Stratos 4 Volume 1

Stratos 4 follows the lives of four young  “Meteor Sweepers’ pilots who defend the earth from an all too common asteroid problem. They are part of a defence force created solely with the intention of stopping asteroids which left unchallenged would devastate our planet. A lot of the action is reserved for the more skilled pilots so in their spare time Mizake Honjou and co. lend a hand at the local ramen shop. Increasingly dejected with life on the front line Mizake begins to doubt her commitment to meteor sweeping however it’s not long before the trainees are called into action and Mizake and her fellow pilots must rescue an endangered earth from imminent destruction.

Stratos 4 is the latest offering from Studio Fantasia; infamous for such blatant lingerie and flesh fests as Najica Blitz Tactics and Agent Aika their proclivity for panties has gained them a fair share of notoriety.
Having seen neither of the aforementioned series I was a little unsure of what to expect, first of all the fan service element whilst certainly noticeable isn’t that prevalent, it can be an unnecessary distraction when it does appear but isn’t nearly as bad as I’d expected. My main bone of contention regarding the series so far is the relatively unexciting concept of comets threatening the Earth, in regards to anime it is a highly original concept but I can’t escape the feeling that a good old-fashioned alien invasion would have added a little dramatic weight. Not to say the comet destruction sequences aren’t well handled they are just extremely insipid and devoid of any real excitement, the swish computer effect that accompanies them is a nice visual touch but the fact that it’s recycled over and over does dilutes the impact.

Away from the monotony of space and back on the ground proceedings are markedly better, Studio Fantasia have amassed a lively, likeable bunch of characters and whilst they aren’t’ t doing anything groundbreaking with their story they have a firm handle on proceedings and get the most out of the protagonists. There are many affecting and impressive instances that really stand out, these consist mainly of very thoughtful, introspective moments that go a long way towards deepening and fleshing out the core cast of characters. As the series progresses that sprawling ensemble could benefit from a cull, as it stands some of the minor characters can get lost in the mix and you get the impression the writers efforts would have been better served by investing more focus in the main players.

In Summary

Not a bad first volume, the action side is disappointing, leaning too heavily on a weak concept and poor execution that fails to stir any excitement, these scenes do a serviceable enough job but we’re only a couple of episodes down the line and it’s already wearing a bit thin. The more chaste anime fan may find the fan service too much of a grudge to bear but it isn’t that noticeable and certainly won’t weaken your enjoyment of an otherwise surprising and curiously addictive series.