Board Thread:Anime/@comment-25730832-20150324162253/@comment-2.235.201.181-20150531153541

Considered in a vacuum (or lodged into an anime with a logical story progression), episode 3 and 11 are my favourites: there's something at work, something that created the Abyssals, maybe the kanmusus, and that can and is forcing them to repeat history as it happened years before.

Now, the problem is of course that none of this is ever pointed out, episode 4 is Mood Whiplash: the Movie, and episode 12 pulls a "victory" out of thin air. The anime should have either remained in pure Fubuki Ganbarimasu style, or it should have walked the whole way, reduce a bit the slice of life, put a bit more war, prepare episode 11 more solidly, and then follow with episode 12 being a complete disaster. The girls tried to swerve fate; the girls failed. Season 1 ends with five ships gone (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryuu, Soryuu and Mikuma), the Abyssals advancing and then someone - anyone, really, even Bucky, if you really want to - pulling the fleet out of the dump and starting to move. THEN, prepare Season 2 to depict the kanmusus investigating WHAT is dragging them, how to prevent it, and bring the fleet to a happy ending.

As it went, I give the anime a 4/10, and ONLY because of episodes 3/10 and various scenes around.