Kill la Kill

I'd like to say that this anime has left me speechless. It's a combination of goofiness,cuteness and epicness in 1. There is a huge character development through the series of the main characters as they struggle to fight against the injustice. The soundtrack is amazing and when I hear it I always get shivers on my body.

The anime starts at a slow pace and from almost no skills on the main heroine to the badass she becomes in the final episodes.

It was a great enjoyment to watch this, it includes hilarious moments,sad and depressing ones and the epicness that always follows.

I highly recommend this ... anime to anyone who is searching for something new and exciting. The artwork is also a very unique one that I personally haven't seen before.

10/10

Kill la Kill is the anime equivalent of being in the passenger seat of a high-speed joy ride during a blind date. It's fast, it's bombastic, it's lots of fun, a kickass radio station is blasting out the best tunes, you really don't trust your date's driving, their pupils are a bit too dilated for your tastes, they keep touching your knee, and you feel both exhilaration and uneasiness when you finally get home. Then, when you decide to go on another date, you find out that they got busted for owning cocaine paraphernalia and uploading hardcore amateur porn to Pirate Bay. Which would probably ... explain why they kept insisting that being naked in front of a camera is "empowering".

Basically, if you have a strong stomach for the more sexually exploitative aspects of Seinen, or at least your need for thrill hits harder than your tendencies for discomfort, you might have a good time with Kill la Kill.

I've seen this anime twice: once in Japanese, and once in English. I think I had a more positive experience with the anime the first time around, since I was more unfamiliar with my surroundings, and thus tended to ignore the questionable features that Trigger brings us. Since I knew what was going on the second time, it gave me more opportunity to pay attention to the art - and the obnoxious amounts of panty shots that hid under the veil of girl power.

Sure, it is a Seinen, and it's supposed to be "ironic" (or at least meaningful) fanservice. I don't really understand this trend of doing things ironically or satirically, especially when it gives the exact same vibes as any unironic fanservice. Like, if I crap myself ironically to make a statement about the value of underwear, I still have to go clean up afterwards.

To the actual review now.

The story is action packed and a lot happens in the 24 episodes it has. There's only about one filler episode, and even then it introduces aspects of the series that are important. It's extremely plot twisty, especially near the end of the show. For the plot itself, the idea is heavily intriguing, but half of it serves to justify the skimpy outfits. I mean, it's a good story. It's just dripping with misogyny disguised as feminist empowerment. Embracing the invasion of your personal space and privacy isn't worth praise.

What drew me and made me watch the whole thing twice was truly the visual aesthetic of Kill la Kill. The animation of KLK shows distinctive detail to character designs and a lot of dynamic oomph. If any character looks like the clone of another, it's entirely intentional. Although the show is generally in a shounen style, Jojo lines and all, it often flexes between thick rigidity and bouncy playfulness. The colors are a spectrum, from gritty browns and olives to bright rainbows, and of course an emphasis on the color red. It's visually consistent in quality, largely due to letting episode four act as a visual bootleg (mostly as a gag). This bombastic approach to art is nothing else but appealing, and makes the more squicky scenes of the series palatable. There are moments when the animation is clearly lacking (such as an early sequence where Satsuki runs up a building), but overall it definitely works.

I have nothing but praise for this anime's OST - just as dramatic as the art, the music sets the mood perfectly for every situation. From the draconian crescendo of Satsuki Kiryuin's leitmotif, to the rebellious beat of Ryuko Matoi's theme, and to the ostentatious curl of Raygo's accompaniment, there's nothing out of touch or taste. If anything can pump you up for a good fight or slow you down for a touching scene, it's the OST for this anime. That said, there's rarely a silent moment in KLK - which isn't particularly good for things like flow.

I do have qualms for the motivations behind designing the characters' personalities and motivations, but there are few characters which I actually dislike in terms of development, and I generally feel that Trigger did a good job making these characters lively and genuinely interesting. Even pieces of clothing will make you want to cry (and not because they're goofily designed). I still hold an attachment to Nonon Jakuzure, the little cupcake who sounds like a dying cat. They really make you hate the characters you're supposed to hate, which is both a good and a bad thing.

This anime relies a lot on the idea that showing skin is empowering, or at least not a bad thing at all. But this is achieved through consent violation, almost a majority of the time. Senketsu literally forces himself on Ryuuko, an obvious injury to her personal space. This is seen as a good thing, and she can't get to full power without accepting both his presence and her nigh nudity (and constantly getting called an exhibitionist). Aikurō Mikisugi's early presence in the series also gets excused, even though she's clearly uncomfortable with his behavior and unpleasant habit of randomly stripping. His status as a good guy makes this okay, though, or even supposedly humorous.

However, the villains also repeatedly violate the protagonists' consent, which is shown as wrong. Of course, the blood connection between one of these villains and the protagonists adds extra elements of wrongness, which adds to the evil of the antagonist in question. The violations in these cases are extremely sexual in nature, and although I've seen people claim this is intentionally creepy, I've seen just as many openly admit to finding this hot. It's bizarre that outright incestuous molestation is given the treatment of male gaze. The protagonists repeatedly lose their autonomy and right to say 'no', but don't worry guys - fanservice can be feminist!!! Because they can punch people! Let me remind you that most the protagonists are either underage or barely "legal".

Some say that the literary themes of Kill la Kill went over my head, but I don't care. Fact is, the repeated normalization of consent violation, both overtly and covertly sexual, actually keeps people from watching this show. Like, it is a humongous issue that I only manage to stomach because I've been heavily desensitized. It's not just disgustingly misogynistic and hurtful, it's alienating. Despite the fact that I have a lot of good things to say about it, I can't enjoy it as much as I possibly could, due to the blatant sign on the door saying that I'm not welcome. Or at least, I and others are only welcome if we can tolerate a metaphorical hand creeping up our knees.

Mind you, I wouldn't show this much anger if people didn't insist that it is feminist, and just admitted they like looking at the body of an angry seventeen year old girl. Much like any other attempt at reclaiming a Seinen that I've seen people do.

Besides that, I did find Kill la Kill enjoyable. I can only give it a six, because of what I've mentioned above. If it weren't really gross, maybe it'd be a seven. Again, if you can stand all the crap this show has to offer, please watch it. If you can't, please don't, I care about you too much.

When I first saw how much people loved this anime I was really shocked to be honest. Around my school I knew that it was very very well received and everyone was always excited for the next week of kill la kill but for some reason I was never like that, in fact the only reason I finished this anime was because all of my friends wouldn't stop pestering me about it so I guess I should say why I didn't like it.

Story (4/10)
There is none plain and simple that's the point... right? Well sadly no there is a plot in this anime and it's ... not interesting at all. I really enjoyed the first 13 episodes of kill la kill because it was what it wanted to be and it did that really well; however, after episode 13 everything just slowly went downhill until episode 17 where I quit watching it entirely for a few months because I just didn't care at all anymore. It tries to have a story about halfway through and it just... kill la kill stop... it tries to do too much is the best way to put it and the last 3 episodes just drag on forever and the joke gets taken to a point where I just wanted it to be over so badly but then it wasn't, but since the first half was okay I won't give it the worst score.

Art (9/10)
Honestly this is Kill la Kill's saving graces, it's a wonderful thing to look at and does what few anime does in that it breaks out of the norm and really just gives your eyes something fun to look at (and doesn't just seem that way because of crappy budget), and while at some times it DOES seem that way for the most part it is nice to look at.

Sound (7/10)
Good soundtrack. Don't like "Don't lose your way" nearly as much as anyone else though. Still, not a bad soundtrack.

Character (1/10)
This is where the show is at its overall worst, the characters in this anime have no substance and I guess that's what this anime is going for for the most part; however, I just didn't LIKE almost any of the characters. The only character I even slightly enjoyed was Gamagori and even then it wasn't a character I'd write home about. I know that the whole point of this anime was to satire the general anime conception but it took it way too far and left me with bland or way too over the top characters I just didn't care about in the slightest. The characters are fun but that's about it.

Enjoyment (3/10)
I enjoyed the first half of kill la kill, it was stupid but it was fun and that's what mattered to me... and then it wasn't fun. At one point kill la kill stopped being what it was most importantly, pointless at least it tried to NOT be pointless and that's where its biggest fall was. It opened up so many plots that got shit on and left to rot in the dumpster and that made me so sad since they all seemed so interesting (like when senketsu went berserk only to find out that would never be explained or gone into detail again?) and the most important thing is, is that kill la kill has been done before, and better. Gurren Lagann in the first episode created more enjoyable characters and a more enjoyable experience than kill la kill did in it's entire series, and it stays that way the whole way through.

Overall Kill la Kill isn't terrible, it just tries way too hard and loses it's way in the process (never been made before right?) It's not terrible, it's not good either though. It's mediocre and that's where I leave it on my anime list.

