Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (also known as Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) is honestly one of those series that almost wants to make you rip your hair out. By first impressions, the show seemed to be on the right track. Dubbed by some as a generic clone of “Attack on Titan” or the next “big thing”, this series is one that is filled with controversy.

As an original anime by Wit Studio, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri seems to be inspired by a lot of generic concepts taken from the dark fantasy genre. These concepts ranges in variety from survival horror, revenge, tragic past, monster invasion, betrayal, experimentation, you ... name it. If you’ve seen a monster movie, chances are, you’ll find one of these ideas stuffed into this show. As the first few episodes rolled through, I do have to admit that the series is highly entertaining. The storytelling sparks interest, the setting has potential, the characters are diverse, and the production is solid. So what exactly went wrong?
Before we get to the meat of the series, it’s probably best to understand the staff behind the series. Besides Wit Studio, we got director Tetsuro Araki who is well-known for his work on Attack on Titan. Then, there’s Ichirou Okouchi, the guy that wrote the scripts for Guilty Crown. And finally, the music you hear throughout the show is crafted by Hiroyuki Sawano who is well known for many series (Kill la Kill, Aldnoah Zero, Owari no Seraph) Take this in all a second and you may see a pattern. And chances are, you’ll find some familiarity with these shows if you’ve seen them.

It’s pretty much one of those mainstream shows that tries to appeal to a broader audience. And by that, I mean it’s a show that tries to do everything possible to make it entertaining. Not necessarily entertaining for its story but more about its over the top notch action. It’s pretty obvious though. The production quality of the series is stellar. A simple glance at the first two episodes will have you in awe with the action as we see humans fight monsters (or otherwise known as Kabane). These monsters seems mindless and inspires horror based just on their appearance, behavior, and way to try to assimilate others into their race. The setting has the apocalyptic feel with the widespread destruction caused by the Kabane. Furthermore, we also have steampunk technology in the form …trains. That’s right, trains. They are actually called Hayajiro and are locomotives used for transport and protection due to their armor. The most infamous one is the Koutetsujou where we meet our main characters.

Collectively, the characters are both generic but also has some unique traits about them. The main protagonist is Ikoma. He may seem like the typical teenager but has genius intellect when it comes to inventions. On the other hand, there’s nothing too special about him except for his main role in the show because of his personality. You’ll probably notice it right away from other series similar to this: the type of characters where they have a strong will power to protect what they believe in and make a difference in their world. Then, there’s Mumei, a strange petite girl with a lot of mysteries of her own. Unlike Ikoma, she has the personality of a child despite her powerful abilities to fight the Kabane. It’s also shown that she had a tragic past so expect PTSD-like scenes in some of the later episodes. In essence, what she lacks is more of a character that can be relatable or we can feel attached with. Although throughout the series, Mumei does forge a strong bond with Ikoma that seems to grow more and more. However, the way some characters develop throughout the series is rather questionable. While Ikoma follows a straightforward progress of becoming a savior of mankind, Mumei’s character seems to develop backwards from a badass fighter to damsel in distress. While I still find the chemistry between Ikoma and Mumei to be fun to watch, their characterization is something that really degenerated.

Of course, we do have the princess of the series. Meet Ayame Yomogawa who is blessed with noble blood. She’s pretty much the typical female character you’ll find in books who has a reasonable understanding about certain individuals, is honest, and even shows mercy to her enemies. She also shows potential as a leader and unlike Mumei has more of a mature personality. And if you can guess by now, she also has her own personal bodyguards such as Kurusu, a serious man with a code of honor and skilled fighter. So on paper, the majority of the characters from the series each has their own strengths and weaknesses. You’ll discover them easily through their role in the story and believe me, some of them are generic to the core. On the other hand, I do like some of the relationship dynamics throughout the show. Strong friendships such as Ikoma and his childhood friend Takumi, the deeper bond between Ayame and Yukina (engineer of the Kotetsujo), and Ikoma and Mumei’s building trust are just a few to name.

So initially, I had little problems with the show mostly because it’s what I had expected and nothing really took me by surprise. The revelations and identities of the Kabaneri, zombie symptoms spread through like a “curse” by infections, background history/storytelling, or the weaknesses of the Kabanei never really bothered me. What started to become rather questionable is the storytelling and execution of the episodes around mid-season. Out of nowhere, we get antagonists whom I find as some of the most stereotypical characters I’ve ever seen. Their motivation and roles in the story almost makes me puke just because how preposterous they are. As I’ve also mentioned before, Mumei becomes one of the most insufferable female characters in the series later on. That’s actually a bit disappointing to realize as well because the show has painted most of the female characters as strong women. Otherwise, storytelling takes a swerve with two faced characters, the overemphasis on certain plot devices (such as mind control), and overall just seems unrecoverable after certain episodes in the latter half of the season. The inserted breather episodes are overshadowed despite their importance while deaths of certain characters are extremely predictable from miles away.

By technical standards, the show is gorgeous. There’s little concern about it as production values remain high throughout the entire series ranging from battle segments to cinematic choreography. The setting of the series is also designed with high caliber quality with rich backgrounds. The technology has a crude yet firm design such as the weapons that Ikoma and Mumei uses or the locomotives we see every episode. The monsters also gives a horrific feel with their design and although isn’t too unique still inspires fear. Finally, character designs sophisticated that makes both the male and female characters credible with their roles.

If you got headphones, then definitely put them on for the show. It’s worth it because the OST is something that will get you in the mood quickly. Because the show is very action oriented (especially in the first few episodes), you’ll quickly catch on with the flow. The OP and ED theme songs are also nicely choreographed and sung by world class talents. Speaking of talent, Sawano’s skills are easily recognized as well that combines elements of thriller and his instrumental style to bring the show larger than life when it comes to music. On a lesser note, character voice mannerism is moderate and you’ll hear plenty of screaming.

So, the big question mark is if you should watch Koutetsujou no Kabaneri. It’s an original show so there’s nothing to lose when it comes to adaptation. But for its storytelling, do be aware that it’s not exactly as impressive as it seems. Characterization throughout the series is questionable for certain characters and the show also suffers from numerous flaws about them. But if you’re in it for some fun entertainment, then this is definitely the show to go see. Put those headphones on, ride the train, and see what’s ahead.

BOKU WA KABANERI DA!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!one!!!oneoneshiftone!!!!eleven!!!

<insert your favorite cliche, corny phrase from the show here>

Kabaneri. What happened? This show was supposed to be the Attack on Titan that everyone wanted. All the pieces were there to get everything on track- Tetsuro Araki as the CONDUCTOR, Wit Studio in the boiler room, and my main man Hiroyuki Sawano handling the harmonic balancing in the CABOOSE. With these three wheels churning, Kabaneri should have been a hit. But oh man... did it ever DERAIL itself about halfway through.

They say that monorails make for a good one liner, but Kabaneri really RAILROADS you through the story. There's something to ... be said for a fast paced show, but this one is full steam ahead from the first minute, burning off much needed characterization in favor of jumping from one action setpiece to another. The inclusion of a machiavellian villain who has no discernible goals other than to be a giant dickhead and watch the world burn could have been a great DEPARTURE from the norm in anime- villains who have some grandiose rule the world or become immortal plot. However, Biba truly is just evil for the sake of being evil, and his entrance into the plot comes far too late to have much effect in taking us DOWN THE LINE.

For those who don't mind getting OFF TRACK into mindless violence involving a little girl and a level 87 Platinum Edgemaster of the Balron, though, this show could be your TICKET! For everyone who is looking for characters to EXPRESS themselves through something more than action, the show runs out of STEAM very quickly. Once the shock value of decapitating a pregnant woman, killing children, and generally showing no mercy to most characters that aren't listed in the main cast wears off, it pretty well SIGNALS the end of anything that's not pure action schlock for Kabaneri.

In fact, this show could have been a FIRST CLASS alternative to Attack on Titan, had it just come out of the gate sooner. It's almost like there was a DELAY, and this made it to the STATION late, but nobody got a refund or free trip. All told, this show is basically a one way trip to high action, but never gets back to any kind of real storytelling. Revenge is a powerful motivator, but when it's the only thing DRIVING the show- it looses a lot of its STEAM.


The bottom line:

If you liked Attack on Titan, you'll probably like this. It's all the action with very little of the teen angst. Another zombie series that's heavy on action, light on characterization, and a visual feast- just don't BOARD with too many expectations, or it might just RUN YOU OFF THE TRACK.

Dammit, Kabaneri! You had it! You were good! But then you just had to had to make things human, didn’t you? You couldn’t just stick to what you were actually good at, no; in fact, you’ve completely forgotten what made you great in the first place!

It’s not every day that I get to say an anime was not only the most surprisingly good show of the season, but also the most disappointingly bad. With a strong start, a shaky midsection, and a complete disaster of an endgame, the anime had gone completely off the rails. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress truly is a trainwreck.

