(L) Soukou no Strain (Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry)

[zalas]

Since quite a few people have finished watching episode 4...
Here's a video I made a week back:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/memb...o.php?v=133694
(currently only a download link from SendSpace since the anime series is fairly new)
Here's a slightly redone version of the rearrange I did a few posts back:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/hazoes

[NightShade]

How you make AMVs? what programs you use? i would like to make a AMV of this serie also

[Shenlong]

Holy wow it looks like S-Strain is the series that will break me of my mech-phobia after being traumatized by the horribleness of Gundam Seed. This is surprisingly good stuff, I wonder what I have been missing for the past few years..

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Shenlong

Holy wow it looks like S-Strain is the series that will break me of my mech-phobia after being traumatized by the horribleness of Gundam Seed. This is surprisingly good stuff, I wonder what I have been missing for the past few years..

Zegapain, just finish earlier this season. antoher anti-gsd

[Lost]

And I'm glad to hear its gonna be a 13-ep long series. Had great experiences so far with short and sweet series.

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by Lost

And I'm glad to hear its gonna be a 13-ep long series. Had great experiences so far with short and sweet series.

thats true but ill be sad when ill have to say goodbye to this awsome series

[Shenlong]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Zegapain, just finish earlier this season. antoher anti-gsd

Thanks for the recommendation, Sunrise I'll never doubt you again.. until the next time you screw up
This'll be my last off topic post in this thread, what about Code Geass? It looks pretty similar to GSD.. is it any good?

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Shenlong

Thanks for the recommendation, Sunrise I'll never doubt you again.. until the next time you screw up
This'll be my last off topic post in this thread, what about Code Geass? It looks pretty similar to GSD.. is it any good?

code geass is ok, not as dramatic as either strain or zegapain. it is more of a comedy. so don't take it seriously.

[Sinestra]

Finally im able to post i havent been able to since my family took up all my time for the holidays. Ok with my viewing of ep 4 Strain has made my list for one th best series this season. The high speed battle with Sara and her brother was excellent. THe battle went how i expected it would be. Sara's new Strain was just as agile as the GLOIRE type and just as fast. BUt as we ll know better technology does not mean your a better pilot. Sara is an excellent reasoner but imo she is still not quite there yet in terms of skill with Ralph. I think as she pilots and experinces more battles and gets use to the new Strain and its capablities she will get better.

The BB or Bitch Brigade seem even more upset that Sara is reasoner. The amount of anmosty they have towards her is endless and quite annoying. Its almost as if they blame her for so many of traniees dying. You can tell a lot did not make it back by how empty the room was. So just because the queen B is gone doesnt mean her little followers wont try to make Sara's life hell. She needs to bunk away from those people and for a short time away from the rest of reasoners as well till she can come to terms with her feelings or loss and betrayal. However it seems the rest of the Strain pilots are willing to welcome Sara with open arms. As much as i love the mech battles in this series the thing im most excited about is watching Sara's charcter development, i think she sets the mood and pace for the whole series.

It seems the circumstances behind Ralph's defection is more compilcated then we thought. Commander Medlock seems to be calling the shots and using Ralph to get what she wants yet at the same time allowing Ralph to carry out his own missions. She also seems to have taken a liking to him physically. The fact that she ordered the Deague fleet to continue the persuit shows there is something aboard that ship that they are after. The little girl Ralph took away in ep 1 seems to look at at him like a brother my guess is that what secret she holds can not be unlocked without whatever Ralph is looking for. My guess is that Ralph is after Emily

[Kaoru Chujo]

If all Code Geass has going for it is comedy, then it has nothing going for it, in my opinion. But I'm actually enjoying the non-comic dramatic aspects: the occupation and its effects, the human interactions. There is some character complexity. And there is Yukana. But it is nowhere near as good as Soukou, for me. I will have to dip back into Zegapain, of which I only watched one ep (for Kawasumi Ayako, who plays the lead both there and in Soukou).

I agree with almost everything Sinestra said about Soukou no Strain. I am wondering if the hold the Deague have on Ralph is them having Emily captive on their ship -- as the animation company's site calls her, "Shoujo" Emily, as opposed to "Doll" Emily.

