Akame ga Kill / First Impressions

「鬼を斬る」 (Oni wo Kiru)
“Kill the Demon”

Just when I thought we would catch a break, Akame ga Kill surprises me with even more deaths. They didn’t kill off any main characters, but just watching some of the scenes made my heart skip because you just never know anymore. Up until this point we’ve never seen Lubbock in true action before so I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting him to last very long against two Rakshasa Demons. Luckily, Lubbock proved me wrong and I’m actually glad because he’s just starting to grow on me (you know what that means…). His Imperials Arms was never on my list of favorites, but Lubbock got pretty creative with his strings and at a point in time, I even thought it was too overpowered. These strings give him the ability to create a barrier, create strong weapons and feign death! So in the end, the guy has held up very well on his own and I think he makes good judgment calls too. He knows when to fight and when to run away and I think retreating is a tactic that isn’t very common in this show so good for him. I even commend him for being dedicated to one lady while still keeping his eye open for other opportunities.. that’s what you call a real player.

None of the other confrontations this week were as exciting as Lubbock’s, but seeing Akame fight anyone is always a pleasure. She never seems to doubt her abilities or her Imperial Arms and it suits her well. It was so fulfilling to see Akame and team bring down the demons after they boosted about being the best even without Imperial Arms of their own. What were they thinking? Even Seryu tried to warn them and they foolishly thought that their body manipulations were enough. Of course, the Night Raid are also a tough opponent and the Rakshasa Demons underestimated them. I’m not sad to see them go, because that only means we’ll get to see the Jaegers fight the Night Raid next. Mine vs. Seryu!? I’m so d*mn to excited to see that next week! I’m not a vengeful person by nature but I would really like to see Seryu go… There is no way that Mine will not avenge Sheele.

This episode demonstrates just how corrupted the Path of Peace is. With the leader away, it looks like Bolic is in charge with piles of women just all over him… for whatever reason. I get squirm-ish watching scenes like this because they’re not to my taste, but I imagine that all these women are probably being drugged. Similar to the introductory episodes, I think Bolic is behaving just like the villains at the beginning of the series who were bad for the sake of being bad. Bolic isn’t given much rhyme or reason for his acts within the Path of Peace, other than being ordered to by the Prime Minister. If he lasts for more than several episodes, I’d be surprised. The true leader of the Path of Peace is also not too far away and he seems like a decent fellow. He even gave love advice to Mine and Tatsumi which is amusing because those two are always bickering about something. You would think that being together for so long would mean some added development between them, but it doesn’t seem that way at all. Actually, besides Tatsumi and Esdeath, there’s no other ship that’s sailed off. Tatsumi and Akame are at a standstill and Chelsea already passed away so really, there’s no romance in this series. Poo~

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: It’s like the snowball effect on #AkameGaKill. So many deaths; but it shows how strong the Night Raid are. Lubbock earns points in my books. That preview looks amazing! I can’t wait to see Mine vs. Seryu and then there’s Tatsumi on the side somewhere >_>

Full-length images: 01, 10, 11, 34.

 

Preview

35 Comments

  2. Did you know? Lubbock’s death flags are held up by string, you know what that means….

    I’m just glad we have a character like him who can jump over death flags like its nothing. Then again, that might be because he’s the only supporting male character which gives him temporary immunity (Susanoo’s technically a Teigu). Either way, I’m really liking his fight scenes, he’s very creative.

    Kami
    Reply

  5. which is amusing because those two are always bickering about something

    Well, that’s a tsundere for you!

    At least Lubbock got some good screen time. His fantasy of a naked Najenda was so wrong. 😀 More like Lubbock pleading “please be gentle” if they ever got together.

    Everyone’s got a death flag on them even if you can’t see it. It’s not a noble fight. This is an assassins war and neither side has clean hands so to speak. I don’t think the mangaka has any compunctions about taking out any of the characters. I don’t think Tatsumi even has plot armor.

    Bear
    Reply

  7. https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2018%20-%20Large%2026.jpg
    I don’t suppose their is a Teigu that will require one to gather 7 magic crystal balls which will glow to then summon a wish-granting eternal dragon.

    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2018%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
    T_T why do all these hot chicks always get killed. Anyway, I feel Lubbock’s pain. It would have been nice if all women, which includes Esdeath, simply joined the Revolutionaries. Where is Kamijou Touma when you need him.

    https://randomc.net/image/Akame%20ga%20Kill/Akame%20ga%20Kill%20-%2018%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
    “I’m sexy and I know it.” Would have been the perfect phrase for this scene. I want a boss like her T_T.

    L002
    Reply

  8. Ah! The studio is speeding up the adaptation of the manga, I just hope they find the time to convey the thoughts of the individual characters in the next episodes. Here is what I remember that went differently, no major spoilers just details…
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Emictavice
    Reply

    1. Yes, I had to check the manga to see if I was right about thinking it was a bit rushed. It was. Normally, the anime adapts two manga chapters per episode, but this time it was almost three chapters plus an extra mini-chapter.

