Cute me…is cute

Shameless is about the only word I can think of to begin to do this show justice. What a scamp it is – always doing dumb things, but you can’t help but feel some affection for it. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more shameless-er… It plumbs new depths.

Of course, shameless is s pretty good quality when you’re talking about a beach episode, and if there was ever a series meant for the job, Infinite Stratos is it. It gives a good opportunity for the largely forgotten pair, Rin and Cecilia, to get back into the action. Apparently a comedy team now, they set for themselves the task of spying out Ichika’s relationship with Charlotte – or “Char” as he decides to call her (pet names, Girls – that’s a bad sign). But their antics are largely upstaged by Laura, who starts things off by getting into bed naked with Ichika and then calls for help from her German military buddies to pick a swimsuit.

Char remains at the head of the pack this week – her stratagem of getting Ichika into the changing stall with her was pretty ingenious. But when it comes to upstaging, no one can hold a candle to Chifuyu-nee, who shows up on the beach in the trampiest swimsuit ever. And not surprisingly, Ichika’s reaction betrays something more than fraternal pride, a fact that Char notes to her chagrin. And if you wanted plot, there’s the matter of Houki – remember her? – and her personal IS, which we haven’t heard bo peep about since the very beginning. Her own Nee-san promises to deliver it, and with it, Houki’s chances of getting back in the game take a big leap…

I’m sure the complaints about Ichika’s density are going to fly hard and fast, and he does seem to be falling into that cliched harem lead trap – but since this show abuses every cliche in the book, why not that one? It should piss me off, but I just find it hilarious that he’s the only guy in a girls school where even the teachers are hot for him and he appears to have no clue. At this point Infinite Stratos appears to have abandoned all pretense towards a real plot and is shamelessly (!) devoting itself totally to the hunt. May as well – the rest of it would just get in the way. My money is still on Char (I’m rooting for her too) but Houki is still dangerous – she was the first in line, and she’s about to get a power-up. But with Chifuyu-nee looking hotter than hot in that swimsuit, they could all be fighting for second place.