Akame ga Kill / First Impressions

「帝具使いを斬る」 (Teigu tsukai wo Kiru)
“Kill the Imperial Arm Users”

It’s like Akame ga Kill is reading my mind! Just when everyone was curious about their OP weapons, we get an explanation on how everyone in the Night Raid has advantages versus their opponents. It’s not only because they’re extremely skilled, it’s also because they have ancient weapons created from the best of the best. My question now is – how did they get them? Perhaps the Night Raid has more hidden with the rest of the resistance group. Or they’ve been killing people that possess them and simply stealing them afterwards. I can imagine the latter happening more so since it seems like Tatsumi is going to get ”the sight” next episode from Zanku. It never occurred to me that Tatsumi would be someone that is well suited for this type of Imperial Arm (I was expecting something along the lines of a sword), but you never know. The ability to read someone’s mind and manipulate their thinking is so powerful yet dangerous. My first thoughts go to Charles Xavier from X-Men who was someone that handled that well. I keep thinking of X-Men references due to Tokyo ESP.

The episode itself had a lot less comedy compared to last week which I’m sure a lot of people prefer. The concept of the Imperial Arms (also referred to as Teigu for the literal romaji), is no laughing matter and then taking down Zanku completed the second half. The action was typical when Zanku was up against Tatsumi… but the best part was definitely seeing Akame in action. Asides from the first episode, we’ve never really seen her in combat or struggle much at all against her opponents. I liked being able to see a weakness to Akame’s strong persona and although she didn’t really falter after seeing Kurome, it shows that she does in fact have weaknesses. The flashbacks are a good indication that Kurome was probably a comrade or her sister… or even someone that she met in the orphanage that she was really attached to. The question is, where is Kurome now? At first I thought she was dead, but then it would be very obvious to Akame that there’s no way Kurome could appear in the flesh if she was dead. Then my conclusion is that Kurome is somewhere out there; probably captured by the enemy or even working for the enemy? Then again… Tatsumi was tricked that same way and I’m giving Akame the benefit of the doubt that she’s not that clueless (clearly biased!).

My enjoyment for Akame ga Kill is still relatively high even though the show feels very episodic right now. The bad-guy-of-the-day theme is getting old and the only real continuity that I’m getting out of it lately, is the backstory for each of the characters. Sheele is the next Night Raid member up for an episode highlight so we’ll get to hear her background soon. I have no predictions for her right now, but she seems a little too klutzy to be a hardcore killer; something traumatic must have happened to motivate her. Nevertheless, the show continues to delivery consistently – in terms of both animation and entertainment value. There are no new revelations that shock me, but that doesn’t mean that the show isn’t fun to watch. I still want to know what’s going to happen and I’m sure that since this is a 2-cour show (should have thought about it more before picking up a 2-cour anime to blog!), there’s plenty more to come.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: More Akame in #AkamegaKill please! I’m much more interested in her than Tatsumi unfortunately =S sorry buddy. And Kurome is…? My guess is her sister or really good friend from the orphanage, but that’s being too obvious right? #akame_anime

Full-length images: 03, 05, 10, 12, 13, 15.

 

Preview

54 Comments

  1. It’s kind of funny how you mentioned Tokyo ESP in this post because when Akame mentioned that the person that she loved the most was the one she wanted to kill as quickly as possible, I thought of the Ga-Rei: Zero tagline: ‘Would you kill someone you love, for love?’

    Aki-Chan
    Reply

  2. hmmm ZANK at least wasnt the typical rotten bad guy bad guy theyve been killing at least! he has the executioner that went bonkers from having to kill so many people and most were innocent! so that was different? he pleads insanity so not guilty? 😛

    GoodStuffs
    Reply

  6. Looking like Akame is finally finding its stride after a botched opening, this episode was the best structured out of all four so far. Just dispensing with the comedy improves things dramatically, there’s little need for slapstick humour IMO as shown to great effect here. Akame is nowhere near being unique or the masterpiece that it has been hyped as, but if this episode is anything to go by it should be plenty entertaining from here on out.

