No.
Having seen the first episode of IS2 about three times as of this writing, I can confidently tell you that the extended version is a waste of time as far as these things go. Pleasant, yes, but eminently forgettable. The quality of the fanservice was about a bit below average for IS standards, too. The original episode effectively summarised all the sexy moments with a handful of still frames, and while it’s nice to see a story connecting those frames here, in true IS fashion there is in fact no story at all.
Don’t get me wrong: I love IS, but I think that, on top of revealing the heroines’ bodies, this extended cut also reveals the botched planning and production of this second season. To make up for it, this season has ramped up the fanservice to eleven and while that has led to some extremely creative situations (Charlotte’s panties, anyone?) I can’t say any of it flows awfully well. The scenes just don’t seem to connect at all. I’m not asking for a deep plot or anything – just get the basic structure of an episode right. The fact that the anime writers really didn’t know how to edit this episode really shows in how it got turned into a low-budget OVA at all.
And man is it low-budget. Even here, where you’d think they’d at least attempt to tell the pool and festival stories with actual animation, the anime falls back onto what is essentially a Power Point Presentation but with voiceovers from popular voice actresses. Meaning: Animation? What animation?
Okay, so, the “plot” for those of you who have wisely decided to forego watching the episode in favour of a recap: First, Cecilia snags Ichika for herself while the others are changing. When she thinks that she’ll be found, Cecilia ducks underwater and drags Ichika with her, leading to CHECKPOINT A (the image above).
As for CHECKPOINT B, which is when Ichika gropes Charlotte’s breasts, what happens is that they all decided to go on a water slide, but because it could only fit two people at once, Charlotte and Houki challenge each other to rock-paper-scissors. Charlotte wins and sits on Ichika’s lap. The slide is intense and, needing something to latch onto, Ichika blindly grabs Charlotte’s breasts. That’s about it. Charlotte tells Ichika gosh what a jolly pervert he is, but she also says this in episode 6. And in every other episode besides that.
Basically, what I’m saying is: this is a lazy-as-fuck extra and you could have worked out everything that I just wrote in the above two paragraphs just from looking at the slideshow in episode 1. The connecting scenes don’t add anything except for self-explaining context.
All in all, there was about ten minutes of new “footage” here (a term I use loosely), and then the full version of the ED, which is played over yet more “footage”. If you haven’t seen the first episode of IS2 yet, then sure, pull up a seat and watch the OVA, but for everyone else, the fanservice is boring and a regular episode of IS2 is more titillating, funnier and more creatively written than what we got here.
Mind you, that isn’t a disservice to Infinite Stratos as a whole. Because for all the flaws in its production, this is a franchise that really knows how to push the fanboy buttons, and when this series is working, it’s a godly example of otaku fanservice. The OVA isn’t IS at its most hrrrrnnnngggghhhh-inducing – it’s just generic copy-and-paste fanservice, and that’s something you could get from any harem/ecchi series.
Verdict: If you’re a hardcore IS fan, then by all means add this to your collection, but for everyone else who has seen episode 1 and who wants the good fanservice, then you’re free to give this OVA a miss.
Frog-kun's Blog 
I guess I was right to skip this.
You are a wise man.
Sounds like a sloppy Director’s Cut episode people see in Blu-Rays about Second Rate shows. No offense, but IS looks like a Second Rate show as far as het harems are concerned. Then again, I wouldn’t know a First Rate het harem show even if it bit me in the rear end.
I like how you wrote ‘Second Rate’ in capitals, which obviously implies what a Capital failure this show is as entertainment.
I wouldn’t know as I have yet to see IS 2 or 1 and currently have no plans of doing so. I’ll take your word for it.
The whole second season feels sloppy and not very though through. In the first season the whole school teacher body would be mobilized in the case of any intruders or incidents and in this season we have a whole episode of Ichika fighting an intruder 1 vs 1 without anyone coming to help (exept the new blue girl) for a hell of a long time and everybody was literally less than 500 meters away.
Also when the Arcachnide sets her IS to self destructs it takes seconds and seconds until it finally blows up. I literally sat in amazement at the fact that nobody was reacting to it at all until it exploded. Also there are numerous times where their battle movements pale in comparison to the reaction times they demonstrated in season 1.
I think they never expected the anime to sell as well as it has. Also they don’t have the introduction episodes for every girl this time around so they are including a megaton of meaningless filler for the end fight whatever it might be.
A lot of people that like ecchi anime seems to hold IS in high regard but after watching season 1 all I could think is that it was ok. Because of all the introductions and the final battle it seemed to have an ok blend of different elements. Without character introductions this new season is showing obvious cracks in the execution and “story”. At best you could call it below average. =p
Sure, I can agree with what you wrote here. I should say what I love about IS (both seasons) is the character designs and the way the girls’ cute qualities come alive onscreen. I’m a big fan of Laura and Charlotte. The way the story builds itself around showcasing its girls is what makes it appealing to me. The mecha parts were never at any point the draw of the show for me at all.
I’m also a big fan of Laura and Charlotte. But the inconsistencies in the story break immersion for me and make it difficult to enjoy the show. And that is where this season falls short for me and why I dropped the show regrettably. =P
I have to agree with everything you have said. I remember watching it and my initial feeling was along the lines of wtf was that. The best bit was seeing Chifuyu, such a badass.
Oh well, we got to see the girls in bikinis again … That’s a positive right ?
And going a bit off topic here, but why do I get the feeling Houki is favoured when the majority seems to love Charolette ?
Chifuyu: “I have to watch over my brother!”
*is never mentioned again*
And yes, it was certainly a good thing to see the girls in bikinis. As for why Houki is favoured over Charlotte, that’s because Ichika has shit taste in women, as I proved in this post: https://fantasticmemes.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/empirical-data-shows-that-harem-protagonists-have-terrible-taste-in-women/
But actually, I like all the IS girls more or less equally, especially in the second season where Charlotte hasn’t done as much to stand out. Laura’s been really good this season and the new girls are pretty great :D
That was all I needed :D
haha great post
and a quick question, do you know much about the muv luv series ?
Nope, I don’t know anything about the Muv Luv series at all. I haven’t watched the anime or played the games.
“but eminently forgettable”
I don’t even remember the first season anymore *sob*
You’re the first person I met who said that she loved all the cast of IS. Or love its “character dynamic” as in general.
Either you’ve got a terrible taste, or…
Welcome to the club!
Fixed that for you.
Infinite Stratos is great (first season at least). As far as harems, it’s one of the best. And why thank you for acknowledging my superior taste! ;)
That is weird… But it is not a compliment. Both to you and me.
But [IS] is the best harem? Have you ever read or watch Chrome Shelled Regios?
Finally, could you make something about Tatenashi? For this series, she is quite the special one.
(Although I still favor Madoka, Chifuyu and Houki – pseudo incest)
I see you have a thing for onee-chan type characters? ;) I prefer the power of IMOUTO but that’s me.
And no, I’ve never seen Chrome Shelled Regios. I’ll take your comment as a recommendation!
[…] Download Image More @ frogkun.com […]