AKAGI-SAN DON’T DIE ;_;
Impression
There is radio silence. The assault force are deep in enemy territory. Their catapults are broken. Akagi’s bowstring has snapped. Yamato never met them at the rendezvous location. They have been ambushed from behind. Mutsuki is at home, praying at the memorial for all deceased kanmusu. The death flags sway majestically in the wind. And the core line-up for Operation MI is as follows: Akagi, Kaga, Hiryuu and Souryuu.
This is depressing as fuck.
Not even onee-sama’s smile can rescue me from this cesspool of impending tragedy.
And I love onee-sama’s smile.
The events of this episode were several times worse on the ‘inevitable death’ scale compared to what happened with Zuikaku and Shoukaku. And the foreshadowing was laid on even thicker than it was with Kisaragi. I will address the elephant in the room later on, but even without that there was enough of a foreboding mood and atmosphere with Akagi and Nagato to imply that something was going to go very wrong – even amidst all the stuff with the loli quartet and Ooicchi, who has every reason to be concerned for Kitakami this time albeit for a different reason (Kitakami wasn’t sunk, right?) And there was even a regular countdown to zero hour. That should have been more than enough to set any internal alarm bells off. Kisaragi was sad enough, but I really like Akagi and Kaga – they’re the main characters who never were. Especially Kaga, I grew fond of her after the episodes with the towel bunny and Zuikaku. We’ve spent a season following them from Fubuki’s perspective, and to choose them to kill off from what’s practically an inexhaustible list of kanmusu is just the kind of soul-crushing thing we could do without. They even sleep together! It could be worse, though – like if they instead opted to kill off the Kongou or Akatsuki sisters.
Shit, I feel really bad now. I’m sorry I ever suggested that.
Especially over the lolis, that should be some sort of thoughtcrime.
The elephant I mentioned earlier is of course the fact that this has all allegedly happened once before. But we already knew that – or at least, anyone vaguely interested in the historical inspiration for this franchise should already know this. The significance of this episode is that several of the kanmusu have now explicitly acknowledged and recognized that this has happened once before, which makes it all a complex ball of meta that alludes to their historical real-life ship counterparts. This opens a whole new can of worms. Kisaragi’s death was also faithful to WWII, but back then there was no mention of either WWII or the ‘original’ Kisaragi, and at most it was just a replicated outcome. But now, Akagi has actually had this recurring dream of how her previous ‘life’ came to an end, and it’s all nagging her to the point that she hears something in her head – which raises fresh questions about settings and universes. And it’s so bad with Nagato that she’s having an existential crisis: “Why in the world do we exist?” she asks. It’s not like these questions have never been raised before. They have, but only to the extent of being speculation by players and fans – as far as I know, the writers referencing it so openly and having it play such an essential part in the substantive plot of a Kancolle adaptation is unprecedented. Though given that my grounding in the franchise was the product of lewd doujins, I wouldn’t know either way.
Do I think this is a positive development? Absolutely. This is really interesting, and there’s something really exciting yet haunting in the kanmusu being beckoned and drawn towards repeating something that’s already happened, and being powerless to stop themselves. It only seems to apply to the veteran kanmusu for now, but the long-term implication here is exactly as I feared near the start of the series: the entire cast will end up tragically dying sooner or later. Akagi herself does want to fight against it, but it’s clearly a lot harder than it sounds. But while I think this is a really good direction for the plot to go in, and opens up a world of possibilities, I have to say I’m not too keen on how it’s only been introduced a single episode before the end of the series. The can-opener has been used too late, and the worms have been spilled everywhere. There simply isn’t any time to wrap up all the loose ends that this creates, and at most they’ll end it with Fubuki doing something to change history, and saving the day for now. But it’s a waste of an opportunity – it would be very different if this was the halfway point of a two-cour series. And it really should be, especially because the existing fanbase will ensure this sells like hotcakes – they should have known this very well all along. I hope a split-cour is announced at least.
But for now, I hope there won’t be any noble and stupid sacrifices to round off what has been a great season for Kancolle.
To be fair, even in the game (I’ve read transcripts of the girls’ lines) the Kanmusu have fragmented memories of their “other selves.” For instance, Nagato, whose original survived the war, remembers being part of Operation Crossroads: a test to see the effects of nuclear weapons on warships. So this isn’t unprecedented, but the way their handling it is still very interesting and definitely could have used more exploring than it can get at this point.
PS: Please change history, Fubuki-chan. Don’t let things end this way! 🙁
I see, so this isn’t completely new. It’s probably limited to sprucing up the flavour text within the game though, given that the teitoku in command (i.e. the player) controls everything his fleet does, with no designated ‘dying point’ as such for any kanmusu. Now that the adaptation has a linear plot they can experiment with, there’s certainly a lot more scope for these ‘past’ memories to impact on the overall storyline.
