorable at times because of her inability to address the situation in a dignified manner. For instance, in the first season, she lost to Ichika and Charlotte in a tournament. Her response after? She kisses Ichika full-on and claims that she is now his bride. Bold, stupid, but pretty funny as well. Laura also has some moments where she doesn't know how to be a girl and asks for help from her crew (showing that even the strongest of characters need help from the people around them). Chifuyu in a different yet similar sense is more of a parent figure to Ichika. Her intentions are to protect and bring out the best in him, even if it means a few books slaps to the head. I enjoyed these two in the series. Finally, my top two favorite characters of the series. Tatenashi Sarashiki and Charlotte Dunois Both 10/10 I know, I know, pretty controversial to say something like that. These two, in my own opinion, really brought out the best in all the characters they interacted with. Sure, there are definitely some goofy moments that taint their ideals, but that is to be expected with most if not all anime. Tatenashi was bubbly and bursting with energy, while Charlotte was actually not an airhead for most of the series. She held her own, had some nice conversations with Ichika, and, I guess, smarter than most other characters. I'm pretty sure that without these two, this anime would be a dumpster fire sitting at a 5.00 on MMA. ENJOYMENT 7/10 Look, this anime has some bright spots. As someone familiar to the ecchi kingdom, this was more pleasant than some of the other unfortunate animes I have watched in the past (I'm looking at you Kanokon). All joking aside, this was a nice nostalgia trip for me since I had already watched the first season when I was younger. It does have a lot of weird and questionable moments, but also some heartwarming ones with a touch of passion that the writers snuck in…

tl;dr: A sequel season to IS that has less in terms of lighthearted moment but a more substantial story. This season was quite a bit different from the first season I thought, and to sum it up I would say that it was messier and less cohesive, but more interesting. The reason for that is it felt like in addition to the standard lighthearted antics that made up the first season, there was a second story with substance going on in the background that would sometimes show up. The lighthearted aspect I think was a bit weaker than the previous season, in that there was a lot less of it, especially focused on the already introduced heroines. What was there was still good however. Ichika being super dense was originally somewhat annoying but it was actually kind of growing on me, and him being a sis-con at the center of everything was super amusing. In regards to the actual content, Ichika's birthday probably being the best lighthearted event in the series and the adventures of Laura and Charlotte also being quite fun, but it felt somewhat lacking after the expectations set with the first season. In terms of new characters, Tatenashi's introduction was pretty weak. Kanzashi's though was probably the best so far other than maybe Charlotte having a pretty well-developed arc. Still, it wasn't them that took away time from what most people expected from IS. Rather it was the story involving Phantom Task. This story was much more intense than anything else in the show, this season or previous, with a much stronger sense of danger. This was especially apparent in that the transitions to this were quite abrupt, appearing out of nowhere and cutting off whatever was happening on the more lighthearted side. As for the story itself, I thought it was reasonably solid so far and felt that something like it, some sort of overarching serious story line, was definitely needed to keep IS interesting. The villains seemed interesting enough and it seemed there was a lot happening behinds the scenes. However, because it is so intermixed with the lighthearted content, it really doesn't go all that far. It feels like we got a third of an arc, and nothing has been resolved at all. The ending had a pretty amazing battle, but the last episode was incredibly rushed, and ultimately ended in a way that had no impact, feeling like the ending to any other episode. So ultimately, I really liked the direction they were going in, but it didn't quite get there. The art and animation were about as good as the previous season. The IS segments may have been improved somewhat, but not majorly, with the CGI still only being decent even though the action itself was pretty great. The soundtrack was decent and had one noticeably memorable track. The OP was pretty solid. I really liked the ED, both in terms of audio and in terms of the concept behind the changing visual.

Hi I wanna start off this review by saying a lot of people take this anime too seriously, If your looking for a serious anime with good characters, art, and sound, then this anime is not for you. But if your looking for an anime with hot girls and a dumb protagonist that you can shout at for every dumb mistake after dumb mistake he makes then welcome to the club. I am not writing an essay so I will make this quick. Characters - 2/10, super bad there is little to no back story besides a few flashbacks and explanations. Sound -5/10, about average nothing that stands out from any other anime. Art -5/10, also average though the scenes with the girls are good Story -3/10, It is a horrible mess as he just has encounter after encounter with the girls usually ending in him being beaten up. Enjoyment - 8/10, even though most of it was average or bad I still enjoyed the scenes with the girls and 8/10 would be my honest answer, please be aware that I enjoyed it but you may not, it's not for everyone. Overall - 4/10, I enjoyed it quite a bit but since art and sound is average, with characters being bad and story is awful this anime is below average. I did see a few chances where this anime could've gone a good direction but in the end not much changed, more girls joined the gang, new enemies are faced, and if I had to sum up the protagonist in a few words it would be "dumb innocent abuse victim" as the girls beat him up a lot.

