Akame ga Kill! — Reviews From Memory

Chris Hausaman
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

I thought it would be interesting if I reviewed shows that I liked or disliked enough to actually enter into my MyAnimeList. This series of reviews is exactly as the title suggests. I am not going to fact check these because I think that defeats the purpose of pointing out the pros/cons that actually stuck with me beyond my initial viewing of the show. That being said, I wish for people to read these more as entertainment than a good analytical review.

Akame ga Kill! was a show about a generic anime protagonist whose name literally doesn’t matter that finds himself in a fairly generic Shounen Anime plot that attempts to subvert expectation by completely eliminating the “plot armor” factor.

Main character guy (MC) finds himself in a death trap set up by “the rich” that was meant to take out him and his entire party. Luckily for him, he escapes death because literally of course he did and is saved by a group of Assassins who are in opposition to the evil rich empire who are oppressing the people of this land. It’s all very cookie cutter and uninteresting.

However, that isn’t to say the show is uninteresting because, after all, the premise is only part of the battle. The characters were all generally likable. There is a big strong guy with a Goofy haircut that teaches MC things about combat and although I can’t remember his name, when he dies it made me a little sad. The entire band of assassins, apparently, were really interesting and I remember caring about them as individuals except for the pink haired tsundere girl who loves MC for literally no reason.

The namesake character, Akame was a little different because she and her sister have a dark past that relates to the Empire. Something about the Emperor killed her parents, village, etc. and that caused them to be really strong I think. Beyond that mildly entertaining back story, I remember her to be a dead pan tsundere, one of the most tired anime tropes in existence, and that makes me sad. Her sister was hot though.

Speaking of hot girls, there is one character I remember really well and her name is Esdeath (admittedly I only remember her because of doujinshi and other fan art). Esdeath is a tsundere and is pretty much the pinnacle of ultimate power in this universe. She is a general for the empire making her an antagonist and the show spends a good amount of time showing her off as a sadistic killing machine who likes to see people die slow…but she is in love with MC. It doesn’t make sense but the character doesn’t really so I gave her my suspended disbelief so I could like her more. The soft side she exposes to MC juxtaposed with the harsh reality of her actions makes me like her. What can I say, I’m a weeb.

Esdeath

I want to give this show props for trying to subvert its stereotypes but the show executes its “subversion” wrong. Character deaths are plentiful but most feel meaningless. The show tries to make you like certain characters but ultimately, if they aren’t goofy or sexy enough, no one will care because the writers aren’t much for creating meaningful relationships that aren’t “dere”. Other shows like Hunter x Hunter do a much better job of killing characters in a more meaningful way.

The action in the show I remember being cool but not ground breaking. The weapons were all cool. The fights were cool. That being said I only remember Esdeaths’s sword because of 3rd party content. I think MC guy had a cool armor based weapon that he got from the goofy dude with the hair, but again. His existence is so inconsequential I found myself waiting for the next big fight and not caring about him in the slightest.

In the end, most characters are dead. Not Akame though. Meh..

After my first viewing of this show, I gave it an 8/10. I don’t remember why. I probably thought it was a lot cooler. Maybe I should rewatch it, probably not though.

Thanks for reading this.
-Chris “Matsura” Hausaman

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eSports writer and Anime Blogger. Born a Peasant, Die a King. Acta Non Verba.

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