Unless you've spent the last year or so living under a rock when it comes to otaku culture, chances are you'll have heard of or at least seen something do with Kantai Collection.  What started out in 2013 as a free-to-play web browser game where you control moe girl anthropomorphisms of famous Japanese World War II battleships has now turned into a fully recognised franchise - storming Japan with figures, manga, light novels and of course more games. However 2015 marks the year KanColle (as it is often abbreviated to) takes the leap into animation, with a full 12-episode series from studio Diomedéa . With the game still currently only properly available to play in Japan, the show's simulcast streaming on Crunchyroll marks a big step in Kantai Collection's bid for a global takeover.

Kantai Collection is arguably one of the most popular franchises in Japan right now, but there's probably a fair portion of the Western anime fanbase out there who've either never heard of it or simply know it as "the boat girl" thing. Starting with humble origins as a turn-based freemium game by Kadakowa , KanColle has since massed manga, light novels, drama CDs, figures and of course - even more games! But 2015 is the year the franchise has branched out into a fully fledged anime, courtesy of Diomedéa - the studio behind Shiryaku! Ika Musume . Airing worldwide on online streaming site Crunchyroll , it's time for Kantai Collection to set its sights on global domination.