Kill La Kill

[Deleted]

I'm pretty much going to be posting my thoughts on these weekly now, so I might as well stop clogging up the other threads and post them here.

Episode 7 that came out today is definately the best episode of the series. In fact, with the possible exception of 3 or 4, it just seems to get better and better each episode.
Episode 7 however was quite a bit darker than the previous episodes even if it was just as energetic and bombastic, which is what I liked from Gurren Lagann. Presenting brains in a brainless style, even if it is fairly simple. But the arc in this episode really is going to be the core of this series, I think, so I'm looking forward to seeing the lengths Satsuki goes to.
But the badguys weren't important this episode- this was Mako centric and Mako finally got some character development. She had mad crazy charm before hand like a cartoon character, but she easily became one of the most misled and darker characters for a brief time this episode and I loved it.
Just... watch this series, whoever is reading this. Amazing characters, amazing animation, above average humour, amazing music, amazing action, amazing story, amazing themes. Just amazing.
Fanservice is too fast to be distracting so it doesn't really feel like fanservice and some early filler episodes lack some substance, but this really is something special. Perhaps not quite gurren lagann special yet, however, then again GL only became really special towards at just after the halfway point (or episode 8) so fingers crossed for this. I'd honestly call episode 7 the 'Kamina moment' if the change in this episode was actually permanent. In some respects I'm wishing Mako remained a villain for a few more episodes.

[Rikuseroth]

Email me sometime tomorrow at [e-mail], to remind me to watch this, otherwise I WILL forget.

[Stove]

It's mildly interesting at first glance. I may check it out...though I'm very skeptical, and Al knows why.

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2013 0:58:08 GMT Rikuseroth said:

Email me sometime tomorrow at [e-mail], to remind me to watch this, otherwise I WILL forget.

I'll try to remember to do that when I get home tomorrow.

EDIT: And don't worry Steve, there are ton of good characters. This isn't like Gurren Lagann where all the likability was put into one character before stripping it away from the show entirely.
Also, no mechs. I have no idea if that's a selling point for you anymore, and I just don't care, all I know is that it's a negative for Claxus.

[Deleted]

First cliffhanger episode? First cliffhanger episode. So Ryuko is about to face off against the elite 4 individually after crushing hundreds of 1 star students trying to become 3 star students. WHILE UN-TRANSFORMED AND RUNNING UP A HUGE VERTICAL COLUMN COVERED IN SPIKES. It's amazing just how under powered the one star students are. One of the funniest parts of this episode was when the elite 4 were walking away and having a causal conversation whilst batting away 1 stars trying to get a hold of their uniforms- they're so casual about it and the animation is so quick that I barely even noticed.

Anyway, the back story for each of the elite 4 is basically the same. They start off being less refined versions of their current personality, but they meet loli Satsuki who also hasn't changed that much apparently and she- well, she just acts like herself and they are in awe, and as such decide to dedicate themselves to her.
That's not bad writing by the way, Satsuki really is THAT awesome, I'd totally dedicate myself to someone who just suddenly appeared and radiated that much AWESOME in both of those flashbacks and scenes in general. Every line that she speaks is gold and her voice actress sells the hell out of it, not to mention great character design and animation. She's like the Kamina of this show, if the Kamina of this show wasn't everyone. Best Darwin character ever. Here I was thinking Yamato Hotsuin from DS2 was cruel, he's like Gandhi by comparison to Satsuki. They also managed to fix that kind of obvious hypocritical thing when Yamato says he hates the idea of parental influence and birthright being a source of power when he's born into the most powerful and prestigious family in Japan. Satsuki is similar with the ideals and prestigious family, but she isn't hypocritical about when it comes to this position. If you see this episode, you'll understand why. I could tell you, but you've just got to see it.
Got to get me a figurine of her when it comes out. <3
You know at this point I love basically all the characters. I really don't care who wins ultimately between Ryuko and Satsuki because it would be a satisfying either way. I'm hoping she'll be like the spiral king though so that the two will team up in the second half of the series.

