Akame ga Kill / First Impressions

「誘惑を斬る」 (Yuuwaku o Kiru)
“Kill the Temptation”

This episode was definitely more slow-paced than the previous ones, but to make up for it, it gives the audience what they want. An inside peak at what the Jaegers are capable of and what Esdeath is really like. Of course, a little bit of fanservice never hurt anyone so no complaints there. In fact, there was just so much of it that it’s impossible to condense into a limited number of caps so I apologize in advance for anyone who is only here for that purpose only. There was other stuff going on in the show…

First of all, the more that I see Esdeath, the more that I don’t dislike her (not to be mistaken for liking her). I know what her character is about and I understand that she has a twisted, cruel mind with torture and killing – but she has a principle and this is what she lives by. I can’t hate her for that because she’s not blinded by revenge or rage like Seryu is, and she actually acts thinks before she acts. Most of all, I think she still has a mind of her own and she’s not controlled by others so she does whatever she wants and as long as that’s aligned to what the Prime Minister wants… they’re on the same side. She doesn’t seem to understand that there are some things in life that you just can’t force; love being one of them, so it’s kind of amusing that she has to ask others for advice. Considering that there has never been a point that Esdeath can’t get what she wants, I think it’ll be a huge hit when she finds out that Tatsumi is her enemy. Of course, it depends on how deeply in love she is, but nothing seems to be able to break her when it comes to “survival of the fittest”. She might kill Tatsumi herself when it comes down to it.

I didn’t expect that Tatsumi would be able to escape, but look at him go! He even challenged Wave (unknowingly) and although he’s the downgraded Imperial Arms, he still has one-up on him with his invisibility. I wasn’t expecting them to fight so quickly given that (even Tatsumi pointed it out) they both resemble one another in terms of personality and “fit” amongst the group. I thought it would’ve been a pivotal point in the show when and if they did finally duel, and then… I would have no idea who would win. I’d hate for Wave to die; since he genuinely seems like a good guy, he’s just on the wrong team. Esdeath’s punishment towards him also seems too soft – I mean, the guys just lost the man of her dreams! Oh wells… the reunion between Akame and Tatsumi was a sweet moment at least. I thought Esdeath would capture him again, but seeing Akame come to his rescue was a nice touch and shows how valued he is on their team. I want to see more between Akame and Tatsumi (given that they’re both the MCs) but it’s hard to focus on the pair too much without derailing from the purpose of the story.

Next week brings back a lot of action that we’ve missed in Akame ga Kill the past two episodes. The Night Raid hideout has been found and Dr. Stylish (who seems incredibly creepy) leads the forefront on the assaults. I can’t imagine who we’re going to lose next, but hopefully the Night Raid members will come out intact. It doesn’t look like any of the other Jaegers will be involved in the fight, but I’m judging this solely from the preview and who knows! Maybe Seryu will come back and ruin everyone’s mood… God, I hate that girl.

Bottom Line – @ RCCherrie: This episode of #Akame_anime? Lots of Esdeath and her uh.. lady parts. Everything else is irrelevant -___-‘

Full-length images: Because I know I’ll get a lot of hate later for not making these images…

 

Preview

84 Comments

  5. I can’t believe how many people are getting Esdeath wrong.
    She’s a sadist, but not a SEXUAL sadist. She would not step on you, call you names, or any other masochistic fantasies. If she’s interested in you, she’d show you normal love (as long as she figure out what that is). Tatsumi would get tender loving from Esdeath, not S&M.

    dmonhiro
    Reply

    1. Have to disagree with you there. Remember what she turned the hero of the north into, in the first time she appeared? A sex doormat. She may not had intercourse with him but she did sexual torture. Rape of the worst kind.

      Also she lets her soldiers pillage and rape so that she can get hated and have more battles. Basically she uses rape as a weapon for her own pleasure.

      Don’t get me wrong. She is a fantastic villain. Specially because she is the worst kind of human being.

      Myself, I like Seryu more as a character. Specially, because of her justice plague going meta. She goes crazy with hate shouting “justice, justice” and then the audience goes crazy with hate shouting “justice, justice”.

      Grahav
      Reply

      1. She used torture to break the hero of the north, the fact that he got off on it does not mean she did. I’d actually say the OP is right, that Esdeath doesn’t look at torture as a sexually thrilling thing. Even looking at her lists of demands for the perfect guy, she wants someone younger so she can assert control, but someone strong… Someone she won’t dominate. There is a very big difference there.

