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Kantai Collection (TV series)

Kantai Collection (Japanese: 艦隊これくしょん, Hepburn: Kantai Korekushon, translated as "Fleet Collection", subtitled as "Fleet Girls Collection"), known as KanColle (艦これ, KanKore) for short, is a 2015 Japanese anime television series created by Diomedéa, based on the game of the same name by Kadokawa Games. The series was announced in September 2013,[3] and aired from January to March 2015.[4][5][6] An animated film, titled KanColle: The Movie (劇場版 艦これ, Gekijō-ban KanKore), was released on November 26, 2016.[7][8][9]

A second installment titled KanColle: Let's Meet at Sea (「艦これ」いつかあの海で, KanKore: Itsuka Ano Umi de, Official: Fleet Girls Collection "KanColle" 1944 -I・TSU・KA・A・NO・U・MI・DE-) by ENGI aired from November 2022 to March 2023. The stories of the first and second seasons are not connected and are separate works.[10]

Plot

In a world where humanity faces the threat of the abyssal fleet which has taken over the seas, special human girls who don weaponized outfits and possess the spirit of historical naval vessels known as kanmusu (艦娘, literally "fleet girls" or "ship girls") are the only ones capable of countering them. The kanmusu live together at a naval base, where they spend their everyday lives as they begin training for battle.[11]

Season 1

The series features the destroyer Fubuki as the main character, with the storyline based on her point of view.[12][13] Fubuki arrives at the naval base, where she meets other girls that she will eventually fight alongside. Despite lacking adequate combat training, she is recommended into the Third Torpedo Squadron by the admiral, and quickly finds herself sortied into battle. Upon being rescued by Akagi in a dangerous situation, Fubuki strives to do her best in order to train, with the hopes of eventually being able to fight alongside Akagi.

Season 2

In the second season, the series shifted its spotlight to Shiratsuyu-class destroyer Shigure, with the storyline being loosely based on the final two years of the Pacific War. As the Abyssal Fleet encroaches on Leyte Gulf, Shigure, along with a few other kanmusu, are assigned to the First Striking Force, Third Section, which serves as a diversionary fleet. Even if the mission is going to be suicidal, Shigure refuses to let the enemy take another comrade from her.[14]

Characters

Characters (season 1)

Destroyers (season 1)

Fubuki (吹雪)
Voiced by: Sumire Uesaka (Japanese); Felecia Angelle (English)[15]
A newcomer destroyer to the naval base, and assigned to the Third Torpedo Squadron (第三水雷戦隊, Dai-san suirai sentai), Fubuki is the main protagonist of the first season of the series. Meek and timid, at the beginning of the series she has no combat experience prior to transferring to the base, and performs poorly at physical activity. She is assigned temporarily to the Southwest Area Fleet (南西方面艦隊, Nansei hōmen kantai) during the Battle of Southwest Area, before being transferred to the Fifth Mobile Fleet (第五遊撃部隊, Dai-go yūgeki butai) during Operation MO and Operation FS, where she earns the respect of her peers, who choose her as their Flagship. Having a deep admiration for Akagi, she dreams of eventually becoming her escort, eventually doing so following her first remodel.
Mutsuki (睦月)
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)[15]
One of the members of the Third Torpedo Squadron. The first kanmusu Fubuki meets on the base, Mutsuki has a cheerful and responsible personality. She is later transferred to the Fourth Fleet (第四艦隊, Dai-yon kantai) with Mogami during Operation FS.
Yūdachi (夕立)
Voiced by: Yumi Tanibe (Japanese); Leah Clark (English)[15]
Another destroyer of the Third Torpedo Squadron, alongside Fubuki and Mutsuki, who has a laid back attitude. She has a verbal tic as she speaks, often inserting "poi" into her sentences. She is later transferred to Naka's fleet during Operation FS, before getting a second remodel and being transferred again to the First Carrier Task Force (第一機動部隊, Dai-ichi kidō butai) (consisting of Akagi).
Kisaragi (如月)
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (Japanese); Kasi Hollowell (English)[15]
Another destroyer who is instead assigned to the Fourth Torpedo Squadron (第四水雷戦隊, Dai-yon suirai sentai) during the Battle of W island. She has a mature personality, even more mature than her older sister Mutsuki. She is sunk during the Battle of W island.
Yayoi (弥生), Mochizuki (望月)
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (Japanese); Alison Viktorin (Yayoi), Jill Harris (Mochizuki) (English)[15]
Two destroyers whom Fubuki and Mutsuki met during the briefing session of the W Island raid. Mochizuki is quite a sleepyhead, while Yayoi is rather emotionless. Both are later assigned to the Fourth Torpedo Squadron during the Battle of W island.
Akatsuki (暁), Hibiki (響), Ikazuchi (雷), Inazuma (電)
Voiced by: Aya Suzaki (Japanese); Monica Rial (Akatsuki), Apphia Yu (Hibiki), Lara Woodhull (Ikazuchi), Camille Liedtka (Inazuma) (English)[15]
Four destroyers belonging to the Sixth Destroyer Division (第六駆逐隊, Dai-roku kuchikutai) and assigned to the Second Support Fleet (第二支援艦隊, Dai-ni shien kantai) (Akatsuki and Hibiki) and the First Carrier Task Force (Ikazuchi and Inazuma) during the Battle of the Sea in Front of the Naval Base. Akatsuki considers herself an adult lady, while Hibiki tends to speak Russian frequently, rarely saying anything but "хорошо" (Khorosho, "Very well" in Russian), Ikazuchi has a very caring and confident personality, and Inazuma is a timid girl. Akatsuki and Ikazuchi do not get along very well, as they constantly argue about whatever went wrong, such as Inazuma using a flamethrower to boil their curry faster only to end up burning the entire pot, making Inazuma cry and blame herself for the failure.
Shimakaze (島風)
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Megan Shipman (English)[15]
A destroyer who claims herself to be the fastest in the whole fleet, and indeed is. She is assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet during the Battle of Southwest Area. She has a hyperactive personality and tends to jump around rooms like a rabbit while waiting, to the point of forgetting what her next mission is.

