impression of “this anime is a slice of life, loli anime with no plot (in both senses) at all”, Haifuri actually has an over arcing plot and story and it is introduced to the audience in the most dramatic way possible in the first episode. Now what is interesting about the story is the fact that it’s a semi-mysterious-esque plot line which is fairly fresh compared to say Girls und Panzer (I recommend that anime as well) which was a tournament based anime or KanColle, which has the generic story of “fight the bad guys because the narrator said so at the beginning”. Now there’s obviously the ideas of friendship power and team work in this anime as well which isn’t surprising but it’s not intrusive to the plot but rather helps the characters to overcome certain problems, which most of the time they can't overcome regardless of the friendship power and it’s these plot twists and subtle differences that make the story unique and interesting. However, I have to mention the fact that there are a two “filler” episodes in that there’s not really too much naval action and breaks the tension generated by the other episodes but they weren’t intrusive and helped to develop the characters so can’t complain too much.Art and Animation: 9The ships are really well animated and they do feel like the girls are on board a real ship with all of its related equipment and weapons. Explosions are also eye candy and pairs well with the sound effects. The ships move realistically, shakes and rides the waves like a ship would. The water animation is of note as well and makes you feel like they are at sea. If you just came for the battles and fights, you’ll be pleased as the weapons are also fairly well animated (torpedoes especially). If you came for the cute girls then you won’t be disappointed either. 31 cuties each with a different style to match their persona and all of them will leave at least some impressionable image in your mind. Although for some reason, it might just be me, but the ships seems to be in a higher resolution than the characters sometimes. However, it’s nothing too significant that can affect the enjoyment of the show.Sounds: 9OP is catchy and gets stuck in your head, ED is soft and calming. Both fits the theme of the sea very well. The sound track during the anime isn’t used to fill the silence but rather used to great effect adding lots of tension to the scenes. Those sound tracks can really get your heart racing during the fight scenes and your heart throbbing in some of the more emotional scenes, and trust me, the feels will hit you like a truck. Other sounds worth mentioning is the sound effects which are pretty good. You can hear the whistle of the shell getting louder as it get nearer to the ship, the heavy explosion during impact, the creaking of the ship under stress, the echo of detonations of torpedoes in the water and the list just goes on. All these sound effect adds more excitement, tension and action to the scenes and boy they feel satisfying.Characters: 7Now you might be asking why the low score with characters after the praises I’ve sung for in previous categories? Well it’s simple, the problem with casting 31 girls is the fact that there is definitely no way every single one will get developed to a significant degree that you can remember their names and their personas in a 12 episode season (hence this needs a second season please!). So some the supporting cast had very little to say and aren’t presented to us fully which is a downer. However it’s understandable and unavoidable with such a huge cast, but credit to where credit’s due, they did at least try to make every member of the crew memorable in the second to last episode. Now the positives is the fact that those characters that we do see often and remember more are developed very well. The MC, Mike-chan, goes through a series of transformations from slightly clumsy airhead at the start to full blown determined captain by the end, whilst the also uncovering some of the back stories behind her which was “interesting” (used “interesting” to avoid spoiling the feeling, go watch to find out). Shiro-chan, the deputy-captain, started off strict and harsh, but we all knew she was a soft person inside and eventually she shows it as the relationships between the characters grew. To name but a few more; Tama-chan, Rin-chan, Maron-chan, Mei-chan, all these had much differing personalities and each developed and grew in their own way as the story progressed and it really made the series lovable. Also there are two cats. (Personal favourite: Tama-chan)Enjoyment: 10The entire series was enjoyable to me. Each episode made me yearn for more. The tension was brilliant and the story flowed nicely. The action scenes and battles were the highlights for me and was full of excitement and a joy to watch. The characters are definitely lovable and undoubtedly cute. The series was definitely the highlight of the season for me and I want a second season so bad!Overall: 9If you like cute girls, this anime will be your piece of cake whilst also be surprising.If you like military and battles, this anime will still be your cup of tea since that is the anime’s focus which is different from say GirlPan.If you like moe, give it a shot, but it won’t be the main focus, but I think you’ll enjoy some parts of it at least.If you like suspense, well I wouldn’t say it’s very suspenseful but there are elements of it.If you don’t like cute girls, then turn around and leave via the door behind you because there’s no way I can convince you.If you are looking for FANSERVICE, this anime WILL DISAPPOINT you to no end! So follow the cute girl haters out as well and go watch Strike Witches instead.Full speed ahead! Steady as she goes!