[physics223]

Soukou no Strain >>> Code Geass IMHO

Once you hear the angst resonate and your heart throb because of the tragedy of just being in Sara's shoes ... you know that something's REALLY going for it. I can't wait for the next episode being subbed, but I don't even mind Code Geass. I watch it, but that's because there's BOOBIES and CC and stuff; the story is relatively weak except for yaoi innuendos. Of course I still love it, but I think S-Strain is more mature, more adult and definitely a keeper.

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by physics223

Of course I still love it, but I think S-Strain is more mature, more adult and definitely a keeper.

definatly agree...S-Strain is a lot more deep (mentally) than code geass...
while code geass is more fun and light, S-Strain is a lot darker and fun seems to be only limited to the showing of Lavinia
still i love both series in their respectful theme

[NezoR]

Just passing through to say that Soukou no Strain is a very damn good anime. Oh, and BTW, even though Code Geass is a very, very good anime, Soukou no Strain > Code Geass.

[GUTB_]

I'm afriad I don't find Strain to be such an unlimited success that others on this thread seem to believe it to be. Not that it's a bad show, it's actually not.

1. The mecha in this show are, how shall I say...ass. Low budget 3D mecha are not good. The ships look like a particularily bad Gonzo take on retro-Trek. The Gambees are too bad, which have that Mobile Suit vibe going, but the Strains are...ugh. Nightmare Frames are actually much better.

2. Sara is COMPLETELY mis-cast for the role. She's just so short and cute, and just can't do an effective emo.

3. The other characters are just flat, with the exception of the loli (the speaking one). The Gambee squad's animosity is empty. The Reasoner's comraderie is also empty. Nii-san has literally no personality at all. The kiddy engineers anger me -- do we need shota in with the lolis?

4. The plot is Gundam generic, paint-by-numbers affair. The only differences are completely superficial.

And while Code Gease is no shining jewel of artistic merit, it does have a fairly interesting character dynamic -- ah, shades of the "new" Gundam -- a new flavour on the typical Earth vs. Zion dynamic, and frankly superior mecha design.

[c^2]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I agree with almost everything Sinestra said about Soukou no Strain. I am wondering if the hold the Deague have on Ralph is them having Emily captive on their ship -- as the animation company's site calls her, "Shoujo" Emily, as opposed to "Doll" Emily.

How could this be the case, since he went to capture Emily himself? I think that he has had some memory modification, or something else done to his mind. On that note, has anyone noticed the ensign(?) on the Deague ship? Could he sound any less like some lifeless drone? Also, their second in command seems rather discontent with the situation; I think they will eventually do themselves in.

Originally Posted by NezoR

Just passing through to say that Soukou no Strain is a very damn good anime. Oh, and BTW, even though Code Geass is a very, very good anime, Soukou no Strain > Code Geass.

I feel exactly the same way, but I would like to add that Code Geass >> ZegaPain. That show seemed like just another one of the mediocre cookie-cutter shows which has been so popular lately. If it were not for the excellent cast, I probably wouldn't have even watched it.

It is sad that all of the mediocre shows (like Deathnote or Strawberry Panic) seem to get the so much attention, while things like S-Strain and Simoun were all but ignored.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by c^2

How could this be the case, since he went to capture Emily himself? I think that he has had some memory modification, or something else done to his mind...

Good point about the order of events, lol. It's either something done to his mind to control him, as you say, or some other hold we haven't thought of.

Of course, I disagree with GUTB_. I think it's possible to be short, cute and emo. Just try taking her seriously. She doesn't have to be a stereotypical tough guy or girl to do this, I don't think. Part of what makes this show different is that it has a whiff of shoujo about it. I like that, others may not.

I don't know Gundam, so I can't say if this repeats it or not, though, and I certainly have no way of judging the mecha, except to say that they don't turn me off, as many do. I'm interested to be hearing the varying opinions from mecha fans on whether these mecha and these battles work or not.

The "kiddy engineers" (good phrase) freaked me out at first, but the situation seems a bit more complicated than I thought, after ep4, so I'm going along. Once again, I think it's not necessary for everyone to be a stereotypical space veteran to make the show work. It's a matter of the show's style. I guess they decided this was the way to get some comic relief.

