Kill La Kill

After the murder of her father, Ryuuko Matoi has been wandering the land in search of his killer. Following her only lead—the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade—she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a high school unlike any other. The academy is ruled by the imposing and cold-hearted student council president Satsuki Kiryuuin alongside her powerful underlings, the Elite Four. In the school's brutally competitive hierarchy, Satsuki bestows upon those at the top special clothes called "Goku Uniforms," which grant the wearer unique superhuman abilities.

I needed a change of scenery. The past few anime I've been watching have all been pretty heavy on the slice of life aspect, and I wanted something more action focused, so what better anime to watch than this one? Kill La Kill caught my attention because I saw the banner and immediately recognized Ryuko Matoi, because I've seen her in several clips and memes on the internet (most notably that fucking "little pogchamp" video that you stumble upon every 2 years). Immediately recognizing the main character, alongside the fact that this show is really well liked, made me decide that I should give this anime a go. I looked at it and immediately knew I'd like it. I went in expecting a decent amount of action, and a decent amount of fanservice due to what I have heard about this beforehand. I got action, I got fanservice, and I got so much more of both than I expected. I was absolutely blown away with just how damn good this was.

The story is about a young girl (Ryuko Matoi) trying to figure out who was behind the murder of her father, Isshin Matoi. The story starts out pretty simple, just your generally average highschool girl going on about her day to day life, until an unexpected turn of events happens, and she finds some magic outfit? I read the plot expecting this to be very interesting, and boy was it! I was absolutely sucked in the entire time!

The way the story progresses is absolutely phenomenal. There wasn't a single episode or scene that felt like it was unnecessary, or that felt like filler in any way, shape, or form. The pacing doesn't drag the show on for as long as possible, and it doesn't rush the entire series either. It's paced and written so well, that it keeps you actively engaged for the whole series, and leaves you grateful that there were 24 episodes rather than just 12. As for the character development, it honestly might just be the best I was ever seen. The way Ryuko is written, her personality, her ambition, and how she progresses throughout the show is just perfection. I absolutely loved how energetic and motivated she was throughout, and that's only half of it. I really loved how she wasn't just all combat driven, but also has a softer side for the people she cares about. That aspect of her really made her feel alive, and just made her that much more loveable of a charcter. I'd say she's easily my favorite character, but I can't talk about favorite characters without bringing Mako Mankanshoku into that discussion. Mako was a character that I also always liked throughout the series, but at the beginning, I didn't quite expect her to be in the discussion for my favorite characters. The way she progressed in particular really made me fall in love with her just as much as I loved Ryuko in the series. She's very heartwarming and wholesome, but also brings funny moments into the anime that really just make it that much better. Every time she popped into the frame, I just new the next little bit was gonna be a highlight of the episode, whether it be a wholesome speech, or some goofy statement that you can't help but laugh at. She reminds me of Anya Forger in a way, but if she was in highschool. They're both wholesome, funny, and are just loveable characters that add so much to the show. Kill La Kill wouldn't be the same without Mako, and she genuinely deserves more recognition for what she brings to the table.

Overall, this anime blew my expectations in every way imagineable. I expected to really enjoy Kill La Kill quite a lot, but I didn't expect it to be a personal favorite of mine. Hearing about the absurd amount of fanservice make me a little bit skeptical, because hearing that oftens means that it's 100% forced and unnecessary, but that just isn't the case here at all. It's all necessary, it all makes sense, and it's all important for the story altogether (trust me, you'll understand). I'd recommend this to absolutely everyone who is ok with a bit more fanservice than you'd typically expect, and to anyone looking for an action packed anime with the most loveable characters ever. Just be sure your mom doesn't walk in during one of the more "intimate" scenes if I must say.

Absolute cinema!

10/10