As it clocks in at a very brisk 12 episodes, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress’ pacing was always going to become an Achillies Heel at some point. And yeah, that point just so happens to be the end of the road for the Kotetsujo, or at least this leg of their uncertain journey. But man, oh man, what a ride it has been and the ending continued all the epicness that’s come before and saved some of the best for last. It’s a flawed show but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun watching it all unfold.
Oh Biba…he needed to die and so did the rest of his crew of crazy Kabaneri super soldiers (except Mumei). Driven by a heaping helping of Daddy Issues and a desire to tear people apart through fear, Biba set out on a crusade that brought down two major stations and sent the citizens of both locales into a panic. It’s funny he even unleashed his Kabane on Kongokaku at all as once the people found out about the infected Shogun, they did a pretty good job at tearing themselves apart through fear and paranoia. But Biba is all about that extra step and he not only sent in a train full of Kabane but also a brainwashed Mumei who was placed at the heart of a new Hybrid Colony that looked like that berserker form of the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke. Yeah…all this to show Daddy what’s for…Biba had to die.
And Ikoma wasn’t about to let that challenge go unanswered, it just took him a second to get to it. Granted, Ikoma kept busy: staging a mutiny aboard the captured Kotetsujo (the series finally going full Snowpiercer), getting his ass kicked by everyone (and making a list too for eventual payback) and, sadly, losing his best friend Takumi before he got kicked off the train. Takumi’s death did suck but it was pretty heavily televised. When two old friends start talking about the good old days, you know it’s a sign one of them is about to go and it’s probably not the main character. Surprisingly, it was Kurusu who got Ikoma back on his feet and instilled the hope in him to keep fighting. Seeing as how he was willing to let Ikoma die way back at Aragane Station, it proves how far these two have come. Wouldn’t say their friends, but they are comrades and after Ikoma strapped his Jet Gun to his body to replace a severed arm (Berserk Guts Style), we were also reminded why they make such a kick ass, Kabane slaying pair. Biba’s men stood no chance and it was so good to see them all go down.
The big Ikoma/Biba showdown could have been a bit longer but Biba actually showing fear over the newly unleashed powers of Ikoma was pretty satisfying. The guy managed to overthrow an Empire with clever chess like tactics but against a force he couldn’t defeat so easily, now he was the weak one for once. Even more surprising, Mumei, once she was free of her Kaiju controlling form, delivered the final blow. I will say that one of the finale’s biggest shortcomings was Mumei. Not only was she tricked into bringing about the downfall of Iwato Station but she was more or less relegated to Kaiju Control Center for everything else. We did get to see her kick a little ass once she was free but the episode was almost over by then. It’s like when Asuka got sidelined in the finale of Neon Genesis Evangelion. You don’t take your best fighter off the board when the big stuff is going down. Thankfully, Asuka got her blaze of glory moment in the End of Evangelion and I wonder how much action Mumei might see in the sequel movie, The Battle of Unato.
With Kongokaku burning in the rear view, the Kotetsujo rides off. And, naturally with a show this short, not every question has been answered. Will the crew get along with the last of Biba’s forces who Ayame let on cause she’s not a heartless monster? What happened to Biba’s head scientist who gave Ikoma the necessary serum to power up and save Mumei? He knows more about the Kabane virus than anyone, does he know where it came from originally? Once again, is Japan the only land affected by the Kabane outbreak? Most importantly, what else is left in Japan now that the Kotetsujo has left all but one demolished station in its wake? Well the answer to that last one is apparently plenty because again, sequel movie that we’ll get to later this year. Everything else merits reason why this show should have been double the length. Even if it didn’t clear up every mystery, there might not have been that many left by the end.
Time for Final Thoughts. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress seems like it was meant to tie Attack on Titan fans over until the Second Season finally arrived and Wit Studio seemed perfectly ok borrowing more than its fair share from its most famous work to service the project. And yet, I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end. Ikoma and Mumei had journeys I was heavily invested in and the crew of the Kotetsujo grew on me over time. The action was superb, offering the right amount of insane acrobatics and gore Anime can be best known for (but in a fun way). Plus, yeah it looks like AoT but the show is still really pretty and holy crap, composer Hiroyuki Sowano continues to prove why he’s one of the best musical talents in Anime ever. If you enjoyed his work here, you’ll love his scores for Gundam Unicorn and Narrative, Kill La Kill, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Nue These and, yes, Attack on Titan. Kabaneri could use a second season but it’s been a few years so I’m not holding my breath (just like High School of the Dead). As it is, Kabaneri is fun and in the end, if you can enjoy that feeling watching an Anime, then it’s an Anime well worth checking out.
8/10
The Kotetsujo’s journey isn’t quite finished yet though. Sadly, since we have no Katsucon this year, there’s no reason to skip a week. So Next Monday, we’ll check back in with our favorite Kabane slaying survivor crew in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato. See ya then.
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