First Impressions / Infinite Stratos

「ファインド・アウト・マイ・マインド」 (Faindo Auto Mai Maindo)
“Find Out My Mind”

I’m starting to think that Ichika doesn’t get enough credit, simply because he’s oblivious to the idea that cute girls actually like him. If we’re talking about sticking up for what he believes in, then the inter-class two-versus-two IS tournament was a prime example of some of his redeeming traits. Not only did he not back down to Laura and challenge her head-on, he and Charlotte also came with a game plan to get past her seemingly impenetrable AIC system. I loved how their tandem attacks stuck it to Laura and her arrogance, though I admittedly felt bad for Houki who was deemed easy pickings and taken out quickly to make it a two-on-one situation.

I honestly couldn’t say the same about Laura herself, even in light of her genetically-enhanced super soldier backstory. While it showed how she had fallen in status due to the nanomachine implants in her left eye and was subsequently “saved” by Chifuyu’s teachings, her resentment towards Ichika still comes off heavily misguided. I find it hard to sympathize with her, seeing as she misinterpreted how Chifuyu’s strength comes from wanting to protect her little brother as a source of weakness. Maybe Laura would think otherwise if she knew the two of them were abandoned by their parents, but even then, it seems like she had her an image of Chifuyu that she couldn’t bear being warped by any traces of kindness. If I were to give her the benefit of the doubt, then it would be how becoming the strongest soldier is all she’s known, and how that probably affected her perception of Chifuyu as her savior.

Plot-wise, the introduction of the Valkyrie Trace System spun the series in an interesting way, in that it finally looked like the story would shift towards a more serious tone. However, that impression quickly dwindled part way through when Chifuyu let Ichika handle Laura’s transformed IS instead of the teachers, making light of how dangerous the VT System supposedly is. It worked in terms of showing Chifuyu’s faith in him, yet came off rather questionable considering how Ichika only had part of his Byakushiki operable and could just have easily been killed. Likewise during the aftermath, when Chifuyu let Laura off easy and simply encouraged her to be herself.

Lately, it feels like Charlotte’s been separating herself from the pack, and the way she gave her IS’ remaining energy to Ichika followed up by that smooth finger point had me thinking that no one would even come close anymore. It came off as a promise between lovers, which the sight of Charlotte pressing her breasts up against Ichika’s back in the bath went on to reiterate. In comparison, I can’t help but feel bad for Houki who’s been in love with Ichika for years now and gets snubbed further when he promises to go out (shopping) with her. At least she knew better about getting her hopes up. It felt so warranted for Houki to hit him this time, having put up with his failure to notice her feelings even after she’s made them obvious. I’m fine with seeing Ichika get smacked around from time to time, provided that he really deserved it like he did here.

Continuing on the above, I’m surprised Charlotte revealed her true gender already, as it had me thinking she’s going to start winning over Ichika in public as well. Granted, that thought changed pretty quickly when Laura went on the offense to make Ichika her bitch wife. It seems like the tough ones always fall the hardest, but even Cecilia hasn’t stuck her tongue down Ichika’s throat like Laura seemed to be doing. The two of them may have had a nice moment when Ichika pulled her from the Valkyrie Trace System, but this sudden turnaround seems completely out of character. In any case, at least Laura knows what she wants and is willing to take it by force if need be. It’s just too bad Rin doesn’t have quite the same assertiveness to go with her brash side, since I got a pretty good laugh from her barging into the classroom in her IS. Someone should probably tell her that killing Ichika isn’t going to get her anywhere quick relationship-wise.

It sounds like we’re in store for the obligatory beach episode next time, which the preview doesn’t even throw us a bone on. I did see a volleyball net though, as well as Laura baring it all. I managed to put together a full-length shot of the latter without all the text too.

* Anyone else think “Revolving Stake!” when Charlotte took it to Laura with her shield pierce?

 

ED5 Sequence

ED5: 「SUPER∞STREAM」 by 日笠陽子, ゆかな, 下田麻美, 花澤香菜, 井上麻里奈 (Hikasa Youko, Yukana, Shimoda Asami, Hanazawa Kana, Inoue Marina)
Watch the 5th ED!: Download, Streaming ▼

The only downside of the full cast version of SUPER STREAM is that we never got to hear an Inoue Marina version where she sings most of the song solo. Instead, this is more a group version since Laura is the last heroine.

