Review of KanColle
Before I start the review, I'd just like to state that I have no previous knowledge of Kantai Collection, so this review is going to be based solely upon the anime TV series with no background knowledge of its universe. Presentation: The anime presents itself exclusively with moe girls. At first, making wonder about the existence of males. As the anime progresses, we come to find that these girls and women are based on ships. Although they look like ordinary human beings, these moe girls ultimately possess battleship properties such as resting, sinking & etc (to sink means death). The characters for the most part are one-dimensional besidesour main protagonist. They don't develop much even though it is fun to watch them interact with one another.
Through interacting with different people, hints of development occur for main protagonist Fubuki. We get to watch this character through her experiences. The show attempts to show us her motivation to keep us interested in who she will become. The other characters.. although is a joy to watch, don't go through any development.
Mutsuki, the girl with redish hair and squeeky voice, is one of the more important supporting characters whom has significant interactions with Fubuki. Sometimes Mutsuki feels lost when Fubuki is caught up in herself. But for Fubuki, it's as though she can't help it; she's weak and all she can do is to work hard, always thinking that she's not enough.
I guess I could say that the story in KanColle is basically this sequence of events that has little strings attached. It doesn't have a main plot that is spread out throughout the entire show. Each episode seems to have its own plot. So what does that mean? It means that the anime is unpredicatable; which is a good thing in its part since its a Slice of Life. But what it also means is that there isn't a concrete goal in what the anime wants to achieve by the end of the series plot-wise. For example: I would have liked to see more into who the enemy are and what was the story behind why our characters are fighting their enemies. This is never touched upon.
However, all in all, I realize that that was not the goal of the story. The drive of the plot is focused towards allowing viewers to see the world of KanColle from the eyes of our protagonist Fubuki. And I have to say, I quite enjoyed her journey much.
The art is superb and very beautiful. I could just kiss it. Everything from the beaches that they're on to the ocean and the environment felt organized and understandable. Even the food looks delicious, poi.
This part comes to preference: the animation switches to CGI/3D-ish when our girls are on water or have their gear on. I was a bit surprised at first since switching between the two on the go was new to me. After a while however, it felt like a nice little gimmick.
Personally, this anime's art is so beautiful.. it could partly be the reason why I enjoyed this series so much. In other anime, concrete is so saturated. Here... you can just breathe with all the vivid colors and scenery. KanColle is a very colorful anime.
The music can be pleasant. Often times, it attempts to fit the moods in the anime, and manages to do this well whether the tone in the episodes are meant to be sad, happy, or serious. I also liked how some OST's are oriental inspired. Sound in this anime is complimentary, but not memorable.
Overall: The amazing art and sound knows how to tone in coordination with the scenes; you really get a nice feel of night and day or how Fubuki feels.
The show is really good in what it does. It's very organized in its moments and it makes sure not to mix these moments. You can really relate with Fubuki. How she's new to the whole world is a nice introduction to anyone who wants to delve into the world of KanColle. Because seeing the world from her perspective is like seeing it from your own.
Score Variations:
4 and less (not recommended viewing) for those who are disinterested in the world of KanColle
5 or 6 (possibly recommended viewing) for those who are interested in the world of KanColle