Before we begin, let me ask you, the reader, these.
Do you like Resident Evil? Hell yeah you do. Or wait, is that kinda thing not up your alley?
What about things like The Avengers? Pacific Rim? Planet Terror? Hell, Batman v Superman?
Why am I asking these things?
It's because it's important to know one crucial thing about Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. It is the proverbial Summer Blockbuster deal that we get every now and then stateside. Except this one showed a season earlier than Summer.
But what is it, that people truly enjoy about the things that I mentioned above? The plot? Deep narrative? When you entered
...
the theatre, did you honestly think, "Am I ready to experience the depths of the human psyche"? Gods no, I myself knew when I entered the cinema, I wanted to see some damn cool fights and cool robots beating giant monsters.
And for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, the show delivers all the stuff you've wanted from a Blockbuster. And it delivers like a train. Ramming through steel barricades. Operated by zombies.
--------Story & Character: 5/10-----------
Probably where it's weakest, is its story. However, even then that's debatable. As someone who's watched so many anime lately that attempts to twist and contort their stories so much, and just absolutely bomb themselves with how unnecessarily complex they are, Kabaneri is a breath of fresh air in that regard. It's narrative and characters are simple to understand, easy to follow. No unexpected left or right turn, or some complicated hoop. It's a simple roller coaster ride.
Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. Simple is good, eight times out of ten. But this is not to say we could've used stellar writing here - Kabaneri could've done better, especially in its latter half - when zombies stop being a threat on their own, and a human threat is introduced. In most zombie stories though, things will almost ALWAYS draw out to this plot point near the end.
As a tabletop game master who adores running zombie games for his players, as I would say, "When your players kill your best zombie, it's time to send in the corrupt pharma.". Speaking of that; similar to running a tabletop RPG for your friends, the narrative of Kabaneri is made for the maximum entertainment and thrill of its audience. It's a non-stop (ahem) train ride for zombieland, where the most likely thing you're looking forward to next is how much more outrageous the situation can get.
But that's where I find most of the flaws stem from. Had it dedicated itself to becoming maximum B-movie(and it did from the start!), the show wouldn't have wasted so much time meandering around some topics considered "deep" - it could've cut 25% of it, and it would've gone better.
--------Art: 10/10-----------
What can I say? Kabaneri has absolutely GORGEOUS art. Its art is incredibly(and surely intentionally) reminiscent of the highly detailed 80s anime art. Except this time, we have the gift of digital animation and enhancement to make those frames look even more amazing.
If there was any reason to watch this for an anime enthusiast, it would be the art. For the past decade or more, I have not seen an anime THIS pretty and pleasing to look at.
Let's play a little game - when you watch an episode, stop at any point in the show. Any point at all. 8 times out of 10, you will stop at a picture that you could potentially print and post on your wall. You can probably screencap half the show's content, print them them into an artbook, and it would SELL. It is that pretty.
As for the animation quality, it is consistent for most part, characters move smoothly, and cinematography is breathtaking. Again, it's like watching an AAA 80s anime, but better in terms of spectacle. They even have that thing where they show a still picture, and draw speed lines over it and shake the cam to make it look like something's happening. Whoops! Actually, I personally could've done without that.
--------Sound: 10/10-----------
Composer Hiroyuki Sawano is in charge of the soundtrack. This man is known for producing gold out of his hands, and he does not fail to deliver in Kabaneri. His tracks provide excellent mood and atmosphere, and the musical cues and timing of the track is just simply perfect.
Voice acting is good for most part - I especially liked Mumei's and Kurusu's actors.
Opening is a catchy song aptly named "KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS" by EGOIST, and does not hesitate to literally say the show's title as part of the song's lyrics. If the show wasn't 80's enough for you yet, this should solidify that idea already.
The end song, "ninelie" by Aimer is a melancholic and dramatic song that I honestly do not get tired of listening on repeat for an hour, sung in Aimer's signature style.
--------Enjoyment + Overall: 7/10-----------
Did I enjoy the show? Hell yeah I did. Do I think its writing is groundbreaking? Not in the slightest, but I did get thrills over it. I play a lot of horror or shooter games, and while I don't think they're well written, they exist for a reason.
In the same way, Kabaneri exists as a sort of Blockbuster flick you can watch when you invite your friends over for the night. Will this serve as some historical piece for future anime fans? Actually, perhaps, if only for one reason:
When they look back, and see that only a few studios actually animate their stuff well, they can look at Kabaneri and say, "You mean they made anime look like THAT before? Damn!". I know a few old anime that were not great in story either, but when I look at their art, I think the same thing I mentioned above.
--------Conclusion-----------
So would I recommend this anime to you, reader? If your answer to every question at the first part is "No.", then you may want to turn around and seek another show. If it's a resounding "Yes." to a lot of it, then strap up, grab those snacks, and get ready for one of the prettiest rides you're about to embark - even if the ending isn't as good as you would hope.
Really though, it's when we look for perfection in everything, that we fail to appreciate the smaller things. Kabaneri's existence has a purpose - and that purpose is all that I've said above.
Aug 3, 2016
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri
(Anime)
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Before we begin, let me ask you, the reader, these.
Do you like Resident Evil? Hell yeah you do. Or wait, is that kinda thing not up your alley? What about things like The Avengers? Pacific Rim? Planet Terror? Hell, Batman v Superman? Why am I asking these things? It's because it's important to know one crucial thing about Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. It is the proverbial Summer Blockbuster deal that we get every now and then stateside. Except this one showed a season earlier than Summer. But what is it, that people truly enjoy about the things that I mentioned above? The plot? Deep narrative? When you entered ... 
Apr 6, 2011
Toaru Majutsu no Index II
(Anime)
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So, here we are. Toaru Majutsu no Index II, a second season/sequel to the first season. The audience is once again shown following the adventures of a certain man, Touma Kamijou, through the hells of Magic and Science. All the while building his (in)famous harem, of course.
Honestly speaking, the Index series has been one of my favorites ever since I layed my eyes on it. After finishing season 1, I waited paitently for a season 2, expecting this series to be more awesome than it already is. After the 24(or 25, if you count the delay) weeks of watching it, I have found myself in quite ... 
Jan 29, 2010
11eyes, in the beginning, showed potential to be a "10" or "9" grade anime. Some shows went on and grew the beard. This one, on the other hand, devolved into something else. However, this wasn't exactly a devolution into the worst of the worst.
Story - 4/10 The anime showed pretty strong potential to be a very good supernatural themed story. The concept was used before. This did not discourage me from watching it though. One can use mediocre concepts and turn it into gold. I first saw this aspect as gold. This view, however, devolved and the story slowly but surely turned into something else: A ... |
