Akame ga Kill / First Impressions

「権力を斬る」 (Kenryoku wo Kiru)
“Kill the Authority”

Welcome to the Night Raid! If you don’t join us… we will kill you…

… Just kidding! ~ But seriously… it’s kill or be killed when you’re part of the Night Raid and this episode shows the dire situation that Tatsumi’s been forced into. The Night Raid won’t kill him, but they haven’t left much of a choice for him either and thus, he trains with Akame to become a cold-blooded killer. But… there’s not much training involved either because Tatsumi’s become the resident chef instead (even to go as far as catching his own fish!). Although his actual “training” period was short, I have no complaints because what I’m looking forward to in this show is the action! So the faster that they can get to that, the greater chance this show has to hold my attention span. Luckily for Tatsumi, he just so happens to also have all the skills in terms of actual combat abilities and that helps speed up the story. On the flip side, I feel a little cheated because we simply have to accept at face value that he’s great at what he does – kind of like Kirito from Sword Art Online. He’s just awesome at wielding swords. To me, seeing a character grow and become stronger is what builds that connection and empathy with them as they journey through hardships in anime. If the protagonist is simply given these skills straight up, the rest of the story better be about how kicka** he is.

And it is. I think Akame ga Kill has held my attention fairly well and doesn’t stop with the assassinations. True to its name, the killing continues and Tatsumi adds to his count by slaying a member of the police force. I admit that I was surprised that Tatsumi took the Ogre out alone, given that it was his first assignment and this guy literally looks like a giant ogre. I was half-expecting Akame to appear out of the nowhere to save Tatsumi, but this story is all about the unexpected so to me, that was different. In fact, Tatsumi has earned some respect from his new boss and his colleagues so good for him! He feels like a completely different person though – flipping from coldblooded murderer to naïve young traveler. I have a hard time grasping who he really is because most of the time, I want to believe that Tatsumi is a good boy who wants to do what’s right (but everyone laughed at him). On the other hand, it’s clear that he can kill an assignment easily and although this man deserves it, I thought one of the internal struggles that Tatsumi would have deal with is his morale conscious of what is right and wrong. Who truly deserves to die and how does this really fit into the larger picture? This is what I would want to know joining the Night Raid.

The story dives a little into the background of the Night Raid as well and how the group formed. The small snapshot that Najenda (Mizuno Risa) provided is a good indication of what and who is to come. More interestingly enough, this episode also reveals Akame’s past and how she becomes a part of the Night Raid. I would think that the main heroine would get a whole episode dedicated to her history… and probably much later in the anime because obviously she would have the most “dark and mysterious” past and it leaves the audience speculating. But oh no, Akame ga Kill lays it all out up front. Akame was an orphan, trained to be a killer and now she’s joined the Night Raid. Simply put – it explains a great deal of her personality, her skillset and all neatly tied in up in less than three minutes. I was impressed that there wasn’t more to her story, but I guess that leaves her sister’s whereabouts up in the air too. Where did she go or more importantly, is she dead?

The episode is not complete without a few introductions of the rest of the team. Lubbock (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu), Sheele (Noto Mamiko), Bulat (Konishi Katsuyuki), and Mine (Tamura Yukari) are all part of the Night Raid as well and they take turns showing pieces of their personality. It looks like Mine is going to be the focus for next week’s episode so we’ll probably get a hear more about where she came from and who she is – either that or it’s a complete tease to see her half-naked. Either way, I’m excited for what’s to come and I think the blend of fanservice, comedy and action, fits well for the series. It blends together without it being uncalled for and I know some viewers might think of it as awkward but I like the breaks in between that are made for laughter. It shows that the creator isn’t one-dimensional and all plot driven.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Akame ga Kill doesn’t disappoint for a second week. This seriously tempts me to keep blogging it =(

Author’s Note: Oh dear… I was honestly hoping the second episode would be so terribad that I’d stop blogging it on a weekly basis. It wasn’t – in fact, I’m very tempted to commit to another show. I just wanted to let readers know that if I don’t continue this series, it’s NOT because it’s horrible. It’s because I’m spending more time on another section of RC that’ll be brought to you in a couple of weeks =) (surprise!) I’m scared I won’t have any time leftover for another show, so to avoid disappointment I don’t want to make promises… BUT we’ll see next week!

Only one this week – but it’s a good one: 15.