        Koji
        Reply

  6. https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    My Villain Can’t Be This Cute!

    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2011.jpg
    Stealing Kiss like a Boss!

    I am actually finding Esdeath hard to dislike, but she needs to be put in the weak guy’s (or girl in her case) shoes, otherwise she will never understand Tatsumi.

    One particular thing I liked about Esdeath was her placing safety of her team over capturing Tatsumi…
    to quote one of my fave anti-villains:
    I Want Them Alive if possible. If not? if not, I’ll understand. – Grand Admiral Thrawn

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. I do like the theme, of how the main character (male) has a lover that is older than him (female); almost like Luffy and Boa Hancock. Is there another shonen/fantasy genre with this kind of setting. I know there is maoyuu maou yuusha, but anything else?

      L002
      Reply

      1. lemme see… off top of my head, there might be more:
        -Onegai Teacher! – a great romcom
        -Jormungand – for more action themed than romance
        -Claymore – definitely action with just a hint of romance
        -Tenchi Muyo – if you count REAL age of half the harem…

        ewok40k
        Reply

      2. Even not ‘real age’, it was always clear that Ryoko and Aeka were older ‘types’. That said, anyone that hasn’t watched the original Tenchi OVA timeline, GxP, and War on Geminar is doing themselves a huge disservice.

        Koji
        Reply

  9. That was an excellent episode. I really, really enjoyed it.

    The only thing that annoyed me was the whole typical ‘teasing’ that Anime always do. Whereas the main character is put in an awkward situation and runs away full force. I could see if Esdeath wasn’t an attractive woman but that is not the case. I really wish these type of shows would stop adding in pointless fan service. Tatsumi is a clueless teen after all that will act 100% retarded around a grown woman like that. But its become apparent to me I really need to avoid shows that leans a bit much towards fan service. I just want to focus on a good clean story and have the main character fall in love the old fashioned way

    Couldn’t believe he asked Esdeath to join Night Raid LOL. Oh goodness… So naive…

    Great show though overall. Just a bit annoyed with the main character. For goodness sake he’s a teen. Let’s not put him in awkward situations where we know he will just run away just like all the other anime except for a small, exceptional few that actually features an Adult that is prepared to marry, have children, etc

    Rick Anime
    Reply

  10. A fairly good episode though I thought the pacing was a bit choppy. Relaxed for most of the episode, but too rushed/staccato early on. I’ll put it this way, episode 10 covered manga chapters 17 and 18. Chapter 17 was covered in 3 minutes and 20 seconds (start to 4:50 min including 1 ½ minutes of OP). Chapter 18 got the rest of the time – about 17 minutes. I think the anime wisely decided to spend more time on ch. 18. My issue is with the degree of disparity. For example, cutting the battle against the bandits is understandable (it’s pretty much a curb-stomp), but they made it bare-bones to the point it might as well have been a Teigu exposition montage. For an action scene, visually I thought it was sub-par and too perfunctory. Adding just one more minute could have made the scene much more animated.

    That wasn’t a big deal as I expected that battle to be compressed, but I was disappointed with the way the anime “adapted” (read mostly cut), ch. 17 pp. 4-15 featuring Tatsumi’s introduction to the Jeagers for a couple of reasons. First, it had one of the better (IMO) comedy moments when Wave and Run question Esdese why Tatsumi is wearing a collar. Have to admit, I LOLed when reading that. Not only did I find it funny, but it fit perfectly with Esdese having no clue whatsoever about what “love” really is. Second, and arguably more importantly, was the alteration of the scene when Tatsumi forces down his anger and hatred towards Justice Bitch Seyru. I found the manga’s version much more compelling because it occurred when Seryu tried to comfort Tatsumi by patting him on the head versus the anime where he simply spots her from a distance.

    A number of small, but relevant, pieces of character personality/background were also left out. I question whether sacrificing those moments were worth all that extra time allocated to the next chapter. To be clear, I’m not saying the time allocation should be 50/50 for each chapter, but allocating just 2-3 more minutes for Ch. 17 material would have been quite beneficial IMO.

