KanColle - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Klashikari]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of KanColle ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Characters/Character Design
• Voice Acting
• Which kind of footage (Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive) you feel you'd really like to see.
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun

[chaosprophet]

I enjoyed the anime overall, at first from an interest regarding the characters and concept that I knew from a friend and later on as a player myself. It was nice seeing the characters interact with each other, they moving around and fighting. It was often fun, especially when I wasn't trying to take it too serious. I would give the anime a high grade of 8 (although more of a 7.5). By the way, I always rate based completely on my enjoyment of a show and nothing else (although all parts of a show do affect the enjoyment).

Even thought I was able to enjoy it quite, I do think it had lots of flaws and could have been a much better show. I will focus my post on these flaws:

+They often used lines from the game even thought many times it wouldn't fit very well the situation becoming awkward. It's nice to have a few lines here and there kinda as easter-eggs but only in situations where they would fit really well.

+The admiral existing but being off-screen was a very bad decision. In the earlier part of the show it was ok, but get really bad later on when the story starts to revolve more around him and his plans. It would have been better if he was an actual character or didn't exist with Nagato or someone else being the commander of the base.

+The anime was trying to get way too many characters in while it had only 12 episodes. The result is many characters only being showcased, but without being given background/motivations nor development. I think it would have been better if it focused on a smaller cast, like one of the squadrons Bucky was part of during the show plus a few more characters.

+The anime didn't try to explain and give more information about it's setting to enrich the story. How did the ship-girls came to be? Are they created or constructed in some way? Born as humans with the souls that latter are taken from their homes and enlisted? If that's the case how was it like to be suddenly taken from a normal life to fight? I think it would have been a much better story if it tried explaining things and giving us a better background.

*The mood transition was a bit bad, especially in last episode with the mood of the battle that is supposed to be serious and tense being broken many times for funny scenes and jokes.

I think a big problem of the anime, that is a cause for all but the last flaw I listed, is it having too much fanservice for the gamers. The lines being obvious fanservice; the admiral being off-screen so the players could insert themselves or their favorite image of an admiral there; many characters because between the players you have fans for all different characters and they don't need to learn about them as they already do from the game; the story not being explained to not outreach the game that don't give explanations for that and scenes like the buckets or fairies appearing can be taken as "that's just how it works in the game".

[Sheba]

The Good

• Fanservice done right. Not the ecchi kind but the one that makes game players feel right at home. Akagi the glutton, Nagamon, the bucket scene in episode 2 and the kan kan kan sound that scared DesDiv6 in episode 6 comes in mind.
• A good main trio that helped carrying the series. Fubuki, Mutsuki and Yuudachi have had the right character chemistry to make me care about the series. It makes me care more for Mutsuki, so the anime must have done somethign right.
• Characterization of some characters were spot-on. Nagato and Akagi comes in mind. To the point that it would have been better if Nagato have been the C.O if they never wanted to have the Admiral to begin with.
• A little bit for ALMOST everyone. You have had your Kongou sisters episode, one about the CarDiv 1 and CarDiv5 rivalry, one about DesDiv6 and one about Yamato. So we covered most of the popular girls.
• The character designer had done a good job standardizing the many character designs for the original game.
• Voice acting. Kudos to Ayane Sakura and Nao Touyama who managed quite well. Not to say that others were not on par. But Ayane Sakura and Nao Touyama really stood out.
• Music, probably the best thing about the anime.

The Bad

• Fanservice done wrong. Cardboard cameos, lines straight out of the game. And also things like Weekly Lesbian that overstayed its welcome.
• Speaking of Weekly Lesbian. This is an example of something that have been detrimental to a character, namely Ooi.
• A notorious drop in quality check after the first couple of episodes.
• Just one cours. It was not enough for the plot to develop properly.
• Victim of the one cours curse, the vast cast of characters meant that a LOT were going to be left out (*cough*Shigure*cough*Akebono*cough*). Some like Tenryuu and Tatsuta were only mentioned by name wwwww.

The Ugly

• An uneven balance of tone between a comedic tone and one full of gravitas. It gave off the impression of a schyzophrenic series.
• The air Admiral have been detrimental to the series. One of the many draws of the game is that YOU are the Admiral who have to deal with a large cast of girls who just happens to be incarnations of WWII ships or ships themselves, depending on who you ask. Having the Admiral present would have helped to see how the shipgirls, like Nagato, Kongou and Fubuki relates to the Admiral. Like I have said, the anime is made by Japan for Japanese, so they can make him look like generic light novel protag as long as he have an actual personality and agenda. One of my favorite of this kind of Admiral is Shino's Admiral from Miss Akebeno & The Shitty Admiral doujin series. He cares about his girls, his presence is felt but not overbearing and he can deliver on the comedic side of things.

