Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai (The Magnificent Kotobuki)

Across the desolate wilderness, resources are scant and survival is the utmost priority. Essential supplies are delivered through the network of zeppelins, relying on protection from mercenary crews piloting single-engine fighter planes. At odds with pirates and political conflict, these brave aviators provide the strongest guard to stability in such dismal lands.

Kylie—a talented, hotshot pilot—serves with one such crew: the Kotobuki Squadron. Recruited to the group by her childhood friend Emma, her natural aptitude for flight makes her a key member. Armed with their Hayabusa fighter planes, the six-member squadron is hired to protect people, goods, and society as they continue to engage hardships in their complex world.

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Adaptation:	Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai
Spin-off:	Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai Gaiden: Oozora no Harukaze Hikoutai
Alternative version:	Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai Kanzenban

Kawaida, Natsumi
Japanese

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Staff

Arisawa, Ryouya

Producer

Mizushima, Tsutomu

Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kanbe, Hiroyuki

Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director, Assistant Director

Saotome, Yuusaku

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"Soranone (ソラノネ)" by ZAQ

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Ending Theme

"Tsubasa wo Motsumonotachi (翼を持つ者たち)" by Kirie (Sayumi Suzushiro), Enma (Eri Yukimura), Kate (Sayaka Nakaya), Leona (Asami Seto), Zara (Hibiku Yamamura), Chika (Miyu Tomita)

Reviews

Jul 2, 2019

front2back

Recommended

Waifus & Warplanes are easy on the eyes.

What's different about this show?
(1.) The show is nearly all 3D animated, but this is usually tastefully done and feels natural. It sort of had to by default as aerial 2D combat is difficult to make look "right", but the characters still look like normal anime girls and the scenery is beautiful. If you love plane aesthetics, the artwork will appeal to you even more.
(2.) In terms of the genre of the show and what it delivers, Kotobuki is difficult to pin down. The best way I can describe it is "cute mercenary girls doing aerial battle ... things in a Mad Max world", with a bit of "slice of life" mixed in. It is an action show, with swarms of planes getting into massive midair battles about every episode. A good dose of comedy is also mixed into the show, which makes it feel less boring during the non-battle scenes. However, sometimes I feel as though I'm watching an older kids' show with how "cartoonish" of a vibe I get from it.

The characters?
Kotobuki has quite a few pretty women as main characters and supporting characters...and basically any even somewhat-important character that isn't an enemy or an incompetent buffoon. Depending on who you are, this ovary ensemble is either exactly what you want in a show or is going to make you bored of it fast. That being said, each of the 6 Kotobuki Corps girls has a unique personality and something to like about them. Kirie is the main girl we follow throughout the series and this was done deliberately, as her cockiness, snarky humor, and almost comedic facial expressions make her an easy favorite.
The other women in the series aren't nearly as focused on but still manage to make the show feel "real" with how much their different personalities can clash or feed off each other. Oh, did I also mention that all of these girls work as mercenaries or at least smugglers? The only thing more excessive than the way these women make money is some of their bust sizes. Overall, the characters are probably the strongest part of this show. While Kirie is given the most screentime compared to the other girls, you will find a moment or two where each one either made you laugh, intrigued, or at least appreciate their air combat skill.

Plot & Enjoyment?
The plot isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. It is railroaded and our main girls have plot armor protecting them the whole way through. Every time the plot throws something "surprising" or "bad" at you, you aren't surprised and already know what the outcome will be. If you aren't watching the girls have air battles, the show falls back to a typical "slice of life" type of story where you watch Kirie eat pancakes and the other girls drink.
If you don't go into the show too seriously, and are able to let the laws of physics stretch a bit, this is a very enjoyable show for those of us who enjoy women and dogfights in the sky. Might be better with a drink or two in your system, though.

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Apr 5, 2019

Prankster_001

Recommended

"Never quit.Never give up.Fly it to the end"-Chuck Aaron

"In combat flying,fancy precision aerobatic work is really not much of use. Instead,it is the rough maneuver which succeeds"-Erich Hartmann

"Flying prevails when a man and his airplane are put to a test of maximum performance"-Richard Bach

"Aviation is proof that given,the will,we have the capacity to achieve the impossible"-Eddie Rickenbacker

"Aviation is fine as a sport.But as an instrument of war,it is worthless"-Ferdinand Foch

... Why i posted these quotes? well Kouya no Kotobuki is about aviation but with enough action to boot and anyway this my review for it:

1.Story:
The story is about air pirates who flies to the skies and fight any baddies at any given moment not much to say here :|

2.Art:
Some like it,Some were not but for the mixture of 2D and 3D animation might be bad at first glance but if it's put into good use it will be in good direction even in the scenes of air combat and the aircraft models.And btw this anime was directed by the same dude who directed Girls & Panzer and Shirobako (i'm taking about Tsutomu Mizushima here). Take note,this anime might had a fanservice in one episode but still the director commits to put more action than the latter which what makes the show great than it's rival Girly Air Force (which it's director put more SoL and fanservice and gave less action scenes in which some of them were weak and lackluster until the last episode of that series).