    When given enough time, I thought EP 10 did a good job with adaptation. Despite Esdese presenting a very compelling argument, Tatsumi resisted Esdese’s offer despite mounting pressure to do so by playing the shounen MC fear/shyness of scantily clad women trump card sticking with his principles. Well done, Tatsumi… I think…

    Where was I? Oh yeah. Apart from the usual adaptation issues, an enjoyable episode for more than just a couple big reasons (OK, fine, I’ll stop :P). The skirmish between Tatsumi and Wave was a noticeable improvement over the bandit HQ “battle”. Like the manga, I LOL’d at Lubbock interrupting a potential special moment between Tatsumi and Akame. Of the shows I’m watching, Akame is still the best one IMO. I may have some issues here and there with the adaptation, but this adaptation is a LOT better than some of the other so called adaptations I’ve watched recently. Looking forward to the next battle. It should be a good one. 😀

    daikama
    Reply

    1. Correction: I screwed up regarding the chapters covered in Ep. 10. :/ Sorry about that. Three chapters (ch. 17, 18 & 19 specifically) were covered in Episode 10, not just two chapters (e.g. ch. 17 & 18). Ch. 18 still got the most amount of time (about 9min removing ch. 17 flashback) vs. about 4min for Ch 17 (including later flashback) and roughly 7 min for ch. 19.

      I still think ch. 17 wasn’t allocated enough time (e.g. too much material cut), but compressing essentially three 40 page chapters into one episode does explain the material cuts. Current pacing = 1.9 chapters per episode. I hope the anime will stick to that pacing rather than try to squeeze three chapters (technically 2 1/2 or so after material cuts) into a single episode again.

      daikama
      Reply

  12. I suppose that Tatsumi isn’t suited to being a double-agent, but pretending to work with Esdeath would have been a perfect way to gather intelligence on the enemy (perhaps do a little assassination too)

    Blue
    Reply

  13. Not trying to come off as a Esdeath hater but I think some people (not here exactly but elsewhere) are reading way to much into her while trying to paint her as somehow complex. She’s complex for someone who came from this show that’s for sure but in general she really isn’t. Rant ahead!

    Here is the problem i have with that bedroom scene. It seems to me that they wanted to just make Esdeath into a “moe” villain with most of this. The way she is all over Tatsumi, a guy she just met no less is hardly convincing since she chose him based on his smile alone. Personally i would have preferred that the scene was more awkward since she obviously hasn’t done this sort of thing before but she pretty much lays it out that she’s going to do anything for him already. I mean I’ve heard people complain about about the two main characters in Soredemo not having a believable relationship (Shota king and Nike). Heck I’d agree with that sentiment but here it’s even worse. The realm of comedy and complexity isn’t something i can determine after seeing her in that scene. She surprise kisses him as soon as the guy asks if she likes her. That’s pretty over the top for me to take her seriously right now but meh. I pretty much rolled my eyes when the “weak people suck” line came up. That brought down the moment everything for me. Akame ga Kill i know you have to make all your villains crazy in some fashion but please have some subtly for once :P.

    Also I don’t think she is really in love. She merely said she understands why he hates the capital at first to reassure him. How she kept saying she would protect him or his family if he wanted her too? That’s not a sign of love. That’s bargaining so she can keep her toy happy. She wants to satisfy him by giving him everything he wants. Which is just an attempt to control him. Still pretty villainous :<

    Again she is in "I love you so much!" mode right now. Even if she is aware of that there are things wrong with the capital why would it matter if she didn't care to stop it? As long as her and her allies get to do what they want she's simply taking advantage of her position to satisfy her subjects regardless of the crap that goes on under her nose. In a sense she's worse than justice girl who doesn't care if people she see's as good do bad things because that's her form of justice. Esdeath loving the challenge Tatsumi brings to her is somewhat interesting but I'd say some folks are just reading way to much into her.

    As for Tatsumi and Wave I'm sure everyone called them being able to relate to each other. They are basically the same character. To bad when Tatsumi says "We are not evil!" I laughed.

    I get it. You get two characters with similar ideals, powers and personality to fight each other. That's a nice setup in my opinion. That way we can see just how much Tatsumi's way of thinking has changed from how he was originally. But maybe I'm expecting to much to wish for some interesting dialogue here. I think that face off between them could have been a great battle of rivaling ideals and misguided justice. Alas…..=/

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    1. @leatherhead333: She’s complex for someone who came from this show that’s for sure but in general she really isn’t.

