「ブルー・デイズ/レッド・スイッチ」 (Buruu Deizu / Reddo Suicchi)
“Blue Days / Red Switch”

While the previous episode was about Charle’s coming out for the most part, this most recent one has Laura front and center to really mix things up. Her grudge with just about everyone is a welcomed development to help de-emphasize the harem aspect, which seems to have run away with the series lately. As enjoyable as that’s been, she’s definitely balancing things out for the better. It was also a nice setup for Houki, who’s been forced to watch from the sidelines without a personal-use IS as if her sister Tabane has forsaken her. At first, I didn’t think much of the way she was dwelling on her unsightly past when she used kendo to vent her frustration, but it served as a nice twist once Laura reminded her of that and she ended up being her partner in the inter-class tournament.

What took place in between was the “meat and potatoes” though, starting with Laura stirring the (shit) pot with her overpowered Schwarzer Roegen and its seemingly impenetrable Active Inertia Canceller (AIC) defense system. Now I’m always one for the IS action, especially with the new “grabby” transformation sequences that are mecha magical girl worthy, but the trash talk that followed suit was in a league of its own. Girls can be absolutely vicious to one another, yet in anime it’s oddly amusing to me as I watch (safely) from the sidelines. I even learned a new comeback from our feisty Rin. “What was that? All I heard is ‘Please kick my ass.'” Now those are some fightin’ words. Third-generation IS action was good; trash talk made it better. Ichika and Charles also had their moment to shine by joining the fray, as did Chifuyu and her gigantic katana sans an IS.

Admittedly, I’m developing a real soft spot for Rin as the spunky childhood friend with “bite”. Her triple “baka” in one sentence was amazingly cute, which combined with Cecilia’s advances and Charles’ picking up their feelings with ease, reminded me of how fun it is seeing the girls make an effort to get noticed. Japan’s probably one of the few countries where it’s commonplace for girls to confess to guys and not have it perceived as being desperate, so Ichika’s indifference to them all as a potential girlfriend doesn’t bother me the least bit. For now, Charles is the one to watch for now that she’s become the “roommate with benefits”. Common sense left me wondering why Ichika didn’t just offer to change in the bathroom instead of waiting outside, but I’m okay with it since they revealed the mystery behind Charles’ disappearing bust. Having Ichika somehow strip her of her underwear while falling felt pretty dumb, but at least it led to an opportunity that Charles made good on. She’s truly the dark horse from France.

It’s a shame Cecilia and Rin were bumped from the tournament after seeing them work well as a pair, so the only match worth watching is the one up right away. Question is, should we be more concerned about Houki’s predicament or Ichika’s one with Charles in the bath? I still like Houki’s “assertive bashfulness” a lot, so that’s a hard one for me…

 

Preview

115 Comments

  1. THANK YOU. I was watching the scene with Ichika and Charles and just questioning why he didn’t suggest to change in the bathroom. Why is going outside to change seem like a good idea at all? You’d figure that’d just draw more attention if a random student happened to walk by. Everyone in the entire school wants to get into his pants so seeing him change probably would’ve caused a riot.

    And how in the world did fall with her rear sticking in the air like that. If you ask me, I think she was asking for ‘the business.’

    But in any case, I’m rooting for Charles now. If this ends like every other harem anime, which it probably will, he probably won’t end up with anyone. If he did though, I’d want it to be her.

    I can’t wait until the other ‘candidates’ find out her real identity. Houki will probably freak out the most. I don’t she’ll take too kindly to being forced out of the room just so another girl could take her place.

    Baby Choo Choo
    1. I don’t think they intend to intentionally ‘harem end’, just that this is from a light novel source and only the very tip of the ice berg in terms of content. A true end will probably reveal its self if they continue to anime the writer’s work closely.

      Dawn
      1. @Omega: I’m really hoping for a S2. Assuming that the light novel chapter titles correspond roughly to the episodes with the same name, Episode 8’s “Find Out My Mind” marks the completion of the second light novel (out of 6). If they keep up the ~1 chapter/episode, then there’s just about enough for two seasons right now.

        Shiden
    2. I was thinking he should just go to the bathroom too, but then I was reminded of the even closer wall separating their beds. Why he would they would change back to back in the open part of the room rather than behind the screen a few meters away is beyond me. Pretty sure he did that with Houki.

