Spoiler Level: Mild
Hello readers! This is my first review so I figured I'd start it off big and flashy and it doesn't get much more flashy than Kill la Kill! Kill la Kill is a adrenaline pumped, beautifully animated, absurd ride from start to finish and it has taken the anime world by storm, largely renewing flagging hopes in the industry. For those of you just hearing about this anime for the first time, whether by sheer cruel coincidence, your choice of habitation beneath a rock, or because you have just recently emerged bleary-eyed from your bunker after delusions of worldwide nuclear holocaust, Kill la Kill is already in position to contend for top anime of 2014. The good news, though, for readers just finding out is that you've saved yourself the heart-ache of waiting for new episodes to come out. Kill la Kill started in Fall of 2013 and just concluded as recently as March of 2014.
If you can't tell already Kill la Kill has captured a special place in my heart. Written and directed by the same people who worked on Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, you can definitely see the influences right from the start in the artwork and writing style. From the onset, Kill la Kill seemingly blends FLCL, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and Soul Eater into one unique package that still manages to stand on its own without borrowing too heavily from any single source. Like FLCL you get a cast of 'quirky' and over-the-top characters that all have a surprising depth to them, as well as the frenetic and utterly insane fight scenes. Gurren Lagann has the most sway by far, which isn't surprising considering it was the director's last big project. You can notice the lingering influences in a little bit of everything from, again, the artwork and writing, to details like character design, cast size, animation choices, and pacing. Much like Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill suffers from a beginning that feels a little rushed, however the pacing soon irons itself out into a comfortable sprint that keeps you wanting more each episode. My only major complaint by way of similarities lies in character design. Many of the characters in Kill la Kill almost feel like parallel world versions of Gurren Lagann characters like Simon, Kamina, and Lord Genome's big four. I will provide my own counter to that though, and admit that less than halfway through the show the characters were well established enough that they all had their own identities independent of Gurren Lagann.
As for Soul Eater, most of the similarities are superficial but it is still worth a mention. I'm far from the first to relate FLCL and Gurren Lagann, but I'm the first for Soul Eater (that I've seen at least - but it seemed fairly obvious so there are probably other people who have already made the comparison and if you've already read theirs then it probably just seems like I'm copying them - hmm). So here's the breakdown: Soul Eater has a battle-centric school that dominates a hill and is surrounded by a village that pretty much exists just to serve the needs of the school. Kill la Kill, also happens to have a massive school, heavily invested in battling, which dominates the landscape of the surrounding town, of which the town exists pretty much for the benefit of the school. In Soul Eater the school is governed by a single insanely powerful entity. In Kill la Kill the school is ruled by a single, stupidly powerful female, who I'd to point out isn't even the principal or a faculty member. Technically she is on the student council. In fact the principle of the school in Kill la Kill only makes a brief appearance in one of the first episodes if I remember correctly. Also there is the fact that in Soul Eater the meisters use weapons that can transform and grant them more power, while in Kill la Kill it's the uniforms that do essentially the same thing. There is probably more but I'm sure you get the point, yada yada yada.
Enough with the similarities, what about the show itself? To be honest, Kill la Kill started off on shaky ground for me. As the project following in the shadow of Gurren Lagann I was trying my best not to have high expectations lest they be inadvertently shattered. As previously mentioned, there were also concerns with pacing and character design, and all the characters seemed to have vague quirks which set off warning bells in my head. I mean, the main character, Matoi, has a sword that looks like half a pair of scissors (a 'scissor' if you will) and donned a school uniform that transforms into a skimpy super-powered fighting form. It just set me on edge. The series had everything in line for it to go the route of fan-servicy fighting show by the end of the first episode: it had a one hit KO, over the top 'more-powerful-than-thou' trash talk, a back story that involved a dead parental figure and a quest for revenge, and a fighting outfit that barely qualified as 'clothed' much less offering any protection. My fears proved unjustified though. Early on the show embraced numerous stereotypes and then, one by one, either stretched each to the limit or broke them like matchsticks.
