Actually this show is really good, especially for anime about cute girls doing things. I would definitely recommend it. Personally, I just wasn't too interested in it. If you like this type of stuff then watch it.
3 Reviews
I watched episode one.
invisibleunicornninja28 January 2019
High School Fleet
Tweekums2 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In an alternate reality approximately one hundred years ago Japan lost much of its landmass following a shift in tectonic plates. Because of this naval power is vital and much of the Navy is crewed by women
some training ships are even crewed by high school girls! One such ship is the Harekaze, a destroyer captained by Akeno Misaki. She isn't a natural leader but she gets on well with her crew and makes the right choices under stress. On their first training mission they are attacked by their instructor's ship; after returning fire they are accused of mutiny! After a few episodes on the run they discover why the other ship attacked them; it and other ships have been infected by rodent like creatures which effect the crew. They will have to work with other uninfected ships to regain control of the infected ships and free their crews.
This is a fun little series with some good action and likable characters. The animation is pretty good, especially during the battle scenes. The episodes contain a decent mix of humour and drama and the story moves along at a decent pace. Series featuring school-aged girls going into battle or using military hardware seem popular at the moment; I suspect people who enjoyed 'Strike Witches' and 'Girls und Panzer' will enjoy this even if it isn't quite as good. Overall though this is a fun action series; worth watching if you enjoy the genre, These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
This is a fun little series with some good action and likable characters. The animation is pretty good, especially during the battle scenes. The episodes contain a decent mix of humour and drama and the story moves along at a decent pace. Series featuring school-aged girls going into battle or using military hardware seem popular at the moment; I suspect people who enjoyed 'Strike Witches' and 'Girls und Panzer' will enjoy this even if it isn't quite as good. Overall though this is a fun action series; worth watching if you enjoy the genre, These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
Lovely Action-Oriented Anime
TavinOriginal29 October 2023
(This review covers the anime series, the movie and the OVAs)
A bunch of high school girls are entrusted to pilot historical warships on their own as part of their nautical training. Welp, I'm sold. This is a hilariously creative premise. Haifuri is such a unique show in many ways, and I really think people overlook it a little bit. The worldbuilding is fascinating, they really sell Japan as a maritime country with all the jet skis as their primary transportation method, the decks and piers everywhere, the floating structures and islands, it's aesthetically compelling. The plot is pretty fun too, with some interesting twists, and if you're into nautics and/or Japan's maritime history (which I am totally not, for the record), BOY DO I HAVE THE ANIME FOR YOU. Haifuri can also get really technical sometimes regarding sailing expressions and the ships' inner workings, which might be a little annoying for some people, but despite not being familiar with any of that, I really enjoyed watching this show, and I think it's worth your shot as well.
The cast of characters is... overwhelming. VERY OVERWHELMING. In the first episode, you're thrown into an entire classroom of OVER THIRTY students who wear the same uniforms and have similar hairstyles, on TOP of having to keep track of characters from other ships, from the school, from OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, it's REALLY damn hard to remember all of them. Admittedly, for the Harekaze crew, you're mostly concerned with the bridge gals, which are just a handful, but it's still a little overbearing. The characters' personalities are extremely simple, even the protagonists Misaki and Munetani don't have much going for them. Misaki has a very straightforward arc of overcoming the pressure of being a captain, whilst recognizing that she doesn't have to be perfect, because they're a crew and they all make up for each other's flaws. Munetani's arc on the other hand revolves around her journey through accepting where she is and learning to love the people around her, even though none of it is what she initially wanted. Munetani and Misaki have really good chemistry, however, and it's very sweet to see their relationship growing. I will be honest, though, the rest of the characters in the show are veeeery superficial, except for a couple who get the spotlight every now and then (namely Kouko and Maron). Their personalities usually narrow down to whatever their role on the ship is and not much more than that, which is unfortunate, but you kind of let it slide since the show has a stronger emphasis on action rather than anything else. Regardless, I'd still prefer if the girls had a little more depth.
Speaking of the action, though, HOLY FREAKING LORD HAIFURI KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK. Action segments are absurdly well animated, masterfully paced, and oftentimes the Harekaze isn't too strong a ship to face others head-on, so they have to come up with THE MOST INSANE BATTLE STRATEGIES YOU CAN IMAGINE, and as a result you get some of the CRAZIEST stunts EVER PULLED OFF in animation. I don't know if it's the unique setting of this show, but the way they handle these warship battles is simply out of this world. The soundtrack also deserves a lot of credit on that department, it complements the visuals so well, conveying just the right amount of tension and enhancing the epicness of every scene. It's an absolute blast to just sit back and enjoy these girls in action, watching them going over strategies, trying their damn best carry out the operations, sweating cold because any misstep can cause them all to die, it's actually incredibly entertaining. The action makes you root for the girls and even care a little more about them, despite them not being the most fleshed out characters out there, and that's a commendable quality by itself.
