Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin!

"Fine, I'll do it myself." — Yostar, probably. The first adaptation of Azur Lane was a disaster. Poor pacing, inconsistent animation quality, bad writing reducing a major faction (Ironblood) to a minor role...gacha adaptations aren't known for their quality, but that didn't stop Azur Lane from sinking in the Sea of Disappoinments. So, what does Bisoku Zenshin do to avoid the same fate? Fluff. Loads upon loads of fluff. Where the first adaptation struggled to find a balance between action and comedy, Bisoku Zenshin doubles down on lightheartedness. Each episode follows Starter Squad on their adventures around home port, encountering other shipgirls along the way while partaking in wholesome activities. Sleepovers, amusement parks, chocolate making, open-aired baths...there is no identity crisis to be found here, Bisoku Zenshin knows it's Slice of Life and delivers in full. Now, does this mean that punchlines will have you laughing into next week? Probably not, but the formulaic routine is enough to keep viewers entertained without throwing them for a loop. The production quality of Bisoku Zenshin is an interesting conundrum. Animated by the newly formed Yostar Pictures alongside CANDY BOX, Bisoku Zenshin's animation quality can best be described as less impressive, but far more consistent than its predecessor. Warm colors, cute facial expressions, lewd close-ups...it's about what you would expect from a Slice of Life, but a few shots (best seen through character stiches) offer a glimpse into what a more refined production pipeline could create once YP gains more experience. As it is, Bisoku Zenshin doesn't do much to impress visually (especially with only an 8 1/2 minute runtime, 6 1/2 minutes if you exclude the ED), but avoiding the issues of its predecessor by starting from scratch and setting the bar low is a reassuring sign for the future. It's even in the name: Bisoku Zenshin, "Slow Ahead"! The characters of Azur Lane are its bread and butter. Where Bisoku Zenshin triumphs here is in broadly characterizing a larger amount of shipgirls than its predecssor while treating Ironblood as it is: A major faction. To put this into perspective, Niimi / Z23 was only given ~3 minutes of screentime in the original adaptation, whereas here she's a main character. Frankly, it boggles my mind how the first adaptation failed at proper faction representation (it didn't even include cameos from minor factions; Bisoku Zenshin does) so to see proper representation now is a relief. As for the broad characterization, it's just that: Broad. Think of it like being introduced to some potential waifu candidates every episode, except that you actually get an idea for their personality instead of being stuck with a brooding, OOC Enterprise for 12 episodes. The character diversity each episode brings is refreshing, and it's unlikely you'll go through the entire cour without finding at least one shipgirl you like. What else? Sound quality is nothing special (some cute tracks here and there; OP and ED are nothing special), voice acting is authentic (same VAs as the game), storyboards use the manga as a base and splice chapters / add new content without an issue...that's about it. Bisoku Zenshin doesn't stray from the pack; its key goal is fanservice above all else. Does that mean it's bad? Far from it, especially when compared to its dumpster fire of a predecessor. It's simply a decent, niche title that will satisfy Azur Lane's playerbase and pull in an anime-only or two with its wholesome moments and diverse cast. What matters is that Bisoku Zenshin knows this, and that's all it needs to stand out from the original adaptation.