I still have been entertained from beginning to the end. In fact, knowing the previous works of the director have made me adjust my expectations accordingly.

Rating:

7 Poi out of 10.

[FunnyGuy]

The lack of Admiral in the picture and excessive used of plot armor and deus ex machina in the last episode ruined it.

5/10 > Only moe saved this anime, though, also moe cause the anime to swing to the depths of horribility. LOLs

[Master Assassin]

Right, let's try to be fair, though throughout the season my impression of it has been very terrible.

+ OST felt like it was out of a classic movie with a lot of budget for orchestrals. Not that it's bad... in fact I can be impressed with it...
- ... if not for something else: I felt it's also wasted on the anime.
・No comment on character design, but they do have some interesting choices for... swimsuits. That Yamato's bikini is particularly eye-catching despite how I dislike the anime.
- Guess I'm not the lone guy in complaining about the Admiral's "presence." Everytime they talk to, or about him, I always go "Who or what the hell are you girls talking to/about? There's no one there! You guys sure you're not being brainwashed into thinking he exists or something?" Add to the fact that a certain idol series is airing this season and it managed to catch my attention despite being more ill-versed in its universe compared to Kancolle, it speaks volumes.
- I was never a proponent of yuri. Even without it, they made Ooi even more grating than the last time I actually tried to transcribe her hourlies for the wikia (I gave up around her 4~6AM lines. ) The Fubuki/Mutsuki segment irks me. The Nagamutsu at the end irks me. ... Anymore than this and I'll just be writing a personal rant. I'll stop here and give room to those who like it to praise it instead .
- They can't seem to decide on what they want to be. Serious? SOL? Or just being a series where the main appeal is cutesy anthropomorphized warships and nothing else?
- Some characters are reduced to plain mob characters. A little bit more than that and they basically become broken records, not going to be surprised if they actually took some audio from the game to cut on the seiyuu budgets... I'm joking here so please. Moving on, higher up and... wow, even the game has more characterization than the anime did. Kongou is so-so, but her sisters... Oh OK whatever.

And to sum it up...

Since I had way too many impressions leaning on the negative, I'll mark this as a 4/10. One of these points is for the anime even being made.

[Marcus H.]

The main issue with Kancolle is "where the perfect balance is achieved".

Which characters, aside from the MC Fubuki, needs their own moments?
How often must the show make in-game references?
How much CG and how much 2D animation must be allotted to the scenes?
Where should the show be serious and where should the show add its comedic moments?

To me, it was the the subpar handling of those four factors that undermined the overall quality of the show. Still, it remains to be one of my personal best for this season, though. Although the plot had some issues, at least it worked, and it didn't go beyond what it can handle. I have to wonder what Season 2 will give us: a better storyline, or a bigger headache to manage?

I hope Diomedéa learned a lesson about handling multiple anime projects this year. This and their other productions reveal that they still can't be relied on when it comes to taking big loads and they should just stay with a few shows a year like before.

Enjoyment Score: 9 Pois over 10.
Actual Score: 7.8 Pois over 10.

[Eisdrache]

Animation Quality: 6-7
Usually I'm fine with any animation as long as it's fitting to the show/scene but the overuse of 3D was really bothering me at times. There is no reason to have cardboard background characters though.
Voice Actors: 8-9
Given that this show was like 4boats1VA, they did a good job. I'm not too familiar with VAs but I don't remember anything bad.
Script: 4
The script was lacking at best. Up to episode 7~8 it had its flaws but went on alright. 9~12 on the other hand was a complete disaster. The absence of an admiral would be fine but then they kept bringing him into the focus. The hyped Wo-class that did absolutely nothing, the ominous force manipulating fate, massively overplayed Fubuki drama, repetetive KTKM/Ooi scenes, and more. All of this gave me the impression that they didn't know how to create a proper ending and just threw together a bunch of random stuff to fill the episodes. They should have continued to focus on the initial torpedo squad more instead of switching to all the different fleets later.
Soundtrack: 8
OP and ED were quite catchy. I often rewinded a few times just for the ED. The other BGMs were fine too.
Editing: 3
Quality check? There were issues in every single episode.
Enjoyment: 5
If it had ended at ep6 then the score would be much higher. It started out nicely and all the quality issues weren't bothering me that much. But the longer the show dragged on the more apparent its flaws became. Strong start but abysmal ending simply doesn't cut it for me.
Emotional Involvement: 6
Fubuki turned out to be a decent MC (when she wasn't depressive) and the torpedo squad had a very nice chemistry. Then they split up into different fleets and hardly showed up again after. ZuiKaga was a nice addition but aside of that there wasn't really anything that I stood out for me.