Warning possible Spoilers What season 2 certainly tries to do that the first season didn't really do was a story and even though it wasn't amazing it definitely gave us something interesting about Ichika's family history. The story continues with Ichika Orimura and the IS girls as they carry on fighting over Ichika however with the introduction of new female characters and the appearance of Phantom Task the situation is about to change. Now I will give the second season credit for trying to create a story and honestly it wasn't too bad because we get to learn a little more about Ichika's past and what one of the members of Phantom Task has to do with him which does cause some revelations to happen. We also get to see the girls relationship develop more despite their obsession with Ichika they can actually get along until more competition arrives, we even learn more about the IS units and how vital they can be as tools or weapons. The characters do develop a little more this season although most of the characters pretty much remain the same. Ichika is still the usual dense protagonist that he is and pretty much ends up in the same predicament as the first series where he gets injured and sees the mind of the IS unit before defeating the bad guy again. Houki, Lin and Cecillia are pretty much unchanged as they continue to bicker and whine as always although Cecillia does have a few moments that make her a little likeable. Laura and Charlotte actually become much closer as friends this series and they both seem very adorable especially when their either dressed up in cat suits or beating up some bad guys in an attempted robbery. However there is a few new additions to the group and they are Tatenashi and Kanzashi who are both sisters, but very different people Tatenashi is very energetic and is very flirty with Ichika not really giving a damn about the other female characters, but she is technically what this group needed which was more hyperactivity than Tsunderes, Kanzashi is a very shy person mainly avoiding her classmates and focusing on building her IS and because her IS was set back in development because of Ichika's IS she hates him at first until Ichika changes her view of him. There is even a few villainesses since Ichika is the only guy to pilot an IS, these women that are part of Phantom Task can be quite ruthless in their methods which includes bombing the Academy and even planting a bomb on a train, we don't really know why they are doing so hopefully we'll know at some point in the future. The artstyle pretty much was on par with the first season other than some new interesting looking IS units there isn't really much else other than the group going to a water park and a monastery, the monastery and it's surrounding's did look pretty good though. The action was definitely improved this season as we get to see Ichika and the girls fighting real opponents this season rather than robots that have been hacked and the battles did feel more hectic since the weaponry the Phantom Task brought to the table were damn destructive. There were some funny comedic moments especially whenever Tatenashi was on screen who I felt was created for this specific reason since the comedy in season 1 was lacking in some areas since there wasn't really a character that had a comedic personality. The fanservice definitely increased this season as there was an entire episode dedicated to it and that was the surprise show that the girls put on for Ichika where they put on sexy outfits and played games with him or gave him something to eat or drink, but I will admit all of the girls did look good during this episode so even the girls I didn't like did well when it came to looks. Overall this was either slightly better or on par with season 1 it was pretty difficult to tell, but for a sequel it wasn't too bad and it remained entertaining for me.

