| Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry | |
| 奏光のストレイン | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha, Military, Psychological |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Tetsuya Watanabe |
| Studio | Studio Fantasia |
| Licensed by | FUNimation Entertainment |
| Network | WOWOW |
| Original run | 1 November 2006 – 14 February 2007 |
| Episodes | 13 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Studio Fantasia |
| Illustrated by | U.G.E. |
| Published by | Fujimi Shobo |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Monthly Dragon Age |
| Original run | 2006 – February 2007 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry (奏光のストレイン Sōkō no Sutorein)[1] (stylized as Str.A.In.: Strategic Armored Infantry) is a mecha anime series by Studio Fantasia. It premiered across Japan on WOWOW from November 1, 2006. A manga adaptation is being serialized in the Dragon Age magazine. The concept of the series is loosely based upon Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels, most notably A Little Princess, but also Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden. On May 15, 2008, Texas-based licensor FUNimation Entertainment announced its licensing of Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry (also known as Soko no Strain or Soukou no Strain). The anime was available in a complete DVD[2] release on January 27, 2009 across North America.[3][4]
Contents |
In the distant future, the Galactic Union is at war with the mysterious Deague. The Union's strongest force is made up of mecha called Strains, short for Strategic Armored Infantry, operated by users called Reasoners. These Strains, as well as many other ships, are capable of going into "sub-lightspeed travel". To be a Reasoner, one must have a Mimic, a machine fused with the brain cells from the Reasoner before birth.
Sara Werec, an orphan, is the focus of the story. In Episode 1, she despairs that her older brother Ralph, an incredible Reasoner, will be going 130 lightyears away to the front lines; according to general relativity, even if he does survive, she'll be long dead when he returns home. She decides that when she grows up, she will join the war as well, just to see her brother again.
Sara grows up to be the star Reasoner of her Academy. One day, the Academy's planet is suddenly attacked by the Deague. The enemy force is headed by a powerful Strain, whom Sara attempts to engage. The pilot takes out Sara, destroying her Strain and Mimic; obliterates the Academy; and kills all of her friends. Sara escapes from her Strain alive and follows the enemy pilot into a forgotten lab near the Academy. The pilot retrieves a little girl in stasis, and Sara recognizes the pilot as Ralph. She calls out to him, but he barely seems to recognize his sister as he returns to his Strain and leaves. She then resolves to find out the truth of what caused her brother's betrayal.
Stripped of her ability to control a Strain, she devotes herself to training under the pseudonym "Sara Cruz". She seems to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder throughout most of the series from this point on. She becomes very quiet, allows people to bully her, and seems very uncomfortable with people. She is repeatedly haunted by memories of her brother, and of her dead friends. Part of her antisocial behavior also seems to be a fear of connecting with anyone, then losing them like in Episode 1.
At first, Sara is rejected by the other pilots. Because she no longer has a Mimic, she cannot pilot a Strain, so she is forced to join the Gambee unit. Because of her antisocial behavior, obsessive training, and talent that seems to come from nowhere, she is disliked and bullied by the other Gambee pilots. Everyone seems attracted to her both for the mystery of who she is and for their jealousy towards her.
Eventually, Sara is taken under the wing of a very talented and headstrong Reasoner named Lottie, despite the fact that Sara is not (or, to be more precise, no longer) a Reasoner. Being rejected and not quite feeling like she fits in with anyone, she spends much of her time in a storeroom filled with junk. It is in here that she finds a doll that she calls Emily. This doll, being human-like, seems to be a safe thing for her to connect with and she spends a lot of time talking to it and taking care of it (which, in turn makes her even stranger and more disliked by her crewmates).
In the same storeroom, Sara later meets Melchi and Carmichael, who are rebuilding a ruined Strain called Ram-Dass. Sara discovers that Melchi found a Mimic and created the Emily doll around it. When the two are ready to test the Strain, they use Emily as the Mimic and Sara as the pilot. Somehow, she is able to connect with the Strain despite the fact that is isn't "her" Mimic. Despite some initial resistance from command, she is allowed to be a Strain pilot for the army. This causes even more resentment from the other Gambee pilots, since being a Strain pilot is seen as more prestigious and it feels to them as though she cheated to get it; and also because her abilities piloting a Strain could have saved lives.
In later episodes, it is discovered that the little girl whom Ralph had taken is named Emily as well. Towards the end of the series, it is revealed that this Emily is a member of an alien race that lived 600 years ago. Due to the effect of sub-lightspeed travel, Ralph was able to actually witness the race when it was alive. The race consisted of pale-skinned identical girls, all of whom had a sort of telepathic connection to one another. When this race was discovered, all the girls were kidnapped and most were dissected to study their telepathic connection. Some, like Ralph's Emily, were put into stasis and were long-forgotten. The Deague are after all dead and living samples of the Emilys. It is for this reason that Ralph later chases Sara's crew and ship, because the Emily Mimic that Sara found, contains the mind of one of the Emily's and is detected by Ralph's Emily.
The manga serialized in Dragon Age Magazine focuses on Lottie's background, stopping once Sara joins the team.
Almost every character has been adapted from a Hodgson Burnett character. Though the first names of many characters are retained from A Little Princess and the other novels, the last names are scrambled, such as Crewe=Werec, or otherwise altered, such as St. John=Johannitz.
