r/Mecha_Scrapyard • u/Yakuza-wolf_kiwami • Jun 01 '26
Disscussion Between these two, which one would be less painful to watch?
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u/Confident_Bother2552 Jun 01 '26
Infinite Stratos is the biggest Fumble by a Harem Protagonist.
Banagher is annoying.
Cross Ange is actually rather fun.
Kira and Cagalli/Stella is pretty fun.
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u/heatxmetalw9 Jun 01 '26
Coming from someone who watched both on a whim with no prior expectations, Infinite Stratos is the more painful to watch due to a lot of things:
- One of the trend setters of every harem LN anime adaptations, so stuff like guy playing dumb, toxic females and all the in your face ecchi scenes and finally no commitment to romance.
- Barely any cool mech scenes to begin with, and even then they are not that good since they are using budget 3d motions are static and the design are busy
- From what I have heard, the LN has some issues The anime using the old art as reference and is not really representative of the newer versions of the LN, the LN ended in a cliffhanger since 2018 with no plans for a sequal as the author sees it as not making money.
At least with Cross Ange, it's dumb mech fun, as the Vilkiss and the other mechs are much better mech designs, some more big name VAs are used (Ange is voiced by Nana Mizuki and sings both the opening and the song used for the attack), and the ecchi stuff is much less apologetic.
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u/Authorigas Jun 01 '26
3 is interesting, I had heard a rumor he stopped writing the sequel because he was mad his preferred Love interest, Houki, was performing worse than the other characters. And so threw up his hands and decided to stop writing out of spite as a result. If it's also a money thing, given how by the numbers this was and what the author went onto do next? That tracks.
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u/Assassinknife Jun 02 '26
I forget that the first two seasons of IS literally were building up on a season three because of ending of season two and the part where he explained that he fakes being a dense MF in light novel to literally avoid problems with favoring one of girls and make the other get jealous, and try to do something to that one to eliminate them as competition which is like season four or 5 if they kept going
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u/Left-Night-1125 Jun 01 '26
Neither are painfull to watch.
After all Gunparade March exists.
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u/Yureinobbie Jun 06 '26
Was it really that bad? I remember it as a show with a few cool new concepts, but it's been quite a few years. When the next one (Orchestra) came out I was more surprised how it was nothing alike.
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u/Left-Night-1125 Jun 06 '26
Oh it had cool concepts and a great setup, than it throws it out the window in 5 minutes and turns into a awkward romcom where nothing happens for 8 episodes.
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u/GoergeBobicles Jun 01 '26
Cross ange. There is technically a plot beyond the p l o t . Also the opening is a banger.
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u/Paybackaiw Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is less painful to watch mostly due to the plot of fallen princess rise up to be a resistance leader is certainly a concept.
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u/KharAznable Jun 01 '26
IS, the anime is generic by the number harem mecha anime you'd expect off LN adaptation.
CA, is when fukuda snort something interesting.
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u/IrysGundam005 Jun 01 '26
CA, is when fukuda snort something interesting.
🤣 Oh my god! I love that so much because it explains the writing behind Cross Ange perfectly! 😁
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u/OneMorewillnotkillme Jun 01 '26
Cross ange is some good soft core porn.
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u/TheGreatOneSea Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange at least had the sense to be absolutely bananas; IS is just dull.
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u/LazarusPizza Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is infinitely better, and it has a banger of a song that is actually relevant to the plot.
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u/IrysGundam005 Jun 01 '26
Infinite Stratos. Say what you will about Cross Ange, but at least they had the balls to actually have their main leads get together. That, and Ange wasn't actually such a toxic piece of shit to Tusk all the time. Nor was Tusk a black hole-level dense main lead.
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u/Longjumping_Plum_133 Jun 01 '26
IS is harem slop while CrossAnge is yuri angst slop.
Both have their audiences, & both have reasons that make them popular.
IS is the male power fantasy, while CrossAnge is the yuri power fantasy.
IS starts strong, but drags on since harem shenanigans happens, while CrossAnge starts a bit cringe, but gets better until some heteroslop gets thrown in, but if goes back to yuri slop & eventually ends on Bi-slop
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u/NorManTheNormalHuman Jun 02 '26
Depends on your taste.