What's better than waifu ships fighting? You’re right, just watching our cute little girls have a lot of fun in their everyday life. When the previous main part of Azur Lane came out in late 2019, the hype was really big. After all, Azur Lane is a very successful mobile game, I mean who doesn't want to collect all the different waifus. But the disillusionment came quickly. From the entire animation to a break of several months in between, this anime has suffered a lot of criticism. With "Bisoku Zenshin!" the studio "CANDY BOX" is trying to do everything better and they certainly succeeded in their very first main work! The plot in "Bisoku Zenshin!" is quickly told. It's a typical slice of life anime with a nice amount of fanservice. We experience the exciting and happy everyday life of our main characters Z23, Javelin, Laffey and Ayanami. Whether just going to a festival together or have a barbecue, there are always great moments where they can simply enjoy the day with their friends. It can be noted that they really enjoy their "time off from fighting". After all, our girls deserve a break too! The personalities of the characters should already be known to many viewers, here we experience their typical characteristics again. We have a Z23 that worries a little more than the others and also takes care of her friends. Javelin who is always happy, cheerful and energetic. Our sleepy Laffey is an important part as well and Anayami who sometimes checks things a little slower and gives a cloud-cuckoo-land vibe off at times. All those can be seen here and that's how we like them. They're natural and cute in their own way. The animation is certainly the point that gives us the most pleasure. The quality has increased significantly compared to the previous part. The colorful everyday life of our girls is sweetened even more with maid or bunny costumes. Even the classic “onsen scenes” are shown to us as well. A successful service for us fans! The OP "Longing for!" and also the theme music "Mahiruiro Siesta" are very happy songs that you can simply enjoy. It's not as action-packed as the previously known "graphite / diamond". The soundtracks are just very relaxing to listen to. The background noises and also the voices or characters are on point. "Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin!" is a perfect after-work anime. With its episode length of just 9 minutes, it is also significantly shorter than the standard time of 23-24 minutes. It's an anime to relax and enjoy. There's no such thing as a plot that requires a lot of thought, just watch your waifu ships and enjoy the fan service! All in all, that’s the Azur Lane we want!

Long story short, Bisoku Zenshin is the real Azur Lane adaptation. Let's be honest here: it's a gacha game where you gather shipfus and is known for having a lot of fanservice. There is some story, but it's more like something interesting (or not) on side for most players. Slow Ahead manga, and now anime, focus on those "important" parts, which is SoL, comedy and fanservice. Natural consequence of being a fanservice (in broader meaning, not just sexual) for players of already fanservice focused game, on top of being a short adaptation of 4-koma manga, is that it doesn't explain anything about the world or characters. This anime is aimed at people who already know shipgirls. While I'd love it to bring more players to the game, I can't really recommend starting with it if you had no contact with the Azur Lane universe before. With that out of the way, what can I say about this title? For one, it's actually good. Jokes are funny for the most part and fanservice - be it sexual or just game references - is right on spot. While it could get way more ecchi, I’m ok with the level we got served here. I'm obviously biased, but characters are the strongest point here, as you'd expect from this kind of anime. Their design, voice acting and quirks are all good and also represent their game counterparts properly. Art, and especially sound, aren't anything special. Just simple and cute. In the end, Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin is one of those titles that are there simply for promotion, without even trying to seem like a standalone anime. After all it is an adaptation of an official, free 4-koma manga that's promotional/fanservice material in itself.

Why can’t Azur Lane just be this? I won’t beat around the bush here. These are basically ecchi fan service shorts. However, what makes this stand out compared to the main series is that it leaves out all the drama and action while effectively showcasing the very thing that makes Azur Lane so appealing in the first place: its cute girls. The series boasts itself an ensemble of likable, well-designed characters which is obviously the biggest draw. All the girls are undeniably cute and very attractive. Their personalities, though admittedly catered towards the male demographic, are kind of charming as they work well in a non-hostile environment and that in my opinion is what makes this short little series such a pleasant watch. I would even say it's vastly superior to the main show itself in that there's no action, no jarring CG, no high octane moments or ridiculous plots. It's just a pure slice of life as you primarily follow the group of Laffey, Javelin, Ayanami, and Z23 going about their daily routine interacting with the other characters of the show and learning more about them in a more lighthearted and friendly way. Cooking, cleaning, relaxing, bathing, just having fun...it’s all here. Sure there’s nothing amazing with the animation or the story but it’s serviceable for what it is and doesn’t try to cram in too much. Perhaps you had some mixed feelings towards the main show itself but still liked the characters and their designs and just wanted to see them doing cute things. If this sounds like you, give this a try. It's short but sweet and if that's what you seek in your anime, you can’t really go wrong with this one. Of course, this is moreso for people already familiar with the series so it's best to have some knowledge of it. I for one wouldn't mind seeing more of this if there ever was a continuation.

