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[Jex]

I'm kind of curious, but does anyone take this show more seriously than entertainment? I don't mean to be condescending. If someone does, let me know. I really don't mean offense (and I have an open mind). It's just, the show really hasn't ever showed us any intention of having a deep story, with fleshed out characters. It hasn't taken the time to set up long arcs, with thematic pay off. It's all about absurd moments/beats. The life fiber plot I guess is something, but even the idea that it pushes forward is so over the top/funny, that you can't really take it seriously.

To be clear, I see nothing wrong with seeing this as "art" either. I'm not saying the animation isn't awesome. Or that making shlock like this, doesn't take a certain skill or talent. In fact, I think with shows like this, it 100% depends on the way they tell it. I'm happy with the show it is, and enjoy it for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. It's hard for me to be let down that the show hasn't been anything deeper. Do I think it could have been a better show if it did these things? Absolutely. But I'm not bothered that it didn't.

I don't think the majority of the criticisms of the show are about how it fails to be something other than 'entertainment'. They are about about what the show aims to succeed in doing yet which it nevertheless fails to achieve. As you say, making 'shlock' takes a certain amount or skill and talent so you can do it well or do it poorly.

No-one asked or expected a thematically rich series like, say Serial Experiments Lain, or a serious character study like The Twelve Kingdoms. It's always been a 'hot blooded' action series but that doesn't mean they weren't trying to create interesting characters that the audience would care about. Where they have tried to do that I think they failed to achieve it. Judging the show on it's own merits, against works in a similar vein. Or, to quote someone else from earlier:

Gonna ramble for a bit.

Ryuko as envisioned by her creators is that of a girl overwhelmed by her fate, someone who can't deal with the responsibilities thrust upon her, and who is not dealing well with this revelation that the mother she'd sought all along is a monster. A sympathetic figure, really, at least in concept. And as has been pointed out before, a teen. None of these things are bad, and could have made for a good, compelling character.

But it didn't work out that way because she as a character basically doesn't exist. Like, at this point there's no sense that she has any real motive of her own. Endless manipulation from every source around her has turned her into a puppet, and this manipulation in turn was never used as a motivation to give her purpose. We see it in action this episode when she tells everyone to fuck off, or more revealingly, she tells Aikuro that he misled her from the start, too. But all of this didn't happen because she realized it; it's just backlash after Ragyo provokes her. That it all ends up being another bout of puppeteering from the villain just drives home how pointless Ryuko is as a character. We joke about how she keeps losing her way, but really, she never found a way in the first place.

I dunno, I'm kinda bummed out because that brainwashing/forced robing montage could actually have meant something at one point. It's a sequence that shows the things she craves, and their lack is piercing stuff. It's about as invasive and tragic as anything that's happened in the show, and yet it's failed to invoke any real sort of sympathy, because we - at least in this subset of viewers who don't give a fuck about her character - just can't bring ourselves to care. Instead we cheer for the wannabe fascist dictator girl who burned down an entire city. Fucking KLK.

And that's about where it stands, on the character writing front, which is where I feel the major problems are. I think the overall narrative beats have been pretty bad as well because they clearly set up a number of story arcs which kind of fizzled out without achieving much until the second half of the series.

I know there's been a lot of talk about the fanservice but really, that doesn't bother me one way or the other except when it's super gross, which it has been occasionally. Other than that it's just resulted in some ugly costumes.

The least common complaints relate to the quality of the cinematography/storyboarding/editing/animation but there's plenty of bones to pick with those as well. Competent storyboarding is pretty damn important in am action series and sometimes this show really pulls it off and other times it falls flat.

Of course, the show pulls through and continues to be entertaining off the back of it's manic energy and it's bizarre sense of humour. This is the energy of the people making the series and it comes through in crazy designs or bizarre sequences or through amazing characters like Mako who steal every scene that they're in. Not a lot of works these days are so clearly the result of a certain passion, at least not overtly, and so it's no wonder that we're attracted to a show that's positively brimming with creative enthusiasm.

 

[Link Man]

Just enough time for someone to lose their way again.

Spoiler

Junketsu consumes Satsuki, she kills everyone. Then they're revived because stuff.

