High School Fleet

High School Fleet is directed by Yuu Nobuta, scripted by Reiko Yoshida, and made by Production IMS, the story kicks off with Akeno Misaki enrolling in Yokosuka Marine High School with hopes of becoming a Blue Mermaid and keeping the seas safe

So first off, I have to congratulate Nobuta on the way Akeno is developed through aesthetic cues. She doesn’t get much more dialog than the other characters, but it’s still distinctly her story. And the show achieves this because it turns the wheels of her mind without being overbearing. Through her actions and interactions with everyone else, the show knows how to reflect who ... she is without making the mirror obvious. And that’s how character development should be; don’t let the puppet master’s strings be noticeable or it breaks immersion in the show

And that attention to detail is especially important because of what the show deals in, mainly Akeno being called into action for a situation she isn’t entirely ready for. It achieves this balance of someone being competent at what they do, but illustrating she isn’t entirely there. Her way of thinking unbecoming her position and her lack of experience gets called into question several times in the story. And with each successive naval battle, her mental limits are pushed as her strategies are forced to be more unique

This also brings up another of the show’s strengths, that being its tactically driven battles. Not only is Akeno unprepared for this conflict, but the ship she commandeers, the Harekaze, is far from top of the line, with only its speed and agility being any advantage it has to the other ships. But despite being pushed into increasingly intense battles, the Harekaze never punches above its own weight. It’s often all it can do to neutralize or even escape other ships without outright beating them, and that’s the way tactics should go. The show knows strategy deals in exploitation, not omnipotence

The show is also aware of who its main characters are, and doesn’t bother much with focusing on anyone else because it’s unwarranted. Mashiro Munetani is a great foil for Akeno and Rin Shiretoko has a nice character arc, but the rest of the crew are there to fill out numbers, be quirky, and deliver levity. And they work for the most part, not being as funny as they should be but knowing when to be humorous. They’re cheesy, one dimensional characters who are a lot of fun and do what they need to do. So kudos to Reiko Yoshida for writing great main leads with a fun side cast

Unfortunately, the show has a problem starting its story even though it knows how to keep it going. Certain plot elements used to ignite the fuse of conflict are bizarre to the point of breaking the suspension of disbelief. And these plot elements are brought up a few times throughout the story. Not enough to be overbearing, but enough to tell the show wants these elements to be taken seriously. And that’s really the only time where it’s easy to go “you guys are getting paid for this story and THIS was the best you could come up with? Seriously?!”

And while certain plot elements are totally bonkers, the presentation for the show is totally…serviceable. Nothing looks beautiful but nothing is ugly, and the CGI used for the ships is noticeable but isn’t forced to share space with the 2D animation. The visuals shine in terms of what each shot conveys from Akeno, but the visual polish itself is nothing spectacular either way. The same goes for the soundtrack, which has a nice opening and ending number from TrySail and Luna Haruna and that’s about it. Production IMS’ work on the aesthetics is unremarkable

But the way battles work in this show, gorgeous animation would’ve been a nice bonus when passable is enough. Don’t go into it expecting top of the line production values, but do expect some great leads, tactical combat, fun characters, and mostly solid storytelling with a few very stupid elements here and there. It doesn’t promote to Generally high ranks, but it’s a Major blast to watch

I’m going to give High School Fleet a B

Ideally I would not write a review for this one as my first review. There are other subjects far more intriguing and compulsory yet too grand for me to review well thus I kept postponing them.

Concisely this anime lacks accuracy for most of the dedicated military fans, offers no real fan service for those who intended to seek it from, and sometimes sacrifice logic and continuity for the sake of moefication, which by may be dismiss-able or even encouraged. However this is a fairly contrived subject of military exercise and the ships' complement even include an onboard accountant. Yet when compared to say Classroom X ... Crisis, it lacks realism.

