Haifuri: High School Fleet – 03

Deputy Captain School Slipper McSharkyshark on Deck!

The mystery is so deep, it takes a submarine to get to the bottom of it. We-ll, this one does have a submarine, and the mystery is getting deeper the more the program moves on.

I have to start acting more like a captain

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So, that’s either seven ships lost or seven ships gone over to the other side?

The Y467 Harekaze is finding that the distance between the rock and the hard place is closing rapidly; they don’t have a great deal of time to dither about, seeing as how they are caught in the middle. Principal Munetani is in the same position, as the Maritime Safety Committee (who I assume is one of the highest if not the highest sea power around) has just lowered the boom. If she cannot contain these mutineers in her school, then they the Committee will have no choice but to seize those ships, and failing that sink them.

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The Captain has a cat on her head…your insurrection is invalid…

Now, at this point I am smelling some kind of civil war on the horizon. The Blue Mermaids look to be a major maritime force; but one that is dedicated to peace, exploration, rescue and defense, and has influence to keep that dedication perhaps? Influence, however, is capable of being tipped the other direction under the right circumstances. So the goings on behind the scenes of this one continues to be in deep cover for one more week it seems. Good job, show. Good job.

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…they’re lucky they didn’t take on massive water…

But, back out at sea, the crew is working round the clock to get their boat back up to running speed. They still have a choice between the rendezvous at home port or answering the emergency call from the Musashi. This has Akeno, as ship’s captain, on the edge. While she has an incredibly strong connection to her childhood friend, a connection that probably informs her desire to bet the best captain she can be, Akeno ultimately has to be responsible to her crew.

Pictured: Gruff

This is a lot of pressure for a young girl to have to face suddenly, and Mashiro, needing to prove her own worth, and indeed carrying a great deal of worry about her own family back home, might not be helping out all that much; actually she’s doing a great job in the role as the grumpy no-nonsense deputy captain we’ve seen in a bunch of other places (Saul Tigh being my favorite). Yeah, she’s shipping a ton of aggro on deck but that contrast gives us a great piece of entertainment. Still, she is still in second-guessing her captain mode; not that isn’t unjustified.

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The smiling faces hide the sour heart inside…

But even in such metaphorical rough seas, they manage to find the course: get back home. Later on, the call from home assuring them safe passage so long as they didn’t make any other port, makes this look like the right choice. But just a bit more thought made me hold my nose at the smell, and as I pointed out, I already got the wife of subterfuge already. What danger would the Harekaze prove, in the long run, to any port out there? Inexperienced, low on ammo, probably getting low on food and other provisions , and damaged enough to make any protracted siege they could muster seem very pointless. But that’s a story for another time, I think. For now it’s homeward bound.

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So that’s what a paravane is for?

But not before they have fun with submarines and a German. I can’t really say much about the sub and such as I don’t understand the military/naval  battles enough to make an effective breakdown. But I love how the kitchen crew also serves on deck (a dual performance by the crew and by a VA fave, Kanae Itou plays both Homare and Akane the rice ballers and depth chargers), and that they’re still a bunch of newbs trying hard under a tough spread of situations. Asskicking Asskickers that Kick Ass is my least favorite characterization, and this crew is so very far from that. The show plays back and forth with the cast member’s merits and flaws so very well, there is never a dull moment, each beat keeping the story moving forward. Even the doctor (a rather taciturn/laconic Kana Asumi) has her moments, and Maron the engineer get’s high grades this episode as the Scotty/Geordie. But the break out character might just be Marikouji, ships communication, and very terrible bugler…with special mention going to Rin’s specialty escape tactics…

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Welcome to the crew Winner Brown Sugar. I see yelling at Rin comes naturally to you, too…

But of course, it’s all about the new arrival/transfer student. I love how Akeno has trouble with that big old German handle. But it suits Mii-chan (Braunschweig Ingenol Friedeburg, Wilhelmina) to a tee as she brings a great big old clue along with all the – rather obvious duh turn out the lights and such – help she provides in a pinch. She took command very effectively, almost too effective. That is quite the story beat, as I see what could be a rift between her and Akeno forming before they even know it. Akeno serves her crew, no question about it now. But Mii wants to get back to her ship and set things right. For right now, that doesn’t look like trouble, but it does rather set up the sides for who makes what kind of sacrifices on down the line. Also, she got out of pajamas and into uniform quick!!!

Salted Hot Chocolate

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This show really knows how to blaze ahead with few stops, doesn’t it? There isn’t a single scene that doesn’t move the characters or the plot forward. There is just the right amount of CGDCTs, action, drama, tension, and mystery. I have to salute the direction of this show. Too soon is the hand shown, and we would know the battle lines drawn before anything got started. If this is civil war, then I love this fresh take on how it all starts. If it isn’t civil war, then how they are able to make this thing purr with so little information is quite remarkable. Damn good storytelling. So tell me….does what does situation on Mii-chan’s former ship say about the plot? Sudden drop in communication then everyone mutinies…there is more to the story for sure…

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*Goodjobmedia!!!!

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All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
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10 Responses to “Haifuri: High School Fleet – 03”

  1. Namaewoinai says:

    I owe you a apology people, i got it wrong, it seem like the pirates doesn’t take over the ship, but something like a electrical failure…

    UGH, Gosh this show is indeed to be scrutinized IMO!

    Also i fear that once the Harekaze crew returns to base and…

    OH Yeah Just one thing say hello to Ms. Scheisse Er…i mean Winner Brown Sugar…Who is she again…Oh yeah, i just want this girl to be on a uh…You know!! XDDDDD

    • skylion says:

      We’ve crossed aliens off the list…we might as well cross pirates off…I’m still keeping my eye on Cthulhu and Spongebob, cause those two are just shifty. Of course the OP might not be lying…

      Oh, what’s that?

      • Namaewoinai says:

        Which leads to this…A very old yet organize Conglomerate (more powerful than the government) that who is responsible for that disaster….

        Well, Maybe…! Just…Maybe, I just want to cross fingers for this…

        • skylion says:

          ..the clue to that fissure was in the second episode

          • Namaewoinai says:

            Wait…That Stuff, Whoa…I was thinking that kind of thing will power up ships as fuel! or i wonder what will be more of used of that…a drug or some sort of a weapon or anything else…

            • skylion says:

              Well, it’s real stuff and it could become an emerging energy source that supplements or replaces oil. Japan happens to be next to a bunch of deposits of it, so does Russia. So, it makes for an interesting framing device, this “monster” from the depths that could spur on the plot just like it begins the OP…

  2. Di Gi Kazune says:

    War is Hell….

    That looks like my bed with all the plushies on the top deck. :3

  3. […] by the captain, some of her patented luck and pluck only this time with parachute steering– a hark back to the third episode’s guile and pluck, really does pay off in the end as they are able to […]

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