Another overhyped 'this will save anime' thing that gaijins love to gawk about. This anime had around the same cult hype as attack on titans. It tries to justify fanservice, average writing, and average art altogether as if this was some kind of masterpiece, when in reality it's amatuerly done.

Story 7/10
Another one of those that goes with a bang and ends with dissapointment. In the beginning, its story was very well done and could've taken many directions. It was open minded and very fun to watch at, but as the episodes went by, I could do nothing but see in terror of what this ... anime became after being hyped so much. They put pointless filler episodes and crappy story arcs which weren't needed for the overall story and enjoyment in Kill La Kill. Its story tries to be unique, but in reality its nothing more than a shadow of Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggen. Story was overall a dull experience with asspulls all around the place with a sad sad ending that was expected. This is another replica of a shonen clone that wasn't executed well. You can make an analogy of this show to a music song that was a 'one hit wonder'.

Art 6/10
Some people say that the art is good, but I really disagree in it. This anime tries to tie in silliness with seriousness, which doesn't blend in well and ultimately fails at it. The first couple episodes had solid art, but after that most of the episodes except the 'important' arcs in the story had mediocre-horrible art as if they didn't know how to distribute the production of an anime. Art just looks childish and it really TRIED to mix it with seriousness, but it failed.

Sound 6/10
The only type of songs that are even close to mentioning are the action packed ones like they put in Fate/Zero(they all sound the same). It's not good, but solid. Nothing to write home about.

Character 5/10
Characters showed the same dissapointments as the story. None of the characters had depth or as they were all simple with little to no explanation for the side characters. The motivation for side characters were quite bad. Also one of the characters are so bad that they could be compared to Jar-Jar Binks by trying to forcing comedy into the viewer. Characters are simple and easy to understand, but none are interesting in general because their motivations, logic, value, etc are all explained in the simplest way possible and the viewers have to 'just' accept it.

Enjoyment 8/10
Even with all the critical views in this average anime, the enjoyment of these series was very high though thanks to starting with the bang. But this shonen anime was quite interesting to watch despite the flaws. It was dead beat entertainment that was actually entertaining.

Overall 6/10
Even with the enjoyment aside....This anime is one with flaws that could've been so easily fixed, but it just had to fit the meta of having over 20 episodes for an 'epic'. This anime is nothing to write about because behind all that hype, this anime is just another shonen-esque anime. This is a shadow of Trigger's past Tengen Toppan Gurren Laggen. Just watch it if you have the time, but if you don't, don't watch it.

Something that Kill la Kill cannot lay claim to is being elegant or refined. It is a messy, wild, unruly show with a crazed plot and lots of shouting. It's a show that spends its entire runtime with zany antics, crude humor, and fighting, lots and lots of fighting. The plot bounces around like a pinball, going every which direction; defying logic as the twists become increasingly more ridiculous. Of course, this madcap nature is exactly what makes Kill la Kill so insanely entertaining. This is a rollercoaster of a show that flies off the rails, only to continue on-ward until it leaves the Earth's ... orbit. And it is fun every second of the way.

Kill la Kill exists on its own plain of demented cartoon logic, light-years away from even the slightest semblance of reality. It's a place where high-schoolers rule authoritarian regimes with an iron fist. It's a place where an article of clothing can grant godlike superpowers. A place where people use things like iron-clad rulebooks, or wads of cash, as weapons. This setting of unhinged creativity could have only come from director Hiroyuki Imaishi and Kazuki Nakshima, the creative partnership behind the phenomenally popular and explosive Tengen Tappa Gurren Lagann. Kill la Kill is as deliriously over-the-top as that now legendary super-robot extravaganza, perhaps even more so.

The plot itself is gloriously messy; a hurricane of outlandish ideas and outrageous twists. Our hot-headed protagonist Ryuuko is out for revenge. Her father was killed and her only lead to the murderer is a sword shaped like half of a scissor. Her quest for vengeance leads her to but heads with the charismatic and ruthless Satsuki Kiryuuin, the authoritarian president of the metropolis-like Honnouji Academy, who seems to know about the murder of Ryuuko's father. Satsuki takes an interest in Ryuko, especially after the latter finds a sentient school uniform which grants her incredible power. However, Satsuki's eyes are set on a much grander ambition than Ryuuko's, one that involves taking control of all the other school-cities.

This would probably be enough to fill the plot for an entire show, but it is only the tip of the iceberg for Kill la Kill. At first, it does follow a set formula for a few episodes, in which Ryuuko takes on one of Satsuki's lackeys a la villain-of-the-week. It doesn't stay like this for long, however, as a third faction called 'Nudist Beach' is introduced, Satsuki's elite four become more and more eager to fight Ryuuko, and Satsuki moves to fulfill her plans. Even that is not the end of it, though. Bigger and badder antagonists appear, changing the game and raising the stakes. Allegiances shift; former enemies become allies. Battles become more and more extravagant, as well as more outlandish. Twists become more impactful, even as they get increasingly more ludicrous. The plot accelerates to a climactic burst, only for it to be followed by another. By the end, Ryuuko's quest for revenge has become a full-on war for the survival of the human race. It is an exhilarating experience that has the audience throwing logic to the wind simply because the show is so much fun.

To be honest, a lot of the show's success has to do with Imaishi's direction. Though Nakashima's plotting and script are embarrassingly fun, without Imaishi's audacious direction they would cease to be so; they would just be embarrassing. There is an enormous amount of non-sequiturs and psudo-science nonsense in the script that ultimately means nothing because it is trying to explain the impossibilities that occur in the show. The plot itself is likely among the most illogical and nonsensical things ever written. However, none of this really seems to matter under Imaishi's direction. In fact, Nakashima's deranged ideas compliment Imaishi's bombastic yet honest direction as if the two were born to work together. Ridiculous as the show might be, it is equally as passionate. It's clear that Imaishi and Nakashima threw their collective powers together on this show (just as in TTGL), and had a damn good time doing it. As a result, the show is simply a blast to behold, nonsense and all.

Of course, a large part of the enjoyment comes from the characters. This is a huge ensemble cast, and obviously most of these characters will be one note. Still, the characters here are every shade of likeable, even if they are not the most complex. Getting the most attention are Ryuuko, Satsuki, and Senketsu, Ryuuko's sentient uniform. Ryuuko's defining character trait is her hot-headedness, as she's quick to lose her temper and jump into battle. In some ways this trait is what makes her an admirable protagonist, as she is always willing to take action and fight the good fight. On the other, it makes her rash and impulsive, which can be problematic; this is especially true in the later stages of the show. Senketsu is more reserved than his fiery partner, and sometimes acts as a pacifier to her, which again comes into play in the later stages. Satsuki is a charismatic ice queen; constantly reserved (though not completely in the second half) and effortlessly cool. She's methodical, confident, and calculating; a perfect foil for Ryuuko. She inspires undying loyalty from her elite four, who all have distinct personalities on their own right. Then there is Ryuuko's best buddy, Mako, who is a hyperactive girl taken to the extreme. She's both fun and exhausting as a comedic character, her monologues are simply outrageous. All the other characters are colorful, but far less important. The two exceptions are the antagonists from the later half, who are both ruthless in their villainy and wickedly fun to watch.

Kill la Kill's technical merits are just as wild and unruly as its narrative. Trigger is a new studio, it should go without saying that they don't have the financial backing that longstanding studio's like Madhouse and Production I.G. have. That said, they did an admirable job putting this show together. Yes, there are times when the animators were saving on budget, and they are very obvious while watching the show. At the same time, when it is time to show off, the animators go all out. More than a few of the fights in this show are breathtaking spectacles, likely to go down as some of the all-time best fights in any anime. The budget restraints are mostly felt in the comedic moments, where they will deal the least damage. The striking and colorful yet rough art direction also covers for the limited animation. The fanservice might be a bit too present and gratuitous for some, but it is appropriate considering the show's motifs involving clothing and nudity. It also makes the show a veritable man-child fantasy, which is entirely expected from Imaishi.

The music by Hiroyuki Sawano is nothing short of fantastic. Sawano has been getting a lot of attention recently with is work on Blue Exorcist and Attack on Titan, but this is arguably his best work so far. One reason is because how well the show utilizes its music. All of the main and important secondary characters get their own themes: from Ryuuko and Satsuki, to Mako and her family, to the elite four, and so on. Imaishi also puts the music to work in interesting ways, particularly in one battle between Ryuuko and Nonon from the elite four, as they fight with sound waves. The music itself is composed of booming and passionate insert songs which work phenomenally, and instrumental versions of those songs. There is also a little Beethoven in the soundtrack, which is always a good thing.

To put it simply, Kill la Kill is absolutely insane in the best possible way. It isn't a particularly deep show, and claims that it 'saved anime' are as preposterous as some of the plot twists in the show. However, the fact of the matter is that this is one of the most purely enjoyable anime ever made. Kill la Kill is a show that doesn't stop to reflect on its crazed plot. Rather, it blasts full speed ahead, obliterating any notions of logic or moderation. And really, that is what makes it so endearing. It's a fearless show that pushes on ahead, no matter how crazy it looks as it goes along.