So if you want a show similiar to Girls Und Panzer, this one is similiar enough (heck the production overlaps with Non Non Biyori). If you want to have a show with mostly daily routines on a ship this is not quite helpful (most of the dull deck washing has been stripped). If you want to know more about Japanese pop culture and geography of the older times this show provides a fair amount (I was able to acquire those thanks to fan-subbing group 花語&千夏字幕組). The battle sequence is fairly accurate but not as traumatizing as those in say Zipang (girls taking it easy when ship is taking water with only 3, pardon me, 2 damage control personnel). You can also compare this show to Miniskirt Pirates since they both have a rag tag crew on the run, but not enough jokes to be compared to Nadesico.

So I recommend High School Fleet on basis if you want something pleasing and laughable to watch and acquiring pop culture references. I finished it in 1 day.

____________Spoiler Containing longer rant____________


List of ships I have visited: USS Pompano, RCMP St. Roch, Some Torpedo Boat near the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution (Not quite that much But it is enough)


I visit every military / aviation / maritime museum when I got the chance. This list is long and I will not list it here.

Now begins the pecking. First of, forgot which episode (I know it is more than 2), those gals spend quite some time in shower; (heck) the captain use the shower time to think. It is a troupe but on real training ships you won't get that much fresh water (I wonder how did they not ran out of water from those 3 measly tanks on the first week; and only collects rain water much later). O and don't use salt water in fresh water pipes, it corrodes them.

Speaking of rainwater, do you EVER see the deck being cleaned? Or do you ever see one paints on ship that is not a picture? Those are steel boats. Salt will shorten the life of the boat. A full complement of Kagero is 200+. Granted a lot of the task has been automated yet we don't see maintenance task carried out by a crew of 30.

Who uses 12.6m of TP? Or even 1.26m? Do you know anyone do? A typical roll is about 40m. I thought it was a joke about the cat.

They have radar, but it seems even worse compare to IJN radar circa 1943 (the spotter sees the ship before the radar warning). And the gals have cellphones and tablets (when it showed on StarTrek TNG people think it was futuristic)!
The type 13-Go has a range of 100km and only weighs 110kg. Your cellphone tower has about 70km of range (at most, but typically 30k). A modern AN/SPY-1 radar (part of Aegis combat system) has a maximum range of 324km. A modern OPS-28 or TAS mk23 radar has a range of around 370 km. It is about 3300km from Yokosuka to Truk. Thus it become very baffling how they could not find a giant slow (18kt or 33km/h or 20mph) Musashi that is not sunk. Heck they even have flying drones.

The schnitzel puffs because of the composition of the batter and light preparation. Not necessarily the amount of flour.

Seifuku are cute, fine. Service personnel are rarely in skirts unless it is part of dress uniform for occasions. Also quite a long skirt at that (pass knee length). (A nudge to the Girls und Panzer,) I wonder how do they survive burns and lacerations?

What administrator would risk the cadets' life? If the Harekaze disobey that is another matter.

Last one until I find more to poke, in the last scene the tugs pushed the Harekaze into the port. it was shown earlier the engine room was taking water and rammed the Musashi and some how survived. I speculate it has a top speed no faster than 16 knots due to damage. It is clearly towed by several ships. Why didn't they tow it to dry dock directly? The scene felt staged as the ship sinks on queue and efforts to save it prior seems lackluster (You survived 2 direct hit, rammed Musashi and performed little of damage control, you deserve to sink).

Haifuri is criminally underrated for its take on a naval superpower version of Japan wherein young girls strive to become a part of the elite Blue Mermaids and attend marine high schools to achieve those dreams.

Based on that description alone, you may believe that Haifuri is just a cute girls doing cute things anime and nothing more. However, Haifuri is a very plot driven series that follows the protagonists onboard the Harekaze destroyer ship as they learn what it means to be a functioning unit through a flurry of dangerous engagements and unforeseen circumstances. There are elements of drama and tension which provide an experience ... outside of one you'd expect.