      As a manga reader I’d say that’s a somewhat accurate statement. I like Esdese well enough, though IDK if she’s my favorite Akame character. She is one of the more interesting characters in Akame (and not for the obvious “reasons”), particularly on the antagonist side. I also agree that there’s no question that Esdese’s character design (incl. cute blushing moments) are intended to give her a more favorable impression. I highly doubt she’d have as many fans if she was unattractive (or a guy). *shrug* Nothing new for the shounen (or even seinen) genre.

      —“Also I don’t think she is really in love.”

      Well, yeah. *sigh* Wonder if all those supposedly minor material cuts are having a negative impact after all. At least for me when reading the manga I never took Esdese as being in “true/adult/mature love.” “Puppy love”, a “crush”, simple infatuation, etc.? Sure. But actual “adult/mature love”? Nope. IMO, she even talks about trying “love” in the same manner someone might say “I thought I’d give sushi a try – you know, try something different.” From manga ch. 16:

      – Seryu to Esdese: “What about you? What have you been doing with your spare time?”
      – Esdese’s reply: “Mostly hunting and torture. Otherwise I study. But at the moment, I was thinking… that I might try my hand at being in love.”

      When it comes to “love”, real love, Esdese had no clue. Frankly, I wonder if she even knows what true friendship is. Trusted subordinates? Sure, but actual friends? I have no doubt she’s attracted to Tatsumi and cares for him on some level. However, point here is that I take the whole “I love you” part with appropriate salt given her utter inexperience and particular approach on the matter. That may or may not change depending upon how the “love” sub plot plays out.

      — She wants to satisfy him by giving him everything he wants. Which is just an attempt to control him.

      Again, agree though that shouldn’t be a surprise given Esdese’s lack of knowledge/experience about love, domineering personality, and “ideal mate list# item #4 (must be younger than her because he’ll be under her control). In some ways, she’s essentially recruiting Tatsumi along with trying to seduce him.

      As for the whole bedroom scene (potential age/fanservice issues aside), personally I didn’t have a problem with Esdese being aggressive rather than completely awkward. Consistent with her personality for one since she is the direct, aggressive type. After all, she kidnapped the boy “she loves.” “Moe factor” notwithstanding, for me it’s a bit jarring/character inconsistent to watch this sadistic killer of tens of thousands suddenly blush like a completely innocent school-girl upon merely holding hands. Also, IMO at times she takes a quasi clinical research approach to “love” (e.g. taking notes, etc.) “People ‘in love’ kiss/hold hands/xxx, so since I’m ‘in love’…” There’s even a throw off line about “Hmm, maybe I should have showered with him instead”. I can readily envision Esdese going by some “in love” checklist.

      As for where the Wave/Tatsumin similarity goes, hard to say, though I’d also like a bit more depth with that plot line (if there is one).

      daikama
      Reply

      1. As a fellow manga reader (who dropped thie manga way inthe future because of the blatant stupidity o fthe writter) I totally agree with you here. Really, nothing is that complex, but the Author is clearly trying to be. BAsically he succumbs to the “Trying to hard” trap.

        He tries to hard to be deep. (some of the backstories of people)

        he tries to hard to be edgy (ohh main charactes actually die. . .for no aaprent reason build and doesnt eally invoke any care from the reader)

        HE TRIES TO BE EDGY “Oh look at that girl sitting on a pile of corpese she killed. . .she’s baaaaad (only to be tried to made to look favorable in the eyes of the readers like we would have forgotten that she sat on a mound of corpses of people she killed just 3 months ago etc. . .)

        I can go on and on.

        But yeah this story is neither deep or rewarding, and will go undoubtedly into “stupid terriroty” probably after the anime finishes (thank God)

        meh
        Reply

    2. The lack of complexity can also be extended to the other characters in Akame too. Beyond Tatsumi (who himself is not well developed at the moment) most of characters introduced–Raid members and villains–have been largely black and white with clear cut morals, objectives, and actions. There is not any of the bleak nihilism, mental struggle, or harsh decision making some others have gone on about. Esdeath in particular remains the psychopathic sadist through and through, the imagery provided this episode does nothing to break that persona and as Leatherhead described only helps to reinforce the idea.

      Although that could be taken as criticism, the lack of deep, complex characterization is actually not bad here in terms of entertainment. The stagnant, decaying world of Akame is to here provide room for a greater intensity of violence and shock compared to its more modest shounen relatives, not to culture a setting that promotes long term and rounded character development IMO. There is definitely room for it as pointed out regarding the Tatsumi/Wave dichotomy, but so far it appears that Akame is going for the popcorn entertainment approach rather than moral wrangling in the ambiguous grey zone.

