Reviews for IS: Infinite Stratos 2 (4.91)

Disclosure: My personal focus in giving reviews is always on the writing.Basics Modern warfare in this world is carried out by personal, individualized mech-suits called IS that can only be used by women - except for the male MC, of course - and the use of which gets taught in high school already. Sigh.No concrete explanations of institutional structures or dynamics of this universe are ever introduced beyond the vaguest of terms. Sigh.The story (both seasons) consists of eternally superficial high-jinks between male MC and his female harem interspersed with arbitrary, unexplained, and purely melodramatic action against throw-away, meaningless antagonists. Extra-deep sigh.A Closer LookThis series (S1 and 2) does actually spend a surprising amount of screen time just setting out its main characters and letting them breath a bit in everyday interactions. The characters have very little depth to them and are given virtually no development throughout. But the general impression for most main characters - from the combined effects of their designs, animation, voice acting, etc. - is quite pleasant and even entertaining. At least, until they are force-fed into the wrangler of either the harem "comedy" device or the "action" subplot. Houki Shinonono, the original childhood friend / samurai girl is fine. Standouts are Charles Dunoa - the sweet, genuine, down-to-earth French Girl, and Laura Bodewig - the German military loli. The English ojousama Cecilia Alcott is a bit too shrill for my taste, but can be entertaining too. The only real cipher in the original cast is Rin, the Chinese girl, who is bland in every dimension and adds nothing at all to the harem. These characters, flat as they are, are the most enjoyable parts of this series.Season 2, unfortunately, does heavy damage to those elements by introducing a new girl out of nowhere who is infinitely better at everything than the main harem girls, effortlessly shuts out, or shuts down the old harem whenever she appears and completely monopolizes the MC's time. In Tenchi Muyo terms, she is Noike-syndrome to the max. What makes her actually worse than Noike, though, is that the MC is practically made complicit in her shutting out of the original harem. Previously, the MC had been established as simply clueless in regard to his harem girl's feelings towards him. But with the advent of the new super girl the MC's submissiveness to "older females" - he has "onee-san" syndrome, as well - is played up to such a degree, that in the face of the new girls agressiveness he actually comes across as utterly spineless.Season 2 also felt the need to increase the melodrama quotient from the action subplot substantially, still without providing the antagonists with any better motivation.As a consequence, this season seriously wears out most of the sympathy, or enjoyment the first season may have generated, even though production values, in general, remain the same.Recommended only for completist fans of the first season with a masochistic streak.