I’ll reiterate the sentiment saying when something is good, predictability doesn’t matter. It’s something I’ve been trying to advocate and put into words for the past year. The harem aspect of IS was certainly well executed. It felt fresh despite how overly familiar we are with it. The plot is just stupid, but I don’t think anyone sets out to watch IS for the plot, so it can be disregarded.

This is also why I feel like spoilers shouldn’t matter, if a story is good to start with (which is actually the post I’m procrastinating on). An example I always give is ef memo, which has the most generic of stories and couples it with the most interesting of executions. Madoka was named in a previous post.

Of course, this quality can be argued, but that is another story entirely.

Also, the show was cool[1], people who hate it just like to hate on dem moe shows.

Don’t hate.

1 – “enjoyable”, not “has substance”

I’ve already written about some of my thoughts on IS as a comment here:
http://ogiuemaniax.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/a-tale-of-two-harems-kore-wa-zombie-desuka-vs-infinite-stratos/#comment-7908

Addenum to my previous post:
1)
中二病, essentially the intellectual process a maturing teenager undergoes, is directly linked to geopolitics. The very first time I read of 中二病, that article lists among its typical signs “realizing ‘the USA is so evil!'”

2)
When it comes to the meager materials in IS that can actually be read from a feminist angle, I like Chifuyu’s line “fight if you’re a woman” a lot.

In Vol 2 of the novel, there was an aside about a Japanese swordsman who, out of love for his wife, invented a fighting style for women that would allow them to defeat men. I also like this story, despite the fact it’s so awkwardly inserted into the book almost as if it’s an editorial error.

You forgot Chifuyu the sister. Although she’s not a main heroine, she’s one of the most important character in the story. By the end of Vol 6, it has become obvious that absolutely everything in the IS world is a direct result of her actions in the past.

I actually think that starting with Vol 5, the author has improved his comedy writing to a point that it is legitimately funny. He’s still utterly clueless about how to write the serious part of the story, however.

This was a fun show, full of energy, good visuals, and confident direction. It knew exactly what it was trying to be, and executed consistently. And these sorts of clichés are designed to be comfortably familiar to long-time anime fans; seeing them “done right” is bound to put a smile on some people’s faces, especially if they can get over themselves and just put themselves back in the mindset that caused them to enjoy anime in the first place. It’s nostalgic (in addition to being well-produced), and I suspect that’s one of the reasons it’s one of the top-selling anime in Japan.

But (to no one in particular) you keep going, Anime Community, pretending that you hate these sorts of shows while secretly watching them and trying to hide your inner fanboy-ing. That tsundere behaviour is what makes you cute! ^^;

Madoka’s plot developments, for instance, are predictable to the point of cliche, but they hit home and make sense, and it makes for a great story.

Korea Zombie Desk-Car was also like IS in terms of cliched setting, but they knew they would be doing cliches, and took it to the max in terms of parodies.

Both anime knew what they wanted to do, and they did it well, regardless of the cliched nature of either the premise, or the plot.

In fact, I’d venture out to say that relying on cliches can in fact make for better storytelling if you know what you’re doing. I’d raise Avatar, which everyone knows to have a cliched, like, everything. I’d point out that in falling back on a simple, serviceable plot, they gave themselves more space to work on everything else to deliver a thoroughly satisfying experience.

Of course, one must also give credit for a willingness to depart from traditional cliches, but that’s not within the scope of my present argument. My point is, cliches have the propensity to be entertaining as fuck. It all boils down to execution.

Now, Infinite Stratos, on the other hand, I thought was an interesting experience. The fights were pretty good, and Ichika was so damn alpha male at numerous points. And Kana Hanazawa is Charlotte. And the rest of the harem is likeable. But just about everything else, especially the lead female, is kind of meh-ish. So they got some bits right, they got some bits wrong. It’s like watching a JC Staff anime.