[Anime] Kantai Collection/Kancolle (Winter 2014)

I hate you so much.

I hoped people would get my point without having to make WoT but it seems that i wasn't clear with my previous statement and question or i simply offended someone's sensibility by criticizing something that someone elses like. If i did and will offend someone with my posts i apologize and ask for forgiveness for any english mistakes there may be in this post as this is not my native language.
I'll try to explain myself better that i had no real expectations out of it and i already knew what it came from and try to analyze this first episode and then ask a question.
I have read quite a few books, watched a lot of movies and anime so i know a few things about stories. With a visual media like an anime you would wish to have any of these:
a nice plot to unravel slowly for the viewer (that can include the setting which can be deep and detailed or simple), deep or entertaining characters that will push the narrative forward wherever the plot is lacking or missing, some simple but enticing content like sexiness (which lately seems it has become obligatory in anime productions) or fierce action scenes, good animation and a good soundtrack.

Plot
It is still a first episode so i can't know it the plot will pick up and be surprisingly good in the end but the material upon which it is made as you pointed out is thin due probably to the author's choice. The ones who made the KanColle game wanted it to go viral simply on the moe of their characters so a plot isn't needed and leaving a plot blank leaves space for 3rd party interpretations of which there are plenty. I don't know if they will be basing this particular anime on any of those official or unofficial works and if so if it is good material as i don't know. Guess i'll have to see the anime's plot as it unfolds or wait for the comments of someone who's more informed on Kancolle rumours on this board.
The setting for now seems an undefined ocean (im guessing the pacific) in the 20th century or later during a war (for control? survival?) with the Abyssal Fleet.

Characters
As i stated for the plot they look quite simple as of now and with only a few quirks or catchphrases (probably coming straight from the game) defining them. All the attention has been put on the MC that for the moment is the only one who gets a bit more detail but not too much and seems to show the signs that her story will be some kind of heartwarming travel from zero to hero as Fubuki slowly becomes a great battleship like her senpai. So as of now MOE and not much more.

Enticing Elements
As experience tells me when all else fails in whatever show they are producing they can always bet it all on some sex or violence and it will work because people despite how knowledgeable and cultured they may be will always react to it.
So lately there has been a ton of attention in anime as to provide the former or the latter to the audience and it would not surprise me if they were to show some risquè scenes with the eldest ships (or the youngest ones if they are that daring) though from what we have seen so far this may not be the case and they will probably play it safe by relying simply on the moe looks and the cosplays of the girls without oversexualing them.
As for the action we have already seen some and it was good enough without being violent as we see bullets and missiles/torpedoes flying but we do not see sunken ships (corpses) be they Abyssals or Ship girls. We don't even see the damage on the boss ship, only the explosions and we hear the report that it has been sunk.

Animation and Soundtrack
I left them for last as they are a bit out of my expertise but they are nonetheless very important. All i can say is that they were good enough.
The cgi was almost seamless and it's a good choice for the fight scenes and the style of the animation matches the general carefree feeling that you get during Fubuki's arrival at the school.
I did not pay much attention to the soundtrack or you could say that i didn't notice so it could mean that it was good enough as to match the scenes without overpowering them or else i would have noticed.

Now after this analysis i ask again:
Is there a reason for people who are not already big fans of those moe character (or moe in general) to watch the show?
I am confused because i knew that a lot of the hype in japan came from the moe of it all yet still i was expecting maybe a bit more given the staggering amount of doujinshis there are already on the market (i read somewhere that Kancolle is already third in the all-time stats of doujinshis made on a certain game/show).
I saw a lot of doujinshi come out in a small lapse of time in the years about specific manga/shows/games but there wasn't only moe underneath it all, there was some also story and plot too.
Is moe all that Kancolle is?

I thank you for the patience you took in reading this lenghty post and will appreciate any and all replies to correct or enrich this analysis of the Kancolle anime (or my english-writing capability).

Kancolle timeline is at the future, not 20th century or WW2 era. Abyssal controls the sea and terrorize human from entering it. They were born from sunken ship's negative emotions, like hatred, revenge and such.



Kancolle has Slice of Life/Action/Military elements, so prepare for slow pacing & slow character development. And there's more than 150 charaters in Kancolle universe. Fubuki is destroyer-class ship, no fucking way she can turn into battleship.



Suffering, RNG bullshit, Pokemon with moe.

The reason why KC is popular is because

1. FREE-2-Play time sink flash game. No gacha and stamina bullshit
2. Easy to self-insert, as every shipgirl refers you as the admiral and no strong plot.
3. Kadokawa advertisement.
4. Moe girls or whatever you call it.

New posting bug is annoying..

Seems like it's affecting you and Tsujoi alot...

New posting bug is annoying.



No one is really offended but, People "who goes to see "anything" blindly only fueled by a Hype they don't even understand" Is one of the worst pet peeves in forums discussions for me. Bonus points if they're disappointed, Super Bonus Points if they post derogatory (this is shit/bad) stuff when unsurprisingly they didn't like the genre in the first place.



