Kensuke Tanaka Interview: Comptiq Magazine March 2018

Introduction

Comptiq's March 2018 Interview with Tanaka + Sneak Preview illustration of Zuikaku Kai Ni's Decisive Battle CG for the Leyte Event

The following interview comes from Comptiq Magazine's March's issue, which was released on February 10th, 2017.

In the article, Comptiq's T-ko interviews Kancolle's main producer, Kensuke Tanaka, regarding about the KanColle related content he's been working on with Mitsukoshi and Lawson as they cover most of the main products that were released currently during the Magazine's publishing.

In addition, he also tells briefly about his perpetration for the event as he talks about Musashi's second remodel that will be debuting soon along with briefly touching on a new illustration of Zuikaku's Kai Ni specially Leyte themed CG that will be coming along with many other illustrations and voice lines for the Winter 2018 Event.

The time has finally come for Operation Shou Gou 1, that final decisive battle! A Kai Ni remodel for a Yamato-class battleship, and, the final leader of Japan's Mobile Force...!

I: Happy New Year! It's the ol' Comptiq again! Oh? You guys seem pretty busy!

T: Happy New Year! To a fruitful partnership this year etc. etc. but honestly, now's not the best time to have an interview~! The rusk - I mean, the tasks have really piled up...

I: The rusk is sooooo good. Oh, right, the prototype éclair you let me try last time should be on sale by the time this issue is published, right?

T: Yeah! Ah, let me get you a drink. Just a simple coffee today. Brewed by hand drip! Coffee goes great with the "Type 93 Oxygen Éclair" that'll be sold later on during the collab with Lawson-san! There's also "CarDiv 1 Resupplyyyy Jelly" that comes in a glass with newly drawn fairies.

I: Ah, thank you very much. "Resupplyyyy"?

T: Oh, I mean, "resupply". Uhm, sorry, I know I shouldn't be the one asking during an interview, but since you're here, could you take a look at this? This is Kaga-san, for Mitsukoshi-san's KanColle Fifth Year Anniversary Collaboration. It'll be one of the key visuals for the event. And these are Akitsushima, Inazuma, and Ikazuchi on casual days off.

I: Ooh! Great! Ah, she's holding a class... oh, a toast, huh?

T: Yeah, that's Hyuuga introducing Helios Distillery-san's awamori [strong Okinawan shōchū]. Well, that's how it is. That smile she's got for celebrating the fifth anniversary is just like her, isn't it?

I: Ah, this is-!

T: Oh... you saw it, huh? That's a toast for our fifth anniversary by our old friend, Battleship Princess, with Kishu Nigori Umeshu [plum wine]. She's a little dressed up, as part of the celebrations for the anniversary.

I: Uhyaa, love it!

T: Riiight? So we figured we'd put them on display on the pillars in the subway station right in front of Mitsukoshi-san's Nihonbashi branch! It should start just around the time the next issue of Comptiq-san goes out! We put a looot of work into this winter's Mitsukoshi-san collab this time around~! And as we said before, the ever-popular apparel really covers everything from head to toe! Outfits for business and other more formal settings, and an expanded collection of ladies' apparel! Camisole and marine skirts for regular use are available as well. There's also Houshou-san's kitchen knife, the popular shirts and shoes... ah, right, right, we have a great sneakers and classic business shoes.

I: That lineup... that's so much...

T: There's actually even more saved up for later parts of the collab... some are what you might call the main striking force for this collab, the food series and delicious sake... er, sorry, we're preparing for the now large-scale winter event at the same time, so sometimes things get mixed up, and we fight back tears as we make our way toward the later parts of the operation... but in comparison, there's a huge volume of... anyway! The winter Event! "Showdown at Operation Shou-Gou! The Battle of Leyte Gulf Counterattack (Part 2)"! Preparations are without! A! Doubt! Well underway! ...so we'll stop around here for today!

I: Wha, so early! I want some kind of image of this winter's event!

T: In "Showdown at Operation Shou-Gou! The Battle of Leyte Gulf Counterattack (Part 2)", which is currently being prepared, we plan on implementing a Kai Ni remodel for the second of the Yamato-class battleships, of course, as well as a Decisive Battle Spec Mode for the second of the Shoukaku-class carriers, the final leader of Japan's Mobile Force. Unlike a Kai Ni, it doesn't grant increased stats, but I think you can expect her, loaded with planes, to perform wonderfully in this operation. We'll be updating Eve of the Decisive Battle voice lines again in the maintenance before the winter event's decisive battle, so please look forward to it!

I: Can I see Zui- I mean, her, just a bit!?

T: Hr...m, alright. It's still in the works, but Konishicchi is hard at work on it. The Yamato-class battleship Kai Ni will be getting the fifth slot we prepared for the Yamato-class Kai Ni/Kai Yamato-class*, meaning with a reinforcement expansion it'll end up with six equipment slots total. She has both Kai Ni and Leyte Decisive Battle lines. Basically, it sends a message like, "It's finally here".

I: Oooh! Great! A Yamato-class Kai Ni and Leyte Decisive Battle, looking forward to it! I'll do my best as an admiral myself this winter event! Do your best too, Management Naval District! We plan for the next issue of Comptiq to have a KanColle cover and lead feature. I'm also talking with the Editor-in-Chief about a special musical recording to be included as an extra this spring!

(Late January 2018, KanColle Management Naval District)

Special thanks to User:-a-nonymous for his translation work