Azur Lane (2019-2020)

[アズールレーン]

Director: Tensho
Studio: Bibury Animation Studios
Starring: Yui Ishikawa, Mai Nakahara, Ai Kakuma
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
An alliance to defend humanity against an alien menace known as the Sirens splits into dueling factions.

Impressions:
A show based on a Chinese mobile game where the Japanese are in the antagonist role? It'd never work, right? Well, there's a little more to it than that and the characterization is fairly even-handed. The only ones without much redeeming value are the Sirens. The show manages the game's large cast by primarily focusing on Enterprise and Belfast, the starter trio of Laffey, Javelin and Ayanami with Unicorn thrown in for good measure, and the Orochi Project plot with Akagi and Kaga. I particularly liked Enterprise's plotline. Other characters get varying degrees of focus. Players of the game may or may not be satisfied with the screentime their favorites get. If you're an Ironblood fan, you're probably not going to be happy with their limited share of the pie.

The animation quality varies, though it's generally decent, and the CG is passable. Battle scenes are fairly well done. Given the source material, fanservice is a factor, but it doesn't get really bonkers until the extended bath scene in Episode 6 (and I honestly think the clumsy censorship for the TV release makes it even more ridiculous, but it's all bait for the Blu-ray release).

In the final tally, it's a decent enough watch in its own right, but it's really best directed at fans of the game, who will get significantly more value out of it. If the idea of bishoujo anthro versions of WWII warships appeals to you, you may just want to give it a watch.

Rating:
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