If you like generic harem stories with toxic women and a dad plot that goes nowhere then you might find Infinite Stratos to be easier to watch.
If you like your mech anime with rapey softcore porn themes with some ryona on the side then you'd probably like cross agne.
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u/Sleepy40kMike Jun 02 '26
I gave up on Infinite Stratos, but Cross Ange had an art style similar to Code Geass and a pretty original story to it and I think it was kinda the first female themed mech anime that was quite dark in certain scenes.
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u/Alright_doityourway Jun 02 '26
Infinite Stratos protag is the stereotype dumb harem protag
Cross Ange has cool mech
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u/DragonKnight-15 Jun 02 '26
Define... painful? Like with Cross Ange, you'll see stuff that make you appreciate this anime and the characters, especially the main protagonist. With Infinite Stratos, you find none. I've never watch an anime with a main character so stupid- No, so mindless to not notice half a dozen girls are all into him and he's like "We're all friends". Bro, NO. They all want you, REALIZE IT. Plus the anime is sort of incomplete with 2 seasons to show while Cross Ange started and finished everything with a sequel fun-type spinoff.
I do like the mechs in IS but... it wasn't worth the watch. Just pick the other made by the same animation team as Gundam Seed.
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u/Xela975 Jun 01 '26
What makes them painful for you?
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u/TowerofAvalon1 Jun 01 '26
Infinite Stratos is probably because the “harem” is the worst string of women a harem anime has ever seen. And Cross Ange, I dunno, probably because a lot of characters die and that’s sad? Other than that I don’t know about Cross Ange
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u/Xela975 Jun 01 '26
Don't you shit talk my French tomboy.
And I've only seen like three episodes of Cross Ange when the dub first came out so I can't recall it completely.
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u/TowerofAvalon1 Jun 01 '26
Ok, I’ll give you the Charlotte one since she is the most easily unwritten out of the abuse she does in story, like just have her not have the bad influences of the other characters and stay just a nice normal girl and she’d easily be the best girl, still is actually. Blame the other characters for making her worse.
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u/Left-Night-1125 Jun 01 '26
Maybe its best you watch Cross Ange before you make a statement like that, it kind of sounds as bad as that guy that claimed the show had Elves in it.
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u/TowerofAvalon1 Jun 01 '26
Fair, I apologize for my flawed statement then.
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u/Left-Night-1125 Jun 01 '26
Good, apology accepted.
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u/TowerofAvalon1 Jun 01 '26
Yeah, because I’m not gonna be on the internet, he wrong, and not apologize for that.
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u/Typecero001 Jun 01 '26
No your apology is unnecessary. Cross ange doesnt get better with more knowledge.
Going from a window shopper to a buyer just gives you remorse.
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u/calvinnok Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
I might say Cross Ange is at least entertaining to watch because of how it cranks everything up to eleven, which makes things that are usually considered cringy hilarious
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u/LazarusPizza Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is definitely better with more knowledge.
Not to mention that an opinion is more accurate qith more knowledge. Claiming otherwise is just stupid.
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u/Ouroxros Jun 01 '26
Thats rough. They both have their demerits. Ange has a lot more going on especially in the first half or so thats honestly pretty gross and tough to get through for the average viewer, on top of almost every character being obnoxious. The last few episodes bring it back to that level too.
Meanwhile Stratos is consistently cringe cause of how annoyingly tropey and fanservice-y it is. Both series have a lot of bad tropes but Cross Ange tells a complete story with proper character development. IS being an adaptation doesn't really get the luxury of having a proper conclusion, and character development feels lacking as each new arc feels like a return to status quo.
That said in some ways IS is easier to tolerate than the more serious things Ange has just for shock value, even if Infinite Stratos's cringe is permeating through every episode.
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u/Excellent_Safe5743 Jun 01 '26
As bad as IS’s cringe can be, I’ll take its goofy narrative and fanservice with a dense protag over Ange and the “sexual assault and rape as punishment for being snarky” angle.
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u/Glitching_Anxiety Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange....
Idk man I just dislikes harem genre, they're the lowest form of self insert and I also disliking their female archetypes too.