    On a side note at least I know why the whole “aniki” shtick between Tatsumi and Bulat reminds a lot me of Simon and Kamina from TTGL now: both Kamina and Bulat have the same VA. Really need to read the credits more often.

    Pancakes
    Reply

  8. Personally, I think these chapters were still the worst. That’s not saying they’re bad, there’s just much better stuff coming. The pacing has been fine in regards to the manga, and overall this episode was executed the best, so far.

    Crook
    Reply

  9. even though the show feels very episodic right now. The bad-guy-of-the-day theme is getting old and the only real continuity that I’m getting out of it lately, is the backstory for each of the characters.

    A lot of shows actually use a monster/enemy-of-the-week format while introducing the world and cast and giving their back-stories .. that’s their introduction phase .. it doesn’t mean it’s going to continue like this all the way, once the main story line kicks in full gear – and based on previous experiences with other shows- things will be quite different.

    ===================================================

    I really enjoyed the fight between Zanku and Tatsumi more than the one with Akame (because we already know she is a real professional assassin, so it’s not as exciting, i was just thinking Tatsumi was damn lucky he survived their first encounter XD), seeing Tatsumi actually landing a hit on Zanku’s face despite all the odds stacked against him was DAMN amazing (ok, let’s get this straight .. Tatsumi is 100% normal human with a 100% normal sword going against a crazed butcher with an imperial arm .. if that ain’t awesome i don’t know what is).. if he was using a weapons like Akame’s poisonous katana he would have won the fight, and despite Tatsumi being naive and clueless sometimes (chasing after fake Sayo like an idiot) he still kicks ass when he becomes damn serious about fighting and fights with real killer intent .. and that’s something very few main characters in similar shows have.

    I was also surprised to see him getting the Imperial Arm “The Sight”, this should make his interactions with the other characters and his fights more interesting, and it seems like it’s also going to factor in revealing Sheele’s backstory next episode.

    Hunter-Wolf
    Reply

    1. I was surprised to see him land that particular Imperial Arm too… read the rest of the spoiler at your own risk though =)
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Cherrie
      Reply

    1. The manga and MAL forums that I frequent seem to have a popular opinion:
      Either up to Chapter 33.5, or if the story could be taken further, then until Chapter 43.
      With Chapter 23.5 as a possible OVA.

      Techim
      Reply

  11. I still think this show has yet to prove itself, but definitely a lot better/more focused than the last. The imperial arms explanation didn’t come super awkwardly, albeit in a very standard manner. The only thing I have to criticize is how disappointing the executioner was as a villain. I could tell the writer was going for something along the lines of a “rabid dog that needed to be put down for his own good” character, but in the end, his back story was revealed a little too late (18 minutes into the episode) for it to make any sort of impact on my impression of him. If they had somehow let the audience know earlier in the episode about the illusory voices in his head, it would have been better imo.

    James
    Reply

    1. I thought they actually did a better job with Zanku here and his back story. I know there’s no excuse for running around killing people… but the fact that he had a reason at ALL (even if it was because he was driven mad) is better than the previous episodes. Also, I think the fact that he had that particular Imperial Arm, didn’t help his case of “hearing voices”.
      I liked the ending scene that showed him finally getting some peace, and then his earplugs shattered. Didn’t notice them before but it’s a nice added detail to show how desperate he was to block out the voices.

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. Well my problem wasn’t the lack of a backstory, it was just revealed in a way too late into the episode. Like with all things, if you’re going to add things to the story, you might as well make good use of it. When the death of a character comes 2 minutes before their character defining trait is known to the audience, how are we supposed to be affected by that? At that point my mind was already set that he had bloodlust, and just had the weird quirk to want to talk.