Story 7/10:

The story of Haifuri is unique in its approach, and because the synopsis barely gives any idea of just what happens, I won't spoil the overarching plot. In short, the Harekaze is a destroyer ship that's part of the Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School fleet in which all of the students that had barely managed to pass are put on; with the exception of the Deputy Captain, Mashiro Mutetani, an honor student that was placed aboard the ship due to her unbelievably bad luck. After a run in with a ditzy student that makes her fall into the sea, she later finds that this clumsy, bubbly girl is the Captain of the Harekaze. A large portion of the story follows the development of these girls and their crew as they learn how to cooperate with each other and bond through the trials and tribulations they will unexpectedly face. This ragtag crew of misfits manages to find their way through their many battles, both internal and on the sea.

Art 9/10:

The character designs are all great and the animation is fluid. The ships look great and watching the action unfold is a rewarding experience. While there isn't much in the way of backgrounds (because it's the ocean), the series makes up for this by placing the crew in a variety of situations and scenarios where the art team expresses their creativity.

Sound 8/10:

The VAs for the characters all do fine jobs, even so much so as having VAs in character reciting movie lines. The sound design works for most of the series and the music is military inspired but never over the top.

Character 7/10:

There's a lot of character development that takes place throughout the course of the series for the crew as they learn to adapt to their situation.
The one-sided rivalry between the Deputy Captain and the Captain, the eccentric hotheaded Engine crew, trigger finger Torpedo Officer, insecure Chief Navigator, child genius Med and the unique personalities of the rest of the crew make for enjoyable character interactions.

Enjoyment 8/10:
Overall 8/10:

Haifuri is unique in its story and developments, which, while not complex is a breath of fresh air. Using the full potential of the cast on the little destroyer and pacing itself fairly quickly throughout the first half makes Haifuri feel like a much faster watch that doesn't lose its momentum. While the drama is played down a bit to keep things family friendly, it was still enough to keep the ever-changing situation for the Harekaze and its crew engaging and entertaining.

"Well, at least they're driving the tanks. They aren't the tanks [themselves]. Has anyone watched Kantai Collection? It's fun... but... REALLY??" (Paul "The Mighty Jingles" Charlton)

It's supposed to be a winning combination: Make a new anime, sort of like the hit series Girls und Panzer, only with warships. Surely it'll be better than KanColle because it's not flippin' ridiculous!

Or so I thought.

The characters are cliche, but mostly in a good way-- uber optimist airhead skipper, straight-laced XO (cue manzai combo), quiet gunner, scaredy-cat helmswoman, "kill 'em all" ("hot-blooded" as they say in Japanese) torpedo officer and chief engineer. Yeah, they kinda seem one-dimensional at first, ... but in a way that you could have fun with it and laugh at them. The Harekaze captain and XO's conflict could have been better written (too cringeworthy and a little overacted), but honestly, I've seen much worse. I really wanted to like the log officer, but unfortunately the dramatizations/impressions got way too old (I yelled, "YES!!" when her shipmates told her it wasn't funny-- I'm glad the writer doesn't take himself (herself?) too seriously).

I do like the character designs, even though some of the girls look too young to be in high school. I'm not a huge military history buff, but the ships looked really good and well-modeled to my untrained eye, and the battle scenes were well-animated. Seeing the refit of the Harekaze from old IJN guns to USN 5-inch guns was a nice touch, I think-- subtly hinting that there was no Pacific war because Japan didn't need to expand (yeah, it's fantasy, I didn't say it was believable). Watching the bridge crew members discuss armor penetration oddly reminded me of Star Trek episodes, so that was fun.