 

[Ushiwaka]

EP 22

Spoiler

DON'T LOSE YOUR WAYYYYYYYYY! Holy shit that scene was pure hype! And dat Mako at the end.... KLK just keeps being pure awesomeness. The Nui dismemberment scene was epic. She deserves a painful death.

Sad that its going to end in 2 episodes I want more

 

[Vito]

http://p.twipple.jp/ByBXO

http://p.twipple.jp/C5p0u

 

[Soriku]

Gurren Lagann?

Gurren Lagann didn't need to pay off. It was awesome from the beginning

I don't think KLK is as good as GL, but it's still pretty good. The pacing, characters, and story are just better in GL. KLK is good but there are a couple simply "alright" episodes, and I don't think it's started to really pick up till recently.

Overall this was a good episode, but I don't really think a lot happened. It seemed like a finely paced episode, but not more or less. The best episode was still 18 IMO.

Ragyou's plan is zzzz. Didn't really expect better, but alien colonization plot lines are really boring.

 

[Odrion]

Kill La Kill was awesome in the beginning too, when it was basically anime Superjail.

But then, yeah, it slowed down in the middle when the show was teasing "THERE'S MORE TO THIS!" but being really reluctant to progress the story in favor of badly animated combat. It has picked up since, it'll probably be a really good show to binge through since the slow middle part will take two hours to go through instead of waiting for two months.

 

[Kinyou]

 

[A-V-B]

This is how Satsuki sees herself.

 

[TheOGB]

Y'know, there's something potentially beautiful about Satsuki running a daycare/working with kids, considering her upbringing.

 

[Silky]

Nonon x Satsuki or I riot

 

[A-V-B]

Y'know, there's something potentially beautiful about Satsuki running a daycare/working with kids, considering her upbringing.

Listen, you pigs in human pajamas! Naptime is playtime! Dinner is dessert! Clothes are nudity! This is the reality of day care!

 

[TheOGB]

Nonon x Satsuki or I riot

I'm just saying, if the show ends with Ryuko kissing Mako, then Kill la Kill fucking won

 

[A-V-B]

But Ryuuko will be dead, she won't be kissing anyone...

 

[Santerestil]

But Ryuuko will be dead, she won't be kissing anyone...

Unfortunately, this.

 

[Mononoke]

I don't think the majority of the criticisms of the show are about how it fails to be something other than 'entertainment'. They are about about what the show aims to succeed in doing yet which it nevertheless fails to achieve. As you say, making 'shlock' takes a certain amount or skill and talent so you can do it well or do it poorly.

No-one asked or expected a thematically rich series like, say Serial Experiments Lain, or a serious character study like The Twelve Kingdoms. It's always been a 'hot blooded' action series but that doesn't mean they weren't trying to create interesting characters that the audience would care about. Where they have tried to do that I think they failed to achieve it. Judging the show on it's own merits, against works in a similar vein. Or, to quote someone else from earlier:

And that's about where it stands, on the character writing front, which is where I feel the major problems are. I think the overall narrative beats have been pretty bad as well because they clearly set up a number of story arcs which kind of fizzled out without achieving much until the second half of the series.

I know there's been a lot of talk about the fanservice but really, that doesn't bother me one way or the other except when it's super gross, which it has been occasionally. Other than that it's just resulted in some ugly costumes.

The least common complaints relate to the quality of the cinematography/storyboarding/editing/animation but there's plenty of bones to pick with those as well. Competent storyboarding is pretty damn important in am action series and sometimes this show really pulls it off and other times it falls flat.

Of course, the show pulls through and continues to be entertaining off the back of it's manic energy and it's bizarre sense of humour. This is the energy of the people making the series and it comes through in crazy designs or bizarre sequences or through amazing characters like Mako who steal every scene that they're in. Not a lot of works these days are so clearly the result of a certain passion, at least not overtly, and so it's no wonder that we're attracted to a show that's positively brimming with creative enthusiasm.

