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Anime Review: Str.A.In. – Strategic Armored Infantry
I must admit, I (sadly) haven’t been exposed much to the mecha genre of anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion and Macross Frontier are pretty much the extent of what I’ve seen in terms of mecha. Having greatly enjoyed them both, I’m very willing to try out new mecha series. Unfortunately, the big names like Robotech and Gundam are way too long for me to get into at this point. However, there are some shorter mecha series out there for me to enjoy. Str.A.In. – Strategic Armored Infantry (original title Soukou no Strain) has helped to alleviate my “lack of mecha exposure” a bit. At only 13 episodes, it’s a short series that delivers quite well.
The story involves two factions: the Union and the Deague. Long ago, a war broke out between these two factions. The war has been going on for so long that people have forgotten its cause. The main character in this story is Sara. Long ago, her brother left her for the military and she made a promise that she would follow in his footsteps. Years later, she joins the military as well, but soon finds out that her brother has become a traitor, and has joined the Deague. Sara is wrecked by this, and must work to find out the mysteries behind her brother’s betrayal while dealing with her own personal issues. The story is a little weak, and can get confusing at times. Pacing issues are present, as some scenes tend to drag on a bit, which unfortunately takes away from the overall enjoyment of the series.
In contrast, the visuals are very impressive. All of the mecha battles are done in CG, so naturally, the animation is flawless during those scenes. The mecha themselves are very detailed, and I could tell the producers spent a lot of time making the battles look nice. During non-battle scenes, the animation quality is pretty much on par with that of other anime from its time.
Overall, Str.A.In. is a decent series you can breeze through. The story and pacing do have issues, but the visuals & animation quality during the mecha battle scenes help make up for it. It’s only 13 episodes, and a series box set is available from FUNimation. Despite its flaws, it’s worth checking out.
Str.A.In. – Strategic Armored Infantry is currently on sale and is licensed and distributed by Funimation Entertainment. Official series information is available at its official site.
ENJOYMENT – A nice fun story with good visuals
RECOMMENDATION LEVEL – Would recommend
REWATCH VALUE – Probably not