To be blunt, the anime is made for the people who played the game. It is what they wished azur lane should be. Just a slice of life without any threats of war with the sirens, just peace within the factions. Me, who has been playing the game for a long time who also just quit recently made me want to play the game again. Made me realize that it's all about the waifus and all. Although the game is pretty heavy now my phone can't even handle it so that's a consideration for another day. For other viewers who have never played the game, this may be appealing to them for other reasons such as the heavy fanservice that is put into this show. but uhh sexualizing uhh lolis may be questionable. Other things I will mention is the lack of explanation on the different factions, heck they didn't even mention the names of the factions themselves showing that the playerbase are truly the ones who can understand the show. There are 4 main factions in the show, the IJN, USS, KMS, and HMS. Laffey, Javelin, Nimi, and Ayanami are all from different factions being USS, HMS, KMS, IJN in their respective order. Its really similar to gochuumon wo usagi desu ka, a show that also features lots of kids. I can see how people will enjoy the show but I don't think I've enjoyed this one very much although I do feel a little bit nostalgic because it represents the game. 6/10

Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin! (2021) Honestly, waifu wars the anime this feels like. Also, in Japanese, some of the voices like Laffey, how the VA manages to keep that up beats me. They deserve a raise and yet I feel like the dub version like the main show will be beyond hilarious. The story is about cute ship-girls doing cute ship-girl stuff. Nothing more needs to be said really apart from it brings our 4 starter destroyers together the whole way through. The art is really nice quality and honestly, I could say is better quality than the main show in this art form. The opening a simple set of our girls saying the title is perfect. The ED simple yet satisfying. Sounds are good but voices are amazing as always. Javelin also, a pretty great voice to hold. Characters are as you would expect. Personalities are developed but also linked in relation to how the ships were in real life to an extent. You meet newer companions such as Honoloulou our cute redhead. Highlights: In episode 10 we get Javelin hair down which is spectacular. Shoukaku appears with an amazing voice an Ara Ara style one. In episode 11 you get Mutsu and the best girl of the whole show, my favourite girl personally, Nagato who is super cute. Kawakaze also appears in a very cute way too. You also get some cute Akashi moments and also some very cute Yukikaze moments. In all the show is super cute and many Ahhhh! moments for you to enjoy. Bel-chan is also adorable. Feel like Sheffield could have had more appearance since her voice is amazing as well as her style. I must say it is an 8/10 since the story doesn't have any real purpose. It is a must-watch since it is so great to see. I will watch it again in English just to hear the hilarity of their voices. Hopefully, it matches up with the main show in that sense. I also hope this comes back for further episodes.

"Life is shit-tier game" - Ayanami This is a spinoff of main story Azur Lane. Azur Lane, Slow Ahead! offers lighthearted version of main story, its definitely CGDCG anime but i really like this short story and enjoyable to watch the main starters (Javelin, Z23, Laffey, Ayanami) adventures around main base. The interaction between the characters are also cute and adorable. They didnt include Unicorn or Enterprise but its okay since the short time given to this anime. The opening is fun and i liked it! The VA doing a good job in this series and also in the game too. Seeing Laffey again outside of game is really nice since she is my starter in game too. Overall i really enjoy this short story of Azur Lane, and i hope they can make more from this series. For short i will give (8/10).

I wasn't a big fan of Azur Lane's anime adaptation and I don't even play the mobile game. That said, I decided to give this show a chance because, honestly, I had nothing better to do with my time. So, was this show... acceptable? Well, let's hop on and find out, shall we? Story While the original Azur Lane was more serialized, Slow Ahead focuses on episodic adventures and depicts the ship girls in all kinds of cutesy situations, like custome parties and sleep-overs. The action element that was so prevalent in the original Azur Lane is non-existent here, so this show loses a lot of points in the way of entertainment. (6/10) Characters If there's one good thing I can say about Slow Ahead is that at least the characters are consistent with the way they are portrayed in the original series. I enjoyed the friendship between Laffey, Javelin, Ayanami and Z23 and their interactions with the supporting casts. If nothing else, you can enjoy Slow Ahead for the character writing (7/10) Art The visual quality in the original Azur Lane wasn't the best, but Slow Ahead takes a significant downgrade, as there's no action and the show focuses on cutesy stuff. Sure, the simpler aesthetics are easier on the designers or the animators but it just comes off as lazy and yet another attempt to make a profit of the Azur Lane brand. (5/10) Sounds The soundtrack of this show is mostly forgettable, but the vocal performances are incredible. The talents of Yui Horie (Belfast), You Taichi (Ayanami) and Risa Taneda (Zuikaku) are always appreciated. (8/10) Conclusion In closing here, Slow Ahead isn't a bad show and is a mild improvement over the original Azur Lane, but it still comes off as a blatant attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Azur Lane brand. The original Azur Lane series wasn't a success by any means, so I can't, for the life of me, understand why would a spin-off get greenlit. If you want a show about cute girls doing cute things, then Slow Ahead is the right show for you. If you want a show about intense naval battles and nuanced character development, then I suggest you look elsewhere. (6/10)

