Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (TV)

[KrayZ33]

And the geta got stuck to the torii. Talk about Japanese culture incorporation. Delicious. I found myself crouching to get a peek of what's underneath her kimono.

I think only the heart has a cage. The body is normal durability. The problem is, does it regenerate? Otherwise, they can just chop the legs off and leave them be.

No pantsus were drawn this day

However, after rewatching it for - uhm - research, I noticed that she unties the ribbon around her neck for "no reason". Since it was shown in a rather important way, I start to doubt that this scene had no meaning at all and when we consider what Ikoma did at the end I get the feeling that she's been bitten once (and healed similiar to how Ikoma got "healed") and this is somewhat of a "unleash the forbidden curse"-move. Maybe her brother is just as clever as Ikoma and knows more about the virus than most people and helped her in the past.

Ikoma didn't just strangle himself either, he had this weird collar around his neck before he did it too which I assumed was more or less the last resort after he failed to stop it in his arm and later his shoulder.
The virus is clearly still in his system, his hair color changed and you can still see the infected, blueish veins comming out of his heart. So maybe that collar will help him to do the same thing later?

I guess it's impossible to grasp what was going on right now, I'm already interested in the explanations or at least in more hints.

[Ryllharu]

Did anyone else get stuttering in the horriblesubs 720p release? As if it was badly ripped from the original source.

Most noticeable in the kicking scene (where it really interrupts the action!).

@KrayZ33: I believe the collar was to keep from crushing his windpipe while still allowing the circulation to be cut off to his head. The handkerchief that he was strangling himself with cuts off the carotid artery and jugular vein where it meets his jaw.

[shinta|hikari]

If Ikoma isn't special, then humans can produce an army of hybrids to combat the enemy. I hope there's a limitation or at least a price for this power up, aside from losing the interest of normal girls who aren't interested in cross breeding.

Putting that aside, if the virus travels via blood, then simply chopping off an infected hand/arm/foot/leg is enough to save a bitten person. Instead, they've been purging them with that cool but inefficient heart explosive bushido tool. Fear really did a number on these people.

I can't wait for train-top combat. The OP shows this. If that's a troll scene, well, damn.

[KrayZ33]

Putting that aside, if the virus travels via blood, then simply chopping off an infected hand/arm/foot/leg is enough to save a bitten person. Instead, they've been purging them with that cool but inefficient heart explosive bushido tool. Fear really did a number on these people.

Well, this show should play somewhere around 1700-1800, I remember that it took several decades before they understood that cholera doesn't spread and infect you by breathing "bad air" or touching a patient, before John Snow finally came up with a better theory at around 1845 or something.

So, I'm no expert, but who knows what little they understood in that regard.
Ikoma might be one of the few people that has the right idea.

[Buffalobiian]

The Suicide bag was the only sure way to work:

1) it's easy to carry. Everyone can have one.
2) It works regardless of where you're bitten
3) You can do it yourself.

The ribbon definitely signifies something. They've got a special power, as mentioned.

I don't think Ikoma's hair change was due to the virus. It was simply "stress" due to suffocating and almost dying. The virus never didn't get that far.

[KrayZ33]

I don't think Ikoma's hair change was due to the virus. It was simply "stress" due to suffocating and almost dying. The virus never didn't get that far.

I don't know about that, it could be totally unrelated, but you can actually see his hair changing during the scene when the virus expanded throughout his system and it stayed that way when the virus disappeared too.
It almost looked like they put a grey shader on it and the haircolor change looked like you'd " slowly fill a bottle with some kind of liquid."

However, it might be nothing more than an animation error.

[MFauli]

btw the one thing i truly dont like about this anime: its title. "Kabaneri". It sounds like some sort of Italian pasta.

[shinta|hikari]

Hey, at least it's not translated weird like Sakamoto Desu Ga (Indeed, I'm Sakamoto), which became "Haven't you heard? I'm Sakamoto."

Where do these people get these titles?

[neflight86]

When I learned Wit studio was doing this instead of another AOT season this spring, I jested to myself that it had 'better be at least 80% as good as AOT', or I would be salty. I got my wish. This was a good premiere, and I enjoyed it.