There, you ... got your fucking train jokes. Are you happy?

But before things go south, let’s sit in a circle with our juiceboxes and thinking caps and really think about the idea of Kabaneri for a second. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: the guys making the Attack on Titan anime understand that the second season is taking way too fucking long, so they made Kabaneri as an appetizer. But is that all?

Think about what’s popular these days. What’s the biggest anime of the 2010’s? Attack on Titan, pretty much. What else is popular in mainstream media? Zombies. Somehow. It’s been a while and they’ve gotten kinda old, but The Walking Dead is about to put out a seventh season, so I hope everyone’s happy. While Titans were like zombies to begin with, Kabaneri has Kabane, which are literally zombies, but with a small Titanic twist that makes them a little harder to kill than normal.

Put these two things together, and you have instant potential for a big mainstream hit.

Next, the production. Wit Studio have been working on Kabaneri for well over a year (Noitamina first announced it in November ‘14), so they’ve had a lot of time to add a modern polish to an otherwise timely-looking art style, with the more realistic faces, stellar lighting and shading, and less saturated coloring. It looks fucking awesome, and I’d consider it perfect if the close-ups didn’t look so ancient and if the anime industry would finally learn how to do CG decently. MFW the iconic Koutetsujou is just a bad CG train.

So where am I going with this? Well, call me crazy, but I think Koutetsujou no Kabaneri was made as a way of celebrating anime, by making a concept that best defines mainstream anime of today, while presenting it with a classic style. By blending the old and the new, Kabaneri could possibly have been meant to be iconic in anime’s history, and a tribute to all fans of the medium.

Now, does that mean it’s good? No, Kabaneri sucks lol

But, while I’m doling out compliments, the art isn’t good because just because an old-looking show that still feels new. Solid character designs, gorgeous vistas, and a great steampunk setting combined with an Edo-period look help define Attack on Train’s aesthetics. Zombies, aka Kabane, are creepy-looking buggers with blood of molten iron, or some shit like that, which not only makes them (literally) metal as fuck, but it gives them a pretty, fiery glow to contrast with their dark purple bodies, and they look great as a result. Fighting them often involves some fantastic choreography with a lot of animation and camera movement, with some overall good direction from Tetsuro “I Need To Make Everything Look Dramatic As Fuck” Araki, and creative ideas in the technology. ...Until you get to the lazer-firing zombiwaiT NO FUCK STOP READING YOU DIDN’T READ THAT

Meanwhile, Hiroyuki “I Need To Make Everything Sound Dramatic As Fuck” Sawano composed a beautiful score, blending his cinematic orchestra with an electronic flair as usual. To be honest, it sounds like every soundtrack he’s ever done, which is good or bad depending on your opinion of the guy, but I think he’s consistently great. While not particularly his fault, I felt that the music was a little intrusive at times; as in, it sounded louder than it needed to be, and I had trouble focusing on what people were saying.

And while the OP is nowhere near the best of Egoist, her soft-yet-powerful voice takes the reigns of the song KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS WHICH IS WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS FOR SOME REASON. It works well for the anime, as it takes an epic choral and string arrangement and layers it over electronics, going along with what I said about blending old and new. I think the song’s just okay, though. The ED is much, much better, with a beautiful duet by Egoist again, as well as the singer Aimer; the composition is a lot more interesting with its riffs on piano and acoustic guitar on top of a hard-hitting percussion.

Golly, I sure am positive about Kabaneri for someone who gave it a 5/10. What the fuck happened? Oh... that's a good question, honestly.

On top of what I said above, we have the main protagonist, Ikoma, as in “eek!! omagod the habaneros broke through the wall!!” This guy is pretty standard as a hero, but he’s not bad. He’s respectable for having the drive to do things himself instead of being thrust into a situation against his will. he’s experienced loss, but, very surprisingly, they don’t play this up very much so he doesn’t have an annoyingly corny sob story. Moreover, his ideals don’t align with those of the rest of the world, who live in great fear of the Kabane to the point of the officials acting like American cops killing anyone even remotely suspicious. Don’t mind me, just taking my edgy jokes for a walk. Ikoma also develops his own steam gun, which is powerful, but not exactly the best weapon ever, but he turns half-Habanero so he still gets some extraordinary power, all of which being the result of his desire for changing the world. He’s a standard shounen guy, which is good enough, but he can be pretty badass at times. At the very least, he’s better than a lot of other characters here...

The first four of episodes are good for introducing the characters and establishing the setting pretty well, but the next few (and the third, I guess) can basically be summed up with “Mumei is a fucking idiot.” This stupid girl, with the most troll-ish character design ever, being a 12-year-old with the body of someone much older, changes personality almost every episode and goes along with everything anyone says, unless their name is "eek! omagod the zombies r breaking through the gate because mumei gj stupid". She gets told about a small hint at some conspiracy, so then she acts like a cunt to everyone. She trusts someone so much that she’ll do anything they say, not think about the overwhelming consequences, and then look in horror as everything goes to shit because of her. But I was at least willing to forgive some fuck-ups if Kabaneri could get its shit back together.

It didn’t. It got so shit that even flies were repulsed by its stench.

The main villain is established late into the series, and he’s so utterly boring. His motive is basically revenge, but then he fucks up everything else around him and paints it as “liberation” or some bullshit. “I just killed this entire village for the sake of humanity! You’re fucking welcome!” Sure, he has a brutal backstory, but his excessiveness prevents the audience from feeling sympathetic in anyway. It’s more of the writers making him as hateable as possible.

But that hardly even compares to what eventually happens with the Kabane. You think this is just a bunch of steampunk weapons and zombies? Hahahaha… fuck you. Bring in superpowers. Because why not, I guess. Once you see a weird humanoid Kabane fire a freaking laser, that’s when you know the train has derailed. That’s when all the clever ideas were thrown out the window in one fell swoop. It’s over. But oh no… the show still has a couple episodes left. And you spend them getting frustrated at a random bad guy killing someone asking for help, listen to the villain babble about god-knows-what, watch Mumei get completely used like a cheap, underage hooker, and then eventually understand Ikoma’s disappointment towards the rest of civilization for being such idiotic dickfucks all the time.

The second half is just a clusterfuck of bad game-changing ideas, inconsistencies, and people being idiots, heavily contrasting the ambitious first half. Could it have been fixed with a higher episode count? I don’t really see what good that would’ve done. I guess you could flesh out the characters more, but you’d still have the dumb Kabane shit. Is the second half still good in any way? Well, the action is still… okay, at least, and the production’s still there, but everything worth seeing is in the first half. This habanero tastes pretty weird after a while.

Kabaneri was good. It was actually really good in the beginning. It was the most hyped show at the start and had a lot of reason to be at the top. I would love to say that Kabaneri is iconic, that it’s something that will live through the ages as a beloved series, but even if they dare to continue it, it’s just not meant to be.

Also, Ikoma’s haircut is stupid and I don’t like it.

Story - 5/10
Art - 9/10
Sound - 9/10
Characters - 3/10
Enjoyment - 4/10
Mumei - 12yearsoldneverforget/10
Overall - 5/10
Favorite episode - 1
Favorite character - Ikoma
Recommendation level - Medium

*SPOILERS FOR KOUTETSUJOU NO KABANERI aka KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS*

I'm sure you've heard this question before: What do you prefer? Starting off strong but ending badly, or starting off weak, but ending strongly? Whatever your answer may be, this show falls into the former, like a rooftop jump gone horribly wrong. The first 7 episodes were this fun run with a few stumbles here and there, episode 8 was that big leap, and episodes 9-12 had this random train spawning from the sky to smash our fucked, airborne friend into the concrete below before exploding. I still had a good time all things considered, ... but there's a reason this earned the nickname "trainwreck."

In the middle of an industrial revolution, an outbreak of armor-clad zombies known as Kabane has spread into a zombie apocalypse, and now it is up to the likes of Ikoma and all members of the Koutetsujou to hopefully out and end to it. Now, this show has some questionable things from the beginning, but with enough decent pseudoscience and explanations, we could've seen a really unorthodox and interesting zombie show. Instead, a lot of the radical moments weren't explained with decent and interesting reasonings, but were handwaved for the sake of plot and maybe time. It seemed like a standard story at first but with clever science, could've made for a really good and interesting steampunk zombie apocalypse, but then, with the lackluster villain, and the ludicrously safe and plot mangling finale, it unfortunately falls short of what it could've been. It definitely has more than its fair share of plot holes as well. I mean, it's a mess! Things like Kabane muscle memory and later, OP Kabaneri steroids don't get explained at all because "action" and interesting things like Kabaneri being resistant to heat, Kabane clinging on to each other to make a colony beast with one Kabane used as the heart, or the knowledge on how to halt and slow down the Kabane virus in order to be a badass Kabaneri get the same treatment. That is the sad thing. Plus, the motivations of our true villain Biba, don't add up with his actions, and well, and honestly, the second half was so stupidly and boringly written.

