Tell me, what path would you choose?
These are exactly the kind of questions viewers are faced with when watching Akame ga Kill! It’s more than just bloodshed and assassinations – there’s a very distinct underlying theme behind this series. Unless you are ready to open your mind and explore the validity of what you and others have believed before, I suggest you not watch this anime until you are. However, if you are in fact ready to accept that some things are undeniably true and false, then proceed and see how great this anime is.
Note: From episode 21 and onwards, the anime differs from the manga, mainly due to the fact the anime covers a lot more than what had been published in the manga at the time.
BACKGROUND INFO
=============
Before I begin, I want to provide a brief background info on what led me to this anime. Back in 2012, I was going through a phase where I only wanted to read manga. Not just any kind of manga – I wanted to read a manga that had characters engaging in fast-paced battles with one another in hopes of achieving their respective goals that their ideologies manifested. I wanted to read a manga that provided me, the reader, more than one perspective to which I could ponder about what is “right” or “wrong”.
I searched through at least a dozen manga until I stumbled across Akame ga Kill! Initially, it was the manga’s cover art that caught my eye because it was done very well; that feeling was compounded further as I read through the first chapter. It was just one chapter, yet it had everything I had been searching for already. It had been a while since a manga was able to make me confidently say “this is it”.
Fast-forward to the present: When I heard that the Akame ga Kill! manga was going to be adapted into an anime, I was so excited. I was anticipating the release with great optimism, especially when I heard White Fox was going to be the studio taking on this task. And now with its release, I can finally write and share my review!
STORY: 10/10
==========
With a story revolving around politics and sociology, it’s easy to see how many viewers can pass up the opportunity to watch Akame ga Kill! (AgK!). In real life, these disciplines are complex insofar that those who do not have enough information on a particular issue cannot even begin to decide on what’s true/false or who’s right/wrong. However, passing up on AgK! because of that reason would be a huge mistake.
AgK! does a brilliant job of breaking down these political/sociological boundaries so that every viewer can see how some issues surrounding these areas affect the average person. Although it may be more exaggerated in comparison to real-life, AgK! offers viewers an unobstructed view of the corruption of power (namely, those with high authority) that control societies. These corrupt individuals and groups prey on the innocent – oppressing them and using them as nothing more than tools to fuel their selfish desires. Some are not even aware that they are being manipulated, at all.
As a consequence, there are individuals that unknowingly grow up to become pawns. They live thinking that they exist to defend peace, justice, and their homeland, but in reality they are doing the opposite – defending, and thereby nourishing the corruption. However, some individuals grow to realize this peaceful and orderly world they supposedly live in is an illusion to hide the evil that exists. Therefore, unable to stand by and watch, they go against society to try and save it. This is exactly what AgK! is about – choosing your own path and proving it’s the right one.
In regards to the story’s pace, I think it was done extremely well. Every event that took place had its own purpose, was not rushed nor was stretched to unreasonable lengths, and more often than not it advanced the story in a logical direction. I was a bit concerned that the anime adaptation would result in some loss in detail from the manga, and of course there would be. Some miniature story and characters from the manga are omitted from the anime to save time, but the main story remains unchanged for the most part. In regards to the anime's pacing, White Fox did a wonderful job of choosing where to start and end each episode, in respect of the story.
Looking more closely at the story itself though, many viewers will be surprised at how fast things happen to unfold. We (viewers) are accustomed to having important people practically survive until the story’s end, but in AgK! this will change that belief quickly. People die a lot during the course of AgK!’s story. It gets to the point where you start saying, “Of course they would die – at the end of the day, they’re human!” as if every other show you have watched before had characters that weren’t human, after all. It can be absurd to many viewers, but I consider it a breath of fresh air.
No matter how you look at it, AgK!’s story reflects some basic truths about the reality we live in. Whether in small or large amounts, many, if not all, countries around the world are affected by corruption in some form. Taking everything so far into account, I give AgK!’s story a 10/10.
ART: 8/10
=======
In my opinion, AgK!’s art is above-average, but not quite the best I’ve seen. Starting with the background art, sceneries are drawn clearly without overpowering the main focus (the characters and other important objects such as weapons). Viewers can appreciate the amount of detail that goes into landscapes that have been destroyed. Studios often do a poor job on this, but White Fox clearly put some effort into doing a better job. Animals (namely monsters) and weapons are drawn with more detail than I expected, which is always good.
However, characters look rather simple despite each one having unique physical features about them. One thing that annoyed me a bit was how the “eye-liner” or eyeliner around the top of a character’s eye was sometimes a different colour than the traditional black. That made it seem like they had bushy eyelashes. To me, it really diminished their aesthetic look. I’m aware that that’s how they may have been designed to look like, but I didn’t really like it.
