Anime Review: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato

English Title: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato

Japanese Title: 甲鉄城のカバネリ～海門決戦～

Director(s): Araki Tetsuro

Screenwriter(s): Araki Tetsuro

Studio: Wit Studio

Released: 2019

Runtime: 3 episodes, ~26m each.

Starring: Hatanaka Tasuku, Senbongi Sayaka, Uchida Maaya, Masuda Toshiki

Set six months after the end of the series, surviving stations in Hinomoto (Japan) fend for themselves without the shogunate based in Kongokaku. This review assumes one has seen the series and/or the two compilation films.

The Kotetsujo intends to return to Aragane but then reach an impassable area. Unfortunately, the map graphic is not clear where the key locations are. In any case, said area includes Unato which fell to the kabane five years ago. Already present is an alliance fighting to retake the titular station and the people of Kotetsujo join the campaign.

It is not a bad premise, and whilst it shows a little bit of the life of the surviving characters, the storytelling lacks the elements that make it more compelling.

Unato

Firstly, it relies excessively on the “stubborn military” as the antagonist. The existing alliance having some pride and arrogance is understandable—after all, they’ve been slugging it out way before the Kotetsujo arrived—but one would think they would be grateful for the additional manpower as well. Their distrust of Ikoma is simply repetitive; even to these guys, he has proven himself in battle.

Secondly, whilst the series thankfully avoids the Ikoma–Mumei romance, this film tries to steer a little into it, reducing Mumei to a bumbling idiot in at least one scene. Granted, there was the promise Ikoma made to her to make her (fully) human again so there is that theme, but this pushes it too blatantly. It simply makes that promise more dramatic than it needs to be.

Mumei

During the campaign, Ikoma senses that the kabane are different from what they usually encounter. So there is some mild intrigue there and it is a decent idea, but few believe him due to the first problem. And here lies the third problem: Ikoma has developed too little as a person, he still doesn’t know how to read the room and present his case properly.

The pacing is fast, perhaps artificially so; it is as if the narrative is geared towards action without much consideration for anything else other than reducing the runtime and saving the budget.

Ultimately, it is a simple premise and plot. That is not a bad thing in itself, it wisely avoids an unnecessary epic or something tacky like solving the entire mystery of the virus and de-zombifying all kabane. However, like the series, it fails to provide an epilogue or denouement. In terms of actually continuing the story and further developing the characters’ lives, it is barely a sequel.

---

Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list so you get each new Opinyun that comes out!

---