The show's premise and story are a little weak for a production that's shooting for more of a drama than a comedy. The idea that this alternate universe never developed powered flight is poorly told (a couple of lines of dialogue and probably the website), and is designed to set up a mano-e-mano showdown between a battleship and a destroyer. That's really sloppy writing-- find some other way to put the carriers out of the picture, thanks. Better yet, come up with a good story that involves carriers. I feel that, along with a battleship shrugging off salvo after salvo of modern torpedoes, took a lot of air out of the climax's sails, so to speak. The show seems to me to have had a lot of difficulty trying to balance out the serious drama and the humor, never really knowing whether to take itself seriously or not. One moment it's "OMG we're wanted for mutiny!", the next, "Uh, girls, aren't you a little too relaxed for a ship on the run?" Then there's the final scene of the show, which makes Girls und Panzer's tank physics look downright realistic.

Despite that, I really liked the "antagonist" of the show, and I wish that the mousers got more action, if only to hear Tsuruoka (Huh. He sounded like Jouji Nakata. Had me fooled.) act like a cat in his own unique way.

The greatest weakness, IMHO, is the soundtrack. Come on, guys, after hearing the soaring melodies of Strike Witches and the fun marches of Girls und Panzer, you couldn't find someone who could write decent music that didn't depend heavily on the synthesizer? The "derp" scenes are too accentuated by the BGM (this is a serious anime... right?... guys??), and because there wasn't enough work put into matching the digital instruments with the tunes, the battle music stuck out like a sore thumb as a result. It's frustrating as a musician to hear this. I watched an AMV of High School Fleet set to Anchors Aweigh, and frankly, I'd prefer that to the soundtrack even though none of the ships featured are American. There's only one tune that I could listen to, and it's the one that was worked on the most: the BGM played when the fleet sets sail.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed the show, and the follow-up OVA was a wonderful way to tie up loose ends.

Becoming Blue Mermaid is a goal for Misaki & Moeka since they were young. They adore Blue Mermaid so much and want to become part of those notable units. They adore them as well as they love the sea. Blue Mermaid beginning is after Russo-Japanese war period. As Japan becomes Maritime Nation, most of the military ships are utilized for civilian use. Blue Mermaid is a symbol of those ships that won't be used for war and only women are permitted to be captains. It explains why all the characters here are (moe) girls with high spirit to sail the sea.

These youngsters' story, who wish ... to be parts of Blue Mermaid, starts in Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School. After the enrollment, all of the students are filtered into several classes of ships (with different tasks as well) based on their grades on the selection process. Our heroine and her childhood friend, Misaki & Moeka, successfully enter this high school they are dreaming of. The students here will be trained to be competent Blue Mermaid. They will do their first task as students in this Marine High School. Their nautical training is the beginning yet it needs a lot of hard work.


​As inexperienced persons in maritime, this show surely makes a lot of people believe that they are trying their best in first two episodes to overcome the obstacles as part of the nautical training. They strive to cope with incoming issues. Although they are barely known each other and just becoming a family in the same ship (ship's crews), I can feel their burning wish to be Blue Mermaid currently on the same line. You will find common problems like other series with tons of characters in this anime, in which Haifuri characters make the introduction so damn fast. I can't enjoy the introduction one by one. Still, you can set your eyes on few outstanding characters amongst them. Haifure's beginning of the story has too much babbling. (phew)

​I don't know if it's just me or....well...few series I watched so far this Spring have slow pace for its beginning. It's like I had to get bored first before see the fabulous ending. It's so rude -sobs-
The turn-over is placed unseemly. I can get the point that high school students also need time to relax and refresh their mind by having fun together, but the good time they create sometimes feels wrong. It might be harsh, but the messy plot is not pleasing much (at first). Static sequence of fun and ended with issues.

The messy plot at first..is not a big deal anymore when you survive to keep watching Haifuri. It becomes more organized after the real threat discovered (however, I won't tell the truth, it might be a spoiler lol). The story improves and the goal of this anime exposed. You can enjoy the moe moe show from those girls, it is enough to save you from drowning by the boredom. After that, the show is going to bombard you more with the expansion for both of story and characters. I remind you, because this show has quite lots of characters, do not expect too much for the development of characters itself. Enjoy the war of these ships. Especially their last mission *w*!

