KanColle Style 4: Interview with Tanaka

An Interview with the KanColle HQ Naval District (Spring/Winter)
Our editor-in-chief Hiki asked KanColle HQ Naval District's Producer Tanaka about the latest news and developments. We also discuss retrospectives on management and development!

| Welcoming its Spring Fourth Anniversary, KanColle Looks Towards its Fifth Year

Editor-in-Chief Hiki (E): Congrats! KanColle's fourth anniversary is already coming up, and it'll be entering its fifth year soon!
Producer Tanaka (T): That's right. It's been just about six years since we started this venture. From the moment KanColle launched, we've been really, incredibly busy with a lot of things. Time really passed in the blink of an eye.
E: At first, the hope was, "It'd be great if we last a year..." right?
T: It was. When we got five thousand admirals pre-registered, it was a huge "yay!" moment.
E: That'd be a pretty normal reaction back then!
T: Since you thought it'd work, I thought, "Let's do a 4koma! Thank god!"

E: I loved the whole idea from the start, you know! Ahh, it's been four years since then... an old milestone of ours, three years and eight months, has already passed.	* The Pacific War lasted 3 years and 8 months. The devs mentioned this date in tweets and KanColle Style 3.
T: Yeah, how time flies. With daily development and management, the seasonal event cycle demanding preparation for the next event as soon as the previous operation is over, and new plans and collaborations advancing, every day's a decisive battle.
E: Thanks for the hard work! Speaking of collabs, casual fashionware brand Avail's fresh on my mind, but the second one with Mitsukoshi was a cool development. Personally, I thought the sake and canned goods, as well as the futon and sneakers, really left an impact.
T: For the sake collab's label, we had Shibafu-san do the tone and manner [design] for four of them in his elegant brush stroke. For each brewer, we tried to match the labels with the wonderful atmosphere they already projected.
E: In this volume of KanColle Style, we'll be presenting some of the concept art. Thank you very much! But yeah, KanColle's collabs sure show a unique taste!
T: "It'd be great if we could do things in an approach right for KanColle..." that's the thought process as we develop our plans.

E: Come to think of it, the official seven-city orchestral tour and the collab with the jet passenger line surprised me too, but the plan to construct a full-sized, 1/1 Zuiun - is that real?
T: The plan for a life-sized, 1/1 Zuiun? It's moving along. Want to see?
E: See what?
T: The life-sized Zuiun's frame's prototype. Let's seee... here, here.
E: Ehh!?
T: This is it. A 1/1 test frame.
E: Cooooool! What's this?
T: Just part of the frame, but you can feel how imposing the life-sized will be, right? Don't you want to behold a 1/1 Zuiun? Come on, look closer.
E: This is... way more realistic than I imagined...! This realism... incredible!
T: With the help of skilled experts, we're earnestly working away at this.
E: Will you be putting this on display after it's finished?
T: Of course!
E: Where!?
T: I think we'll be ready to present it next month. Please wait just a little longer!
E: You've gone and said it! Just a little longer!

| Spring's event will be an operation to the north!

T: I think I can tell you about our progress for May as well.
E: I can't wait!
T: We've got collaborations and preparations for new plans, but these coming days we'll have our hands full preparing to implement the Spring event - see, my eyes are red.
E: Please get enough sleep!
T: Of course. Supplies and logistics are important! Kidding - anyway, here's this coming event. This operation's scale will be...
E: Oh! Here, huh? Medium-scale, looks like.
T: The plan is for the first half to be three maps, and the last half to be two maps.
E: This is... North... huh.	* I'm not sure if "......" is meant to imitate censorship. "North" here is 北
T: Yes... North.

E: So a converted carrier that served as convoy escort will be implemented, huh. Guess we won't be getting a foreign ship this time around.
T: We will.
E: Eh!?
T: A large one is planned.
E: No way.
T: Yep. We're planning on a battleship-class.
E: Ohhhh! What country could it be!? Is this foreign battleship goign to be a meganekko??
T: Sorry, but no.
E: Damn!

T: Anyway, we also plan on implementing several ships named after places in the maps this event.
E: Oooh...
T: Admirals with less service time under their belts should take on the first half, while veteran admirals, aiming to complete the event, should be ready for their diverse fleets and war preparations to be tested.
E: Training on the regular maps is important!
T: Also, the land-based air corps will be deployed again this operation, but we're adding the Type 1 Fighter "Hayabusa" [Nakajima Ki-43], who fought from the start of the war to the end from the western [Burma] to the northern [Hokkaido] skies. Although it had troubles with insufficient firepower, it supported the frontline as a reliable workhorse.	* The IJA's Type 1 had basically the same strengths and weaknesses as the IJN Type 0
E: Ooh, Hayabusa!
T: A portion will be handed out in the monthly rewards, but they'll also be available during the spring event. For Medium+ [乙+], several flight groups that used the Type 1 Fighter will be available. The air squadron that comes to mind when you say "Hayabusa!"* can be acquired on hard [甲] difficulty.
E: Ooooh! I'll try my hardest as admiral as well!
* Quick guesses: Katou Tateo and his 64th Air Squadron - he was the subject of a wartime propaganda piece (Katou Hayabusa Squadron). Anabuki Satoru and his 50th Air Squadron for most kills with the Hayabusa.

| Shipgirls With Northern Names and the Implementation of a Main Battleship Kai Ni After the Spring Event!?

T: The converted light carrier this event will be lacking at first, but if well-raised, she'll grow into a reliable ASW and escort vessel.
E: Looking forward to it! A northern operation, a named Hayabusa squadron, a foreign battleship, and a carrier for transport escort! We're getting quite a lot this spring!
T: This year, there'll be a Kai Ni for a main battleship after the spring event. Coastal defense ships, smaller than destroyers, will also be added.
E: You've wanted to implement those for a while, huh! Finally, coastal defense ships! A lot of work's getting done this year for implementation as well, huh!

T: We're preparing even more on top of that! KanColle's only able to welcome its spring fourth anniversary and, incredibly, start its fifth year thanks to the support of all the admirals. Please continue to support KanColle and the shipgirls as they dive into their fifth year this spring!
E: Sorry for interrupting your busy schedule! Thank you very much!
(April 2017)

Insert Illustration:
Makigumo, Ooyodo, Okinami
The Three Meganekko
Illustration: Fujikawa