Akame ga Kill / First Impressions

「夢物語を斬る」 (Yumemonogatari wo Kiru)
“Kill the Dream”

The plot thickens… with the first episode that diverts from the Night Raid’s weekly hunts. Instead, the massacre is in the North and headed by Esdeath (Akesaka Satomi). Once I saw her, I instantly knew that this is whom everyone’s been waiting for. There’s just something about strong female characters that I find so captivating, and the way that Esdeath is portrayed so far makes me so intrigued by who she is. I hope she makes a short appearance in each episode as she makes her way to the capital because I want to know more about her! In addition, it wasn’t very clear (and I even had to re-watch the scene several times) but Esdeath holds what people believe to be the strongest Imperial Arms out there so that’s something else to watch out for. Obviously people couldn’t stand a chance against her if she’s just going to freeze them to death… but I’d like to see her Imperial Arm do more than that.

There’s also the introduction of Ubiquitous Seryu (Hanazawa Kana) this week – and I think she’s the first person I’ve seen with a last name so far in this anime. She also happens to have an Imperial Arms as well (everyone just has one these days!) and he’s this cute panda/dog pet-like animal whom she names Koro. One thing to keep in mind is that nothing is as it seems in Akame ga Kill and although Seryu has a strong sense of justice and wants to do the right thing, is she really doing the right thing by targeting the Night Raid? It’s hard to say because I know she has the right intentions, but she’s also been misled information this entire time. The man who she looked up to, wasn’t such a great person at all since he sold her out to the doctor that was trying to match individuals with Koro. I guess things worked in his favor though because she lived to tell the tale and she’s even looking to avenge Captain Ogre now. Things will pick up next episode if she actually finds out who he was and I think Tatsumi will be the one to tell her if they meet again. But!… on the other hand, it also looks like she won’t handle the news very well so perhaps she’ll add to the death count instead. Something to also note are the clear spoilers that the introduction actually purposes. If you’re curious, it’s a good indication of the antagonists for the Night Raid coming up. Some characters still haven’t been introduced though.

Sheele’s story this week was a little less dramatic that I imagined it to be. It was long compared to Mine’s background story, however unlike Mine, I felt like Sheele’s wasn’t as tragic. Sheele still had parents and a roof over her head, whereas it seems like Mine and Akame have been orphans their entire lives. Definitely puts Sheele further down on the sympathy list although it doesn’t mean that I don’t empathize with her situation. It’s funny how the conclusion to her being “off” was that she actually had skills to be an assassin. I guess everyone has to have skills somewhere… Speaking of skills, as predicted, Tatsumi tries on the Eye from Zanku but unfortunately, it rejects him. I didn’t think that it was likely he would end up with such a powerful Imperial Arm anyway, but it would’ve been nice to see him use it for more than five seconds. Not because I want to see ladies in their panties, but because Tatsumi needs some love too.

Author’s Note: Sorry for the late post! It’s been a busy weekend and… that’s it! Hope you guys understand! n_n

Full-length images: 03, 20, 22.

 

Preview

77 Comments

      1. By law you can’t to hate any girl voiced by HanaKana. Also girls voice by her are always the top 3 girls in a series (used to be best girl in the series, but Chitoge was best girl). So no matter what Seryu does, you have to love her character 😉

        random guy
        Reply

      3. I agree that hating HanaKana is illegal. I love her villain roles like Rize from Tokyo Ghoul was great, and I hope she gets more lines in there. Of course, Nadeko from Monogatari series was pedophilically sexy even if I don’t like snakes.

        HOWEVER! Justice girl…
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Ptolemaios00
        Reply

      4. It´s been since I hated a character as much as I hate Seryu that

        Show Spoiler ▼

        haseo0408
        Reply

      2. To say the least, this episode exceeded my expectations. I thought that Sheele’s past wasn’t going to be conveyed near good enough. The animation was cool, and I liked how Sheele’s killer face was just as the one in the manga. One thing I don’t get though, is why does the blood appear to look as if it’s partly composed of gas?

        What in my book is a turn-off for this adaption, most of the times is the soundtrack. While in itself, it’s a pretty good, eastern-theme soundtrack, IMO, it doesn’t quite match the scenes in which it is played. It kinda gives them a light-hearted atmosphere.
        _______________________________________________

        @Cherrie – There’s also the introduction of Ubiquitous Seryu (Hanazawa Kana) this week – and I think she’s the first person I’ve seen with a last name so far in this anime.