      Yuumei
  2. “Having Ichika somehow strip her of her underwear while falling felt pretty dumb”
    How I interpreted this slideshow worthy of SHAFT, was Ichika was actually trying to help her get out of her pants
    Show Spoiler ▼

    because she somehow got her pants stuck.
    But in the process of doing so, Ichika accidentally took off her underwear as well.

    But.
    Slideshow.
    Anyone’s guess is as good as mine.

    runedot
  3. With the way the Ichika and Charles changing scene was shown, is this show censored?

    That particular incident felt alarmingly similar to say Seikon no Qwaser (the censored broadcast), where the panning shot conveniently goes around her ass then it switched to a few random backdrops and you could only hear the sounds.

    Of course, the previous episode showed a lot of Charles in the shower so it doesn’t quite make sense. Unless it’s some sort of bizarre selective censoring.

    duh
  4. Charlotte is worth having a war fought over. She is the only non-tsundere character in recent memory that made me yearn. Ichika imo, is the densest thing known to human-kind. As for the ep itself, I think the talk and background story is meh. But I’m slightly biased towards Charlotte right now so. 🙂

    Kyzel
  5. Insulting other’s countries and their population? That’s right, she went there.

    But seriously, you couldn’t just use the bathroom Ichika :P? And no matter how beat up you are, I’m pretty sure its impossible for your arm to be as messed up as Rin’s O-O

    But anyways, everything in this episode was pretty great, except for all of the Houki drama. It wasn’t horrendous, but it kind of felt a bit cliche and cheesy I guess. Still though, this doesn’t matter for me since I think that Charlotte creams every bit of the competition. GO CHARLOTTE GO!

    Click
  6. Man, I’d like this show a lot more if they made Ichika seem less of a doormat when he’s not in his IS.

    Maybe some cool lines too, instead of him just going, “oh man, you guys got owned out there….oh well”–in the infirmary-type-reaction.

    In the spoiler is something I wrote for fun if they were going for a dramatic approach in terms of character lines(not sure if this is allowed, if not please delete it, just thought I’d share–haven’t written anything in a long time, so eh, i was bored.)

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Dawn
    1. Can you explain more about the doormat thing? I don’t really get what you mean by Ichika being a doormat. But yeah, he should say something a bit more cool but I’m still fine with it either way because he still did take down the defensive barrier just to save them so that’s still pretty cool and awesome.

      Silver
  7. I have to ask why Laura is still participating in the tournament after PHYSICALLY INJURING CLASSMATES. If I was the faculty I’d give her detention of whatever, she’s clearly a loose canon.

    And like Divine said why Ichika change in the bathroom. Or heck didn’t they have this small curtain block between their beds when he was still rooming with Houki? And why do they have to change clothes AT THE SAME TIME!? Ugh the idiocy here is a little to obvious for me to ignore.

    Well it’s not like I watched this for logic and common sense. *Re-watches French-tan moe moments*

    fragb85
    1. Laura is on “Sempai” love. She would never ever hurt her dear “Instructor/Sempai”. She just thing, that her brother “took” her “Sempai” from her. She is just let her Angry out on him

      Germanguy
  8. Glaring flaws of the Schwarzer Roegen:
    – Anti-Inertia-Field means anything with mass is literally stopped dead in its tracks. Result? Energy weapons (eg: Blue Tear’s stuff) pass clean through and I’m willing to bet that the Schwarzer Roegen can’t attack either.

    – Second problem of the AIF is that if you look closely, she only ever seems to block with it from the front. This problem is emphasized when Ichika attacks her, as he comments “I can’t move” (he’s in a zero inertia bubble) and Charles’ shots from behind her weren’t AIFed.

    – Third problem is the weapon loadout. It’s a heavy railgun (long range, powerful, really slow), those wires (midrange, somewhat fast, almost no direct damage) and the beam blade for melee. In the end though, the unit ends up being mediocre at everything, since the railgun is slow, the wires do nothing if not used with other weapons, and the beam blade seems like more of a backup than anything else. It’s just that these glaring flaws are covered by the AIF.