Having said that, I find everything else about the characters really satisfying. The majority of male viewers (and not unlikely, female viewers) will enjoy some of the eye candy in AgK! They are done rather sparingly and appropriately more often than not, which helps in maintaining the overall heroic tragedy theme. I wouldn’t say AgK! would be ruined it didn’t have any typical fan-service, but it does provide relief when events get a bit too depressing.
Now, regardless of the type of emotion felt, the characters’ facial expressions are spot on. Very expressive. I particularly like it when a female character blushes and smiles – it was often exaggerated but man, it was like staring at a manifestation of true beauty. Not only that, these facial expressions are often accompanied by backgrounds that support them whatever they may be. Can you imagine how beautiful it is to not only see a female character blushing and smiling, but doing so while the sun was setting in the background? Talk about gorgeous. Furthermore, changes in the characters’ physical conditions are drawn really well. Whether caused by things like injuries such as burn, an amputation, or even a small scratch, it was done sensibly and tastefully.
In regards to animation, it was great for the most part. The fighting scenes were fluid, the special effects looked amazing, and the characters’ movements were just as good. Except for their walking animations – they were terrible. Granted, many studios seem to have a hard time animating a character walking so I’m not that annoyed. There may be times where it can get annoying though, so be prepared!
All in all, I’m satisfied with the drawing, but because I can’t overlook some its nuances I have decided to give AgK!’s art an 8/10.
SOUND: 8/10
=========
For viewers who have never heard of AgK! prior to this anime, the characters’ voices may sound reasonably good. However, coming from a person who started off reading the manga before watching the anime, I found that some of them weren’t as I expected them to be. A few sounded too young or old for their age or physical appearance, as well as having voices that did not suit their personalities really well. It’s really hard say exactly what I mean by this, but then again it really boils down to personal preference. As objectively as possible, I would say that each of their voices are memorable and have enough expression in them to convey the right meaning in any given context. Heck, even though I know there are better voice actors/actresses out there, I’ll admit that some of the voices kind of grew on me.
Briefly speaking, sound effects like swords clashing, guns firing, and explosions are “normal” – they are what you expect it to sound like. Nothing really fancy. Although, I do want to point out that the sounds monsters make are pretty cool.
Last but not least, the OP and ED songs in AgK! are beautiful. All of them. The songs used in the OPs are really intense which help maintain the viewer’s attention; the songs used in the EDs are much softer which prolong the feeling of tragedy usually seen every episode. I think White Fox did an excellent job with song selection.
After reviewing these aspects, I would have to give AgK!’s sound a 7.5/10 (which I have to round to an 8/10 because of MAL’s scoring system at the time of writing this review) I didn’t factor in technical things like stereo and stuff, but I mean it sounds good with 2.1 sound. I don’t believe it would diminish the quality of this anime by any significant amount having done so, nor would it be exceptionally better if it was surround sound but again, it’s only my opinion.
CHARACTER: 10/10
=============
The characters in AgK! are downright amazing. There are just so many of them, and with various personalities, too! Whether you enjoy seeing a character act sneaky, intelligent, tsundere, courageous, stubborn, or evil – it’s all there. Viewers are bound to find at least one character they like. They often possess background stories of some sort which lends to the creation of pretty complex and in-depth personalities. AgK! isn’t afraid of making viewers like characters that are supposedly “bad”.
Furthermore, who the characters are as individuals often defines what their advantage and disadvantage are. Anyone can be susceptible to manipulation, regardless of how powerful they may be. For example, underestimating your enemies is one characteristic that many of characters possess, ultimately leading to their demise.
In fact, viewers may end up kind of frustrated at AgK! because many of the likeable characters die. It may be extremely absurd to some, no doubt. However, in the end, I think AgK! aimed to get the majority of viewers to come together and ultimately scrutinize the actions of a particular group of individuals: the corrupted authorities that use their power to deprive societies of their liberties.
Despite being brief in this section, I think it was more than enough to justify giving AgK!’s character aspect a score of 10/10.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
=============
I really enjoyed watching AgK! I honestly cannot find any reason to hate it other than those minor things like having bad walking animation or unsuitable voices. I always get excited when the latest episode airs. Lucky for most of you though, the series has probably ended by the time you manage to read this review, so you can watch it back to back. I do enjoy the weekly anticipation though, so all was not lost.
From a purely objective standpoint, I would have to give this AgK! a 10/10 in terms of enjoyment.
OVERALL: 9/10
==========
In conclusion, Akame ga Kill! was everything I was looking for. The story was great. The characters were great. The art was great as well. And while the sound not so much, I can’t say that it was enough to make me disappointed with this series. White Fox did a terrific job at adapting the manga into an anime. I’m glad they were the ones to pick this series up. Who knows the horror that would have befallen on this anime had it been produced by a different studio?
It looks like writing a personal review on Akame ga Kill! was the path I chose.
Tell me, have you made your resolve?
If you liked my review, please hit the 'helpful' button below! I'd greatly appreciate it! It gives me motivation to write more reviews and get better. Thank you!
