「呪縛を斬る」 (Jubaku wo Kiru)
“Kill the Curse”

The previews can be so deceiving sometimes. Just when I thought the it’d be a dedicated episode about Chelsea, the episode starts us off with one kill and finishes with another. Am I surprised that Chelsea died? Not really. I thought there were more than enough death flags flying around and with the spoilers that Kurome lives on, I knew that Chelsea wouldn’t be the one to kill her. Two kills for one Night Raid member? Not likely. Chelsea had almost too much confidence in herself that she’d be able to take down Kurome alone. I don’t want to say that she deserved it (because none of them deserve to die), but she should know better and it didn’t really scream “teamwork” even though she has a full team worried about her. Her story wasn’t one that I felt terribly connected with either. The flashbacks were helpful because it depicted how she got her Imperial Arms, but it doesn’t really show anything else other than her belief in killing those that have done wrong. I wish it gave more context of who these people were and perhaps her time spent with her old team, but Akame ga Kill has never been one to give too much details about the past. Overall, I’d say that I’m sad Chelsea had to go and in such a tragic way; but regrettably I wasn’t too attached to her or her personality.

The one with the more devastating story had to be Bols. My poor poor Bols. I’m sorry for all that were fans of Chelsea, but Bols has to be one of the more redeemable characters within the Jaegers (except for Wave I guess, but who knows where he is now) and I’m terribly sad to see him go. I have incredible sympathies for him and his family and especially that moment when he reaches out to see his family one last time… I almost cried. I am extremely heartbroken for him. What made me really said, was realizing that this guy actually had a family and a supportive team and he knew that he was committing crimes. He burned down villages out of command but he knew he was wrong and he felt remorse and sorrow. Unlike Dr. Stylish or other criminals we’ve seen, Bols actually had a heart and I think he could’ve been reasoned with; I think he could’ve even switched sides if given the chance… and most of all, I think his compassion for food and helping strangers is just, something you don’t see (especially in this type of show) without a hidden agenda. Bols was just at the wrong place on the wrong side and ultimately, it led to his death. I can’t grieve enough for him and his family and knowing what happens as a result of his death later on, makes me cry even more on the inside. I’ve read spoilers on this matter (and I don’t know if it’s going to be animated later on) but if you intend to talk about it, please use spoiler tags!

The last topic that I want to mention is how quickly Kurome’s health seemed to deteriorate after escaping. I thought they jammed back enough into one episode but if two deaths and a flashback weren’t enough for you, try another flashback! This one was more focused on Akame and Kurome’s struggles as children and how they both had to go through leaps and bounds to help one another survive. And in the end, they were still pulled apart – with Kurome getting the experimental part of the training. I thought I’d feel sorry for her at this point, but I still don’t feel any sympathy for Kurome’s situation, especially after she murders Chelsea as well. The worst part would’ve been if Kurome added Chelsea to her collection, but I’m not sure if having your head on a pole in the middle of a town is any better consolation. It’s her attitude towards killing individuals and then making a display out of it that just does not settle well with me at all. She could have gone through the roughest childhood for all I know, but if she doesn’t try and redeem herself, what’s the point? To me, she’d just be another antagonist that Akame will eventually have to kill. Or who knows, maybe it might be Tatsumi himself that comes looking for revenge.

Next week seems to bring another group into the action and I’m not quite sure… who they are. Lubbock is also still hanging out but something tells me that he has some death flags on his back as well. I doubt we’ll see more deaths in the upcoming week but who knows, I’m up for a few surprises.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Two kills this week?! #AkamegaKill is on a roll! I’m so sad that my favorite Jaeger passed too =( #akame_anime

Full-length images: 14, 21.

 

Preview

90 Comments

  1. I have to agree, Bols’ death was the most tragic one. He was a villain, true, but he was human. Very human. He loved his family. He had mates that accepted him. He also felt that he didn’t deserve that happiness and that some day he would die for his crimes.

    And he did.