    As far as I can tell though:
    – Ichika actually has a decent chance, because even though he’s straight melee the Byakku Shiki also has plenty of mobility, allowing him to get around the AIF if he’s careful. Plus, I’m willing to believe that the Barrier Void attack is also technically energy weaponry, potentially bypassing last-ditch AIF use.
    – Charles is mostly SOL because Raphael Revive is entirely shell-based weaponry and it’s not particularly mobile. So, Laura just AIFs and laughs (like she did).
    – Rin is also SOL because she’s entirely loaded out with solid weapons and I doubt the Shenlong is mobile enough.
    – Cecilia should win. Missiles can force AIF use (stops attacks), and her bits and rifle bypass the AIF. Heck, she was pretty much on par until Laura chucked Rin at her.

    Vsin
    1. As for Charlotte, just don’t write her off too soon. Please keep in mind how she had to occupy Laura’s full attention while Ichika is getting away with two other girls. That was not her 100%, it was far from it.
      Yeah, her IS is good old Raphael Revive, or “Rahael Revive Revive” rather, but if you underestimate her(and her baby), she will kick some serious butts.
      Probably she would still lose 1 on 1 against Laura, but we will have a 2 on 2 match next week. Like you pointed out, AIC is some kind of a 1-way shield, so surprise attack from behind could always work. She and Ichika should have a good chance.
      Believe in “the angel from France”!

      U Doh
      1. But you have to think that Laura has two energy filds, the AIF and the IS Shield Barrier, so Charllote attacks can pretty much be ignored to get a most problematic target as long as she have enough energy, like she did with Ichika.

        MercenaryX10A
      2. @Merc^ Don’t overestimate the IS’ basic shield. When that’s depleted, the match is over, and as we saw in the Charles Vs Ichika match, a few shots from the sniper rifle wreaks havoc on the shield gauge.

        Shiden
    2. Well having close range, mid range, and long range means you can pull interesting combinations. Like in S4 League, I usually have a SMG(mid range), Railgun(long-short range), and a Plasma Sword (short range) and that set up us the most popular for the best players because it covers everything. If you only have long range, then the melee people will dominate you when they get close, and if you only have melee, then the long/mid range will dominate you. And if you only have mid range weapons… then you’re not going to be particularly useful.

      Suppa Tenko
    3. you guys, forgotten the Close range Missile attack dont made any Damage on her. The Power output for Lauras Shields, must be Higher then theirs… Or she has much confidences in her Shilds

      Germanguy
  9. the part where byahaku manage to do a speed boost despite having low energy left might foretell something, maybe ichika will unlock the full potential of IS ???

    and once again, Vive le francais !!

    lala
    1. LOL that was epic, the forums part at the end was what made me laugh the most. I think they just wanted Laura to rile people. It worked on me I was viscious lol. She’s pulling the old bully with a bigger stick routine. It’ll feel better when she’s beaten. Chifiyu said it best when she commented she thinks she’s a chosen one already. Just hasn’t had a proper beatdown by a peer yet like Cecilia before.

      Breedo
  10. It’s nice for us, french, to have a french character in a show who is not stereotyped (besides his own music theme) and popular ^^
    BTW the correct sentence is “Vive Charlotte!” (without the “la”) 🙂

    I can’t believe that Ichika’s sister is more concerned about material destruction than an , almost, murder attempted.

    And on top of that she will soon be with the good guys…

    KTNO
  11. couldnt charlotte have dressed in the bathroom?
    I feel like they’re pushing charlotte too much, she might lose her status as a ensemble dark horse if she gets too much screentime.

    I still prefer houki over any of the girls here, she has gotten a bit more development than the others and she isnt always tsun or dere at the main character. I was hoping she was gonna be cool like the she’ll be the one who beats laura or actually wins but since they’re partners, im guessing she might withdraw or attack laura instead to let charlotte and ichika win.

    amado
  12. Thanks to this episode, Charles is now the girl to watch replacing Houki 🙂

    Seriously though, why are the teachers always dead last when the situation call for, that Laura needs some slapping in the face, for a moment I though that the sparring match can be deadly serious and when Chifuyu finally appears I really though she would slap Laura in the face and say “What the hell are you doing?”