Well... For those who have read my review of Tengen Toppa Gu etc etc, I have pretty much the same complaints here. To sum them up: WAY OVER THE TOP.

The anime is about a transfer student, Ryuuko, and how she's trying to find her father's killer. On her disposal is the half of a scissors blade and her faithful fighting suit which was designed by her father and reveals as much skin as possible, pretty similar to what you would see in a strip club where the dancers aren't paid enough to go full nude (questionable design mr. Matoi, especially considering you planned ... for your daughter to wear this...)The suit is alive. And talks to her. And only she can hear it. It also feeds on her blood to give her power. At this point it's almost impossible not to make a period joke but I'll show restraint. The whole school (if you can call it that, honestly there's been a max of like 2 scenes where we see a lesson) wears some short of battle suits and because of the school leader's order everyone is aiming at Ryuuko to kill her. Yeah the plot doesn't matter much, it's just an excuse to fill the episodes with over the top action, transformation scenes etc etc. The school leader, the second most important character in the series Kiryuuin Satsuki is supposedly the daughter of a cloth-making company, has a similar suit to Ryuuko's and knows who Ryuuko's father's killer is, but won't reveal it to her because... Because the script writers wanted us to be amazed by the "sudden" twist that Satsuki was not actually the killer (oops spoilers... but honestly you'll see it coming from a mile away). Satsuki is as strict and always angry looking as possible which after a while becomes rather boring and annoying.

Now I've mentioned the main lead: Ryuuko and the second most important: Satsuki, but there is actually a third main character that is somehow the audience's favourite and personally makes me want to choke puppies... Mako. She's the "humorous" character who basically acts all childish, is supposedly "true to herself"and a constant reminder to Ryuuko of what she stands for... Aka she's annoying as f"£k. Her chibi animation doesn't help either.

One thing that Kill la Kill actually did WORSE than Tengen Toppa is that the characters are too swallow. Except for Ryuuko who occasionally has a dillema everyone is waaaay too one-sided. Satsuki is always the strict perfetionist, Mako is always the stupid annoying f$%k . The situations and alliances might change but the characters themselves don't change at all. We're talking about class A zero-depths. Especially Satsuki, considering she's the only family Ryuuko has left (oops, spoilers again) feels waaaaaaayyyy too lakcing in the emotional part. (At that point I congratulate the doujinshi writer Ninoko for her work Yuri La Kill and the beyond brilliant idea of making Satsuki a siscon while not taking away from the strict character. In fact, why DIDN'T the writers of the show do that? It's actually pretty fitting -her remaining in the leading role and all even in family matters- and offers for some great humor without ruining the character.)

The animation is rediculous, doing the same stupidity as Tengen Toppa and announcing the names of attacks/transformations with BIG BRIGHT RED LETTERS ON THE SCREEN (and more often than Tengen Toppa too) and the animation, again, looks way too manga-like for my liking. The soundtrack is easily forgettable and the voice acting while fitting doesn't exactly excite me much. At least this time there are no mechas around... Not at the start anyway...

Remember how I was accusing Tengen Toppa for trying to be the overly-manly anime it was, aka being an anime featuring apes for apes? Well somehow Kill la Kill is also following the logic of being overly manly and apish... Despite 60% of the cast being female. Do you see the problem here? I'm not trying to be sexist but they just don't fit well. Hell, the only character that actually fit her role (of playfully diabolical all-hail-Cthulhu female) was Nui, but even she is buried underneath the current of flows and immaturity the show has. You can't go having the females act like males in THOSE kind of suits, they just don't work together.


As Tengen did, the plot eventually ends to the conquering of the galaxy and a gigantic nonsensical space fight with people screaming their lungs off, with lines pretty similar to "who do you think I am" and going from stupid transformation to stupid transformation. In the final scene we see the three main characters going on a mall for shopping because the show suddenly decides to remind us they're girls after all. . . . Wait they are? The protagonist is so tomboish that if it wasn't for her almost-non-existant battle suit you would propably consider her a boy (also for some bizzare reason she kinda looks like Fudo Yusei... When she's not going around naked I mean), Satsuki is so strict that again, you barely consider her a woman and Mako is so annoying that you can't possibly consider her human, let alone define gender. Hell, NUI is more feminine than them and the show presents her as the terrible monster (oh yeah, she's also my favourite char in the series, which means that if I give the others a 2/10 I give her a 5/10).

Overall stupid, immature and pretty clearly there to fullfill the fantasies the director had when he hit puberty. Trash.

Edited for reasons.
Keep in mind, this is more of an analysis than a review, and yes, I realize that I am probably overanalyzing it.

Kill la Kill is an anime that can stand solely on it's visuals. It's not that any other parts were poorly done, but the direction and details incorporated so much world building, character definition, and thematic elements that I could have watched it in Japanese without subtitles and I don't feel like my experience would have changed in any substantial way, wait, there's Satsuki's magnificent quotes. Okay, everything about it is incredible.. Again, it's not that the dialogue was unnecessary or bad, ... the visuals were just THAT good. I need examples for this, I'll try to refrain from spoilers as much as possible.

Kill la Kill is about a high school girl named Satsuki Kiryuin who uses her mother's success to create her own town with its high school situated at the top and turns it into a fascist dictatorship. She uses clothing to control the population, both offering upward mobility to those who follow her lead, and using the Goku uniforms power to oppress those who don't. The skimpiest outfits are the most powerful, but only if you aren't embarrassed to wear them. This should have already triggered something in your brain. Clothing as a means of oppression in high school? linking embarrassment and empowerment? these are things that are already present in our daily high school lives and Imaishi simply exaggerates these themes to the point of absurdity. I'll get to this in a bit.

Let's start with the first episode. Even in the first 10 seconds of the show, the atmosphere and style are illustrated in incredible detail. The industrial class room with the battleship door along with the brief exposition about the Nazis winning world war II makes it clear that this is a militarized society, even schools are effected (and as the episode progresses, we learn that this school actually epitomizes this). Then Gamagoori's foot smashes through the door, the scene is thrown into chaos and Gamagoori squeezes through the door, towering over everyone even the teacher. This first scene makes several things clear; The animation style is not meant to be literal, Gamagoori isn't actually 20 feet tall (we seem him at normal height a few seconds later). Rather, the series uses gross exaggeration to get a message across. Gamagoori is a dominating figure, even the teacher is beneath him, and that brings me to my next point. The hierarchy is not what you'd expect, an elite group of students are the ones who really hold the power. The teacher is sent sliding away from Gamagoori on his knees and a sequence of events follows in which Gamagoori beats a student to death in a spectacular fashion.

Let's give one more example, Mako doing manual labor. The scene depicts her passing objects don a line of people, like how the bucket of water is passed down the line in Little Rascals. Mako isn't literally passing boxes down a long line of completely identical goons (although I guess she might be, Kill la Kill is pretty silly like that), but rather, the scene is meant to describe the highly mechanical process in which the labor is carried out. It's was able to convey this idea in a span of about 3 seconds, and the entire show packed this densely with narrative and developmental visuals.

Elaborating on these specific scenes is necessary to explain just how much this show relies on imagery to convey information to the audience.

Thematic Elements:
It is likely that dozens, if not hundreds of people have attempted to enumerate and discuss all the themes present in this show. A book that detailed these theories in their entirety would like fill thousands of pages, so I wouldn't doubt that most of those theories are pure fantasy. I will attempt to explain the themes that are obvious from the world and the events in the story.

The manipulation of a population through greed and social constructs is the immediately recognizable theme. Goku uniforms are status, a better standard of living, and the power to dominate others, much like symbols of status in the real world. However, this is taken to the extreme as is everything else in Kill la Kill. Since Honnouji academy, and the city it's built on are ruled by a governing body with the ability to hand Status and power (see Goku uniforms) out as they choose, they can completely control the population by playing on peoples desperation and greed. People will literally kill each other over these uniforms.

Nudity is another idea presented in Kill la Kill. Make no mistake, this show will likely have more fan service than any non ecchi show you have ever seen, and while nudity is used for a "higher purpose", the show still has all the revealing camera angles that many anime fans have become accustomed to. However, I would argue that these camera angles reflect how the audience (because these scenes always happen in front of an audience within the show) are meant to better show how shame plays into everything.

So how is nudity used? Firstly, nudity is portrayed as a symbol shame, and later empowerment as the series progresses. Something is symbolism because of it's place in the story, nudity is consistently associated with freedom and clothing is consistently associated with oppression. The Kamui are unique, they are distinguished from the other Goku uniforms both in power and style, telling us that the main characters, Satsuki and Ryuuko,are different, they possess the resolve to succeed outside the confines of the system or to rise to the top of it, which is what Ryuuko and Satsuki respectively attempt to do, but in order to reach your final form, you can't be held back by embarrassment."The fact that you are embarrassed by the values of the masses only proves how small you are!" This may be one of Satsuki's most important quotes, it ties the ideas of oppression and conformity to nudity, forming a cohesive argument with two distinct themes. But simply alluding to social constructs does not make them an underlying theme in the show, the story and characters have to reflect them as well. And they do. Let's break it down.