        James
        Reply

      1. Both R and L are pronounced similarly in Japanese so that Schere will be pronounced the same as Scheele when using Japanese phonology.

        Basically yeah her name is a play on the German word 😛

        Pancakes
        Reply

      2. The official romanizations that came out with the official guide book, in some cases are a bit off, as you would notice them in the episodes to come.

        On this particular case, Schere would’ve been better, since the word means “scissors” in German, thus the Teigu she’s holding. But the author saw it fit to spell it as “Sheele”.

        Swirl9
        Reply

  14. Couple questions.

    Tatsumi goes off on his own to piss alone……..not the best idea when you have a person who indiscriminately kills people when they are alone but it happens. But where was Akame at the time? I don’t have a problem with them being separated but it seemed like Tatsumi went a great distance away from Akame wherever he went. I figured that Akame would have been standing outside the alleyway or something but she was like 2 blocks away since she didn’t notice Tatsumi running through the city chasing an illusion. You never leave a man alone when he’s expelling fluids! In all the horror movies I’ve watched something bad always happens when people go to the restroom on their own. It’s when your most vulnerable after all xP.

    I also didn’t mind so much that Tatsumi was chasing the illusion. I just thought he was just going to follow her and unleash surprise attack since he should have been able to sense the killing intent of the person casting the illusion. But it lead to nothing more than a comedic moment where he ends up hugging the person who is out to kill him. Just made him look really stupid. The show hasn’t really made it seem like he was so distraught by his friends death that he would be this delusional. He’s come to terms with the fact they are dead so this seems out of place. I don’t think the guy’s power was to control people. It simply had to the power to make them think what they were seeing is real. Akame wasn’t fooled by this so in hindsight I don’t see why Tatsumi was either.

    I thought he’d at least get legit pissed that he was impersonating his dead friend but he doesn’t really bring that up. This kind of brings up the issue of how inconsistent the show is with his character. It seems like it changes on a whim sometimes.

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    1. Well, to be partly fair, Zanku does mention that his Teigu can only target one person at a time however it is very potent. Meaning that it may have been more than a simple optical illusion and may have replicated things such as scent or other “6th senses” a person “may” use to identify something.

      Akame wanted to kill her, it wasn’t that the illusion didn’t work on her, it just didn’t work on her as Zanku had planned it to.

      Goodwill Wright
      Reply

      1. About Tatsumi:

        Thanks for clearing that up. When he saw Sayo they didn’t really make it seem like his senses were being controlled to me. It looked more like he was just chasing her because he thought she was Sayo. With Akame they at least made it look like she was not in control of her senses by changing the scenery and sky color showing that her consciousness was in a different place.

        leatherhead333
        Reply

    2. Like Goodwill Wright said, Zanku did mention the technique only works on one person at a time but it’s very potent .. Tatsumi kept calling out for Akame to not be fooled by the illusion but she didn’t even hear him even though he was right behind her .. it’s clearly a hypnotic technique not just a simple illusion, so Tatsumi falling for it doesn’t make him stupid.

      Hunter-Wolf
      Reply

    3. Ahm -wish there was an edit button- you can also think of it as a powerful Genjutsu from Naruto .. it’s both an illusion and also affects your will, your senses and your judgment, but can be broken if your will is strong enough.

      Hunter-Wolf
      Reply

    4. hmmm just goin by common sense from what we know so far.. Tatsumi is a noob of the bunch all those guys in night raid seem to be hardended pros now… Tatsumi on other hand, just a country town bumpkin! Plus hes pretty young and prone to be swayed by his emotions… Hes still in denial..k if someone dear to you just died a horrible death and then awhile later they reappear wouldnt you rather believe they are alive than dead? deep down i think he knows better but he couldnt help but give into that illusion. Kinda a brain fart isnt? momentary mistake… tho stakes are high … he almost died. She did notice he was gone tho! taking a piss who follows someone when they take a piss anyways hes supposed to be a grown ass boy!…didnt seem like she waited too long either or hed been dead!

      so seems like pretty much its a matter of professional experience. Akame was raised to be a stone hard killer these mind tricks wont work on her but Tatsumi isnt as strong mentally or physically 😛 he was trained to fight in an army not be an assassin

      If Tatsumi gets that imperial arm its perfect for him to fill in as a sensory fighter since hes the weakest of the bunch its a way he can help the team most?

