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.