Ikoma is a slightly more calculated shounen character whose traits I just mentioned flip-flop and clash with each other. Sometimes, it's understandable, like when he loses his best friend in EP 10 for the soft and shounen side, and like when he has to kill actual people in the finale as well as Kabane because not every human is an ally, and not every human has shown a reason to be allowed to live when it comes to the harsher and calculating side. He's probably the best character here for being a remotely solid character. Plus, he actually feels real at some points, as well as his best friend, due to some of their reactions and conversations in times like this being what most actual people would do rather than just simple characters, like freaking out when they find out that their project for making a weapon to combat Kabane in episode 1 actually works as Ikoma kills a Kabane. Mumei, is a badass and jerkass in the first half, and a total child for most of the 2nd. She has an interesting bit in episode 4 where her mouth and grim ideals get her admonished by her already stupidly jumpy and dickish co-passengers, but that's the closest thing to anything she has going for her as a character. Kurusu is just a samurai with a jerkass side, and Ayame, is barely any better, being that type of female authority figure that likes cooperation between enemies rather than needless violence, which only really gets to shine in the last few episodes. The villain Biba, is easily the worst, however. He's shallow, cold and calm, with grim ideals, and a vendetta against his asshole father that should've been fleshed out more so that we can buy into his motivations. His actions are pretty deplorable as is, so, meh. His death scene was the only time we saw any sparks of life in this husk of a character. At least one of his lackeys has some decency despite being kind of a rouge guy. Also, poor Horobi. She never got fleshed out, and she still managed to call her death.

I do like how the first half of the show focuses on these unlikely allies on the Koutetsujou cooperating to defeat a common enemy despite being at each other's throats all the time, and how betrayal of that begrudging trust by one of the members in episode 10 leaves a detriment in one's reputation, even if it turns out he was a spy to get our heroes some benefits later on, courtesy of Ikoma. If only we actually saw this with interesting personalities.

Some awkward 3D CGI in episode 6 aside, this show looks amazing. The fully detailed and high def look to the realistic art style really gels with everything beautifully, and the action scenes are well done with some incredible bits here and there. The explosions, spark effects for whenever a Kabane or Kabaneri gets stabbed in the heart, and the well done and detailed explosion effects are downright astonishing, even if there are some odd bits here and there with some action scenes. Hell, the art style is an epic update on that 80's OVA shading art style, and has numerous references to 80's art style themes, like Ikoma's cool new haircut in the end of episode 11 reflecting they badass punk-looking character type in the 80's. Given that the character designer was Haruhiko Mikimoto, legendary designer behind the characters of Macross, Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket, and Gunbuster. His work is legendary and I'm glad to see his stuff again, even if it is for a train wreck. The character designs look amazing, and more anime need this upgraded shading style. This was by far, Studio Wit's best work yet in terms of art. Just, look at how detailed and well done the character models, environmental and explosion effects, and backgrounds are! That's probably the main reason why many people like this show so much. It looks impressive and the action is bombastic and glorious.

The music in this series has several tracks that are as catchy as they are fitting. This soundtrack was done by Hiroyuki Sawano after all; it's pretty much expected for him to knock it out of the park every time. The songs are definitely good, and the cola tracks are all great, and while they aren't all that memorable on their own, most of them feel like they were tailor-made for this series. Not one song feels out of place at all, and another large part of what makes the action in this show so breathtaking is how each fight has a piece of music that fits perfectly with what is going on, whether that be an action scene or that transformation sequence from Kabaneri Ikoma to Steroids Kabaneri Ikoma. Also, the OP, Kotetsujou no Kabaneri, is done by EGOIST, so of course it sounds catchy and awesome. The ED, done by AIMER sounds really cool too, and I wish there was some cool animation stretched to it. Plus, some of their songs were used in this OST, so good for them. Plus, "Through My Blood" (the song that plays during Ikoma's roofed out transformation) by AIMER is an awesome track as well. Also, WarCry (which is sung entirely in English) is pretty damn catchy.

For the first 7 episodes, I absolutely loved this show. It was insanely fun, with several exciting action scenes and even a few good bits of banter. Too bad the show tanked after episode 8 aired. The group consensus for this show is that while it was entertaining and impressive to look at and listen to, it fell short of what it could've been via failure to explain its radical pseudoscience, and inability to give us a worthwhile final act and antagonist. I wholeheartedly agree. It's not nearly as good or satisfying as what it could've been, but it was a pretty entertaining show to watch, even if it turned out to be a total "Trainwreck".

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, or Disappointment of the Iron Fortress, you choose the best title for this.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The show started very well. Despite of the amount of people comparing it with AoT, the first seemed that this show would be a blast, and also would be nothing like AoT. However, after 3 episodes, this show became a trainwreck.

The plot is almost nonsensical. Kabaneris wear tight necklaces that for some reason don't asphyxiate them, Mumei gets transformed to Kabaneri by Biba just because of silly reasons, Biba wants to transform everybody into Kabane because of silly reasons etc.

Furthermore, there are disturbing plot holes. Katanas, that ... are fragile swords, somehow could pierce a Kabane heart. In contrast to that, in the following episode, Ikoma had to build a Kabane-based Katana for the samurai guy because a normal one can't pierce the zombie heart!!!!!! WHAT????

The main problem with the show is that the plot isn't straightfoward. To be exact, the plot is almost inexistent. It's a train trip with friends. Sometimes the train gets attacked by the zombies and BOOM, we get nice action scenes and it's over. Later on, they meet a group of anarchist Kabane exterminators that in the end will try to kill everybody. And what happened in the last episode? Suddenly Ikoma becomes Ouma Shu and started to have Guilty Crown-ish powers. I was like "WHAT THE HELL?"

Also, the plot conveniences and the idiotic actions that some characters take in some chapters really annoys me, like when the purple-haired girl cuts herself wasting a lot of blood that could have be given to the Kabaneris instead of being wasted.

The characters were totally undeveloped. The only one that we could say that had a decent development was Mumei.

On the other hand, the ost and animation saved the day. They have Sawano, EGOIST and Aimer. This is a dream team! The art was very beautiful. That steampunk vibe was very nice too. KotIF is one of the best looking anime that I have ever watched, only losing to the Fate series (ufot. vers.).

To sum up, the anime wasn't very original, but had some potential that wasn't well explored. If you want to watch this, expect nothing more than a very nice ost and action scenes, because the plot is utterly trash

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is a Wit Studio original production. The writing was handled by Okouchi Ichiro, who also worked on Code Geass, Shigofumi and the Brave Story film. Yeah, the quality of his work varies a lot. So, how does he do with this one? Let's take a look.

Story:

Our tale takes place in a steam punk world where a zombie-like infection is turning humans into monsters called Kabane. Survivors live in walled cities called stations and travel betwixt them using massive armoured trains. Our protagonist, Ikoma, is a scientist in Aragane station and he's trying to develop a new weapon that can better pierce the ... kabane's heart cage. We see the station authorities following the procedure to bring in a train. During the course of inspecting the people for bite marks, the guards become paranoid over one of the passengers. Ikoma steps in, earning himself a night in prison. That's when there's an accident with the second train and the station finds itself swarming with kabane. Can the people of the station escape to the train and get out of there alive?

That actually brings me to the first problem with the series. During the inspection of the first train, we see the procedure they go through and we see how paranoid these people are when it comes to the kabane. Then the second train comes and they immediately ignore those procedures which directly results in the station getting overrun. Basically, the story requires these people blatantly acting like idiots in order to get momentum. There's also the kabaneri, creatures that are part human and part kabane. We're told that males are rare, but we only see a few in the series and half of those are male. Furthermore, there's nothing about the way that they get manufactured that should favour women so there's no readily apparent reason behind the men being any rarer and they don't offer any explanation. Even something as simple as the X chromosome being more resistant to the process would have worked. That brings me to the third narrative issue I had with the series, the ending. I'll try not to spoil too much but the very basic issue here is that they set everything up for a bitter-sweet ending but they don't have the ovarian fortitude to follow through with it. The result is an ending that's safer but also trite and disappointing.

With all that being said, there are quite a few positive aspects to the series as well. The world building is strong, with a lot of detail going into the whole thing. I will also give the series full credit for taking the basic idea of zombies and using them in a unique and creative way. That's not easy to do, given how much they've been over-used in mass media. The narrative itself is also quite engaging and does a good job of keeping you invested, in spite of its few major missteps.

Characters:

This is one of those series where the major characters are pretty well fleshed out and have complexity to them while the side characters vary. Some of the side characters have verisimilitude, in spite of us not spending much time with them. Others are pretty much there as fodder or stay on the sidelines just to be present in big scenes while not really contributing anything that you couldn't use any other random character for. I do quite like the stuff that explores Mumei's past and Ayame's whole arc of building herself up as a leader is nicely handled. Then we have the antagonist. He has motivation behind his actions, but they're also kind of flimsy. To be fair, a big part of that is just that there's not much time devoted to him. If the series had had one or two more episodes to flesh him out he might have been a really strong villain, albeit a bit bonkers.