    Chelsea’s death was more terrible, but less heartbreaking, I think. Her backstory is less sympathetic than that of other Night Raid members. Still, I liked the parallelism with Bols; she also knew that she would face retribution at some point. For her assassinations or for not doing anything to stop that nasty noble before getting her Imperial Arms? Or for both? Who knows.

    (I think Chelsea appears in the prequel manga, but I’m not sure; maybe there her story is explained a bit more?).

    By the way, was I the only one who got Sadako/Samara vibes from Kurome when she was “resurrected”? I was expecting it, but damn, that was scary!

    Mistic
    1. That distorted voice. Really loved that.

      Funny how Cherrie (and a lot of people) hate Seryuu and Kurome so much, and they are my favorite characters. I also have Wave as a favorite to compensate.

      Grahav
      1. If Seryu or Kurome had any character development later on or redeeming qualities, I might not feel so much hatred towards them but… uh… I’m sceptical. With everyone’s comments about Seryu, I don’t think she’ll get any better -__-‘

    2. Yep, she does appear in Akame ga Kill Zero.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      And yeah, Bols’ death hit me right in the feels. Chelsea’s death was pretty tragic as well, even more-so than the manga: you have the music, the paleness of the skin, and it looks way more brutal (even got bloody eyes, probably didn’t immediately decapitate her. Overall this episode was pretty well adapted, easily my favorite so far.

      Also, badass Kurome this week.

      http://i.imgur.com/Rxi70nv.gif

      Yogo
  2. Love how this show doesn’t treat it’s viewers like little kids. Bring on the gore, chopped limbs and flowing tears for characters that we actually care about. Going to miss Bols.

    You sweet family loving, kind and caring village burning man.

    The shizard
  3. https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    Something about this scene started my tears..
    Knowing that he’s a family man and can be kind & caring is one thing,
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2004.jpg
    but the Jaeger dinner gathering made the comparison obvious.
    Bols was the only one who killed people by following orders, (maybe PM has a threat on him? never shown)
    not because he enjoys torturing his victims,
    not because he has no remorse in doing so,
    not because he believes the Empire is always right,
    not because he wants to deal his own form of justice,
    not because he wants to experiment on people,
    not because he wants to maintain his skills…

    I think there’s been a few times Bols said it himself.
    “I’m not a good person at all”
    Bol’s case is probably similar to that phrase associated with Marvel Comic’s Wolverine,
    “I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.”

    The contrast between Bol’s sense of duty and free will was best shown in this episode.
    Bols sees an injured, young girl by the roadside.
    She was not an intended target of his duties, nor did Bols have any obligations to her whatsoever.
    He takes the time, however, to treat her and cheer her up…
    Its a pity his moment of kindness brought his end…

    Techim
  4. Lubbock is also still hanging out but something tells me that he has some death flags on his back as well.

    Whatever gave you that idea? His comment about ‘once this is over, I’ll confess my feelings for Najenda’? But that always works out well in fiction :P!

    Seriously, it wouldn’t surprise me if either him or Najenda (who’s also got the mentor thing going, kinda) would be the next to go. I suppose I should give the show credit for actually keeping the tension this way – people can and will die, on both sides, and very quickly too, as this ep proved again. And at the same time, they still manage to make us care for them (it doesn’t feel as mean-spirited as the way some shows do it, anyway).

    Not that it made this episode easier to watch. Because I felt for Bols as well – among the Jaegers, he was (probably together with Wave) one of the most sympathetic characters. A little awareness that he is doing evil and feels remorse for it goes a long way into making you feel kinda bad for him (for the opposite, just look at Senryu), especially as he channeled his remorse by being a loving man to all his comrades and family. He still deserved what he got, but it’s hard to hate him. Unlike Kurome – with her, I just feel bad for Akame that she has to kill her sister, but it’s clear that Kurome’s a monster at this point.

    As for Chelsea, it wasn’t surprising she kicked the bucket (because of overconfidence, of all things, which she warned the others about before) though it sure was brutal. Though I suppose it’s still better than being turned into a doll. Alas poor Chelsea, we hardly knew ye.

    Also, Esdeath looks pretty good in casual clothing with a pony-tail. Sure is strange seeing her like that.