  13. I think its pretty dumb how Laura almost DELIBERATELY injured 2 students for no apparent reason than just being a bitch, and gets no backlash from the staff, while Rin and Cecilia cant even participate in the tournament as a result for being the victims.

    YanDaMan
    1. After thinking about it, I find it odd that the students are completely responsible for their own mock battles. There’s a lot of leeway given to the students here. Best guess: the faculty encourage everyone to be badass.

      kylone
    2. Actually I think that she deliberately injured those two because it was pretty darn clear that she’s provoking Ichika when she was looking at him and smirking. She’s freaking scary….

      Silver
  14. Oh I can’t wait for the next episode. Hopefully they won’t make the entire thing speeches between characters and fights like in To Aru Majutsu no Index with Touma always talking before he beats the enemy. As for Laura, I think she’s pretty cool with her black IS and that one gigantic cannon on the side. Though the artillery, rather than being a bullet, I thought it was going to shoot a beam like Code Geass’ hadron cannon or whatever. Also to point out, anyone else notice Charles in a skirt at the ending song?

    Zangkin
  15. Well, Laura shows the difference between combat pilot and schoolgirls, she knows her IS inside and out… I am pretty sure that in the 2 vs 2 fight incoming it will be down to teamwork, and here Ichika nad Charles have edge. Charles is actually very skilled with her IS, even if to force Laura to use her field ability with continued fire.
    And Laura while powerful seems to be lacking the inner strength mentioned by Houki. Power is not something you can point at someone. I was quite disturbed by her choking the girls into unconsciousness…
    Last but not least Chifuyu-nee was absolutely overpowered stopping IS with IS blade without IS itself!

    ewok40k
    1. you know it’s something men do together, like when ichika thought charlotte was a dude and he suggested that they should change together because they’re men or when he said: come on let’s get out of here and grabbed her hand.

      RickyMack
  16. Houki:Do you understand?
    Ichika:What I’ve seen is more than enough for me to understand.
    (Charlotte:[staring at Ichika]Well, when I lectured on range weapon, you said that you thought you had a clue but actually you didn’t. Are you really sure you do this time?)
    [After Ichika gets trapped by AIC]
    (Charlotte:[extending her IS]I knew it. I knew it. I totally knew it. Ichika, darling, you are so predictable…)

    U Doh
  17. At this point: https://randomc.net/image/Infinite%20Stratos/Infinite%20Stratos%20-%2007%20-%2019.jpg

    Rin still had one cannon left, and while being pummeled, Laura didn’t seem too into the AIC. Take the hit, and unload no-charge rapid shots into her face. At a minimum, it forces Laura back to defense, maybe even landing a few hits. And earlier, she should have at least tried to sever those wires with her blade instead of just straining against them.

    Same goes for Cecilia: https://randomc.net/image/Infinite%20Stratos/Infinite%20Stratos%20-%2007%20-%2017.jpg

    She had her bits, probably at least one missile (she fired two at the beginning, then one more from the left, so the right launcher had at least one shot). It might end up being a TKO at that point, but shoot something at her, damn it.

    We’re also getting a pretty clear look at what Chifuyu Orimura-sensei was trashing Cecilia over a couple episodes back. Their combination tactics were horrible to the point that that wasn’t a 2 on 1 fight. Blue Tears is a long-range sniping mech, so what’s Cecilia doing charging in at the beginning? Shenlong is a close-mid mech (though with the insistence on her not doing other than using the Ryuhou, it’s more of a pure mid), so focus on close range attacks using her blade and the Ryuhou’s fast (no-charge) shots to tie Laura down, while Cecilia alternates between her missiles, main gun and all-range attacks for the primary damage dealing. Instead, we got two people individually flailing away.

    All things considered, though, other than the AIC, the Schwarzer Roegen doesn’t seem to be equipped with anything that’s really good. Its main armament, the railgun on the right shoulder, is ammo-limited, slow, and as Charles showed last ep, can be fairly easily deflected by a solid shield. The wires seem to be more useful for stopping an enemy’s movements or throwing them around, and don’t seem to have much attack potential themselves. The blade seems included to make it more well rounded, and is fairly basic as well. Avoid the wires, and there’s very little to worry about.