        I literally laughed my head off after reading this, because it’s true. And sorry to disappoint, but this is the only character so far in the series to have its last name shown. I guess Takahiro (the author) is too lazy to give them a proper identity >.> ?

        Swirl9
        Reply

  4. woo hooo nice post! OH NO! you LIKE S GIRLS!?!
    Does she have mind control powers with her imperialarms too? the guy is completely her slave!
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2022.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
    dat fanservice gooood! hehehe

    In a way that side character imperial arms police girl is right! killing is wrong its not justice if youre not part of the law 😛 until this resistance succeeds they’re all just murderous criminals! corrupt officals have the law backing them! OUTLAWS MUST BE PUNISHED!
    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2005%20-%2035.jpg

    so sad I was wrong about tatsumi he is just a dense delusional country bumpkin afterall! D: cmon thinking he can revive that dead what! this isnt alchemy! Maybe that wooden god idol thing really works! cause hes only surviving cause of luck and fine some of his training did help too but mostly luck thats hes still living!

    GoodStuffs
    Reply

    1. IMO the jury is still out until we can see how well Akame handles multi episode arcs. The past two episodes have at least shown the writers can manage making consistent episodes (i.e. devoid of the annoying moves into slapstick during “serious” scenes). Should get a good idea what Akame will be like overall once we get away from all this introductory information and move into actual plot lines.

      Pancakes
      Reply

      1. Eh, whatever you say I guess. imo it doesn’t get a pass for how bad the individual scenes flowed together just because it’s still in its ‘introduction.’

        I sensed very little significance in any of the scenes (even though it was blatantly obvious some of them were supposed to be important) due to the fleeting nature of each one. Nothing is allowed to sink in before we’re given something new to look at.

        James
        Reply

      2. Personally, I don’t side with the standard criticism that the show’s jarring shifts in tone is what the show had a problem with…

        I think it’s telling when most of the positive comments on the show is about all the good stuff that is yet to come. like ‘Oh I can’t wait for this, I can’t wait for that’ as if all of the importance is always placed on something that hasn’t happened yet. Even if the show does somehow gets better in it’s multi episode arcs, the fact that the earlier episodes are so hastily done will always leave the show wanting. Then again, I’m not one to just gloss over messy storytelling in the hopes that something better will make me forget about the earlier episodes. Therein lies the problem I stated before…none of the scene/events last long enough to make me feel any “weight” to them. We just go from scene to scene without feeling like anything is connecting them all together into one story.

        James
        Reply

  6. The character design of Esdeath looks a lot like Koko Hekmatyar, just with blue hair and a sadistic personality. Doesn’t help her name is one letter away from being in Final Fantasy too 😛

    Overall quite liking how improved the past couple of episodes have been in terms of structure (no ill placed humour); looking more and more like the first few episodes are not a good representative of the whole. Once the episodic introductions are through Akame should form up nicely into a good bit of entertainment.

    Pancakes
    Reply

    1. nah just depends whos using it tatsumi is a weakass 😛 probably not strong enough to unlock its powers im sure zank was seeing EVERYTHING its just too bad of his weak swords got broken or he would have won 😛

      GoodStuffs
      Reply

      1. I can see why you’d think that, and no doubt that that guy is worthy of as miserable an end as he can get, though he doesn’t rank up to Seryu, IMO, and here’s why:

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

      2. I can agree with that pov too, but here’s my two cents I suppose:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Kabble
        Reply

  11. Indeed Cherrie, since she was introduced Esdeath is still the most powerful characther in the whole manga. But, if you ask yourself about HOW MUCH strong she is,Show Spoiler ▼

    Yes, she is strong as f***. xD

    Higure
    Reply

  12. As someone who read the manga immediately after watching ep 1… (cause it was a manga I’d been putting off for months).
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Kabble
    Reply

  14. People saying this and that about specific characters is so damn spoilerish it’s no fun anymore.

    Better to no get attached to any characters in this show and just enjoy the ride.

