KanColle: The Movie

KanColle: The Movie (Japanese: 劇場版 艦これ, Hepburn: Gekijō-ban KanKore) is a 2016 Japanese animated film adaptation of the video game series Kantai Collection, and it’s also based on the television anime of the same name. The film was produced by Diomedéa, directed by Keizō Kusakawa, and written by Kensuke Tanaka and Jukki Hanada, featuring character designs by Mayuko Matsumoto and Naomi Ide. It was released in Japan by Kadokawa Pictures on November 26, 2016. It was confirmed that the film will get the 4DX and MX4D screenings throughout February 11, 2017. Aniplus Asia later screened the anime film.

Plot
The movie starts off after the events of Episode 3, when Kisaragi had sunk. The Mikawa Fleet (Furutaka, Aoba, Kako, Kinugasa and Tenryuu) are in the middle of Night Battle(Battle of Savo Island). Choukai uses Searchlight and gets medium damage, but they win in the end. A New Fleet Girl gets "dropped", emerging from the sea. It is Kisaragi. Kisaragi is brought back to the temporary base in Solomon Islands, but she is suffering from PTSD and has amnesia, unable to remember anyone from back in the anime, excluding Mutsuki.

Meanwhile, the fleet celebrates their victory in the Ironbottom sound campaign. During the time Kisaragi slowly starts turning into an Abyssal Vessel, but she is still able to retain her consciousness and starts crying. Seeing the situation, Kaga finally reveals the secret: At the start of this war, there were two factions, Fleet Girls and Abyssal Vessels. Both fight for an unknown reason, but if Fleet Girls sink, they become Abyssal Vessels, and the vice versa can happen where a sunk Abyssal Vessel can turn into a Fleet Girl.

There is this crimson aura in some areas in the ocean, which indicates a source of heavy Abyssal power resides in there. Kaga was originally an Abyssal Vessel and retains her memory as an Abyssal Vessel. The Fleet decides to investigate and commences an operation, consisting of 4 task forces, where the true goal was to escort Fubuki into this dark portal in the middle of the Crimson Sea, which is a source of the Abyssal Vessels' power. (This portal looks practically the same as the final map in PS VITA KanColle Kai.)

Several battles occur, where several Fleet Girls become heavily damaged from battle but no one gets sunk. When they arrive at the Dark Portal, only Yamato, Mutsuki and Fubuki remain. Yamato and Mutsuki become Heavily Damaged from battle but out of nowhere, half-transformed Abyssal Kisaragi comes to their aid, and Fubuki takes the chance to jump into the Dark Portal.

It is revealed that this area was the place where the actual IJN Destroyer Fubuki got sunk in 1942 (Cape Esperance, the infamous 'Ware-Aoba'). The secret is revealed, that when all of the Ships sunk during back in World War II, their Souls left the ships, wandering around the sea, while constantly switching back and forth from Abyssal Vessels to Fleet Girls. Fubuki meets her Dark Persona, an Abyssal Fubuki, who tries to persuade Fubuki into becoming an Abyssal Vessel. Fubuki refuses, and both go through a mental breakdown through a Mind Battle, through which Fubuki and her doppelgänger become one.

Afterwards, the Dark Portal disappears, similar to when an Event map is cleared. Abyssal Vessels disappear from the area, but Abyssal Kisaragi disappears as well, after exchanging few last words with Mutsuki. Fubuki is afterwards promoted to both 11th Destroyer Division, as well as the Vanguard of the 2nd Torpedo Squadron for her efforts, but is immediately after called out for a mission, to which she promises her Dark Persona to make peace in the oceans one day.

In a post-credits scene, Mutsuki is able to reunite with Kisaragi; the movie concludes just as Mutsuki jumps to embrace her sister.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Uses its content from the show very well, and helps out with ending the story.
 * 2) Very cool and fitting plot for a show like Kantai Collection, and taking place after episode 3 of the anime, where Kisaragi is resurrected and is brought back to safety on Solomon Islands, but has PTSD and amnesia, forgetting everyone, except for her sister, Mutsuki.
 * 3) The characters from the show are a lot more likable in this movie, especially Fubuki, Yuudachi, Akagi, and Nagato, as Fubuki actually gets time to shine in the film as the main character and doesn’t get overshadowed, and they all showed that they truly care for Kisaragi, and did everything they could to get her back.
 * 4) This movie also features other popular fleet girls like Chokai and Ryojo, that didn't made their appearances in the TV series, and they still remain their lovable selves.
 * 5) Amazingly bright and colorful artstyle and animation that is an improvement to the show's artstyle and animation.
 * 6) The voice acting is awesome and a lot better than usual.
 * 7) The soundtrack is still good, especially the songs "Kikan" and "Just One".
 * 8) Sendai and other fleet girls this time received their option in this movie as well, which is good, considering that they usually don’t in the TV show.
 * 9) Unlike the TV show, the film doesn’t switch between a serious and dramatic tone and a laid-back slice-of-life comedy, and actually makes this a fully serious and dramatic movie, while at the same time, not being too dramatic.
 * 10) It gives a good message to always look out for your friends, and if there’s a chance to save them, you should take that chance, showing what a true friend you really are.
 * 11) Awesome action and battle scenes that are a major improvement to the show.
 * 12) Very dramatic and emotional scenes, such as the scene where Kisaragi cries as she’s being turned into a Abyssal Vessel, and when Fubuki and her dark Abyssal counterpart go through a mental breakdown through a Mind Battle, through which Fubuki and her doppelgänger become one.
 * 13) This movie is a lot more faithful to the game it’s based on than the anime, like how the dark portal looks practically the same as the final map in PS VITA KanColle Kai.
 * 14) We finally get an explanation on why Kanmusu and Abyssal Fleet are fighting each other, as there is a heavy Abyssal power source in the ocean’s crimson area, which shows that the source is an evil power which created the Abyssal Fleet’s Vessels by taking innocent people who sunk, and the Kanmusu’s Fleet Girls are trying to destroy the power and save the innocents, who can be turned back into Fleet Girls, and it all connects on when the ships sunk during WWII.
 * 15) Kisaragi resists control and is only half Abyseal, as her half Fleet Girl self is strong and allows her to come to aid of her friends, which definitely helps in the battle.
 * 16) A good ending where after Fubuki merges with her doppelgänger, the dark portal closes, and the Abyssal Vessels disappear, including Abyssal Kisaragi, but not before telling Mutsuki to find the real Kisaragi. And Fubuki gets the respect she deserves, becoming the 2nd Torpedo Squadron's Vanguard and the 11th Destroyer Division, and goes out to complete a mission she’s called out for, and promising her Dark Persona that one day, in the oceans, she will make peace with her.
 * 17) An emotional and heartwarming post-credits scene, where Mutsuki and the real Kisaragi reunite, and Mutsuki jumps and embraces her sister in a loving hug, showing that the sisters love each other very much and are relieved that the other is safe.
 * 18) Regardless of how bad Kantai Collection is of a show, this movie was an excellent way to end an otherwise atrocious anime.

Reception
KanColle: The Movie received mixed to positive reviews that are definitely more positive than the terrible anime it was based on. It has a 7.51/10 rating on MyAnimeList, a 5.9/10 rating on IMDb, and a 3.38/5 rating on Anime-Planet.