Kantai Collection is an anime based on the browser game that deals with "fleet girls," based off Japanese ships from World War II that wield ship-based weaponry against a race known as the Abyssals, which has taken over the world's oceans. Unfortunately, that basic statement about the plot is the only one I can make with absolute confidence, given that it tries to be too many things and doesn't succeed at any of them.
The tone is highly inconsistent, alternating between Slice of Life and a (somewhat) serious war story. It's actually possible to inject some moments of levity to a serious story, giving the protagonists a chance to relax and show what kind of people they are outside of battle, or to have occasionally serious and dramatic moments in a light-hearted story. Unfortunately, the frequently inconsistent tone makes it hard to tell what it's trying to be, and it ends up in an unhappy medium between these two approaches.
The characters frequently make subtle references to what happened to them in history, and what their sister ships were. Unfotunately, there's not much more to most of them, and most of them consist of a single characteristic that becomes a Running Gag over time. Hardly any of them get any Character Development whatsoever, so this, combined with their being based on actual ships, makes them seem like walking historical references, rather than actual characters.
The Abyssals are even worse, as apart from their apparent resemblance to US ships, they have no personality or clearly defined motivation. Given that most of the time, the protagonists defeat them without taking casualties or struggling very much, it's hard to take them seriously as threats.
The battle scenes are decent, but they sometimes become repetitive, and there's not much enemy variety. Unfortunately, problems are often resolved (or caused) by way of an Ass Pull, which hinders suspension of disbelief. Developments may also go against game mechanics, but this may only be a problem for players.
Kantai Collection does have its moments- exciting, sad, funny and touching- but they're relatively few and far between. There was a workable concept here that had multiple viable approaches, so it's a shame that it turned out like this.
The Anime: Chases Two Hares And Catches Neither
Kantai Collection is an anime based on the browser game that deals with "fleet girls," based off Japanese ships from World War II that wield ship-based weaponry against a race known as the Abyssals, which has taken over the world's oceans. Unfortunately, that basic statement about the plot is the only one I can make with absolute confidence, given that it tries to be too many things and doesn't succeed at any of them.
The tone is highly inconsistent, alternating between Slice of Life and a (somewhat) serious war story. It's actually possible to inject some moments of levity to a serious story, giving the protagonists a chance to relax and show what kind of people they are outside of battle, or to have occasionally serious and dramatic moments in a light-hearted story. Unfortunately, the frequently inconsistent tone makes it hard to tell what it's trying to be, and it ends up in an unhappy medium between these two approaches.
The characters frequently make subtle references to what happened to them in history, and what their sister ships were. Unfotunately, there's not much more to most of them, and most of them consist of a single characteristic that becomes a Running Gag over time. Hardly any of them get any Character Development whatsoever, so this, combined with their being based on actual ships, makes them seem like walking historical references, rather than actual characters.
The Abyssals are even worse, as apart from their apparent resemblance to US ships, they have no personality or clearly defined motivation. Given that most of the time, the protagonists defeat them without taking casualties or struggling very much, it's hard to take them seriously as threats.
The battle scenes are decent, but they sometimes become repetitive, and there's not much enemy variety. Unfortunately, problems are often resolved (or caused) by way of an Ass Pull, which hinders suspension of disbelief. Developments may also go against game mechanics, but this may only be a problem for players.
Kantai Collection does have its moments- exciting, sad, funny and touching- but they're relatively few and far between. There was a workable concept here that had multiple viable approaches, so it's a shame that it turned out like this.