“No… I have so little to say. The… Ship Soul finally let a Kanmusu to remember their past and… try to avoid it. D- did, Wo-Class also remember? From her time as a Kanmusu? Something else? No… no.” At least, that was me yesterday! But today…
Incoming Type-3 Barrage from Yamato, thanks to her divine firing range. It’s time for the big sister of the fleet, our beloved Seaside Empress, to at last grace the war. Kanmusu and Shinkaisei-kan alike shall watch the waters toil in her wake, as she moves with all the force of a mighty sea dragon. Name ship of the Yamato-class, Yamato, commencing firing!
I think that’d be the best possible path to take for saving them, especially since the Type-3 shell could blow the bomb out of the air before it hits Akagi. Seriously, Yamato’s range is incredible! Heck, I’d like to think that maybe Musashi will be there, too, but it’s more likely that the girls already mentioned (including Yuubari <3) will follow up Yamato's attack… Seriously, imagine how upset she'll be if she finally sortie's just to not make it in time to do anything 🙁
As for Kitakami, honestly, I'd like to think that since she's equipped like a Torpedo Cruiser, which were also meant to fight others historically, she'll have some resistance to the blast even if she needs saving on a more extreme level than Shoukaku did. A fellow fan on the Kantai Collection FB page also mentioned that a basic Chi-class probably wouldn't have the punch to sink a perfectly well Kitakami.
If they do a split-cour, announcing that Kancolle will be back in the Fall or Winter and end it off with the consideration that perhaps the Shinkaisei-kan, or at least Shin-Kai-Ni Wo-class remembered things too, that'd be perfect. It'd be the biggest hint yet of the "they were us"/"we could become them" route and allow the late opening of the "can of worms" to bait us deliciously for another season! Gosh… that was an awful metaphor.
Heck, if they wanted to be really explicit about it, perhaps we'll see the Shinkaisei-kan have done something with Kisaragi…
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Again, apologies for my lateness here, but to answer your question from last week, I am not sure if Shinkaisei-kan can talk. While we're dealing with matters that aren't quite related to this episode, have you heard this song? It was released recently in honor of Paul Allen finding Musashi again! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuBu9sJB4QI
From what I've gathered you know Japanese, right? If not, however, I loved this song and its significance enough to interpret it into a singable english version. That's beside the point, though. I think this song is just really pleasing to the ears whether you understand it or not 🙂
Wo-chan would have had to have been a kanmusu a very, very long time ago! I would assume at least a couple of the existing girls would recognize her if she was, in a ‘fateful reunion’ sort of encounter. But yes, there’s no better set-up for that than with Mutsuki and Kisaragi.
I hope Yamato turns up. She’d be exactly what they need to turn the tables, but the last time we saw Fubuki and onee-sama she was sadly nowhere in sight. Having her save Akagi with her long-range fire would certainly be preferable – for a moment I thought Kaga-san was going to do something stupid and jump in front of Akagi. As for Kitakami, I do hope you’re right. She looked fine before the blast, and I remember reading something about kanmusu damage never going from ‘full health’ to ‘sunk’, but I have no idea where I got that from. If she did die then Ooi would seriously be heartbroken.
Shinmai Maou no Testament recently got a split-cour. There doesn’t seem to be a rule of thumb when they’re announced – some do it right before the initial season airs, and some leave it until the finale before announcing it as a teaser. So there still is hope! And they would be… reeling a lot of fans in 😀
It is a nice song, but I don’t know Japanese! I do know Chinese, which helps – I recognize kanji, and the two are very similar in phonetics, grammar and structure (this applies to the majority of East Asian languages). But even then, I’ve been living in the West for so long that my Chinese has started deteriorating. And in the end it’s a different language to Japanese. Recently, I’ve been thinking I should start to learn it though, if only so I can play Mahou Tsukai no Yoru within my lifetime.
Each map in the game has nodes before you get to the final one/Boss. If you have a day battle at a node and your Kanmusu is damaged to 1 HP, she cannot be sunk in that battle, nor the following night battle. However, if you move on to a new node in that condition she can sink. So either you retreat, or you press on if you have the supplies to heal her or opening volley damage to dispatch the enemy before they can attack the Kanmusu who hit her 1 HP stage.
I actually listened to the Kancolle character song preview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35wCagGsLsI) and joked that there’d be one last bonus track that simple went “Season 2 coming insert date“. Silly, really, but a split-cour announced for the end would be great and have justification especially thanks to that mystery Kanmusu’s appearance… or we’ll end up getting a ton of fan works about her waiting for “nothing”.
Thanks to a friend of mine who’s experienced in singing covers and original Japanese songs, I now know my interpretation was pretty good. Making it singable could use some work. I mean, it works, but it’s a little awkward given the pacing difference between Japanese and English in general. So if it can be done before the final episode, I’ll definitely link you to the edited karaoke video that includes those lyrics… I have yet to play my first VN. One day. One day.
Speaking of singing and split-cours, IDOLM@STER has joined the club 😀 Excellent!