3.Sound
The OP is catchy one to say the least it had a few whistling tones while the ED is also a catchy but a good use to the show

4.Characters
We had the Good and the Bad ones. first, we'll start with the main character who's addicted to pancakes (yup she like pancakes more than any food) second we had a girl who's a badass (more like a Rosie the Riverter who can do it all?),a childhood friend,a girl who often shouts when in combat,a girl with a spoken tone and a girl who's more sexy than Eagle of Girly Air Force period and also the most hated character that i hated for was a Traitorous,Dictatorial manipulating magician who wants to take all over the world for himself but too bad he fell down to his doom and i'm happy for that :P

5.Enjoyment
My enjoyment for this show? well it's good and the portal thingy might set a few off but still a good show to watch even if ur a fan of old WWII-era aircraft

6.Overall
Kouya no Kotobuki might be a hit or miss for anybody but if u like old aircraft u can watch this.If not then i won't argue with you for that.

P.S,my final verdict for this show i gave it a rating of 8 and i hope a few would appreciate it :)

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Mar 31, 2019

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Can you imagine living in a world where it’s nothing but a wasteland? The Kotobuki corps sure knows exactly how that kind of life is like. The art of aviation became an essential part of their life. But in such an imperfect world, they can’t be without conflicts.

For a story about aviation, I was fully prepared to be cast into a world where aircrafts is much more than just what they are. The first few episodes immediately dives into a world where we witness the technology and importance of aviation. Technology related to aeronautical practices is a common sight. This came to me as no ... surprise considering the anime advertised itself with many of its promotional material in such ways. What did catch me off guard and I regret to say is that the show could have been so much more.

Anime that takes on aviation as a major theme is also becoming a more popular trend in recent years. It hasn’t taken off quite yet like isekai but from this Winter season alone, we had at least two titles: Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai and Girly Air Force. However, let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai has confidence to be its own show. As an original anime, it doesn’t have to rely on manga material to be faithful or as a continuation from some prequel series. Anime like this isn’t afraid to take risks although it didn’t capitalize on its concepts. Let me just say that the first episodes themselves accomplished little more than becoming a flight simulator. Indeed, I can’t say this enough but when you have a full squad of badass girls as pilots, you know this is going to take off as a sky fueled action show. It doesn’t take long to realize how skilled the main characters are when the first episode shows their abilities to take down hordes of enemy aircrafts. War veteran Zara is the most prominent to notice for her battle experience. However, don’t count out the rest of her squad. Characters like Chika, Kate, Kylie, and Emma are not to be underestimated when they are in their cockpits. Even a little girl like Chika can be described as “dynamite come in little packages”. Throughout the series, they participate in many dogfights that first came as exciting but soon became very predictable. Let’s face it, this anime sells the Kotobuki squad as the aces in the sky. Their feats are easily noticeable for their complex aerial maneuvers. Some episodes even consists of its squad members chasing down their foes in what seems like near impossible scenarios. But if you guessed it, they make it look easy. Now I don’t want to designate the characters as “overpowered” as they certainly do find themselves struggling on occasions. Still, it’s not very fun when the whole show make others look bad after each episode. I’m not going to lie, after watching a good portion of this series convinced me that the Kotobuki squadron is like an end boss video game; only that the they are badass girls.

Overlooking the characters, I think perhaps the show holds some value when it comes to its mysterious world and technology. In fact, the aircrafts themselves makes me wonder how much potential it really has. A weapon is only powerful as its user is what I would think. While the aircrafts aren’t very high standard, they are capable of making dogfights look realistic. The pilots ride the sky and gives a feel of being right there with them in their cockpit. When an aircraft is shot and melts down, it gives the impression of life or death. Being able to depict a war-like feeling almost every episode actually makes the show exciting at times. The downside is that the whole idea can get repetitive fast. Trust me, once you’ve seen one dogfight, it feels like you’ve seen them all.

One of the more interesing aspects of the show is its economic system. This includes how mercenaries are hired such as the Kotobuki squad. Furthermore, there’s monopoly that can’t be overlooked in such an unstable world. I think for what’s worth, the anime manages to makes its world a breeding ground for conflicts. The Kotobuki squad not only have to deal with enemies in the sky but also corruption among corporations. It adds fuel to the already desolate world that makes surviving all the more difficult. Luckily for the Kotobuki members, they don’t have much trouble living their lives but you can just imagine for some of the poorer folks. The World War like atmosphere often puts less fortunate people in jeopardy when they don’t have the resources to fend for themselves. It’s a sad and grim reality.

Making an anime featuring aviation isn’t easy nor is animating aerial dogfights on a consistent basis. The strange combination of 2D and 3D art style can take a bit of time to get used to. In fact, the character models looks like something from a video game in its alpha stage. It reminds me a bit of Apreggio of Blue Steel at times only without the high level technology. When in its 2D form, character designs are pretty normal on most terms although fan service is evident on occasions. Madame Lulu, Zara, and Naomi are a few examples as the show try to make them busty. But on most occasions, the show sells its animation in the sky where the real action takes place. The dynamic quality of the framework and fluid movements (when ignoring the 3D models) makes the action look convincing. It’s just that when you see it so many times, it loses its relevance.

Honestly, this show feels like a flight simulator. The story isn’t very well written despite the immense amount of potential. Characters lack development as the show focuses way too much into the action. It almost feels like playing a video game at times like Battlefield or something when every episode just bites into the action and consumes it without stopping. My impression of the whole show didn’t change at all from the first episode to the end. There’s just so much potential in this anime that eventually became a showcase of mediocrity.

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