Aircraft carriers (season 1)

Light aircraft carriers (season 1)

Shōhō (祥鳳)
A light aircraft carrier of another naval base. During Operation MO, She is assigned to the MO Strategy Main Force (MO攻略本隊, Emu Ō Kōryaku Hontai) along with Aoba, Furutaka, Kako and Kinugasa, is sortied along with the Covering Force (掩護部隊, Engo Butai) of Tenryū and Tatsuta, but she is badly damaged by the air raid of enemy aircraft carriers.
Chitose (千歳), Chiyoda (千代田)
Two seaplane carriers briefly appearing in a reconnaissance before Operation MI.

Battleships/Battlecruisers (season 1)

Kongō (金剛), Hiei (比叡), Haruna (榛名), Kirishima (霧島)
Voiced by: Nao Tōyama (Japanese); Alexis Tipton (Kongō), Dawn M. Bennett (Hiei), Bryn Apprill (Haruna), Trina Nishimura (Kirishima) (English)[15]
These four battlecruisers are assigned to the Second Support Fleet (Kongō and Hiei) and the Fourth Fleet (Haruna and Kirishima) during the Battle of the Sea in Front of the Naval Base. During the Battle of W island, they operated together as members of the Second Fleet (第二艦隊, Dai-ni kantai), and later as part of the Southwest Area Fleet during the Battle of Southwest Area.
These four kanmusu have different personalities, but are all generally airheaded and excitable, to Mutsu's amusement and Fubuki's chagrin. Kongō is cheerful and has a habit of mixing English words into her speech, reflecting the fact that the ship whose spirit she represents was built in Britain. Hiei has an elder sister complex towards Kongō, right down to being jealous whenever she is ignored. Haruna is humble and speaks in third person, while Kirishima has a habit of testing microphones.
During Operation MO and Operation FS Kongō is transferred to the Fifth Mobile Fleet, where she operates separate from her sister ships.
Nagato (長門), Mutsu (陸奥)
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Elizabeth Maxwell (Nagato), Morgan Garrett (Mutsu) (English)[15]
Two battleships who take on a command role from within the communications room of the naval base, relaying orders from the admiral to the fleets. Nagato does most of the commanding, while Mutsu acts as an assistant. Nagato is the serious and no-nonsense voice of authority but has a soft spot for cute animals and acts gruff to conceal her softer side, while Mutsu is more demure and seductive.
Yamato (大和)
Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (Japanese); Christina Kelly (English)[15]
The most powerful battleship ever built, she is the navy's trump card and her existence has been kept a secret. She runs a forward base in Truk Lagoon during Operation FS. However, due to her need for large quantities of food and supplies, she has limited experience at sea. Historically, her living conditions were luxurious hence her nickname "Hotel Yamato", a moniker she dislikes.

