Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

Surprisingly good, this anime grabs attention with ambivalent characters and an original work of scenario where nothing is never totally settled, brave and attractive personalities , the only concern is about the easiness how killing and mass destruction is used, like no concern for the masses, as long as one or two still safe. A question if a specialist might enlighten me, does some of the crew of drawning and animated department worked with Miyazaki ? Creatures and some face features strongly remind the master hand.

First off, many are comparing this to Attack on Titan, but they are completely different. The kabane are zombie-like creatures with less intrigue than titans from AOT. The anime focuses less on the threat of the kabane and more on the social tension. The animation and soundtrack are amazing, often similar to AOT but that's to be expected given they share the same studio. The apocalyptic Japanese-steampunk setting draws you in and captivates you. Every episode kept you intrigued and hooked you to keep watching. There's barely any filler in the show which makes it packed full of plot. The villain is truly despicable, developing a hatred for him in just a couple episodes. Overall well done. I would give it a 10 if there were more episodes since some it did feel rushed in some of the backstory and plot points.

This is a show that fails to deliver upon its rampaging and promising start, with a script and dialogue not on par with the animation quality accomplished by WIT Studio. For as good as the first episodes are, the moment the main villain is presented, everything turns sour, as the universe is pretty much unknown and none of the other characters are that enchanting or great to compensate for the failure of a character called to have that much weight in the story and who takes that much away from the Kabaneri and their ominous, fear-inducing portrayal when first introduced.

He is a stereotypical bad guy, with a cheap ass back story and purpose, with no nuance nor anything particular about him. He says ambiguous things with no real purpose or profound meaning, no subtext. It's nonsensical. There are no glimpses as to what great purpose or charismatic attributes would make him and his endeavor worth following. Are his followers driven by hate towards someone? What collective sentiments has he managed to channel and use? Things simply are and are so by repeating tropes in a poorly written manner. "The weak die, and only the strong survive". Really? Is that all that there's to it? That and the overall contempt for the general non-productive panic state that this world seems to be in? He just happens to be there to move the plot, aiming it to the dirt and mining whatever effort was there to make this universe interesting.

While the other characters also fail in a second half with its fill of cheesy, poor-writing moments that offer little explanation or sense for what is happening, the villain centers responsibility as he is the mayor contributor to the downfall of the series.

When watching Kabaneri, everyone catches flashbacks to Attack of the Titans, and I am no exception here. It's still the same plot that there are humans and then there are kabanehs (you recognize that, right? Humans and titans). There are kabane infected with a deadly virus and become monsters, and there are kabaneri who have the abilities of kabane but retain a human appearance. All the same walls around cities that we're used to seeing, except there's also a huge train around which events unfold. There's a young girl running around killing everyone around her. All in all, those who like anime will like it, but for once to watch, to be honest.

I see all these reviews stating this show is a COPY of attack on Titan. So does that mean every shounen of the past 10 years is a copy of dragon ball, one piece, naruto, or HxH? NO! This show shares similar points as attack on Titan as a Sienen show about survival, and it is incredibly fun and well animated. Do not listen to these reviews stating it's a copy - it is fun in it's own right. Watch it for yourself and see if you enjoy it, because others can vouch - it's a great time.