​I don't have much knowledge of maritime, I can't tell how good it is regarding to the information about the ships they offer. For me, they already explain the ships well. Like the capacity of the ships (amount of weapons, strength, communication methods and so on). Quite plenty I got information from this anime. When they make plan, they make it out well with carefully developed strategy.

​
The animation is well-built. I even adore it. From the animation, I sense that whenever I watch this, I really am boarding in Harekaze for real. The details for the ships are solid. I can picture what's on the deck, the kitchen in a ship, weapons, the surrounding like blue ocean, ships war, and moe girls! You'd better not forget the moe part.

OP "High Free Spirits" by TrySail is a powerful one. Got pumped one listening to this one, rarely to miss the OP when watching Haifuri. It's properly fit the given theme of ships in war (?) lol The ED theme "Ripple Effect" by Luna Haruna is calmer and somehow uplifting, but not much appealing. The music aspect boosts my pleasure for Haifuri. Eventhough the ED isn't much, but the OP itself is one of the best this season followed by insert original songs which perfectly match to intensify the tension whenever Harekaze in a pinch.


It's surprisingly good and exciting by the episodes go by. Whether you love moe or regularly like it, you will love the characters here lol The motto of Blue Mermaid is what keep their souls to keep moving and proceed something incredible. It's like the motto runs through every inch of your very step. 8 for Haifuri❣
Pros:
Nice visualization for the scenery. Salute for the characters too, even the minor one is well-animated (like they are also categorized as the major).
I like the insert songs. Setting the moods in line with the story (especially the last). Freaking superb.
The ending...is very..touching! Well-done Blue Mermaid candidates❣
Cons:
I know it's troublesome and life-threatening what they face in the ocean without any preparation as freshman, but I got irritated somehow when they make it looked like annoying jerks. Still, their improvement amazes me. (and they are so moe lol)
Having fun-got trouble-having fun-got trouble, Harekaze's life cycle inverse disproportionately.

High school fleet is an anime about girls in high school duking it out with naval warships in 1 vs 1 battles. The main protagonists pilots a destroyer, and they will face enemies of larger ship classes as the series progresses, making one go wtf sometimes with the bravery of our main protags.

Story:

The story kicks off with much tension sucking one into the story with some interesting naval facts intertwined in it. Tidbits like supplies, naval armaments, the boilers as well as the observational language used will be most interesting to ww1 - ww2 naval warfare fans. Some notable warships would make their appearances, so ... famous that they also appear in World of Warships. More fanservice for naval historian fans. Yet the tension is lost halfway through the series in slice of life episodes which were unpleasant to stomach. It picks up the pace at the end making the trudge through the slice of episodes well worth it.

Art:

Character movements are fluid and expressive, which is palatable. That is to say the art is enjoyable. But that’s not the main focus isn’t it? It’s the warships. They are gorgeous, the rigging, armaments and overall design is bloody gorgeous. Looks of focus is put into it, the attention to detail is amazing. It makes you just go woah looking at the ships.

Sound:

The voice actors convey the character’s emotions well, their personalities working well with the voices given. But the best part was the sound of the naval armaments! It sounded really realistic and was very good asmr to relax to. The fscchhww of the torpedoes, the BOOM of the naval guns. And the it sounded different, the bigger the guns, the louder the sound gets and different the sound gets. I can’t put it into words but it just sounds like a bigger gun. The sound of the torpedoes travelling in the sea just sounds so right and realistic. So yeah sound is great.