Satsuki and Ryuuko, some of my favorite characters of all time, both for their development, and for what they represent. Satsuki is the pinnacle of femininity and authority, she is the ideal citizen elevated to god-like heights by her willingness to submit to the typical gender roles and her resolve to impose these roles on everyone else with absolute authority. This is depicted symbolically in the form of a wedding dress, Juketsu (purity). This symbol comes up frequently and is always associated with matrimony, conformity, traditional gender roles, all that jazz, and Ryuuko is not having any part of that. Satsuki spends much of the show trying to force Ryuuko to behave and not be a delinquent lesbian who wears black and red. Satsuki wears Junketsu, a metaphor for her beliefs while Ryuuko wears Senketsu, who is way sexier.

Ryuuko and Senketsu form the counter argument to Satsuki. What is at first a story of a girl trying to find her fathers killer becomes one of that girl tearing down a system of oppression, Senketsu constantly badgers Ryuuko about how she is wearing him but has yet to put him on, a reference to how her shame is preventing her from reaching her true potential. They grow closer throughout the series until the ending drives home the ideas the show had been working towards until that point. Unfortunately, her development can often come off as teenage angst, and it can be hard to relate to.

What is perhaps most impressive is how the show uses it's high school setting to connect high school dynamics to it's ideas of conformity and oppression. The Principle says something very important in the first episode "we are but mere pawns, Satsuki is the schools true master" that's not word for word, but the idea is the same, in Kill la Kill Satsuki, the Student Council President, is literally a fascist dictator. This is also true in a sense in real life. The school administration can suspend you, or tell you to wear a longer skirt, but ultimately, it's peer pressure that impacts your behavior the most, the desire to fit in. Ryuuko's friendship with Mako is important because she is basically immune to peer pressure, giving Ryuuko confidence, and slapping her back to reality when she decides to act like a big fat idiot.

Every other student is dependent on Satsuki's system, and if we look at this as a normal school anime, which isn't far off if you scale back the over the top style, it's about a troublemaker (Ryuuko) who gets transferred to a super uptight school after beating people up in her previous schools. Satsuki uses her position as the most popular girl in school to try and force Ryuuko to conform to her standards. She uses peer pressure by telling everyone else in the school to attack Ryuuko, and later even tries to turn her friends against her. Using greed and the desire to fit in to manipulate people is behavior prevalent in both high school and the practice of tyrants, and this double layer allows Kill la Kill to flesh out more ideas in greater detail, showing how the methods of dictators are used in other aspects of our lives.

Aesthetic:
The color palette is perfect, the shots of Honnou city give a good sense of what this city is like without devoting too much time to it, a single 5 second pan out is enough to tell you more about the setting than most shows accomplish in their entire run time. This is why "show don't tell is so important".

But wait, there's more! Kill la Kill's story is built from the ground up upon the tropes of high school and shonen genres. The overblown importance of the student council? Well this student council is a fascist dictatorship. The bizarre obsession with school clubs? In Kill la Kill, club success directly influences your quality of life. No star students like Mako live in the slums while the one stars live in condos. Beyond that are ludicrously ornate mansions. Fights are decided with asspulls, and how do you beat an asspull? with an even bigger asspull of course! Ryuuko isn't some stubborn twelve your old who doesn't afraid of anything, she runs from fights she can't win and "cheats" too! The most obvious one is the incredible roast of the "Woman wearing improbably skimpy clothing in a wildly inappropriate setting" cliche. A fair number of anime tend to feature characters like Yoko who are inexplicably wearing a bikini in a post apocalyptic setting, I'm sure you've seen many examples of your own. By using the skimpiest costumes allowed on TV, and trying it into the core themes and plot of the show, we get something that is simultaneously epic, hilarious, and beautiful.

Sound:
DON'T LOSE YOUR WAY!!!!!!!!!!
Kill la Kill features the best OST I have ever heard in my life. This is one aspect of the show that is almost unanimously agreed upon. It's so fantastically dramatic, every song so epic, that it will give you goose bumps and get your blood pumping. Listening to it will running fills me with strength. All of the voice actors are spot on as well and I can't imagine changing any of them. Just like it's art style and animation, this is literally perfect.

Weak points:
Episode 4, the only filler episode. This was by far my least favorite episode and not just because it could be removed without effecting the plot at all. Any ideas were already presented in previous episodes. If nothing else it show cases the ridiculous schemes Honnouji academy will utilize to weed out the weak. The tropes are overdone and overwhelming, I was hesitant about continuing the show after this episode because I was worried the series would devolve into episodic, nosebleed inducing nonsense. It didn't and I'm relieved. It should be noted however, that like the rest of the show, this episode likes to blow a lot of cliches out of proportion, accidental groping -> nosebleed -> head injury, but oddly enough, this actually becomes relevant to the subplot of the episode.

The show goes in a different direction after episode 12. I suppose you could say that it starts to take itself "seriously", but it never loses its insane style. Be warned, many people find the show becomes immensely better, or immensely worse after this episode.

The middle episodes could be described as the low point in the series depending on how much you enjoy the action and comedy, and whether you become annoyed with the slow plot progression during this time. The bigger issue is that most of the themes I've discussed, the character development, and the best fights take place in the first and last thirds of the show.

Kill la Kill is my favorite anime of all time but I also believe it is one of the most important releases ever. This is animation and direction perfected. Not only that, it tells multiple narratives simultaneously that all explore its core ideas and every individual piece of symbolism has multiple meanings. This kind of metanarrative is exceedingly rare, so I challenge you to watch this, and analyze it in depth, wear your detective hat, because no matter how incredible this show is on the surface, it gets immensely better the more work you put into it.

Kill la Kill Review:

When the creators of Gurren Lagann left Gainax to create their own studio, nobody really knew what to expect. After Kill la Kill's first preview however, the hype train began gaining momentum like a fat kid going down a lubed up slip and slide. So, does Studio Trigger deliver with their first big project? The answer put simply is: yes.

Story - 7.6:
Kill la Kill tells the story of a girl named Ryuko who goes to Honnouji Academy in search of the person who killed her father. Here students are ranked by their uniform which is given a certain amount of stars. ... The more stars your uniform has, the more powerful you become, and the better off your family will live in the city. Ryuko comes across a powerful talking uniform that her father made named Senketsu, and thus our story begins. For more than the first half of the show, the plot isn't much more than Ryuko plowing through other students while wearing Senketsu in the most fanservicey way possible. It's basically just one fight after another with comedy sprinkled in too. While this is all unquestionably fun to watch, as far as the story goes, there wasn't much there. However, there is a point where the story starts to gain focus and things start to get more interesting beyond just the action scenes. Now, don't go into Kill la Kill thinking everything is going to make sense, and that the plot will move smoothly in a logical fashion. Because it doesn't. The members of Studio Trigger are famous for making shows that are pure mindless fun with a large scale plot that has nonsensical logic, and Kill la Kill is no different. If you can manage to turn your brain off while watching this show, you will have absolutely no problems with the story.

Art - 7.6:
Kill la Kill has a mixed bag when it comes to the art. Starting with the negatives, overall, the animation can often feel like it lacked a sizeable budget. The shading is sub par, and the movements are also often not very fluid or realistic. There is also basically only one design for every single student that isn't significant in the story. HOWEVER, Studio Trigger should be greatly commended for how creatively used their budget. Because although the animation was subpar on the surface, they used many unique techniques in transitions, fight scenes, and even with the lighting that made you often forget any of it's flaws. The creative art style was brilliant and colorful, and the character designs were cool and varied. Also, the use of the giant red words was a very welcome addition to the show. In the end, no matter how bad the animation got, it never really interfered with my immersion in the show, but when the animation shined, it shined BRIGHT (just look at the censorship at nudist beach...) .

Sound - 8.6:
Unquestionably the strongest technical aspect of the show. Kill la Kill's OST was flat out ridiculous. Much like the show itself, the soundtrack had a sense of scale, using loud orchestras, choirs, and even multiple languages. Songs from Kill la Kill soundtrack are often instantly recognizable to the show even more-so than the also great openings and endings. The voice acting was also stellar with a very wide array of talent for a wide array of characters. Each voice actor fit each character perfectly, no matter how odd or obscure the role was. If I had to point out a few negatives it would just be that some songs were probably overused, and many of the non-epic songs were less than stellar. However, the sound aspect of this show deserves absolute praise.