Great reply. So basically, some of the criticism is that it's not even doing shlock all that well. I didn't mean for my post to come off as "well people just don't understand it" or "they are expecting more out of it then they should". That's a very lazy argument. So I appreciate you putting that into perspective. That for some, the show just isn't even doing what it sets out to do, well.

Where I can agree with you guys is on the writing front. More so, how repetitive the plot arcs/beats are. Just because the show is Shlock, doesn't mean it can't have more variety. It doesn't mean that the show can't have more consequences/stakes. A lot of the show feels like a lot of hot hair, where it's all build up, and the explosion itself leaves little actual damage. So the show is more about spectacle (which is fine), but the spectacle doesn't really have a lasting impact beyond the spectacle.

And I also can agree with the character aspect, in that the characters feel one sided, and stuck in a never ending loop (Ryuko goes through the same problems over and over. Reminds me of Legend of Korra, where the main character never really grows, and just continuously falls into the same problems).

I think my perspective is different, because I didn't watch the show live. I just literally marathoned 20 episodes back to back. So I was able to kind of look past some of these issues, because it was all just quick spectacle. But I think when I step back and look at the show as a whole, I can see where you guys are coming from. I still personally enjoy this show quite a bit (on a shlock/entertainment level). But I get where others are coming from.

 

[Dominican Power]

Nui losing her goddamn mind was amazing. I was waiting for this for a long time.

 

[Onion_Relish]

But Ryuuko will be dead, she won't be kissing anyone...

Spoiler

nui please go ly dwn

everyone knows imouto-chan has the big death flag on her back.

 

[Kinyou]

Nui losing her goddamn mind was amazing. I was waiting for this for a long time.

Sure was satisfying. Kind of similar to when the murderer finally breaks down in an Ace Attorney game.

 

[8 X 11 Printer Paper]

I'm just saying, if the show ends with Ryuko kissing Mako, then Kill la Kill fucking won

Mako is stuck with Gamagori. As shown many times in the past during the eating of mystery croquets this epsidoe you can see him staring at her.

 

[TheOGB]

Yeah it's unlikely to happen, but if it somehow does, then KLK instawins. Since it won't happen these last two episodes are gonna have to earn sweet victory.

 

[Vito]

https://twitter.com/yokotamamoru

https://twitter.com/kengo1212/status/444693434608017408/photo/1

 

[Lufiaddict]

One of the most enjoyable episodes for me.


Poor Tsumugu, I hope he will get some time to shine before the end!

 

[Vito]

Why are they posting so many KLK pics today

http://p.twipple.jp/WbwXo & http://p.twipple.jp/iB7ek

Also this is cute http://imgur.com/a/5qSeb (from: http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=42257831) Nice fanart:

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?illust_id=42262269&mode=medium

 

[RecursiveFault]

Not sure if it's old, But it's relevant now

 

[Vito]

Cute;

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=41888419

 

[PK Gaming]

I'm just saying, if the show ends with Ryuko kissing Mako, then Kill la Kill fucking won

Word

They have the potential to save anime

Trigger won't pull through

They won't pull the trigger

 

[Vito]

I guess I just got reminded why I think yuri fans are shit.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Not sure if it's old, But it's relevant now

hahaha

 

[KarmaCow]

Not sure if it's old, But it's relevant now

Amazing.

 

[Namikaze]

Crunchyroll finally updated, got to see ep. 22 this afternoon.

I couldn't help but smile the entire time. Really satisfying ep, I love Mako as a character. Can't believe the show is almost over though.

 

[Jarmel]

Fantastic episode but it also still highlighted how weak of a character Ryuuko is. She's completely outshined by her sister in every aspect.

I did find it a little bullshit how Ryuuko could just casually beat Nui like that though despite Nui bodying her earlier in the series.

 

[Soriku]

Fantastic episode but it also still highlighted how weak of a character Ryuuko is. She's completely outshined by her sister in every aspect.

I did find it a little bullshit how Ryuuko could just casually beat Nui like that though despite Nui bodying her earlier in the series.

Ryuko managed to get an upper hand on Nui in either episode 18 or 19 IIRC due to her speed. But at this point Ryuko's at her peak, plus she had the two scissor blades. Finally landing a notable hit shouldn't be too surprising.