Ok, before anyone reads this review I just want to say this: I don't think any better of this show than anyone else who wrote a review about this anime, but I simply have a different way of rating it. The existence of the show and the things being shown actually being comprehensible make it worth a rating of 5, together with the fact that I don't really feel sorry for watching this. On to the real review. If you enjoy criticizing people, or anime, or both (like I do), I highly recommend this anime to you. Thinking of everything the protagonists could have done in a less stupid way may actually make you feel better about yourself. Because they suck. For example, what do you do when a group of mad girls finds you while you're talking to another girl? Of course, you pick her up and run! While looking the wrong way of course, so you can bump into yet another girl. IS2 consists of 2 repetitive scenes, the ecchi scenes (AKA Ichika seems brainless scenes) and the battle scenes (AKA Ichika seems brainless scenes). In the first mentioned, Ichika is talking to a girl who ends up blushing, and he either says something stupid, or the other girls show up. The result: They're mad, he doesn't understand, not even if their reason is legit. I do think the characters have their defining features, but when they need to decide on something it's shown that the not-fighting scenes are nothing but a vessel for the fan service. There always is some dumb mistake/decision from one of the parties, which always results in some embarrassment, escaping, which leads to more of the same. Typical fan-service only scenarios. For the fighting scenes, I'll explain some basic rules of the series which will probably make my point clear. They fly around. They scream. It usually ends with Ichika pushing the enemy with the flat side of his sword, to... push them. I guess he doesn't know swords work better when swinging them. Not introduced fighters are weaker than anybody else. Ichika is shown to be very weak in training, but everyone depends on him. And by the way, if all girls need to be together around Ichika, they can teleport. Or something like that. I don't know. About the story: It does exist. There is a storyline, and one of the baddies has some vague motive for being angry. The problem is, everything is too far-fetched. When you want to kill someone, you don't shoot them once and believe they are dead. If you find out there's a bomb on a train, a timer doesn't pop up automatically at exactly 30 minutes, which is the exact remaining time until detonation. When you die, you don't dream about being strangled by your sister. Anime doesn't have to be possible, but this was too much. Too bad these are exactly the things IS2 tries to link their story together. So, my conclusion. The series do have some fun theories in them, and sometimes you might find something to laugh about. You do need to be able to find entertainment in tiny details, in comparing stupid people to yourself, or in watching things even you could do better. If you can't do these things, stay away from this show.

Alright, I'm going to try to give this the most fair review I can. I've noticed a lot of people have been very negative about this series, and that's OK. What I have to say is a little different though. Some anime series are to provoke though, some are here for multitudes of other reasons. This season of Infinite Stratos DID lack in plot development, BUT it did what it was supposed to do. It was very entertaining. This is one of those anime series that is here for the soul purpose to entertain you and I'd say it did a good job at its purpose. It lacked in story development, the art was really good though. The soundtrack was not extensive, but what it did have sounded really really good. The character development could have been done better, but I grew attached to the characters quite easily. This series was enjoyable to me. Over all...Im going to give this a 7/10.

This was a complete mess. -------------------- STORY: 1 ART: 6 SOUND: 5 CHARACTER: 5 ENJOYMENT 2 (9; read below) OVERALL: 5 -------------------- Lack of a good plot, no motives for character development, and hell, I'd even say they're trying to extract every single thing they can from a overused and dried up lake. But if you're watching this at 2 in the morning, expect laughs, because the only thing you'll understand is how deliciously stupid this anime is. But I digress, let me explain. I usually don't hate on the ecchi anime, because they usually serve their purpose, but when they go ahead as to destroy the little plot they can serve, it becomes bad. Really bad. STORY 1/10 Coming from the light novel, this arc should have brought resolution to the story. Instead, what the anime does is leave it half done, in such a way that they're hinting at a S3 that will never happen. The execution was so bad, it seemed like it was pushed off to the side, and they instead focused on ecchi and the repetitiveness of the competitiveness of the harem. This action, comedy, mecha, sci-fi anime turned into a slice of life sci-fi with a bit of mecha in it. I've never seen such a thing happen. Disgusting. This is honestly a new low; the execution/plot ratio is so low, it's lower than Guilty Crown. CG: Good. Not the best; not the worst. Pretty cool mecha designs; action scenes not bad. That's about it. 3/5 Sound: Nothing too special. Only noticeable was the redone main theme from S1. 1/2 Character: No Development; new characters only brought plot, so they could have something to work with. As a plot device, not bad. 1/2 Enjoyment: I watched this at midnight till 2 ish. I found this hilarious, just because of how stupid some scenes were. If I were you, watch this when you're tired. You'll get 10 times the enjoyment you usually would. 9/10 for me, realistically, I have no idea why I watched this, so 1/5. Overall: Please focus on the plot instead of Plot. Using Plot as a plot device does not work. 5/10.