Character:


Characters brought nothing new to the table. Individually, they can be found in other animes, the pairing up of the characters together was nothing refreshing and could also be found in other animes. The anime just dumps like 30 over characters in your face and you are expected to familiarise yourself with them. Some of them stood out with some development through the series, but the rest were left to linger in the back and be forgotten. The anime will pull off some drama between some characters that you are supposed to be familiar with but you will be lost and wonder where did that came from? But those are once in a blue moon occurrences. The characters are nothing special, but the thing that made them unique is the reason why they chose to serve in the navy instead of doing something else. That would be one of the few things that made the characters stand out. Characters? Meh.

Enjoyment:

As mentioned in the story section of the review, the first few episodes caught my interest. But the slice of life blew my enjoyment out of the water. But as soon as that was done with, the payoff with the ending made this anime pretty memorable. One can derive pleasure from viewing this anime, but if one seeks to focus on the action, skipping the slice of life episodes would be great.

Overall:

As a naval warfare nerd, it was a fun watch seeing the warships duke it out with one another. Facts about naval warfare also intertwined really well with the story. It’s a fun watch.

******** SIMPLE AND SPOILER-FREE ********

You stumble upon this anime and you think about it and ask yourself if whether this would be in anyway interesting or some complete waste of time. Well, if you like the cute girl doing "cute" stuff or military stuff or even liked Girls und Panzer for reasons not like the before-mentioned, you're already assured of a good bang for the bangbangs and boombooms the action will give us.But not without some flaws, in my opinion.

High School Fleet features few classes of ships with different names (not so much of a ship porn, unlike GuP in both broadcast and the theater ... which featured many tanks; fanboys are certainly satisfied).Military tactics and inside views of the workings of the warships are in generous amounts, although if you find yourself flabbergasted in the replicability of anime logic to real life and then rage about unrealism. . . just contain it.

The huge cast would be a pain to remember, many given only a few time to show up, fewer to get the focus (some don't even get to have it). But at the very least, character development is present and ongoing.

The cutegirl=cutestuff formula have been altered in the anime, it now includes some "grim moments" (think of Madoka Magica for the popular example). But conflicts tend to be repetitive, the only differences are the degree of how badly messed up the balance is and the tactics . The plot would somehow go into nowhere that makes real plot sense, and some will bait you into thinking that there will be stupid choices and unnecessary drama that will follow suit but thankfully there are only few, so bear with them.

To sum it up, High School Fleet should be something to watch if your interests align to it.It managed to deliver what it looks like on the tin can; the story is not so original but delivered well with some decent changes (and also some stupid events) although better can be desired; action is plentiful.I find that it doesn't have that one quality that makes it a esoteric masterpiece in the sphere of fanboyisms but is good enough, very good enough.

When military warfare on the seas meets cute little girls, you get one of the most unusual combinations out there: High School Fleet. This was a very unusual anime indeed, putting high school girls in charge of huge ships capable of real battle and warfare.

This is my first time writing a review, so please bear with me and my writing. If there are any spoilers, I will write a warning message just in case, but for the most part, I will try to avoid any spoilers that lay past the first episode of the anime. Also, my overall score is not based on an ... average of story, sound, art, characters, and enjoyment. I suggest taking a look at the bio on my profile for the complete explanation of how I rate anime. With that out of the way, let’s get to the main review.

-----Story----7

The story follows Mike (Akeno Misaki), a young girl who aspires to one day be a part of the Blue Mermaids, an organization that protects and journeys across the vast sea. Along with her friend, she enters Yokosuka in pursuit of that dream.

On the surface, the anime seems to be following the general structure for a comedic slice of life, but as the anime continues, it becomes anything but. When ships begin disappearing and reporting various issues, the show becomes a true diamond in the rough with how well the mystery entices and intrigues the audience.

When you're watching this anime, it is highly recommended to suspend whatever disbelief that you have and to expect the unexpected in order to enjoy the most out of this show. There will be a lot of things that you question and may not understand, but what surprised me above all else was the execution of the plot. A mixture of mystery, a unique approach, and action really intrigues the audience, though the story is somewhat inconsistent as the anime continues in its 12 episode adaptation.

