#support tatsumi and chelsea

[starlostlix]

ANIME REVIEW - Akame Ga Kill!

[This isn't a really formal review it's just fun for me to talk about the show I saw]

Also major HUGE spoiler warning I literally spoil all the character deaths and ending

- Released - 2014

- Episode count - 24 (1 season)

- Watched in - English Dub

This show feels very different from ones I've seen previous. Mostly because it's got much more fanservice aimed at men than any other show I've watched I think. But a general breakdown:

- Plot

So it's a relatively simple plot of a group of assassins fighting against a tyrannical ruler and its supporters. Sometimes the episodes can feel a little off in the pacing. My specific issues with pacing come in dialogue sometimes but it's not a huge issue imo. I also think that the show jumps around a lot plot-wise without spending enough time exploring its theme and more time on its characters or fights, so I think some improvements could be made there really.

I think the plot really gets very interesting with the introduction of General Esdeath and the Jaegers as a parallel to Night Raid. I think it's a very interesting narrative choice and the fights between them are really good (as are most of the fights in general).

A somewhat major issue for me is the way they present some of the romances in the show, specifically General Esdeath's obsession with Tatsumi and Lubbock's feelings for Najinda. These ones just feel kind of uncomfortable a lot of the time. Chelsea's seemingly romantic feelings for Tatsumi that kind of appear out of nowhere before her death are confusing to me really but there are romances that seem good, especially between Mine and Tatsumi. Also I think from the beginning this show is shown to be one of those ones where a large portion of the cast is romantically interested in the main guy anyway so I'm not sure I should be that surprised.

Another issue is that fact that a lot of the time Akame, our titular character, doesn't feel like the main character of her own show (but when she is focused on she absolutely shines I love her). I think some elements of that comes with an ensemble cast but I think it could have been done a bit better.

The role of the Imperial Arms is really cool and I like the variety of abilities they have. The lore behind them is really interesting and I think my favourites are Akame's sword, Kurome's sword, Balut/Tatsumi/Wave's armour, Esdeath's ice powers, Soosano, Mine's gun Pumpkin, and Run's wings (I wish we got to see him use those more). I have to give Ubiquitous' dog one a shoutout for creativity like that thing is insane.

- Characters

The majority of the characters in this show are quite likeable for me at least. Sure there's occasionally some jokes and stuff they do/say in weird or bad taste but not enough to where it's not fun to watch them.

My personal favourites are Akame, Najinda, Tatsumi, Soosano, Mine, Lione, Kurome, and Esdeath. I also lowkey had a bit of a crush on Najinda throughout the whole show but that's not that important.

I was also surprised by Bulat being openly gay in the dub, even if some of his moments felt distasteful (him flirting with Tatsumi specifically). But I don't know enough about the history of queer representation in anime to know talk in depth about that really.

In terms of ones I didn't like, there's not really that many. Prime Minister Honest is the antagonist and so we are meant to dislike him and I very much do. I also found Dr Stylish uncomfortable and his experimental creations kind of creepy (but yet I still think cool writing choices). Sometimes I found Ubiquitous a bit too intense but I didn't hate her for it, it just felt a bit annoying at times. No others really come to mine right now though. There was probably some other more forgettable ones that I disliked but like I said they aren't memorable enough.

I think the choice to make Tatsumi and Wave foils of one another is very cool and I like that about their dynamic. I actually like Wave a lot too and I wish we saw more of him. Another really good dynamic is Akame and her sister Kurome (I love sibling angst, I am a fan of Arcane after all). In terms of the romances Mine and Tatsumi are really cute together and I wish we got to see more of their relationship.

- Chararcter deaths

This gets its own section because frankly it's a pretty key part of the story on its own. Unlike some series, this one isn't afraid to kill characters from time to time. And there's a lot - until only Akame and Najinda are left at the end.

The first death, Shelle, was well done, as was the second with Bulat (I wish he got to stick around but Tatsumi needed to get an imperial arms somehow). The thing in common with the deaths is that they are all made to be impactful and this is shown in different ways for each death.

One death I have to point out for being particularly saddening is Bols. The imagery of him reaching out to his wife and child as he crawls and slowly gets weaker is honestly really heartbreaking (specifically because he is shown to have a very sweet caring side despite his crimes). I think his shyness and caring nature despite his appearance and criminal backstory made me really like him.

Other key ones - Tatsumi in the second to last episode, Lubbock being impaled, Mine passing by Tatsumi's side, Soosano :(, Esdeath (the entire Esdeath and Akame duel is awesome), Kurome (her going in for what looks like a hug from her sister and being stabbed makes me ill), Chelsea's head, etc.

The deaths are generally done pretty well even if sometimes the succession of them is a bit too quick (Bols and Chelsea died in the exact same episode for example).

- Animation

The style of the animation is pretty solid. It looks nice generally and there's the occasional more detailed frames for specific moments to create more impact which I always enjoy.

The character designs are also all very distinct and I really enjoy that, and the ones that are more similar are like that for a good reason (obviously like Akame and Kurome as sisters). Bulat's hair makes me think of Jojo characters (which I haven't seen the show of but i feel like I still know what they look like). The designs of all the imperial arms are also cool (Run's imperial arms is especially underutilised and i'm still kind of sad about it) and make them all distinct.

- Ending

I had heard that this was changed from the original manga ending but i'm going off the anime alone here. This ending sort of makes sense with Akame's character and her journey of carrying the weight of her victims with her (but now that also includes her friends). I think it's also a more realistic outcome of revolution than other shows. I'm happy that Najinda gets more time to be a girlboss even if it's not much. I would have really loved to see where Akame went next but I think it makes sense that we don't see that based on the plot and Akame's character anyway.

