Kill la Kill is a 2014 Japanese action comedy anime television series written by Kazuki Nakashima based on the manga of the same name by Ryo Akizuki.  The story follows schoolgirl, Ryuko Matoi, on her search for her father’s killer, which brings her into violent conflict with the iron-fisted student council president of Honnouji Academy, Satsuki Kiryuin.

Positives:

• Intense action
• Great humor
• Great score
• Good voice performances
• Interesting, original story
• Great characters

Negatives:

• Characters are cliche
• Heavy use of troupes

Plot: Kill la Kill does feature story that although feels choppy during the first act does expand into a very compelling story with a great twist. Ryuko’s storyline is hardly original, with her seek to find the person responsible for the person responsible for her father’s death. Interestingly enough, the story establishes that Ryuko has little to no motivation for this considering that her and her father have no relationship. The story features little to no development for Ryuko. (4 out of 5)

Characters: The anime does feature an ensemble of interesting characters. Ryuko is the typical likable rebel. She has personality, has motivation. Mako is a totally great character.  She’s a good supporting character and is one of the main outlets of humor in the anime.  Satsuki is a great character.  She does start off as a bit flat but the progression of the story as well as the rivalry with Ryuko does make her a compelling character. Also, there is her hidden agenda. Despite the an interesting cast of characters, most are more than a bit cliché, with no deviation. This is unfortunate because it makes many of the plot points of the anime predictable. Ragyo is a great antagonist.  She’s smart, she has personality, she’s twisted; things that make a villain great.  Another great antagonist of the series is Nui.  What makes her great is both her cheerful attitude and sociopathic actions. (5 out of 5)

Animation Style: The anime excels at the comedy and action, which are presented in very entertaining and ingenious ways. The animation style is all over the place but for this type of anime it does work. (4 out of 5)

Score: Also, the soundtrack is superb, especially many of the rock-n-roll and k-pop tracks. Great voice performances by the main and supporting cast.  Great job by Ami Koshimizu (Ingrid Bernstein – Freezing) as Ryuko, Ryoka Yuzuki (Ino Yamanaka – Naruto) as Satsuki Kiryuin, and especially Romi Park (Edward Elric – Fullmetal Alchemist) as Ragyo Kiryuin. (4 out of 5)

Writing: Some of the most positives and negatives are due to the anime’s over-the-top nature. In nearly all aspects of the anime everything blown way out of proportions making the simplest of things overly ridiculous. Can be an annoying for fans of more serious and structured anime. However, it does a great job of fleshing out the more comedic elements as well as the intense action. Another are the cliches. Even though the show stands as a parody of cliches, it doesn’t make them any less annoying, especially considering the interesting story.  (3 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Kill la Kill is a surprisingly good anime.  Despite the heavy use of troupes and over-the-top elements, the anime features a great story, great humor, terrific action, good score, great characters, and good writing.  Kill la Kill gets 4 out of 5.