Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a 12 episode original anime that is not based on any existing works. It is set during the industrial revolution era in an alternate world. Therefore, people still ride on horses, wield swords and the main mass transport used is steam locomotives. There are a few fantasy elements such as rudimentary steam guns and later on, other gigantic machines.
The world is swarmed by kabane. These are zombie-like creatures with a glowing red heart visible through the skin. They are in this condition due to being infected by a contagious virus that is spread through biting. once bitten, the person will change into a kabane within three days, losing all their intelligence and becoming overly aggressive, seeking out other humans. They only way to kill them permanently is to either cut off their heads or pierce their heart, which is surrounded by a natural steel-like ribcage.
In order to survive in this harsh world, the remainder of the human population has created walled communities which are accessible via train tracks. however, these walled communities, or stations as they are called, are rapidly falling one after another. One such station hosts our protagonist, Ikoma. He has been fascinated in the science being the kabane and devised experiments to kill them easily with a pinpoint steam pressure gun. However, the kabane attacked his hometown before he could complete it. The other main character is Mumei. She is a mysterious young girl who appears frail and elegant at first but shows quite the power against the kabane later on.
Kabaneri is basically a zombie anime series as it explores the survival aspect of such a world. Characters have to make hard choices, whether that is when they are infected, when they are trying to find a safe have, or just trying to grasp at hope when all seems lost. Through a series of events, the objective of the anime soon appears. A group has to head to the main stronghold of humanity to seek help. During this journey, Ikoma himself transforms from the weak nerdy self that we were introduced to into a stronger more capable person. At the same time, due to the power that he had gained, naturally, other characters heavily distrust him, particularly since he was revealed to be investigating real kabane parts.
While Ikoma's background is stock standard and simple, Mumei's is much more complicated. When we learn about her past, it's filled with interesting tidbits on the lore of this world. As the kabane are fairly predictable, the anime changes it up by having them start showing signs of mutation. Instead of just the same tired old cliche of mindlessly chasing anyone they could see, some of them seem to have the capability to learn from experience.
The series gets intense with the events that happen on their journey, from their encounters with stronger and stronger kabane to situations that somehow become worse than the last one. It leads to some fast-paced action sequences. While most of these situations are near impossible to get out of, you can forgive the exaggeration because it is so well done. The second half twists the concept of the enemy around and loses the survival aspect which is a shame. It presents a shocking and cruel series of events and this is where the true opponent of Ikoma reveals themselves. What happens afterwards is horrific and makes an already bad situation even worse. Although the anime has a tendency for melodramatic scenes, these usually work okay with its ability to rouse your emotions through it.
Unfortunately, the antagonist is underdeveloped while his motivations were revealed, they were shallow and did not justify why they did what they did. It was even more perplexing that the rest of the enemy's group was following along since their success would mean a world filled with kabane. The other negative was that the potential abilities of the kabane were touched upon at multiple points but the anime did not have enough time to flesh it out. What we did get were interesting and while the protagonist did exploit this to give himself more power, it felt like it was pulled out of nowhere. With a few predictable turn of events, we get what you can call was not exactly a happy ending. It's satisfying in that is makes sense for the world it was set in.
The series caps off with a three-part movie that takes place after the ending of the first season. It's a simple plot with the group having to exterminate an area along the way from a serious kabane infestation. The characters are actually quite annoying here at times, including Mumei who seems degraded from the strong person that she was. However, the ending was worth it, especially the interaction between Ikoma and Mumei. Overall, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is surprisingly solid. It has a few things going against the concept such as the zombie-like kabane set in an industrial revolution era but the animators have managed to make it work really well. The rousing music coupled with exciting action sequences make this an enjoyable watch.
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