Just like the show,imma keep this short. Azur lane : Slow Ahead (crunchyroll translation don't hit me please) is a fun little episodic adventure clocking at 8 minutes an episode that mainly revolves around the everyday life of ship girls,with the main cast being part of the OG loli squad,with cameos from plenty of other ships. This is an adaptation of a side story from the gagcha game with the same name,Azur lane. In this little show you won't really find out about the main story and how most of anything works in the universe. The Commander you hear about is you(the player in the game). Makes it very easy to sell ship girls and avoid drama created by other contenders (other dudes). This anime is all about the fluff. There's no arching story as once again, the events are presented in an episodic manner. This plays perfectly into the short duration of each episode really. It's cute,it's lighthearted, it's a perfect break between other anime . There's honestly no complaints. I fully recommend this for the reasons mentioned above. And my pillow search would end at the second one really ;).

This... this is HOW an adaptation for Azur Lane should be done. Just CGDCT. I mean sure, warships. But AL isn't about that, it's about the fanservice and just collecting cute girls who are loosely warships. The story in the game, in a series of events, is already FAR FAR BETTER than the disaster that is Biburylane. The in-game storyline makes a lot more sense from a lore standpoint. Bisoku Zenshin isn't that though, it's just the main starters (including Nimi/Z23, YEY) exploring the port. If this was the Biburylane story, I'd be totally okay with it. Although, the OP for that anime is pretty good not gonna lie. Go watch this instead of the Biburylane. The story of that anime is non-canon anyway. OVERALL RATING: 8.00/10

Why yes I did just play exclusively Operation Siren while watching this show. And yes, I finished playing my dailies faster than it took to watch this. META ships don’t farm themselves. While not necessarily a continuation of the actual Azur lane anime (though you could kind of bend it to be one), Slow Ahead! again follows our four destroyers from the four main fleets in the series: IJN Ayanami, USS Laffey, HMS Javelin, and KMS Z-23, or Niimi for short. Together, the four destroyers experience life around the naval base, interacting with various ships from each of the four fleets in a slice of life experience that’s objectively more lewd than daily life really should be. And that’s really it. Look, the show’s only about six minutes a pop and based on a 4-koma manga, so there really isn’t a lot to go off of here. Oddly enough though, I would consider this a somehow better example of the Azur Lane story because every short is contained, straightforward, and actually quite lax. There’s not much else to talk about since all we have are slice of life romps, although the situations vary heavily from hunting in the woods to doing some spring cleaning, all the way to finding out which of the several dozen girls featured in the show have the best ‘pillows’ to sleep on. Yes that is an episode plot; don’t think about it too hard. That being said, this kind of story is predominantly why I think it works so well for Azur Lane specifically and why I would consider it to be a ‘better adaptation’ for fans or newcomers. The game currently has 521 ships at the time of writing this. What Slow Ahead! does is take a small handful of the more popular ships and themes one of the episodes around them to create the self contained story. Rarely does the show ever focus on more than two ships from the plethora pool of many aside from the destroyer quartet, so the show doesn’t end up feeling bloated or anything because before, left right and center had a character from the game that we just don’t get the name to because there’s not enough time in the show to explain who or what they are. And since Yostar has their own animation studio now, much of what we got in terms of animation quality at least looks and feels the part to make it seem like ‘Azur Lane’. The artystyle is certainly more bubbly than I was expecting, and there were a lot more physics and…shot decisions than I would’ve liked, but considering this is a game that has bar none one of the most expansive cosmetics selections to choose from, so much so that they practically give skins away in certain events, I really should not be surprised. I will say that the inclusion of certain skins from the game (and oddly enough game mechanics?) was a welcome treat because it really shows that the showrunners cared enough to do a good enough job with advertising their game in addition to making it admittedly kind of a fun watch. Which leads me to calling this a fun watch if nothing else. The show in total is only a little over an hour to watch the whole thing, and for Azur Lane fans, this show is a more rewarding watch than the original adaptation that was attempted before. Though certainly not something that’s stellar by any means, it is entertaining nonetheless. Admittedly I would’ve preferred the show to at least have a little bit of dignity with who they chose to showcase and in what fashion to showcase them in, but after playing this game for about three years, I really should’ve expected this and it was stupid of me to think this could’ve gone any other direction. Oh well. At least I got to see Shokaku and Zuikaku talk to each other again; always a fan of watching voice actors just talking to themselves.