Art:

I'll give Wit Studio full credit on this one, the artwork looks really damn good. The backgrounds are nicely detailed, the character designs are fairly unique, the action sequences are strong. The various steam punk gadgets we see just look really interesting. It's basically what you'd expect from one of the studios who worked on Shingeki no Kyojin.

Sound:

The acting is nicely done. We get strong performances from Senbongi Sayaka, Hatanaka Tasuku, Uchida Maaya & Masuda Toshiki. The side characters all get actors who are minimally competent although most of them do give performances that are pretty good.

Ho-yay:

There's not much. The dynamic between Mumei and Kajika comes across as a bit homo-erotic.

Final Thoughts:

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is a pretty decent series that could have been great. My final rating is going to be a 6/10. It has a lot of potential, but also some significant problems. If you like the idea of a steam punk world with a zombie infestation, consider trying it. Next week I'll look at something a bit lighter with Sansha Sanyou.

I really want to consider this as two separate animes aptly title before Biba and after Biba. Lets gets the cat out of the bag, the anime is dog shit but its mainly because of one character called Biba who really had no place in this anime.

The first 6 episodes can be considered before Biba and it delivers solid popcorn flick fun. It aint gonna knock your socks off with deeply multi-faceted characters and an astounding story but it delivers solid action with amazing set-pieces and slick over the top animation. Logic is never a strong point of the series and there is a ... lot of ass pull but hey its fun to see. The main focus of the story at this point is survival against an overwhelming enemy and humanity's ability to adapt and survive.

The final 6 episodes are sadly shit. This the after Biba arc and seriously.. just.. FUCK BIBA. The focus moves from Survival to routing revenge, cartoony bad guy trope.What little logic was there in the first few episodes is thrown just to add some flash to the animation. Suddenly its no longer teh zombies who are the threat but the humans themselves. All this understandably culminates in a final battle where unsurprisingly the bad guy dies but *gasp* he was really a good guy inside. Ass pull after ass pull.

Coming to the animation, it is solid and extremely well done. Amazing visuals really sell the devastation and generally the battle scenes are very, very smooth. I feel the earlier episodes did the animation slightly better especially scenes with Mumei zipping around killing the zombies. Later half though, the animation takes a hit. FUCK BIBA, he ruined the animation too.

Music is straight up awesome. After watching the first episode, I decided to buy the OST. Thats how good its. You want some music in the backgroud to pump you up while you pwn some noobs while playing this is it. The main song called Kabaneri of the Iron fortress is especially amazing. The female vocals swell in the background and gets me super pumped up. Whether you watch the anime or not, listen to this awesome, awesome song.

Overall:
Episodes 1-3: Before Biba, pretty much awesome.
Episodes 4-6: Before Biba - cheesy scenes (Ayame cuting her hand on the top of the train and feeding Ikoma lol) and downright stupid ones (we have no food but we will enjoy firecrackers suure) but still bearable.
Episodes 7-12: FUCK BIBA.

I love movies like Transformers. I do not expect to be mind blown but entertained. Kabaneri is like the Transformers of anime. Check out your brain and try to not think too much and its a very enjoyable watch. It would have been better if there was no Biba. FUCK BIBA.

Normally, original anime tend to be disappointing. You’ll have moments when you have well-created originals like Code Geass, but most of them turn out to be like Mayoiga… or Endride. But Koutetsujou no Kabaneri has lot of hype around it before it aired, which generally isn’t the case with most of these anime. And why wouldn’t there be hype. The key visuals and PVs were promising, even if it’s too familiar to another survival anime, and it’s got a studio that knows what an anime’s production value should be, a director that directed two of the most well-known anime ever, and the co-creator of Code ... Geass. What could possibly go wrong? Well…

~{Story}~
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri feels like an anime that created its set pieces first, then decided how to make a story out of it. When an anime does that, you can’t expect it to give the most top-notch writing. The premise for Kabaneri is quite simple. Monsters called Kabane terrorizes society and they can only by killed if a certain part their body is pierced (their heart). Stations are what protects the people from these monsters. Kabane end up invading their station and they’re forced to move out. Our protagonist and some other girl end up being both human and Kabane (Kabaneri) and they stick with the humans to help them out. Does this sound familiar at all? Well, it should. Oh yeah, and the main character and that other girl can only survive if they consume human blood, which creates fiction between them and the humans. Does that remind you of another series? Anyways, the premise isn’t original, yet they can still manage to evolve from their premise and be something more. Boku no Hero Academia proved that this season, but unfortunately, Kabaneri fails to do so. There’s no major goal in the anime until the second half of the series, you know, by the time you stopped caring about this series. The premise is just an excuse to have some action sequenced and “political problems”. And the series dives into some ridiculous clichés once the main antagonist shows up. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that the series makes itself look like a big joke after that. And the ending couldn’t have been more predictable
Story: 4/10

~{Presentation}~
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri borrows elements from many different anime to make their own. Instead of mixing these elements and making their own compound, Kabaneri feels like a clone of many anime and never feels like an anime of their own. It’s too busy following other anime’s shadows that it doesn’t create a shadow of its own. Its dumb, loud, over-the-top, but not fun. It’s brutal, violent, action-packed, but never intense. Kabaneri fails to be a proper survival anime because the intensity found in watching the characters struggle to survive is never there. Not once did I find the Kabane to be a threat, since the lack the intelligence of being so. And no, a Kabane dual-wielding swords does not make it smart but rather stupid, as it would lack the intelligence of using it efficiently. The stakes always feel low, even when villager #243 dies (spoilers). There’s no sense of intensity whatsoever as it always feels like the main cast will survive no matter what. And even if they were to die, who would care. However, Kabaneri does get some things right. The setting is quite interesting and I always enjoy a steampunk setting. The design of the setting is good too. They could have created a good lore out of this universe, but due to how short the series is, and how much time is spent on mindless action or cringe-worthy dialogues, the series fails to do so.
Presentation: 4.5/10

~{Character}~
Oh yeah, this is the part where Koutetsujou no Kabaneri really stumbles. There’s not a single character that I particularly liked from this series. They start of clichés and end off as an even bigger one. Our protagonist, Ikoma, despite his unique look, he’s still your typical cliché shounen-ish main character. Yelling makes him stronger, he goes through transformations, has a tragic backstory for cheap feels, and can get ridiculously OP if he has enough rage and nakama powers with him. If he sounds generic enough, then I’m doing my job. Despite that, he’s one of the more likable characters of the series. His ideology works and his interactions with certain characters, particularly his buddy, feels real enough. But his backstory is never properly explored, leaving him to be a character that needs more depth. And then we have Mumei… oh boy, where do I start. She ended up being a fan favorite due to her being a badass chick. Honestly, never becomes anything more than that. The series introduces her by massacring dozens of Kabane in a minute or so, but she never evolves from just being a badass. She’s whiny, irritating and kind of an asshole at times. He likability decreased throughout the series, to a point where I believed the series can only gain a happy ending is she died. Then we have supporting characters like Ayame, who’s there to simply progress the plot, and characters like Kurusu, who there to create more action set pieces. And the main character of this series is terribly introduced and badly handled, and it pulls the series even more down.
Character: 3.5/10

~{Art}~,
The best thing about Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is its production values, as they’re absolutely stunning at times. The art, at times, is so well detailed and so pretty to look at. The amount of details put into the architecture and objects is astonishing. The trains look beautiful and the backgrounds are great too. It’s obvious that Wit Studio put a lot of care and effort into how the anime looks, but it’s unfortunate that the series doesn’t feel the same too. There are some moments when the art style doesn’t work too well, and that’s with its cel-shaded design. The cel-shaded tries to add depth in the character’s facial design, but it ends up looking weird at times. The character designs are a mixed bag too. Some characters look really unique like Ikoma. His hair consisting of two colors and him wearing glasses makes him really cool to look at. Mumei’s character design feels like a mismatch with the setting. It’s hard to believe that someone would wear bright colors in such an apocalyptic setting. And there’s some characters that lack originality in look, like Kurusu for example.
Art: 8/10

~{Animation}~
It’s hard to complain about Koutetsujou no Kabaneri animations because it provides some of the most well-animated sequences ever. When the animation quality is at its best, it looks fantastic. Some of the action sequences are really well done. The fluidity is the fights are great and the action choreography is fantastic. Some of the fights are just too enthralling. And the cinematography is great too. The camera angles and shots during fights is great and the using the camera to follow a character during fights is exciting. And even the more simpler animations are well done too. Character movements are fluid and clean, and the train animations are great too. The only problem with the animations is that it’s not consistent enough. There are noticeable animation quality drops and they can be distracting at times, especially since it’s animation at its peak is amazing. If the animations were more balanced out instead of looking great at some places and not so great in others, it would have been better.
Animation: 8/10

