Infinite Stratos Series (S1) Review

Picture featuring the 5 main female characters.

Basic Information:
Genre:  Romance, Action, Mecha, Harem, School, Comedy
Episodes: 12 Episodes (There is a second season)

Authors Comment: Hai Guyz, so I expected a harem/ecchi anime with a mecha as a side theme, not one of those hardcore gundam anime . It's exactly what I got. In fact how well done the mecha was really impressed me. The mecha suits called IS (Infinite Stratos) are badass designs. Every single IS the main characters own is a unique one, each with their own specialty and advantages. The weapons range from light sabers to high-powered guns, etc, it's pretty epic! Recognize it if it's good, that's what I say. And the fights you don't get hurt either as long as you have your energy shield. Perfect setup for mecha ecchi setting right there.

STORY

The anime has a frivolous plot that doesn't seem to concern the main point of the anime, however, the setting is important. Ichika, your typical dense harem male lead character, is the only male in the world to possess the ability to pilot IS machinese, and is thus, the only male enrolled in the prestigious all-girls school called IS Academy. He feels dense, he feels out of place, it's natural, but girls aren't shy about him. The most important plot points in Infinite Stratos is how Ichika befriended each main girl to add to his harem.This is very important, and you will probably remember it because every time a new girl is introduced, the anime will spend 1~2 episodes introducing them dedicate a course of (sometimes embarassing) events that make them trust and love Ichika. And the girls will sometimes fight IS battles wth one another over what the other wants with Ichika. Mecha fights, kawaii moments, fanservice, friendships, and laughs are guaranteed! Just a note that the last 3 episodes are when the plot actually advances, but as I have previously mentioned, the story is definitely not something you should pay a lot of attention to. The anime is more geared toward delivering fanservice to the audience.
Story/Plot: 2/10
Fanservice: 9/10

Characters

Time to talk about characters. The girls are given stereotypical traits/personality represented by the country they're from. This may seem stupid and effortless, but is actually a perfect blend. I found the cliche harem enjoyable and the girls attracted me. Because this counts as those "cliche" harems , I would say that Character Development plays a really minor role and people should disregard it. I like the girls' attitudes, how they love Ichika, and don't want that to change. Ichika is a dense, but a typical character with moderately rational thinking.

Aesthetics
The art was well done. The cute girls, awesome machinery, all are present. The only sad thing to me was that the fights did not happen that often, because I have to admit that the fights were animated really good. It was a feast for my eyes seeing the IS zooming about field, furthermore the fights/attacks were very colorful and enjoyable. 8.5/10

Sound:

I'll be straight with you, this is an all-star cast. All are famous VAs that have also done other famous roles. The voice-acting is simply magnificent! The opening song STRAIGHT JET and ending song SUPER∞STREAM were really cute and good and fits the atmosphere of the series. 9/10