A hundred years after catastrophic shifts in tectonic plates caused most of its area to submerge,
Japan now thrives as a maritime nation. High functioning cities line the coasts of Japan, and well
developed sea routes are defended by specialized naval ships. The marine industry is flourishing, and
young girls are eager to join the Blue Mermaids—highly skilled women who devote their lives to
protecting the seas.
After some time apart, childhood friends Akeno Misaki and Moeka China are reunited at Yokosuka Girls'
Marine High School. Here they are joined by others who share their dream of becoming Blue Mermaids.
Soon, training exercises commence, with Akeno and Moeka being put in charge of their own ships and
crew. Everything is progressing smoothly for Akeno as she settles into her role as captain and builds
camaraderie between her fellow crew members aboard the Harekaze, a destroyer ship. However, unexpected
engine and navigation failures soon leave their ship stranded and the crew in danger.
High School Fleet follows the Harekaze's valiant crew as they navigate treacherous waters and
other obstacles on their quest to become fully-fledged Blue Mermaids.
(Source: MAL Rewrite)
When it comes to naval animes there's generally 2 takes. On one side, you have animes like Kancolle and Azur Lane, who take the Anthropomorphize approach and give human girls ship-like qualities, and on the other side, you have Haifuri, which seeks to faithfully recreate what naval action truly is about. Haifuri is one of the biggest baits in anime history. You watch its trailers and think its just more "cute anime girls doing cute things", but just like its land-based counterpart Girls Und Panzer AKA Garupan, it is so much more than that. Haifuri, in my opinion, is closer in similarity to Girls Und Panzer than it is to Azur Lane. It doesn't give their ships a face and tells us why they fight, they give their crews a face and tell us why they live. Haifuri, like Garupan, successfully and faithfully recreated the best parts of the glory of military service. Their showcase of the naval fleet is absolutely banger, and their plotline roots deeper and is more compelling than both Garupan and Azur Lane. **General Plot** One of Haifuri's biggest strengths is the fact that the action starts right off the bat. On episode 1 the crews are assigned, the ships sail out, and the first combat already sets the overall plotline in motion, and this plot will span from the opening episode to the last moments of the final episode. I will admit that it does lose sight of the overarching story sometimes, but overall, the overarching story is brilliantly executed and only makes the prospect of seafaring even more attractive to us and these girls. **Characters** Naturally ever good ship needs a good crew. Haifuri takes on this task in a interesting style: dividing the class of 30 girls operating the Harekaze into their departments, and giving them overall tropes and also unique tropes in each department. (Side note for my fellow history buffs, the Harekaze is a Kagerou-class destroyer. It never existed in the real world so its completely fictional. All the other ships featured in the anime are accurate to their real world counterparts though) Sure, the girls in charge of the Kitchen share similar qualities, but they still feel unique overall. Very unique way of dealing with the problem. However, there's no possible way you're gonna flesh out 30 characters in 12 episodes, and thats not even counting characters like Moeka and Wilhelmina, who don't belong to the crew. To counter this, naturally, an emphasis is placed on the characters in the Bridge of the Harekaze, throughout the 12 episodes, we dive deep into the conflicts of Akeno's tendencies to jump headfirst into the fray and leave the ship in disarray, Mashiro's conflicts with her inner thoughts and what's good for the crew, and other things. This provides the bridge themselves the shine they need to elevate the rest of the crew into being a well-rounded cast, because a ship is nothing without its administration. **Art and Music** Ohhh boy. Normally speaking, CGI isnt exactly smiled upon in anime, because it feels unnatural. However, on the open seas, especially if you're displaying the military might of the fine engineering that is naval combat craft, the CGI proved to be a powerful ally. The sway of the Harekaze in the storm and wind, the powerful blasts of the Musashi's cannons and the Harekaze's zigzagging response. The flow of the torpedoes and the rumbling of the engines. All of this was created with such pinpoint accuracy it can make any history buff wet their pants right there and then. Just seeing the Musashi stand as a floating fortress in the open seas is a sight to behold. As for the music, it hits in the peak moments of the show, splashing you with a virtual water that leaves you feeling like you were physically plunged into the unforgiving marine. The OP and ED also are very well made, very impressive. As a lover of military history, I love how Haifuri opted for the faithful recreation path and succeeded in doing so. Even though as of writing this the studio adapting this series has long since closed down, I hope that someday, another studio will pick up Haifuri again. Action Stations everyone, and may the winds of the high seas favor you today.