There are times when I think Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is the most ridiculously ill-fitting show ever on NoitaminA.  But then I remember Guilty Crown aired on the block too, and I suppose that makes it about a tie.  Koutetsujou is certainly better (at least so far) but that either one should air in this slot just seems utterly ludicrous.

Whatever else one might be inclined to say about this show, I don’t think it can be accused of not going big. There’s just something about action sequences on moving trains that screams “epic”, and then when you throw in samurai zombies and bloodthirsty half-zombies who fight for the good guys, well- you’d think that’d be enough.  But you also have some of the silliest groans in monster flick history and a totally random guy speaking Japanese in an American accent (he’s actually played by an American actor named – no kidding – Max Powers) for no reason. It’s completely goofy but it sure is enthusiastic.

I don’t know how much point there is in talking about any of the characters, because they’re pretty much all walking otaku cliches.  When you combine this sort of top-shelf action with real characters and smart dialogue, you have shows that are regarded as anime classics.  When you have what you have in Koutetsujou, you have forgettable popcorn entertainment – but the kind that’s usually highly commercially successful.  And I fully expect this series to be just that.

I’ll certainly be tuning it to see what Wit comes up with next. Twin-Kodachi wielding zombies called Wazatori?  It’s so cool it’s surprising no one thought of it a long time ago. How will Araki and Okouchi top themselves?  That alone is enough reason to stick around.