Kantai Collection -KanColle- (generic discussion thread)

[Klashikari]

Welcome to the general discussion for the anime series Kantai Collection -KanColle-.

In order to ensure a proper discussion environment, please follow these additional guidelines.

-Do not discuss anything related to the game, unless it is for references sake and/or answer a quick question regarding a very specific occurence in the anime. For furher discussion/inquiry about the game, the game thread is for such purpose.

-Please avoid posting multiples pictures that has no direct connection to what has been going on in the anime. Please use the social group instead.

-As a reminder, the game is currently boasting a huge cast of 147 characters (not including alternate forms), and as such, it is arguably not possible to show all of them.
While the anime studio already stated there will be around 30-40 characters, they will show several characters at once, as giving focus to each of them would disrupt the flow of the series.
As such, please do not make any comment about certain characters not being there, or having very minimal screentime.

-Finally, please do not start meta discussions and other subjects that are very loosely tied to the franchise: you are free to comment and explain few points that are directly related to what happened during the Pacific War, but you aren't allowed to derail the topic with discussion about WWII or anything that is remotely connected to the setup.
For the same reason, do not start technical and ship discussions. Theses are needlessly lengthy and not really pertinent.

[winhlp32]

http://www.famitsu.com/news/201309/26040709.html

Kadokawa Games announces Kantai Collection (Kancolle) anime at the “KADOKAWA GAME STUDIO MEDIA BRIEFING 2013 AUTUMN" event, along with a PS Vita game.



So fast!

[Master Assassin]

Right. So information about the anime.

http://0taku.livedoor.biz/archives/4586108.html

Some digests:

Staff
-> Production studio: Diomedea
-> Series organization: Tanaka P (original creator)

- Main character will be Fubuki
- Using Fubuki's POV.
- Will be mainly about Fubuki's growth.
- If possible, will be using the same voice actresses for the anime

[Master Assassin]

Originally Posted by HauntingShock

Diomedea... this is going to be fun

The flow of information never stops!

Source: http://engawa.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/anime3/1380185734/

Director: Ohara Mitsuru
Series Composition: Tanaka Kensuke
Scenario: Tanaka Kensuke, 比企利至(dunno), Machida Touko, Yokote Michiko
Character Design: Ohnishi Youichi
Prop Design: Masuda Kenji
Art Director: Katou Hiroshi
Music: Katou Tatsuya
Studio: diomedea

Fubuki: Uesaka Sumire
Suzutsuki: Sadohara Kaori
Fuyutsuki: Mina

New ships I guess, if these two below Fubuki is of an any indication.

[Triple_R]

There's a question I'd like to ask my fellow anime fans, and this thread seems like a good one to ask it in.

What exactly is Kantai Collection? I've noticed in my fairly regular anime image searches that this is incredibly popular. General searches for "yuri" increasingly brings up a lot of girls connected to this property (though there's such a variety in the girls it brings up that I'm wondering if this is the next Saki or something )

It's a bit disconcerting for a big anime fan like myself to know virtually nothing about something that appears to be the "next big thing" in anime. So any info that others can provide here would be much-appreciated.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

What exactly is Kantai Collection? I've noticed in my fairly regular anime image searches that this is incredibly popular. General searches for "yuri" increasingly brings up a lot of girls connected to this property (though there's such a variety in the girls it brings up that I'm wondering if this is the next Saki or something )

Kantai Collection is basically a browser game involving moe anthropomorphic version of naval warships from the Pacific War (and pretty much like Arpeggio, since they are "she", there are only girls in there... also for "business/practical" reasons).
The whole point of the game is to manage your fleet as the admiral, by making expeditions/sorties and tune your ships with modernization and what not.

You don't really have any active role during battle, as the combat mechanics are determined by your ships stats, and a lot of RNG at work. Suffice to say, the fleet composition, supply and equipments are very important, which you have full control of it before sortie.

The primary reason for such popularity is that you have a plethora of seiyuu at work (mainly: Toyama Nao, Fujita Saki, Ayane Sakura, Iguchi Yuuka, etc), as well as lots of colorful characters that are hardly clones of each other.
The staff also replicated some real stuff from the pacific war, even putting nods/jokes about that so it also attract military (or rather navy) otaku.
quick example: Kaga, the 1st division aircraft carrier, doesn't like Shoukaku and Zuikaku from the 5th division, because these 2 weren't present during the Battle of Midway, in which Kaga, Akagi, Souryuu and Hiryuu sunk. Afterwards, the 5th division inherited the 1st division title.

