1000http://i.ur.com/93YEdFC.jpg Some things are so campy theyre good. Or rather entertaining. It is this doctrine that has driven the success of dozens of B movies. You know its crappy over the top and an allround mess. But its for these very reasons that the likes of Faster Pussycat Kill Kill or Day of the Dead are so much goddamn fun. And yet B movies have a bad reputation and the name for good reason too. Regardless of how zany and selfgratifying they may be they all too commonly suffer from flaws in direction story and character development. Not to mention the shitty budgets. 480http://i.ur.com/fJJMMoY.jpg Ogon po gotovnosti The key to overcoming these faults is consistent selfawareness. A good B movie never tries to take itself too seriously. Of course this does not mean they must be devoid of meaningful thematic exploration or social commentary just look at the works of Carpenter or Romero. But the moment when a piece that had previously thrived on its campiness attempts to reassert itself as a poignant deep or otherwise serious literary work and at the cost of its corny charm is the moment when a B movie falls flat. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri proves that anime is no exception. Theyre coming to get you Barbarahttps://www..com/watch?v=Zd04SwR2eU8 Continuing with my trend of uncomprehensive and depreciative singlesentence premise rehashingshttp://i.ur.com/nsyr4nS.jpg Kabaneri is about a group of zombie apocalypse survivors in steampunk feudal Japan. Oh and theyre on a big ass train. If that doesnt exude copious quantities of awesome I dont know what does. Its such a ridiculous and outlandish concept that ironically Im surprised no one had thought of it sooner. 480http://i.ur.com/cYRJQO2.jpg Thankfully Kabaneri experienced no evident budget shortages. Studio Wit http://anilist.co/studio/858/WitStudio who are in familiar territory have given the show a unique but no less gorgeous visual aesthetic. Haruhiko Mikimotohttp://anilist.co/staff/1968/HaruhikoMikimoto has gone back to his roots to produce some spectacular character designs reminiscent of the classic 80s OVAs. 480http://i.ur.com/wxw37Qz.jpg In fact the aesthetic in general from the art to the soundtrack and from the fluid animation to the ridiculous setting is really nice. All these elements work in tandem to establish an absurd but incredibly fun atmosphere whilst the quality remains consistent. In this way right from the very first episode we know what to expect. It may not be the most astutely crafted of shows but it sure as hell looks and feels dope. Out of the blocks Indeed Kabaneri starts off flying. We are instantly rewarded with gory stylised action sequences mounting catastrophes clich tragic backstories and beautifully overthetop voice acting damn these guys love yelling complete with inspiring monologues that practically scream of badassery. Its stupid and selfindulgent but thats why the show is initially so appealing. 290http://i.ur.com/j846mbe.jpg 290http://i.ur.com/71f0OzL.jpg The plot during these early stages is virtually nonexistent and mostly centres on the themes of overcoming fear and paranoia and maintaining ones humanity. The usual zombie subject matter. Although Kabaneri doesnt really bring anything new to the table in this regard its exploration of these themes never becomes boring and is handled tactfully enough such that they dont become overbearing and detract from the shows zaniness. This is largely thanks to the shows characters. Admittedly none of them are particularly complex or original. The side cast are especially dull and only fulfil individual archetypes. That said they are diverse and likable enough such that they never become too much of a hindrance even if we never really end up caring about any of them. Also Max Powers is friggen hilarious. 480http://i.ur.com/MTLandQ.jpg Even the primary duo in Ikoma and Mumei are fairly stock standard. Ikoma is loud proud and obnoxious spurred on by constant selfflagellation and a misgiving past. Mumei is loli ninja super assassin coming to terms with who she is in a world largely unwilling to accept her not to mention her own unfortunate backstory. These innerconflicts and turmoils have been tackled a hundred times before and far more effectively. And yet its nearly impossible not to like them simply because of how much raw energy and charisma they bring. Sure theyre clich and pretty shallow but we still want them to succeed purely because of how badass they are. 290http://i.ur.com/YfgBRLd.jpg 290http://i.ur.com/He0cPQV.jpg In this way the first few episodes see the plot and the characters lacking as they might be work to reinforce the absurdity stupidity and most importantly pure entertainment factor of the show. Then an overarching plot was introduced. Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? This coincides with the introduction of the main villain. In short he is poorlyfleshed out has hazy motivations confusing goals and a cartoonish depiction. This may not appear to be too much of an issue granted that most of the cast prior to his entrance were just as if not more uninspired. Id argue however that none of them are nearly as messy as Mr LOral here. 480http://i.ur.com/bo6Js08.jpg Because youre worth it Rather the problem lies in his purpose. The show takes Biba and uses him as a thematic mouthpiece. These themes of fear paranoia and weakness and strength in a world dominated by the dead had hitherto taken a backseat to all the action and yelling but were relevant and handled carefully enough such that they were still somewhat meaningful. Immediately upon Bibas entrance the show takes these themes and starts forcibly shoving them in the viewers face. In other words the series dramatically shifts its focus from the fun and the absurd to the serious and pseudointellectual. 480http://i.ur.com/yQrqoZv.jpg This doesnt work for a few reasons. Firstly it completely juxtaposes the shows atmosphere and attitude in its first half. The transition is abrupt jarring and comes with little to no warning. Secondly successful thematic exploration usually relies on successful character and story development. These were not Kabaneris strengths nor do they suddenly reinvent themselves to be. If anything the plot only goes downhill from here. Bibas motivations are poorly connected to his actions and goals or at least a satisfying explanation is never really provided. It also doesnt help that the show begins taking serious liberties as far as logic and the suspension of disbelief is concerned. Why do the Hunters follow the clearly bat shit crazy Biba? Why can kitchen knives suddenly cut through 50cm thick steel cables? Why does every authority figure have the decision making capability of a retarded three year old? Why are there superzombies that scream with the force of a small nuclear bomb exploding? All of these small yet simple things somehow manage to break immersion which is an incredibly difficult feat for a show as blatantly insane as this. 480http://i.ur.com/Rygoen7.jpg Finally the shows themes and messages are simply not as profound as it makes them out to be. Theyre mundane and oversaturated and only serve to distract the show from its actual strengths. To the shows credit I would argue that the final episode does shine some light on Bibas character and bestows upon him another layer of complexity and depth. This dude sums it up pretty nicely: That said it is too little too late. This fails to redeem the series for its previous misgivings or conclusively explain all of Bibas prior actions. 480http://i.ur.com/1BVdXlD.jpg And yet despite all of this Kabaneri continues to be kinda fun. Sure it skews its priorities and is horrible at min/maxing but at least it remembers its roots as an absurd zany and entertaining gore fest. And sure unimpressive and predictable thematic exploration may overshadow this fun but Kurusu never stops Ayamesamaing Max Powers never stops being hysterical and Ikoma never stops yelling. 290http://i.ur.com/qPYPzUB.jpg 290http://i.ur.com/usBhTB4.jpg Partys overhttps://www..com/watch?v=f3svq8EX01U Kabaneri tries to take itself too seriously without the writing to back it up. This is why it falls flat. And yet Id argue that it doesnt completely derail hey Ive held off from the train puns till now. Ultimately even though it loses focus Kabaneri continues to be dumb fun my second favourite type of fun. Its just a shame the dumb part got out of hand.