Kill La Kill -A Different Kind of Passion for Fashion

Ryuko & Satsuki bearing it all!

Warning! Spoilers A-Coming!

The skirts get shorter on this debatable magical girl series. Kill La Kill, an anime about the young Ryuko Matoi who enters a school where the students get amazing powers from the clothes they wear. The magic and somewhat science behind this are much more detail but I'll won't go into much of it, if you want to know, however, watch the anime. Anywho Ryuko is looking the person who murdered her father and she wields a scissor-shaped sword, apparently the killer has the other half scissor blade. Ryuko wages war against the school's founder Satsuki Kiryuin, the ever imposing extremely bad ass girl wielding a katana. After Ryuko is first defeated by Satsuki and her fashion squad, Ryuko is taken to her burn out home, where her father died, there she finds a secret lab and encounters the living school uniform, Senketsu. Senketsu is a Godrobe so which means his magic is stronger than the usual Goku Uniforms. Together, along with silly Mako Mankanshoku, Ryuko and Senketsu forge a partnership and take on the school as well as the ultimate fashion corporation.

Ok, enough rambling about the plot. So after watching this anime, what did I think?

In the debate on whether it's a magical girl series, well it is! When I post the magical girl rules in the future, one rule clearly states, that no matter what the story, the girl in question has to have magical powers! Whether given or born with said powers, Ryuko fits that bill, She has a magical suit and she uses that magic to influence her weapon, like turning the scissor blade into a giant pair of scissors (Spoilers: this happens at the end of the series) There is a transformation as well. However, the real debate is the fan service. Does the fan service makes Kill La Kill a parody rather than an MGS? I won't lie there is plenty of fan service, but there's still a good story line and the characters are not boring or senseless, they have agency so this anime is far from being a cheap ecchi anime. Very far from it, heck even the characters within the anime poke fun at the fan service. I thought the fan-service would have bothered me too, but the story and characters really hook me good, so if the fan-service still bugs you, then don't bother with this anime.

Ok now for the total review of everything!

Animation: 10/10

The style was different, it has this amazing color palette that had all kinds of hard colors yet once awhile you get scenes with softer colors, pretty balanced in my opinion.

Pacing: 9/10

The show's pacing depends on how you like the flow of your anime, while Kill La Kill has some slow moments, the MAJORITY of the time it felt like a roller coaster! Once you start, you just couldn't stop, the fight scenes were fast but plentiful, many of the characters had fast movement (looking at you Mako!) I'm telling you, I had to force myself to have a break, this anime hooks you in and the ride won't stop until it's finished. I would have preferred slower moments but damn I was still enjoying the animation's ride. And also this anime did a great job concentrating on story, only one (or two?) filler episodes! Thank Goodness!

Characters/Protagonists: 9/10

Like a Boss!

The majority of the characters I really like. Ryuko was cool and had this tough chick vibe to her but she wasn't a stereotype. She had her moments of fear, doubt and she does show her inner weaknesses, especially when she is trying to figure on about her past and who she is. The relationship between her and Senketsu is sweet. They compliment each other well. Satsuki I like more, well because she just had this amazing confidence without being the cliche snobby rich girl. She sees herself as a leader yet she still has compassion for her friends. She acts cold but she is as warm as the tea she drinks. Despite the fan-service, Ryuko and Satsuki never have to remind the audience, at least personality and attitude wise, that they are women. They are warriors first, then women. The rest of the supporting cast are cool too. All have amazing designs and personalities so nothing to report there, BUT my absolute FAVORITE character is ....MAKO! Omg this girl is funny! She made me laugh hard so many times, this girl is always saying the right things at the right time! Now whenever I hear that hallelujah song I'll always think of Mako! Also, bonus points to her for making that Aliens Xenomorph reference! The men from the Nudist Beach organization was too bonkers for me. Aikuro is just too determined to show how shiny his dick is....so uncomfortable! And what is with those machines that make their butts stick out?!

Characters/Antagonist: 8/10

The major villain is pretty damn good. In fact, Ragyo reminds me so much of a Sailor Moon villain! You could easily put her in a Sailor Moon season as the main villain and she will make sense!!! Her design is very original. The most colorful villain I have ever seen. She had rainbow hair and everything. She's a crazy cruel woman and mother. I would say she's up there with Medusa (from Soul Eater) as worst anime mother! She uses Satsuki and physically abuses her. She uses her children for experiments yet she tries to pretend she loves her kids. The other main villain is Nui and she is creepy, with her constant smiling and willingness to cut off her own head yet she gets piss off at Ryuko for cutting off her arms! However, she's not the worst villain I've seen so far. Just really creepy and pink. Now as for the alien clothing part, I won't lie, I thought that was too much of a cop-out for an explanation for the supernatural clothing. I just think the whole aliens is a cheap excuse for an origin story rather than a more creative origin for the living clothing. It's not a huge let down but kinda wish they push the creativity a little more.

Soundtrack: 10/10

Holy cow, this anime has one of my favorite soundtracks. The background music had a good mixture of rock music, especially hard rock and metal. The first opening song "Sirius" was my favorite over the second one "Ambiguous". On the opposite the second ending song "New World Symphony" I like better than the first "Sorry I'm Done Being a Good Kid". However, my favorite songs have to be the character theme songs such Ryuko's "Before my body is dry" and Ragyo's "Blumenkranz". These two songs have been stuck in my head long after I finish the show! Ryuko's theme just had this wonderful "don't give up" tone to the beat and lyrics.

Overall!

I had a rocking good time with this anime! It was so addictive to watch that I finish it in two days lol a record for me! Once it was done I felt I had come back from a rave! It's certainly a different kind of magical girl anime and I'm liking how it came up with a different concept of the superhero suit and how clothes have this important position in our identities. The whole point is that clothing is a part of your identity, not your complete identity itself. Ryuko and Senketsu were the strongest when they were working together. The ending was sweet and had this lasting inspiration of hope. I had a good time with this show, if they ever decide for a second season, I'll be more than happy.

Overall: A- (The show had some fanservice and villain concept flaws but the story was still intriguing and the characters were memorable. A great re-imagining of the magical girl!)