 

Preview

67 Comments

      1. kinda, comes with the archetype…
        exact coordinates: crossing of the Yamato Nadeshiko and Lady of War tropes
        -Kill la Kill has Satsuki Kiryuin
        -even in Love Hina: Motoko…
        -Shana is redhead, but still fits into general archetype…

        ewok40k
        Reply

      3. Shana’s natural hair color is black anyway. In fact, I can’t help seeing Akame as how Shana might have look like if she had been given a few more years to grow =3

        Random Comment
        Reply

    2. It’s definitely more clever (akame is very lacking in subtlety lol) but it is catered to different types of people and age groups so it all comes down to preference and your maturity level 😉

      James
      Reply

  3. I must say I really like how the show goes from comedy to serious stuff back and forth. It’s kind of unpredictable and I find myself giggling just to go O_O a minute later. Enjoyable story so far~

    Misk
    Reply

  4. >] “On the flip side, I feel a little cheated because we simply have to accept at face value that he’s great at what he does – kind of like Kirito from Sword Art Online. He’s just awesome at wielding swords.”

    M’kay, just to get it out of the way, Tatsumi – aside from his skill with a sword – is NOT like Kirito from Sword Art Online. Without venturing into spoilerific territory, yes he obviously has potential and is pretty damn good at what he does, but there’s never really a point in the story where he’s painted as some overpowered bada** that just wrecks havoc all over the place and everything goes his way just ’cause he’s the MC.

    Tatsumi, IMO, is a strong, competent character that will face more than his fair share of difficulty and heartache throughout the series, as so many of Akame’s characters will. He has a long road of growth ahead of him, rest assured of that.

    Ryan Ashfyre
    Reply

    1. Wo… I don’t want to get into an argument about SAO here and especially if it’s going to sprout SAO hate =X I was just using it as an example. All I’m saying is… I think both Tatsumi and Kirito are introduced as strong individuals and they both don’t have (seeable) flaws in their abilities so far. I don’t think Kirito goes around like “some overpowered bada** that just wrecks havoc all over the place” but I agree that I don’t think Tatsumi does either. They both have their development points and their personalities are definitely different as well. So for an introduction, I felt like they both were strong protagonists and that’s different compared to a lot of other introductions this season.

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. For the record, I wasn’t trying to bash Kirito at all. I rather like him, actually; but at the same time, one should try to be objective and take his character for what it is.

        My only problem, if you want to call it that, isn’t so much with Kirito himself, but rather that he’s focused on too much. I would’ve enjoyed SAO so much more if there could’ve been more time and development given to other characters and particularly Asuna, a character whose potential was as high as the sky and yet given so little attention, particularly in the latter half.

        That said, that’s all I wanted to say. I’m certainly not looking to have an argument about SAO anymore than you are.

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

  8. Similar problem as the first episode in the rapid switch between comedy and seriousness, although not as pronounced (only really came into play at the beginning with Tatsumi’s mourning). It’s as though Akame ga Kill is afraid to commit to one or the other in fear of alienating a particular half of its fan base. Did not help too that after Tatsumi thought he killed the Ogre the first time he nonchalantly turned around and didn’t spare another thought. This is from a character self described as being unsure/unable to throw the switch, with the previous murder stated by others to being fuelled by rage. It’s a sign of weak writing to be unable to sufficiently show the struggle a character must go through to commit such a brazen act (let alone get used to it).

    Hopefully all of these issues though are limited to what seems to still be the “introductory” arc because the setting is enough to easily sustain the expected grimdark stuff. Oh, and I’m really starting to believe some of Night Raid’s members are RWBY reincarnated, the resemblance is uncanny 😛

    Pancakes
    Reply

  10. I would think that the main heroine would get a whole episode dedicated to her history… and probably much later in the anime because obviously she would have the most “dark and mysterious” past and it leaves the audience speculating.
    —>well by adaptation pacing, ice queen (hasn’t debuted yet) will likely get one full episode on herself,
    —>as for Akame, well, she has an entire spinoff manga for her history…still ongoing though.
    —>Spinoff manga’s called Akame ga Kill! Zero.

    Techim
    Reply

      1. Nah, its alright..though if you insist, maybe 3 screens per ONA episodes?
        Called Akame ga Theater, they’re basically 1-min chibi comedy specials that get uploaded on the official website pretty much right after the original episode airs.

        –checks akame.tv–
        Oh…seems like its a weekly highlight since ONA 02 is up but they disabled the previous one.
        But hey, I guess raw/subbed versions are elsewhere on the internet if you know where to look.
        ONA 01 = Tatsuya argues with Leone about his money. (http://youtu.be/nNblAYAsDZs)
        ONA 02 = Tatsuya tries Leone’s cooking. (http://tinyurl.com/mrgwwy8)—>Link lasts till 20th July I guess.

        Techim
        Reply

  16. Definitely one of the top shows I’m watching this season. I decided to go ahead and spoil myself with the manga source material after EP 01 because I was curious as to just how gory grim-dark the series was after reading comments. Wow… personally, I’d say more so then Elfen Lied manga on that front. The anime is definitely toning down that aspect, but IMO this is a pretty faithful adaptation overall (there are some material cuts, but nothing major so far). In short, so far I think this is a good adaptation, and I actually prefer the anime toning down some of the gory grim-dark stuff since I think it gets overdone in the manga. JMO of course.

