Hello again,
Let's go talk another time about Infinite Stratos, another of the most popular anime in this winter anime season that is slowly, but surely coming to an end. (I saw the first spring preview popping out on some blogs)
Before talking about the last episode and the expectation about the future, let's go over the manga version that I'm reading right now. (I'm at half of the first volume)
The first thing I'm noticing is that a lot of more focus has being given to the scene around Ichika activating for the first time the IS and showing the reaction of all the various girls in the harem to the news on the television. (from all part of the world)
I think this is a pretty nice concept and I would have liked to get it adapted instead of jumping it altogether to go directly to the love comedy and fanservice.
Generally anyway the manga series is less fanservice focused than the anime one that seems to be made basically almost only for that objective. (and this is not a critic, just a constatation)
Returning to the anime, the last episode was the beach one and it was a hell amusing one filled with fanservice and comedy here and there.
Germany-tan Laura Bodwig was completely domesticated, she turned from a furious beast trying to destroy Ichika to a clueless lover/wife and while the change was pretty funny, the consistency is a bit lacking.
The real question now that we pose ourselves is "what is doing Houki?" (Japan-tan I think they call her now). I mean she is the only one fighting with a children's toy in the real battles and to be honest also in the love battles.
Leaving things as it is now the rankings are plainly evident :
1) Germany / France
2) China / England
...
998) Girl B that watched more than once Ichika
999) Japan
I'm hoping for her custom IS to appear soon enough to give her more focus that she needs (she is a quite interesting character and I want to know more of her) after all the focus we got on both France and Germany!
Next episode seems to be more fanservice and comedy with little development...
Let's hope at least for a Houki a quite definite ranking up as it is her personal episode talking about her birthday and revolving around the present that Ichika has bought her!
See you soon,
feal87