    .Mero
    Reply

    1. you’re right. And I agree with the idea of enjoying the story without getting attached to characters. Why? Because from episode 1 this show has had several characters die, graphic, bloody deaths. Also MC’s are ruthless killers and villains are hateful scumbags . I don’t see heroes anywhere and NPC’s have no plot armor…hmmm..
      I pray for the poor souls that dare grow attached to ANY character here. XD

      Helvetica Standard
      Reply

      1. What i meant whas to say that the people who spoiler liek that shoudl just say say not to get to attached to any characters instead of singling out certain characters.

        Im a manga reader myself, i said that at the first episode i think. Singling out characters is the same as saying exactly whats going to happen, especially several episodes in already where people already get the general idea that this is one of those shows where everyone can die.

        Sorry for not being very clear in my first post

        .Mero
        Reply

    2. As a manga reader, I agree with both .Mero and Helvetica Standard here. Posting don’t get attached to xyz character or similar is spoilerish. I’m sure manga readers wouldn’t want people telling them specific details like that before they read the first chapter. I wouldn’t.

      IMO, Helvetica Standard states it well. Even if you haven’t read the managa, it’s obvious from EP 01 that this is an uber grim-dark series with lots of death and “pain”. After all, EP 01 had a middle-school (grade-school?) girl whose “hobby” was torturing people to death (including the MC’s friends) and she wasn’t even a main antagonist.

      daikama
      Reply

    3. Yep. Happens every season. This season it’s Akame ga Kill and Tokyo Ghoul. “Look at me! I’ve read the manga! I’m so much better than you, so I’m going to spoil everything!” Really annoying.

      Mormegil
      Reply

  16. Another pretty good episode and yes, things are finally starting to get rolling in terms of the story as both Seryu and Esdeath (I prefer Esdesu, but whatever) make their debut. Still, to me the show isn’t “firing on all cylinders” yet, and I don’t mean in terms of the story. The comedy wasn’t as jarring as before, but a large part of the reason for that is simply there was less of it. What was there was hit and miss for me – more miss than I expected. That’s an execution issue IMO.

    Same goes for pacing. It’s not bad, but there’s still a feeling of “cut and paste” scene transition. It’s not as fluid as it could or should be. I’m enjoying the adaptation, but I’m still left with the impression that I should be enjoying it more given the content. It still seems a bit too “flat”. Again, that strikes me as an execution issue.

    But like I wrote, I did think EP 05 was pretty good episode nonetheless and I’m looking forward to future episodes. With a two-cour run, there’s a lot of Akame ga Kill’s story left to be seen. I just wish they would step up the presentation a notch or two.

    ——————————-

    @Cherrie: She also happens to have an Imperial Arms as well (everyone’s just has one these days!)

    LOL. 😀 It’s an Imperial Arms sale! Everything must go!

    —The man who she looked up to, wasn’t such a great person at all since he sold her out to the doctor that was trying to match individuals with Koro.

    Well, that and the whole taking bribes to frame innocent people, killing innocent people, etc., etc. “Wasn’t such a great person” is a bit of understatement IMO. Just the fact that Seryu idolizes him and failed to realize his true nature is hard to believe. I mean really? She never, ever saw Orge do or order some despicable act? Personally, unless her concept of “right and wrong” and “justice” deviate massively from the norm, failing to realize that “Ogre” was an amoral, unjust, power enthralled killer approaches Ichika levels of oblivious idoicy.

    — But!… on the other hand, it also looks like she won’t handle the news very well so perhaps she’ll add to the death count instead.

    Next episode should be an exciting one with some good action (*please let the budget hold out*). Looking forward to it.

    daikama
    Reply

    1. What I meant was – she still had a home before all that stuff happened. So up until that point, she was just clumsy and couldn’t hold a proper job and had no friends… but it can be a lot worse than that. Especially in the world that AgK has created.

      Cherrie
      Reply

  18. Esdeath…. Night Raid girls…. Seryuu….

    I got no idea who I like right now. So many choices to choose.

    But seriously, in just that short span of time, I already like Seryuu and Esdeath… But in AgK….. EVERYONE has dear flags floating above them…. NOOOOOOOOOO

    cruiser2710
    Reply

  20. Wow it is getting a little bit spoiler-intense around here heh. Haven’t read the manga. But I feel this series is getting more interesting. It was starting to feel like this show was following a pattern every week. A bad guy pops up and Night Raid would take them out.