Characters - 6.3:
Easily the weakest part of Kill la Kill was the show's characters. Not to say they weren't good, just that they could have and should have been much better. The cast of characters was large and varying in personalities which is a big plus. Also, each character has some sort of backstory or reasoning for their actions(no matter how obscure Trigger made these backstories). However, none of the characters felt anything more than one-dimensional. All were extremely predictable in their actions, and some were downright annoying after a while (Mako... you were funny at first... but not after the 15th time of using the same gimmick). One can argue that Kill la Kill needed a cast like this, that was just full of stereotypes who were predictable and don't develop. But I dare you to find a show with strong 3 dimensional characters who grew throughout the show that ended up making the show WORSE than if the characters were just cookie cutter stereotypes. All in all though, the characters were enjoyable for the most part, and that's what really matters, so a positive score is well deserved.

Enjoyment - 7.1:
This is the section that should have a higher score... but for me it just didn't quite click as well as it could have. It was an absolute blast of a ride, but where Kill la Kill floundered was in its first half. Each episode up until the plot focuses is basically the same recipe over and over again. While it was always fun to watch the beautifully animated action scenes and the creative moves that would happen, it was in essence no more enjoyable than watching Ash Ketchum battle 10 different trainers throughout 13 episodes. The first 2 or 3 episodes were ridiculously entertaining because of the shear uniqueness of the show, but after repeated gimmicks and formulaic set ups of episodes, things got old. Of course, after the focus shift the show became Gurren Lagann-esque in terms of entertainment value, but that still cant excuse episodes 4-15 from their rather repetitive nature.

Overall - 7.44:
Kill la Kill is without a doubt a wild ride that is a joy to watch. However, it is not the "savior of anime" that many people claim it to be (not that anime even needs saving). Inconsistent would be a great word to describe this show for just about every aspect I can think of. The characters range from great to meh, the story can range from "WTF HOLY MOTHER WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!?!" to meh, and pretty much everything else can be described the same way. However, the highs easily outweigh the lows, and give Kill la Kill a very good score of a 7.44 out of 10 and a recommendation from me to watch it if you are indeed a fan of over the top action shows (and don't mind some.... interesting... fanservice).

The Verdict:
Mindless fun and action, a great debut for Studio Trigger
Pros:
+ Gorgeous, over the top action scenes
+ Unique art style
+ Funny/large scale plot line
+ Pure, thoughtless fun

Cons:
- 1 dimensional characters
- Inconsistencies in story delivery, and animation
- Gimmicks are over-used

If you liked Kill la Kill, watch...
Gurren Lagann
FLCL

7.44/10 - Great

Often, as I watch anime I tend to lose sight of why I'm watching it in the first place. Is it for the intellectually stimulating story lines? The deep symbolism and metaphorical allusions? The way it probes into universal truths about humanity and society?

Or do I watch anime for the entertainment value? The aesthetic quirks that make anime, anime? The amount of fun and excitement to be had, with a group of larger-than-life characters?

There are many shows out there that are very enjoyable in a cerebral way. Revolutionary Girl Utena, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc. The list goes on. Those series require the viewer to think, ... and are created with many questions purposely left unanswered. There are also shows so mindless that the only real way to get enjoyment out of them is to completely turn off one's brain while watching, such as the Symphogear series.

And then, there's Kill la Kill.

I'm not going to try and argue that Kill la Kill is exceptionally intelligent, but nor will I dismiss it as simply brainless entertainment. Rather, this particular anime falls somewhere in between rationality and insanity, and that alone makes it worth watching.

To be honest, I went into Kill la Kill with few expectations. Everything I had heard regarding the anime was either exceedingly, fanboyishly positive, or equally dismal and negative. I didn't expect to enjoy at all, but I ended up loving every moment of it.

The plot of Kill la Kill is quite simple to begin with, but later becomes so convoluted and large in scale that the initial premise is almost nowhere to be found. There is one major twist in towards the latter half of the series that throws away nearly everything that has been set up in the beginning, and this may come across as ridiculous to a lot of viewers. However, I personally found the "all according to plan" aspect of the twist to be set up quite well. Other than that, I also enjoyed the way the story was built up to be greater and greater in scale, from the actions of a few affecting a few to those same actions affecting the fate of the entire universe. It's so crazy that it's almost absurd, but Kill la Kill manages to hold on to a shred of believability no matter how insane, ridiculous, confusing, and over-the-top the plot gets.

Although the characters in Kill la Kill are all larger-than-life and are prone to drastic and sometimes downright insane actions, they all become quite endearing towards the end of the series, save for the major antagonists, who are equally twisted and detestable. If you're looking for a show where the villains are redeemed at the end, then [SPOILER WARNING] this is not your show. That being said, there are many instances of moral ambiguity in the other characters, and watching them grow throughout the course of 24 episodes was very enjoyable.

The music and art style of Kill la Kill match the story very well, with heart-pumping rock tracks during the battle scenes and a sketchy, cartoony animation that keeps up with the quick pace of the show. The budget of the animation seemed rocky at times, as evidenced by the not always consistent quality, but that didn't get in the way of my personal enjoyment of the show. The OST also contained several songs that are quite catchy and fit the mood of the series very well.

I think the biggest redeeming factor of Kill la Kill was its atmosphere. It's fun and crazy, but retains a serious edge when it needs to. It takes itself seriously within the context of the show, but it also doesn't expect its audience to take everything seriously. Kill la Kill knows exactly what kind of show it is, and valiantly tries to hide it without seeming like its trying too hard. Yes, there's a ton of fanservice and more sexual innuendos than I can bother to count. Yes, the plot goes off in a million different directions, and yes, sometimes nothing really makes sense in the show. But despite all its flaws, Kill la Kill managed to be entertaining in its craziness and bold in its outright rejection of many tropes and standards, all the while touching on social/class issues with a brash sense of humor. Where Kill la Kill fails in respectability, it succeeds in making the entire show itself basically the moral of the story: That humans have the will and the ability to do whatever the hell they want if they are motivated enough.

Kill la Kill is not the product of years of creative ingenuity, rather, it is spontaneous and doesn't hold back on anything. If you're looking for something to help you ponder existential issues, Kill la Kill is not the show you should be watching. Likewise, if you're looking to waste your time on dumb fanservice, Kill la Kill is also not the show you should be watching. But if you're looking for a solid piece of entertainment, if you're willing to overlook a few technical flaws for something fun and unforgettable, then you will definitely find it in Kill la Kill.

I recommend this anime to people who just don't give a fuck.

I had heard so much hype for Kill La Kill, and to admit when I watched the first couple of episodes I thought to myself, why do people like this series? It seems kind of repetitive, of course you soon realize that Kill la Kill doesn't lay out everything in the first couple of episodes. It is a show that has a wild sense of humor along with some really dark material. It is also one of the very few shows I've seen to use fan service cleverly and integrate it into the plot.

In this show fan service means more than things to be put ... into the show to arouse the audience, it actually is a weapon. The characters are completely fleshed out, they are for the most part with maybe the exception of Mako generally well written, but the best written character is without question Satsuki Kiryuin, who is probably one of the greatest female anime characters I've seen, without giving much away her story arc and growth is absolutely incredible.

As can be expected from the same team behind Gurren Lagann (albeit under a different name) the animation is absolutely incredible and it's clear that Trigger put their heart and soul into this.

As for the Voice over performances I watched this one dubbed, I don't think I heard a single voice that sounded out of place, it's one of the best dubs I've watched. The voice actors manage to keep up to the frenetic energy level of the show.

Kill La Kill is maybe the best anime that has aired in the 2010s or so with only Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Psycho Pass and Mushi-shi The Next Passage, to even come close to it. Highly Highly Recommended.

Kill la kill was... alright. An overall score of 4 describes it perfectly with the word "Decent". Let me tell you what I mean.

Story: 3

The story centers around a hero whose motivations don't make much sense, and whose actions make even less. There's very thin lines between parody and seriousness with KLK. Each episode expands the plot a little more, and it gets crazy and reaches ridiculous proportions. Is this a parody of other shows? Are they being serious with the random, crazy plot points? You can't really tell, and at some points you have to look past ... the craziness and ask yourself "What exactly is going on?" and "Is there a story, or are the writers just throwing plot progression haphazardly into the show for no other purpose than to create more opportunities to draw ridiculous fight scenes?"

Art: 4

At some points, the art is really nice. At other points, it's really crappy. Once again, is KLK attempting to parody other shows, or is the budget just really tight? Am I supposed to accept the crappy animation and dull art as comical, or should I be concerned that characters have literally begun to move around as if they are in a 2-D world? Is it okay that some fights are just lines moving around everywhere, and that important scenes are just paintings? I don't know, with KLK anything is possible.

But, nonetheless, the art alternates rather frequently between good, okay, and really bad, and averages out to an overall "Decent".

Sound: 9

The soundtrack speaks for itself. Amazing music choices all around, amazing OST, and most of the songs are great listens outside of the show. Voice acting? Also amazing, the voice actors were very unique and memorable. The voices fit the characters, they were expressive and emotional, and the voice actors do an exceptional job keeping up that level of quality throughout the show. The sound of this show is easily the best part.