High School Fleet is a really well executed anime, with many adorable, tragic, funny, and suspenseful moments. The worldbuilding is top-notch, and the spectacular combat sequences literally redefine the word "action," delightfully animated all the way through and absurdly creative with their direction. I cannot understate how good this show handles its action element, especially considering the eccentric maritime setting. You can really tell how passionate the production team is for the nautical field; the ships' designs, their specs, everything feels so faithful to their real versions, it's really damn impressive. If it weren't by the lack of characterization and overwhelming cast, this show could've been one of my favorite anime of all time. But please don't let ANY OF THAT keep you from checking it out; it's still lots of fun as it is. Trust me, you won't regret setting sail with the Harekaze.
A bunch of high school girls are entrusted to pilot historical warships on their own as part of their nautical training. Welp, I'm sold. This is a hilariously creative premise. Haifuri is such a unique show in many ways, and I really think people overlook it a little bit. The worldbuilding is fascinating, they really sell Japan as a maritime country with all the jet skis as their primary transportation method, the decks and piers everywhere, the floating structures and islands, it's aesthetically compelling. The plot is pretty fun too, with some interesting twists, and if you're into nautics and/or Japan's maritime history (which I am totally not, for the record), BOY DO I HAVE THE ANIME FOR YOU. Haifuri can also get really technical sometimes regarding sailing expressions and the ships' inner workings, which might be a little annoying for some people, but despite not being familiar with any of that, I really enjoyed watching this show, and I think it's worth your shot as well.
The cast of characters is... overwhelming. VERY OVERWHELMING. In the first episode, you're thrown into an entire classroom of OVER THIRTY students who wear the same uniforms and have similar hairstyles, on TOP of having to keep track of characters from other ships, from the school, from OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, it's REALLY damn hard to remember all of them. Admittedly, for the Harekaze crew, you're mostly concerned with the bridge gals, which are just a handful, but it's still a little overbearing. The characters' personalities are extremely simple, even the protagonists Misaki and Munetani don't have much going for them. Misaki has a very straightforward arc of overcoming the pressure of being a captain, whilst recognizing that she doesn't have to be perfect, because they're a crew and they all make up for each other's flaws. Munetani's arc on the other hand revolves around her journey through accepting where she is and learning to love the people around her, even though none of it is what she initially wanted. Munetani and Misaki have really good chemistry, however, and it's very sweet to see their relationship growing. I will be honest, though, the rest of the characters in the show are veeeery superficial, except for a couple who get the spotlight every now and then (namely Kouko and Maron). Their personalities usually narrow down to whatever their role on the ship is and not much more than that, which is unfortunate, but you kind of let it slide since the show has a stronger emphasis on action rather than anything else. Regardless, I'd still prefer if the girls had a little more depth.
Speaking of the action, though, HOLY FREAKING LORD HAIFURI KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK. Action segments are absurdly well animated, masterfully paced, and oftentimes the Harekaze isn't too strong a ship to face others head-on, so they have to come up with THE MOST INSANE BATTLE STRATEGIES YOU CAN IMAGINE, and as a result you get some of the CRAZIEST stunts EVER PULLED OFF in animation. I don't know if it's the unique setting of this show, but the way they handle these warship battles is simply out of this world. The soundtrack also deserves a lot of credit on that department, it complements the visuals so well, conveying just the right amount of tension and enhancing the epicness of every scene. It's an absolute blast to just sit back and enjoy these girls in action, watching them going over strategies, trying their damn best carry out the operations, sweating cold because any misstep can cause them all to die, it's actually incredibly entertaining. The action makes you root for the girls and even care a little more about them, despite them not being the most fleshed out characters out there, and that's a commendable quality by itself.
High School Fleet is a really well executed anime, with many adorable, tragic, funny, and suspenseful moments. The worldbuilding is top-notch, and the spectacular combat sequences literally redefine the word "action," delightfully animated all the way through and absurdly creative with their direction. I cannot understate how good this show handles its action element, especially considering the eccentric maritime setting. You can really tell how passionate the production team is for the nautical field; the ships' designs, their specs, everything feels so faithful to their real versions, it's really damn impressive. If it weren't by the lack of characterization and overwhelming cast, this show could've been one of my favorite anime of all time. But please don't let ANY OF THAT keep you from checking it out; it's still lots of fun as it is. Trust me, you won't regret setting sail with the Harekaze.
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