- Overall

So generally this is a pretty decent anime. I think it's got good ideas, fun characters and a decent episodic moments. It strikes a somewhat decent balance of fun and sadness for me, and is quite enjoyable overall. To give it a score, i'd probably say a solid 6.5-7/10. (Do not take this in relation to all anime i've only watched like 5 anime series all the way through, this is like a personal rating mostly based on enjoyment really).

[Its my first time trying something like this, since I don't have anyone to talk to about this show (my friend's bf introduced me to it but my friend still hasn't finished it yet) I thought it would be fun to post a review style thing here to talk about it! I may do more of these with new shows or seasons of shows I watch but idk yet. Also this has been in my drafts for weeks so I'm just posting it randomly now apologies if it's not written too well i forgot about it]

[akamegakillscenarios]

Night raid reacting to susanoo having a significant other? I don’t see anything for this guy

Susanoo having an s/o is something I'd literally die for ^~^

- "Pics or they're not real." -Lubbock, probably

- Needless to say, everyone is so supportive of him. Everyone has done such a good job making him forget he was a teigu at one point that he feels comfortable with instantly reporting when he found someone.

- Mine and Chelsea instantly asks to meet them most likely, Akame and Tatsumi ask about them a lot, Lubbock pressures for proof that they're real, the only people who really do react normally are Najenda and Bulat.

- Leone would be very excited and would be the one to have a gift ready when she meets them.

- Sheele would be the one to react very nicely also, and immediately offer herself to help plan dates and things for them to go on.

[akamegakillscenarios]

(this is a tie into the Esdeath and tatsumi married the entire time one) the reveal to Najinda and the rest of night raid

I'm gonna do this one in mostly headcanons form if that's okay ^~^

- Oh boy. That's the first thought that rings in everyone's head.

- Akame does her best to support Tatsumi but is permanently on edge thanks to Esdeath. However, this is kind of advantageous for her own selfish reasons, because now she also has a direct connection to the Jaegers and Kurome.

- Sheele and Mine are NOT HAPPY. Sheele mostly takes the time to worry for his safety, though. Making sure he's okay and she didn't manipulate him into marriage. (I'll get to Mine last).

- I can say one thing, it's kings supporting kings season (Bulat, Lubbock, Susanoo). They are full-on supportive of him. Lubbock, however, is careful not to support him too much in front of Najenda, because of how she took the news (and to stay on her good side of course).

- At first, Chelsea and Leone are absolutely shocked about it, but they come around with the persuasion of Akame. They avoid Esdeath like the plague, though. Since work is still work and she's still their enemy. However, the care that they have for Tatsumi is too strong to completely ignore him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Najenda

"Commander-" Tatsumi began, the words bringing along a sense of begging.

"I don't even want to hear you call me that right now." Najenda's words completely undermined Tatsumi's; the silent bitterness it brought along was deafening. The tension between commander and soldier was so strong Tatsumi's heart felt like it was going to burst from how fast and hard it was beating.

"I-" He could barely bring out the words as a lump began to grow in his throat. "I love her."

A cold, gleaming lavender eye with unshed tears returned Tatsumi's nervous stare.

"I understand. Love is powerful," Najenda began.

"You don't understand!" Tatsumi's mouth moved faster than his mind, much to his dismay. "I find love and this is how you react?!"

"Look at me!" Tatsumi was taken so far aback by Najenda's sudden exclamation. Warm tears were now streaking the left side of her face. "'Your love' is what got me here in the first place. 'Your love' is why I can no longer be on the front lines. Parts of me are forever gone now. Did you forget who took that?"

Tatsumi could only stare at his commander, who then refused to look his way. He understood everything at that moment. Esdeath was the woman who took her right eye and arm. The woman who took away all her trust that she had in her. And all that trust felt like it was stripped away all over again the moment he had her in chastity.

"Go," was the response to Tatsumi's dragging footsteps as he left. "I don't want to see you right now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mine

The moon dimly lit the green fields as Tatsumi was finally able to catch Mine alone for the first time. Since the big revelation, she's stuck to Sheele like glue, always finding a way to no longer be alone with Tatsumi. The distance between them was becoming unbearable.

"You wanted to meet me here?" Mine's voice brought Tatsumi back to reality. Her voice sounded tired, if anything, the girl in front of him sounded broken.

"Mine," He began gently. "I know this is a lot to take in-"

Suddenly Mine's pink eyes grew ice cold. A chill ran down Tatsumi's spine, and he felt the air around him get chilly.

"Have you forgotten who our enemy was?!" She half-exclaimed. "You brought her to us! You-"

"But this doesn't answer why you've been avoiding me so much!"

Tatsumi saw Mine visibly wince.

"You're a married man. Shouldn't you have obligations to be with your wife?"

"Mine-"

"I don't want to hear it." Her cold eyes grew icier as she fought back tears. "You do anything for the people you love. You've clearly shown who you love in comparison to us..... To me."

"What are you-?"

"I love you, Tatsumi," Mine's voice started shaking. "At least... I loved you." Those words were like a dagger through Tatsumi's heart.

Mine continued, "I loved you. I wanted to be with you, when everything was all said and done."

Suddenly, everything made sense to Tatsumi. All the teasing, the way she opened up to him, the bond that they formed. He was oblivious to Mine's love and care for him as soon as he saw Esdeath the way she saw him.

"Mine-"

"It hurts too much to be around you right now. I can't just be friends with someone I've fallen in love with." The moon gleamed some light on Extase, Sheele's teigu, signaling that she was nearby.

Tatsumi once again tried to address Mine, but she turned around and walked away.

"Go away..." Her voice dragged along with her sullen footsteps. "I don't want to see you right now."