Okay this is coming from someone who enjoyed season one very much and I have to say that this is quite a disappointment for me. Like, I feel I needed a logic handbook of Infinite Stratos because obviously our common sense in earth doesn't apply in this and it's a whole new universe. If you want to enjoy this anime, you need to remove high expectations of good writing. I'm not sure anymore. When did I have such high standards? The art's pretty good and that's the best aspect of the series. I also thought the IS battle scenes were pretty cool, sometimes awesome. But that's it, to me, that's where the anime didn't much fail from. By the way, most of main characters get wind up into really serious battles that are like maybe military-level? But those kids are 15 or 16? Where are their parents? I mean, how about after a battle, and they're exhausted and stuff, shouldn't the school contact their parents? Sure, maybe they don't want them to worry but you know, just in case? I adored the characters very much from the first season as I found out about their stories, most notably Charlotte, she was cool and sweet. I feel bad that these characters were being muddled because they deserve better. How about, one of them sees that Ichika will never change his oblivious because he is so stupid, and they would be like, " I'm better off without him." Oh, and that's one of the problems, Infinite Stratos treats fresh ideas in the anime as quick-rotting matter. You know, like the harem. The glasses sister, you know her, you can see she feels incredibly inferior to her sister, there was some potential for Infinite Stratos to redeem itself but NO! No no no no. It's like the people who made this thought that the fact that they're trying to flesh out the character is not gonna be good and they're going to ruin it. And what do they do? They make that character fall in love with Ichika. Were the things he did seriously enough to make her attached? You can't really distinguish much of the harem since in this season they're all goggle-eyed at Ichika and you don't know them anymore. Like Ichika unknowingly brainwashed them. Yikes! Please, no third season or a follow-up OVA series. There's so many freaking plot holes nooooooo....

A very sad conclusion to an already boring story. The season 2 of Infinite Stratos is surprisingly worse than the first season which is mediocre enough. What made the first season watchable was the funny banter, introduction to the harem and mystery to the whole robots. Even the relationship between Houki and Ichika was pretty good. Season 2 seems devoid of everything I already mentioned and somehow made the plot less interesting. The biggest mistake this season made is making it more fanservice but not even that good fanservice. It seems forced and less funny. I'll say the new girls to the harem, the Sarashiki sisters, are good. They still are not memorable because of how much they put fanservice for the main 5 girls. The villains of the series are also underutilized. They barely get any screen time because Ichiki doing something then a girl suddenly shows up is somehow more important for the series. Truly impressive on how ridiculous this anime can get.

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW I recently watched the first season of 2011´s premier mecha anime “Infinite Stratos” a few months ago, and I got exactly what I wanted out of the show. Sure, the plot is non-existent, the characters are super one-dimensional and the whole setting is just a type of teenage-boy fantasy but sometimes, after watching a lot of heavy action or drama, i need something like this, and i was super excited to dive back into this light-hearted world. Story – 6/10 My god, going back to this story after watching heavy-hitters like “The Tatami Galaxy” and “Macross” really gives your brain whiplash. Everything that i wrote about the first season also applies to the second one. But the one big difference is that this time, the show actually sets up some storylines. Yes, you heard it right, there is actually a story this time around, and it mostly thematizes the Orimura family. We finally have villains in this show, instead of random encounters with remote controlled mechs that merely serve as little disruptions from the rom-com sections of the story. And although they didn´t show any type of motivation (at least so far, but we are already two seasons into the story!) it gave the show at least a tiny bit of a direction. Other than that, this is just your typical ecchi, rom-com. The show definitely shows it´s age here a little bit, but the sections are still a ton of fun if you are able to ignore your suspension of disbelief. Even though there is some action here, this is mostly a fun, light-hearted, highschool show with a little sci-fi twist. Art – 8/10 This season follows up the already fantastic looking first one and continues to surprise me with it´s technical quality. Like i said, this show came out in 2011, a time where these kinds of shows definitely not receive the same amount of budget as today. Infinite Stratos does still look good. Great characters models, super expressive and fluidly animated. The fights in this season are also a joy to look at. Although the final fight did not have the same amount of emotional weight as the one in season one, it looked great from a technical standpoint. Super solid stuff overall. Sound – 6/10 The first season has one of the coolest OP/ED combos I have heard in a long time, so the second season had some big shoes to fill in. The new combo is still pretty good, but not outstanding. The sound design is pretty crisps. The variety in weapons of our characters mechs in combination with the sound design makes it so that you can tell apart the different machines just from their sound, which i thought was pretty damn cool. But overall, the BGM is nothing special. Characters – 6/10 Man, they really went a bit overboard this time around. The show just keeps introducing new characters all the time. We have 5 new characters that play an important part in the storyline who get introduced very fast. The villains are mostly comical. I could not really take them seriously (Like, where do they even have the resources for their insane technical equipment?). The only one that has at least a little bit of mystique around her persona is the third member of the Orimura family. But even that storyline, which should have been the main focus of this season, if you ask me, is severely underdeveloped. Ichika gets a little bit better this time around, but he still makes stupid decisions left and right. The only character who I thought was done really well this season was Sarashiki Tatenashi, who actually gets a little mini-arc all to herself. She has quickly become my favourite female character in the show (Which is hard, cause there is just one male character in the whole story). Enjoyment – 7/10 This is the last anime season of Infinite Stratos. We will probably never get a season three after this many years. I am glad i watched this show, because i just love these kinds of stories where you just 100% know what you are getting, and Infinite Stratos has delivered exactly what i wanted. Every ecchi or rom-com fan should check this one out, even if you don´t like mecha as a genre. Everyone else...you know what you are getting into. - Marco_Yooo FINAL SCORE - 6/10