Very fluffy series. It is fanservice-ly moe. Story isn't something you would find here since this short anime is based on 4-komas manga. As such, story isn't a major contributing factor. For Yostar Picture's first project, this one is very good. They tried to closely follow the manga's artstyle which is welcomed. Animations are fluid in most cases, some oddity here and there but overall is fine. I was not that fond of the opening in the beginning but I guess it started to grow on me. Of course the main selling point of spin-offs like these are the characters. I really like the Azur Lane's shipgirls personality. I think this would be a series you would enjoy if you are familiar with the characters, it will become so much better. I am hoping for a season 2, haha.

I don't normally write reviews, but I have recently gotten addicted to the Azur Lane game since this series did a good enough job promoting the cuteness of the shipgirls. If you are looking for a series with fantastic art, story, or sound design, I don't think this series is for you. It's not that any of these features are bad, but I personally thought that the quality of most aspects of Bisoku Zeshin were just good (7/10 for Story, Art, Sound). But those aren't normally the main incentives for watching a cute girls doing cute things, slice of life anime. The main reason I tend to enjoy these types of series has to do with the cuteness of the girls, and I thought Bisoku Zenshin did a fine job with that. This series focused mainly on the four starter ships (Niimi, Ayanami, Javelin, and Laffey), and followed them around as they interacted with some of the other ships. These interactions were all fairly amusing and showcased the cute side of these ships. There were a few cases where some of the names of the ships were brief and hard to remember, but for the most part each of the side character ships were given enough time to make them memorable (8/10 for Characters). I personally thought that Bisoku Zenshin succeeded in the places where the other Azur Lane anime and the KanColle anime failed. Both of those other series had two major problems in my books. The first problem was with the scale. Both of those series tried to introduce way too many characters, which made most of them hard to remember. Bisoku Zenshin only had a handful of characters in the series, so this wasn't as much of a problem. The other issue with the other series was the relationship between their story and the series goal. In the end, all three of these series are trying to get more people interested in the game. But the other series got tied up trying to have some grand, action-based story line, and that kind of diluted the ability for the series to spend time on the cute aspects of shipgirls. Without the dilution from a storyline, this series was really effective as a promotional series for Azur Lane (which is why I am now addicted to the game). In conclusion, I think that the quality of this series was good. It wasn't anything stellar, but I felt like it was well worth the time each week (even prior to starting the game). So as long as you are a fan of cute stuff I'm fairly sure you'd enjoy this series. (7/10 for Overall). That said, I enjoyed this show a lot more than I expected. I've always been a CGDCT fan, and I really enjoyed seeing all the interactions between these shipgirls. For my personal enjoyment, this series was perfect (10/10 for Enjoyment).