    Shiden
  18. Schwarzer Roegen (Black Rain, literally) is probably modelled after the Tiger of the WW2, formidable defence (AIC), strong main canon (railgun) and good sights coupled with ace crew. But it can be outmaneuvred by skilled oponent. Wires are probably designed as a way to keep target in the sights of railgun. Sword – and fists! are for any close up work, but stil are quite powerful. It was the fists that finished off girls IS-s.
    Ichika with Charles stand actually a quite good chance because they work well together while Houki and Laura are randomly paired, and moreover very different personalities, with opposite feelings for Ichika. Also, Laura while skilled pilot need to learn not to abuse her power.
    Charles is my fave girl right now, even if only because she isnt a single bit tsundere.
    Looking forward to bath scene!

    ewok40k
    1. That pretty much matches what I was thinking. Without the wires, hitting a mobile target with the railgun is as much luck as skill, while its melee capabilities, though adequate to wreck a non-resisting IS, are still probably inferior to either Byaakushiki or Shenlong. So really, the only thing going for it is the overpowered (for now) AIC.

      Shiden
  19. what i want to know is that why do we only get sound effect of that epic fall of ichika, maybe it will reveal themselves in blue ray? now that i think about it there are quite a few scene with charles doesn’t show it out and only in voice only you guy think maybe they are saving every juicy scene for blue ray?

    lkaze
  20. Charles is making moves!! But I’m okay with that since she’s definitely the cutest one there, Houki coming in second.
    Seriously though, that changing scene made NO SENSE. What the HECK happened? One minute he’s like “don’t scream!” and the next minute he’s got her underwear between his forefinger and thumb! WHAT??

    innerchihiro
  21. http://npshare.de/files/87390e9b/1298120966672.gif
    http://npshare.de/files/ce1ff840/1298122799891.gif
    http://npshare.de/files/82af3feb/1298123541079.gif
    Jawohl, keine Gnade – no mercy! Sadly no pics of Brit beating, she deserved it, no more “all highty mighty” bitching. Fick ja!

    /end of haters gonna hate
    I really wish that they wouldn’t give Laura that kind of attitude, let alone her reasoning – “Remove” Ichika and get Chifuyu back – srsly Japan? Couldn’t your good old Axis friend get some better treatment than badshitinsaneloli? But theres one thing I like about Laura, here black Mecha ears, remind me somehow of Strike Witches (Gertrud, Erika ;___;). <3 https://randomc.net/image/Infinite%20Stratos/Infinite%20Stratos%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2008.jpg DoitsuMechaMimis <3 Das ist ein Bingo!

    Hans Brülow
  22. I love Laura’s IS, those doberman ear type headset thingy is pretty cute and goes well with her Tsuntsun attitude. That combined with my soft spot for eye patches, Laura my fave character so far with Charlotte being a thin layer of sarashi behind. From reading all the spoilers it seems to me that “moderation” isn’t in Laura’s vocabulary.

    Magical mecha-musume transformation made me laugh so hard, I’m not even sure why it was funny to me… Houki being frustrated about not having a personal machine makes me think they she’s really close to getting one.

    Azuma
  23. You are trying to tell me that Laura is going to fall madly in love with Ichika like the others girls?. I find that a little hard to belive considering that right now is all out to not only defeat Ichika, but to take his off and use it as a trophy.

    Well, in the bright side of thigs (if you can call it that) she has demostrated that she´s quite capable of taking out at least have of the competition. You never know, maybe she´ll get “friendly” enough with the rest of Ichika´s harem.

    haseo0408
    1. It’s only to be expected. She may not “fall madly in love with him” (in any obvious way XD), but anime decorum seems to dictate that the “hateful/spiteful” girl in such series will tend to become, at the very least, a partial tsundere after the main character (or someone) somehow changes her view of him little by little, lol.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
  24. It has been a long, long time since I’ve watched a harem show and liked all of the female characters XD
    Our ever so oblivious male lead isn’t too shabby either; at least he is determined to protect the people he cares for, and is striving to become a better IS pilot.
    Harem group aside, Chifuyu-nee is so badass!

    P0NCH
  25. Laura and Houki – the unusual pair for inter-class.

    Laura never shows her true potential yet. Her IS with a Heavy Cannon + Tracking Whips + Anti-Inertia Canceller, she would become a living arsenal if she’s gonna fight seriously in the next episode. And as for Houki, she doesn’t have a Personal Machine yet.