    But now I am realizing at the conclusion of this episode they were just setting things up and introducing to the characters. Looks like it is about to get real once EsDeath arrives. OH snap! My hype meter for this show is rising! It looks like we will break away from the established pattern and leap into a deeper story.

    Rick Anime
    Reply

    1. I’m trying to keep the spoilers to a minimum in the comments already.
      I don’t think things like, “Oh that person is one to watch out for!” is necessarily a spoiler… because I’ve been expecting Esdeath’s appearance for a while. Also, like I said in the post, the OP already shows a lot of potential watch-outs.

      I agree that the episodic feel every week was meh… so I’m glad that they’re finally getting to an overarching story. It makes the anime feel more grand ^^

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. It would be good to include a spoiler disclaimer at the end of your AgK posts, Cherrie.
        It might not help much but at least it will warn spoiler trolls to think twice before spewing stuff, lest they get their comments removed or their asses banned.

        Helvetica Standard
        Reply

      3. @ Helvetica Standard & boingman:
        I do plan write a disclaimer at the bottom of my post next week even though I don’t think it’ll have much of an impact. The problem is that… I don’t think it stops anyone that wants to spam the comments but at least I can say they’ve been warned =P

        As for what’s considered a “spoiler”, I think that depends on the individual. I don’t think saying things like “OH that character is my favorite!” or “Oh that character is a bitch!!”… should be considered a spoiler because a) I can probably guess those people are either good or bad anyway and b) It’s not very specific to plot and what’s going to happen. That said, I understand that some people like the element of surprise and I can see why it could be a spoiler for you. I will try and filter out the ones that I see posing issues… and that’s about all I can do for folks reading. Also, I don’t want to discourage people from either posting or reading if they’ve read the manga. Sometimes they have insightful comments to fill in the blanks for explanations and I don’t consider that a spoiler because chances are, not everything is going to be shown in the anime and people like details.

        Cherrie
        Reply

  21. Actually Cherrie, Ubiquitous Seryu wasn’t sold out by Ogre to a doctor trying to match people to Koru. She met Ogre after she already got Koru, and went to a different “doctor” for some “upgrades”. Plus, did you check out the scene where they showed the Imperial Arms handbook, it contained pictures of Koru, and an image of his large form that will Show Spoiler ▼

    WellBattle6
    Reply

  22. A lot of people seems to hate Esdeath from the manga for some reason due to her cruelty. But I personally love her as shes probably my favorite female cast of this series.

    And Seryu, urgh. If anyone is liking her right now, lets just say, be prepared for some major disappointment in the future.

    YanDaMan
    Reply

  23. Seriously, I’m surprised by some of the comments here. Without any spoiler tags, you’re already hinting that everyone is going to hate justice girl’s guts. :X I mean it’s completely obvious yet…but eh, it won’t be long till she showcases why. Also, Esdeathe is here! The most chilling nemesis (literally) for our heroes yet, can’t wait when the show gets into her arc.

    chromenova
    Reply

  27. I want dat imperial arms!!!!
    Seriously though, LingerieVision was probably done as a means to check for hidden weapons, but it of course had much better uses. Too bad Tatsumi was incompatible with it, leaving us with only glimpse of what could have been (sorry for incredibly lame pun).
    Sheele being actually competent at killing only made a sense if you believe in the law of conservation of skill (so everyone has something he/she excels at, especially if being bad in everyday stuff)
    Esdeath is coming, with supposedly brilliant strategic mind
    , bad attitude, and one of most powerful imperial arms made. But I am somehow less worried about her than about the justice-seeking police girl with K-9 imperial arm. Because I actually went to like the latter in her genuine care for people. Also, love how the higher-ups were all rejected by the justice-attuned arm – this show how rotten is the state of Denmark… erm imperial city.
    And we know that with imperial arms involved, someone has to die, and my winning bet is on Night Raid, if only because they can rely on each other, while poor police girl is quite likely to be betrayed and sacrificed by own superiors.

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. Dont worry, “poor police girl” wont get betrayed by her superiors. Also, if you like her right now, I suggest you try to throw all your affection away, because she’s literally one of the most hated character in the show, for very good reasons.

      YanDaMan
      Reply

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