Preview

160 Comments

    1. yep harem all the way… Also we know in anime these days we/creator/producing company are obligated to bikini episode, thats a given, but i cant see why its still a trend. U know how if things get over redundant it usually dies out. Yet it still keeps going and going… too bad this is the only mecha anime this season other wise this would drop from my list

      paiser
      Reply

      1. I shoulda saw that coming. Usually people that hate each other, hate each other so much that they can’t get the other one of their mind. Eventually, “what-if” scenarios manifest in their heads and they begin to secretly like that said person. In this case however, Laura makes it well known that she’s in love with Ichika. ♥

        Shirt
        Reply

      2. Kuudere is probably a better description than tsundere, and I think that’s what keeps Laura from coming across as a redundant haremette in Ichika’s harem. He’s now got 2 tsunderes, 1 ojou-dere (yea, I don’t think Cecilia really fits the tsundere characterization), 1 deredere, and 1 kuudere. And there’s still one more girl yet to join the harem, LOL.

        Lee
        Reply

      2. Well they usually do the beach episode after all the harem characters have been introduced, right? So I’m thinking that’s it. There isn’t much space for another girl in the ED anyways 😛

        dxb_blackwolf
        Reply

      1. This time it wasn’t even by accident that he got to enjoy seeing her naked as it was quite intentional on her side.
        One thing is sure, there are two girls that Ichika will never mistake for just another buddy.

        znail
        Reply

  5. Curses! Now Charlotte is going to be pushed out of the picture, and all the focus will be on Laura!!!! I WANT MY ADORABLE FRENCH CROSSDRESSER!!!!!!

    Well…I guess it’s time for me to write a doujinshi…

    Pieprsn
    Reply

    2. You don’t have to worry about that, because next episode I’m very sure that Laura will become the viewers favorite which might include you and me.We just have to wait for a scene or two exploring how cute Laura can be and viola! Everyone here have forgotten every other girl in the series and will be favoring Laura. Harem ~ 🙂

      Ghostalker
      Reply

      1. The action is amazing, but you gotta admit that sometimes the animation quality is kind of… -facepalm- status 😛 Everything will be going so great, and then suddenly previously destroyed weapons will reappear in the next scene =X

        Click
        Reply

    2. Be honest. It’s a sci-fi high school romantic comedy, where the setting consists of ONE guy in a school full of girls. Were you really expecting something other than a full-blown harem series?

      Shiden
      Reply

    3. Well this series spare me of my mecha starvation, after all we don’t have a Gundam or Macross series. Super Robot Wars is not my cup of tea, so IS is the only mecha series for me right now (I’m not counting Gundam UC and Break Blade, they are OVAs), so far the animation and action is decent, at least giving me a Macross vibe with their style of animation, and also you couldn’t discounted the Harem part, it is a harem done right for me.

      Ghostalker
      Reply

  7. Frame 18 is kinda…suggestive. And Houki FTW C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!

    And boy that Valkyrie Trace System packs a wallop. I remember when Sauron used to bash groups of infantry in the LOTR game. But this is very interesting. Laura is different from the other girls in that lucky bastard’s harem. Maybe because she’s a straight-to-the-point person.

    If you ask me, AIC is a cheap trick.

    Razgriz
    Reply

    1. Not too surprising…don’t Amazons (strong women, lol) have some code that if a man manages to defeat them, then they are to be married as the “strongest pair”? (At least with Ranma 1/2, that’s how it went XD)

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  10. Awesome episode!!!! The fighting was cool but the machine taking over Laura was sort of weird. Anyways, what I got from this episode is that Laura is taking the lead and I’m rooting for her. She’s my favorite along with second being Charlotte. I don’t know, Laura’s just different from the other girls and she’s probably the coolest out of them all. Hopefully she’ll show up a lot more and judging from the previews, she’s aiming for the gold.

    Zangkin
    Reply

  12. Houki’s charged fierce kick was incredible. I wish I could cripple my Marketing Rep like that right about now!
    Oh! The pain~!