    Dvalinn
  5. Right now is a great time to watch anime, Friday, Saturday and then Sunday with this show that I start watching after episode 14.Esdeath is one of my favorites characters, I wander what would happen after she is gone.

    oscuda
  6. My reacting watching Akame ga Kill.

    – First character that died:

    Oh yeah, they’re fighting! Awesome fight! What? She died? wow, that was shocking!

    – Second character that died:

    Ok, let the battle begin. Nice fight. Wait, c’mon, is he doing to die? Really? C’mon, man, don’t kill him! Oh, no, another death… Well… Yeah… ok…

    – Third character that died:

    She’s going after Kurome? Oh no, she’s gonna die. She can’t do that. Kurome is a major villain, she won’t lose that early. C’mon… Right there, yeah, she is dying. Oh man, I knew it. She is gonna die… Yeah, she’s dead… Fuckin’ dead… What a bunch of bullcrap…

    André
  7. Damn, we all saw those two deaths coming, but not only was Bols’ death sad, Chelsea’s was friggin brutal! T_T
    And they sure trolled us with actually NOT showing Bols’ (probably handsome) face. Or did they in the manga?

    boingman
  8. damn why do all the most likeable characters get killed…
    well, it was predictable that SOMEONE will die (rules of the imperial arms battles), but the way they keep springing surprises (killing off Bols AFTER he survived explosion, Kurome surviving Chelsea’s attack and killing her in counter0attack) is tearing mynerves apart
    and that head at stake… Esdeath sends a message!
    and the way we get to learn the backstories of the characters just before they get to die… ouch!
    last but not least, despite all th tragedy, could not help but laugh at seeing that “magical makeup box” in action!

    ewok40k
  9. Oh look. I think a while ago I predicted another death for Night Raid wouldn’t happen till episode 18 at the latest.
    Was right.
    Well, for anyone who hasn’t read the manga and is painfully curious as to how rapidly the death count rises >.>
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Kabble
  10. This just hit me… why the hell is this show LESS censored than Terra Formars?

    I mean hell, there is zero censoring for that severed head meanwhile Terra Formars would cover a paper cut with half a screen of blackness.

    qwert
  11. It is nice to see that there is no censor in the decapitated head of Chelsea, not that I say I don’t feel sorry for her though….heck, I would even want to take her head home and preserve it and….and…and….err….what the hell I am talking about, forget it!

    Terraformars! Learn from Akame ga Kill already….sigh.

  12. Impel Down Hippo
  13. Bols death seemed like a long time coming to tell the truth, he even foreshadows by shedding some of the ugly truths he had committed. It was emotional, yes, but in a different sense.

    Chelsea…oh man. No amount of manly tears can be shed. Watching this show makes me feel devolved seeing the horrible shit you do to your fallen enemies as if killing them was not enough. Bols was at least properly buried with all his body parts, Tatsumi had to live for the rest of his life seeing Chelsea as just that.

    I hope who ever kills Kurome does something just as grisly similar. Use her head as a goddamn cod piece.

    On a lighter note, Suzuka 🙂

    Diddo
  14. First Sheele (then Meowmel) and now Chelsea…are all the girls/characters I like in this series just destined to die or something?! ;_;

    Anyway…Chelsea mainly went against her own thinking from before this time…well…because she wanted Tatsumi’s approval due to her suddenly crushing on him. She even wondered if she’d be praised by him for taking out Kurome.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
  15. Okay…Okay…O-kay…I accept the fact that to make an anime more interesting and more touching,they must bring some DEATH on it,yeah I understand the reasoning,but…with Chelsea’s WAY OF DEATH,this Seinen Author really crossed the line!Why not bring DEATH to everyone like in Evangelion if he wants Akame ga kill to be the best SHOUNEN BALCK SEINEN since he thinks that DEATH is the only thing that makes an Anime touching then?!(of course,that’s only my opinion).Fortunetly,I have Anime like Hitsugi no Chaika or Log Horizon to cheer me up.
    This Episode makes me want not to watch the rest of this Anime,but I’m going to watch it till the end since I’m a Manga Collectionar,hope it will not end too badly,…OTHERWISE!!!……………..

