Watching 'Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress'

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress takes place in an alternate feudal Japan where a horde of monsters called the Kabane, who are suspiciously like zombies, appear, and force humanity to retreat behind walls to keep the Kabane out. The show does not hold back on the tragedy, the violence, gore, and death. In the years since the appearance of the Kabane the world has taken on a steam punk edge where the only transport between the walled off settlements are highly armored trains. The show follows Ikoma as he is hellbent on killing all the Kabane after his family was devoured by them.

Studio - Studio Wit (Attack on Titan, Hal)

Directed by - Tetsuro Araki (Death Note, Attack on Titan)

Written by - Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Devilman Crybaby)

Music by - Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill)

Starring - Tasuku Hatanaka (Battery: The Animation, Domestic Girlfriend)

Sayaka Senbongi (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime)

Narrative

On the surface one could make a lot of comparisons between Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Attack on Titan, however as the show passes episode by episode, you see the differences start to shine through. These differences help to make it distinct from Attack on Titan, and for the most part it succeeds for the first seven episodes. During these seven episodes, while much of the trouble the characters find themselves in is a result of their own stupidity, there is a real comradery that starts to build up within the characters as they are all trapped in the Iron Fortress till they reach safety.

This sense of friendship and closeness was reaching its pinnacle when Biba was introduced into the narrative, The story then shifted from one that was based around survival in a hopeless land to a human villain that seemed to be stock made from the anime villain book 101. It is from this point that the narrative and storytelling really dives off a cliff, when it was not strong to begin with.

As the show goes on, you start to ask yourself, how did the humans manage to build all the tracks that lead directly to the various settlements? How the water tanks along the way are restocked? How if the Kabane just appeared, did they manage to build up all the walls and advance the society so quickly? Questions without any answers, however the show does not linger at all when it comes to the logistics of the world and simply bursts from the gate at full speed.

Visuals

Visually the anime is stunning, the landscapes are beautifully animated in a water color like aesthetic which accentuates beauty and creates a sense of hope at the end of every episode. The world has a brightness, color and vividness to it that it is always pleasant to watch.

The design of the Kabane are actually quite intimidating, while the character designs are fantastic and distinct.

The movement in the anime is extremely fluid where the 3D animation blends near seamlessly with the 2D animation to the point that you have to really look out for it to notice it. The fight segments are exhilarating as they are animated with the energy that is typical to a Tetsuro Araki anime.

Characters

The characters are not particularly interesting on their own when it comes to the main characters, Ikoma and Mumei, and the villain is beyond bland. However, where the cast really shines is when the supporting characters are interacting with each other and the main characters. These characters are where the personality of the show is and really grounds the narrative in the world that the anime is taking place in.

Some characters barely say anything at all, such as Yukina, however she has a presence on screen that is far higher than Ikoma in my opinion and what interactions we get off of her are effective in communicating how great she really is. If anything it is Yukina and the characters around her that help maintain the Iron Fortress and the people inside that go through the most believable, and impactful emotional changes throughout the anime.

Music

The music by Hiroyuki Sawano is phenomenal as it is a soundtrack that I have been listening to since the anime came out nearly three years ago. It never fails to leave me pumped up and ready to get some work done. It is almost worth watching the anime just for the soundtrack alone.

In Closing

Is this a good anime? If anything this is an average anime that had the potential to have a greater impact than Attack on Titan in my opinion. However, the focus was set all in the wrong areas when it comes to the narrative and the characters, as a result the anime as a whole suffers. Which is a shame considering the passion that has clearly gone into the production of this anime. As said earlier it is visually stunning, the action is sublime, and the soundtrack is fantastic.

As such despite the areas where the anime falls short it is one that I enjoyed watching, and so I would recommend at least watching the first three episodes. The show is twelve episodes long and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.