The Spoileriffic "Kill La Kill" Entry and Review

(Note: While the final episode doesn't come out for another few days, I feel that it likely will not do enough to set itself aside from the criticisms presented in this article. Additionally, this article explains plot details from the 23 episodes which have aired so far. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)

Admittedly, I am one of the few people who felt that Studio Trigger's "Kill La Kill" was not as phenomenal from a developmental standpoint as other works in the anime medium. The problem here is that the viewer needs to come into the series with the understanding that this is the culmination of twenty years of honing the craft. But at the same time, having this understanding can completely take away the charm and beauty of what this series has to offer.

Studio Trigger is composed primarily of employees who worked for Gainax, meaning that there was a variety of source material to work from in making "Kill La Kill." We witness this manifesting in all sorts of ways. While it would be impossible to list all of them in one article, let's go with a few examples.

References to "Neon Genesis Evangelion:"

·         Shiro Iori is essentially a male carbon copy of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. This becomes most prevalent during the activation test for the 5-Star Goku Uniforms (strong parallels to the NGE "Unit Zero Activation Test"), but manifests itself in a variety of other ways as well across the 24 episodes.

·         The Original Life Fiber and the Kamui have their own shielding representations which mirror the AT fields of NGE. The Goku uniforms, meanwhile, have emblems which strongly resemble the designs used on some of the NGE Angels. Life Fibers themselves behave in a manner which is strongly reminiscent of the eleventh Angel (from NGE Episode 12 - "Lilliputian Hitcher"). Lastly, Rei Hououmaru takes on appearances similar to the NGE Angel Zeruel.

References to "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:"

·         Most obvious are the audio and visual homages. From the hard rock, high energy tunes to the unpolished sketch-like grittiness, the series feels more like something out of 1991 than 2013. That said, "Kill La Kill" is not afraid to step into the realm of color and beauty, a contrast shared with TTGL.

·         Satsuki Kiryuin becomes the embodiment of everything Lordgenome stood for in TTGL (no surprises there), but also takes on a bit of Rossiu Adai toward the end of the series. Asking Ryuko to hit her just screams "gritting those teeth."

·         Like TTGL, one of the secondary morals of this series has quite a bit to do with "fighting spirit." That goes without saying.

References to "Fooly Cooly:"

·         The over-the-top quirkiness of Nui Harime is a strong link to Haruhara Haruko, and Nui certainly isn't afraid to get series when the story needs to be moved along.

·         The kiss scene. Dear LORD the kiss scene. After being provoked one time too many, Ryuko kisses Nui square in the lips, before departing with the line, "Something to feel good about." This ends up signifying a "coming-of-age" for Ryuko as she proceeds to overcome her greatest foe yet: herself while being consumed by her own aspirations to happiness, courtesy of Godrobe Junketsu.

·         REVOCs becomes the equivalent of Medical Mechanica. While MM was smoothing out the wrinkles so people could not think, REVOCs was using COVERS to turn humans into husks worn by a superior species.

References to "Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt:"

·         Clothing weapons should go without saying, but the name "Junketsu" literally means "Purity."

·         There is a lot of over-the-top sexualization in this anime, and like PSG (some of) it is done with a purpose in mind. For example, Ira Gamagoori's Goku Uniform uses masochism to derive focused power, much like Garterbelt's secret ritual in PSG.

I literally could go on for days, but you guys get the idea. These aren't even the tip of the Gainax iceberg, but these four are the central spectacle of what "Modern Gainax" is considered to be, and Studio Trigger was able to take the best of each to make "Kill La Kill" into something they felt would be spectacular.

Unfortunately, doing this inadvertently causes everything to fall apart.

"Kill La Kill" is at the very bottom of the uncanny valley of anime. Its perfection is seriously marred by its attempt at being too many things simultaneously, and it cannot reach its true potential. It cannot truly be appreciated because it becomes too familiar that it loses itself in the process. That is the first issue.

The second, and perhaps more overarching problem, is that it leaves Studio Trigger with a serious conundrum. If this puts them at the top, then where exactly can they go from here? Can they continue to go up or did they just seal their own fate? Can any anime here on out hope to reach the pinnacle of "Kill La Kill," or will they all be looked down upon for not adhering to the "New Standard?"

All in all, "Kill La Kill" did not sell itself to me like other anime have, thanks to this submersion into the uncanny valley. I felt much more at home watching series like "Jormungand" and dare I say it, "Digimon Savers/Data Squad." Both of these were just as over-the-top as "Kill La Kill" yet occupied different parts of the spectrum, and both just felt far more relatable.

I would never go as far as to say that "Kill La Kill" sucks, because honestly it is quite phenomenal. But it isn't satisfying; it sits atop its pedestal in much the way Satsuki herself did for eighteen episodes before getting brutally knocked down and gaining some humility. Sadly, though, I don't think anything will come which does the same to the series proper, and that's the real tragedy.