If you are an avid fan of military warfare, the navy, or anything similar, this anime will most likely become a favorite considering the amount of related concepts there are. Even if you’re not an avid fan, the sheer ingenuity of the characters and the combat between ships is definitely something worth watching.

While there are several pluses to the show in terms of story, it similarly has its downsides. Attempting to contain this kind of a plot within 12 episodes was not an easy task, and it became quite noticeable that this was the case as the show continued. Firstly, the inclusion of a few filler episodes was not very appreciated as the plot could have been developed more using those episodes (at least in my opinion), but there is some comedic character interaction that you can enjoy. Secondly, using deus ex machina in order to advance a plot is by far one of the most desperate devices I have ever seen used, and this anime does make use of it in a rather painful manner that I did not enjoy. Many may be able to look past this device, but in my opinion, it really takes away from the realistic nature of the anime. And for me, realism and consistency of plot are paramount when developing a plot.

-----Art------8

Given that this anime was aired in 2016, the art style of the characters is quite consistent with general expectations of art at this time—fluid, solid, and not particularly distracting. Generally speaking, I won’t rate art higher than a 7 solely based on character designs since backgrounds are integral components to the overall art (take a look at the background art for Nagi no Asukara or Clannad for art that I would consider a 10). The reason for the slightly higher art score in this particular case is how well the ships were designed and animated—really capturing each aspect of these military ships (and this should be expected considering how the anime revolves around this). Background art was not particularly significant or breathtaking in any way, but in no way was it distracting.

-----Sound-----7

Sound was rather generic for the most part, nothing impactful enough for me to go back and listen to it. The opening and ending was fine, nothing really notable about them. The sound got a fairly average score since the heart racing music complemented the action scenes quite well and conveyed the intensity of the situation as well as the tension of the characters.

-----Characters-----6

The characters are a plus in the show as they truly embody a wide diversity of characteristics, adequately demonstrating "uniqueness" that draws the attention of the audience. Unfortunately, the design of the characters draws a sense of disbelief as the majority of the characters look like they are either in middle or elementary school when they are clearly stated to be in high school (part of the reason this anime draws such disbelief when watching it). Subsequently, it becomes rather difficult to really empathize and to believe that these characters are truly “real”. Additionally, the character designs do lack some uniqueness in that the female cast is never given any real distinguishing features other than hair color; the structure of the face maintains the "ideal" perspective of the animated female.

While the characters do embody a wide array of characteristics, there is not adequate development to provide depth to their already one-dimensional characters with the exception of 2-3 characters. Mike arguably has the most development of them all, but the development is entirely predictable given her personality in the very beginning of the anime.

Even with these negative though, the characters are quite refreshing and provide a sense of peace even when the anime takes dark, dramatic turns.

-----Enjoyment-----7

I actually enjoyed the anime a lot more than I thought I would, especially since I went into this anime with zero expectations. The exhilarating action sequences and the marginally thrilling mystery really drove me to watch and finish the anime despite the flaws I was not happy with. The only thing that was hardest for me was suspending my disbelief completely, but over time I did become acclimated to the nature of this show.

-----Overall-----6.7

I would recommend this anime to those who find a fascination with military warfare, boats, a (semi) thrilling mystery, and something truly unique. Although not certainly one of the better animes out there, it has its good points and is worth watching.

I will briefly mention again that my overall score is based on an average of these scores with different weights attributed to each one. Look at the bio on my profile for more details on the specifics and the weights I give.

