What makes a show truly good? Is enough to simply have impressive animation, detailed world building, or good pacing? Before diving into that, let's establish a few basic points. Kancolle 1944 is not a sequel to the original anime or movie. Instead it's set in it's own seperate shared universe. 1944 assumes the viewer has played the browser flash game extensively, is familiar with the entire cast, and has specifically played the Battle of Surigao Strait event. There isn't even a honest attempt to fill in the gaps with exposition or recaps, like so many other shows try to do. Unfortunately, this approach causes nearly everygrading criteria to suffer as a result. The story's pacing feels simultaneously rushed and padded, with characters literally repeating each other round robin fashion and at other times skipping entire battle sequences. The animation quality mirrors this, where clever storyboarding hides the obvious lack of animation budget.

So if a show is lacking in almost every area, can it still be considered good?

Yes. The anime succeeds at what it set out to do: serving as the ultimate tribute to the game's most dedicated fans. It is simply incredible how the anime seamlessly included nearly all the game mechanics in a natural way. Everything from the events, battles, night operations, dock repair, modernizations, and so much more. The anime choosing to animate the game's Battle of Surigao Strait event was an excellent choice since it was a milestone in the game's history. The event had an almost anime like quality to the final boss battle, complete with special CGs and voicelines. The anime captured this quality and really nailed the "final blow" mechanic to sink the boss.

The show has a quite depressing tone with a much more historically accurate Japan in the final stages of WW2. Therefore, having Shigure as the protaganist is also the most fitting choice. Her portrayal in the anime, marked by PTSD, symbolic rain voice lines, survivor's guilt, and a lingering sense of hope, mirrors both her in-game counterpart and real life history beautifully. Her character arc aligns perfectly with the show's emotional conclusion. A conclusion that probably doesn't make any sense unless one is familiar with the above.

Kancolle 1944 is undeniably a flawed show. But this was a perfect send off. Thank you Tanaka and C2, for introducing me to over a decade of Kancolle, shipgirls, and WW2 history. Rest in peace, Shigure. I hope to see you again on calmer seas.