Str.A.In : Strategic Armored Infantry Box Set

"The bang doesn't work without the zoom!" That very statement, while incredibly silly, is very appropriate for Funimation's release of Str.A.In. At first look, this series looks like just any other Mecha series. The truth of the matter is this series is anything but the norm. Through the various aspects of the series I found myself saying, "this is brutal, cold and real."

I'm going to start off with the packaging on this release and get the negativity out of the way. I cannot help but shake my head at the quality of the "thinner-pak" Funimation is using on all it's set release. Not everyone is bothered by this, but for me, I would prefer a stiffer material if we cannot get chipboard. The art featured on the covers is very well done, but the lime green on the spine of the box is disappointing. It's more of a distraction and hindrance to the flow of the art. The two thinpak cases inside feature some amazing art and reversible sides are even more elegant. Please do be aware of the flipped art. Your eyes are not wrong, the cases and art cover placement have the front art on what is usually the back side. Thereby opening the cover with the opening on the left. It's not a mistake, you can fix it but it won't look right.

The audio kicks in full 5.1 surround sound on both tracks. I was loving it, all channels were firing and the subwoofer was kicking in all afternoon. For the curious, I noticed no dropouts or any issues. For dubs, I listened sample both tracks for a couple episodes before deciding to stick with the English dub on this release. You'll hear some familiar voices from the Funimation dub crew. You won't disappointed with Caitlin Glass's portrayal of Sarah to Greg Ayres as Melchi. It's by no means perfect but I enjoyed the dub a little more than the Japanese dub. Either way you go, you will not be disappointed.

The video quality of this release is amazing. It's no secret I love my anime in widescreen format and this is no exception. If you're looking for glitches, bugs, or anything that could possibly show a poor authoring job; you will not find that here. I believe Funimation has been able to show some consistency and improved authoring in the last year. I'm very pleased considering how frantic the action is and the top quality animation is. I definitely enjoyed the character models especially Sara who is reminiscent of another superb Mecha series Funimation has, in Blue Gender! Sara looks inspired by Marlene as are a lot of her personality quirks.

In the end, this is a gritty series that starts off with a bang and never let's up on the zoom. I would go so far as to say Str.A.In is a spiritual prequel to Blue Gender. I do not compare series or movies to others very lightly. It's like watching what life might have been like for Marlene. Obviously the shows are not in the same universe but you definitely feel the same atmosphere from Blue Gender within Str.A.in. The storyline is amazing and develops at a fast pace, but never falls out of it's own identity without delving too much into techno-babble. I do not discuss plot points, but fair warning on getting attached to characters. Other than some questionable color choices and a thin paper box this is a sleeper hit series you do not want to miss. I give this series 5 shower scenes out of 5!