Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry

Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry (奏光のストレイン, Sōkō no Sutorein) is a Japanese mecha anime series by Studio Fantasia which premiered across Japan on WOWOW from November 1, 2006. A manga adaptation is being serialized in the Dragon Age magazine. The concept of the series is loosely based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels, most notably A Little Princess, but also Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden. On May 15, 2008, FUNimation Entertainment announced its licensing of Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry.

Plot
In the distant future, mankind is divided into two factions: Union and Deague. They have waged a war against each other longer than anybody can remember. The backbone of the Union military is the manned weapons system Strain, while the Deague uses an unmanned version, the Tumoru.

Sara Werec is a 16-year-old girl whose brother, Ralph Werec, went missing in action after being sent on a special mission 130 light-years away from the frontlines. It is Sara’s dearest wish to be reunited with her brother. To do that, she must travel to the battlefield, and thus attending the Grapera Space Armed Soldier Academy located in the Cranial Solar System, where she is training to become a full-fledged Reasoner (a Strain pilot).

One day, Sara’s planet is suddenly assaulted by Deague forces. To her surprise, her brother, Ralph, turns out to be one of the raiders who successfully kidnap a mysterious girl sleeping in a capsule. In order to find the truth, Sara gets in a Strain and chases after him. However, she is attacked by Ralph, and the Mimic, a copy of the pilot’s brain which is essential to controlling the Strain, is damaged.