I have never wanted a main character to be killed more than this idiot. I was really hoping that they would put an end to him. I have seen people with mental disorders that are more aware of things than this character. No one can be that stupid in regards to the opposite sex and also be completely useless in the development of the story than Ichika. So they have these suits of battel armor, that they treat as toys, there is no development on why we have them or what they are used for outside of playing around at school. So he is the only male that can work one, but he is pathetic at it and sucks in battle. Why does this genre always have to have stupid males that accomplish nothing and don't even know that they are the only piece of meat in the whole story line.

infinite stratos which is second season of anime wasn't that good but still there one good character which is new character being introduced in second season who she is mainly best girls out of others in this throughout of this series that will help main handsome protagonist. The one of the worst moment where this one of Kanzashi who she big fan of being otaku but one of ruining is that she slapped main handsome protagonist face it was kind of sucks and one of cringe moment I have seen where kanzashi think there is no hero which is one of main handsome protagionst saved her alive there is one of dumb filler episodes focused on Charlotte losing her panties it was one of worst fanseverice ever but I wish that a villain that was introduced tries to kill tsundere teacher that it might happen in cliff-hanger of season 2 there is no unexplained reasons could be backstory or something? overall thought this second season it was just awful and cringe moment that I was binging on last year.

The second season of the most forgettable work of my life. If I had to summarize IS: Infinite Stratos 2 in a single word, it would probably be: forgettable. The first season hadn't impressed me much either, but at least there was still the curiosity to explore that universe of mechas piloted by girls and understand the dynamics of the enormous harem that revolves around the protagonist. When I got to the second season, however, the feeling was of watching something that simply exists, without managing to leave a real mark on my memory. Curiously, I consider this season a little better than the previous one, but not because the story evolves significantly or because the characters receive deeper development. In fact, the main reason for this improvement is precisely the element that the franchise knows best how to exploit: ecchi. The anime continues to invest heavily in embarrassing situations, romantic misunderstandings, and scenes clearly aimed at fanservice. And, to be honest, this ends up being the part that works best. The ecchi is well-produced, the character designs remain appealing, and the direction clearly knows what the main attraction of the work is. At various points, it seems the producers understood that the audience was much more interested in this than in the main plot. Because, when we talk about the narrative, the situation remains complicated. The story is extremely simple and predictable. The conflicts rarely generate any emotional involvement, and the events seem to serve only as an excuse to connect one fanservice scene to the next. Furthermore, the constant presence of mecha elements has never managed to win me over. It's always been a genre I have difficulty connecting with, and Infinite Stratos didn't do much to change that perception. Visually, the anime is merely competent. The animation fulfills its role most of the time, but rarely impresses. There are some well-executed action moments, and certain scenes receive more attention, but nothing that truly stands out within the genre. Curiously, the moments that seem to receive the most care are precisely those focused on fanservice and the interactions between the characters. And perhaps that explains why I remember so little of the work. When I think of Infinite Stratos 2, I don't recall grand battles, narrative twists, or exciting moments. What remains in my memory are specific scenes involving certain characters, mainly Tatenashi Sarashiki, who ended up being the only truly memorable character for me. It's curious to realize that, after so many episodes, what stuck with me wasn't the story, but only a few isolated scenes. This doesn't make the anime terrible. There are much worse works out there. The problem is that it seems incapable of building its own identity beyond fanservice. When an entire season ends and you can barely remember the main events, something clearly didn't work. In the end, IS: Infinite Stratos 2 improves slightly compared to the first season, but continues to suffer from the same fundamental problems. It's a simple, generic, predictable work that will hardly remain in the memory of most viewers. Its greatest merit is knowing how to deliver what its audience is looking for, but beyond that, there's very little to stand out. Therefore, despite the slightly higher rating, my recommendation remains