Character: 5

Characters generally fall into one cliche or another. Personalities are set early on and no many of the characters develop further than their initial setting. Let's be clear, the characters are all unique, they have good chemistry in the show, and they break most of the annoying or dealbreaking stereotypes. The chick you'd expect to be your typical moe character is actually caustic and cynical, the ditzy character isn't tripping over her feet every seconds and blushing about her love interest, and the tomboy badass chick is actually a badass, and isn't just waltzing around beating on boys for groping her.

So kudos to KLK for meeting the bare minimum of good characters, but it isn't enough to move past a 5 in score. Characters are generally one-dimensional, and character development is done swiftly and with little to no logic behind the shift. The villains are very generic, the heroes are also very generic. The main heroes even cover the basic spectrum of "reasons a character wants to be the hero", vengeance and values. It's just too piecemeal and too uninspired to deserve anything above a mediocre ranking.

Enjoyment: 3

Enjoyment is rather subjective. Personally, I didn't find much of the show to be funny, and I didn't find much of the action to be entertaining. To be frank, the story wasn't nearly intriguing enough to keep me interested, the fights were either too short, had obvious solutions, or were won by something completely out of the blue, making them hard to enjoy, and the humor alternated between crude and horrible and somewhat chuckle-worthy. To say the least, it's colorful and fast-paced, but KLK leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall: 4

Kill la Kill is... decent. There isn't another way to describe the show. It's crazy, when it's not frustrating it's fun, and for a couple moments it's enthralling, but other than the soundtrack, there's nothing special about it. There's nothing that catches your attention and really shows you what makes the show so great. It's a bumpy ride of "How many bad parts am I going to have to sit through before another good part comes up?"

Trigger's highly acclaimed Kill la Kill came to a tremendous end in March and now that the dust has settled I thought it may be the perfect time to unfold it once again for my review. Let's take a look if the hype behind this show is justified or not.

A plot summary has already been given in the detail section of the information page so I won't be doing one - it's literally one click away.

Let's split up this review into the five categories as usual:

Story (6/10):

Coming from a studio which participated in the making of the well-known Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and taking a ... look at the plot synopsis you should've already guessed that you are in for an over-the-top-action feast with almost no brakes on the hype train.
That's only partly true. Kill la Kill does start of at an incredible speed introducing the large cast of characters while not refraining from leaving certain topics untouched such as the meaning of "being human" or even incest.

In comparison to this you have kind of a choring couple of episodes which more or less feel like real filler. Good thing is there is only a couple, like two or three. Also towards the end it tends to drag itself until the end where they can finally reveal the huge cliffhanger leading to the expected climax.

Overall the story is nothing which stands out very much but I doubt it was expected from Kill la Kill in the first place. It's entertaining and suspenseful enough to keep you hooked throughout the ride but is too shallow for anything worthwhile. The plot twists in the middle arc definetly made up for the rather lame beginning.

Art (6/10):

The art in Kill la Kill is heavily double-edged. On the one hand it does fit the shows unrealistic themes and high-octane action quite well but on the other hand it's just ugly with quality being thrown around everywhere, the moving characters just becoming some blurred lines throughout the action scenes or just being animated horribly deformed. At this point I think Trigger just overdid their selves while planning the whole thing, not spreading the budget well enough.

It's certainly not horrible per say but it would have been nice to see Trigger trying to bring it down to a common denominator or at least trying to make use out of the saved budget as they did with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann where the end was unquestionable the best thing the show had to offer in terms of as good as everything.

Sound (8/10):

While Kill la Kill does its best not to be a complete failure regarding art it does excel at sounding absolutely gorgeous. Sawano Hiroyuki (Attack on Titan) did his best to provide fitting bombastic themes (KIRYU HA KILL), slow and sad (Until I die) ones and even attempts in German songwriting with industrial sounds mixed underneath it (Blumenkranz) to set the mood perfectly and to get your blood boiling.

Only towards the end you realized that they were using the same tracks over and over again. This didn't stop me from downloading the whole Original Soundtrack though.
While we are at Kill la Kills best part we also have the outstanding voice acting. The characters have been hit right on the spot with their respective voice actors.

In terms of sound Kill la Kill does as good as everything right. It's a feast for the ears to put it that way.

Character (7/10):

Kill la Kill does offer every kind of character archetype you could imagine. The cast is incredibly huge and it doesn't feel like anyone is left behind in the development. Ryuko is the hot-blooded revenge seeking tomboy, then we have her comedy relief best friend Mako, the weirdo teacher Mikisugi and the evil tyrannical leader of the academy Satsuki who is ruling the school along with the Elite Four; the best trained students with the most powerful armors and the closest relationship to Satsuki.
All in all the cast was very likeable with a few exceptions in my case which only happened to be supporting characters with no big influence.

Enjoyment (8/10):

I would be lying if I said I didn't love watching Kill la Kill.
I got on hyped really, really quickly and found myself even streaming the lastest translated episodes because I couldn't bear waiting any longer - especially in the middle arc, which was fantastic. The action was great, the music was awesome and the characters were likeable as well. The only thing I didn't like that much was the immense fan service. Don't get me wrong: I could tell which way Kill la Kill was aiming for from just a few episodes but come on... Looking back at it, it could have done equally well if not better without nudity flashing everywhere you look. This is just opinion based though. If you have no problem with ecchi-like approaches then you are set and won't mind but there surely are people (like me) who find it rather annoying. It's just supposed to be a "warning" of some sort to this kind of people.

Verdict (7/10*):

Kill la Kill was an action-filled and entertaining watch definitely worth checking out if an absurd level of over-the-topness does not scare you away. Be warned that this show is mostly freaking stupid but equally freaking awesome.
For action-fans Kill la Kill should be a must. If you are looking for a deep storyline with thought-provoking themes you are wrong here. This anime is just made for entertainment. You are better of turning off your brain while seeing Trigger playing around with almost every basic rule of how the world is supposed to work.

---------------------------------

*) Score is not an average

I think it is safe to say that Kill La Kill is the most hyped up anime of 2014, but as the time showed us more than once, hyped up does not always mean good. I myself did not have the greatest experience with the hyped anime series of the past few years. I found Sword Art Online atrocious and Attack on Titan while not bad, still not even nearly as good as people made it out to be. When I started watching Kill La Kill I was a bit sceptical for two reasons: 1) Too much Hype and 2) I am against fanservise.

Still with ... all that being said I am proud to say that Kill La Kill is one of the few shows in past years that actually deserve that level of hype. The writing, directing, pacing, soundtrack, characters and austesics are all on extremely high levels.

There were 2 great things that I immeadiatly noticed when I started watching Kill La Kill:

1) The first one was direction, animation and austetics. It was easy to understand that show was original and not and adaptation of any manga. You could see in the animation and the whole direction of the show that it was not just connecting key images with animation. It was using the freedome of animation and it's possibilities at their full capacity. The show's animation frequently jumps from maginificent and detalied to barely animated stills. It would be a huge problem if not for the fact that this show uses stills in a perfect fasion for comedy or for some memorable shots. Even when the animation is not that good throughout the episode, it still fits the show's mood very well.

With all that the show is full of visual puns, references and some shots so unbelivable you will have to straight up pause to absorb what the show just visualy threw at you. The great thing is that Kill La Kill does not hang up on it and acts like all of these ridicilous things are a norm which creates even a better impact for comedy.

The design and austetics in this show are majestic. The characters all look beautiful and distinct. The venues, locations, cities, buildings, weapons and everything else looks like quite nothing you have ever seen before.

2) The second thing I have noticed was almost pitch perfect pacing. This show has no fillers, no episodes that do not add up to the overall narrative and story. Every episode is usually packed with something great that will hold your attention and make you want to see what is next. Towards the end the pacing becomes faster and more energetic which is fine by me, but I have prefered the pacing of the first 15 episodes.


Now let's talk about the story:

Yes it is a tale of a girl getting revenge and finding out more about her father and family but rest assured that it is only a small fraction of what the story of this anime has to offer. While I will not be spoiling the story of the show too much though.

The show has many underlying themes. There are more apperent once like the commentary on nudity and shame and some that you have to look deeper into show's history to find. Still people have come up with many interesting iterations of this story which will make you view anime in the whole different light.

The great thing about the story of this anime....well and this anime overall is that if you are a viewer who just likes popcorn flicks or does not like to think too much about the shows they have watched, then this show will provide tons and tons of entertainment on the whole other level compared to the majority of other shows. If you on the other hand like to analize your shows, comic books, anime or whatever, you will find tons of things to analize and look into in this show. Appealing to two of such different demographics is an unbelievebly hard task which Kill La Kill does magnificently.


I will also say a few things about the characters:

The characters in this shows are mostly awesome. I loved Maco who is like your comedy reliefe and secondary character on crack. She will proved tons of awesome and fun moments.

The protagonist is good. The voice actor did a great job protraying her. She is not the most interesting character but I still really liked her.

