Despite feeling all guilty about watching it, I must say, it was extremely satisfying. I think the best thing this show gives, is the way the most horrible people and things, on the surface, look so innocent, but underneath the false exterior is a vileness that runs very deep.
Let's take a look at episode 1. Tatsumi, raised in the village outskirts has dreams of moving to the city to work, and send money back home. The capital seems to many to be a wondrous place of dreams. Not long after arriving, Tatsumi gets cheated of all his money. He ended up homeless and hungry, until this sweet little cutie offered to take him in.
She just looks so innocent doesnt she? And right till the end, even after Night Raid attacks, she keeps that sweet, perfect smile.
Little would anyone know, her entire family often takes in people, to torture them to death.
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And here...
Tatsumi finally realises, and kills her.
After watching the first episode, I knew this was good. The carefully disguised gore, the expression of vileness. And the sweet illusion covering it all.
Alrighty then, let's rate.
Story: 7/10. The setting is not entirely novel. Revolutionary army, small elite group, working undercover to overthrow the corrupt government. As of now, I can't really say it's anything splendid, but I'd really like to see how it turns out, especially after they take down some key officials. One thing I like is how the story doesn't try to save everybody. I was hoping that all the wonderful people wouldn't die, but I'm glad the story went ahead to let go of some people. What's great is that they didn't do it simply to force that loss in, to make it more realistic, or to create some psychological drive for the protagonist. This anime treated them as individuals, who died in the way they chose to. (As much freedom as they can have anyway, it's the perception okay.)
Art: 10/10. Splendid. It codeswitches between different styles at the best moments. The gore is undisguised, and the vileness is truly brought out by the distorted faces. Even though we know it's clearly an exaggeration, and a portrayal of an object, different mediums of expressing shapes our thinking so nicely, it's like it determines our thoughts. And the sweet parts are delightfully sweet too. But I'm not gonna list them or prescribe them here, go watch and immerse yourself in the show.
Music: 10/10. I'm not over-rating this. Some openings and endings take at least 3 episodes to hook me, others don't manage to at all. The erratic beat of the opening, Skyreach, very appropriately suits the theme, and is very catchy too. (Also, this should have been under art, but the animation for the opening and ending is very nice. The different art styles used work well). The ending theme, and the ending note of each episode also supports. Konna Sekai, Shiritakunakatta, the Ending song makes me want to listen to it every time, to absorb the feels from the episode. Within the anime itself, artistic and appropriate use of the soundtracks work very well to set the mood. Well done.
Characters. 9/10. I might be overrating. What I'm gonna say here might be a bit debatable, and controversial. The MAIN reason I'm giving the characters a 9/10, is because the characters are made to appeal. And they do.
BUT. If you think about it, it's not all that different from the fan pandering in SAO. Where SAO has Asuna (devoted girlfriend), Silica (kawaii lolita with a pet dragon), Lisbeth (tsundere broad), Suguha (cute imoutou), Sinon (sexy gun girl + megane in real life), Akame ga Kill has it's own variety.
As we can all see, despite the gory and darker theme running in Akame ga Kill, it's as much about fan-pandering and harem building as SAO is. I'm not trying to defend SAO, i'm simply saying I LOVE FAN-PANDERING!!!! When it's done well of course.
Enjoyment: 10/10 Definitely. Why the hell would I burn my precious time during prelims to watch it if it wasn't worth it? The story isn't anything special, the fan-pandering may draw negative reviews from haters, but who gives a fuck. The pacing is splendid, the art and music rocks, the characters are freaking sexy too. The story-telling (note the distinction between story and story-telling please) is excellent, it does the espoused "Show, Not Tell" very very well. Only truly splendid story-telling can make you feel for the characters, and cry when they die after all. Episode 5 i think, when Sheele sacrificed herself for Mine to escape. EXTREMELY WELL DONE, I only started to know Sheele in that episode, but effective use of one screen flashbacks, rain, music, fight scenes, slow motion and omission made the feels rush up. It prompted me to listen to Find the Way, Gundam seed last ED song, which was also very appropriate to use.
Overall: 10/10. For now. I am really looking forward to the rest of the anime, so much so that I'm not gonna read the manga to find out what happens next.
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