A few thoughts:

Even though I jokingly describe this to friends as "Attack on Zombie", it really is its own thing. One of the defining characteristics in Titan that was divisive was the slow pacing which could be supposed to be caused by budget or scope constraints (not enough manga at the time), but regardless had the side effect of facilitating the most effective cashing out of despair for hope I'd ever seen in an anime, and that really resonated with me. Kabaneri does not have that build up for me so far; even though it is a losing fight, it doesn't feel like one when I watched this first episode. The first episode of Titan really set a tone for the uphill battle the humans would face and the sacrifice they would endure to survive. The clear gap in strength from the onset really paid off later when humans could win victories later, even small ones, and I really enjoyed watching that. I suppose this approach suites Kabenari better as a complete 1 cour series, but I feel it won't have the investment in the characters built up enough for me to care about them aside from the plot devices they are.

Lowering the train drawbridge because the train sounded its horn by accident when the zombies don't posses intelligence was pretty tragic and hard to watch.

The art is fine, but the shading is throwing me off a bit. It looks a little cheap, like overly smoothed CG actually, but given all of the positive reception this show's art is getting, I must be mistaken.

I wonder if this will have the international success Titan did due to it being Bushido-steampunk themed. Would that be less marketable than Titan's pre-victorian steampunk?

[Buffalobiian]

Just the fact that the women aren't in uniform should be a plus. Variety in wardrobe and design always helps.

This wasn't so much a "the world is doomed" episode like Titan. Titan was an isolated city with nowhere else to go.

Kabaneri is where the hero is downed by social injustice and an inability to kill zombies. There is inter-city transport available. Now that he's found his super-power and the ability to kill, he can leave this shithole and make the world a better place. The zombie screwed the town for him so there's no reason to stay.

This is one of those "get out of town to a big new world" type of shows.

Ikoma will now learn all about other major cities, fractions full of half-zombies, and girls that have the hots for him.

[Kraco]

It would certainly be cool if he freed himself from the social inequality. The ruling bushi class is obviously fine with leaving things as they are. Probably they die less often than the working class members, and this sort of a world will help them stay in power. They ought to be afraid of change, even change that might save humanity, if it also carries a risk of losing power. Highly effective weapons anyone could use is one such thing as they could not only be used against the zombies but also against the aristocracy.

[shinta|hikari]

Isn't it weird for the bushi to die less? The reason why samurai were respected was because of their readiness to die and how close they are to it. They even have this saying that when given a choice to live or die, they will always choose death (for honor). They are also the ones fighting with the kabane and suiciding all the time.

I agree about them staying in power as their prime motive.

Kabane, btw, is likely taken from shikabane, which means zombie.

[Kraco]

Well, yeah, I should have been more specific and say the leadership, the real noble families, among the bushi. Not those dudes who look like foot soldiers even though they act all big in front of the workers.

[Ryllharu]

Isn't it weird for the bushi to die less? The reason why samurai were respected was because of their readiness to die and how close they are to it. They even have this saying that when given a choice to live or die, they will always choose death (for honor). They are also the ones fighting with the kabane and suiciding all the time.

When the city gets overrun, who do you think gets to hop on the armored train first, and who are left to fend for themselves?

I'm willing to be the only reason Ikoma's half-dozen craftsmen friends are saved is because they're basically already on the train as the city is getting overrun.

When a station-city gets taken out, the bushi all move since they are the locomotive crew and guards. The rest of the city get infected, suicide if they can, or simply die.

It's exactly what Ayame's father said they'd be doing.

That's why Ikoma is always pissed at them. They treat everyone else like shit and simply run away when the kabane attack. They don't fight the enemy and only defend themselves.

These are paper warriors.

[MFauli]

Btw. the whole Samurai honor thing is bs. The reason Samurai were fighting was because they were the only ones ALLOWED to carry weapons. It wasn´t a matter of "hey, farmer, look, I´m risking my life to safe you!". It was more like "hey, you worthless farmer, look at my awesome katana. Cool, eh? Ora, don´t give me that look or I´ll cut you in half - I could, because my rank in society is higher than yours!"