But good news everyone! This is episode 8, in other words, the episode Kamina died in Gurren Lagann.
No one died this episode horray!
If anyone is going to die at this point however it WILL be Mako. Please, just don't. I have school work to do and I wont be able to concentrate if she dies and leaves me in a super long depression.

This isn't so much analysis as it is just fanboying... *sigh*

[Deleted]

Episode 9 came out today and I much appreciated the symbolism and further elaboration on Gamagori's backstory and character from the last episode.
Speaking of symbolism, it doesn't get much more overt than the penultimate representation of discipline himself (second only to Satsuki herself) literally trying to crush Ryuko with a giant metal mold of the typical ideal Japanese school girl.
Nice to see a rebellion story that has less to do with vague politics and more with relateable highschool problems. And not only highschoolers, but specifically highschool girls.
Contextualized through insane and striperific anime fights. Sexuality seems to be a major theme, considering Gamagori views Ryuko's Kamui of a mockery of the schools symbol, that being the Goku unfiform. Reminds me of how teachers at my school always complained about how students wearing their uniform the wrong way was a mockery of the schools image, or something to that effect.
Looks like the subtext of this show has begun to spill over onto the main text.

[Deleted]

Wow, Satsuki was badass even as a pre-schooler. What kind of person is capable of fully forming origional and infinitely quotable quotes centered around the philosophy of social Darwinism at age 3? Satsuki of course, she always has a quote of the week and this week it is:

Satsuki (presumably age 3): A castle that vanishes at the first gust of wind is worthless, don't you agree, nonon?
Jakuzure (also age 3 and crying because a gust of wind blew down her giant sandcastle): But all buildings fall down eventually!
Satsuki: Then you should build it inside your mind!

Priceless. Just priceless. I'm also going to assume that, like when we saw her in middle school, she is also capable of high level sword play that can beat hordes of grown men with an attack so fast that we can't even see it. But I'm not so sure she was THAT good, even then.

Anyway Ryuko's fight against the hacker guy was disappointing. He gives up after she hits him with a single attack! Shame too because he was hilarious to watch, he had keyboards all over him and was spazing out whilst typing, whilst speaking in a tone that was dead serious. I could probably like him more if they gave him more stuff to do.
In reality it was Jakuzure's episode and she was kind of cool but my main concern is that all throughout the elite 4 fights Senketsu has been able to transform himself to pull off some really annoying Deus ex Machinas. Seems he now has functions that can be used to beat any of the elite 4 with little effort now, since apparently he doesn't need nearly as much blood from Ryuko since episode 3 and now it might as well not be a story mechanic. Nudist beach seem to be making ominous comments at how Senketsu and Ryuko are evolving 'too fast' due to all the life fibers they had been absorbing, so I'm going to assume that these fights against the elite 4 are simply going to establish that Senketsu can now adapt himself to any situation rapidly and at the last moment when it looks like Ryuko's going to loose. My only guess at this point is that life fibers are going to have negatives similar to spiral energy and that nudist beach are going to end up as enemies who serve as anti-spiral stand ins. Which is weird since the teacher seems to be an ally despite being part of an anti-uniform militia.
Speaking of new enemies, the episode preview suggests that the outcome of Ryuko vs Jakuzure is going to be interrupted by the arrival of a brand new character right out of nowhere. Didn't catch a glimpse of her but she wears an eye patch and I spotted the word 'insane' when describing her so I'll probably end up liking her to some capacity. They even gave her a name weirdly, but I can't remember. It's going to be very strange to have someone interrupt the resolution of an effective cliffhanger, especially when Ryuko has one more fight that will be a much anticipated rematch. Must say that I have no idea where this is going, unless nudist beach are going to end up as the main antagonists in a mid story plot twist otherwise this will basically just be Gurren Lagann all over again. To be honest, I wouldn't mind that though since Satsuki and the elite 4 are much more rounded than the spiral king and his commanders, and the members of Dai gurren were fairly boring overall. At the very least, this will be an effective retread with a few improvements here and there. I can't say I wont be disappointed to some degree if that ends up being the case however.