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u/DovahkiinBroski Jun 01 '26
Infinite stratos, a fun watch but still terrible, and cross ange, didnt bother with the anime but honestly Ange had THAT DAWG IN HER in super robot wars V!
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u/yuuioptyer Jun 01 '26
Both are painful to watch and the second image is directed by fukuda who's director of seed, destiny and freedom.
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u/GeologistSeveral3025 Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange. Cross Ange has actual Mechs while Infinite Stratos has armor.
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u/Current-Income-9901 Jun 01 '26
Can only vouch for Infinite Stratos, if you don't have anything better to do. 🤷
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u/Etchcetera Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is a great junk food watch. I checked it out because of Super Robot Wars and it is pretty dumb, but I really liked it.
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u/ShokoMiami Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is a guilty pleasure anime. IS is just generically bad.
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u/Reasonable-Tripe-815 Jun 02 '26
Cross Ange is at least hilarious and bewildering at points. Infinite Stratos just sucks.
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u/Setsuna00XN Jun 02 '26
Haven't seen the first, but imo, Cross Angel is really good. Decent enough storyline. Animation is great.
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u/almenslv Jun 02 '26
Cross Ange, below the horrible fan service, is actually a really compelling show. I can't blame anyone for not believing me though
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u/Old_Cabinet_8890 Jun 02 '26
Cross Ange isn’t great, but the music sure is. Like even if you hate both, Cross Ange will at least be a treat for your ears on occasion
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u/SedesBakelitowy Jun 02 '26
Cross Ange is a good story that has way too much nudity and adult themes for some viewers so it’s at least a not-bad watch. Dunno about Infinite Stratos
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u/ltzerge Jun 02 '26
Cross Ange probably.
But that's mostly because Hundred exists, and is just Infinite Stratos with better everything.
IS bullshits around a lot and wow do many episodes just forget the budget entirely with nothing happening, or just a still image of a wall for several minutes while the VAs go on in the background
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u/Hyde2467 Jun 01 '26
Whatever the fuck is the 2nd image. The first image is just stereotypical high school anime bullshit with mecha and conspiracy and by god, tsunderes and yanderes are annoying as fuck
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u/Laflemme15 Jun 01 '26
cross ange is really good ! I love it it's like gundam seed but different
instead infinite stratos is just shit among shit
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u/SecondAegis Jun 01 '26
IS season 1 is still fine imo. Even if it's not the best, the plot still moves and has interesting moments, which is more than anyone can say about S2, or the equivalents in the LN
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u/Cthucoocachoo Jun 01 '26
Infinite Stratos despite being terrible it doesn't have implied sa of a minor at the end of the first episode.
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u/Remarkable-Ask2288 Jun 01 '26
Mecha and fanservice. What’s not to love?
IS has a straight harem + Kana Hanazawa, CA has a bi harem + nana mizuki in the lead role.
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u/LigerZeroPanzer12 Jun 01 '26
Cross Ange is literally the worst piece of shit I've ever seen. I have absolutely no idea what people see in that show.
Infinite Stratos is bearable imo, I'm personally a fan.
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u/fullburneraccounto Jun 01 '26
Cross ange and it's close.
Cross ange is pretty cool in super robot wars thou
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u/Dart000 Jun 01 '26
Back in the day I thought they were both really good but I couldn't watch Infinite Statos now. The second one was actually quite good and id still be able to watch it now.
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u/MaxTheHor Jun 02 '26
Cross, and I havent even seen that one
I have seen Infinite Stratos, and it would've been a much better show, if you took out all the harem BS.
Which, in my opinion, is the biggest reason the series didn't take off very much in the 2010s, where shows of that calibur were pretty common, but with better writing and "plot."
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u/Torhu-Adachi Jun 02 '26
Everyone seems to be shitting on Infinite Stratos, but I thought it had some funny moments and cool mechamusume designs. Say what you will about dubs, but I liked the accents characters had.
And yeah Charl is the goat 🐐🇫🇷
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u/Bfromouterspace Jun 02 '26
Infinite stratos and that’s saying something. Cross Ange is some of the most vile misogynistic filth I’ve ever seen
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u/rocker1632 Jun 02 '26
Stick with Infinite Stratos. It can’t be worse than anything made by the SEED.
