Review of KanColle

Kantai Collection or KanColle is an anime adaptation of a hit web browser game. I haven't played the game or seen it. But what I did see before this anime came were pictures, lots and lots of pictures of girls with guns. Not just any guns, torpedoes, missiles, cannons and what not. And of course, I was intrigued as to whether this game would ever become an anime. When the anime was announced, I put it at the top of my list since I wanted to see what awesome action we would get. The series started off good, it didn't give as much action as Ithought but the animation and art was splendid except for the CGI part (no one likes CGI). But still, this anime was really good and as a slice of life, military, action style anime, it does a good job.

Story 7/10:
Low score because there isn't much of a story. It's just girls who are ships fighting abyssals or enemy ships/girls. The whole anime surrounds Fubuki, a Destroyer ship who joins the Naval District. She makes friends, trains to become stronger and has senpai's she looks up to. That's the slice of life part. For those who think this is gonna be a dark type war with blood, gore, deaths and some psychological stuff, don't be mistaken. The war barely puts a dent in the happy atmosphere that surrounds the series. Yeah, they do go fighting but that's all there is. The effects of the battle wear off as soon as they return and live like normal girls going to class etcetera etcetera.

Though near the end of the series, stuff gets a bit serious and the war takes a higher importance than the slice of life.

Art 8/10:
Aside from the CGI, the artwork was pretty amazing. Each and every character is awesomely designed. I've seen artworks all over the internet but I think this anime did a pretty good job in the art department. I couldn't find a single character that I can say has a bad design. As for the abyssals, only some have a humanish figure whereas the others are just fish type things with cannons.
The backgrounds are also really pleasing. So don't worry about the animation in this anime. But you'll have to make it through the battles which mostly take place with CGI which I do not understand why they did.

Sound 10/10:
The opening "Miiro" is epic. Loved this song. Good enough to download and listen to all the time.
The ending "Fubuki" is also good. Rarely have I seen anime having great opening and endings. The sound gets a 10/10.

Character 8/10:
There are different types of ship in the navy. Each having it's own abilities, arsenal and tasks. The same is with KanColle. Each girl has a different ship to her. Some are Destroyers, carriers, battleships etc. But they are not alone. In the Naval District, there are tons of Destroyers, carriers and other ships. Each having her own duty. Some are teachers, some manage the district while others study, train and go into battle.
Aside from their roles as ships, they are like any other character from an anime. Just think of the girls as from a school slice of life anime. Friends, rivals, senpais and teachers. That's how the characters are. And each has her own unique personality to contribute to the show.
Our main lead, Fubuki is a hardworking girl who doesn't know much at first, but trains to become stronger. Alongside her, are her friends who also take part in training and who worry for her when she gets in trouble or gets injured. Fubuki and her friends are sort of like the first years of a school.
Then come the seniors. Veterans in warfare and having amazing skills, they are the senpais everyone looks up to. Of course, rivalries exist and some grudges too but not so much to spoil the warm atmosphere the Naval District has.

Enjoyment 9/10:
I don't know how can one not enjoy this series (aside from the CGI parts). You've got some fillers to lighten up the mood and your average slice of life just to give this military anime a warm feeling. When the battles start, stuff gets intense, with planes flying around, cannons firing, ships sinking. But like any other slice of life anime, KanColle tends not to kill off many girls even though it is a war.
The mechanics of the anime are figured out as it progresses. As I didn't play the game, it took some time for me to know how these girls are ships and why the rest or eat as they do.

It's a good anime. A really good anime for this season. If you've seen pics of any KanColle characters on the net, I'm sure you would want to see this anime too and go ahead, it's worth it. And the best thing is that it's getting a sequel. So many new characters yet to see in action.