If you like slice of life and would like to see an SoL spin on Azur Lane with ofc (bc it's not azur lane without it) fan service here and there then Slow Ahead might be for you. Honestly imo like it's predecessor it's no masterpiece but it's definitely better than the original anime even though I basically like both now. I'm too tired to write a big review but it's definitely binge-able and I was able to finish it the same day I started given each episode is only 8 minutes long. I also really like the way the characters were written and I especially enjoyed Akashi getting high on catnip wiith the meowfficers LMAO that was cute to watch. Love me some Akashi :) I'd so protect her with everything in me. Anyways I can't wait to watch S2 I've seen some good things about S2!

Now this anime is exactly what the original anime Azur Lane should have been! Let's look at the categories and why I chose what I did. Story: 10/10. The best thing about Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin! is it has NO story. The best story is no story in a short series like this. With each episode being about 8ish minutes long, there's nothing better than not having to worry about a story and the plotlines. Each episode is its own story, and that brings its own charm, by including different characters each episode, aside from our 4 main girls, Laffey, Ayanami, Javelin and Z23 (Niimi-chan). It shows all the factions hanging out and having a good time, just like it should be. No wars, no battles, no hatred and animosity amongst them. Just friends, sleepovers, videogames and struggles with schoolwork. Art: 9/10. This could easily be a 10/10 with how good the artwork has been done in terms of adapting it from the game to an anime standpoint. I only made it a 9/10 because I felt in some places their cheeks were just a little too rosey-shiny but that's not a huge issue. Some coloring looked a little off in some places as well but that may have just been from my eyes binging the entire series without a break. Either way, a 9 or 10 is a good fit for the artwork. It's got smooth animation and great voice acting. It's not written in a cringy way at all, like it's predecessor, nor is the artwork clunky with an unfinished feeling to it. Sound: 8/10. I didn't have any issues with the soundtrack or music they used for the show. It was quite fitting but me being my biased self, I would have liked at least a mini intro clip aside from the "Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin!" It's nice because it jumps right into the show, and it's expected to be absent because each episode is different. Intros usually show a preview of what to expect during the series as a whole, and while this is entirely of shorts, I can understand not having an intro clip. Doesn't mean I'm not a little bummed out about it but it is what it is. Character: 9/10. The only reason this isn't a 10/10 is because while I like the character diversity and the focus on the main 4 destroyer girls, I'm a little bummed at the lack of focus on other characters who are very prevalent to the game itself. While this isn't an adaptation of the game, I personally would have liked some more inclusion of other characters like Akagi, Kaga, Hood, and San Diego, but I'm glad to see Taihou, Rodney and Honolulu got some attention, so I suppose it evens out. Giving focus to characters who are traditionally second-focus and only noticed during events in the game, like Baltimore, Formidable and Bismarck, was surprising and very refreshing. Character development isn't an issue here because the show is set with the characters already being developed as they are, and instead focuses on their daily adventures. And that's totally fine. I wouldn't want to see any attempt at major character development in a short like this. The closest thing we get to development is with Ayanami, and if you watch the show, you'll know exactly what I mean by this. Enjoyment: 10/10. It's very hard to not smile and laugh out loud while watching this show. The antics, the art, the writing. Everything about it brings a smile to your face. Whether it be from Ayanami being a slouch, Niimi-chan for scolding her, Laffey falling asleep everywhere or Javelin being a klutz, you can really see the personalities of the characters in each episode. Despite some being present for only a minute or two, like Graf Spee, it's still heartwarming when you see them interact with each other and talk about being friends instead of enemies. The show is an absolute delight to watch, and with each episode being 8 minutes, it's very easy to get through. Though it may leave you wanting more, but that's what the manga is for! Overall: 9/10. The show is a fantastic little spin-off from the game showing how things are when there's no threat of Sirens blowing the ports up. The characters all have personality, they interact with each other in the exact way you'd expect them to based off that personality and they're all friendly with each other, despite being enemies in the past. It's just an all-around enjoyable show. You'll laugh and shake your head and feel slightly fuzzy inside at how close of friends all the characters are. So go ahead and watch an episode or two. If you have time to watch a normal 20ish minute long episode of one show, you've got the time to watch two episodes of this wonderfully goofy show.