Another important point is that, should a ship is sunk, similarly to Fire Emblem series, you -cannot- retrieve her, and there is no way to revive them. Of course, you can craft/drop another copy of the fallen kanmusu (assuming they are available with such means), but you will have to grind them from scratch (be it level or equipement).
Due to their personalities and that important matter, the game naturally make players care about their ships.

Adding the fact the game is easy to grasp (easy control without the need of babysitting a smartphone every 5-10 minutes) along with a big collection to get with little to no paid content requirement, you have a very successful formula.

It pretty much is the current major trend to the point it reaches Touhou's popularity, hence why you see it nearly everywhere. For instance, Googling a japanese warship will most likely give you a kancolle image result pretty quickly.
The funniest part would be the aftermath of c85, as there are just tons of kancolle centred doujinshi planned for it, most notably on Shimakaze.

[Myssa Rei]

More news!



Kantai Collection staff:

Director: Kusakawa Keizou.
Series Composition: Hanada Jukki.

So we have Nanoha, Love Live, and Steins;Gate alumna on the production team? That's... a pleasant surprise.

[LoweGear]

So found these translated lyrics to the OP song, and have to say they fit incredibly well...

Originally Posted by lyrics

English:
The morning sun is shining brightly, so wake up!

Listening to the waves, without saying a word,
It's as if we're having our wits tested
But even in utter darkness, we recall your orders
And press forth, we shall, just you wait and see!

So repeat it, we won't regret a bit
For we remain valiant, no matter the circumstances
Our aspirations, our adventures, and our future
Paired with our despair, our differences, and our losses
We'll overcome any enemy in the sea that gets in our way

Even if this world drowns in a palette of sea-blue
Surely, you'd call out to us, saying
"It's going to be alright, so let's go home"
And if everything refuses to go as planned,
We'll still face them together, by your side

Blow them all up, with the force of our will!

She's living like a flagship, but it's all in the past
She never gave up hope even till the end, only the sea knows

So even if we shatter, we'll never forget
Take a peek into our hearts, and you'll see!

So foolish, don't repeat the tragedy
We will not make the same mistakes
Sparkling, brimming with hope under the blue sky,
Tasting utter defeat, facing an eternal slumber, deep beneath
Please save the tears and move on

And even if I were to vanish, fragmenting into the past,
Surely, I'll always be in your heart
Assuring you, that tomorrow will be better
And so when I'm eventually forced to leave your side,
Please cherish our moments we spent together,
And resonate, we shall, as an entire fleet!


Romaji:
Asa no hikari mabushikute, Wake up!

Kotoba mo nakute, tada nami no oto kiiteta
Kioku no imi tamesarete iru mitai ni
Yami no naka de mo omoidasu
Mae ni susumu no, miteiteyo!

So repeat it, we won't regret a bit
Sonna fuuni mo kagaiteita no
Akogare, batsubyou, mirai,
Zetsubou, soushitsu, betsuri
Ikutsumo no kanashimi to umi wo koe

Tatoe sekai no subete ga miiro ni tokete mo
Kitto, anata no koe ga suru
"Daijoubu, kaerou" tte itte mo
Sekai ga subete hanten shiteiru no nara
Sore demo anata to massugu ni mae wo mite ite

Ima negai kometa ichigeki, hazeta!

She's living like a flagship, but it's all in the past
She never gave up hope even till the end, only the sea knows

Dakara mune tsubusarete mo wasurenai
Kojiakeru no, mite ite yo!

So foolish, don't repeat the tragedy
Sonna kotoba ni sukkari wa shinai
Kirameki, aozora, kibou
Haiboku, minasoko, nemuri
ikutsumo no namida no umi wo koe

Tatoe watashi no subete ga kako ni kiete mo
Zutto, kitto tomo ni aru tte
Itsu no hi ka kawareru tte itte mo
Watashi ga subete maboroshi da to shitara, sou
Sore demo anata to kiseki no you kono toki ni
Ima inori kometa ichigeki, hibike!


Kanji
朝の光眩しくて、Wake up!