    Charlotte is definitely on my winlist. I can picture her being the class president or something because she’s so calm and collected. She seems to be hiding some things from the gang though. (Aside from being a spy.) ^^;

    Laura looks like a polished kisser. Lucky Ichika.. 😛

    Shirt
    Reply

    1. Not quite.

      They’re usually someone who really does like that person, but they do sometimes show a much softer side (usually only to that person) and, at other times, tend to hide their feelings under a more “negative” surface (abusing them, usually physically, lol, acting like they don’t care, or something like that).

      Houki is more of the tsundere of the series albeit a much “lighter” one and not nearly as exaggerated as, say, Mio of MM!, lol.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  17. I love this show. ^^

    I only really feel bad for Houki. I hope she gets her personal IS soon. She totally deserves it! I mean, they better include it before the series is over.

    I think the top three contenders for Ichika are Houki, Charlotte, and Laura. Plus they’re also my favorites out of the five girls. ^__^

    Velcro
    Reply

  18. I have mixed feelings about how this played out with Laura. The LN sounds better, based on what I’ve read on Wiki:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    BTW, the explanation for Laura’s “assertiveness” after the tournament:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Lee
    Reply

    1. Yeah, Charlotte is The girl. (imo)

      1.Skilled in multiple weapons, not to mention she’s using an ‘outdated’ IS compared to the others’ OP ones.
      2.Not a tsundere, and she’s honest. <3
      3.Makes awesome remarks.
      4."Ichika no ecchi"
      5.Hanazawa Kana

      K.thx

      RoflCopterOfRoffleness
      Reply

  22. Charlotte better be the end girl, or I will storm Japan. I feel bad for Houki too, and I was rooting for her before Charlotte showed up, but it’s not even close now. Charlotte is the perfect girl for him.

    jz
    Reply

  24. Charlotte pretty much confessed to Ichika. In the nude, in the pool, with her impressive French assets on his back. And previously even allowed Ichika the honor of viewing her rose.

    All Laura did was to kiss Ichika.

    What have the other girls done? Nothing.

    Charlotte wins, followed by Laura.

    Dude
    Reply

  25. Team work always win. Laura should have learn some lessons from that fight. In addition, I think Charlotte and Ichika are better couple considering their team work (well just my opinion).

    Nine
    Reply

  27. I loled so hard at the “be my wife” part, that is some serious gender role swap we have here 🙂
    and Ichika should be the densest male lead of the year… wonders how he is going to look at Charlotte after the bath event…
    Houki’s combo attack to Ichika and her reaction to the kiss was priceless as well… just pure win!
    can’t wait to see how this show delivers its beach episode

    jrj
    Reply

    2. Sometimes i wonder, if Ichika’s got hormones. The guy doesn’t seem to feel anything with all the girls around him. Densest male lead of the year indeed. Sheesh. Girl trapped in a boy’s body much? No wonder he can use an IS. Lol

      RoflCopterOfRoffleness
      Reply

  28. I’m starting to wonder when Ichika will come to terms with the fact that EVERY GIRL IN SCHOOL HAS A CRUSH ON HIM. Except maybe Yamada. A lot of them only because he has a penis and they apparently haven’t seen a creature with one for quite some time.

    I can honestly see very clearly him calling a press conference telling all of them to back off simply so he can get through a week of learning done without any forced and unprovoked romantic/sexual tension. And then watch them all try and fail. Perverted and hilarious antics ensue.

    Da5id
    Reply

  30. I got a little irritated at Ichika thinking that Houki wanted to go shopping with him. I don’t think she could have maked it any clearer for him that she likes him, other than maybe doing the same as Laura, and just kiss him and forcing him to marry her. I’m excited watching how Ichika’s going to react towards Laura after she just kissed him. Or maybe his just to stupid to understand that she likes him too

    Pera
    Reply

    2. Rin: If you like my cooking that much, I could make some more…when we’re mar-

      Ichika: Sure, I love food!

      Houki: GO OUT WITH ME.

      Ichika: She must mean shopping.

      Laura: You are my husband now.

      Ichika: ….shopping?

      Da5id
      Reply

  33. “Anyone else think “Revolving Stake!” when Charlotte took it to Laura with her shield pierce?”

    The only other thing missing from the scene is the chorus from “MAXON.”

