Tisbis

Dropped at episode 10. Spoilers!

I had high expectations for Akame ga Kill, as it's very popular and my friend loves it. The first episodes were fine, I didn't have a strong first impression. Getting to the later 10 episodes, I realized how boring and repetitive this show is. I really can't understand the praise.

Story: The story revolves around a corrupt government and a group of assassins know as "Night Raid" working to bring justice by killing off corrupt leaders and influencers. Tatsumi joins Night Raid after falling victim to a corrupt rich family. Starting the story with a rich family that gets off torturing the poor is, to put it simply, lazy. They also happened to kill both of Tatsumi's friend, conveniently giving him his own tragic backstory for Night Raid. I wasn't shocked by the first episode, but I was saddened. It doesn't take long for Tatsumi to join Night Raid, and he easily kills his first target, despite his target being a strong war veteran and Tatsumi had only trained in a small village. The story continues this way, with Night Raid going off on missions to kill the corrupt. Sheele is the first to die, and it was so drawn-out and overdone that I didn't care much at all. This was all for a character we had just met. Bulat dies next, and he was one of my favorites. But again, it was so drawn-out that I could only roll my eyes. Bulat takes his sweet time dying, making sure to give Tatsumi an enthusiastic pep-talk and watch his fight before biting the dust. My friend also emphasized how sad this anime was. Was that supposed to be sad? Akame ga Kill tries to have this... funny and sad story. The show has also been praised for this. The comedy is nothing special, I don't have much to say of it. The show's "Imperial Arms" idea is once again, basic. They're weapons created by some guy that are very powerful. They're more powerful the more you like it. Literally. Some of the Imperial Arms are unique, like Pumpkin, while others are just a big pair of scissors. Almost everyone Night Raid fights has an Imperial Arm, so they don't seem as special you'd think.

Animation: Akame ga Kill's animation is remarkable unremarkable. It's style isn't anything striking or unique, but it's not bad either. It's flat, and it's there. The fights, on the other hand, were awful. Every few seconds, there'd be a freeze-frame with little motions, like wind flying through hair. I don't know how to explain it well, but it made the fights tedious and boring. Everything else consisted of typical clashing of swords, yelling, and spraying blood like a goddamn sprinkler.

Sound: I don't care for sound. The OP and ED music was basic, and the voice acting was good. I watched with the original Japanese voices. The English dub was, as usual, awful.

Characters: Oh boy. Tatsumi is a stereotypical male protagonist. Likes boobs, new to combat but super OP, headstrong, screams a lot. He is likable, but nothing special. His design is also very basic. Akame was a disappointment. I expected her to be a broken girl who only knows to kill. Instead, she opens up after one successful mission and becomes a normal girl who likes food. Her design is fine, the school-girl like dress isn't very fitting of her. Mine is a tsundere. She's a flat character. There's nothing much to say about her. I dislike her obnoxious all-pink design. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the world. This is true for nearly all of Night Raid. Her weapon, Pumpkin, is the best part. It's creative and fun to watch. Leone is a skimpy, strong, yellow-haired girl. Her design is especially ugly in my eyes. She gets cat ears, a tail, and paws when she uses her imperial arms. It's very boring. She's the jokester character who punches people who make her mad. She wasn't particularly funny or cool. Sheele was an airhead who could only make herself useful through killing. Her design is charming and simple. I liked it. She dies fast, and she's forgettable. Lubbock had nothing in the episodes I watched, despite liking women, I guess. His bright green hair is once again, obnoxious. Bulat is a tough guy who takes a liking to Tatsumi. He passes on his Imperial Arms to him. Bulat was a solid character, despite the questionable gay stereotypes forced on him. This is done to another side character, too. Did I mention he died from water? Esdeath is the main antagonist. She is another disappointment. She's supposed to be foreboding and powerful, but she's just... boring. She has no motive for her evil ways, and also falls in love with Tatsumi for some reason, making her a sexual character with boobs for the audience to ogle at. Overall a lazy villain that could've been so much more.

I understand I am being harsh for watching less than half of Akame ga Kill. However, my disappointment lead to me giving up. It angers me that I cannot understand the praise for this show, and that I cannot enjoy it. Overall, Akame ga Kill has a basic and sometimes lazy, flat and poorly designed characters, and animation that leaves much to be desired.