      Pancakes
      Reply

      1. You know I keep telling myself that every time I watch this show. “Brain stop expecting some kind of great character developments or interesting world building elements”. But it doesn’t work. As much as I discredit Akame ga Kill I do admit it comes up with interesting themes that if explored could have made it something truly special. But everytime I get my hopes up for something of that nature they quickly dashed as all these elements are brushed aside for the sake of “entertainment > substance”. And that is what is so frustrating about all this. I truly do WANT to like Akame ga Kill because all the potential is there. But the continued half assed exploration of grey morality while still trying to paint the main group as the good guys really irritates me. People tell me that I’m simply not supposed to take the show seriously but in a setting like this with the attempts at emotional impact on the audience that have happened over the course of the series I simply can’t agree with taking that stance.

        If this was just a light hearted action shounen series I would love it. But all the attempts to expand on character motivations or make the story something more than “killers killing killers because justice” still don’t ring a tune with me.

        leatherhead333
        Reply

      2. leatherhead: If you haven’t read the manga yet, you may want to. Even if you don’t, without spoiling anything they are starting to get to that point where they are diving deeper into that grey zone. The last half of the manga (up to this point) is much MUCH better than the first half mostly because of that. Not perfect, but it’s a good slow boil.

        Koji
        Reply

      3. @Link if you’re expecting something of substance. . .don’t. It doesnt get any better – except for one certain masked “enemy” that is arguably better developed/more interestingly developed than. . .anyone else in the whole series)

        But other than that its purely just for paper thin brainless entertainment + shounen cliches + characters dying stupidly. . .like you see their deaths comign a MILE away given what the author has done before. . .you’re like yup, that character’s dead, moving on.

        meh
        Reply

    3. As a manga reader, I’d say that I disagree. She _is_ a fairly complex character, and personally, I am convinced that the only chance for Tatsumi to realize his dream of a change in the Empire for the better is to actually _use_ his leverage he has over Esdeath due to her infatuation with him to get her to break with the Empire.

      “Come and join Night Raid” alone won’t cut it. But I don’t see a swashbuckling Hero to make any kind of difference. Now as a bed warrior of love – we’ll have to see 😉

      (And no, whoever responds to me here, please do NOT spoil anything that’s going to happen in the future)

      Mentar
      Reply

  14. Esdeath is not “evil” … i think all she does it go by her ideals … those ideals tho.. they do support the “law of the jungle” .. really shows at the “they died because they were weak” scene. Is she loyal to the army? ofcourse. why? because they are the strongest group around. if someone were to defeat her i bet she would follow them instead *hint**hint*

    also what is wrong with Tatsumi??? lol i understand reporting back to Nigth Raid.. but wasting that chance to be an informant? inside the core of the jagers?.. and im not mentioning the BENEFITS.. i mean Esdeath sure is cute.

    inanis
    Reply

    1. Yeah the show just pulled a typical generic-young-male-character I am scared of women crap. Just when I was starting to feel the show was getting epic it takes a few steps back

      Now everything else was handled well.

      Not sure if I will hang around for the second cour though. I am just burned out on young heroes. Granted, I’d probably say this show is better written than JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure Season 3 but at least characters in Jojo’s are not full on silly when confronted with a woman.

      Rick Anime
      Reply

    2. @inanis: “Esdeath is not “evil”

      Well, except for the whole torture as a hobby thing. Also, “the law of the jungle” (i.e. “I’m stronger so it’s OK/weak exist to be preyed upon by the strong”) is not considered a valid defense against homicide, assault and other crimes. Esdese may not be the most “evil” person in the Akame, but that doesn’t mean she’s not “evil” at all simply because she holds on to some ideal or tenet. It’s how she goes about acting upon said ideal/tenet that makes her evil – unless torture for pleasure, enjoying ordering troops to rape & pillage, etc. is somehow not considered “evil”.

      — Is she loyal to the army? ofcourse. why? because they are the strongest group around.

      Not quite – you have it in reverse. The army is the strongest group around because of Esdese. If she switched sides, game over for the Capital. Victory wouldn’t be easy, but no doubt IMO that the revolutionaries would win if Esdese joined their cause. The reason she supports the army is because the PM leaves her alone to do what she wants which up until now has pretty much been fight and torture (see above quote in my reply to “leatherhead333”). If (inexplicably), the PM told her to knock off the torture and violence/killing while the revolutionaries were fine with whatever she wants to do, I think she’d promptly switch sides.

