This show feels like something our tiger boi Scott Henson would enjoy.

[note: this is a repost review]

After falling in love with Gurren Lagann, while I was more than satisfied with that motivational trek of a lifetime, hearing that this was made by the same duo of Hiroyuki Imaishi & Kazuki Nakashima piqued my interest. By the end, while I do prefer Gurren Lagann and love its progression into loud and proud growth more, Kill la Kill still more than delivers the goods of being a fun, memorable, trigger happy (pun semi intended) "fuck you let's smash up some shit!" action show with a silly but so damn kickass premise.

Though just to get it out of the way: we's gotta talk 'bout fanservice. And unsurprisingly I find it a double-edged sword. Anime being anime, you have to at least stomach the unapologetic boobs, butts, and smut thrown in because those darn Japanese are beautiful horny bastards. And well, not everything can be an EVA in terms of actually using sex as a meaningful and thoughtful theme that serves the story and messages. Not to say Kill la Kill is ALL gratuitous fanservice with no real reason for existing in the context of the story, but it is mostly for me. Maybe with a good rewatch I might find more depth to the fanservice. Some interesting themes that didn't get lost on me involved the true bliss and confidence to be found in nudity once you're willing to embrace it. Or how clothing is protective, yet restrictive, further strengthening the raw energy and empowerment of being naked. Though by the end, as Ryuko proclaims, "humans are humans and clothes are clothes." Pretty straightforward, but the bravado and sincerity actually makes you want to go out and appreciate staying pure (nude) but still respect the comfort of some nice clothing. Especially if Ryuko and Senketsu's genuinely endearing friendship is anything to go by. There's no denying they're more than aware of the brash nudity and what messages they could draw out of it. But as is, it's mostly horny animators being horny animators and giving the pubescent teens their first taste of real, no-tease cheesecake. Like, did we REALLY need the male Mankanshokus constantly peeping at Ryuko besides for the comedy? Add to it the fact I'm a year away from hitting 20, and for the sake of decency and growth, I want to cut back or at least be more responsible about whatever sensual media I consume especially considering they're mostly teenagers. Again, while I do feel it's important to note that we'd all unapolagetically gush and lose our horny minds to these characters when WE were teens, since by and large, that seems to be the demographic, as you grow older, it's best to take it all more sensibly and responsibly. I love some good ol' p**n as much as the next guy, but I'd be more than happy to give up those thoughts for a while. There's more to life than getting your turtle hard or your slit wet. That's my spiel.

Anyways, character-wise, I practically fall head over heels in love whenever Senketsu and Mako show up on screen. The latter and her family easily being the funniest, and they did a fantastic job at bringing levity to the cold, crushing scenes. It impressively never comes off as a tone-killer, partly since this show embraces the raging, colorful fury of its world, batshit action, and ridiculously over-the-top stakes to the point of endearment. So naturally, the humor follows suit (though more so in the early episodes) with constant in-the-background gags from stray dogs humping to a mom just casually about to shoot shit up while breastfeeding. Ryuko is a stellar MC, each of the elites have their own memorable quirks, and goddammit, Nui Hareme is straight up TERRIFYING. There's something about the "cute as punch but downright demented" character trope that works perfectly for her.

Story-wise, it knows how to keep you itching to watch the next episode. The 2nd half of the show being a distinct change of context and story than what we were led to believe, culminating by going into space for the big finale. Again, this makes for an engaging watch, and you get more than enough time to see Senketsu and Mako warm Ryuko's short-fuse heart up. The more it builds the more it makes that credits payoff all the more satisfying. Though while it works from already having amped up stakes from the start, the trade-off is it doesn't make the final showdowns aaaaassss groundbreaking as it could've. But only by the slimmest of margins. There's still a plethora of jaw-dropping twists, and the story undeniably has you by the ear as you step back in awe at how it all clocks back together tightly in hindsight. The depth behind the characters as everything unfolds becomes all the more compelling.

For some downsides however, while a character like Satsuki really impressed me over time, in fact I'll go so far as to call her the most compelling, especially looking at her relationship with her mother...

I also think it didn't handle the ridiculousness angle as well. There's no doubt as you watch it that even the creators are more than aware of the absurd nature. The entire plot can be summed up in the gloriously simple "trying to stop evil clothing with the power of skimpy outfits," but it occasionally did make me smirk, in a very "pffff, yeah sure alright" manner. Whereas a show like Gurren Lagann perfected the art of simplicity while still keeping an engaging plot and backstory you could look back and appreciate once you've finished. It had its iconic peak, bonkers space finale showdown that hinged and benefited from its unapologetic ante-upping and mantra of "screw the logic. screw the math. Just take the risk and drill through it!" KLK opts for that too, but you're still having to keep up with all the various plot points as the big action setpieces happen. But hey, the worst you could do is wuss out and not have fun or commit to the absurdity, which KLK certainly doesn't.

Those fight scenes still blow the roof off with the body horror and seething rage you get out of Ryuko & Satsuki. Well-defined color schemes of black & bloody red and white & blue compliment the two well, respectively. The animation in general has a very "clean" look to it, the score rendition of "Don't lose your way" I feel is better than the actual song (also still really great), and on a purely presentational level-it undeniably hits all the right spots. A cinematic rush of uniform duels and high-tech. And the final few episodes still leave you with the spirit of an emotional and inspirational "fuck yeah!" With shows like these, I practically feel like running a marathon with how much I move around out of excitement and concentration. I finish the credits off sweating like a dog in some cases to really immerse yourself.

A more than enjoyable watch, though definitely one that's tougher to recommend.

Ryuko Matoi, you made Simon the Digger proud. Godspeed.

Song of the day: "Hazy Eyes" by Fightstar