As somebody here posted, it´d be very interesting if this story told the uprising of the lower class, granted by their abilities/capabilities. Only thing that could harm this anime´s quality is if Ikoma turns out to be too perfect.

[shinta|hikari]

But that's only when the city is overrun, right? Normally, these civilians don't even see a kabane, while the bushi have to fight them and even suicide when bitten.

[shinta|hikari]

Episode 2.

Fair warning. That video has English subs imposed on Chinese ones. It's perfectly watchable, just not something you'd archive. But trust me, you gotta watch this as soon as you can.







Content:
OMG. This show owns SnK so bad right now.

And Mumei already wins for best female in 2016. Why?

Badass? Check.
Hot? Check.
Waki? Check.

Mumei is not only imba, it makes sense why she is, unlike Mikasa, as much as I love her. Her fighting style is utterly luscious, and so is her waki. The costume designer for this show knows what it's all about. Kudos.

Back to the action. The animation is smooth as hell, something you don't find in anime nowadays. It reminds me of Kite, only on steroids, which makes sense because I think Ryll said the artist is the same. Moreover, the fight coordination is superb. Mumei using a spear for stabbing and throwing, along with her insane dual air guns (LOL! They really are!) make her extremely bad ass.

She has a time limit though. Does Ikoma have the same limitation? Maybe his infection is so widespread he has gone to the next level. I mean, he got chowed on by the zombies but nothing happened to his body. I loved the "I forgot I'm Superman" moment when he grabbed the piping hot pipe (pun intended).

I'm really looking forward to the romance between these two. Mumei is so jaded and detached, while Ikoma is so enthusiastic and serious. They really complement each other, and I'm looking forward to watching more of their interactions.

I want that ponytail guy to get bitten by a kabane. No wait, it'd be funnier if he got a scratch from a fight, but it's not from a kabane, but everyone still hunts him down out of fear. That'd be poetic justice.

[Buffalobiian]

Mumei is not only imba, it makes sense why she is, unlike Mikasa, as much as I love her. Her fighting style is utterly luscious

How ridiculous was it that she was doing her checks in enemy territory? Check, check, ch-.. oh fuck. xD

This was great.

I would expect Ikoma to have no time limit actually. He's a bit of a Frankenstein and is different from the others. He became a Kabaneri by halting a normal infection's progress. His entire body below his neck is a Kabane, while his head is that of a human.

Mumei's is definitely different. She either got a Kabane heart (or blood) transplant, or is a being who is conceived by both Kabane and Human cells. (plenty of room for imagination here).

I'm going to guess it's the former type. When she activates her "kabane powers" she becomes superhuman. However, after some time she must stop using it or else it'll consume her completely and turn her into a Kabane. Think about another show where women borrow super-powers to hunt monsters.

That ribbon might also have some sort of suppresive ability to keep the virus out of the brain during their refractory phase.

I have to wonder what what'd happen if either of them get bitten above neck-level.

Mumei's actions suggest that Bushi steamguns are perfectly capable of killing Kabane. If being superhuman gives you super bullets, that'd be pretty bullshit.

I loved the "I forgot I'm Superman" moment when he grabbed the piping hot pipe (pun intended).

I think he actually feels no pain or heat.

[shinta|hikari]

But didn't her steam pistols need at least 2 shots to kill the zombies? That's what I thought at least. It required for the heart cage to be damaged before it actually worked. It's hard enough to hit the heart once. Hitting it twice with the pathetic firing rate of the steam rifles is impossible for mob characters.

Another possibility is the gun that Ikoma has been working on has already been in production in high levels of society, but some sort of evil political plot prevents it from going to the hands of the masses to keep them dependent on the highest authorities.

[Buffalobiian]

ut didn't her steam pistols need at least 2 shots to kill the zombies? That's what I thought at least. It required for the heart cage to be damaged before it actually worked. It's hard enough to hit the heart once. Hitting it twice with the pathetic firing rate of the steam rifles is impossible for mob characters.

Yep. At least two shots.

She's just too good I guess.