    While this was a good episode, I did think that some of the comedy delivery, including the sudden transition from serious to humor, was slightly off. To be fair it’s a tricky thing to do that in just the right manner. Still, a couple of times it was kind of jarring or the humor a bit flat. Again, not bad, just not quite right.

    All in all a good episode which I expect to continue from here on out. Technically, on a “3 EP Rule” list I suppose, but really, I’d be surprised if I didn’t stick with this the entire run. The adaptation is doing too good of a job and the source material is solid even if I think the gory grim-dark stuff is over-the-top at times.

    ——————————-

    @Cherrie: “On the flip side, I feel a little cheated because we simply have to accept at face value that he’s great at what he does – kind of like Kirito from Sword Art Online. “

    I can see your point, but Tatsumi being “OP/hax” is relative/situational. He’ll pawn cannon-fodder and even “low-level” bosses like Ogre, but he’s not as good as say Akame (who he lost to fairly quickly in EP 01) let alone some of the later “bosses”. The anime (and manga) does set up his high level swordsmanship to some extent right at the start when he defeats the “earth dragon” easily. At this point in the story, I just assumed he was one of those characters who was trained in some martial art from an early age.

    — “I have a hard time grasping who he really is because most of the time… I thought one of the internal struggles that Tatsumi would have deal with is his morale conscious of what is right and wrong. Who truly deserves to die and how does this really fit into the larger picture? This is what I would want to know joining the Night Raid.”

    “Who deserves to die” is not an issue IMO. Bad guys are super-sadist types – Ogre pales in comparison to the vast majority. Frankly, I didn’t think that recruitment scene (both manga and accordingly anime) was done very well. They mock Tatsumi for talking about “justice”, then shortly thereafter, upon accepting the case Najenda states: “We shall bestow divine punishment.” Divine punishment? That statement seems contrary to the whole “no justice” thing to me. They even investigate Ogre and the oil merchant to verify their evil ways before deciding to take the case: “Did you verify the case? Yes, they are ‘guilty’.” Guilty? O.o… Again, sounds kind of like “justice” to me.

    True, we don’t get a ton of detail on what Night Raid wants to accomplish, but the overall objective is pretty clear – eliminate the evil, sadistic bad guys in power. That’s the root cause of all the problems, including what’s wrong with Tatsumi’s village. Good enough for me at this point in the story.

    — I was honestly hoping the second episode would be so terribad that I’d stop blogging it on a weekly basis. It wasn’t – in fact, I’m very tempted to commit to another show.

    As for whether to blog the show or not, all I can say is do what you think is best for your situation. If you think you have sufficient time (and interest) to blog the show, great. If not, don’t sweat it. Do what you need to do to balance RL stuff with RC stuff.

    daikama
    Reply

    1. No doubt, I’m sure that Tatsumi is still miles from being as skilled Akame is. I think it’s just his personality and appearance that doesn’t match my expectations for his skills and attitude towards fighting. However, there’s always exceptions to the rule so I’m pleasantly surprised by the change that Tatsumi has brought to the table.

      I agree with your points about their view on “justice” and they definitely wouldn’t kill anyone without verifying their crimes with their own eyes… but (and maybe I’m thinking too far ahead and haven’t read the manga) it feels like the Night Raid have other things planned up their sleeves. They claim to be killing these “bad people” to rise against the monarchy but how does Tatsumi know that the Night Raid don’t have another agenda? For all he knows, they (the leaders of the Night Raid) could be using this uprising to take power for themselves to do… whatever they want to do >_> Maybe I’m just not a trusting person in general, but it feels like there’s no real “right side” to be on. I don’t know where the story is headed, but it’d be interesting to see if the Night Raid have an alternative motive.

      Thanks for the concern, but RL has actually calmed down quite a bit on my end for me to pick up other things =) Hence the extra stuff I’ve been doing for RC. I do have the interest for the show… but it’s more like – do I rather spend the few hours sleeping or blogging =P haha!

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. @Cherrie: “I think it’s just his personality and appearance that doesn’t match my expectations for his skills and attitude towards fighting.”

        Definitely can see that. I was focusing on the ability level “issue” (if there was one) rather than Tatsumi’s ability matching his appearance and demeanor. Perhaps I misunderstood your point.

