Customer Reviews

S.T.R.A.I.N.: Strategic Armored Infantry - Complete Series Box Set

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Str.A.In., which is an acronym for Strategic Armored Infantry, is one of those rare titles that manages to grab a firm hold of the viewer's attention by indulging in an action-loaded, rip roaring pace from the first episode right on through the thirteenth (and final) episode. It is marketed to appeal to mecha fans and indeed; it will deliver in spades to those looking for a self-contained saga on par with some of the Gundam franchise entries. For everyone else, there is enough of a story within the lightening-fast pace to warrant serious consideration.

Released across 4 discs, Funimation brings the Studio Fantasia property to North American viewers via a pair of thin packs within a lovely cardboard slipcase. The show's total runtime comes in at 300 minutes even with episodes 1-7 contained on the first disc and 8-13 on the second. There are extras in the form of textless songs, English voice commentary over the sixth episode, and a crop of Funimation trailers.

The show wears an appropriate TV Ma (17+) rating due to some violent themes, occasional topless female nudity, and a bit of gore and rough language. Speaking of language, Strain comes in typical sub and dub options: Original Japanese dialog and/or English dub in 5.1 Surround with English subtitles available in either.

The story centers on a young woman by the name of Sara Werec (who happens to be quite reminiscent of Dana Sterling from Robotech Masters fame). Our friend Sara, like her older brother Ralph, is a Reasoner; basically an elite pilot who patrols in one of the military's most advanced weapons: the insect-like robotic units called Strains.

Strains require a very unique interface to operate that is based on the merging of amniotic fluid and computer technology called a Mimic. It is explained early on that should a pilot's Mimic be destroyed, their ability to operate a Strain is eliminated as well.

The beginning portion of the show sets up Sara's almost incestual obsession with her older brother Ralph and how this obsession has ultimately led to her decision to follow in his footsteps by joining the Union military.

It turns out that there is a massive interstellar war being raged between human factions. Our protagonists fight on the side of the Union against a slightly more mysterious group known as the Deague (pronounced "Deeg").

The story really heats up once older brother Ralph begins leading a series of assaults against the Union by targeting training facilities. What ensues is sibling rivalry on the grandest scale.

What the show's entire structure boils down to is balance- Balance between hard-core science fiction (the likes of which would fit right in with a Star Trek motion picture or Gundam series for that matter) with bouncing breasts and panty flashes. Balance between hardened warring factions and juvenile lesbian encounters. Balance between richly drawn character models and computer generated space battles. For the most part, the formula works. About the biggest flaw in the whole structure comes in the form of a lead character who takes entirely too long to warm up to. Granted she does endure a succession of heartbreaks, heartaches, and just general misery but the viewer more than pays the price. Things do eventually improve on this front so long as you're willing to endure several episodes of drone-like behavior with supporting cast bending over backward to express their love or hatred of the lead character.

I should note that Studio Fantasia deserves credit for bringing a pretty cool visual style to the mecha element (a genre that must surely feel as if it's all been done before when developing). The Strains not only look like giant mechanized insects (something between a bee and a lady bug in flight), they also move like them as well. Much of the combat sequences take place at the speed in which the units actually move (meaning close-ups with blurred backgrounds), we are treated to occasional angles of the Strains duking it out from a distance. They zip, zing, and zoom around each other like a pair of hungry hummingbirds. Suddenly the importance of an interface like the Mimic becomes clear.

Without a doubt the show's greatest strength lies within its pacing. I can go as far as to say that Strain contains the most explosive first episode that this author has yet to encounter. By the time the credits fade to black, you'll be left catching your breath while thinking, was all that really just the first episode? The pacing slows a bit in subsequent episodes but considering that it has only 13 episodes with which to tell its tale, there are few, if any, dragged out moments. The action-laden pace is quite consistent as well with the only exception coming in the form of the seventh episode where a contrived attempt at humor puts the focus on an obsessed lesbian's attempt to win Sara's affection.

Otherwise the show maintains a nice scientific approach to space travel, galactic distances, alien cultures, and so on. Politics are always in the foreground, which makes the battle scenes feel much more provoked and quintessential to survival.

Both language options are quite solid and in fact the dub really goes the distance to retain the original script. The English cast reads like a who's who in terms of Funimation's vocal talent and the actress commentary over the sixth episode will convince even lottery winners that they're missing out on the best job in the world.

In all Strain is an entertaining mecha entry that will satisfy fans of the genre with a solid mixture of classical elements coupled to the animation benefits of computer technology. Kudos to Funimation for snagging this underrated property and brining it to the American masses that, like yours truly, can never have too much mecha.

I dowloaded the first episode of xbox live to cheak it out and ended up doladed all 13 and watching them all in 1 day. now i wish i had brought the dvd instead since ive already deleted them to open up my hard drive.

