Jul 1, 2016
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress - Review
Characters - 7
Although not really anything we haven't seen, the central characters don't fail to impress. Due to their usually clear and singular motives they are easily understandable and thus drive the story forward; one knows what they want, but not how those intentions will play against each other.
The side characters lack meaning though, making them pretty uninteresting and generic. But if they are brushed off as side characters the main cast seems even more interesting.
Story - 8
This was rather interesting. Although seeming like a pretty generic adventure story at first, the plot twists with the introduction of Biba.
...
His lack of logic or even madness makes it seem like he has further plans than the obvious.
At the end of episode 10 he has completely succeeded with anything so far, making big drama, or a new twist necessary for the hero to be able to win. This is achieved with the black blood, a big risk the hero has to take in order to win.
The last few scenes are also striking in that they bring a new twist to two characters; to Mumei, who ends Biba but doesn’t hate him for his actions, and thus differentiates herself from most generic characters; and to Biba, who’s last glimpse of humanity allows Ikoma to survive, not just achieve his goal.
Visuals - 9
High production quality and a fitting style make this show very visually appealing. Animation is smooth, and the character designs are interesting.
Sound Design - 9
Also a strong point of this series is the combination of situationally and emotionally fitting score as well as detail-rich ambience, which really ties the show together. The intro and credits song are also quite memorable.
Enjoyment - 9
This show has kept me interested with its unclear result. I didn't get invested in the characters, which made the idea of a complete failure after episode 10 so much more delightful. But even though it set itself considerably difficult goals as it moved on, it succeeded at resolving brilliantly. Thus it neither falls into the category 'boring', nor into 'interesting concept, horrible execution', which isn’t an easy feat.
Overall - 8
This has been a strong show and was definitely worth my time. Although starting off moderately generic, it started to get more interesting, and thus more complex to write. While watching this series I got scared more and more about it, because the chance for it’s failure continuously rose. So I was very relieved to see it turn out so brilliantly. This marvelous story, set of interesting character twists, and the production quality make this show a strong 8, maybe even more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
