Kill La Kill Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Welcome to Honnouji Academy, where your level in standing is judged by the uniform you wear.  Here, the school is ruled by the beautiful and ruthless Satsuki Kiriyuin and her Elite Four.  It is a school where the weak suffer and only the strong survive.  But someone has arrived to upset the established order.  Her name is Ryuko Matoi and she’s come looking for answers to the death of her father.  Ryuko might be a good fighter but she’ll need more than guts to handle a super powered student body.  That’s when fate intervenes and hands her a uniform and weapon capable of taking on Satsuki and her army on their own terms.  It’s gonna be one helluva school year at Honnouji Academy.

Question: When you saw your first Anime, be it Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon or Sailor Moon, did you ever wonder just how far Anime could be pushed as a medium?  How awesome would life look in this artstyle with all the bombastic coolness it presented?  I only ask because Kill La Kill seems to be answering those couple of questions and more.  Created by a bunch of former Gainax employees who made a career out of working on some of the most prolific and amazing Anime of all time like Evangelion or FLCL, Kill La Kill is Studio Trigger getting to do the kind of balls to the wall project they’ve always wanted.  And it’s the title that’s kicking off the start of a special summer event: The Summer of TRIGGER.

If you’ve come here looking for something deep, insightful or even mature, you’re watching the wrong show.  I wouldn’t call Kill La Kill shallow but it’s not trying to be the next Catcher in the Rye or Gone with the Wind.  This is an action show and there’s no attempts to downplay it.  Action is the order of the day and the first set of episodes is a good representation of things to come and its enough to get you excited for rematches.  Ryuko vs. Satsuki in their different Kamui uniforms is the stuff of ages: the perfect marriage between the swordplay of Fate/Zero and the rapid fire energy of Dragon Ball Z.  Adding to the near perfect sequences is the rare blending of hand drawn, 2D characters with 3D environments.  Normally, this is a big distraction but the characters maintain their Manga drawn inspired looks all throughout without a hint of digital touch up on them (and if there is, it’s very well hidden).  In short, Kill La Kill delivers on action spectacle as promised, complete with sexy heroines in sexy uniforms.

The world of Kill La Kill is…bizarre to say the least.  It’s not going to make a lot of sense why a beautiful dictator with eyebrows to rival Dorothy Catalonia from Gundam Wing is in charge and why the class system is so powerful it affects the entire city surrounding Honnouji Academy.  I’m sure more will be explained later on…or it wont, I wouldn’t be shocked.  We get a lot thrown at us from the concept of the Star System that governs the schools hierarchy to a quick five minute explanation of the Life Fibers that power Ryuko’s uniform and many of the other super powered clothes in this show.  It’s nonsensical and explained in either elitist fashion from Satsuki or her Elite Four, or Ryuko’s utterly creepy homeroom teacher who makes a habit of uncomfortably stripping around her when theyre alone (inappropriate much?).  I’m ok with being a little (or very) confused at this point because the show is just getting started and the animation and action can make up for this.  Not sure how long I can keep being nice though if the lack of proper explanations exist.

As far as lead characters go, Ryuko and Satsuki are non stop forces of nature in their own right.  Satsuki is the beautiful dictator whose high heels can summon an army of spotlights while she shouts her gospel from on high.  It doesn’t make sense and it sounds like elitism for the sake of being the top dog in charge but you know who’s in charge at all times and why everyone seems so enamored with her.  Ryuko is the exact opposite, sticking up for the little guy and always ready to throw down at a moments notice.  Ryuko isn’t lacking for confidence but her bull headed approach to getting answers to a major mystery usually results in her taking a beating in battle that even Rocky Balboa might not be able to take before she pulls out the win in the end.  But the real show stealer is Mako Mankanshou, Ryuko’s classmate who takes her into her household when she arrives at the Academy.  We all need someone like Mako in our lives.  Everytime she crosses her arms above her and you hear the “Alleluia” chant, you know you’re in for the right manic speech at the right time.  Her wacky energy and enthusiasm is borderline Looney Tunes and it is freaking perfect.  Mako definitely delivers some of the best laughs in a show that Ryuko and Satsuki are determined to take so seriously. 

There’s plenty of mystery to be unveiled over the next few weeks: Who killed Ryuko’s dad?  Is there a grander purpose behind Ryuko’s Kamui, Senketsu?  What’s Satsuki’s story and is there more to her than being a ruthless dictator on high?  And what’s the deal with Ryuko’s wanna be Magic Mike homeroom professor and why does he know so much about Senketsu and its abilities?  We could delve deeper into these…oooooor we could just keep our eyes on the pretty awesome action and the next silly moment from Mako.  Either or, Kill La Kill is off to a great start and is gonna be a spectacle to behold over the next few weeks.