    NothingLess
  16. Bols character was handled well. A self aware villian with feelings. His manner of death was fitting. As for Chelsea, that makeup kit must be made in China cause only 1 bullet destroyed it. Cool imperial arms, cheep materials.

    Miaminights
  17. To interject slightly…

    Re: Chelsea – I get the feeling that her flashback was supposed to be about her losing bits of herself as she worked as an employee for the worst kind of noble. While her core morality stayed intact (presumably unlike many of her fellow employees), everything she saw and possibly sometimes had a hand in broke down the rest of her moral reservations, to the point where she apparently had no hesitation in choosing the most murderous route to ending her former employer’s excesses. It’s probably telling that she must have been working there for years before she started feeling Gaia Foundation ‘calling for her’.

    Re: Kurome – Presumably her choice of public display installations had to do with (i) Bols having been killed by Chelsea and (ii) nearly being killed by Chelsea, coupled with how, like 90% of every modified human in Japanese anime ever, she’s not exactly in the most stable of states without her medication.

    Other than that, while the whole ‘backstory just before death/near-death’ is getting a bit obvious by now, the flashbacks basically continue the theme of exploring the various and sundry backgrounds that combine to create a killer. It’s actually rather interesting, the sheer breadth of paths the manga-ka traces to end in someone who kills others, and who inevitably meets the same end.

    Corin
    1. I was also referring to the introduction of Kurome when she’s shown sitting on a while pile of dead bodies. Kurome has essentially stripped all of Chelsea’s dignity by beheading her and making her a warning for the Night Raid. That’s pretty horrifying =(

  18. And another one bites the dust!

    Seriously, at this point I’m not surprised by the deaths anymore. I saw it coming a mile away when Chelsea decided to hunt one of the major villains that is not flesh out yet. Tatsumi is definitely a LADY KILLER; anyone who likes him dies. Sheele, Bulat (yes I went there lol), and now Chelsea.

    Char
  19. I honestly didn’t think Chealsea’s death would hit me as hard as it did. Before watching this episode I thought she wasn’t one of the characters I was more emotionally attached out of the current group of characters but I guess I was wrong. Might have been the beheading that really drove it home… one of the few times I actually felt physically uncomfortable watching a character die on screen. Except for maybe Optimus Prime way back then.

    Having said all that, I do feel greatly for Bol’s death as well but I was so surprised by my own reaction to Chealsea’s death that his death kinda didn’t give me feels as much as I thought it would.

    Azuma
    1. Who wouldn’t? T__T That guy is just… sigh* miss him already.
      I thought that with all the ominous spoilers/comments around here, that Bols would end up being a terrible man and I was anticipating this horrible hidden agenda that he has to kill all children or something. It ends up being the opposite so I’m actually glad he started off as a great guy and died as one.

  20. Chelsea may not have been as developed as some other characters, but oddly enough I still very much like her, so I was pretty sad that she died, especially after JUST joining the team to boot.

    Bols was definitely a good guy at heart. Honestly none of the Jeagers are really evil except for Seryu.

    Oh well, at least I was treated to some casual Esdeath in ponytail this episode :3

    YanDaMan
  21. 🙁 Bols’ death made me cry. If any of the Jaegers deserved redemption, it was him. Maybe wave too, but he hasn’t really done anything to need redeeming yet…so…yeah, RIP Bols. I’ve read spoilers about his family too, and I’m dreading the moment it happens in the anime… >< It's too tragic.
    Chelsea's made me shudder. That was just brutal. And as for Kurome, I feel sorry for the kid she must have been before, and the person she could have been had all that stuff NOT happened. Her present self is just psychotic, and I'm more sorry for her because she is Akame's sister and sisters are important.

    Aki-Chan
      1. Bols had that death flag coming from a mile away, though. As a certain Roy Mustang smartly recognized: showing off your family is a sure-fire way to get you into the grave early.

        But really, I was laughing during that scene when they showed Chelsea’s head. Not because it was funny or amusing, but rather because of how ridicolous it’s getting, especially the way the violence is portrayed and Kurome’s plot-armor. It’s not even funny anymore.