Heavy cruisers (season 1)

Light cruisers (season 1)

Sendai (川内), Jintsū (神通), Naka (那珂)
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (Sendai), Natalie Hoover (Jintsū), Jad Saxton (Naka) (English)[15]
Three light cruisers belonging to the Third Torpedo Squadron. They give Fubuki different training sessions unique to them. Sendai trains Fubuki in balancing (since Special Type Destroyers tend to randomly lose balance), Jintsū in target accuracy, and Naka in confidence (i.e. smiling and standing out in front of other kanmusu). Jintsū is the flagship of the Third Torpedo Squadron.
These three kanmusu have different characteristics. Sendai looks energetic and loves night battles. Jintsū is gentle and quiet but also responsible. Naka is always active and happy, likes singing and dancing, even identifying herself as the idol of the fleet.
Naka would later be transferred to another fleet which also consists of former Third Torpedo Squadron member Yūdachi during Operation FS.

Others (season 1)

Mamiya (間宮)
Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese); Mallorie Rodak (English)[15]
A food supply ship who works as a chef at the naval base's restaurant and sweets cafe Mamiya (甘味処 間宮, Kanmi-dokoro Mamiya). She mostly makes sweets like parfait for the kanmusu.
Admiral (Commander) (提督 (司令官), Teitoku (Shireikan))
The admiral of all the kanmusu, only shown through shadow or first-person view. It's assumed that the faceless and voiceless portrayal is in order to not interfere with the viewers' own vision of the admiral, as the game's admirals are the players themselves. The Admiral's gender is also ambiguous, though Crunchyroll's subtitled release refers to as a male.[citation needed]

Broadcast and distribution

The series is directed by Keizō Kusakawa, with the script written by Jukki Hanada,[16][17][18] and features the voice cast from the original game.[19][20] The show's premiere screening event took place at Shinjuku Piccadilly on December 27, 2014.[21] The 12-episode series aired in Japan between January 8 and March 26, 2015 and was simulcast and licensed by Crunchyroll.[22][23][24] The first Blu-ray and DVD compilation volumes were released on March 27, 2015. Funimation released the series in North America, on behalf of Crunchyroll.[25] Madman Entertainment licensed the series in Australia and New Zealand.[26] The opening theme song is "Miiro" (海色, "Ocean Color") performed by Akino from bless4, and the ending theme is "Fubuki" (吹雪, "Blizzard") by Shiena Nishizawa.[11]

On January 4, 2019, it was announced that a new anime television series is in production. ENGI will animate the new season, with Ultra Super Pictures handling production.[27] The season, subtitled Let's Meet at Sea (いつかあの海で, Itsuka Ano Umi de), is directed by Kazuya Miura, with scripts written by Kensuke Tanaka, the game's original writer, character designs handled by Chika Nomi, and music composed by Kaori Ohkoshi. It aired from November 4, 2022, to March 25, 2023, and ran for eight episodes.[28][29]

Episode list

Kantai Collection: KanColle (season 1)

KanColle: Let's Meet at Sea (season 2)

Reception

The first volume of the anime ranked second place within Oricon's weekly anime Blu-ray sales charts during its first week of release, selling 16,789 units and trailing behind the limited edition Blu-ray boxset of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works;[33] the same volume also placed third within the anime DVD sales charts, with 3,184 units sold.[34]

Jonathan Gad of Vice said that the Kantai Collection anime television series is historically revisionist, criticising the show's depiction of the Japanese protagonists being victorious in the Battle of Midway.[35]

Historian Johnny (who goes by Potential History online) did a historical breakdown of the series in 2018 on his Youtube channel. He stated that "The American equivalent would be; teenage girls fighting for the South and winning the Battle of Gettysburg" and that "You have to sit back after watching and wonder what the intent was".[36][unbalanced opinion?][user-generated source?]

