This show was pretty fun to watch and the world building and character development are pretty on point.....until you start getting towards the end.

Some of the plot building falls apart a bit and it could have really used an extra 3 or 4 episodes before the final battle for some things to make sense.



The action and animation are fantastic though and I really enjoyed watching the battles. With the world building they've done hopefully this gets a season 2 so we can see the adventures continue!

Synopsis
The world is in the midst of the industrial revolution when horrific creatures emerge from a mysterious virus, ripping through the flesh of humans to sate their never-ending appetite. The only way to kill these beings, known as "Kabane," is by destroying their steel-coated hearts. However, if bitten by one of these monsters, the victim is doomed to a fate worse than death, as the fallen rise once more to join the ranks of their fellow undead.

It is just like Attack on Titan. Humans hide behind the walls of defense and hope to preserve peace by order. Those who have bitten have two choice. Suicide or be killed. However, the MC refuse to live in such damning system. He created a prototype steam-gun that can pierce through the heart of the zombie and changed the mentality of the nation. It's time to strike back. Offensive actions shall bring salvation.

I have already seen this anime years ago, this review is solely for its 2019 Crunchyroll debut.

While on the cusp of the industrial revolution, a horrific virus began the unstoppable "Kabane" tide. The Kabane, are humans forever doomed to seek out human flesh in an unending cycle of appetite. The only way to put down such creature, is to destroy their steel-coated hearts. If that weren't hard enough, being bitten by them will also doom you to become one of them. Humanity's survival currently depends on two key inventions, heavily defended cities with massive walls, and trains built like fortresses on a railroad system for transportation and resupplying. Ikoma, one such survivor today who has helped build such a train, believes he has made a breakthrough in creating a weapon to pierce the Kabane's hearts. Unfortunately, he might get the chance to test it out sooner than he thought.

Comparisons with this anime and Attack on Titan have been done to death, so I will completely avoid that topic in this review, but just know that similarities between the two do exist.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is kick ass in its own respective rights, if you didn't catch the hint in my review title, action and trains are awesome. The action on its own makes this anime well worth the watch, fast paced intense action and a suffocating sense of urgency make this an action anime worth your time. With pretty solid animation to back it up, zombie action never felt so thrilling! As for the rest of the anime... Fuck me, here we go. They are pretty bad, forgettable at best, infuriating at its worst. Yes I realize I'm writing this review purely from memory roughly three years ago, but I specifically remember enjoying the experience until one character, Mumei, does something incredibly stupid. Stupid enough to pull me out of the experience completely for the rest of the show whenever her character was on screen. The "stunt" she pulls didn't make any sense as an action that someone in this world would take. To be vague for spoilers, this is a world where everyone acts a certain way due to the situation the world is in and the terror brought with it. The setting and dangers effect all of the other character's decisions, Mumei on the other hand, just lets her personal emotions take control. Followed by getting manipulated into doing something that anyone with a working brain would react with a stern hell no. Now with that rant aside I would like to get back on track, (unintended train pun) but there's really nothing much else to say about Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. It's kind of just an action anime for the sake of action, with the ending of the final episode really just leaves a lot out in the open. I know that a sequel movie set half a year after the final episode aired earlier this 2019 year, but there is no real setup in that final episode to really give an idea of where the story is headed.

With that all said and done, I still wanna give Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress credit where credit is due. For what it is, it's a very solid action anime, with a somewhat flat plot focused on a simple surviving the end of the world story. Bring popcorn and a large drink, binge it in a day or two and move on. You'll likely enjoy it, but forget about it sooner than later. As for me, I've gotta plan a time to watch that movie sequel.

Saw this show originally on Amazon thanks to Prime. The concept was fun and the show starts off great however by the end (I would say starting by ep 9 or so) the plot begins to fall apart. This is due to the characters creating contrived solutions or problems that could have easily been avoided but hey we gotta have tension I guess. One of my problems with the show by the end was also the main villain. They portray him in such a way that you get a good grasp as to the kind of character he is and then in the last episode he does something that doesn't fit his character and no its not because of some grand development of character.

The show is enjoyable for what it is but if you care for consistency in plot or the "rules of the world" I would give this a pass since the rules don't matter when the plot demands it. It was nice but ultimately forgettable.

For those who don't focus on too much details, this show will deliver. No need to understand their full background or history but the small glimpse of each characters pain and ambitions will make you want to keep watching.
The animation is beautiful you won't even realize it unless you pause to reflect from all the amazing fighting sequences. As you sit and fall in love with the characters you will wish this had a second season. Simply put stop reading reviews and start watching.