Ami Koshimizu.
Hmm?…Oh. My editor is telling me that a name is not an argument for or against this title. I’d argue given the identity of said actress the exact opposite is true, but he’s the boss.
Kill la Kill is the debut television work of Trigger, a studio founded by talents formerly tied to Gainax — in particular Hiroyuki Imaishi, director of such popular titles as Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking. Such works have cemented an inspired, insane style for the man and his cohorts which should give an idea of what to expect here.
Ryuko Matoi is an orphaned teenage girl, traveling across Japan to find clues to the identity of her father’s killer. When she arrives at Honnouji Academy she finds reason to believe that the school’s despotic student council leader Satsuki Kiryuin may be connected to the crime. Honnouji is a city unto itself, where the social standing of students reflects if their families live in slums or high rises. Satsuki rewards advancement by gifting Goku Uniforms, strange clothing that grants the wearer great power while enhancing existing ability. Ryuko finds herself no match for such power until returning to her family home reveals Senketsu, a similar girl’s uniform created by her late father. Wearing him grants Ryuko power that eclipses that of the Goku Uniforms, though at the cost that he must feed directly on her blood. As Ryuko’s attempts to get answers from Satsuki unravel the hierarchy of Honnouji, the president elects to host a school wide battle royale which culminates in Ryuko facing each of Satsuki’s top four warriors one-on-one.
It’s this set of face offs which the show’s second volume initially continues with. Being just under Satsuki herself, each of the four has abilities going beyond what Ryuko has faced thus far (and that’s saying a lot for a show that has by this stage given us powered up boxers, tennis players and gardeners). The stand out is most likely the fight against Nonon, overseer of the school’s cultural and artistic clubs whose love of music translates into the weaponry her uniform assumes.
Ryuko herself is a standout as a protagonist, especially given how many female characters in anime shows are reduced to awkwardly written messes. It’s obvious that the creators of the show are passionate about her and want her to be a true stand-out character. The worst I can say is that the script keeps giving her reasons to angst over continuing to wear Senketsu into battle. The show does give some valid pause for this, be it her fear of her own lack of control or certain bombshells dropped about the truth of the developing situation, but at least three times in these ten episodes she’s thrown into inner doubt about continuing. It’s a shame because she’s brilliant in a lot of ways when the show is allowing her to be the hot-blooded, caring, and inventive protagonist. She is also helped by the fact the show itself is conducted with an energy that doesn’t avoid clichés as much as it is keenly aware of them and has fun with them.
I’m probably going to be crucified by the fanbase, but I’m not the biggest fan of Mako, Ryuko’s eccentric friend/sidekick. It’s obvious the show is having fun with her but she comes off as too much an attempt to be random and funny to me. I will admit she has odd moments where I feel she’s used perfectly, including a dramatic one that uses her perfectly to ease down into comedy and somewhat redeems an episode from the first volume in which Ryuko’s attempt to use her strength to help Mako’s family advance backfires when they lose their morals along the way.
Roughly half way in the set begins to move away from the familiar Honnouji/school setting as Satsuki sets her sights on conquering other territories. It is at this point that the show starts to open up on the true plot that it’s been hinting at thus far. This includes sending Ryuko on a thankfully short fetch quest in order to allow other characters a chance to shine. I feel limited at how much I can say about this section, as it’s next to impossible to discuss what happens in the last five episodes or so without spoiling things. Something I do feel safe in mentioning is I’m intrigued by how the idea of augmented/sentient clothing allows the show a unique perspective. In many ways, it’s a silly idea and one the show has no problem playing for comedy, but at the same time there’s a sinister edge to it, especially when Satsuki’s mother and her conglomerate enter into the picture and we get more signs of what’s really going on. The idea is even cleverly woven (sorry) into other elements of the show, such as allowing the powered-up forms of Ryuko and Satsuki to be not just fanservice, but an exploration of the deeper themes of the story. As seemingly the only species in the planet that feels a need for clothes, it’s surprisingly engaging to see the show turn our social taboos and relationship with clothing on its head.
The visuals of the show look lovely on Blu-ray. Imaishi might be using many of the animations tricks and cheats seen in his distinct Gainax projects but there’s no doubt a lot of work went into the visuals. Lighting in particular begs for attention especially in the beautiful way it is used to represent the charismatic personalities of Satsuki and her mother, Ragyo. Action scenes usually benefit from a mix of clever scripting and fun visuals, but for sheer eyeball delight one has to see the fight between the two teenage rivals as they lock swords in a superhuman duel traversing Osaka’s Tsutenkaku tower.
Similar to Gurren Lagann, the score is also a large part of the show’s success, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano (who brought similar epic grandeur to Attack on Titan). It’s a perfect example of a memorable soundtrack, with music and songs ranging from triumphant to intimidating.
The show is presented with a choice of subtitled Japanese and English dubbed. It’s debatable which version is bett-Ami Koshimizu!
Okay that’s unprofessional but yes, for me the Japanese version having Koshimizu cast as Ryuko is pretty hard to top. The lady has proven to be a versatile actress and she’s perfectly cast here as a hot-blooded bad-ass with fragile edges. However the English dub is hardly a bad effort, though similar to other Aniplex dubs in making selective regional changes such as making a throwaway Osaka rich boy talk like a wigger. I think the worst a dub can do is sit unwelcome on a release, but there’s value and enjoyment in watching the show with both casts.
Extras are limited to the perennial clean Openings and Closings and the ‘web previews’ for episodes on the set. The latter causes me to raise an eyebrow. Apparently longer next episode previews were available online, a fact the episode previews make reference to once or twice. However despite these being billed as such, these are the exact same previews you’ll find watching the episodes, even switching language depending on what you’ve currently selected. A confusing oddity. The retail release also includes an art book of sketches and storyboards.
Kill la Kill already has a strong audience, so my words might only sway the remaining holdouts such as myself. It isn’t the case that this volume can serve as a jumping on point but if you’ve seen the first set this does a good job of progressing the show forward. It even has what might qualify for the greatest anime clip show episode ever. If volume one didn’t win you over I doubt this will change your mind but for those who did this is the appropriate step up.
Kill la Kill Volume 2 is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon UK.
