Reviews for Kill la Kill (6.44) 2v4s2j

Kill la Kill

Introduction - "Back with a vengeance"

Just like the producers of this show I reappear from nothingness to bring you a review. The thrilling question is: Is this review garbage? Or is it the show?

Art & Animation - "Speciality is my speciality!"

These days it is surprisingly common, how well most shows look. But while the actual production values are a sort of mechanical element, artstyle certainly isn't and is usually subject of sadly annoying otaku-discussions.
Personally, I value creativity, where artstyle is concerned. And boy, Kill la Kill certainly mixes things together very uniquely. Not only does the show look good and incorporates some stellar animation, it also generates its own identity. That's something that can't be said too often these days.
I liked the kitchy character drawings in particular.
Effects are mostly good.

9/10

Sound - "Dooooon't loooose youuur waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

Can't argue much here, either. Kill la Kill sounds gorgeous: Fantastic voice work, great (if slightly repetitive) soundtrack and some crunchy battle effects please the ears.

9/10

Story - "I looooooooooost my waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

I was genuinely intrigued by the first 12 or so episodes. The setting felt fresh, unique and offered a very good promise. And for the first half of the show the plot actually surprises and baffles the viewer with its surreal, over-the-top twists and turns.
I will further dwell on this matter later, but let me say that redundancy and absurdity are a terrible plotkiller. And in the second half of the show you will most certainly realize that the plot of Kill la Kill goes nowhere at all. The story unfortunately culminates in what can only be described as a horrible, nonsensical and downright disappointing mess. After having watched Gurren Lagann I have to say that this is the style of these guys, but that's something I neither like nor objectively can understand.

I was glad, when the last episode was over, I could not have endured one more degrading episode. Such a pity for a truly wonderful exposition.

5/10

Characters - "At least I am cool."

Kill la Kill offers a lot of very funny and kitschy characters. If that is your thing, you will certainly be entertained, probably even until the end of the show. With the two sisters you get enough serious character development as well. All in all, it's a mostly pleasing mix between over-the-top clichés and some serious, steady character portraying.
On the downside, however, the main antagonist turns about to be rather boring, flat and generally annoying. Her sidekick is cool in a creepy way, though.

7/10

Value - "Look how crazy I am. Look. PLEASE LOOK."

It's mostly fun for a full run. But there is little reason to come back afterwards. It relies too much on the same concepts and elements of absurdity and madness to make it longlasting.

6/10

Enjoyment - "It was fun, while it lasted."

While I was certainly giggling during the first episodes, where the show nicely uses genre-clichés to create its own identity, I have to note that things got extremely repetitive and boring during the remainder of the show. Kill la Kill never succeeds to go one step further: You basically have to watch the same nonsensical collage of jokes and typical shounen-elements in each episode. In the end I was genuinely bored by the repetitive content that - because of its redundancy - keeps on losing charm and momentum. This is especially sad, because it feels so fresh at the start. After 5-10 episodes, you'd certainly not expect such a massive drop in creativity and quality.
Nevertheless, it's good fun for a while and I commend the show for bringing in the funky spirit.

Verdict

I must most certainly be the only person on this planet that has seen Kill la Kill before Gurren Lagann (I will write a review for the latter as well). Nevertheless I can honestly say that I was slightly hyped by the buzz in the interwebz, when I started to watch the anime.
And surely, this show starts on a high note: Nice fights, a great premise and some truly incredible characters set things up very nicely for Kill la Kill.
However, things get repetitive quickly. The fights become dull, the jokes keep staying flat and the story doesn't know where it wants to go, instead it ends without closure or credibility (even for its own silly standards).

I had, however, a good time. Kill la Kill is certainly neither a bad production nor a waste of time. It just leaves you wanting.

If you are into kitschy, over-the-top shounen-parodies with a little too much sexism, I will recommend the show to you. Otherwise, it's probably not your cup of tea to begin with.

Final score:
7.5/10