Story: 7
Art: 8
Sound: 7
Characters: 6
Enjoyment: 7
Overall: 6.7

When it comes to naval animes there's generally 2 takes. On one side, you have animes like Kancolle and Azur Lane, who take the Anthropomorphize approach and give human girls ship-like qualities, and on the other side, you have Haifuri, which seeks to faithfully recreate what naval action truly is about.
Haifuri is one of the biggest baits in anime history. You watch its trailers and think its just more "cute anime girls doing cute things", but just like its land-based counterpart Girls Und Panzer AKA Garupan, it is so much more than that.
Haifuri, in my opinion, is closer in similarity to Girls Und Panzer than ... it is to Azur Lane. It doesn't give their ships a face and tells us why they fight, they give their crews a face and tell us why they live. Haifuri, like Garupan, successfully and faithfully recreated the best parts of the glory of military service. Their showcase of the naval fleet is absolutely banger, and their plotline roots deeper and is more compelling than both Garupan and Azur Lane.

General Plot
One of Haifuri's biggest strengths is the fact that the action starts right off the bat. On episode 1 the crews are assigned, the ships sail out, and the first combat already sets the overall plotline in motion, and this plot will span from the opening episode to the last moments of the final episode. I will admit that it does lose sight of the overarching story sometimes, but overall, the overarching story is brilliantly executed and only makes the prospect of seafaring even more attractive to us and these girls.

Characters
Naturally ever good ship needs a good crew. Haifuri takes on this task in a interesting style: dividing the class of 30 girls operating the Harekaze into their departments, and giving them overall tropes and also unique tropes in each department.
(Side note for my fellow history buffs, the Harekaze is a Kagerou-class destroyer. It never existed in the real world so its completely fictional. All the other ships featured in the anime are accurate to their real world counterparts though)
Sure, the girls in charge of the Kitchen share similar qualities, but they still feel unique overall. Very unique way of dealing with the problem.
However, there's no possible way you're gonna flesh out 30 characters in 12 episodes, and thats not even counting characters like Moeka and Wilhelmina, who don't belong to the crew. To counter this, naturally, an emphasis is placed on the characters in the Bridge of the Harekaze, throughout the 12 episodes, we dive deep into the conflicts of Akeno's tendencies to jump headfirst into the fray and leave the ship in disarray, Mashiro's conflicts with her inner thoughts and what's good for the crew, and other things. This provides the bridge themselves the shine they need to elevate the rest of the crew into being a well-rounded cast, because a ship is nothing without its administration.

Art and Music
Ohhh boy.

Normally speaking, CGI isnt exactly smiled upon in anime, because it feels unnatural. However, on the open seas, especially if you're displaying the military might of the fine engineering that is naval combat craft, the CGI proved to be a powerful ally. The sway of the Harekaze in the storm and wind, the powerful blasts of the Musashi's cannons and the Harekaze's zigzagging response. The flow of the torpedoes and the rumbling of the engines. All of this was created with such pinpoint accuracy it can make any history buff wet their pants right there and then. Just seeing the Musashi stand as a floating fortress in the open seas is a sight to behold.

As for the music, it hits in the peak moments of the show, splashing you with a virtual water that leaves you feeling like you were physically plunged into the unforgiving marine. The OP and ED also are very well made, very impressive.

As a lover of military history, I love how Haifuri opted for the faithful recreation path and succeeded in doing so. Even though as of writing this the studio adapting this series has long since closed down, I hope that someday, another studio will pick up Haifuri again. Action Stations everyone, and may the winds of the high seas favor you today.

This is a good anime. If you like anime with an ocean atmosphere like listening to the waves, seagulls, storms and the scenery. And also ship knowledge such as its operation and giving the captain's orders to the crew. I think you should watch this.
This anime is approximately 85% of the scene in this season is in the middle of the sea. Not only the sea and shipping, but also the daily lives of girls who struggle to survive because they are considered school rebels because there is an unknown cause of chaos that is happening in this story. Don't forget their cuteness is a ... part of this anime. When asked which part is more dominant between serious and having fun. I think the fun part is a bit more. But I enjoyed it, seeing their daily cuteness and the way they steered the boat.
A little disappointed about the sound of cannons and explosions, too slow so the atmosphere of war is less pronounced.