~{Voice Acting}~
The voice acting is Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is okay. The seiyuu cast do what they have to do in the anime, nothing more, nothing less. Hatanaka Tasuku hasn’t done much at all in his career, so it’s surprising that he was able to do a main character in a high profile Noitamina anime. His voice is quite unique too and I’ve never heard something like it before. Though honestly, he sounds like as if there’s something stuck in his throat and lungs. But he makes Ikoma feel different in a way. That being said, he fails to do emotional moments properly, which is surprising considering the fact that he was able to do so in Ushio to Tora. Mumei’s seiyuu, Senbongi Sayaka, is also fairly new to the industry, though she does a decent job in what she had to do. If her script said to make her character more annoying, she succeeded well. Some of the supporting characters are done by well-known seiyuu like Uchida Maaya, Kaji Yuki, Ishikawa Kaito, and Osaka Ryota, and they all do a satisfactory job. Miyano Mamoru does the main antagonist of the series, and his work is rather disappointing. For such a talented seiyuu, he wasn’t able to show his skills in presenting a negative character. And that didn’t help an already weak character script. However, his weak performance is still the best of the series.
Voice Acting: 6/10

~{Music}~
The music in Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is quite good. The OP, “KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS” is quite good and it matches the tone of the series. The vocals are great and the music is fine. The ED, “ninelie” is many people’s of the season, though I found it strictly okay. The vocals are fine, but nothing memorable. The background music of Kabaneri is pretty good. The main theme is pretty good and it works well douring action sequences. The insert song, ”Through My Blood” is quite good and it worked well due to its placement. Overall the OST is fine and it has some standout tracks. It would have been better is more adrenaline-pumping music is used for its action scenes, but its fine the way it is.
Music: 6/10

~{Enjoyment}~
Well, I wanted to enjoy Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, I really did. But I couldn’t, and that’s a shame. I had the anime in my plan to watch for a year because the staff was enough to get me interested. And once the PVs came out, it got really hard for me to keep my excitement in. The first couple of episodes weren’t up to standard, yet I was hoping for a turnaround. But the series never recovers, but rather only gets worse. The characters are what really ruined the series for me as none of them are particularly good. And watching Mumei act younger than her age was irritating (and she’s already young enough). And the story never feels exciting or interesting, especially with a generic antagonist like that. And the lack of thrills found from the characters struggling to survive is disappointing. At least there’s some good action sequences, right?
Enjoyment: 3/10

In the end, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is only recommended to those who are willing to watch excited action sequences and top-notch production values, but don’t care about writing or characters. What could have been a guilty pleasure anime, couldn’t even be that either. It’s dumb, loud, pretentious, and most of all, not fun. Though the animations and action scenes are fantastic and the music is also good, the characters lack depth and proper backstories, and the main antagonist is disappointing to say the least. And the ending, though decent enough, is quite predictable and the stakes felt low. And there’s always a lack of suspense due to how unthreatening the Kabane are and how overpowered characters can be. Overall, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is probably the biggest disappointment of the season, and should be watched with expectations low.

+ Fantastic art and animations with amazingly choreographed action sequences
+ Steampunk setting is interesting and pretty to look at
+ OP and ED are good and the background music works, particularly during action-packed moments
- Lack of proper character development and backstories prevents the characters from being interesting
- Main plot is lackluster and the main antagonist is disappointingly cliché
- Unthreatening Kabane makes the series lack suspense and thrills

Overall: 5.3/10

I've noticed that a lot of reviews of this anime will likely lead you to believe that Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is some kind of terrible show that isn't worth anyone's time. I'm here to disagree, because I find it overall pretty fun to watch, and I think that's all it needs to be.

Based on the hype for this anime as it was airing, I suppose most people would come in with expectations that it would either be "the next Attack on Titan" or else just generally good enough to be anime of the season. Well it's neither of these things, so discard those thoughts now ... and approach this with a clearer mind.

I hope you don't mind a shorter review, but I'm just going to list what I think are Koutetsujou no Kabaneri's most basic weaknesses and strengths as quickly as possible. It's honestly a pretty straightforward experience so I don't think it requires much depth to explain.

So for one thing, the art and animation are pretty spectacular, which is great because OH MY GOD THAT SETTING!!! Seriously, samurai + zombies + steampunk? Sign me the fuck up, that's awesome! I mean sure, it's just a mashup of cool things that anyone could come up with, but it IS really cool and the animation totally does these themes justice. The strongest point of the whole anime is its action scenes, and they are truly well-made and fun to watch. The soundtrack also enhances the experience, and personally I really enjoyed the OP and ED a lot.

Where the show stops shining is the plot and characters. For the first half of the anime, rather than really following a clear plot, it just sets up the main character's position in the world and gives the audience some really entertaining action scenes. After that though, Biba is introduced. Biba isn't entertaining to watch, and in a way his influence becomes something of a toxin on the rest of the characters which makes everything less exciting and a lot more frustrating. And the actual plot of the show revolves around this more than anything else. Now, I don't think that the direction this show went is necessarily BAD, but I do think I would have preferred if it could have retained some of the initial badassery that the main cast had up until that point. I waver between a 6/10 and a 7/10 for this anime, and the lack of me caring about any of the characters as of the second half is what's kind of keeping it at a 6 right now.

Still, I had a lot of fun watching the beginning parts, and the action was still really great all throughout the anime. It slips up and loses sight of the badass-ness that it could have been partway through, but in the end, I don't think it's fair to write it off as a waste of time. Give it a shot if you haven't seen it, its plot and characters may not live up to the great action scenes, but the action scenes are pretty rad and it makes for an all-around enjoyable experience to watch.

Zombies have been a staple in all sorts of media throughout the west. When it comes to anime zombies aren't exactly Unheard of but still are fairly prevalent within the medium. An example of this would be High School of the dead or the manga I am a hero. However today I am talking about an anime that comes from a studio that has produced a famous anime you've probably heard of, and that anime is attack on Titan.

Kabaneri of the iron fortress is a twelve episode anime series that debuted in the spring 2016 season. Kabaneri stood out from other titles ... due to its steampunk setting and stunning animation quality. However it was met with widespread criticism as the series progressed into the second half and went from an 8.3 on MAL to about a 7.6. This is a significant drop in such a short timeframe. While I see some people giving it very low scores I weighted my enjoyment and the actual quality of the anime together into one score.

The story of kabaneri takes place in a island country very similar to Japan that is suffering from a zombie apocalypse. Then there is this basic protagonist who is trying to develop a way to kill the zombies also known as kabane. He than meets several other characters and it follows them as they try to survive.

The story wasn't that bad at first. It starts out as a pretty linear survival action story with some good entertainment value. However during the second half what happens is, is that a new character gets introduced and than the story becomes much more convoluted and confusing. Than the story ends up losing all of its charm and becomes very confusing for the viewer to experience. It kind of strays away from that fun mindless popcorn flick and just becomes something that's way too complex for its own good. However there is some kick ass action scenes in this anime which is amplified by a great musical score and amazing animation. Another great thing was the actual kabane concept because it was different from other zombies throughout media. Despite this taking place in Japan, there was some great world building present throughout the anime using industrial revolution and the stations.

People always say that good characters can save a mediocre story and for the most part I really do agree with this concept. However what really makes this anime just ok is the characters. With good characters this anime could have merited a much higher score. However all of them were just so bland and lifeless.

Ikoma is the standard vengeful angry MC who is looking for revenge. He also has a very cliched back story that we've seen in many other characters. He also suffers from the half breed cliche because the story decided to make him a half zombie( LIKE WE HAVENT SEEN THAT ONE BEFORE.) Mumei is a Loli half zombie who has a cool design but seems to be a generic tsundere. However she had a good relationship with Ikoma and Biba. You have princess Ayama who isn't really developed that well. Kurusu has a cool design but no development or back story. And the list goes on. We needed more characterization to make these characters more relatable. Biba was a decent villain despite being bland, he had good motivation though.

The three greatest parts of this anime were the art,music, and action. The action in this anime was actually really good with great fluidity and it works with the zombie concept. The art was lovely with some great lighting and polish. There was also some great color thrown in as well. The music was epic with some great voice work and epic tunes that worked in various scenes.

In conclusion Iron fortress was kind of a let down. It serves well as a popcorn flick you can watch with your friends but it soon dissolves into overblown convoluted concepts. This takes the charm away. However this is worth watching if you like zombies and action but don't expect too much out of it.

To sum up the anime: 6 episodes of Attack on Titan + 6 episodes of Guilty Crown.

The beginning was great, setting is near identical to AoT except with zombies and trains. Art is no less than that of AoT either. The studio did a fabulous job setting the tone for the anime that you can actually feel the fear and despair. Characters are rather bland but the plot alone is enough to keep your attention.