Satsuki though might just be the most interesting and cool character in this whole show. Explaining her will require to spoil the show to death so I will not do it.

The strenght of the characters in this show is that even if they are not deep or intruiging, the show will give you bunch of reasons to love them.


Something had to be said about the soundtrack. Really this is easily among THE BEST anime soundtracks I have ever heard. The whole soundtrack is a thing of beauty. It does a great job enhancing the already great experience that is that show.

Also one of the last things I had to talk about is the infamous fanservice in this show. Well what can I say...there is a lot of it in this show. Still it plays a huge role in the narrative of this show and it's narratives. The proportions are not realistic. There are no nipples nor pubic hair. As a heterosexual male I can honestly tell you most of the time I have not even found the fanservice sexy and did not mind it too much. That comes from a guy who is usually stricktly against the fanservice.


So overall Kill La Kill is an exeptional show the likes of which come out very rare. It is beautifly directed, amazingly looking, smartly written and has magnificent soundtrack. Don't misunderstand me it has some flaws. For instance Nudist Beach was pretty useless overall and not fully realized. Some character faded into obscurity and I wanted to see more of them. The thing is that there are very few negatives but the positives...well they hit you hard and they hit you on every level that counts.

Warning: I used Google Translate to help me translate some things from Portuguese to English, I hope you understand everything! ;-;

Well, let's review!

I never laughed so hard in my life! This anime can easily attract the viewer's attention with stupidly comical and unexpected situations. In my opinion it is worth seeing it, even I 've watched this anime more than once .

Story: 8
The story can be very dynamic in my opinion, is not boring, you know? In no time the story becomes meaningless.

Art: 7
... In my opinion, the art of this anime is different, It's more funnier than perfect.

Sound: 8
For me the songs are very well placed, all music and sound effects combine with his scenes! The voice actors can not stay out, they did a great job, but what most caught my attention was the Japanese voice actress Aya Suzaki doing Mako Mankanshoku!

Caracter: 10
All the characters are charming and interesting in different ways, but my favorite is the cute and evil Harime Nui, one of the antagonists. (She's a bitch, but I like her.)

Enjoyment: 10
The anime is fun and interesting. There was no time when I did not want to see what would happen in the course of history.

Overall: 9
Anyway, I did not notice any major fault in the anime, to me is a great anime and a full plate for those who like comedy and embarrassing fights! (you will understand when watching)
I'm desperately hoping a second season!

Kill la Kill is an intensely popular and polarizing anime. It combines several genres of anime, takes the most titillating and ridiculous aspects of each, and throws them back at the audience with a heavy hand.

I would describe Kill la Kill as a parody of anime based around high school, with the fanservice and hyperviolent nature of most shounen battle anime.

There are certainly impressive moments within Kill la Kill, however the excellent and irreverent plot slowly devolves into the common tropes the show originally meant to ridicule.

Detailed scores:

Story: 7

I believe the plot of Kill la Kill has one of the most interesting hooks ... in recent history.
Many critics of anime consider most of them as power fantasies, pandering to an audience that is in high school and usually thinks they are the center of the universe. Kill la Kill makes those dreams come true in a dystopian future, where high school academies are the new bastions of humankind. Studio Trigger shoves a world where status in high school LITERALLY dictates every aspect of everyone's lives, and says "Are you sure this is what you really wanted?"

The themes of revenge, identity, and even slut-shaming get explored within the first few episodes. This is accentuated by the fact that the first five or so episodes move at a lightning pace. Almost every major character for the first half of the show is introduced within the first two episodes, so the characters really have time to develop and endear themselves to the viewer.

Why do I give it a 7? Well, the second half of the anime is too busy tying up the loose ends placed in the first half in order to poke fun at modern anime culture. It stops trying to make fun of the "power fantasy" that anime brings (whether it be social, mental, or sexual power). The show stops making me think, and just makes me hooked enough to press play to the next episode.

Art: 8

The only anime series I have ever watched with a similar art style to Kill la Kill would be Fist of the North Star, mixed with the character designs that wouldn't look out of place in a Crayon Shin-Chan or Dooly. The insanely dramatic and propaganda-inspired backdrops clash with the cartoonish characters in a great way. The art style actually caused some feelings of nostalgia for me, as if Trigger was appealing to those who grew up watching the aforementioned anime.

Studio Trigger was founded by two former employees at Gainax, a company known for outlandishly stylish works like Gurren Lagann. This heritage is proudly presented in the animation style of Kill la Kill.

Backdrops are introduced usually with a shot zooming out from a vantage point, as if the viewers are on a rocket flying away from the scene.

Battle scenes are lovingly detailed and animated. The only recycled animations I could notice were the standard transformation and "we're slashing swords so fast I don't need to animate the arms". Glancing blows are rewarded with huge shockwaves and successful attacks result in destruction all around.

The humorous parts of Kill la Kill are (in my opinion) deliberately animated poorly or with insane amounts of repetition (series veterans will think of the term "RYUUKO-CHAN" here) in order to make fun of the characters or situations in front of them. Mako and the pervy homeroom teacher are the prime examples of this.

I don't know how else to describe the art style in words, just watching the first five minutes of the first episode will do more justice than what more I can write.

Sound: 7

The soundtrack consists of each major character's "theme". The OP and ED tracks for each half of the series are catchy, especially the ones with an electric guitar.

The voice acting is spot on, with Ryuuko's tomboyish nature reflected in her voice and tone. The rapport between the Elite Four is fun to listen to. Even without looking at the screen, I could distinctly recognize who was speaking, something that I actually have trouble doing with most anime.

Unfortunately, the music and sound design suffer from repetition. Particular offenders include the instrumental version of Ryuuko's "don't lose your way" track.

Character: 7

I am going to examine Ryuuko the most closely in order to justify my score. In one of the first episodes of Kill la Kill, Ryuuko decides she is sick of having everyone (including the viewer) gawk at her stripperific powered- up form. Trigger really had a great chance to criticize how essential fanservice has become with regard to an anime's success. People at Honnouji will pay huge amounts of money to watch well-endowed animated people fight to the death. Are we, as consumers of anime, not the same?

Unfortunately, none of these examinations are considered in a serious way in the storyline, and unfortunately Ryuuko turns into a female version of every shounen battler protagonist in the world. I do believe Ryuuko has a funny and likeable personality; it's just not one that defies genre stereotypes.

Satsuki develops the most as a character throughout the series, and it was extremely satisfying to learn of her origins as a dictator, but also her own struggles dealing with the events within Kill la Kill.

Enjoyment: 6

The storyline is intentionally filled with cringe-worthy moments in order to challenge and titillate the viewer towards a reaction. Eventually the parts of the anime that hooked me in were all gone, replaced by the standard revenge storyline and generic plot device of "I need more power to beat this guy!" The cynical message about the appeal of violence against females in modern media is replaced by insane amounts of female-on-female violence.

Despite these concerns, I truly loved watching every battle scene and hilarious epiphanies by Mako. Kill la Kill is a rare anime that redeemed itself to me after my opinion went down after episode 12 or so. I began to enjoy it for what it was, not from what I expected to experience from the previous episodes.

Overall: 7
I will repeat what I have said in the intro.

There are certainly impressive moments within Kill la Kill, however the excellent and irreverent plot slowly devolves into the common tropes the show originally meant to ridicule.

Would I recommend this show to strangers whose tastes I don't know?
Not really. There's so many pieces of this show that can make or break it for a viewer, and it's hard to describe them without spoiling the plot.
Would I suggest a stranger give the first episode a try? Definitely. If you get hooked, prepare for a fun ride.

The savior of Anime and shitty fanservice garbage in one, it's Kill la Kill!

Story:
I think it's safe to say that the plot of KlK was just an excuse to do this show. Nonetheless, as weird and stupid as it may sound, it actually makes sense in itself (if you buy it, that is). Pretty much everything gets explained sooner or later (even why the Kamui outfit is so skimpy) so they at least tried. But honestly, it's not the pinnacle of storytelling. The plot is meh, the pacing is fast, the story development is good and the genre mixture is either hit or miss (depending ... on the viewer, I liked it a lot).
7/10

Art:
Depending on character and situation, the artwork shifts greatly from cutesy or comedic all the way to detailed and colorful. This isn't the best looking show out there, but it works well with the fast pacing of Kill la Kill. Every character looks unique, the technological advanced parts of the world look beautiful and the action scenes are flashy (and later on very bloody).
8/10

Sound:
Don't lose your waaaaay~...ahem, excuse me. Yes, the soundtrack of Kill la Kill is pretty awesome, be it the heroic theme song of Ryuko or the creppy villain theme. It all fits very well and gets you in the right mood for the scene your watching. On top of that, we are treated with some fine classical music everytime Nonon fights. Both openings and endings were good without being very memorable. The voice acting was over the top, which worked really well with the quirky characters.
9/10

Characters:
How do I talk about this without starting to sound like a fanboy? There is a huge pile of characters, but all of them are very unique and different, so you will not have any difficulties remembering names (I'm looking at you Bleach). They all fill their respective roles perfectly and leave their mark on the show. From funny (Mako) to serious (Ragyo) to outright creepy (Nui) you have something for everybody. I admit though, Mako is a character you either love or hate, because she keeps interrupting serious scenes with her comedic antics. Anyway, this is the strong point of Kill la Kill and I can't possibly imagine a better cast for any Anime.
10/10

Enjoyment:
Kill la Kill was fun fun fun. If you want something serious, ambitious or sophisticated, you wouldn't take a look at this Anime anyway, so for anybody who wants 24 episodes of non-stop high octane entertainment, this is what you're looking for. This show never bored me for even a second and I recommend KlK with a clear conscience.
Oh, one more thing. Some people seem to dislike "fanservice" for whatever reason. Kill la Kill has a lot of naked and half-naked people on screen about 50% of the time. Just sayin.
10/10

Overall:
8.8/10

Kill la Kill is an edgy action anime with a unique story. It is fun to watch; however, at a technical level, I found it below average and dumb at times.