    (Isoge! Shoot it in the flame! Yatsu wo uchi tsuranuke
    Kegare no nai sono me de ima
    We can find our way! Bokura wa hashiru
    Asu no yume wo shinjite towa he Max the Power!)

    Now I want to see someone make a mecha musume fanart of Charlotte as the Alt Eisen (or the upgraded Riese). Either that or a MAXON + Infinite Stratos MAD…

    Poor Houki and the lack of character focus on her. If this keeps up and she doesn’t get her personal IS soon, she might go the way of poor Rihocchi (read: Friendzone) relationship-wise…

    And next week…beach episode! (One of the must-have staples of every harem anime!)

    Incognito
    Reply

    2. SRW:OriginalGeneration2 + InfiniteStratos + CosmicBreak = MAD WIN! Think France-tan…

      Charlotte Dunoa
      -red armour
      -chockfull of guns
      -has that one melee weapon (You know that upgrade of revolver stake from the game)

      The Moondogg
      Reply

  34. The show is a completely different beast from what I thought it to be.

    Being mainly a harem anime with some sci-fi robot action elements sprinkled every now and then, I hope that it won’t try to take itself too seriously as the series nears it’s end.

    That aside, I doubt Charlotte will be the end girl, as it’d simply be too obvious. But dammit, they’re just too cute together.

    I was also a little disappointed to see that Laura hasn’t managed to hold out against our Casanova longer.

    Stranger
    Reply

  36. Now the side banners have more meaning for a fan battle.
    Rival fights *applies to Cecilia / Rin and Charlotte / Laura*

    Left team vs Right team

    Ichika (Byakushiki) vs Houki (Personal IS, rivals Byakushiki)

    Cecilia (Blue Tears) vs Rin (Shenlong)

    Charlotte (Rafale Revive Cst II) vs Laura (Schwarzer Regen)

    Chifuyu (herself is enough) vs Yamada (Rafale Revive?)

    Seriously, we can clearly see the winning side

    FlamingYu
    Reply

  40. I find it amusing that the two newest characters are way ahead of the previous 3, despite being introduced later.

    Personally, from a minor spoiler I read about Ichika, he said “shopping” just to avoid giving Houki the idea that they’re an item already.

    paulrenzo
    Reply

  41. Did anyone else notice how inconsistent the end of the battle was? The animators couldn’t seem to remember that Charlotte had destroyed the Schwarzer Regen’s railgun, and it kept appearing and disappearing as she got thrown around. (I’ll post links, but that post will get held up for moderation)

    As for IS design, this episode really highlights how much of a flawed 4th generation prototype Byakushiki is. It uses almost all of its weapon capacity to power a single ability, its only weapon (except for whatever Charlotte can slip him to get around that rule) is a weapon with slightly longer range than the 2nd generation Revolving Stake (and yes, I think the Alt’s stake is so iconic at this point that anyone who knows about SRW will be making that reference), AND the Yukihira Mk.II is cast from hit points unlike the second generation weapon. Of course, the Rafael Revive Custom is somewhat overpowered in its own way, considering the massive loadout that Charlotte has it decked out with.

    Still, who decided that Reiraku Byakuya was worth sacrificing any customization potential at all? Unless it ends up doing something really amazing (unlike what we’ve seen so far where it just seems to make Ichika glow), remove it and give the poor guy some other weapons.

    Shiden
    Reply

  42. * Anyone else think “Revolving Stake!” when Charlotte took it to Laura with her shield pierce?*

    *Raises hands*
    Too bad they censor the bath scene. I would love it if they had some kind of narration for what Ichika was thinking. All I heard was he was staring at Charlotte and Charlotte bringing out her catchphrase ~Ichika no Echii~…

    The Moondogg
    Reply

  43. Charlotte is MVP to be sure… smart, cheerful, no-nonsense and not a drop of tsun to spoil her sweetness… and best partner for Ichika in an IS!
    Though Laura has amazed me with her all-or-nothing megatsun-megadere!
    Getting off a first kiss, first deep kiss, and a “he will be my waifu” confession all at once is just so over the top.
    Poor Houki, its time to abandon USS “Childhood friend”.
    But even she isnt in as dire straits as Ceecilia and Rin, being relegated to the comedic relief status…
    Harem mayhem at its finest…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  45. Although Laura is cool, and Houki was my type straight from the start, I have to totally agree on Charlotte. Something about her just charms me. Might be cause of the stocking-less outfit that gets me riled up like whoever posted last time, but her personality is way ahead of all the other Ichika fangirls right now.