Then it turned into Guilty Crown (which I really disliked). While the characters remain undeveloped, the plot starts to fall apart. The story becomes harder to follow by the ... episode, and nearly no exposition was given. The MC's plot armor becomes so thick he can overcome any threats no matter how ridiculous it seems.

So take the average of your score for AoT and GC, and that is what you should expect going into it.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress was my 2nd most hyped anime of Spring 2016. Its got a cool setting, its got zombies, and the studio that made Attack on Titan also made this anime. With those reasons, of course this was going to be one of my most hyped anime. Did it live up to the hype though? Ehhh...No.


[Story]: (4/10)
The show takes place in a steampunk-version Japan set in a middle of the industrial revolution. Monsters called "Kabane" ravages this world and people have built a wall around the city to protect themselves from the undead creatures. One day, a station located in the ... far east, has been breach by the Kabanes and the characters must do everything to defend their city and themselves against the Kabane.

I'm a big fan of the zombie genre. I've been watching zombie movies/TV shows for as long as I can remember. I've seen my fair share of zombie apocalypse stories to know the difference between a half-assed zombie story and a great zombie story. Unfortunately, there's not even a single ounce of anime in this medium that takes place in a zombie apocalypse setting and is even remotely great. High School of the Dead comes to mind but that shit joke of a zombie apocalypse story was infested with fanservice and it made it very hard for me to take that show seriously. There was also School Live but the ending ruined it for me but it was at least better than High School of the Dead. When I first noticed Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress back in March 2016, I was so excited because I told myself that we're finally getting an anime that takes place in a zombie post-apocalyptic world with no big bouncing boobs and a dark atmosphere.

Since Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress was made by the same studio as Attack on Titan, the similarities between the two shows are plainly obvious. Even the first episode gave me a huge Attack on Titan episode 1 vibe. The story structure is almost the same, the undead creatures here are mysterious and no one knows where they originated from, just like the Titans and the fact that both shows features a walled-in city to protect themselves from the monsters should tell you the similarities between both shows. I think the only difference are the characters. Besides Mumei, which highly resembles Mikasa's fighting technique, the characters are not even comparable to each other. Especially Ikoma. Yea, both Eren and him are the same in terms of both of them having mysterious powers that lets them fight the monsters but their personalities are very different.

Moving on from the comparisons between AoT and Kabaneri, the first 5 episodes of the series was the best episodes the show offered. After that, the show just started to derail itself and eventually suffered a horrible trainwreck at the end but I'll get to that later. For now, I'll only talk about the good parts. The first 5 episodes of the series was pure-adrenaline and exciting zombie action scene that made me want to come back to this show every week. The Kabanes are legit scary and seeing these people trying to survive against the Kabanes was just amazing. Hell, even their paranoia was amazing to watch, albeit at the same time, annoying too. These people literally have no idea what the Kabanes are capable for and that's why I think their paranoia was justified. The fact that these guys are also fighting on a train, which makes you think that they'd be safe there but they're really not, made this series more exciting to watch. Zombies have been done over a million times but fighting zombies while you're on an armored train is something new and fresh for me.

Behind this exciting zombie action scenes is the unfortunate truth that made Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress a complete mess at the end. By the 6th episode, the plot made it clear to me that it didn't know where it wanted to go. After the exciting 1st arc which was pretty much a set up, the 2nd and final arc was very VERY underwhelming. It felt like they just came up with these arcs because they didn't plan ahead. It felt really meaningless and it had me questioning throughout the 2nd half like "What was their overall goal?". The 3rd arc, which is the final arc in the series, is something you don't want to put yourselves through because of the badly-written annoying-ass villain with a badly-written past. His view on "the weak must die and the strong must live" is just ridiculous and stupid. You might think it's not but just watch the show and you'll see how he stupidly justifies his actions on killing innocent civilians by saying that goddamn quote.

The inconsistencies and plot holes in Kabaneri is just surreal. Like what's the purpose of doing routine body checks? When these guys are bitten, they eventually turn into a Kabane within a minute or so. They'll know right fucking away if one of the people are bitten by the way they act. What's the point of locking the people you suspect of being a Kabane for 3 days? What the shit?! What is up with Ikoma and Mumei having a special Kabane power-up? Why only them? Why don't the others get a special Kabane power up when they get bitten? Why are the Kabanes so intelligent and how the hell do they form into a giant fucking monster?......And so much more but listing them all here will result in another paragraph or 2 with full of questions.

To summarize this section of the review, the whole zombie action scenes were nice and the set-up arc was pretty great but the whole show suddenly turned into shit after the Biba (3rd) arc showed up.
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[Art/Animation]: (8/10)
I expect no less from Wit Studio in terms of the visuals because it looks amazing. The character designs looks great and the visuals managed to capture that dark post-apocalyptic world. The animation, on the other hand, was a so-and-so. I mean, it was fun watching the characters running around and shooting zombies up but the animation was mostly inconsistent at the same time. 60% of the time, they'd use those still-images that pretty much ruined half of the zombie action scenes. One of the only scenes where they don't use still-images is when Mumei was jumping around and shooting zombies or when the characters are use their guns (not swords) to shoot and kill zombies. The Kabane's design looks like a generic zombie design but I don't really care about that and those giant CGI Kabane monster design looks horrible.
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[Sound]: (9/10)
I really..really love the show's soundtrack. The OSTs that plays during the action scenes always gives me goosebumps but the insert songs are what's guaranteed to give me an eargasm. It always plays when the characters are about to do something crazy that will lead them to victory and it just fits so perfectly. Now the OP and ED theme song(s)

The OP theme song is "KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS" by EGOIST. Haha, nice song name. Title creativity is overrated anyways. This OP is one of the best OP I've ever heard for this season. It has that scary/apocalyptic tune that fits with the show's atmosphere and I love Egoist. The ED theme song is "ninelie" by Aimer with chelly (EGOIST). Aimer is one of my Top 10 favourite anime singers ever since I heard her OP in UBW. And.....she does it again with her great performance in this ED.
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[Characters]: (5/10)
If you're here for bad-ass female characters accompanied with a bad-ass main heroine who can kick ass and a main protagonist who has a hidden special power like Eren from Attack on Titan then you're in for a treat. If you are, however, looking for character development then you're going to be disappointed as this show is seriously lacking in character depth and character development.

The main protagonist of the series, Ikoma, is somewhat similar to Eren from Attack on Titan. Both characters have hidden special powers and they both have one goal in mind; Kill the monsters that's ravaging this land. Ikoma's past is really poorly written and it isn't even expanded nor explored, making it very hard for me to sympathize with what he was going through throughout the series. All I know was his family member (was it his sister? I forgot) died because a Kabane bit her and that's it. I don't know anything more about Ikoma's past and I don't even know anything more about Ikoma's sister other than being bitten by a Kabane. I was left wondering why I should care for her. Besides her being part of Ikoma's family, they didn't give me any reason why I should care for her. There's actually another post-apocalyptic series out there called "God Eater" where the protagonist went through the same experience and did a much a better job showing on why we, the audience, should care about the protagonist's dead family member and why he is what he is today.

I feel like the only character with good writing is Mumei. Unlike the protagonist, she actually has a well-written past and it justifies why she is what she is today. It was even explored and later expanded in the final arc. At the end, it made me somewhat sympathize with whatever she was doing but I wasn't fully sympathizing with her character because the way they resolved her issue was rushed. This show definitely needed more than 12 episodes to flesh out Mumei's character. No, this show needed more than 12 episodes to flesh out ALL of the characters because they are either not developed or under-developed as fuck.

Biba, the main antagonist of the series, is now the most hated villian in the series. People hate him not because he's a villian but because he's a stupid-ass villian with a stupid writing to try and justify that whatever he was doing is completely just. Also, the plot twist about him at the end of the episode is way too abrupt and it really came of out of nowhere. It seemed like an asspull to try and shock the viewers. The introduction of Biba is what ruined the final arc for me. I literally couldn't handle the stupidity of this f*cking character and it made it very hard for me to finish the last 2-3 episodes of the series.
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[Enjoyment]: (7/10)
Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the series, not because of the story or the characters but because of it's setting and the enjoyable zombie action scene. I am a big fan of the zombie genre after all so seeing the characters fight zombies in an armoured train was very thrilling. Kabaneri is one of those "turn off your brain and you'll enjoy it" type of anime.
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[VERDICT]
"Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress" is now the 2nd anime from Wit Studio that is similar to Attack on Titan (First one being Owari no Seraph). If you're looking for thrilling action scenes or if you're the type of person who likes to watch shows that are set in a post-apocalyptic world then this is the show for you. However, if you're looking for a show with a great story or well-written characters with great character development then this ain't the show for you. If you're one of those people who are desperately waiting for the 2nd Season of Attack on Titan then this show will feel the gap for at least a few months while waiting for the 2nd Season.