I agree that Ralph hasn't been painted very thoroughly, but that's part of the mystery: from stereotypical nice onii-san to dead-eyed enemy. He has a secret. I think the Gambee pilots' enmity is inexplicably extreme, but it works for me, as part of a short series. It helps stimulate the "emo" from Sara.

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by GUTB_

The Gambees are too bad, which have that Mobile Suit vibe going, but the Strains are...ugh. Nightmare Frames are actually much better.

I might agree with you except that, personally, I found the Frames very disappointing as well - they remind me of a poor rehash of Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear. Geass can't seem to decide whether it wants to show gritty, "realistic" mecha combat or Gundam SEED-style Super Robots, and I feel the mecha design (and the battle scenes in general) suffer from that compromise. Strain doesn't really try to rise above your run-of-the-mill space-mecha fare, but I think its combat scenes feel sharper and more focused as a result.

Where I think Geass has the edge is that the supporting cast is more interesting and better-developed than Strain's - partly the result of having twice as many episodes to play with, and partly because of Strain's penchant for killing its characters off. It looks like we're due for a couple of character-development episodes in a row soon, though, so we'll see how well Strain handles that...

[c^2]

GUTB_,
I am going to have to respectfully disagree on some of these points.

1. I almost universally dislike CG, but I think that it integrates fairly well into this show. Which shows do you feel do a better job? Please don't say ZegaPain!

2. On this point, you are simply wrong. I find it a ridiculous notion that just because someone is short and cute, that they can't display the full range of emotion. Her character design may be a bit ordinary, but it is still well done. Kawasumi Ayako does an brilliant job portraying Sara, and it really brings her character to life.

3. I think the problem is that the show is so short. In the first few episodes, much of the cast died, and there were some significant gaps in time from our perspective. Even after episode five, many of the characters have barely had a chance to be introduced. Perhaps they will always be flat, but I think it too soon to say.

About the kiddy engineers, I find them to be an interesting and mysterious element of the show. To me, they act like a couple who has been married for fifty years. Perhaps their perpetual youth is relevant to the plot, perhaps not. Either way, I will take lolis over grumpy old men every time! This is, of course, a personal preference.

4. At this point of the show, I won't bother to comment on the plot, except to say that I am looking forward to seeing it unfold. It has an particular element of drama, that I personally find to be very nice.

[Pakxenon]

What a surprise... I don't think my roster can take another hit. XD

The good:
-Oh my gawd what a brilliant first episode. I've been looking for this kind of stuff since Stellvia (I don't like the Gundam franchise - too long and too many 50-ep's). The way it was directed, the emphasize on a certain aspect, the beautiful animation in the prologue... unfortunately I can't shed tears seeing how cynical I am.
-Sara is proving to be a stable female lead who's mental strength is amazing. How I wish I knew how emo her face can go...
-I dropped Zegapain at episode 1 for some reason (half due to the mecha designs). I don't mind the mecha designs now - they're actually using them instead of some dream world thingy.
-I want to know what happens to the characters now. Will they evolve? Will they show more angst? WILL THEY GET KILLED OFF ONE BY ONE?

The bad:
-Isabelle (however a bitch she is) got killed off too fast. I was hoping she'd feel more resent/pain from Sara, but oh well. (WE DON'T SEE A DEAD BODY - SHE'S STILL ALIVE BIATCH).
-Deux ex machina. I'm sorry, but I can't believe you can get into that mysterious Strain, put in a foreign MIMIC, and save people/kick some ass with it. Waaaaaayyyyyyy tooooooooo cliiiiiicheeeeeeed.
-Comedy is unneeded, seeing as the first episode had very lasting impressions. Bad bad bad.

-LOL at Mary/Isabelle's seiyuu (Tanaka Rie was her name?) being killed off like that. Who is she voicing next? =D (And I love Suigintou - BRING ON THE MANIACAL LAUGHTER).

Can't wait for episode 5!

[Sonhex]

Originally Posted by c^2

It is sad that all of the mediocre shows (like Deathnote or Strawberry Panic) seem to get the so much attention, while things like S-Strain and Simoun were all but ignored.

You talking domestically or here at Animesuki? If the latter then look around you, Strain is hardly ignored; it's one of if not the most popular shows of the last month. As for Simoun, whilst never having a massive fanbase, it does have a dedicated following. Neither are 'all but ignored' by any means.