Pros:
1.) Imaginative and Original- If Kill la Kill could be summed up with one adjective, it’s “original”. From the outset, we’re shown a school where the student council runs the lives of the school’s students like dictators. The student council president, Satsuki Kiryuin, leads the entire school and is an almost god-like entity. She awards Goku uniforms (school uniforms that give unique abilities) of various levels to students based on their allegiance to her and participation in school activities. The vast majority have normal, one star uniforms that do nothing, while club presidents have two star uniforms and the “Elite Four” (Satsuki’s officers) have three star outfits.
Enter Ryuuko Matoi. Her father was a scientist killed by the owner of one half of the Scissor Blade. She owns the other half and uses it to fight her way through Honnouji Academy, hoping to face off with Satsuki. Aiding her is Mako, the comedy relief, and Senketsu, a talking school uniform that transforms into the sluttiest combat uniform in existence.
As the series goes on it moves into some strange territory, adding a group of underground nudists who are resisting the influence of clothing, Satsuki’s mother who owns a clothing company, and a crazy ass Joker-esque girl who is trying to take Ryuuko down.
Every episode is packed with something different, and this ultimately defines Kill la Kill. It’s not the same kind of anime you can find everywhere. And for being so different and fresh in such a stagnant market, we can appreciate it.
2.) Funny as Hell- With a plot as ridiculous as Kill la Kill’s gets, it’s bound to be funny. The comedy stems mostly from Mako, who was, for me, the only really memorable character. And this won’t be the same for everyone, a lot of people find her annoying, but I thought she (and her family for that matter) managed to inject some much needed humor into some drab or dry portions of the story. There are other characters that are really funny as well, though. The entire situation is also hilarious. This is an anime that doesn’t take itself seriously at all and benefits from being so irreverent. So many anime, regardless of genre, take themselves way too seriously and the fact that Kill la Kill understands how dumb it is and goes with it is one of its charms.
3.) Style- As should be expected from ex-Gainax Studio Trigger, Kill la Kill is stylistic as hell. The cartoonish animation helps give the series the air of whimsy that the story and humor maintains, and the action scenes are, for the most part, well animated. A lot of the humor comes from character expressions and some of the smaller things found in a scene. References to Evangelion, FLCL, and TTGL can be found within, giving you something to look out for in each episode. That’s not to say the animation is in any way fantastic, but it does emphasize the silly nature of the show.
Cons
1.) Characters- Considering the sheer number of characters, you’d think Kill la Kill would have quite a few who are memorable and interesting but, for the most part, none of them are. Satsuki and Mako are, for me, the only ones who might live on in my memory. Everyone else is either so two-dimensional I don’t care or just plain annoying.
Ryuuko, for instance, is an example of just plain annoying. While at first I could understand her problems and kind of liked her, the further the series progressed, the more I realized she was just a whiny teenager with daddy issues who goes berserk when she realizes that she’s not just a regular human being.
Apparently Shinji Ikari got a sex change at some point.
Oh boy, I wonder how many people I’ve pissed off saying that.
Later on, Ryuuko gets more and more unbearable as she becomes more and more angsty. At least Satsuki is taking everything in stride and doesn’t seem to give two fucks.
Character-wise, this is a show that doesn’t perform.
2.) Pacing Issues- The series starts off at a swift clip that gets us immersed in the world fast, and engaged in the story faster. After about nine or so episodes the pace drops off. A formulaic series of fights against the Elite Four follows with a school takeover operation, neither of which is compelling and both of which drag out the series. Not to intolerable levels, mind you, but enough that I was twiddling my thumbs. The series picks up once the real bad guys are exposed and the plot builds up to the final battle.
3.) The Uniforms/”Plot”- Senketsu and Junketsu transform into the absolute worst battle uniforms I’ve ever seen in my life. I understand what they’re there for (insert slapping noises here) but they are so awful. It’s not hot guys. Also, the fact the uniforms can transform into flying mechanisms of some sort is fucking dumb, even for a show like this.
On top of that, on the subject of sexuality in Kill la Kill, Satsuki’s incestuous mother is…pointless. What the hell mom?
Overall
I’ve reviewed Kill la Kill now, rather than wait for the last episode, because I know nothing it does will change my mind. It’s a series that manages to be completely irreverent and original, but becomes too much of a slog in the middle. None of the action scenes are as memorable as anything else you’ve seen and, truthfully, the series itself doesn’t have any merit that will leave it fresh in my mind for any time to come. It’s definitely different, and has some of the fist pumping moments of its’ predecessor, Gurren Lagann; but it never can emulate the manliness, nor sheer awesome of TTGL.
That said, Kill la Kill is solid and definitely worth a watch. Just be careful not to listen to the hype train and get as pumped as I was, only to be disappointed upon completion.