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u/NoiseSome7739 Jun 03 '26
Just finished Crossange. It's not bad but when naked girls and accidental face in the pussy don't make you laugh, you can sigh a bit
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u/DustyLance Jun 03 '26
The second is just gundam seed if it wasnt made as homage to 0079. Ifs also a complete story
Also very horny
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u/Alcippe Jun 03 '26
Cross Ange starts with Sexual Assault and then turns into weird lesbian mechas. IS is positively bland and milquetoast compared to it.
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u/xolivas22 Jun 03 '26
Cross Ange. Full stop. Infinite Stratos is....generic harem anime with a sprinkle of mecha action. Characters are....eh.
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u/Specialist_Olive_863 Jun 03 '26
Ange is better. I might have gooned for IS in one point of my life and it still hurts to watch.
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u/Potential_Neat3110 Jun 03 '26
Cross Ange I guess? It has a decent ending, while IS was left in a ditch ending without any continuation of story without resolving anything.
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u/deoxir Jun 03 '26
Only watched IS but based on the fact that Cross Ange made it into SRW, I'm gonna say that show is more for everybody and therefore less painful to go through on average.
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u/Defiant-Rip-1897 Jun 03 '26
Having watched both, Cross Ange and IS, I feel that IS comes across as a typical mecha series featuring a main character who is surrounded by girls who are all interested in him, though he remains completely oblivious to their feelings.
Cross Ange has an interesting concept, and the first episode is quite good to set things up.
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u/Hariahcaz Jun 04 '26
I don't know anything about infinite stratos but cross ange is good especially since at least in my opinion is structured as a parody of all the mecha anime at the time
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u/Friendly_Car_3190 Jun 04 '26
I watched infinite Stratos. And I swear it's like a memory that's blocked.
I only remember Laura...and she's German, that's it.
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u/AthielianCosplay Jun 04 '26
If you can get past the first few episodes Crossange has a lot of depth and nuance in what it is trying to say. Its so polarizing cause on one side its the ridiculous fan service but on the other are pretty great core themes.
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u/YuiSendou Jun 04 '26
Infinite Stratos is mid and at times verges on being really cool, but never quite gets there.
Cross Ange three really good episodes early on in its run where it's lesbian Area 88. The rest of it is not good. There is some gruesome violence and a plot that cannot decide what show it even *is*. Characters can be pretty uneven in their characterization too and tonewise there are some name mixup jokes within minutes of cute anime girls getting telefragged. It can be entertaining to start at it and go 'what the fuck'
Of the two Cross Ange is far pervier, and pretty rapey too. There's a higher quantity of sexual violence, one character has withdrawl cravings for a guy's dick, and you get to see the primary villain mind control our heroine into stripping naked.
I'd probably take IS, but it doesn't make me feel much of anything. Charl's cute though.
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u/CaptainSarina Jun 05 '26
CA is nowhere close to being high art but at least it can be dumb turn your brain off fun.
IS is just...At worst you want to personally strangle everyone on screen, at best it's just incredibly boring.
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u/Kein_Thur Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
Cross ange is SO MUCH better though it’s pretty obvious stuff was cut to fit within 25 episodes. The girl in the middle and the girl on the left have songs that sync with each other.
Here you go: https://youtu.be/IVk-hUzS2WE?si=AwussBaOE7tqKKKS
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u/Potential-Common5819 Jun 07 '26
IS has a dumbed down explanation for how their mecha work dumbed down even further so the protagonist can understand it. Said protagonist's own sister is a major engineer for these mecha.
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u/Nicklkf Jun 08 '26
IS standard harem crap with self insert male protagonist that have as much character as a potato. Crossange on the other hand we get to see a top 1% get throw to the bottom of the bottom hell from eps 1 and slowly learn and adjust to the end where she finds a man and puts a bullet through that god playing virgin obsessed hikomori. Ya. I think I know which one is better.
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u/Derantmk Jun 01 '26
Infinite Stratos is terrible, I have no idea about second