    Seeing Cecilia and Rin beaten mercilessly by Laura, I feel so sorry for those two. Poor Cecilia, she’s STILL my favorite. Then Rin as second.

    lester
  26. The argument between the 3 girls seemed so racist, I don’t think they need to go insulting people’s countries.

    And is it just me, or when they showed Cecilia and Rin gearing up in their IS, it looked like a mahou shoujo transformation scene? xD

    Chocolate
  27. @ Divine
    I think Ichika did not take the panties off Charles. I think Charles was not wearing anything except a pull downed shorts. Charles kicked Ichika, Ichika fell onto Charles’ bed, on Charles’ bed there is the clothes she is supposed to change into, namely the panties which caused a KO kick to Ichika. “The scene just before he picked them up he was lying on Charles’ bed & I don’t see how it is possible for Ichika to remove both shorts and panties from a girl, he does not seem to know his way around such stuff”

    deafvader
  28. This anime is getting really steamy, and hell, i like that:D can’t wait for the next episode, cause the preview left me really, i mean really interested in what’s going to happen. The race for Ichika’s heart seems pretty much decided as of now

    prejsu
  29. oh people…there are two blondes and two brunettes with tails…and a silver hair tsundere with patcheye (that i think will definitely love him in the end)….and a red haired girl that appeared only one time at a restaurant, without all the nameless girls already appeared around him. If a normal guy could have only 10% of his popolarity among girls his name would be John Holmes.

    duk3 fleed
  30. one thing i noticed was that even after knowing charles was a girl, ichika didn’t ask her for her real name, still refers to her as charles. kinda lucky in case he accidentally blurted out charlotte in class and compromised her identity. so far though, i think the series seems a little too focused on france-tan, but i’m not complaining…the triple baka from rin reminded me of nagi sanzenin/rie kugimiya for some reason…

    NexusM78
  31. It was funny, these “Ecchi” scenes. But i hope they dont slide to much into this “Ecchi Garden” thing. And now we get a “Sailor Moon” alike Changing IS Animations.. NO, dont even think of show us the Male Version of this.. But perhaps, the Girl viewers, “could” be pleased.. But NO!! ^_^

    Germanguy
  32. If the Laura-Houki pair is considered ‘sub-boss’ then soon the ‘boss’ will appear?
    Loop back to the mysterious white IS the group is fighting in the opening of episode 1.

    Who will be the IS pilot of that mysterious white IS?
    Chifuyu testing a new (4th gen?) IS for Tabane Shinonono?

    Or its some new third party that leads to a sequel/second half?

    iron2000
      1. The wiki article states Ichika’s and Houki’s personal IS as the only 4th gen IS so maybe the mysterious white IS is something else, drone again then perhaps.

        Akuma drone and Tenshi drone 😛

        Maybe those who read the novel would have the answers already, otherwise its some anime original in order to end the anime.

        iron2000
      1. The drone..
        I forgot about it.

        Could it have something to do with Tabane Shinonono?
        Seeing her in the OP made me think she would have a bigger role in the events.

        Or could it lead back to the kidnappers of Ichika in the past?

        iron2000
  33. Seriously, whenever Ichika is about to be awesome something stupid always puts an end of things immediately. It happened twice this episode, too. Finally, Laura gets taken do- oh wait she has magic plot armor. Ichika’s saved the girls, so it’s time to kick some- wait no his sister stopped everything on foot effortlessly.

    It just seems to be a disappointing trend whenever he fights. We know from his first fight that he can be totally awesome, the plot just seems to love stopping him from doing so.

    DF
  34. doesnt any1 else think ichika has passed levels of human stupidity and become a potato. i mean everything he does feels forced, unnatural not to mention how he can possible not get how other ppl feel about him when there pretty obvious bout it or just saying out loud. as far as male leads go harem or not hes pretty low on the list. an awesome male lead in a harem would have to be ayumu aikawa in kwzd. way better show maybe the best this season(my opinion). the girls in this one r ok but houki still feels predictable as a tsundere so shes boring charles(kana hanazawa should have known) is awesome thou and gotta love yukana as cecilia

    gunners4life

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