The gaps in the air dates are attributed to two two-week hiatuses for a tennis tournament in late December–January, and the early premiere of Rocket Girls.
| Episode # | Title | Air Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Prelude to Despair" | 2006-11-01 | ||
| In a time of war, Sara Werec dreams of taking up the Union cause in their endless fight against the Deague. At the top of her academy class, she has inherited the amazing piloting skills of her legendary brother Ralph. When the Deague unleash a devastating surprise attack on her school, Sara is shocked to discover that the leader of the enemy assault is no anonymous villain. | ||||
| 02 | "Encounter" | 2006-11-01 | ||
| Sara has a new purpose: confront her treasonous brother. Enlisted at a new school, and struggling to master the less agile Gambee mechs, Sara wrestles with the rigors of training and the scorn of her peers. But nothing is more grueling than dwelling on all she has lost. Thankfully, she finds something which might serve to fill the hole in her heart. | ||||
| 03 | "Sub-Light Speed Nightmare" | 2006-11-08 | ||
| A Reasoner named Lottie thinks she and rookie Sara might be kindred spirits, believing both of them to be girls lost and alone in the void between stars. When a Deague assault interrupts an important exam, Lottie quickly learns that they are not alone at all. Once more, Sara watches those around her get torn apart – but rather than sit helplessly, she devises a plan. | ||||
| 04 | "Reasoner Sara" | 2006-11-15 | ||
| Sara has entered into battle utilizing the Mimic Emily and a custom Strain. Her team is shocked as she rushes toward a confrontation with the feared Ralph Werec. The rage of combat gives way to confusion – how can it be that Sara the rookie is so skilled? As the Libertad limps into space to find repair, the trust between Sara and Lottie will prove to be much tougher to patch. | ||||
| 05 | "Endless Love and Hate" | 2006-11-22 | ||
| The Libertad is pushing through space in search of repair. If the crew is to survive the journey, new tactics must be devised to succeed against such an unpredictable enemy. The Reasoner team is warming to Sara ever since she exposed herself as an adept pilot. But not everyone is so willing to shower her with affection – especially the angry Gambee pilots that blame Sara for the deaths of their comrades. | ||||
| 06 | "Back Turned to Peace" | 2006-11-29 | ||
| The Spatial Armor Division is having a party, but the gathering is about to be crashed by some uninvited guests – the Libertad falls under attack! A team which had suffered from the willful independence of its newest member watches as Sara joins Lottie in an incredible display of Reasoner talent. This new unity might be the strongest weapon the Union has in the battle against the Deague. | ||||
| 07 | "Lavinia's Lovely Plot" | 2006-12-06 | ||
| Sara has captured the heart of Lavinia, who goes to severe lengths to snare her new obsession. Most of her ploys end up falling short, and the heartsick girl keeps making a fool of herself in very public ways. When Sara stays behind to train while her comrades take some leave, Lavinia sees her chance for some serious bonding – but things quickly go painfully wrong. | ||||
| 08 | "Gall Space Supply Depot" | 2006-12-13 | ||
| Emily is missing and likely in danger, so Sara and the team will have to venture out into the city to recover her. But the search is interrupted by a mysterious little girl and the arrival of a strange vessel. Sara isn't prepared for what happens next. In fact, none of the hearts gathered are ready for what is about to be revealed. | ||||
| 09 | "Like Looking at Myself" | 2006-12-20 | ||
| Sara is suspected of treason after her ties to Ralph are exposed. The Spatial Armor Division is reeling from the revelation – especially Lottie. Her most painful wound has been ripped open once more, and if revenge against Ralph is not readily available, Lottie will settle for another with Werec blood. She moves to confront Sara – and the confrontation ends with a vow of murder. | ||||
| 10 | "Memories of the Future" | 2007-01-10 | ||
| The horrible history of Emily's kind is revealed, and the shocking truth might explain Ralph's treason. But there has never been an explanation offered for Sara's ability to link with Emily. Upon closer study of the Mimic, the mystery only becomes more indecipherable. The lines between good and evil are beginning to blur, and the true horrors of this endless war have been exposed. | ||||
| 11 | "The Beginning of Revelry" | 2007-01-31 | ||
| Sara is certain her brother is tearing across the stars to reach the Mimic Emily – and Medlock is certain that Ralph has lost his mind, forcing her to seek sanctuary with those she once vowed to kill. The final confrontation is coming, and the Strains are scrambled. The Spatial Armor Division is whole once more, as Ralph prepares to punish those responsible for crimes perpetrated against the innocent. | ||||
| 12 | "Attack on the Libertad" | 2007-02-07 | ||
| The Spatial Armor Division has taken flight and all the heroes of the Union must reach deep into their courage to stop Ralph Werec in his mission to punish humanity. As swarms of Strain, Gambee and Tumor clash overhead, brother and sister meet face to face aboard the Libertad, Emily between them. The last waltz of the Werec siblings is about to begin. | ||||
| 13 | "Last Waltz" | 2007-02-14 | ||
| Sara feels betrayed by blood. Ralph feels betrayed by humanity. Between them waits a little girl who has felt the pains of an entire species. In the vast reaches of space, a war which has raged for generations comes to a climax. At the speed of light, the past and future mingle in the hopes of two girls who might never have to be alone again. | ||||