Just to clear things up, KanColle doesn't work that way. Ships don't evolve to become different ships. Gameplay wise they can only get stronger stat wise, unlock more slots to equip more weapons/equipment and get Rare Weapons/Equipments from their default Upgrade. Fubuki's Info Page. So the only thing you can expect is Fubuki getting more confident and less messing around.



1. Honestly No, If you didn't like Strike Witches, Upotte, Sky Girls, Girls und Panzers and the whole Girl/Military genre, there's no reason to watch this. Expecting for a good plot is impossible because even the players don't know where this is heading since there are no reference other than Drama CDs.
2. The story and plot in the doujins are mostly fan-made with only them referencing materials in the game like the Marriage system, the lore of how there are Abyssals, the girls personality quirks cause by WW 2 stuff and the history behind each and as some are depicted to have high feelings for their previous Captains/Crew that they served in the past.
3. On the surface yes, but that's not the only reason for it's popularity because there are MANY more Moe card collecting out there (Castle Collection, Car collection or whatever it's name is), but what makes KanColle stand out from the rest of the crowd is its Personality as a game.

Bug post for Kai.

edit for more info. credit to another /a/non

http://pastebin.com/AiGEeTPL

it has been awhile since i have been excited for an anime adaptation of something, but i am so stocked for this. I hope everyones favorite ship girl gets a moment in the sun.

annoying bug post...

I was probably too hasty and wrote that post with a bit too provoking due to the fact, as you imagined, i never really got the genre in itself.
I just wanted to vent out a bit of my frustration expecting someone to share my same feelings. It does hurt a bit maybe to see these series produced with shallow narratives instead of a new Spice & Wolf season (or something on par with that).
I wouldn't mind even if they somehow make a good plot out of Kancolle though we won't know until there are at least a few episodes out.



Since i didn't play the game im not used to the lingo and i made a mistake using the term "Battleship" wrong.
I suspected that ships would not change role/type during their career, in that phrase i meant that she would become a great "skilled" ship like her elder carrier/battleship/stardestroyer(yeah here im trolling the Kancolle players xD) senpais.

Anyway i thank you Kaimax for the time you took in answering some of my questions.
I guess i looked in the wrong place if i was looking for other people who like me don't like the humanizedweaponsintolittlegirls genre :V
Though it could be an argument interesting to discuss why anime and manga tend to depict little girls handling any kind of weaponry from small arms to heavy machinery, from swords to heavy artillery. Is it only a matter of "we want to show fights and girls fighting attract more viewership than boys fighting"? Or is there some deepseated need for the japanese male audiences that girls handle everything because men can't/won't do stuff anymore? xD

P.S. I know that there won't be another season of Spice & Wolf as anime are mostly made to promote other media and merchandise and the S&W narrative is over already or nearly done. Just thought of specifying it here as to avoid a correction on that :P

Episode 2 is out, AWESOME OP sequence...and fuck another "bad omen".

Also God damn buckets and timers are adapted......

Dragging Kaimax-san' post out again

At least the anime finally got me start to playing the game. This game better be worth staying up until nearly 4am.



Ep2.

The OP sounds very reminiscent of Savior of Song from Ars Nova. The ED was nice and thankfully the moe levels weren't overdone.

In 2013? Yeah. But now I think it's more easier, since there's more server host. Then again if you failed on first try, you'll get more 'chance' to get into game on next lottery.

EP 2 is pretty much fanservice episode again for the gamers. Docking mechanics, Akagi's and Ooi-Ktkm antics, and more other shipgirls appearance.


I'm surprised that they will go straight to Wake Island campaign in next episode. They skipped Summer 2013, Fall 2013, and Winter 2013.

Yet i found this 2nd episode more likable even if i probably missed some fanservice quotes or hints.
I will probably stick with the show for some more episodes if not the entire season. I'd like to at least watch one of the girl-weapon anime to have a better understanding of them.
I know that there is a Nazi-made ship from Germany among the Kancolle fleetgirls. Is Bismarck (as i believes is her name) gonna feature in the show? I haven't seen her in the opening so i was wondering if they were going to cut her out of the anime to avoid any complaints since it is for some still a sensitive issue. Though for what i actually i know of Kancolle she could have been there and i may have not distinguished her from one of the other blonde bosomy fleetgirls.

I've seen both episodes, plan on watching the whole thing.

I am expecting either Akagi or Kaga to get killed off.

Just picked this up today and I'm interested to play it(link for eng ver. pls) since I kinda wanted to know about how it's played and such.. I'm under the impression that it's a TCG but.. I wouldn't know.

happy to see that their base is actually from a real life naval base

http://bradbury3404.blog.fc2.com/

EVIL:


Eps 3:

So, it has begun.
"Being proven right usually feels so good, but not today."