Originally, I was planning on writing about current 2016 spring anime shows, but I had so much to say about “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress” that I decided to focus on that instead. There has been a lot of hype around this anime even before it came out. I was extremely excited for this anime to come out, and now that we’re four episodes in…I don’t really feel that way anymore. Just as a warning, there will be spoilers.
I know many people will disagree because every other place I see this anime, people are really excited over it. The animation is absolutely amazing.However, I was really disappointed in the characters and the plot. The animation is absolutely amazing and there are some intense scenes – especially the very beginning when that woman’s hair gets ripped! Eek!
But we get thrown into this world with barely any explanation (the only reason I understood that the kabane’s heart was made out of steel was because I researched the anime’s premises beforehand, but everyone else who I watched with were extremely confused), and the plot is constantly chucking random plot twists at us – like three in one episode that are never completely fleshed out. For instance, in episode one, Ikoma seems to have special moments with both of the female characters that is never explained, the kabane enter the city because of a structural mistake and not because of an epic “bad guy,” and Ikoma chokes himself to death, blood splatters, and then somehow he’s totally fine.
Also, it was so anticlimactic when Mumei revealed that they were kabaneris because it was already given away. In addition, suddenly samurai kabanes are popping up, so eventually we’ll have kabanes shooting guns and kabanes reading books! I also didn’t appreciate the scene when the train was at the “water station” and that hoard of kabanes came, and NOTHING HAPPENED.
Not only that, but the characters don’t seem realistic at all and are constantly flipping personalities. First off, Mumei is a totally different person from when she is a kabaneri versus when she is in a cute kimono, and I don’t think turning into the kabaneri has to do anything with that. It seems like it’s because the anime producers wanted an extremely cute girl but at the same time a badass (like Mikasa), so she isn’t believable anyore.
Furthermore, Ikoma doesn’t care about anybody in the first episode and acts all boss and keeps altering his voice to that low croak. Then in the second episode, he acts like best friends with Takumi (who is actually a really good friend and Ikoma takes him for granted) and has a “Haikyuu” screaming moment of brotherhood when he is usually a serious character. Then he wants on the train, then he doesn’t want on the train, then he despises the people on the train, and at the same time saves them, then he’s a badass, and then he gets whooped by Mumei the way Nagate gets pummeled in an attempt for comedy in “Knights of Sidonia.”
Too often, the characters are playing into the plot, like when Ayame gave her master key to that guy just so that they’d go to the mountains and have to meet the samurai kabaneri and then Ikoma would get to be a hero and drink Ayame’s blood. Then everyone would be happy.
The only scene that was just right, even if Ikoma was playing into the plot, was when he pushed the lever for the train to go. It was a really touching moment when he started crying. For a split moment, they captured his character, but then it was quickly ruined when he didn’t acknowledge Takumi’s cries and consequently was dragged against the cement floor and didn’t even get a scratch.
Overall, it feels like the anime is trying to throw every little detail in without fleshing anything out, making the plot and characters feel superficial. I’m curious to keep watching it just because of the premise of the story, but I’m always disappointed every time I watch an episode. I really hope it has a decent ending at least.
If there's anything that will stick with me, it's peasant-chan's death from really bad translations on kissanime.to. We'll always remember you, peasant-chan.