Timothy Blake Donohoo of Comic Book Resources said that despite the series being historically revisionist, it is the historical World War II aspect of Kantai Collection that is likely the main draw for its fans.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream KanColle TV Anime". Crunchyroll. January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Melegrito, J. M. (April 6, 2017). "ANIPLUS Asia schedules Kantai Collection the Movie's premiere on April 22". Anime Pilipinas. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  3. ^ "【速報】『艦これ改 (仮)』PS Vitaで2014年発売決定 『艦これ』アニメ化企画も進行中！". Famitsu (in Japanese). September 26, 2013.
  4. ^ 『艦これ』ファンイベントでアニメ最新情報が公開 放送時期は2015年1月予定、キャストや制作スタッフなどの情報も判明. Famitsu (in Japanese). August 3, 2014.
  5. ^ 【艦これ】アニメは2015年1月に放送開始 公式ファンイベント「第一回横浜観艦式予行」レポート (in Japanese). Huffington Post. August 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "放送情報 ONAIR". kancolle-anime.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  7. ^ "Kan Colle Franchise Gets Anime Film in 2016". Anime News Network. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  8. ^ "KanColle Film's Title, Teaser Visual Unveiled". Anime News Network. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "KanColle Film Slated for Fall". Anime News Network. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "アニメ『艦これ』2期の放送時期は11月に。時雨、扶桑、山城などが描かれた新作ビジュアルが公開". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). KADOKAWA Game Linkage. 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  11. ^ a b "Kantai Collection Commercial Previews Opening Theme". Anime News Network. December 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  12. ^ 2013-12-10. Newtype, January 2014 issue. Kadokawa Shoten. ASIN B00GUP6QU2.
  13. ^ アニメ『艦隊これくしょん-艦これ-』公式サイトがついにオープン. Niconico News (in Japanese). December 10, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  14. ^ "KanColle: Itsuka Ano Umi de (KanColle Season 2: Let's Meet at Sea)". myanimelist.net.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "KanColle English Dub Recap Blog - Funimation - Blog!". Funimation. April 1, 2017. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  16. ^ "Keizou Kusakawa Helms Kantai Collection Anime at Diomedea". Anime News Network. January 7, 2014.
  17. ^ "Keizou Kusokawa to Direct "Kan Colle" Anime". Crunchyroll. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  18. ^ "'Kantai Collection – Kan Colle -' Anime Gains Director". The Fandom Post. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  19. ^ "Kantai Collection Moe Card Battle Game Gets Anime, New Manga". Anime News Network. September 26, 2013.
  20. ^ "声優はそのままに『艦これ』がTVアニメ化決定！さらにPS Vita版は『艦これ 改』として2014年にリリース予定". Inside (in Japanese). September 26, 2013.
  21. ^ アニメお披露目にファン殺到 第1話上映に大きな拍手. MyNavi News (in Japanese). December 27, 2014. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  22. ^ "Full Details on "KanColle" Anime Streaming on Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. January 6, 2015. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  23. ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream KanColle TV Anime". Anime News Network. January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  24. ^ "KanColle Anime Listed With 6 50-Minute Blu-ray/DVD Volumes". Anime News Network. December 19, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  25. ^ "Funimation to Release KanColle TV Anime on Home Video in June". Anime News Network. March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  26. ^ "Madman's Final Day of Christmas Brings Five New Acquisitions". Anime News Network. December 22, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  27. ^ "KanColle Franchise Confirms New TV Anime Series in Development". Anime News Network. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  28. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 3, 2022). "KanColle: Itsuka Ano Umi de Anime's Promo Video Reveals November 3 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  29. ^ 「『艦これ』いつかあの海で」PV解禁、放送は11月3日からTOKYO MXほかで. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  30. ^ 艦隊これくしょん -艦これ-のTVアニメ放送時間（地上波、BS、CS、ネット動画の放送時間）. Anipla (in Japanese). Recruit Holdings. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  31. ^ "Sutōrī -Anime "'KanKore' Itsuka Ano Umi de" Kōshiki Saito-" STORY -アニメ『「艦これ」いつかあの海で』公式サイト- [Story -Anime "KanColle Season 2: Let's Meet at Sea" Official Website-]. kancolle-itsuumi.com (in Japanese). Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  32. ^ "On'ea -Anime "'KanKore' Itsuka Ano Umi de" Kōshiki Saito-" ON AIR -アニメ『「艦これ」いつかあの海で』公式サイト- [On Air -Anime "KanColle Season 2: Let's Meet at Sea" Official Website-]. kancolle-itsuumi.com (in Japanese). Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  33. ^ "Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, March 23–29". Anime News Network. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  34. ^ "Japan's Animation DVD Ranking, March 23–29". Anime News Network. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  35. ^ Jonathan Gad (April 13, 2015). "The Japanese Military Is Getting Offensively Cute". Vice Media, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  36. ^ "The History Behind Kantai Collection". www.youtube.com. 20 October 2018.
  37. ^ Donohoo, Timothy Blake (21 August 2022). "How a Franchise About Anthropomorphic Warships Won the Hearts of Otaku". www.cbr.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

External links