The charatures and story are very good. The animation top notch. It starts out looking like its gonna be an fun animia like kiddy grade but then turns more dark and serious by the end of the first episode. The second episode starts and everyitng has changed for the main char. She has had every thing stolen from her from somone close to her. friends, status, admiration, love, faith, and her dream of being a elite pilot all lost, only the drive to catch up and find out why pushing her on as a lowly infantry mech grunt.

dont want to say to much but i stayed up to 8am to watch the last episode so defintly can recomend this to anyone who injoyes good scifi animia

I watched the sub of this show, and on my way to pick this up. Just to get some perspective the Japanese title is Souko no Strain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soukou_no_Strain). This was one of the most memorable 13 episode series I've seen. The motifs tend to be strange towards the end, I need to re-watch the end of the series, but the pacing of the story is fantastic.

The tempo of the series is like, now get ready for this, the first half of the first season of Death Note. It really surprises you, and is unique due to the story. I think the person who'll enjoy this is someone who would enjoy Gunparade March. Where you don't watch it for the mecha, exactly, but for what situation the character finds themselves in. If you go into this series looking for pure action, you won't be necessarily disappointed, but for me, it wasn't the point. The point was the struggle the main character found herself in and how she worked through it. I recommend a watch for the points mentioned above.

In truth, I had never heard of STRAIN before, so I was very curious to see what it was about. The plot itself is VERY WELL done and detailed. I especially liked the Strains themselves because the detail that was done was INCREDIBLE! I did not mind the profanity in it, nor did I mind the other content in it, because that is a common part of anime now. I gave this particular anime a 5 star rating because the story was very thorough, the characters were excellently represented, and the overall experience was a very enlightening one for me.

Anime viewing is tricky sometimes, correction, choosing which anime to watch is. This anime title is great, I enjoyed the story, characters and the animation. If you liked GunParade March and/or Zone of the Enders, you may like this title. The only bad thing is that I would have liked to have a few more episodes. This way the story would flow a bit more smoothly. This anime has good action sequences, but I found that more traditional animation may have looked better as compared to CGI. Burst Angel is a good example of using CGI to complement traditional animation instead of slightly overshadowing it. All in all though, I enjoyed the emotional ride this title takes you on. Sara Werec is sure that she is on the right path in life. One day her world is destroyed, her friends are dead, her mech is trashed and who is responsible? Her own brother Ralph Werec, once the best pilot of the Union, now a fugitive and Union enemy. How far would you go to find out why? Sara devotes herself to this question, though at the cost of any life or relationships of any kind. Sometimes you find answers without knowing it. Watch this anime, great title and great price

Despite the the fact that STR.A.IN is only 2 discs long, it's really quite good. After the first 3 or so episodes I felt a certain level of comfort watching it because some of the story elements and chararacter personalities resemble that of 2 of my all time favorite anime, Xenosaga and Gundam Wing.

A previous reviewer said this series is boring, that the main character is unlikeable, and the battle scenes are terrible. Not So! The character interaction is really great and believable. The story is familiar yet (fairly) original, and the animation is really just gorgeous. I personally thought the battle scenes were quite good and exciting. I found it almost impossible to stop watching. There's a good mix of humor to offset the extreme drama also.

STR.A.IN.'s rating (TV-MA at Netflix) is justified. There's definitely unapologetic fanservice, especially in the last episode on disc 1, and there's a fair amount of language and blood. However, it is not excessive. Long story short, STR.A.IN is not for kids. If you are a dub fan, the voice overs are fantastic . I would say with confidence this is a must see, even if you aren't really a fan of space dramas.

I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of this series. I was not expecting much, I basically bought it to get to the $25 Super Saver Shipping for another purchase, but was more than happy with the quality of it. It is a little fast paced, and may have been better had it ran a few more episodes, but overall, it is a good story, solid action, and good - if not quick - character development.

I started watching this because I was intrigued by the plot...Brother and sister combinations are always a joy to the plot, throw in a heaping of betrayal and its gold to me.

I have bought and watched a lot of anime and I can honestly say that this is one of my top 10 favorites of all time.
Strategic Armored Infantry centers around a girl named Sara Werec who desperately wants to become a Reasoner for the Galactic Union in hopes of following her brother's footsteps and the chance to see him again. Sara's brother is one of the most famous and respected Reasoners in the Galactic Union. Sara goes to the Academy and becomes the head of her class with her incredible show of bravery and skill only to have her entire life come crashing down upon her. The Academy is brutally attacked and Sara learns that it was all from the hands of her brother- the person she loves and respects the most. She is then forced to deal with the aftermath and she becomes obsessed with finding her brother and the reasoning behind his traitorous actions.
Strain is a great series that has a lot to offer, it is a sci-fi series that contains lots of drama as well as some humor and relationship issues. The series has an amazing plot, well-developed main characters, and a decent voice cast. I would suggest that this series is for mature audiences only, as it contains some nudity, violence and gore.
My only regret is that I didn't discover this series earlier!

Once I watched the first episode I got hooked. The series tends to avoid some of the conventions of the real robot genre by making the protaganist a girl, no accidental pilots, whiney teenagers, or enemy of the week. The story is dark and the characters are well rounded. Highly recommended!