    Order of preferred heroine… Charlotte > Houki = Laura > Cecilia > Rin

    thenewhorde
    Reply

    2. Agree! Regardless of what generation the IS belongs, still, its all about the pilot’s skill … and Charlotte undoubtedly has that. I’m really waiting for her to use her ultimate weapon … the French Kiss :p

      Progeny
      Reply

  48. The last 90 secs of this episode is the EPIC part of the whole episode :3 Been re watching that part for lots of time now :3

    And now, just for lol:

    Laura had stole Ichika first kiss, so who’s gonna pop his cheery first :p LOL :3

    Omega
    Reply

    1. Since she finally introduced herself as a girl, Im pretty sure Shes gonna move out from Ichika’s room, losing a huge advatage as a result. I would have prefered if She continued pretending as a guy, and get more moments with Ichika.

      Alec
      Reply

  51. Charlotte and Laura FTW!
    That battle was awesome, even if the animation was somewhat inconsistent. The teamwork between Charlotte and Ichika was great, although it’s a shame Houki got snubbed so soon. Here’s hoping for a mid-series upgrade!
    As for Laura’s actions in this episode, while often petty and spiteful, remember that being a soldier is all she knows. Human Interaction 101 was most likely not a given course. She sees something that not only threatens to take her idol and saviour away from her, but also reveals what she views as a fault in said saviour (as she doesn’t understand the urge to protect a loved one and the strength that comes from it), so she eliminates it. When the blemish proves to be a strength and that something proves to be her better she disires to obtain it and is as blunt about the whole thing as possible.
    And Ichika being given a shot at awesomenss following Laura’s transformation? Well, since he’s the one who knows her technique the best, he’d be the most effective against her. Although I might just be making excuses for a show I love at this point :P.
    Charlotte = Laura > Houki > > Rin (but only because she’s known Ichika longer than Cecilia) > Cecilia

    Bio D
    Reply

  52. (Crap, browser ate my post)
    And it continues to boggel me how much the school staff allows the students to get away with.
    So far we have destruction of property, hospitalization of students, use of illegal tech, ATTEMPTED MURDER

    Bio D
    Reply

  54. one of the best episode ever!!!!!!! i mean come on ichika, so many cute girls loving you and you don’t realize it!!!!!!WTF man!!!

    btw nice comment on the wife(bitch) part, divine……..

    IS FTW!!!!

    wallaceishere
    Reply

  55. Hearing the full version of Super Stream reminds me that this show has a powerhouse of cast.. They do have unique voices that you could tell who’s character is singing. But now I want to hear a solo for each of them.
    Another thing to note is Hanazawa Kana’s voice impressions.. you don’t even need to put her character on screen. They can just point to some random scenery and you can already tell that the character is very cute. Her voice acting is almost illegal!

    MrRei
    Reply

  56. In terms of favs, Charlotte leads for me, followed by Houki (love it how she immediately followed up with a punch to Ichika’s face so quickly. She probably expected that answer).

    Laura’s development, despite showing her cuter side, comes off as a little forced for me. It feels too fast, and even with Charlotte’s near immediate re-introduction as a girl (which I hope will be explained). Just the day before she was telling Ichika he could call her Charlotte in private and now this?

    Still, the IS action was really good despite a few animation flaw, though it would probably be silly to major on the minor. Beach episode next, with more Laura, presumably. Looks like fun. =)

    Owaranai
    Reply

  57. i think what laura is thinking when she decided to make ichika her “wife” is because, she now believes chifuyu is strong precisely because she has someone important to look after(her brother). Therefore, to be like chifuyu, laura decides to get her own “important person” and thus picks ichika to be her “wife”

    raymond klyne
    Reply

  59. Laura: “Ichika is mai Waifu”…
    Now everything is clear:
    Laura isnt only a Queens Bitch Aldra Clone but also a freakin futanari dominatrix O_O
    Reasons why Ichika will probably end up as Lauras shemalesexslave/wife:
    1) He’s in an all-girl school and didn’t score up till now (forget the smooch)
    2) he was only interested in Charles/charlotte because he thought she was a guy…
    3)He’s already wearing some tight skin battle suit and this episode he promised to wear the female uniform if he loses to Laura…
    4) Laura calls him his bitch (mai waifu)
    5) Nano-genetics and the question “why the fuck can this dude navigate an women-only battle machine”…

    and 6) The show is shortend as IS – InterSexed anyone?

