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Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

Dekutulla said:
a fucking giant laser beam? Really? What the fuck?
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Pretty sure even normal zombie's are far more physics defying in that they are essentially perpetual motion machine that defy the conservation of energy. If you can accept that I don't see why a laser beam of all things is particularly offensive. It is at least possible to reproduce in a lab while a perpetual motion machines are not.
 
Dekutulla said:
I'm unfamiliar with Sanderson, and I'm not interested in defining three words, but I suppose I'll try to explain my viewpoint:

Kabaneri takes great pains in the first episode to say "This isn't magic! This isn't supernatural! This is a virus and it does virus things!" It goes on to say that it only turns you into a mindless zombie when it gets to your brain, which is like, sure. That's sensible, and iirc that's how most zombie fiction that uses viruses (virii? I forget) does it. The fact that MC-guy prevents the virus from infecting him by strapping into a fancy bondage toy, and the fact that the virus "leaves" by draining out of his feet, was a bit silly, but whatever. Obviously, the virus didn't actually leave, and now he's a Kabaneri instead of a Kabane, which honestly makes sense considering viruses don't just leave your body like that. This is all consistent with the tone of the show, with what the show has established, and is relatively in-line enough that most viewers doesn't go "that's not how it works tho".

For the better part of the show, the Kabane are acting reasonably within human limits (even if I think "it learned to fight" is super dumb for a zombie). My problem is the completely ridiculous "powers" the Kabane and Kabaneri get later, which come out of left field and make literally no sense based on what we've seen before. Like, the "black fog" was ridiculous enough, but
a fucking giant laser beam? Really? What the fuck?
It goes from a show about zombies to a show about fucking magic corpses that can do whatever the plot wants them to do, with a veneer of "science" and "experiments" over it.

And you know what? That can work. Resident Evil does it, for christs sake, but the difference between Resident Evil and Kabaneri is that (barring later games which I'm unfamiliar with) Resident Evil has always been kind of, how do I put it. Schlocky, I suppose, but aware of it's schlocky-ness. A sort of B Horror Movie that recognizes how ridiculous its elements can be and injects a little levity into it. It doesn't take itself completely seriously. Kabaneri does; it's a serious show, after all. Everything's taken at face value-which is the point, I know, but it just doesn't jive for me, personally.

Anyways, that's how I feel on the subject. I hope that explanation's satisfied you, at least; I'm sure it won't satisfy everyone :V
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What?!?!?

Like I guess you can see it that way, but to people who seem aware that this is "You know what AOT would be cool if it had more trains, samurai and zombies. Oh you know what else would be cool?" type of anime. I mean it does try and be serious, but its not 100% "This could actually happen!" serious at all. Its a very melodramatic story with cool action scenes mixed with some fist pumping moments and levity.

Yes I bolded that one point because the rest is either already addressed or I agree that its getting crazy, but I don't mind it since I knew where this anime was going. It started off with zombies, battle trains, zombie/human hybrids and a guy strangling himself to death so he won't die? Yeah ridiculous laser beams and Zombie Boss Battles really aren't annoying me. :p
 
The thing about superstition is just part of the fear theme. When Ikoma says 'it's not some curse' it's more about how people are so afraid of the kabane that they aren't willing to look at it rationally, which has made them paranoid, which leads them to hurting each other. The stuff about understanding it scientifically is just about an attitude towards a threat - trying to approach it rationally and confronting it objectively. It's obviously not trying to be a realistic depiction of disease, given that it's a zombie show where the zombies grow iron cages around their hearts.

There's some compare and contrast stuff with Ikoma and Biba, because they both basically same approach to and beliefs about the kabane. Like when Biba unsheathed his sword and it was heart cage iron I feel like they were hitting it pretty hard lol
 
Eh, even as a popcorn anime the last episode felt a little underwhelming. Not nearly enough spectacle, and it was super obvious how everything was going to go after the first half of the episode.
 
I haven't been watching this, but hey, some fun news from Anime Expo for those who have been.

Crunchyroll confirmed not only acquisition of the rights for Kabaneri but revealed plans to release it on Blu-Ray and DVD and actually DUB it, along with several other shows. Soooo yeah, that's fun.
 
I was kinda disappointed by the end. I'll admit the previous episode with Ikoma going GAR, slapping a weapon on his arm and taking the curse gave me hope that this last episode would pack a stronger punch.

There was also something about the animation that made it seem like they were trying to downplay Ikoma's fighting with Biba's men. Only that one guy got blatantly pulverized by Ikoma's drill. Now Kruz was mowing people down like a badass.

I wish they had explained some mysteries like the white and black blood better. I wasn't really expecting them to answer the Kabane issue or any of their mysteries.
 
The white and black blood were just something that Biba's dudes invented.

Anyway, overall the show was disappointing. It started strong but the transition to having a plot was weak: it revolved around a bad JRPG villain who got loads of screen time so it was pretty eh. With that in mind I thought the final episode was okay, but it seemed clear they were rushed. The whole thing with Biba giving Ikoma the white blood doesn't seem to make sense chronologically, nor does it seem to match with Biba's attitude towards the end ... but then again, not much of anything about Biba makes a great deal of sense.

I was really worried that saving Mumei would depower her entirely, so I was happy about that. I would have liked it if she had taken Biba's broken sword, but you know.

It was an okay ending, while the series had gotten pretty bad. Small mercies.
 
Apparently, this is getting a second season, because why not?

 
tankdrop24 said:
Apparently, this is getting a second season, because why not?

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Really? I...have no clue where they could take the plot, truth be told. Find a chunk of continent not overrun by zombies? Curing them seems a bit unlikely considering the sheer numbers and all.

Maybe the Japs could move to Australia :V
 
Mizu said:
Oh, sorry. How's it disrespectful, though? I was shortening it from Japanese like people shorten Australian to Ozzie here.
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I knew you'd ask lol

It's the result of a long history of association starting with WWII propaganda and at least in my experience ending with Queenslanders being angry about Japanese tourists.
 
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