“Kill La Kill” is the first anime television series made by the recently formed Studio Trigger. The director, Hiroyuki Imaishi, is the co-founder of the studio and director of the critically acclaimed “Gurren Lagann,” a film he worked on for Studio Gainax. Much like Gurren Lagann, “Kill La Kill” is a very solid anime. It’s filled with ridiculously high-paced roller coaster action that takes you on a very wild ride.
The story is set at Honnōji Academy, a school in the middle of a private island where the strong thrive, and the weak rot in the slums. Satsuki Kiryūin leads the Honnōji’s influential student council. Kiryūin, with the help of her followers and their power-giving Goku uniforms, rule the school with an iron fist.
Enter Ryūko Matoi, a fierce and stubborn transfer student. She arrives at Honnoji brandishing a giant scissor blade and demands Satsuki tell her who the one responsible for her father’s murder is. After her initial defeat at the hands of Kiryūin’s followers, Matoi returns to her late father’s mansion.
There she meets Senketsu, a living girl’s sailor uniform that gives Matoi great power when worn. Ryūko, with the power of her newly acquired attire, must battle Satsuki and all of her followers in order to learn the truth about her father; all the while overcoming the embarrassment of going to battle in a skimpy costume.
The anime is both awesome and silly. But what makes it truly engaging is how it plays with your perceptions of plot and anime as a medium.
“Kill La Kill” is a magical girl anime, where the main heroine transforms her clothing to battle evil in the same vein as shows like “Sailor Moon.” It even retains the half-minute long transformation sequence seen in these shows. But there are many key differences from the typical formula that make “Kill La Kill” stands out. Matoi’s transformed suit makes Sailor Moon’s outfit look like a nun’s habit in comparison. Everything from the bottom of her collarbone to the top of her crotch is left bare; all held together with thin suspenders strategically placed over her breasts. But while Sailor Moon is perfectly fine protecting justice while wearing a miniskirt, Matoi is horrified to be seen in public in her costume at first. This in turn drains her power. Only when she accepts Senketsu and learns to own her appearance, she achieves full power.
This is what makes “Kill La Kill” different from so many other anime: the fan service actually has a purpose other than to increase viewership. Matoi’s character arc creates strong themes of female empowerment; where a woman’s sexuality should not be a cause for shame, but rather embraced as part of who they are. Most of the time, the fan service is added as part of some of the really entertaining slapstick jokes. The female characters are not created just to attract male viewers. All of them, even the smaller ones, have deep, strong and complex personalities and backstories that are expanded upon as the show progresses.
The action and story happen at such a brisk pace but never seem too fast to keep up. The simplicity of the plot’s general structure prevents all of its pieces from being tangled together. And the uniqueness and downright ridiculousness of said pieces makes you want to keep watching just to see what kind of craziness happens next. The pacing is helped by the driving electronic rock music.
I can’t talk about this anime without talking about Mako Mankanshoku, Matoi’s dimwitted, but energetic best friend and token comedy relief character. Usually, the inclusion of a comedy relief character would prove to be disastrous as they are often messily shoehorned into all of the wrong moments of the story and all of their jokes fall flat. This is not the case with Mankanshoku because most of her jokes hit the mark and she is a perfect fit for the pacing of the show and the cartoony aesthetic. She often becomes the main driving force. All of her actions and movements are very reminiscent of “Looney Tunes,” like physics-breaking speed.
“Kill La Kill” may not be perfect and it may not push any boundaries in terms of serious storytelling, but that’s exactly what is so great about it. For this kind of goofy, action-heavy show, it does everything that it needs to do while still providing substance in its characters and themes.
You can tell that the creators are pouring their heart and soul into this show, but it is definitely not for everyone. The varying animation quality, fan service, and Mankanshoku character can turn a lot of people off. But for anyone who just wants to turn his or her brains off for a rip-roaring, action-packed show, I cannot recommend it enough.