I’m beginning to suspect that the admiral is aware of the events of history, and is actually using Fubuki as an agent of chaos, so to speak, in an attempt to break the pattern. Out of the battles in the anime that I’ve been able to identify as specific historical battles, the original Fubuki did not participate in ANY of them except for Midway, and at Midway she was an escort to YAMATO, not Akagi. Fubuki is being placed into battles she isn’t “supposed” to be in, and her presence is causing changes in the other kanmusu that aren’t “supposed” to have happened yet, if at all.
I should HOPE an Admiral would be aware of history. I can understand the Kanmusu perhaps being born with those memories artificially suppressed to avoid PTSD and other traumas. In light of that, your theory, if implemented, would be quite a nice revelation. On a slightly unrelated note, is the Shin-Kai-Ni (scarred) Wo-Class basically the Shinkaisei-kan teitoku now..? It would be quite the sight to behold if both her and Teitoku were trying to avoid history from repeating itself.
That… sounds very plausible, and could even be an explanation for why he has acted and strategized as he has. At the same time, it does raise questions as to exactly what sort of role he’s playing here, as well as who or what he is – and by extension, what the kanmusu are. At the risk of triggering more existential questions, is there an organisation coordinating all the naval bases and the entire ‘kanmusu project’ itself? Are they the ones ‘implanting’ the souls of warships into the girls, assuming that’s how they become kanmusu in the first place? Of course, I’m aware this might be taking things apart to an unnecessary level – but these are the sorts of issues that get raised once the ‘past memories’ card is played. These are the worms that have escaped the can!
Your idea on Fubuki is also sound. I do wonder ‘why Fubuki’ sometimes, but putting that aside she definitely has made an impact. I see that the Battle of the Philippine Sea saw Shoukaku sink, but not Zuikaku – I presume this was one of the occasions in which Fubuki essentially changed history in the anime. Shoukaku did look like she was pretty much doomed back there, after all.
Bukki to the rescue!
Based on this last episode, it does certainly appear as if the teitoku is making a conscious effort to change history. However, that wasn’t really true before. Episode 7 wasn’t based on the Battle of the Philippine Sea, but on the Battle of the Coral Sea, and very little history was changed–heck, the only effect Fubuki had there was to leave her two carriers alone without any escorts, which is really what exposed them to the danger in the first place!
Anyway, I’ve enjoyed watching the show, and enjoyed reading this blog–anyone who loves Kongou and her sisters is OK with me–as well as the other comments. Regarding whether or not the cavalry arrives in time to save the carrier gang, remember not only that Yamato is coming, but she’s not coming alone. Not only are Haruna, Kirishima, and Ooi supposed to rendezvous with her, but the animators snuck something very interesting into the background of Yamato’s big launch production…
Aha, I went and picked the naval battle in which Wikipedia says Shoukaku sank, but she was indeed heavily damaged in Coral Sea as well. Shouhou sank early on, which is exactly what happened in the episode too. And yes, Kongou master race!
I SEE THEM! THERE ARE TWO GIRLS BEHIND YAMATO! …I can’t believe I didn’t catch that the first time round…
I didn’t catch it either. I saw people talking about it on one of the forums and thought they were trolling, even when somebody posted a screenshot. Then I checked the actual video. And I think it’s pretty obvious who they are, and that would also be another way of changing history.
It’s funny, when I started watching this show, I was just hoping it wasn’t gonna be a cringe-y embarrassment. Now I think it’s a disappointment, cuz it’s obvious it could’ve been so much better. I think you’re right on with your point that the destiny theme is really good, but waiting until the next-to-last episode to really bring it in is not.
Anyway, today’s the day. Even though I’ve liked the darker stuff, I must admit I hope it’s a “Everybody!-Party-at-Mamiya’s!” ending.
It’s no longer the next-to-last episode, if you haven’t heard the news! A sequel is happening! I’m… having trouble containing my excitement, but I’ll save that for the Episode 12 post. At the time of writing this I haven’t watched it – I don’t even think the sub is out yet, but the episode itself definitely aired.
Crunchyroll is having “production issues” so episode 12 will be late. Since the episode has already aired in Japan this is clearly all on Crunchyroll, and I have to ask what sort of idiots let something like this happen for the final episode in a season when the previous episode ended in a cliffhanger? You make damn sure that episode is out on time anyway.
I’m not upset at all. Nor am I upset by the fact that, due to this delay, I have effectively missed my window to watch the episode, and may not get another one until Saturday, depending on various factors.
Gah, that’s a real bummer. It’s exactly like you say. I just hope it wasn’t a conscious choice made by someone who, when faced with inevitable production issues, chose to prioritise Gundam (the established franchise), Shinmai Maou no Testament (the imouto ecchi pandering) and Kiseijuu (the popular and hyped) over what is admittedly a niche show.
That really sucks. Try your best to find a 22 minute gap somewhere!