        — “They claim to be killing these “bad people” to rise against the monarchy but how does Tatsumi know that the Night Raid don’t have another agenda? For all he knows, they (the leaders of the Night Raid) could be using this uprising to take power for themselves to do… whatever they want to do >_>”

        Agree, and you certainly make a valid point IMO. For me there are two separate issues: (1) the “morality”/”we’re just killers”/”no justice in this”; and (2)Tatsumi taking Night Raid’s claims at face value. The first one, I just don’t buy given how the bad guys are portrayed in the story (not to mention Night Raid’s actions thus far per above). The second raises a good question as to the wisdom of doing so as you note. However, I do not think it’s character inconsistent because we’ve already seen how naive and trusting Tatsumi can be (e.g. him being ripped off by Leone in EP 01).

        daikama
        Reply

    2. I can’t agree more with what you said there.

      While this was a good episode, I did think that some of the comedy delivery, including the sudden transition from serious to humor, was slightly off. To be fair it’s a tricky thing to do that in just the right manner. Still, a couple of times it was kind of jarring or the humor a bit flat. Again, not bad, just not quite right.
      ^THIS. The main reason people are like “I don’t know what to think of this show”, is mainly because of the way they deliver comedy in the anime. I hope WhiteFox has done a better job in the further episodes, especially with the scene transition.

      Kev9
      Reply

  17. Color me jaded by Real World (TM)…
    But such guerilla movements to remove despotic regimes often end up creating even worse regimes…
    Russian revolutionaries started with individual attacks on officials and royalty, too…
    And we all know how it ended… With Gulag and mass executions of Stalin.
    Our MC is far too trusting. But hey, this makes him adorable!

    ewok40k
    Reply

  18. Really well done, having read the manga, I still thoroughly enjoyed how the pacing went and White Fox has proven themselves that they can adapt materials! 🙂 Really looking forward to some of the more actiony part of the series, going to be total epicness!

    Trap Master
    Reply

  19. Wow what a pleasant surprise to see this show get blogged again! I really enjoyed the second episode. We didn’t get a shocking twist this episode like we did in the first one. However, we did still get a solid story with some ‘backstory’ mixed in on Akame. Plus our hero had to make two key decisions: whether or not to join Night Raid and he had to decide if he would kill his target.

    I felt the episode was executed very well. I am planning to continue on with this one

    Rick Anime
    Reply

  25. This adaptation is solid. The pacing is right and it’s faithful to the source material.

    Though, I would have preferred it if they used a slightly darker color palette because the series is brutal and dark and that will help drive home that fact.

    legwkio
    Reply

  26. I loved the “assassin of justice” tagline which was immediately mocked by the group as being the same as “cold-blooded murderer for hire of justice.” I wonder about “used car salesman of justice,” or “game show host of justice?” “Meatpacker of justice?”……

    ctorkildson
    Reply

  27. ~FOR CHERRIE~
    That was a really well-written first impression of the second episode. If I were an anime-only fan of the series, I would’ve agreed in everything you said *referring to the writer of the ‘article’*.

    Concerning the past of Akame, the author in collaboration with another artist have made a prequel manga telling the story of Akame in the days she worked as an assassin for the capital, that’s why we didn’t get to see much of her past. I wonder if it will get an adaption, like Sinbad’s Adventures. And who knows, will that sister of hers make an appearance >.>?

    ~
    Personally, I enjoyed this episode more than the second, as I didn’t like how it felt rushed, when it actually was covering the material from the FIRST chapter of the manga.

    One thing I don’t like though, is that they give so much effort and attention to the comic scenes, that it really makes one wonder if “is this show for real?”.

    I don’t like how just ‘judging’ – if we can even call it that – from 2 episodes, people spout utter nonsense. Haven’t you learned anything from watching anime? IT CAN SURPRISE AND CHANGE AT THE VERY LAST EPISODE, so just be patient.

    Kev9
    Reply

    2. Thanks for reading =)
      Your insight is also appreciated. I haven’t read the manga, but I have been told about the one that’s covering Akame’s past. It would be interesting to see that animated (probably as an OVA?) because I bet she has a lot of past-trauma as well.

      I liked this episode because it was concise and well packaged together. There was a little bit of background, a bit of fighting and the flow didn’t bother me (even the comedy/action mixed). Definitely looking forward to more surprises =) I don’t think we’ll have to wait long though, right? =P

      Cherrie
      Reply

  32. The sense of humor in this anime so disgusting that it makes my stomach turn. At the beginning of the episode i was happy to see Tatsumi remenancing about his friends death but they quickly blew the incident over again by trying to insert an unfunny comedic moment. He does it later again and of course WE can’t HAVE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT DEATH AROUND HERE! (Rolling Eyes)

    Basically all I’m getting is that we have a ragtag group of people that think they are going to change the world by killing evil people. But said evil people are always Disney levels of generic so of course that’s supposed to make the viewer hate them so much that there is satisfaction when they die. Classy storytelling. Couple that with them glossing over the backstories of characters like Akame as if such details aren’t important and you’ve got a recipe for some compelling storytelling!

    leatherhead333
    Reply

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