Kämpfer

I guess after the series of good anime i was watching lately i was bound to end in some dissappointing one. Today we talk about Kampfer, a series about school fighting and...

Oh forget that, it's just an excuse. It's a lame harem without story that it is not even ashamed to show it doesn't give a damn about not having one. Even when you start thinking something will happen, the series proves you wrong.

The characters are plain and boring. They don't serve any storywise purpose and are there just for the fanservice. Don't get me wrong, i love fanservice, but not when it comes in place of a plot. The character design are also stereotypical, so you could easily missplace them on any other anime. The only ones i found appealing where the disemboweled animal plushies the kampfers carry with them (which as many other things in this anime, are left unexplained).

Disemboweled animals are a girl's best friend...

Kampfer tells the story about Natsuru, a boy who one day wakes up as a girl and one talking disemboweled tiger plush trying to explain him he is now part of an unknown secret world were females battle to death. This is all the story behind it. Yes, there are supposed to be some guys called moderators who manage the whole thing, but no more info on the motives of the fight are given till the last chapter, and when they tell, the story is so absurd and fucked up you don't actually buy it (and i've seen lots of wierd shit already on anime).

From the moment the main characters are all gathered on chapter 4 or so, no action happens whatsoever. No combat until last chapter, in an anime supposed to be about fighting girls!! Seriously, this is sad. Even in the last fight, were you were expecting some, not epic, but let's say at least watchable fight, a 4vs4 fight is resolved with a single clash that beats all foes out, and beats out of you any chance of thinking watching all this was being worthy. But, I mean, it's a logical development: why people would fight if they have no reason too? So we end up again with the main villain: plot.

No reason to fight? Then let's get naked!!

See for example Deadman Wonderland, where the prisoners fight to death to be granted privileges and escape mutilation. They have one pretty solid reason to go all out on a fight. But if a plush tiger with his intestines showing asks you to kill someone for some people you don't even know... Seriously, you think i'm gonna burst from my room killing fellow classmates?
I mean, it's not like the main character even thinks that by fighting he will go back to be a boy by doing so. He doesn't frigging care!

The only person on this whole anime that seems to have a sane neurone to see this whole plot disaster is the class rep: the only character that makes this watchable. In the end you will be more interested in her that in anyone else. She is the only one thinking, she is the only one with guts, and she is the only one wich does not spend all the anime complaining in a high pitch voice about how the main character doesn't love her.

Shizuku: The only girl in the show that has at least one neurone focused on the plot.

The animation is nice overall, but being the characters so plain it doesn't manage to transmit much except on very few specific scenes, usually fanservice ones. Shame is they didn't put the same effort on the fights.

The music is generic, nothing memorable, but i must confess the ending kinda got on me and sometimes plays in my head, despite only having seen it 2 times (the ending animation is not that good).

Shizuku goes for the kill. One of the most daring kisses i've seen in anime.

I know there are some OVA called Kämpfer fur die liebe, I might even grab it in a manly act of masochysm just because i can't satisfy myself thinking the writer of this actually sells it as a light novel. I mean, the novels don't have plot either? Does no one care? You can't see the fanservice on the novel, so there has to be something good on it to have sold, right? Right?

Overall... watch only if bored or you are desperately in need of fanservice, but even then i would point you to Ikkitousen, Seikon no Qwaser or Queen's Blade, which at least have a plot and some cool characters.