Plunging into the abyss where gloom scatters about, Akame ga Kill! silhouettes against the sunlit opening. To watch is to enter an unpleasant territory full of dark elements. Now, you can interpret that unpleasantness in two ways. Whether that'd be the dreary experience or the thrilling bloodshed, both can pretty much describe the nature of this show.

In a world of darkness empowered by shadowy secrets and corruption, several assassins constitute a covert group with the motive of overthrowing the people who lead a crippling nation. Night Raid, the source that drives the story and many of its conflicts also introduces some predicaments into an otherwise solid premise. While the clichéd characters are something I didn't mind much, it’s the execution that causes a lot of letdowns. The creators tried too hard to grip the audience. Here's the case. We have the powers of Teigu, relics of high calibers that pave way to fights of high action and risks. The apparent life or death fate of these fights is why when some ended in an anticlimactic fashion, any tension dissipates too quickly. Many deaths are burdened by the small amount of relatability in the characters, like more in-depth backstories, to create a more impactful consequence for us viewers. Feeling meaningless in the end, it only leaves a sour taste even if the fight is great. But those that depicts true clashes really shows how dangerous they are. No jokes, no playing around. Being serious is the way to survive and that's something that causes a lot of thrills here. Another good thing is the interactions between allies alike in both sides, antagonists included. The fact they have actual relationships between each other with ideals that mixed and matched give qualities that speak for the state of their world and for their own personal character. Romance, a side dish within the show, is supported by good events leading up to the influx of feelings but the suddenness is quite contrived, which fails to satisfy. For the comedy, the facetious attempts kicked me out of the serious atmosphere occasionally but some did managed to leave a bit of lightheartedness. This anime has no major world building as it focuses more on a condensed setting. Even so, at least it stayed true with its own violent and grim take on dark themes all the way from the start towards the end.

Expanding on the darkness, the world is splattered with detailed redness that reinforces the gory violence this anime has set out for. First of all, the visual isn’t anything special but compare it to the narrative or character elements and it has more details at numerous times. This is particularly noticeable with the incredible close-ups of the character's face full of all kinds of expressions. Combined with the blood, brutality, and amputated limbs, you'll get something that trembles the tone with negative feelings. As for the animation, there are inconsistencies so the enjoyment varies. But together, it adds up into something pretty average. A few of the episodes are dedicated to intensified movements for the fights, coming in with great choreography and energy that expels out onto the unforeseen demise of whoever will lose. It’s these fights and the different but cool appearances of the characters that factors in the badass sides of the show. They also go hand in hand with their Teigu powers, which have various designs to make each one a unique and special weapon capable of delivering deathly attacks in their own ways. Efforts for the voice-acting are sometimes hindered to full potential by the clumsy switches between seriousness and humor. It still didn't stray from the fact that they are able to express emotions to a successful degree. Anguish, anger, and pain can be heard coming out of their voices, along with care, friendliness, and relief. This show that the characters are still humans who possess varying feelings and ideologies, whether clashing with foes or matching with their friends. While the soundtracks aren’t the most golden part of the show, they are the ones that had the least amount of issues. I'd say they were effective in their uses. The collection of a variety of tracks blend in well with the mood of each scene, such as sorrow or excitement, without any obstruction.

A show with great promises and buildups, Akame ga Kill! took several downfalls and redemptions throughout the whole journey, making it difficult to justify itself as a well-executed show. Too many times it had tried to forcefully crack emotions with the deaths it was not afraid to show, and the lackluster performance meant that a lot of the efforts fade away to the void. Despite that, it didn't come without enjoyment, and for a dark Shounen, is still a show that can excite with strong anticipations.