      For example, the Rakshasa Demons didn’t stumble on Night Raid just because; while the Jaegers were getting comfortable in the city (for what I see, those scenes were cut short too, damn), the Demons were sent to purge the revolutionary cells in the surroundings (the girl that Lubbock saves and the two guys informing Akame about a secret passage were part of them; the rest is not shown).

      It’s like the animators said: “yeah, yeah, Rakshasa demons, who cares? They’re just elite cannon fodder. We know what we want: savage Jaeger vs Night Raid battles!”.

      Mistic
      Reply

  9. damn White Fox is rushing again :/ they skipped various scenes.. i was expecting Lubbock’s fight for next episode..
    anyway, i liked Lubbock since the beginning, this fight and Show Spoiler ▼

    proves he is a total badass

    Dan
    Reply

  12. As poweful as the 4 Rakshasa Demons are, they are not match for the battle-hardened members of Night Raid.
    Which means another confrontation between Jaegers and Night Raid is coming!
    And I am afraid again because I know full well how lethal those battles are, and there are quite few characters on both sides who have waved death flags more or less enthusiastically…
    Also kudos to Lubbock for rescuing the girl in distress, and surviving to tell the tale. I hope sincerely he will get into favor with Najenda eventually – she doesnt look the romantic type, but who knows , if Esdeath can become lovestruck, then why not her?

    ewok40k
    Reply

  13. I know what that means!~ Shipping Cherrie x Lubbock right now! If you’re Lubbock’s waifu, I’m sure he’ll be very happy!

    He’s certainly a favorite of mine. I love the trickster / creative types, and his strings are open to writer and animator’s imagination.

    OP? So are all his foes. I cannot imagine it’d be any use against the Ice Queen’s powers without a lot of cunning, surprise and luck on his side.

    I have to say, Lubbock’s a survivor not for supernatural abilities, but his creative talent & tactical ability. Feigning death, running away, distractions, so totally legit. He’s the most human of the bunch of super-powered foes.

    Drasca
    Reply

  16. Is it just me or were they shipping Kurome X Wave for a bit there?

    Loving Lubbock’s fight scene. He may not be as strong in raw power or skill compared to his compatriots in the Night Raid, but he uses cunning and trickery to outsmart his opponents. Too bad he still has horrible luck with the ladies lol.

    gandalf8
    Reply

    1. In fact, there was shipping everywhere!
      -Kurome and Wave was light: bridal carrying out of necessity and some worrying.
      -Lubbock was known: who wouldn’t fall in love with Najenda? That doesn’t mean that Lubbock doesn’t try to woo even the assassin that it’s after him XD
      -Ibara was creepy: he just wanted a strong woman (Esdeath or Akame) to pierce him.
      -Mine and Tatsumi have a fan now: the religious leader ships it!

      So yes, this was the shipping episode.

      Mistic
      Reply

      1. Mistic, you hit everything on the nose on the shipping. Just wish they spent more time really using the source material, a bit more fighting, I mean they completely blew over Tatsumi’s flashback, that was prime material! Ugh. I hope they don’t glaze or rush through the source material, that would be a bad decision on their part, that’s what makes the series so good, the little details here and there.

        Diddo
        Reply

  17. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that Takahiro is secretly a JoJo fan. I mean come on, you can’t possibly deny the fact that Lubbock share an uncanny similarity with Joseph from Part 2. Heck, this is the second time he uses the Joestar’s secret technique (aka tactical retreat) when fighting the Demons (IIRC, Joseph used the said technique twice in Part 2). And let’s not forget that both Lubbock and Joseph are a ‘bag of tricks’ when it comes to fighting.

    Lubbock isn’t the only JoJo reference that I caught in this series. There are more, but I’ll refrain from discussing any further to avoid (possible) spoilers.

    Terrorhunt
    Reply

  21. Lubboc’s fight this episode was brilliant, i thought with odds like these he was dead for sure (specially when he decided to help the spy girl), but he surprised me and won the fight against two overpowered warriors, I like his imperial weapon the most… Since it’s effectiveness is dependant on the user’s creativeness, he also employed some smart/realistic tactics like playing dead and making a distraction to allow his ally to escape before retreating himself, also the moment that demon girl almost got Lubbock I wasn’t sure which one of them will survive this fight (thought Akame might come for the rescue), this makes the fights in Akame ga kill very intense and exciting, haven’t seen such exciting fights since the Garaa VS Lee fight from the first Naruto show (which was very intense since you could have never guessed the winner).

    Hunter-wolf
    Reply

  22. The greatest highlight of this episode was Lubbock owning his opponents, seriously he reminded me of Walter C. Dornez, in all his badassery. However, I do feel bad for him for killing such a beautiful girl, he is this world’s Shikamaru.

    Oh yeah, Tatsumi and Mine event flag sprung up. Still waiting for my girl Suzuka to show up 🙂

    Diddo
    Reply

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