practically nonexistent. Rating: 5/10. =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== A segunda temporada da obra mais esquecível da minha vida. Se eu tivesse que resumir IS: Infinite Stratos 2 em uma única palavra, provavelmente seria: esquecível. A primeira temporada já não havia me impressionado muito, mas pelo menos ainda existia a curiosidade de conhecer aquele universo de mechas pilotados por garotas e entender a dinâmica do enorme harém que gira em torno do protagonista. Quando cheguei à segunda temporada, porém, a sensação foi de estar assistindo algo que simplesmente existe, sem conseguir deixar uma marca real na memória. Curiosamente, considero essa temporada um pouco melhor que a anterior, mas não porque a história evolui de forma significativa ou porque os personagens recebem um desenvolvimento mais profundo. Na verdade, o principal motivo para essa melhora é justamente o elemento que a franquia mais sabe explorar: o ecchi. O anime continua investindo pesado em situações constrangedoras, mal-entendidos românticos e cenas claramente voltadas para o fanservice. E, sendo sincero, essa acaba sendo a parte que mais funciona. O ecchi é bem produzido, os designs das personagens continuam atraentes e a direção claramente sabe qual é o principal atrativo da obra. Em vários momentos parece que os produtores entenderam que o público estava muito mais interessado nisso do que na trama principal. Porque, quando falamos da narrativa, a situação continua complicada. A história segue extremamente simples e previsível. Os conflitos raramente geram qualquer envolvimento emocional e os acontecimentos parecem servir apenas como desculpa para conectar uma cena de fanservice à próxima. Além disso, a presença constante dos elementos de mecha nunca conseguiu me conquistar. Sempre foi um gênero com o qual tenho dificuldade de me conectar, e Infinite Stratos não fez muito para mudar essa percepção. Visualmente, o anime é apenas competente. A animação cumpre seu papel durante a maior parte do tempo, mas raramente impressiona. Existem alguns momentos de ação bem executados e certas cenas recebem mais atenção, mas nada que realmente se destaque dentro do gênero. Curiosamente, os momentos que parecem receber mais cuidado são justamente aqueles focados no fanservice e nas interações entre as personagens. E talvez isso explique por que lembro tão pouco da obra. Quando penso em Infinite Stratos 2, não me recordo de grandes batalhas, reviravoltas narrativas ou momentos emocionantes. O que permanece na memória são cenas específicas envolvendo algumas personagens, principalmente Tatenashi Sarashiki, que acabou sendo a única personagem realmente memorável para mim. É curioso perceber que, após tantos episódios, o que ficou marcado não foi a história, mas apenas algumas cenas isoladas. Isso não faz do anime algo terrível. Existem obras muito piores por aí. O problema é que ele parece incapaz de construir uma identidade própria além do fanservice. Quando uma temporada inteira termina e você mal consegue lembrar dos acontecimentos principais, algo claramente não funcionou. No final, IS: Infinite Stratos 2 melhora ligeiramente em relação à primeira temporada, mas continua sofrendo dos mesmos problemas fundamentais. É uma obra simples, genérica, previsível e que dificilmente permanecerá na memória da maioria dos espectadores. Seu maior mérito é saber entregar aquilo que seu público procura, mas fora disso existe muito pouco para se destacar. Por isso, apesar da nota um pouco maior, minha recomendação continua praticamente inexistente. Nota: 5/10.

This season is rather disappointing. To be specific, it disappoints in certain aspects but not everything. This story continues from season one but feels extremely dumbed down. The entire season feels like filler for season one, which isn't entirely a bad thing but also is. This season focuses on the harem aspect of this anime, with the occasional fight thrown in the mix from time to time. I'm a guy who enjoys the harem and ecchi genres, but there is always a time and place for everything, and this anime doesn't understand that. This anime was supposed to be serious than sexy, but this season just reverses that. Things pick up near the end however but end up feeling like a setup for a third season. The characters remain the same as in the first season, but there is no development for these characters. The only ones who get actual developments are the ones who are introduced in this season, which is unfortunate. A bit disappointing, but that's just what this season is. The animation is of good quality. with some smooth and fluent animation here and there, but this unfortunately isn't enough to save this season. At least the ecchi scenes look good though. Overall, a very disappointing second season to what could have been. I did enjoy some parts of this season, mainly the harem ecchi parts (guilty as charged), but the entire season was a letdown. With the way this season was set up, I ended up really wanting a third season to fix all this. This season is still worth a watch if you liked season one of IS.