      GoodStuffs
      Reply

    5. Speaking from experience, knowing a person is dead and wishing against logic that they were still alive doesn’t exactly make you a failure. In my opinion, it’s rather realistic, setting aside the fact that you can see in the preview, Show Spoiler ▼

      Anyway, do you really want to see elaborate foreshadowing moments of weakness leading to a lapse of judgment like this? Would that make the scene more justified for you? Trauma isn’t something that constantly stays with you, people that seemingly have moved on may actually still be affected by traumatic experiences.

      And most of your complaints can be easily dispelled with knowledge of Akame’s situation, so from my perspective, all you’re saying is hot air. I would suggest just putting aside the expectation that all explanations, build up and resolutions have to occur in the space of one episode and reserve your judgment.

      Giorno Giovanna
      Reply

  17. Finally, we got to see a quality adaption of the manga, and this episode was the best one out of the four. Less comedy and wasn’t badly delivered, and it had a dark atmosphere through most of the episode. I quite liked the scene in which Zank asks Akame about “the voices”. Seemed spooky enough.

    What was best in this episode for me personally was that I got to see KUROME, even though as an illusion xD. Oh, and you guys have no idea what teigu Tatsumi gets…

    Apparently, what Akame said after slashing Kurome(Zank) in the anime was something as “It’s because I loved her, that I wanted to kill her”, while in the translation in the manga, it went like “It’s because the person I love the most, is the one I want to kill the most”. Just thought of dropping this by, in case someone is still confused.

    Swirl9
    Reply

    1. Of course some people don’t have any idea what Teigu Tatsumi gets. That’s because they haven’t read the manga. They want to enjoy the surprise and not spoil themselves. No need to state the obvious of people not knowing something when they clearly don’t.

      In anycase, the manga translation you provided seem to make it more confusing. Does that mean if she ended up loving Tatsumi the most, she would want to kill him the most? While the anime, even if incorrect seems to be a bit more coherent at this point.

      Goodwill Wright
      Reply

  18. Wow, I see there’s a lot of Manga readers here. I’m watching this series for the first time like usual (not a big Manga reader).

    Content of the show has been fairly good. Didn’t know this would be a two-cour. We will have to see if this show will get better and better and manages to hold our attention over the long haul!

    Rick Anime
    Reply

    1. There are a lot of manga readers here, but that’s okay too as long as any spoilers are blocked out. I try and moderate the comments so don’t be afraid to read them or anything. I’m not an manga-reader either so all my impressions are just based on what I see of the anime and I try not to give away too much even if I know spoilers ^^”
      Also – the manga-readers here correct me and help answer questions! That’s always helpful =)

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. Please also edit/delete the “oh boy, the upcoming episodes will be painful” comments. Those hint at something tragic happening and are really annoying to us anime watchers. In certain forums those kind of comments rightfully count as “spoiling/hinting” and are dealt with by the mods.
        Thank you

        boingman
        Reply

  20. Akame Ga Kill finally seems to be picking up some steam. A nice little introduction to Imperial Arms, the real enemies have yet to show themselves. It’s going to start being a little less episodic pretty soon, so you can look forward to actual story arcs.

    chromenova
    Reply

  21. I like the way they tried to tune down the gore by making the scene’s into artwork like stills.

    So far i think it’s a pretty good adaption as well.
    Even though i’m spoiled as a Manga reader i’m still looking forward to every new episode.

    .Mero
    Reply

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