言葉もなくて、ただ波の音聞いてた
記憶の意味試されているみたいに
闇の中でも思い出す
前に進むの、見ていてよ！

So repeat it, we won't regret a bit
そんな風にも輝いていたの
憧れ,抜錨、未来、
絶望、喪失、別離
いくつもの悲しみと海を越え

例え世界のすべてが海色に溶けても
きっと、あなたの声がする
「大丈夫、帰ろう」って言っても
世界がすべて反転しているのなら
それでもあなたと真っ直ぐに前を見ていて

今願い込めた一撃、爆ぜた！

She's living like a flagship, but it's all in the past
She never gave up hope even till the end, only the sea knows

だから胸潰されても忘れない
こじ開けるの、見ていてよ！

So foolish, don't repeat the tragedy
そんな言葉にすっかりはしない
煌めき、青空、希望
敗北、水底、眠り
いくつもの涙の海を超え

例え私のすべてが過去に消えても
ずっと、きっとともにあるって
いつの日か変われるって言っても
私がすべて幻だとしたら、そう
それでもあなたと奇跡のようこの時に
今祈り込めた一撃，響け！

[LoweGear]

I didn't really hear it all that well from the camrip that I saw earlier, but having seen the episode properly now...

I WANT THAT OST

[Klashikari]

Compared to my impressions with the camrip, it was pretty much the same: good balance and the likes.

I was surprised they asked Sakakibara (Seiyuu for Kasei in Psycho Pass) to handle the narration at the start: it makes it quite grimdark, especially when you have Wo, Ru and Ri class lurking around on screen

In general, I would say the CGI were way more noticeable, but not to the point of being obnoxious. They sure permuted several sequences in 2D then in 3D, but it isn't as bothering as how it was in Love Live.

Similarly to LoweGear, the scores used are pretty good with nice orchestral notes. Quite fitting for the battle sequences. I'm however surprised they didn't put some game rearrange for sake of reference, but who knows if they will do that later.

I will probably make a list of the characters shown onscreen with links to their game profile, as I assume some people will have hard time to figure who is who as well as their class.

Spoiler for Episode 1: characters appearance:

Shown in order of their first appearance:

[Initial battle]
-Kongou-class Battleship, Haruna
-Kongou-class Battleship, Kirishima
-Takao-class Heavy Cruiser, Atago
-Kuma-class Light Cruiser, Kuma
-Kuma-class Light Cruiser, Tama
-Shoukaku-class Aircraft Carrier, Shoukaku

[Headquarters]
-Nagato-class Battleship, Nagato
-Nagato-class Battleship, Mutsu
-Ooyodo-class Light Cruiser, Ooyodo

[At the naval base]
-Akagi-class Aircraft Carrier, Akagi
-Fubuki-class Destroyer, Fubuki
-Mutsuki-class Destroyer, Mutsuki

[At the Mamiya]
-Food Supply Ship, Mamiya
-Akatsuki-class Destroyer, Akatsuki
-Akatsuki-class Destroyer, Hibiki
-Akatsuki-class Destroyer, Ikazuchi
-Akatsuki-class Destroyer, Inazuma

[At the bath]
-Hatsuharu-class Destroyer, Wakaba Cameo
-Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer, Shiratsuyu Cameo
-Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer, Shigure Cameo
-Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer, Murasame Cameo


[Torpedo Squadron room]
-Shiratusuyu-class Destroyer, Yuudachi
-Sendai-class Light Cruiser, Sendai
-Sendai-class Light Cruiser, Jintsuu
-Sendai-class Light Cruiser, Naka

[Kanmusu with Naka]
-Asashio-class Destroyer, Asashio Cameo
-Kagerou-class Destroyer, Kagerou Cameo
-Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer, Samidare Cameo

[Starting with the PE scene]
-Tone-class Heavy Cruiser, Tone
-Shimakaze-class Destroyer, Shimakaze
-Mutsuki-class Destroyer, Kisaragi
-Kaga-class Aircraft Carrier, Kaga
-Kuma-class Light Cruiser, Kitakami
-Kuma-class Light Cruiser, Ooi

[Background, on Asashio's right]
-Asashio-class Destroyer, Ooshio Cameo
-Asashio-class Destroyer, Michishio Cameo


