Before I start , I want to say that I would try my best in refraining to mention game material in this review so that I would avoid spoilers.
War never changes. Be it any era, wars have only done nothing but chaos towards the people participating it. That fact remains until today. People will always want to gain something other people have: territories, resources—anything. Once the dispute reaches between governments, a lack of communication will always ensue with WAR.
Soon, war moved on from the lands to the seas, and naval warfare became one of the most pivotal battles a side cannot afford to lose ... lest their disadvantage. In this series, however, an alien forces known as the "Sirens" with extremely powerful technology suddenly appeared, spreading threat to humanity.
To combat this situation, all of mankind miraculously stood in unity against the common foe, creating an organization called "Azur Lane," which mainly comprised of four countries: Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Sakura Empire, and Iron Blood. The countries used objects named "Mental Cubes" which let them embed the power of full warships upon female soldiers—a breakthrough in technology. This effort of solidarity gave humans an initial victory against the Sirens.
However, humans will always be humans, and soon, even Azur Lane was broken into two opposing factions. With humanity once again divided alongside the continuing threat of alien enemies, what will be this world's fate? Such is the story of this series. The premise itself reflects how the world was in the past—even how it is today in times of peace. Conflict is the main essence of man, and the anime did a great job portraying that reality.
I love how the story became developed as episodes went by. In some instances, I felt that pacing was too fast, but that also refers how life is, especially in wartime, where one must be vigilant at all times because no one knows what will happen in the future. Next day, you might be already dead—killed by the enemy. That is a part of reality this anime portrays, and the execution was quite nice.
I also like how the art was drawn, especially in scenes where the girls equip their warships and head to the battlefield. Like in the history of war, there were many variations of warships: cruisers, carriers, destroyers, etc. I like how the artists tried their best to draw the actual warship alongside with the character portraying it, for example, you can see Enterprise aboard the runway of the USS Enterprise, and as Enterprise equips her ship, the transformation may be clichéd, but I still like it.
There were some flaws in the character design, especially on the consistency of body statures—especially a part I'd rather not explain here—but I found it kind of nice and made it a game to spot inconsistencies, but I won't dwell on it too much. As an Azur Lane gamer, just seeing the girls move around and alive is already a big thing to me, that's why it has a special place in my favorites.
The character development in the anime also deserves my praise. I like how the main characters change into people who are lone wolves to team fighters, and that in itself is one of the reasons I love this series. Like I have said before, just seeing the girls adapted into anime makes them more appealing. There was also a good amount of fanservice that are just too good to be missed. The personalities each of the girls had were also preserved in this adaptation, which then was used to create an original story—just splendid.
The sound is also noteworthy, especially the opening theme with lyrics that reflect with the protagonists' problems and how they should approach it. When it comes to the credit sequence, the music that accompanied it is very relatable—very peaceful—a situation everyone hopes that the world should be. Looking at it technically, the execution of music were greatly in line in the situations the characters were facing, be it a happy scene, or the spoils of war. I also loved how the anime shipgirls were also portrayed by their respective voice actresses from the game. It puts a smile in my face.
I greatly enjoyed watching this anime. I watched this anime when it was airing, and even though the conclusions of this show was delayed by three months, that only made my excitement go stronger each day that the episodes are nearing to be aired. Once again, I really loved how the anime portrayed its story without straying far from the essence of the game's original premise. Overall, I'd say that it is one of the most memorable anime I have ever watched. That's how I loved it.
Now, I want more especially because of the ending. If there is a second season, I will gladly watch it.
But would that be possible, especially when there were a lot of production issues? I hope so.
Alternative Titles Synonyms: Azur Lane Japanese: アズールレーン THE ANIMATION Information Type: TV Episodes: 12 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Oct 3, 2019 to Mar 20, 2020 Premiered: Fall 2019 Broadcast: Thursdays at 23:30 (JST) Licensors: Funimation Studios: Bibury Animation Studios Source: Game Duration: 23 min. per ep. Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity Statistics Score: 6.291 (scored by 61,972 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #83442 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1376 Members: 171,152 Favorites: 995 Available AtResources |
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