A somewhat difficult anime to review.
Despite its shortcomings as an obviously stereotypical ecchi love-comedy jam-packed with your staple assortment of embarrassing, should-be-censored scenes, Kampfer surprisingly hit me with something I wasn't expecting: A cast of characters that are somewhat unique, but most of all, lovable in some way, and a very over-the-top sense of humor.
If you have seen a lot of different love comedies, you will still most likely enjoy this anime, but personally having seen a variety of these types of shows, the humor in Kampfer sometimes literally made me laugh out loud, which is something I do not do so often when watching anime alone.
Please note that although I found Kampfer immensely entertaining, its plot hardly differs from that of your average harem: NONEXISTANT. As I was not looking for or expecting a plot in particular, I found no incredible lacks in this department. While there is fanservice, increasingly so over the series, the beginning actually does not have too much, which I found to be refreshing and made the humor the focus as the story wound up.
Which leads me to conclude that although Kampfer is indeed shallow and without a plot, the fact that it offers a humor that makes fun of other ecchi love comedies (maybe not intentionally) is a great added bonus. Also, the harem "mob" of girls is not so mindless that they follow the man for no reason. They each have their own reasons for liking him, and while it may seem shallow at first, some character's love seems to go deeper than your average ecchi love-comedy, which is also nice, seeing as I didn't expect that either :D
It seems I am getting to the conclusion first... Let's jump into the categories, shall we?
STORY: 6/10
A boy named Senou Natsuru one day becomes a Kampfer, which is essentially a battle girl. Everyone must transform to go into their "Kampfer mode" but because Natsuru is a male, he must switch genders when he transforms into his Kampfer form. This creates all sorts of nonsense, as you can imagine. More and more Kampfer show up, and I will be sure to not spoil the rest of this "intricate" plotline.
As I mentioned earlier, the story line is not one of Kampfer's strong assets. If you do end up watching this show, keep very low expectations as far as the story goes. You may end up enjoying the show as much as I did.
By the way, I choose to ignore the ending fight. It really is one of the strangest "wtf" moments I've seen in an anime. You won't like it, I can almost guarantee it.
ART: 9/10
This is one thing that I think particularly shines about Kampfer. If you know me, I am very picky on eye styles. Once I saw them, I couldn't get my eyes off them (har dee har har).
All lame jokes aside, I really do love the way everything is animated in this show. The main characters are very well done and never look like they were lazily drawn. There is one exception to this: At times, character's eyes or fingers might look incredibly lopsided or crooked. While this is a shame and looks fairly weird, I found it somewhat rare and passable under the rest of the art, which I very much liked.
SOUND: 7/10
Nothing particularly memorable in this department. The OP and ED were OK, just your standard ecchi love comedy themes. Music during the anime flowed well, but again, was not as memorable as something like that from Clannad. That is a very high standard of comparison, but I did not find Kampfers music bad either. The songs fit the emotions, and did not stick out awkwardly in any place I can remember.
CHARACTER: 9/10
This is where Kampfer elevates itself over other ecchi love-comedies. Most animes with obvious levels of sexual bombardment ignore the character development part of the roadmap. Kampfer manages to delve into the characters more than most ecchi love-comedies, and I found this to be a great change. While it is not much more, it is noticable when compared to other ecchi anime. Please note that the 9/10 rating is in comparison to other character development in the same genre.
Aaand what I just said was partially a lie. The characters are also very lovable. There's a character for everyone to love, and the art combined with the character's personalities makes for a charming anime in this respect.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
Yes, I shamelessly enjoyed every second of this anime. The ecchi, the characters, the corny not-so-well-thought-out battle scenes, the awkwardness with the "bishoujo" element of this anime, the over-the-top humor... It was all great. And I don't regret a single second of it.
OVERALL: 9/10
Again, this anime will just differ completely depending on who looks at it. With virtually no story, this anime is fairly flat and predictable in its dimensions. If you aren't looking for a good story and just something you can veg out to, this is a great watch. I suggest watching the first 2 episodes, and if you don't like it by then, quit. If you're interested in the genre though, I highly suggest you give it a try.
