A narrative of “Kantai Collection Movie Sequence” as I watched its one-day screening at the SM Megamall Cinema 11 last May 6, 2017. (with Spoilers)

One Saturday, I told my boss that I’ll be out for a moment. A few words later, he asked me if the “time machine” I had is working, so I said, “Yes sir, it’s working, and it will transport me to 1942, where the ships are females.” Yep.

That was the day when the “Kantai Collection Movie Sequence” docked into Cinema 11 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, and I was lucky to see its first screening at 2:00pm.

The place is well-attended by anime fans and admirals alike, who are supporting the naval fleet as they embarked into a new adventure. Moreover, most of Cinema 11’s seats are removed, which is great.

The Story

By this point, I shall now narrate the movie — coming from the standpoint of one who has watched the anime series in full. I have not yet played the game, so I will base this from how the story flowed so far, a little while after the anime has ended.

Yes, there are spoilers. Huge spoilers. I cannot tell the movie in whole without spoiling you.

The movie’s focus is still on the lead cast of the anime series — to recap, Fubuki is the lead main character here, below her are Mutsuki and Yuudachi, and then the rest… that’s how I think the hierarchy is in this case.

This time, the movie takes focus on Fubuki and Kisaragi. Knowing my limited knowledge on the concept of KanColle, Kisaragi was a living, breathing plot hole. She’s alive!…?

It was told in the movie that there’s a high possibility that Kisaragi can turn back into a kantai musume (to be referred to as kanmusu in the next few paragraphs) if she is sunk in her abyssal form. To think that her case was placed under Category D, I thought to myself: D is for Dorama… and Mutsuki delivers.

We also learned the presence of existentialism in the movie, as (our ever-loved[?]) Fubuki and the fleet goes into an all-out offensive to see the Ironbottom (Savo) Sound, know why they hear voices form there, and why the area surrounding it is a dangerous spot for ships due to corrosion.

Further Reading: Why wartime wrecks are slicking time bombs

The fleet has noticed that Fubuki was not affected by the corrosion and was able to calm the heck of the sound down, as if she is reassuring it.

Fubuki can’t remember anything prior to her entry in Chinjufu — who she was and why she’s there — why so? The one beside me should state why better than me: “She was a drop ship.” If we are to dig deeper in World War II history, she sunk at the Ironbottom Sound.

Who’s the voice calling on Fubuki and the fleet then? Fubuki’s other self. Yes, she sunk, but she hoped so much getting back to the docks that she actually did, leaving her sad, sad memories with her wreck. While Fubuki is poised as a symbol of hope, her wreck — her other abyssal self — seeks destruction and the world’s reset.

So, what happened after she met her other self? I am reminded of the SWORD ART ONLINE Ordinal Scale movie, wherein the bad experiences were separated from the surviving pioneers of Aincrad. They went incomplete. This is the same to Fubuki until she met her abyssal self.

Now that she knows her past, the tension is freed, the abyssals are disappearing one by one, and the world is saved… not without injuries from the fleet though, but they were healed after repairs, I guess. (I am discreet about what happened to Kisaragi though, that’s the one thing that I‘m OK not to spoil to you. She should be fine.)

My Thoughts

While the plot is confusing, the feeling of “memento mori” is there. Yes, KanColle is set on an alternate 1942 where war is everywhere, but if we think deeper, the movie’s all-out assault seems like it’s on a sort-of 1942 time-warp, where the ships are solving a post-war problem.

It does feel lacking — I was only able to see Shimakaze but not in a dialogue, and new shipgirls were not introduced in the movie. It’s like a season finale, y’know?

The Kantai Collection Movie Sequence proceeds where the anime series left off, and eventually caps it off. If you are loyal to Fubuki, then this movie’s for you; if not (I’m a Kongou loyalist), then prepared to be disappointed. If ship loyalty is not your cup of tea, then you should be able to enjoy this movie despite the gaffes.

Movie photos taken from Aniplus Asia (many thanks for making this happen!)