[OVERALL]: (6.5/10)


Pros:
+Dark and Scary Post-Apocalyptic Setting
+Thrilling Zombies Action Scenes
+Nice Visuals
+Epic and Goosebump-Inducing Soundtrack
+Main Heroine of the series is a bad-ass

Cons:
-Weak Plot
-The Show felt like it didn't know where to go after the introductory (1st) arc.
-Use of Still-Shots in Action Scenes can be off-putting
-Lack of Character Development for most of the characters
-Horrible and Badly-written Antagonist
-Weak and Rushed Ending
-Plot Holes and Plot Inconsistencies

♪ these zombies don’t eat braaains,
but they’re still gonna kill us all,
so all board the steam traaain ♬
choo-choo

That’s the general summary for kabaneri or as it was known before release: "attack on titan: trains edition" or as it’s known after release: "Shit: standard edition".
for those of you who followed along with the show on mal throughout its run you may have noticed the steep decline in score after the final episode, though you shouldn’t really be surprised cause it was declining consistently since like episode 3-4 it was just more of a slow decline, if the public opinion on this show was given physical ... form it'd be that of a half built water slide, some twists and curves but eventually going down and just when the pool is in sight the rest of the slide is a straight vertical dive so sudden you smash your whole body in the water and lose consciousness... tortured metaphors aside I think part of the spite people have for this show derives from just how high their hopes were for it at the beginning, the optimistic suckers.

rather than going aspect by aspect let’s just split this review into the Good and the Bad shall we?

the good:
-the animation was pretty good all throughout
-music

that’s about it, and even the animation has to come with an asterisk due to the occasional use of dodgy cg. And of course the music was gonna be good, they had fucking Hiroyuki Sawano AND Aimer, that’s like getting the musical equivalent of a second Christmas with dragons.
if you’re wondering why I didn’t include Egoist above it’s probably because I didn’t really like the OP much, and before you say I’m just some weeby elitist douche with no taste in music I’m only half of that, and I actually really like Egoist, which is why this opening felt so disappointing, I know she can do way better, at least two of the three theme songs for the project Itoh movies are in my phone worn out from replaying them so often. But I guess this is just the best you can get when you force her to work with such lousy material.
Remember how I said this was supposed to be the good section, HA, neither do I.

the bad:
if this series was an adaption everything wrong with it could basically be blamed on the source material.
SO in no particular order here are the issues I had:
-Bad Characterization: the characters are just so...average at best, in episode 2 or 3 glasses-so-i-look- smart, i.e. ikoma tells his "tragic backstory" ignoring the fact that the question he was asked didn’t justify dumping his entire life story out of nowhere his story is generic, cliché and can be told basically through a 3 second animation of his sister getting bitten and him turning around dramatically, And you know what I find most obnoxious about it? the fact that the characters and indeed the writers seem aware of just how cliché it is since the character he talks to predicts this and flat out CALLS it cliché, and yet still are we meant to care?
another bad aspect of the characters is that everyone besides the main cast seem to have about 3 brain cells between them, they yell, make wild accusations and just generally behave like dipshits, its actually funny how they constantly dis and distrust ikoma and mumei and call them kabane when I’d say the kabane are smarter than they are, please explain to me how these supposedly trained soldiers who've lived their entire lives around kabane can’t seem to tell the difference between a gray malformed lumbering creature incapable of dialogue and a regular dude screaming “DONT KILL ME”. at times they even say shit like: "that’s what a kabane would do" or "in the end, she’s just a kabane"

:|

are you for real you bunch morons?! a kabane is, once again, very clearly visually distinguishable and D-O-E-S-N-T SPEEEEAK, shouldn’t just the fact that they’re telling you to fuck off show that their NOT kabane? I purposefully avoided saying “can't think” because that'd describe 80% of the people in this show pretty well, and at least the kabane can learn sword fighting and boxing, bizarrely.
Let's harp on the characters some more I quite enjoy it, the sheer level of idiocy on display here sometimes borders on self-extinction, honestly these people don’t need the kabane to get wiped out, seems like just five minutes with a sharp object will suffice and I’m not even exaggerating, in one episode one of moss-head's friends pisses of a soldier, and what does that soldier do? he doesn’t let him off with a warning or just arrest him, ya know cause he’s supposed to be an adult and disciplined soldier, no, he literally pulls out his sword and plans to KILL him, and he would’ve done it too if protag didn’t step in, I don’t know who’s dumber, the soldier or the kid who pissed him off cause apparently his plan was to guard against his sword with his bare hands! What’d you think was gonna happen mate? He’d just cut through the fat and get stuck? then you’d have him right where you want him? Mind you this still doesn’t seem as bizarre to me as the fact that he can even be fat when all throughout the show a point is made that food is pretty scarce and you have to ration it.
oh boy I’ve been wailing on the characters for quite a while, and I’m not even DONE. but since I’ve dragged this out long enough I’ll try to summarize the main antagonist as quickly as I can - a huge twat. that should do but if you want a more in-depth description of the scale of his twatiness he’s just so comically evil its obnoxious, if this guy were a video game villain he'd be one of the billionaire morons from the resident evil series who keep investing in zombies and monsters as a brilliant way to take over the world.

-dialogue: mediocre at best, so much so i don’t feel like there’s much to add here really, if that whole "fill belly with rice" line didn’t make your body do a little involuntary “blegh” sound you may want to see your doctor cause apparently your gag reflex stopped working. all its attempts at character's ideologies and philosophies just comes across as generic at best, and just plain bullshit at worst usually whenever stupidly villainous villain guy attempts to justify setting babies on fire and feeding them to their dog, and then him eating that dog.

-kabane: and finally perhaps the most important aspect the show failed at (depending on who you ask) as you may have gathered from the beginning of this review, initially at least, there was quite a comparison drawn between attack on titan and this show, and while many things helped erase that discussion(mostly things like attack on titan not being total shit) the one difference most important between the two is that the titans, while not always, at least at times came across as these truly unnerving, scary fucked up creatures that really helped give a sense of urgency to the show, the kabane on the other hand are basically faster, shoot-in-the-heart-not-the-brain zombies except they’re not even that! cause several times just lobbing their heads off seems to do the trick quite well.

So let’s summarize, at the beginning of this review I said that before its release kabaneri seemed like: "attack on titan: trains edition" but now it can be seen for what it was meant to be and what it ended up being, it was meant to be "Attack on titan-ish: hope you didn’t forget attack on titan exists, here’s something to hold you over till then" and what it ended up being is "Not even really attack on titan-ish: we probably should have just taken the time and effort put into this and released attack on titan sooner huh..." and now that I ranted all over you(and even if you didn’t agree thanks for reading this) i guess I’ll just make like kabaneri and have a shit conclusion, bye.

Kabaneri is an anime where collectively as a whole is a below-average show, but when looking at the components that make it what it is, aspects of the show are simply amazing. When Kabaneri came out, immediately it was compared to Wit Studios (the studio that made Kabaneri) hit, Attack on Titan. Do not go into Kabaneri looking for Attack on Titan. In fact, the two shows are nothing alike except for the world structure of humanity hiding behind walls for human-eating beings, in Kabaneri's case, this was zombies. The feel between these two shows are completely different, and each show focuses on one component ... of the show more than the other.

Story: 3

Kabaneri has a weak story. It has a weak plot. This is what turned off many viewers, such as myself. The thing is that from the beginning, it is clear to see that this show wasn't really going to go anywhere with a rich plot and storyline. This show was going to focus on one aspect and one aspect only--action. I like to think of Kabaneri and compare to the American movie, Mad Max (2016), in that both are action heavy with stunning fighting scenes. Don't go into this show looking for plot. This show is a thrill ride that is only going for making the viewers hyped. For someone like me, who definietly values plot more than action, Kabaneri was not exactly my cup of tea and I didn't enjoy it as much. The first half was full of action and thrill, and at that point, I accepted this show as a mindless show that was just there to look pretty and be hype. It wasn't until the second half of the show when a lackluster plot was introduced that I was turned off immediately. It was clear that the only purpose of this plot introduction of the main antagonist, Biba, was to provide a conflict that will in turn give closure to the end of the 12 episode when our protagonist, Ikoma saves the day. This conflict and plot point was so rushed and unbelievable that when the ending came it was so anti-climatic that I checked every two mintues to see how much longer I had to watch this trainwreck. The main problem with Kabaneri from it becoming an enjoyable, mindless show that it's supposed to be, is that it took itself way too seriously than it should have. All the components were there for it to be a great show, even with the terrible plot, if it didn't take itself too seriously than this would've been a show that I would've enjoyed. I watch plenty of anime that have no plot and enjoy them, and that's because the show is what it's supposed to be. In all, the plot was one of the biggest
downfalls of this show.