[Alone in front of the building]
-Yuubari-class Light Cruiser, Yuubari

[Before launcing, from left to right]
-Hiryuu-class Aircraft Carrier, Hiryuu Cameo
-Souryuu-class Aircraft Carrier, Souryuu Cameo
-Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser, Mogami
-Kongou-class Battleship, Hiei
-Kongou-class Battleship, Kongou

Spoiler for Abyssal Fleet ships:

[Trio right from the get go, center then sides]
-Destroyer Ro-class
-Destroyer Ha-class

[Main ships]
-Aircraft Carrier Wo-class
-Battleship Ru-class
-Light Cruiser Ho-class
-Light Cruiser To-class

[Ship with Ho-class and Ru-class]
-Heavy Cruiser Ri-class

[Firing]
-Destroyer I-class

[Battle at the second part]
-Anchorage Princess

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I will probably make a list of the characters shown onscreen with links to their game profile, as I assume some people will have hard time to figure who is who as well as their class.

Good idea. As someone coming into the franchise from the anime, I have no idea who 90% of the girls who just showed up in the first episode are. Then again, I did pretty much the same for IM@S and Love Live so I think I can handle it

The only ones I recognized on sight were Kongou, Shimakaze and Naka

[cloud04]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Compared to my impressions with the camrip, it was pretty much the same: good balance and the likes.

I was surprised they asked Sakakibara (Seiyuu for Kasei in Psycho Pass) to handle the narration at the start: it makes it quite grimdark, especially when you have Wo, Ru and Ri class lurking around on screen

In general, I would say the CGI were way more noticeable, but not to the point of being obnoxious. They sure permuted several sequences in 2D then in 3D, but it isn't as bothering as how it was in Love Live.

Similarly to LoweGear, the scores used are pretty good with nice orchestral notes. Quite fitting for the battle sequences. I'm however surprised they didn't put some game rearrange for sake of reference, but who knows if they will do that later.

I will probably make a list of the characters shown onscreen with links to their game profile, as I assume some people will have hard time to figure who is who as well as their class.

lol 20 or so ships already from epi 1 XD although like most of them barely even had a line or two or none at to say like hiryuu class

[xizro345]

For someone who doesn't know the game (and doesn't want to, since it's the kind of game I completely dislike - and not for the character designs or the concept) it looked entertaining. Its massive cast is going to be its biggest problem though, even if the studio said the focus is on a smaller set of characters.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by LoweGear

Good idea. As someone coming into the franchise from the anime, I have no idea who 90% of the girls who just showed up in the first episode are. Then again, I did pretty much the same for IM@S and Love Live so I think I can handle it

The only ones I recognized on sight were Kongou, Shimakaze and Naka

Done. We have 42 characters (regardless if they have some lines or not), and that's not counting the enemies. I will probably add a seperate list for that.

Details:
Characters with dialogues (even 1 single word): 31
Cameos: 11
Seiyuu with the most characters to dub in this episode: Sakura Ayane (8 characters: Nagato, Mutsu, Kuma, Tama, Sendai, Jintsuu, Naka, Shimakaze)

As another trivia: Yuudachi's poi count in this ep is... 16

[Death Usagi]

Poi intensifies

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Death Usagi

Poi intensifies

- Take a shot every time "Poi" is mentioned.

Oh wait, we'll end up with destroyed livers after this episode alone.

[Death Usagi]

Yay it's my abyssal waifu Wo-chan!

Images

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[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 1:

Episode one is simply, great from the very beginning, I didn't expect Yoshiko Sakakibara to narrate the prologue and if she stays in the remaining episodes, I'm gonna put some voice fangirling mode in her. The cast is certainly large at it is, it gives me heavy Sengoku Collection vibes, with the only difference that in here, the plot is linear and has battleships anthropomorphized as girls. I'm already familiar with enough characters just by looking their names and character designs as I haven't played the game yet (I did look numerous fanarts of them though).

Animation was certainly top-quality and the setting is interesting as if it felt like we're during in alternate universe 1940s where World War II didn't happen. Will keep watching it, seeing I really loved the mechanic transformation scenes in the second half, I feel curious to see the opening theme starting next week.

[Death Usagi]

The admiral QwQ

Images

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[Sheba]

Originally Posted by LoweGear

- Take a shot every time "Poi" is mentioned.

Oh wait, we'll end up with destroyed livers after this episode alone.

I'll scrap yall for fuel, steel and ammo if you do.