March 31, 2014

Anime Review - Kill La Kill

Synopsis: In a high school where students possess uniforms that give them various powers and abilities, student council president Kiryuuin Satsuki rules by force. However, a transfer student named Matoi Ryuuko stands in her way, wielding a scissor sword and a superpowered school uniform.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Wonderfully Fabricated Story: 9
The story starts off with a bang, and it continues like that from one episode to the next, with little to no fillers (yeah!). I have seen memes where the costume makes the character, but this anime really uses that as its foundation. Although this starts off as a simple journey for revenge, the story diverges into an intricate plot for survival. The massive plot twists, fanatic villains and other underlining themes also add richness to the story line. 
Jean-ius Art : 9
The art is rough, chaotic, and vibrant with its colours and character design. The animation is the strongest aspect of this show. Again, the rough, chaotic and playful elements make an energetic combination. The huge block kanji characters are also a nice touch, especially when the names are ridiculously long. A first, it is a little weird, but it plays well with the story.

The block kanji and the fanservice.
Velvety Soundtrack : 10
There are very few moments where there is no music in the background. The soundtrack ranges from rock, pop, jazz and even classical with William Tell Overture. The voice actresses for the main characters are perfect for their roles: Ami Koshimizu and her powerfully aggressive voice for Ryuuko, Ryouka Suzuki with her elegant leader voice for Satsuki, and Aya Suzaki with her aloof voice for Mako. The entire cast has been well selected, and it is evident throughout the show.

Well-Knitted Characters : 10
Let me start off with this: Mako is the best character. Her "inspirational" moments are hilarious and truly reflect her awesome role as the supportive best friend. Ryuuko and Satsuki are also powerful lead characters with their ambitions and emotions perfectly developed. The supporting groups of Nudist Beach and the Elite Four each have their own odd personalities but that adds to the uniqueness of their characters. Nui Harime and other person (can't say, it would be spoiler) also play their roles of the cynical villain a little too well that it is scary. All of the characters in Kill La Kill are excellent and are the driving force of this anime.

Mako interrupts the battle with her "inspiration" moment.
A Little Revealing : 10
Okay, I am not a big fan of the ecchi, and I wanted to drop the anime after the first couple of episodes. But the fast-paced story line, the powerful soundtrack and the awesome characters drew me back. The relationships between Satsuki and the Elite Four, and Ryuuko and Mako were done spectacularly. The occasional plot twists made me hang onto the edge of my seat and, I kid you not, I stayed up until 5am marathoning the anime whilst writing this. The thing that I loved most about this anime was the powerful soundtrack; it fit with each scene beautifully. It added the extra emotion, having the hero theme play whenever Ryuuko was going to do something bad-ass or the heart-racing excerpts during the fight scenes. Wonderfully done and I truly loved it.

Overall : Masterpiece (10)
As I started watching Kill La Kill, I would have never expected to have rated this anime so highly. The action-packed story, plot twists, wonderful characters, fitting music, and unexpected humour creates a splendid combination. If you do plan on watching, I suggest you have enough time because you will likely marathon this anime like I did. I highly recommend this anime to anyone who enjoyed Gurren Lagann, and Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt.

The best gang possible :)

Until next time,
sana_salim