    Ichi-ko for the win! get him some double D or F Cups now!

    Loliknewit
    Reply

  60. I maintain that the problem isn’t Ichika being clueless that every girl in the series likes him, its just that he isn’t into women. The closest he’s gotten to looking at any of the girls as more than a friend was with Charlotte and following my theory it was because he initially thought she was a guy.

    With that in mind it puts the series in a completely different light when you watch it.

    SAScans
    Reply

  64. I want Ran to make a cameo appearance =3

    Charlotte > Ran > Laura > Houki > Rin > Cecilia
    My order that i’d like. Charlotte is just so moe and no tsun whatsoever. Sharing a bath has GOT to improve her chances than a kiss, right? Anyways, next episode is the Beach episode, dubbing thee Infinite Cliches. Ah well, enjoyment level is always high, no matter the plot.

    ~waifu

    Evid3nt
    Reply

  65. Remember how I said last week that I find a little hard to belive that Laura is going to get madly inlove with Ichika? Well forget about all that, I officially have no more doubts. In any case my favorite girls are still Houki and Charlotte, but Laura is surely a tough one. The only ones honest with their feelings are Charlotte and Laura, so Houki has to do something quickly or Charlotte is going to get Ichika´s heart.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  69. Charlotte/Charles was already my favorite girl, but when she busted out that Revolver Stake in the form of a mini Trump Card (Machine Gun Rush replaced Claymores and it’s mini cuz of no heat horn), I cried manly tears, and raised my fist in the air.Charlotte Dunoa, descendant of Excellen Browning and Kyosuke Nanbu, cannot unsee lol.

    anishuma
    Reply

  70. I rather like Charlotte and Ichika together. I think she’s at least the most level-headed of the bunch and the one who gets along with Ichika the best. I’d like to hope this won’t turn out so predictable with the IchikaxHouki pairing, but I guess one can’t be too hopeful with these types of anime.

    Gia V.
    Reply

  72. Dx NOOOOOOOOOOOO I feel so bad for houki !! I love Charlotte but Houki and Ichika have to be together *cry* Houki can you please freaking hurry up and show Ichika how u feel !omfg I want them to end up together ! I was rooting for them from the beginning 😀 I know most of yous r Charlotte fans and she’s pretty cool but HoukixIchika ftw 😀

    don’t hate this post it’s my opinion 🙂 thankyou

    IchikaxHouki
    Reply

  73. I just realized that the Alt Eisen is a CHAR machine, it has a horn, is red, and its specialty is frontal attacks… plus the fact that its mainly a heavily customized Gespenst.

    I was waiting so long for Divine to post this episode, because of the Revolver Stake reference :3.

    Suppa Tenko
    Reply

  74. Well as always another excelent EP of IS altohuhg I would have prefered if Charles didnt reveal her gender. Aside formt that the only thing thats left me wondering is whats next?
    ~the only possible thing I see is a new arc involving Houki’s sister which will make Houki, Ichikas main girl again or a new threat probably innvolving chifuyu and her assistant

    rasone0104
    Reply

  76. I was incredibly disappointed that Charlotte revealed that she’s a girl to the whole class right after a very sweet scene telling Ichika to call her Charlotte when they’re alone. It kind of just rendered that bath conversation meaningless, and now she might get the boot from his room too. Now she’ll probably join Houki in the background, which makes me incredibly sad.

    Also I’m pretty sure after all that, Ichika’s still too dumb to realize she likes him too.

    FMeral16
    Reply

  79. shit. Charles should remain Charles. Why’d they have her reveal her gender?!?!?! Now they don’t have an intimate secret that will make love points! (reference: Kami-sama). If the guy doesn’t end up with Charlotte, I’m going to be pissed off

    Tan-Tan
    Reply

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