        HitsuWTG
      2. Spoilers from manga are a sure way to end the fun, I agree. This situation reminds me a lot of Game of Thrones. Seriously, I read the books way before the TV series started, but I didn’t find it funny when people spoiled things; not even when they tried to be clever about it, giving hints the size of battleships.

        Mistic
  22. how can people be sad because Bols died? He burned innocent people, even CHILDREN, alive! Are you guys serious?
    And i don’t like alluded Spoilers in a review, without being marked as… you know… spoilers orz

    I really liked the episode, i’m really happy that Chelsea got to kill this disgusting guy.
    But for her to end up like that… T_T

    Mi-Mi-Mikuru
    1. I think everyone is sad because Bols is a redeemable character that actually recognized that he was doing wrong. Yes, he did all those things, but don’t you believe in second chances? Bols is not psychotic or deranged; he could’ve been a great member of society if life gave him a chance. He’s like… one of those men who would sit in jail for years and actually come out a changed person.

      On the other hand, a lot of the other antagonists we’ve see, are pretty much all crazy -__-‘ And for Bols to be such a contrast to that, I think people just pitied him and his family. Anyway, not going to explain any more than that because… if you don’t like him, then you don’t like him. O_o I don’t think any of the Night Raid members are really innocent people either – does killing a murderer, not make you a murderer? It’s the same discussions we’ve had in the earlier episodes and if you’ve ever seen Dexter, it’s the same question.

      1. The Night Raid members don’t kill innocent people and especially not whole groups/village populations etc.
        For me everyone who can burn children alive IS obviously pyschotic and deranged!
        And i absolutely not believe that mass murders like e.g. former Nazis deserve a second change. They deserve hell and death and nothing else. I’m quite emotional about this, because I’ve just read an article about a former Nazi who lived happily ever after with his wife despite being responsible for the death of 300000 people. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Franz_(SS-Mitglied) it’s in german; the english article doesen’t mentions that he was already out of prison in the 1970ies.

        Mi-Mi-Mikuru
      2. 1.) That would include the US and Britain then, right? After all we, the US, firebombed Japanese cities full of civilians, including children (and then dropped two atomic bombs that killed over 100,000 civilians), and Britain did the same to German cities, including Dresden. That’s pretty much what “strategic bombing” was by that time – waves of carpet firebombings on entire cities just to hit one military target without consideration for civilian casualties in the process.

        But does that automatically mean the crews of those bombers were psychotic and deranged for following orders to do so?

        2.) That would also make EVERY side in WWII mass murderers, not just the Nazis. Many Nazis (primarily the SS) were indoctrinated/brainwashed at a very young age. After the war, many that were captured were able to be rehabilitated out of it and feel remorse for what they did when they look back on it.

        It’s hypocritical to call the Nazis mass murderers who don’t deserve second chances yet ignore the actions of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union (whom I’m sure many German civilians would’ve said the same things about them). No side is innocent nor is just one side guilty.

        HalfDemonInuyasha
      3. @ HalfDemonInuyasha

        I’m german, so you don’t have to explain anything about WWII to me ^^;;
        that was just an example and i wanted to explain why i’m very emotional about it. and, yes, everyone who drops bombs on civilians can go to hell. the guys who dropped the atombombs deserve a personal hell where they die alternating between cancer and slowly melting from heat forever. you see, i’m very strict when it comes to war crimes.

        Mi-Mi-Mikuru
      4. There is a keen distinction between when Night Raid kills and Jaegars do: Legality and support of their respective government.

        Does killing a murderer make you one? It certainly makes you a killer, but not all killing is equal. Do I think what the empire is doing is right? Certainly not, but it doesn’t change the fact that is not a murderer, but Night Raid members are. We don’t know the circumstances of Bol’s killing, only that he regretted every moment of it, and that Bols has been the voice of conscience and concern that’s been much lacking everywhere else in this series.

        Bols has the support of his government, AND is a good person on top of that in spite of the things he must do to support and protect his family. He is a killer, but he is not a murderer.