Animation: 9

Now if Kabaneri does one thing amazing, it's its animation. It has this old throwback look that is pleasing to the eye. Everything about the visuals is done right. The animation is simply gorgeous especially during the fighting scenes and the scenes fill with thrill and action. The characters are also gorgeous to look at as well (for the exception of Ikoma's hair, which I absolutely hated until he finally cut it). The eyes were my favorite part to look at during this show because it was just so beautiful to look at. The scenery has great detail and brings the setting to life. The zombies look creepy and also animated well. The animation of Kabaneri is a huge plus. If you are someone who loves to see the occasional show for the art, scenery and animation such as Rolling Girls (also done by Wit Studios, what a coincedence??) then this is a show that you should watch. This show is gorgeous to look at.

Sound: 8

The sound is the last redeemable factor of Kabaneri. It is also very nice and all the tracks are used at the right time such as during high action scenes or when there was a slow moment. The opening and ending are great. I'm a big fan of Egoist and Aimer, so that earned extra points for me. The voice actors did a fine job as well. It was personally entertaining to Yuki Kaji play a side character of the show that is influenced by Attack on Titan where he voiced Eren. And of course Mamoru Miyano can do no wrong in my eyes so he was the only thing I actually like about the terrible antagonist, Biba.

Characters: 2

In my opinion, the characters trump the rushed plot in how terrible it was. The characters were bland and stuck to one identifying cliche. I hated Ikoma as a main character (that hair, that hair!!!), I just found him to be boring. Of course, everyone compares him to Eren as a main character continuing the Attack on Titan vs. Kabaneri comparisons. Ikoma is a smart character, but he just seemed to be another cliched protagonist among a cast of bland characters. The only character that I remotely liked had to be Mumei, and even then, her character was pretty boring to me. She was the only character who went through character development, albeit how terrible the development was excuted. Even character deaths weren't impactful to me because I couldn't connect to any of the characters. To me, they were just gorgeous looking dolls with no personality.

Enjoyment: 1

If someone asked me how much I enjoyed Kabaneri, I would say it was a complete waste of my time and was just garbage in my opinion. Personally, it wasn't my type of show. Or rather, it would be my type of show if excuted well. The execution was so poor that I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Scratch that, if I gouged my eyes out I wouldn't be able to see the fabulous animation. Kabaneri is a perfect example of a show that will fail to test time and will quickly be as forgotten as Wakako-Zake (if you don't get the reference, my point exactly). When reviewing something, I try to look at it objectively and while I'll personally feel a certain way, if a show does something good then I'll admit its merits instead of focusing on what it did wrong. However, when talking about enjoyment, this is where I will be as subjective and biased, because this is all about my own personal enjoyment.

So in final words, Kabaneri is a gorgeously animated trainwreck that just took itself way too seriously than needed. Along with a terrible plot, anti-climatic ending, and a bland cast, this show just was not up to par with some other shows airing during the Spring 2016 season. Should you watch it? Not really. Unless you like gorgeous animation and mindless action, then you might want to pass on this.

Overall: 5/10

In a land where rice fields are ruined, our heroes try to fight for the sake of revitalizing paddy fields. Wishes, hopes, and dreams rely on one courageous engineer. "For your sake, I will fill your belly with rice!"

The first 6 episodes were dope. Afterward, they try to throw in a plot, and it was horrible. The animation is amazing. But the transition between scenes and time don't get explained, so you're left confused. It felt epic through ep 6. But when you finish, you're like... meh. I advise finishing after episode 7 though, because the whole point of the story is in the silly ... wishes in that episode: Rice.

(These are purely my opinions, i understand if you don't agree with them)

I would almost recommend not watching past the first episode since it was done so well, everything was hitting a 7/10 for me in the first episode, I was SO hyped.

The show unfortunately never evolved past the first episode, in fact it devolves since the main character loses sight of his main goal of wanting to exterminate every last...uh, all the undead. I wasn't inspired or captured by any of the characters, they felt like hollow shells that could have been so much more.

The art was really nice, a bit inconsistent and loses ... a LOT of points for the art of the main character (dat hair and skin colour).

TLDR: could have been a really good anime. 5/10

I really dont understand the hate people are giving this show... guess their spoiled by good anime or just binge watching too many classics.

It's far from being horrible, but in truth it's nothing unique. It is a great example of a manga made into an anime. If your not a big reader but interested in Kabaneri's story you'll get the full effect by watching the show or reading the manga. It's just an animated story for your viewing pleasure. The Dialog is good, the artwork is good, the cgi isnt crap when it's used (mostly train shots which is a pain to draw so I ... understand their reasoning behind that choice).

There's nothing wrong with this show! Would it be my first choice to recommend someone, no. Would it still be a show I'd recommend to someone, yes. If this came out before shows like Attack on Titan people would not be judging this as harshly as they are.

If you need something thats easy to watch and not overwhelming to follow like your doing something else in the room at the same time (such as writing a review) it's a good choice. This is how anime SHOULD be made. It has it's moments but it's not like every episode will be a gem.

Ignore the negative reviews and give it a chance. If it's not for you, just turn it off.

It is of no wonder that people often compare Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) and Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) - produced by the same studio, WIT studio, and having a similar plot line. But I am here to write a review of Koutetsujou, and not writing a comparison essay.

Kotetsujou is interesting to a degree, but its charming points have been used in other anime (aka SnK/AoT) that it was somewhat compared to. In a steampunk-old Japan setting, the story revolves around MC Ikoma who is a steam smith as he fight against the zombies, whose heart was almost impossible to ... penetrate due to some sort of iron cage. You have an iron train and hordes of zombies as you follow him and the other minor characters into a journey! The plot isn't quite there, sadly. It was lost a few episodes in. It has an interesting start, then it touched upon the ugliness of human's soul, and a deus ex machina good ending - as far as the anime ends. I've only seen three plot holes so far, which happens towards the end, and how it happens is by God's commands. There may be more but I have failed to see it, or have been forgotten through the weeks.

The characters of Kotetsujou aren't too bad, but they lack of fleshing out the characters. There are only three characters in the whole series is given the opportunity to show their pasts through flashbacks. Their characters remain the same from start to finish, though second MC Mumei have slightly grown in terms of thoughts. Apart of the two MC (Ikoma and Mumei), the others are just there to foil a little of the MC's behaviors. The antagonist have a rather silly motivation, though I could see his point, but his actions was somewhat retarded. "Human population is declining, but I must take revenge and so they need to die." I have failed to understand this logic. Sometimes, the normal humans would achieve bad ass moments, and those are the only times I would remember them. Unfortunately.

Kotetsujou's saving point is its art. It uses dark colors to enhance its normal, grim setting and I could remember a scene full of light to portray the mood - it was excellent. There is a contrast of appearance between royalty and peasants that I really like. It's action scenes merged with 3D animation is eye candy. I am a sucker for good art, and this is one of them. The character designs are not bad - you could easily spot the main characters and the "main" characters. What I didn't quite like is Ikoma's character design. His hair after Episode 1 is weird.

The sounds are not bad. The OP and ED does portray the mood they want to show in the anime. I don't have much to say about this as I don't quite notice or have anything to pinpoint about.

For enjoyment it was alright. Sure, the plot may have been used before in other big works, but I'd say that it's worth to check it out. Kotetsujou will be in my list of great art, but all other parts are moderate at best. Perhaps it has too many characters and too many things to explore that they didn't quite tap into its potential that led it derail from its original motive. Rewatching wouldn't be necessary, for there was nothing left to explore when they have given you almost everything you need to know apart of the plot holes.

Overall it's a little above average because I like the art and fluid animation, and it has, at the very least, an antagonist with motivation that you can hate and portrays the humans being extremely easy to brain wash (which is true if you have the correct ingredients to do so). Many people were disappointed from its hype, but I didn't join the hype train beforehand and have successfully avoided the disappointment wreck. It is worth checking out, even if it was just for the art.

Meh. It was great until it turned into a human v human thing with the zombies just being a background. They should have focused more on human v zombie survival and less on the other boring guy wants to do a political power grab and look at all this drama surrounding it.

Also apparently the review has to be longer so I dont really know what else to say other than you should watch it if you have nothing better to do and have an itch for Attack on Titian.

Overall it gets a meh/10. Seriously, its just an ok show that wont have you ... feeling anything when you finish watching. Its just there.

First things first: Koutetsujou no Kabaneri tried to be Shingeki no Kyojin, with the theme and the emotional appeal, but its construction is light years away from the immersing wolrd Attack on Titan gave to me.
The animation and artwork is quite decent, the atmosfere might get you hyped up in the begging, but the history and character development lacks coherence, and that goes really realy bad for me.
The thing that really made me drop this anime was the "science". Okay, most mangakas don't do much research, or don't really care, and this is quite a common problem that makes a lot of anime less ... enjoyable for me. In most cases, I will ignore the lack of logic for the sake of a cool story, but kabaneri distorts and misuses so many basic concepts in a way that doesn't match at all the tone they're trying to set for the story.
The story might have got better from the point I dropped, for sure, but I would never be able to enjoy it.