That's the beautiful thing about Kill la Kill, it is a show of dualities. It is at times predictable and at other times completely unpredictable. I don't want to spoil too much beyond the beginning but often the series will delve into an anime cliché only to satirize the same cliché an episode or two later. The mystery of who killed Matoi's father maintains an element of intrigue and propels the story forward while at the same time fueling the escalating rivalry between Matoi and Satsuki (who is that insanely powerful woman running the school I mentioned earlier). Not that the show necessarily needs that to keep you interested, the world is intriguing enough. Unlike some other series, Kill la Kill is not want to explain at length aspects of the world. In a remarkable display of skill (and likely restraint) the writers managed to reveal details of the world bit by bit, keeping you wondering, and better yet, theorizing the hows and whys. In some instances there are details that are never fully explained which is more of a strength than a weakness. Yes, the world is bizarre, the characters over the top, the fight scenes so utterly drenched with power that it seems preposterous that any future fight might top the last (but they continue to do so), and the animation is stunning and consistent. The summary for each episode reads like something off the back of the (English) BERSERK mangas. And just when you think you've figured it all out, just when you think you finally know where everything is going the show makes you sit back and say "What? WHAT!? What the F*%& just happened!? Did anyone else see that? And why the hell are you all standing on the ceiling?" Which is to say that it will flip your world upside down.
Honestly it's hard not to heap praises on Kill la Kill because even if you hate it for being mainstream or fan-servicy and 200% over-the-top, if you watch it you have to admit there are some masterful story-telling choices in its design. Details of the world and story are strategically revealed, everything is well crafted and thought out in advance, and if you pay attention and have a bit of imagination you might even suspect what the big reveal is before it happens. Odd as it may seem for those who have started watching it, Kill la Kill is a series that invites you to think a little. Definitely not all the time, far from it, but the invitation is there.
Kill la Kill also touches on some surprisingly weighty subjects if only in passing. The oppression wrought by the school raises questions of social class segregation, disparity of wealth, contains frequent allusions to fascism, and briefly examines consequences of over-valuing material wealth. Not exactly something you'd expect from a show whose primary selling point seems to be Earth shattering battles in tiny mini-skirts. There is also lofty talk concerning mankind and clothing, with obligatory biblical references as well as social commentary on how people perceive and utilize clothing (if you feeling like reading into that subtext), all of which might come across as a little pretentious if it weren't just an undertone to the series as a whole.
All in all this series has a little bit of everything, especially humor If it wasn't apparent this show has plenty of laughs to be had, as well as feels. Actually, I'm reminded of a documentary on the origin of Kung-fu movies. During the time period when Kung-fu movies were popular, many of the places where the movies were especially popular were quite poor, so most people didn't go to the movies often. As a result, when people did go they wanted to feel like they were getting their money's worth. Kung-fu movies of old contained a little bit of everything; a little comedy, a little drama, some sad parts, some happy parts, and, of course, plenty of action. And really, that's what Kill la Kill is. It's a little bit of everything drenched in a fudgy topping of absurdity.
Last, just so you don't think that this is just a glorified advertisement for Kill la Kill (which it might as well be at this point), I'd like to point out my gripes however few. Warning! Moderate Meta Spoilers Ahead: If I had to state one great weakness of the show, it's that you ultimately aren't too awful worried about Matoi. In most scenarios you have a pretty good idea of how the fight is going to turn out, and even in the few instances where you aren't there usually isn't much doubt as to whether or not Matoi will live to fight another day. (Although there is at least one big turnabout that should leave you on your toes.) In short, you rarely have any reason to be concerned for Mako in most of her fights. My other big complaint is that, for all the time and energy spent developing characters with unique identities, I'd like to have seen more character development for the secondary characters. Namely this just comes down to the series not having enough time, mostly, but it just seems a damn shame. Also, c'mon! I wanted to see Mankanshoku Mako lay some hardcore smackdown in the last few episodes! ↓
The Short Version:
If you liked Gurren Lagann and FLCL, or even Dead Leaves (if you happen to know what that is) then you stand a pretty good chance of liking Kill la Kill. If you tend to watch a little bit of everything I'd also wager you're likely to, at least, find something you like enough about Kill la Kill to see it through to the end. Honestly if you can make it past the fan service, which can verge on embarrassing at times and stick with the show until the 'big reveal' then you'll probably be pretty satisfied. That said, Kill la Kill is certainly not for everyone and it should be pretty apparent if it isn't. I mean, it doesn't (for the most part) have mechs in it! (*gasp*) Some of you have to be pretty disappointed. Also, if for some reason any of you have an aversion to nudity, these are not the droids you are looking for.
Random Thoughts:
Awesome soundtrack, especially "Don't Lose Your Way". I'll definitely be getting this one.
There is a lot more I could say about this show, as it is quite rant worthy but I'd run the risk of writing a review-turned-novel.
Arbitrary Rating:
I like to give arbitrary ratings to animes to gauge how they rate on my personal and highly subjective scale, but perhaps some of you will find some use of it.
For:
Kill la Kill
9 / 10
*Edit: Minor punctuation and word-choice changes. Also removed a rather unnecessary bit of 'strike-through' text because I compulsively correct my old writing and couldn't help myself.
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