      — i understand reporting back to Nigth Raid.. but wasting that chance to be an informant? inside the core of the jagers?

      Let’s face it, at times Tatsumi is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Playing “double agent” isn’t his forte.

      daikama
      Reply

      1. Um, no. Esdeath is not evil. She’s just misguided by her Law of the Jungle beliefs. Her letting the rotten thing happen in the capital simply means she’s indifferent, the indifference is DUE to her belief in the law of the jungle. Name one instance where she actually commits a crime herself, because she hasnt done anything that can be considered a crime. Her using her subordinates to rape victims isnt a crime either, because they are done towards her enemies, not her own citizens.

        And no, Esdeath leaving the Empire and joining Night Raid wont automatically means the Empire is screwed. Show Spoiler ▼

        YanDaMan
        Reply

      3. @YanDaMan

        By your logic Hitler wasn’t evil since he believed that what he was doing was right. Your other defense of her rests on the “I was only following orders” and “I never actually got my hands dirty, I just let my subordinates do it”. Hasn’t worked as defenses in any war crimes trials that I’m aware of. It’s also been made clear that she throughly enjoys torturing.

        So raping and killing women and children isn’t a crime? Ever hear of non combatants? Torturing prisoners? War crimes? An officer is responsible for the actions of their subordinates. Knowingly letting a sadist run around who cuts off the face of a live prisoner makes you just as guilty. You can’t make the claim that this is normal for the society either since obviously this wasn’t the case before the present Prime Minister took power.

        Oh, and the author has stated that Esdeath has the most powerful Teigu so I think that would seriously affect the balance of power.

        Bear
        Reply

      4. @YanDaMan:

        See Bear’s point about Hitler (not to mention plenty of other convicted WWII and other war criminals) regarding “just” using your subordinates to commit vile acts (known as command responsibility). Esdese’s HOBBY – something she does for pleasure/fun is TORTURE. Torture for fun isn’t “evil”? Really? Name a crime? OK, how about kidnapping. She does kidnap Tatsumi, even knocking him unconscious in the process, and then later warns him he will be KILLED if he tries to escape.

        Esdese KNOWS what the PM does. Their relationship is one of convenience, not ignorance, and the fact remains that Esdese proactively works for the PM who IS CLEARLY evil and supports his position of power. She told River that the PM is kept safe by HER and and army’s power. It’s not mere “indifference” when you proactively support and enable an evil regime – especially since your reason for doing so is simply because “they let me do what I want” which, again, by her own admission, is mostly torture and killing during her spare time (i.e. not simply “part of the job”).

        Again, while she might not be my favorite character, I do like Esdese as a character. For me she’s certainly one of the more interesting ones. Her character design is definitely “easy on the eyes” and she’s quite cute/moe when she blushes. But none of that whitewashes her actions or validates her “justification” for any act simply because of some “the weak are meant to be weeded out” ideology. As I said, before, I don’t think she’s not the most evil character in Akame, but I honestly can not see how one can claim she’s not “evil” whatsoever.

        — And no, Esdeath leaving the Empire and joining Night Raid wont automatically means the Empire is screwed.”

        FYI – I’ve read the manga (current with all translated chapters). As for your spoiler counter-argument, see spoiler below.
        *Manga Readers Only* Show Spoiler ▼

        daikama
        Reply

      5. *sigh* Proofing/editing fail. Sorry about that, seriously. :< Correct line in post above should read "… I don’t think she’s the most evil character in Akame…” [i.e. delete “not”]

        Adding RC comment edit button to my Christmas wish list.

        daikama
        Reply

      6. I dont see what’s so spoilerish about what I mentioned, but ok.

        Good and Evil is all about perception and intention. You can argue Hilter is evil, and others can argue he wasnt just as much if Hitler’s actions benefited them.

        Comparing Esdeath to Hitler in the first place is dumb. Esdeath isnt going around causing mass genocides, nor does she kill for the sake of killing, so I dont even know what relevance your Hitler argument has, but ok.

