Kill la Kill
Whether or not you possess the capacity to stomach over-the-top dialogues, scenes and atmosphere in a show is a decisive factor when it comes to what you'd ultimately feel about Kill la Kill when you watch it. It is a really fun show for those that can stomach OTT stuff. On the other hand, it is a cringe-worthy ride for those that can't. The first episode starts off with our protagonist, Ryuko Matoi, challenging the Student Council president Kiryuin Satsuki holding a giant blade that is apparently one half of what makes a huge pair of scissors. That, my friend, in itself is enough to give you an idea as to how ridiculous this show is. If ridiculous isn't your cup of tea then you ought to stay away from this series. Oh, and then there's the fact that almost every single episode consists of scantily clad girls fighting it out with each other. If you can't stand some skin, please walk away from this series. Because you will see a lot of skin. Both female and male fanservice is present in this show in spades.
Kill la Kill is brought to you by studio Trigger. The people who brought us Little Witch Academia and Inferno Cop. And these are the same guys who worked on TTGL. With a good number of people who put this on their watch list being aware of it being made by those that made TTGL, they're obviously bound to have a few expectations. The over-the-top atmosphere and the similar art styles the shows share don't help, either. But, ultimately, they're different shows. And thus should be judged differently. That's enough about TTGL, though. Let's get on to the categories I'll cover in this review -
This review will be divided into the following sections:
1. Art & Animation
2. Soundtrack
3. Characters
4. Story
----Art & Animation----
This show's art style is a far cry from the typical art style most anime these days possess. It is much more cartoon-ish in nature in comparison. But that doesn't mean it is a negative point against the show at all. In fact, the show plays it to its strength by using the potential of a cartoon-ish art style to its fullest – the highly exaggerated scenes, as a result, prove to be far more effective than they'd be under normal circumstances. As a result, the art style is definitely something that fits the show to a 't' and compliments its OTT nature greatly. It is a definite 9/10.
The same, however, cannot be said for the animation. Kill la Kill was made under a tight budget and, as such, there have been plenty of instances in the show where the creators had to cut corners. They try to minimize animation during the non-action scenes and generally put all the budget into the action scenes. As a result, there's an immense amount of variation in the animation quality throughout the series. There are fights like the ones in episode 3 that look brilliant and are very fluid and well choreographed. And then there are scenes where you'd feel like you're looking at a bunch of slides with a few moving parts. The show DOES, however, deserve a pat on the back to actually try and use its limited budget to its fullest – a lot of times they use limited frames in comedy scenes to hilarious effect. In fact, there's a character in this show whose movements almost always comprise of ridiculous paper-like movements that consist of minimal movement in terms of frames. It doesn't look fluid in the least but it somehow fits. You'd understand if you see it for yourself.
That said, since the show doesn't actually possess terrific animation throughout, I'll have to lower its score in this category a bit. It gets a 6.5/10 for its animation.
----Soundtrack----
I don't really need to speak much when it comes to its sountrack. I'm personally a big fan and I think its OST was downright amazing. Character themes fit and the background OST is almost never off the mark. A definite 10/10 on this front.
----Characters----
They're all fairly good with a decent amount of backstory – a sufficient amount which is JUST right. The characters that stand out are definitely Ryuko, Satsuki and Mako. Former two are the main characters of the series and rivals. They're always at each other's throats – as if fated to be enemies. These two receive the most screen-time. Ryuko, the MC, faces problems like identity crisis and goes berserk a few times. The story is ~apparently~ supposed to be a coming-of-age story so a teenage girl having a lot of mood-swings and being very impulsive in nature probably doesn't seem out-of-character. But she can be annoying to some due to it anyway. I personally found it really annoying when she had an outburst in episode 19. Mostly because she has had similar outbursts not too long ago. But I digress.
Mako, on the other hand, is more of a comedic side-kick than a main character. She is eccentric and hyperactive. Her gags can be hit or miss for people depending on their perspective. Personally found her and her antics highly enjoyable and a breath of fresh air when compared to contemporary sidekicks. There are two more that I would love to talk about but I shall not because they're integral to the plot and disclosing information about them could be considered a spoiler. Anyway, as far as character development is concerned, it is present, yes. But not *too* much of it. The only character in the series that gets proper development in this series is Ryuko's rival, Kiryuin Satsuki. Ryuko, on the other hand, pales in comparison.
All in all, this series consists of a highly female-oriented cast. The males are present, yeah, but it is the women who possess boobs of steel, strength and ambition to do things their way.
It gets a 7/10 in this category.
----Story----
A pretty simple set-up. And a very entertaining story. There were a few ups and downs between episodes 7 and 15 but the series has managed to be highly entertaining for the most part. Do not go into it expecting it to be a deep story and you'll probably have a lot of fun. It starts off with a monster of the week format, goes on with it for a few episodes, and then shifts gears. It is only after episode 12 that some revelations come to light and we come to know more about the big shots. And not before episode 15 does the series start having some serious plot progression. Before episode 15 the series did possess a very chaotic pacing as far as events-per-episode are concerned but the rate of overall plot progression was very slow. Which led some fans to say "You haven't TRULY seen Kill la Kill if you haven't seen past episode 15 yet". And I'm inclined to agree with them to a degree. The series does pick up quite a bit after that. Don't expect a ****-ton of character development or earth-shattering revelations , though. It is all pretty predictable. What make the things that take place in these episodes so damn effective is the execution – Trigger does an amazing job at showing off predictable events in an unpredictable fashion. They're masters when it comes to it and it makes the recent episodes look really, really good when compared to the episodes that precede them. It ends on a satisfying note, too. Slightly disappointing if you are expecting things to escalate to infinity and beyond but, like I said, its end is definitely not something you'd consider a bad end. It wraps up things nicely. Of course, there are a few loose ends and things that you'd consider plot-holes but they're mostly minor for the most part and story was never its strength anyway. I'll conclude by saying that it turns out VERY different from how it starts off. You probably won't believe the first and last episodes are parts of the same show if they didn't share characters.
Overall, it gets a 6.5/10 for the story.
----Final Thoughts----
I think this is definitely a series worth checking out. Do not expect it to be anything – just judge it for what it is rather than for what it could've been or what you wanted it to be. A series with a good art style and creative yet dramatic cuts, amazing soundtrack, a fun cast and just over-the-top action. Definitely check it out if you're into action anime. Or if you are just looking for an over-the-top series that isn't afraid of doing things that are considered very far-fetched or out-of-the-box.
Final rating – 7/10. The rating takes enjoyment into account as well. Although I personally have it listed as a 9/10 on my list because I'm highly biased when it comes to this show. I did try to keep my personal bias away from this review, though. And I hope I was successful in that regard - provide feedback and let me know whether or not that was the case!
This review was originally posted on myanimelist.
Can be found here.
