The bad news is that Gunslinger Stratos often seems like a bunch of stuff all jumbled together. The good news is that there is a little bit of everything including fanservice.
Original concept by Urobuchi. ED by Umetsu. But I didn’t know any of that early on. To be honest, I only started watching this show because it came on at a time when I usually watch anime. And just when I was going to drop it, they added fanservice. Then I noticed nobody else seemed to be making stitches for it so I started making some stitches for each episode. But it was a bumpy ride, fanservice and stitches included…
Episodes 01 – 03
When I originally saw the first three episodes, I thought there was no fanservice. Blink and you will miss it. Then when I started making screencaps, I found they had snuck a little bit in.
So Kyouka #1 wears shorts under her skirt? Or is that bloomers?
Then in the ED, just a tiny bit of ass. And panties. Sneaky…
Then what looked like a couple of frames of classic Umetsu? Wait, Umetsu really did do the ED! Sneaky…
Episode 04
Then they seemingly opened up the floodgates for fanservice. Relatively speaking. Could have been better. But a lot better than what came before. Just when I was going to drop the show too. Sneaky… No nudity though. So far.
And what’s with closeups of grown women licking their lips? Although it is kind of sexy…
But they were still not done with fanservice in this episode. We finally see panties during aerial combat. Something, frankly, we should have seen a lot more of with girls in skirts doing aerial combat.
Episode 05
Back to the status quo of no fanservice. Even worse. Missed opportunities.
Even if we did get a few decent bosom shots.
How can you have this much aerial combat in skirts and not show any panties???
Episode 06
And just when you don’t expect any nudity, there’s a shower scene from Kyouka #2. Don’t expect there to be any nipples in the BD. But I could be wrong. A-1 Pictures has added nipples for Vividred Operations and Magi. Not impossible but the odds seem low.
Episodes 07 – 09
Once again we return to the status quo of no fanservice. Missed opportunities. Again. Sorry but doing a handstand in a skirt without anything showing defies the laws of physics…
Episode 10
Then seemingly out of nowhere, we get a nude loli. In outer space. What the heck?
Once again, the odds seem low that they will add nipples later but it’s not impossible.
And hey, the main couple #1 actually got to kiss in this show. Nice.
Episode 11
Back to the status quo. Maybe worse. They might actually be trolling us by now…
Episode 12
Now this is what I have been talking about. With girls in short skirts doing aerial combat, panties are going to show even if it’s just a peek here and there. Only why did they wait until the last episode???
Once again, what is it with grown women licking their lips? Still, it is kind of sexy…
Best Girl
IMHO. I’m sorry but I’m partial to the mature nerdy types and Kumi #1 is just too awesome.
Best Doppelgangers
I thought about Kyouka for best girl then I realized that both doppelgangers were great. I really liked their honest and direct personalities and how both girls go after their man.
Overall
Overall I can’t recommend this show even if just for the fanservice. It’s just too little, too late and too inconsistent. Same goes for the show. The biggest problem is that most of the characters are not likable. Which makes it hard to get invested in the show. On the other hand, there are a number of positives AND they stuck the landing so I have to give them credit for that.