        You guys are free to keep calling Esdeath evil if you wish, from my perspective she’s just misguided from a twisted belief primarily due to her upbringing which will be revealed later. Her actions may SEEM evil, but she’s not doing them BECAUSE she’s evil. The evil lies within the empire and those giving her commands. It’s really that simple.

        But I digress, there’s really little point in arguing since Esdeaths haters are rampant here and will downvote anyone defending her.

        YanDaMan
        Reply

    3. I don’t think anyone here has claimed that Esdeath is “evil” exactly. I definitely don’t see her as “evil” but more like, on the wrong side of the fence… and she might have her crazy tendencies to like seeing torture =X But she is not like all the other villains we’ve seen BY FAR. So no, I don’t call her “evil” but I do think she makes for a good antagonist.

      I never thought Tatsumi would stay behind for long unless he started empathizing with Esdeath’s cause. She doesn’t really seem to have one… whereas Night Raid is actually aiming to overthrow the capital for good reason. So ya… Tatsumi just isn’t bright enough to be a spy or something =P

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. Actually couple of commenters did, even if they didn’t I don’t see how anyone can think she’s not evil??Sure she has a law of the jungle/strong rule over the weak/survival of the fittest kind of ideal but that doesn’t make her evil what makes her evil is what she does with her strength – needless murder of innocents,torture,etc as well as being a main supporter of a regime that commits such acts definitely makes her evil.Personally I think if it was a guy, particularly an evil looking guy with an attitude that annoys most people, instead of a cute female character, doing the same things as Esdeath while holding the same ideals, there wouldn’t even be any arguments as to whether he’s evil or not.

        Just in case someone misunderstands being evil doesn’t make her character a bad one or one to be hated or disliked, I don’t dislike her character(or particularly like her character for that matter).For instance characters like Joker from Batman and Hisoka for HunterXHunter are some of my favorite characters and I know plenty of people who love those characters but I doubt anyone is going to argue their not evil.

        anon
        Reply

  15. I find it hard to not like Esdeath. I feel like, in the right situation she could potentially turn on the empire. Consider the “good” guys are dropping bodies left and right I can’t exactly say much about Esdeath. In the end, it is simply kill or be killed.

    smokex365
    Reply

    1. Yes! I came here for the Jormungand reference!

      Esdeath is becoming a bit of a Koko clone. On top of the studio, music, and character designs, this is becoming quite a spiritual successor!

      sato
      Reply

  19. Darn if only Esdeath weren’t a social Darwinian monarchist! If this proves anything, it’s that there’s a severe shortage of yanderes in modern anime. Good start Japan, but we need more! Run far and run fast Tatsumi, ’cause I’m getting the feeling that this will not end well for you…

    The key is time and persistence, never give up on love! -Bols

    Oh, this is definitely going to end very badly indeed! 😀

    Hochmeister
    Reply

      1. Bols is indeed one of the more entertaining characters. He kinda exemplifies the dissonance between funny and grimdark that Akame ga Kill features. And it certainly is great advice, just given to the wrong type of person…

        Hochmeister
        Reply

  20. I liked the episode but I don’t know….We now have two teams who share similarities (Even though they know nothing of eachother) and the leaders are former ‘friends/comrades’. It seems to contrived a response considering the capital knows little to nothing about night raid and yet their Jaegers are oh so similar. That’s the only thing grinding my gears.

    As for Esdeath….Every human is complicated, whether you like to admit it or not. Just in different ways. I quite like the character in general and even with the fanservice there’s enough char dev involved to make her more interesting.

    Miaminights
    Reply

  23. Esdeath bury 400,000 people alive. She’s evil. She also encourage rapes as a reward. That’s evil. Her men cut the faces off of pretty women. THAT’s evil. She likes it , she encourages it. Just because she doesn’t think she’s evil does not mean she isn’t. I like her myself because of her stupidity and think she cute but doesn’t mean I am blinded to her fault.

    She’s evil through and through.

    Duzz
    Reply

      1. He actually made a good point, maybe you should come up with a counter point or “give it a rest” yourself. YOu probably cant as you don’t think she’s “evil” because she’s a Moe anime girl. . .*sigh*

        meh
        Reply

  24. Nice.
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

    You know, for kids!
    Reply

  27. I understand that Esdeath mentally unhinged at some point and “evil”, but to completely say she’s not allowed to love is hypocritical bullshit. If that is true then everyone is Akame ga Kill should not have a family, lovers, etc because of the amount of people they killed in their career (esp. Seryu).