        Night Raid are judge jury and executioner without due process, something that’s been fought for as a freedom and right– using Vigilantism and anarchic behavior to justify themselves. Skipping due process is very dangerous thing, a shot of anarchy for sure, disrespecting personal legal rights and tramples on the very nature of actually being good. It is a very ineffective form of justice,

        Since this is a shounen show, we can accept black and white good and bad guys. However if I were to be serious, Night Raid and “Rebels” aren’t necessarily good either, they’re just on the other side. There’s little evidence to show the nebulous rebellion would be better.

        Drasca
  23. Sigh, Akame ga Kill is really starting to crush my soul with every episode (and surprisingly i’m enjoying it, i might be a masochist XD).

    And i never thought i’d feel sad to see a villain getting killed and paying for his crimes, i should have felt happy but instead i felt sad for seeing such a well-written character die, i wouldn’t have it any other way .. he deserved to die for his crime, i have little doubt of that .. but it’s actually quite rare to see such well written villains these days (in any medium not just anime) that it kinda felt sad to see him go, but that’s not the only reason, it’s also becasue he knew that what he was doing was very wrong, he knew that he isn’t a good-guy fighting for justice, he knew that one day it’s going to bite him hard and he was so self-aware about the wrongness of his actions .. he felt like a genuinely good guy in the wrong place at the wrong time and that he could have ended on the good-guys side if there circumstances where different .. what made me pity him actually is that i saw myself in him, he believed in following orders to the letter and considered it his ultimate duty .. it’s a great thing if you are on the good guys side but a terrible thing if you are working for the wrong side/guys (it’s a prime excuse for war-crimes, “I was just following orders !!!”) … i have that trait and i’m always worried that i might be following orders (at least in my work) that might lead me to doing something wrong yet i always feel compelled to follow orders to the letter .. made me really understated Bols position better than any other character, good bye you incinerating good hearted bastard, good bye Bols.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Now to the second death this weak, this one hurt me even more, Chelsea’s death really broke my heart, she was such a pure soul and truly wanted to make the world a better place, to see her go like that is just too much, and even though her time in the show was short she really left an impact on me with her sweet playful attitude and the carefree facade she puts on despite worrying a lot about her teammates (specially Tatsumi), her flashback also resonated with me well, she wanted to be part of the system and rise in ranks to get a comfortable life, she eventually discovered how rotten the system is but couldn’t do anything about it on her own, but after she found her imperial arms (that king was really crazy to make an imperial arms based on a makeup kit XD) she took action and changed things for the better, that power she found .. that ability to change things is what i always longed for .. but i know there are no super-weapons in real-life so in a way it felt good to see an ordinary human with no combat ability like her being able to change things with such a unique power to make her world a better place, what hurt me most was the chase scene and her death and decapitation (then putting her head on display), seeing her scared and helpless really hurt me, seeing her lose her fingers then her arm then get shot was too much for me (and i’m quite used to violent anime, and let me tell that violance alone isn’t enough to get to me, i’m not squeamish, but i have to say that “context” is everything, seeing someone you like dying in a horrible way like that is enough to get to me), but it’s the mutilation of her dead body and putting her head on display that really crossed the line for me, anyone that does that kind of thing in fiction or in real-life (and yeah it happened in real-life a lot and probably still happens in some places) is a despicable piece of shit that deserve the worst possible death imaginable (or eternal damnation in a pit of fire), there is just no excuse for mutilating the dead bodies of your enemies and putting them on display .. anyone who does that is truly rotten to the core … rest in peace Chelsea … you were truly a free soul and you will be missed.

    Ever since i watched Game of Thrones i haven’t seen any other show that kills off its character like Akame ga Kill does, and both shows surely and completely use that for the right effect and maximum impact, not just shock value (and there is plenty of that) but also to flesh out the world and the characters in it and evoke strong emotions from the viewers making them ponder on why our world is violent and full of cruelty and undeserved deaths yet we (as humanity) are so indifferent about it.

    Keep at it Akame ga Kill, you are doing a great job (hopefully i won’t fall into despair before that show it over XD).

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