[Deleted]

Episode 11.
WATCH THIS SHOW!!!

Besides all of the plot amazing things that happen in this episode, specifically the introduction of a brand new character who I like already and elaboration on characters such as Satsuki's mother, the main thing I noticed was that the background OST was fantastic, and I don't just mean because of the real world symphonies being played. But damn those last 30 seconds of the episode were basically flawless in writing, music, and animation.
Anime has been infinitely more interesting to me than games these past few weeks and I think Kill La Kill has played a huge part in that. Anyone not watching or planning to watch this is doing themselves a huge disservice. I can see it becoming better than Gurren Lagann as the first half of Kill La Kill has been better, but now that Kill La Kill is slowly moving onwards to its second half it will be tough to see if it can top the second half of Gurren Lagann. As of right now the only thing that Gurren Lagann did better in the first half was Kamina's death, which was and still is a huge thing. I can't say there's been a plot revelation quite as strong as that, then again in all other areas Kill La Kill was better on the whole. Plus, this episode had a fairly major revelation then again, it wasn't surprising that we would find out who killed Dr Matoi eventually and the killer was introduced and revealed in the same episode so... yeah.

[Deleted]

Episde 12.
OMG... Are they going to pull a Kamina, are they going to pull a Kamina, are they going to pull a Kaminaaaaaaaa...?
Aaaaaaaaand...
No. Somewhat disappointed as the setup was perfect but what actually went down is still good if a little basic. Saw quite a few things this episode, but mostly I'm starting to see why life fibres are so dangerous. Looks like a large chunk of this episode, especially towards the end was dedicated to setting up the next arc of the show where Satsuki's going to conquer the west while Harime just causes constant problem for everyone, purely for the eviluz. I can get behind this.

This was also the fist episode that I found which has english subtitled lyrics for the opening and ending. Combined with the life fibre rampage I'm seeing what they're trying to do with Ryoko's character thematically. She rebels on reflex because the ordered system, well, sucks, and this is represented by Satsuki. However whereas the rebellion had been cathartic and a major part of Ryoko's growth as a character in this episode we see what happens when rebellion turns into blind pointless rage that destroys yourself and everyone around you. That the conformity Satsuki imposes is gone about in a horrible way but is necessary for a society to actually sustain itself and restrain animalistic impulses. Combined with the fact that Satsuki has clear ideals and goals whereas Ryuko only knows what she *doesn't* want, I think it's fair to say that Trigger knows the essential pros and cons of anarchism and social order presented here as social Darwinism. Heck, not even social. Considering Satsuki juges not only fighting ability, but the person's actually personality, it seems that the order of her society is not based on birth or brute strength, or even outright intelligence, but will power and capability. In my eyes in a society inequality I consider will to be the best metric to determine who sits atop the pack than what it currently is in the real world and most stories of this nature.

In any case, like Gurren Lagann Kill La Kill is showing that, without loosing any energy nor changing any pre-established tone, it is wiling to explore deeper themes present in the narrative using a lot of visual and subtextual symbolism, as opposed to having all the characters being thoughtful people who talk about the themes as though it were exposition that occours in every other pretentious media, including some of my all time favourite anime. While not quite the game changer Kamina's death was Ryuko literally turning into a monster almost unrecognisable as herself and loosing any sense of sanity and preservation of anything including herself (read: It was literally raining her own boiling hot blood and the characters were practically swimming in it) should hopefully have an impact of it's own merit. Like Gurren Lagann however I think rebellion is still going to be the answer, and again like Gurren Lagann I think the only thing the characters will need to learn is self control. Simon in Gurren Lagann learnt not to abuse spiral power thus destroying the universe, and here we're already seeing that Ryuko can almost kill herself using life fibres irresponsibly. I think Kill La Kill has the potential to be stronger in this message, however, as for one the story is much more personal. Here abusing the central energy of the show representing power and the ability to rise to the top of the social 'food chain' as it were destroys not the universe, but merely herself and those in her immediate presence. Furthermore Ryuko herself, despite being the protagonist, does not represent evolution. In Gurren Lagann, everyone represented evolution and growing stronger. In Gurren Lagann, evolution just meant 'getting bigger' "Beyond the person we were a minuet before." However in KLK that character is Satsuki, who represents evolution but in a Darwinian sense. Ie, what evolution actually means in terms of impact on society. In evolution, it's adapt or die, and that's what her society is. Not growing stronger for the sake of it, but growing stronger to be above the rest as a reaction to external stimuli. The characters need to be stronger in order to survive, to adapt, and the side effect of this is that they end up at the top. What I'm trying to stammer out is, is that the portrayal of evolution here is much more realistic and it sets the show apart from Gurren Lagann. By combining these two points together and placing them in a school setting, we get a version of a story similar to Gurren Lagann (based on what I've seen so far and speculation) that is less universal but more specific and relatable to certain demographics, namely the teenage demographic and ESPECIALLY the teenage otaku or nostalgic otaku. I don't think KLK has been as hard hitting, epic, or as infinitely quotable as Gurren Lagann but broadly speaking I think KLK has better characters, more visual imagination in terms of the immediate context and overall a strong potential. I can't wait to see where it takes me. Maybe it will take me to a place where I can name it as a show better than Gurren Lagann, if it is lucky.