    Bols for a matter a fact has a family of six years so shove that notion down your goddamn throats. If Esdeath wants to love Tatsumi and redeem herself for it, let her love him at least its the one person who could change her for the better and come the fuck on, who else is she gonna want? She already admits Tatsumi is her only choice, she won’t love another man.

    Cuz_Par
    Reply

    1. I don’t care if she’s have a love or not. But if you do evil deeds then you are label as evil. Again, 400,000. Cutting faces off of living girls, endorses rape.Show Spoiler ▼

      Actions have consequences and in the world of Akame ga Kil, be prepare to reap what you sow.

      Duzz
      Reply

      1. “B-B-But, she’s a cute anime girl, she’s not evil, killing 400,000 people and letting her soldiers rape the women of the cities they conquer, she’s just misunderstood!”+

        Anime commmunity -2014

        meh
        Reply

      5. What you’re essentially saying is:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Also, you wrote “cannot be a mass murder”, it’s “mass murderer” if you’re talking about a person.

        “The sins of the fathers will always be passed onto their children.”

        Calm down there, Satan.

        I did predict that this show would be great for drawing out all the retarded opinions and perspectives of bigots, but I never predicted the level of stupidity visible on this page.

        If you ask me, the message of this show is probably that the true monsters are the viewers that lust for conflict without death, complaining of how hollow the author makes the deaths are whilst continuing to be entertained.

        Giorno Giovanna
        Reply

      6. Sorry to tell you dude, but life , real life have consequences. You don’t get to build your nice life doing wrong and live to enjoy it. Also here a fun fact.

        Show Spoiler ▼

        It’s also funny how you call other people opinion retarded and bigoted. Yet you yourself apparently condone, mass murdering and rape. Very progressive of you, I’ll change my opinion then. We should definately rape and pillage because our cute leader so so right?

        Esdeath is love! Esdeath is life! Esdeath condones rapes! WOOO HOOO we take what we want wherever we want!

        THAT is Esdeath philosophy. A philosophy that is progressive and fair according to you 🙂 Ok. Fine. I’m on board! All about the RAPE train!

        Duzz
        Reply

      7. “We should definately rape and pillage because our cute leader so so right?”

        Surely you mean “We should definitely rape and pillage because our cute leader said so, right?”

        I never said anything about not owing up to the consequences of your own actions, nor did I condone mass murder and rape, let alone state anything as progressive or fair…

        I don’t want to be lectured sarcastically on the abhorrent practice of rape by a hypocrite like yourself that wishes innocent people to suffer.

        I only disagreed wholeheartedly that children should make up for the mistakes of their parents.

        The tangent you on the other hand seem to be on is that everyone who doesn’t agree with your tunnel vision of wanting to put the heads of all Esdeath fans on a pike are equally as guilty as her.

        Giorno Giovanna
        Reply

    2. Again, I never say I want to put Esdeath fans head on a pike. I am saying that she is evil. I even went so far as to state that I actually LIKE her both as a character and because she stupid and innocent while brutal and evil. That duality is interesting. It just so happen when Esdeath fans like yourself goes off on a tangent at people because I call them on their evil practice.

      A spade is a spade, Esdeath is evil, cute and all, she’s evil. She is also responsible for the actions of her men, both good and bad. She is the leader she lead them and they as a whole practice… well, I don’t need to reiterate.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      The while thing of AgK seem to be is that actions have consequences, at least for the small fry.

      Duzz
      Reply

  28. As a person who enjoy a good story but don’t enjoy tragic deaths for our MCs (for example, Code Geass was filled with tragic deaths but I still liked it because of the story), should I continue on watching this?

    TBH everything went downhill for me after Seele’s death but I can probably manage to continue watching it if I can expect the story to step up.

    The Story You Don't Know
    Reply

  29. I really hate Esdeath cruelty but I also love her innocence at same time .. sigh I don’t even know shit anymore, who know what she had been through in her childhood(apparently her parents were murdered and her village was pillage)

    PeTdo
    Reply

    1. PeTdo, you know that’s not major spoilage but still.
      As for the matter, if she wasn’t raised up where she was and by that philosophy, she would have turned out to be a very level headed character in the story. However, by the same token she wouldn’t live as long seeing as the Empire is just a festering sore, who knows how she could of ended up.
      It’s an uneven trade and a lot of people had to pay for it.

      Cuz_Par
      Reply

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