The story starts off fine and epic, for the first half. Commence a series of asspulls to extend the plot- they also don't make much sense at all. It would've done better to avoid the out of place fanservice, and instead focus a bit on the plot holes. 3/10, was entertaining to watch what was happening- requires brain to be off to understand though. My biggest problem was ... that the show couldn't stay serious or funny. Its tones were all over the place, ruining this anime.

The art was different and unique, but looked sloppy in the end. It was unappealing to my eyes and everyone I've talked to about this. Objectively speaking, it is well animated and the action scenes do look better. I may have not liked it, but the art might be the best part about KlK. 7/10

The music wasn't anything special. "Don't lose your way" is the only song of significance, and is overplayed at that. 5/10

The characters Ryuuko and Satsuki are interesting in their development, but I didn't care for any other characters, some of them ruining moments (*cough* Mako *cough*). 5/10

I enjoyed the first half or so, for it had so much potential. After the plot crevasses that obliterated all logic hit, I lost my way. 4/10

Overall, 5/10 is an average-ish anime, but i'd still recommend this anime. It isn't good, far from it, but everyone sees anime differently.

This show is, without a doubt, the most pure, unadulterated bullshit I have ever watched, with a story more contrived than Bleach, ten times the asspull of Naruto and One Piece combined, and characters more obnoxious than even Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.

If it were not for the way it was delivered, and the obvious satire on ridiculous anime tropes that this show embodies, it would be one of the worst anime of all time.

However, because of its deliberate flaws, it is actually enjoyable, despite being a borderline cliche bore-fest.

In other words, it's so bad it's good.

Story: 1/10
Art: 7/10
... Sound: 7/10
Character:1/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8/10

Also, I liked the little nods to Evangelion.

Easily one of the most anticipated animes ever, and really promising after watching 3 episodes.

BUT.

Too many plot holes, contradictions, totally anti-climactic dumb speeches, underdeveloped concepts. Proceeding through suggestion and not developing ideas are two different things, and I think Imaishi kind of messed up with this one.

His previous works had strong ideas brilliantly conveyed through his blend between raw over-the-top energy and parodic/absurd/erotic humour.

TTGL was all about a philosophical manifest for reason and moderation in mankind's progress, plus nekketsu applied to what one must endure to become an adult. It helped me a lot to go through one of my best friends' bereavement, and outpass ... my fear of death.
Panty & Stocking, on the contrary, was a gigantic troll addressed to 'Murica that tends to promote heavily broadcasted vulgarity though they act as though they were sent by God. I hardly burst in laughter because of an anime, but it totally worked with this one.

Kill La Kill stands somewhere between these two extremes, trying to deal with sin, purity, fashion, etc. but never achieves to tie it all together coherently. I'll give this anime a 6 because it is exciting to watch (the action sequences were REALLY good), but I can't give it more because when the series come to an end, there clearly lacks something that encourages you to watch it again. I can't even figure how painful it would be to watch all episodes in a row.

Edit of my Review from 5? years ago. I've rewatched the series many times since then, and my stance is a little changed. This Anime is far from a masterpiece, but very good at expressing its' core message in a very convincing narrative. The story stands the test of time, but the artwork feels misplaced, as some lazy edits in the frames leave for some pretty mediocre drawing in art direction.
...
Characters: still great, little less appealing than they were in the past, but their character traits and motivations are there for the main cast, other than... the drawback of the series: the supporting cast. They have little to no development and it feels like they were thrown in there to exist rather than have a purpose.

Sound Holds up well, no changes, soundtrack and score composition are always amazing under sawano.


Overall a great show regardless of any underlying flaws which most shows do have, but not the masterpiece I once though it was. big points for holding up well 5+ years later.




*Original Review Below*
I'll start off by saying that this review is my opinion only and I will admit I am a bit biased towards this particular anime, that being said...
"I MUST STRIP!"
There, right there in episode 3, is when I knew it was going to be like Gurren Lagaan. Kill la Kill is an original anime produced by Studio Trigger, the send-off from Gainax, the studio that made Gurren Lagaan.
*WARNING*
This review is a bit lengthy and if you do not wish to read it all go with my rapid summary TL;DR: It blew my mind out more than a gun ever could

Story: The story goes something like this: Girl, namely Ryuuko, wants to find her Father's Murderer, and goes to an academy to find some answers; she ends up getting screwed over, then finds a talking uniform, dubbed, Senketsu. She proceeds to use Senketsu to attack the students, who also wear superpowered "goku uniforms" and finds a rival in Satsuki Kiryuin(sorry for misspelling). Well my reasoning for this is basically the regular stuff, since i cant spoil too much out of the first few episodes, but anyone who has seen gurren lagaan knows exactly how they pace the series. the plot twists and rapid pacing contribute to the story for sure, but that was partly the problem, it went too fast. overall though, the story was still very entertaining. 9/10

Art: Okay, I wont call it the BEST art I've seen out of the season, but it has the comical consistency of gurren lagaan that I have always enjoyed, and completely enthralls me to glue my eyes to the screen. If you watch closely, the animation does dip past episodes 3-5, but still was good for the budget that Trigger could provide, which is pretty damn good. 10/10

Sound: "DON'T LOSE YOUR WAYYYYYYY!!!!!" The soundtrack was most likely the part that sold me in the beginning, even when i thought the concept was a bit sketchy. The music in the soundtrack is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who in my opinion is Godsent from the heavens, cause this guy knows how to write some badass tracks. from "Before my Body is Dry" to "Blumenkranz" to "Light your Heart up" I raised my volume to max every time cause i wanted to actually listen to the music more than the anime at times. all in all, I actually believe this soundtrack is better than Attack on Titan's. The openings, "Sirius" and "Ambiguous" by Aoi Eir and Garnidelia respectively, were probably the ramp for me to epicness. Ambiguous especially, made my mind blow when I heard the chorus. The endings, "Gomen ne, Iiko ja Irarenai" and "Shin Sekai Kōkyōgaku", although they didn't hype me up like the openings, were pleasant to hear. 10/10

Character: Let's face it, no matter how much you think you hate Mako, in the end you can't hate her. The characters aren't as developed as in a romance or drama anime, but they were all entertaining enough for me to love each of them in my own way(except Ragyo and Nui, Screw them -.-). Even the antagonists were well based upon, I couldn't HELP but hate them, but I guess that is the goal of an antagonist. Aside from that, the voice actors are very good at their job, perfectly portraying the voices and feeling of each character, even though I couldn't understand the Japanese, I definitely felt the message of the character come through. Very big props to the voice of the homeroom teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, Shin-ichiro Miki, the guy made me want to spit out soda each time he obsessed over "DTR!!!" 10/10

Enjoyment: If you couldn't tell by the amount of detail I'm trying to put into this review, I LOVE THIS ANIME. I usually don't admit that due to people disagreeing with me, but right now, I really don't care, cause I can't help but love it, the show did gurren lagaan's creators justice, and added onto epicness. sure, I wasn't part of the hype train initially, but after finishing it, I feel very satisfied enough to go out and ride that train to America. All in all, it was a superb piece of work, and I cannot say everyone will love it just as I did, but I can say that everyone will find an element in the show that they will love. 10/10

Overall: From the moment I saw the epic scenery of Honnouji Academy to the closing credits, Kill la Kill has been one of the most entertaining experiences I could ever have watching anime. It is action-packed, full of comedy and witty word-play, and can get serious to the point where you need to back off the screen in fear of the character jumping at you. The fast paced, epic action of Kill la Kill is not to be missed, even if the audience is varied, the anime is serious, downright goofy, and epic at the same time. At this time Kill la Kill is not released in North America or other countries, but has been licensed by Aniplex of America, so expect a release in the upcoming year or winter 2014.
To all of you that have read this review and not watched Kill la Kill, I implore you to watch it (there is a free hype train ticket in your email).10/10