Pah, look at that stupidly long wall of text! Whoever says this and gurren lagann are braindead shows that can't really be analysed due to a lack of substance are unthoughtful themselves. Any good critic or even general consumer of art know that literally everything can be analysed.

[Stove]

Oh good, episode 12 and no Kaminas. That's good to hear.

[Deleted]

Episode 13 came out today.

Jan 8, 2014 1:50:21 GMT Stove said:

Oh good, episode 12 and no Kaminas. That's good to hear.

Su-sure... no Kamina's to see here...
*Sigh*

Ragyo is awesome.
CLOTHES ARE SIN.
Sounds like a line Issei would yell in highschool DxD, not an intimidating female villain.

[Stove]

Jan 9, 2014 20:29:33 GMT @alberenza said:

Episode 13 came out today.

Jan 8, 2014 1:50:21 GMT Stove said:

Oh good, episode 12 and no Kaminas. That's good to hear.

Su-sure... no Kamina's to see here...
*Sigh*

Ragyo is awesome.
CLOTHES ARE SIN.
Sounds like a line Issei would yell in highschool DxD, not an intimidating female villain.

Why am I not suprised? -_-

[Stove]

Jan 9, 2014 20:29:33 GMT @alberenza said:

Episode 13 came out today.

Jan 8, 2014 1:50:21 GMT Stove said:

Oh good, episode 12 and no Kaminas. That's good to hear.

Su-sure... no Kamina's (Kaminas, there is no apostrophe.) to see here...
*Sigh*

Ragyo is awesome.
CLOTHES ARE SIN.
Sounds like a line Issei would yell in highschool DxD, not an intimidating female villain.

[Indigo]

Since Al may actually believe that, someone should note that whole thing is a joke.

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2014 0:27:07 GMT Indigo said:

Since Al may actually believe that, someone should note that whole thing is a joke.

I saw Steve's post before the post in the 'what are you playing' thread and I was highly confused.

[Doublesuya]

NOOOOOOOOO!! Not Senketsu, whyyyyyy!? TT^TT

[Deleted]

Jan 11, 2014 20:50:20 GMT Doublesuya said:

NOOOOOOOOO!! Not Senketsu, whyyyyyy!? TT^TT

I can only hope that someone will be able to stitch him back together, or else Ryuko wont be able to fight.

[Stove]

SPOILER ALERT UP THERE.
Gosh.

[The Regal RP Mod]

Yeah, come on guys, I don't see these for a week after.(not paying for crunchyroll premium) Where do you guys go to watch?

[Deleted]

Musashi dropped the ball so I followed suit. Believe it or not, however, it doesn't really feel like the most important part of the episode. Probably because Senketsu was barely a character to begin with. I wouldn't say that this is the second coming of Kamina tears.

Crunchyroll doesn't have the series licensed for my territory so I have to go to other sites.