Overall rating: 6 poi out of 10

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

The animation and the overall look of this anime is actually quite good and certainly a lot better than Diomedea’s other series and even much better than some other fantasy adaptations this season. The story however is so-so or okay-ish at best. It’s not bad, but not very good either. I guess the problem is how they build a story around the premise and how execute it. It felt rather lacking something. The Kanmusu characters are somehow less relatable than, say, the girls in GuP. I don’t know if it’s because they are ships-in-girls’-bodies or because the lackluster execution of their story (not to mention the one-note underdeveloped ones or those who only cameo-ing throughout the show). Last, but not least, I just can’t feel real tension in the battles. I know this is maybe a game-thing but the lack of visible physical damage when their bodies got direct hits from missiles and whatnot (the most we get is stripped/burned clothes, damaged equipments, and some bruises) really takes away the tension from me. I can’t compare that element with GuP or Arpeggio since both use “real” tanks and ships to do battle (with people and AI inside or on top of them) and those weaponized-vehicles did take “proper” damage when hit by shells, mines, missiles, torpedoes and even graviton cannons, unlike Kancolle where the girls are the weaponized-vehicles. Here, the battle approach is closer to Strike Witches which I think the battle is slightly better and more intense than Kancolle (and this comes from someone who dislikes Strike Witches to boot). Even Kisaragi who got bombed and sunk feels like an afterthought rather than a real dramatic death. I know it’s just me, but I think Kancolle battles looks a bit too “cute” to be taken seriously with all the angst .

On another topic, I find the way they are presenting the admiral by not depicting him on-screen nor making his voice heard a bit hilarious. Why? Well, because this approach is very similar to what people have done before to none other than Prophet Mohammad in movies such as The Message. In Mohammad’s case, it is necessary (and it actually works in the movie) due to honoring the Islamic tradition of not impersonating or depicting Mohammad’s look. But here in Kancolle, there’s really no need for such approach other than the makers’ insistence to provide self-insert for the audience. Or did they actually afraid that any admiral depiction they choose will upset a number of fans who already have the images of their “ideal admiral” in their minds? If so, I’d say they need to be bolder and just go out with their version of admiral whether it’s a senior/middle-aged man/woman (eg. Gendo Ikari, Bright Noa, Murrue Ramius, Sumeragi Noriega), young bishounen/bishoujo (eg. Chihaya Gunzou, Sinon Kouzuki), shota/loli (eg. Conan Edogawa, Mina Tepes), or sage-like old man (eg. Juzo Okita, Bruno Gloval) and make him/her a “real” character. As long as the writing and execution are good, audience and fans will approve.

[DerGilga]

When discussing the good and bad points one has to separate the first half and the second half of the anime. While not perfect the first half showed many good points:

• Instead of trying to justify the premise, the basic background of the show is just stated. Probably the best way to not break the viewers' suspension of disbelief when dealing with girls scatting on water while fighting monsters.

• Important characters are introduced as characters and not just game references. We get to know them a bit and can understand their actions and worries, except the special one.

• The comedy bits are funny. If four little destroyers try to cook with a flamethrower, it's funny because thats funny and not just a game reference.

• Fubuki as a main character is rather plain and generic, but paired with other characters, e.g. the special one who's just mad mad mad, we can relate to her as the only sane one. Also as the main character she plays an important role, but isn't the centre of the world.

• Good separation between comedy and drama. Even if both are present in an episode, because they a separated the mood of each scene is clear.

• Killing off a character. Even if the general theme is rather light-hearted, by sinking a girl the battles are more than just a sports exercise.

• The air admiral is not used as a character, but rather as a force dictating the action of the girls.

In general the first half was very entertaining and a good build up to the second half where more serious elements could be dealt with. And now the bad points 'shine':

• Bad pacing of plot elements. If Fubuki's jealousy of Poi or her obsession with exp is dealt within 5 minutes it fells more like filler instead of proper character development.

• Bad introduction of plot elements. If remodelling is a big deal then is has to be established why. From an pure anime perspective I have still no clue how Fubuki's remodelling actually affected the story.

• Bad separation between comedy and drama. If Fubuki cries in the arms of the special one, I don't want to see Hiei making her antics. If we are in the middle of the final fight I don't want to see an overused yuri joke.

• If the fights with the abyssal are supposed to be more than sports exercises you need more than a token death at the beginning.

• Important characters are game references and not introduced as characters. Who is Taiho?

• The air admiral is used as a character instead just being a force dictating the action of the girls.

• The lazy final.

• Midway Himes dying line implies that she more than just a monster. It's kind of impressive by turning her into a plain monster the anime manages to fuck up one of the few story elements the game actually possesses.

While there were ups and downs the overall impression of the series was quite good. The second half of the season wasn't as good as the first half, but still enjoyable with episode 11 being a really good setup for a great final.

With the final: ok

Without the final: good

[bhl88]

http://enq-maker.com/result/b4v86Cx (the poll on the other side)

For me, the first 3/4 was good and the latter dropped (everything was said)