 

[TheOGB]

Spoiler

I stared at it for like 7 minutes, and then...

 

[Zaptruder]

Fantastic episode but it also still highlighted how weak of a character Ryuuko is. She's completely outshined by her sister in every aspect.

I did find it a little bullshit how Ryuuko could just casually beat Nui like that though despite Nui bodying her earlier in the series.

As a character, Ryuuko *is* one dimensional and weak as a result...

But on the same token, her character is essential to *the feels* in the show. If she were more cooly rational, the show would take on a very different character indeed.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Spoiler

I stared at it for like 7 minutes, and then...

haha

 

[Evilisk]

Spoiler

I stared at it for like 7 minutes, and then...

Spoiler

I was like "so if Pink = Nui, then Red = Ryuuko and Blue = Satsuki then who's the green?" for about 5 minutes...

I'm just saying, if the show ends with Ryuko kissing Mako, then Kill la Kill fucking won

For a second there I thought I stumbled into a shipping thread.

Nonon x Satsuki or I riot

The only ship sinking that matters is that filthy Makobro x Satsuki ship.

Seriously I'm going to choke somebody/give a dishonorable mention in the next AOTY thread/do both if that ends up happening.

 

[Unknown Fighter Type II]

While its kinda of a minor thing to nitpick, it kinda dulled the epic intro of Nudist Beach's ship in eps. 20.

The Crunchy Roll subs have the name of the ship translated as "Naked Sol", when it should be "Naked Sun". It was even written out in hiragana in the next scene, which makes all the more sad they messed up the translation.

 

[Vito]

Next ep better deliver. Sorry for my Kill la Kill fanart obsession.

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?illust_id=42275310&mode=medium

Could have sworn I've seen this one before:

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=42134643

 

[undu]

The Crunchy Roll subs have the name of the ship translated as "Naked Sol", when it should be "Naked Sun". It was even written out in hiragana in the next scene, which makes all the more sad they messed up the translation.

Maybe the translator wanted to make it sound cool, after all sol means sun in Spanish.

 

[Andrew J.]

While its kinda of a minor thing to nitpick, it kinda dulled the epic intro of Nudist Beach's ship in eps. 20.

The Crunchy Roll subs have the name of the ship translated as "Naked Sol", when it should be "Naked Sun". It was even written out in hiragana in the next scene, which makes all the more sad they messed up the translation.

?

That's a perfectly acceptable translation.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Maybe the translator wanted to make it sound cool, after all sol means sun in Spanish.

Anime subtitlers seem to be give free reign as long as they're not straight up wrong.

 

[Matt_C]

Are the "mystery meat" croquets

Spoiler

leftover organs from the clinic mixed with animal roadkill

?

Anywho the show is amazing but

Spoiler

I would be upset if there has to be a theatrical movie to be made in order to finish the plot and return some financial investments. Not everybody lives near a major city to watch a Japanese imported theatrical release. At least it is airing on Cruncyroll.

 

[Kinyou]

As a character, Ryuuko *is* one dimensional and weak as a result...

But on the same token, her character is essential to *the feels* in the show. If she were more cooly rational, the show would take on a very different character indeed.

The only thing they might have introduced earlier in the show is the whole marriage thing. Apparently is that something integral in Ryuko's happiness fantasy. But during the show she never showed any interest in that. (except maybe for the ending montage of the first half of the season)
So I felt that kind of came out of nowhere

 

[Vito]

I like Ryuuko's character. Anyhow... so much good fanart, what the heck.

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=42286643

 

[Odrion]

:3

 

[NEO0MJ]

http://i.imgur.com/Ck2c6QT.jpg

:3

Ya'll gonna be disappointed when Mako and Ryuko make out.

 

[foxuzamaki]

While its kinda of a minor thing to nitpick, it kinda dulled the epic intro of Nudist Beach's ship in eps. 20.

The Crunchy Roll subs have the name of the ship translated as "Naked Sol", when it should be "Naked Sun". It was even written out in hiragana in the next scene, which makes all the more sad they messed up the translation.

Sol basically means sun, so they're technically right, just being obtuse.

 

[Wynnebeck]

So as someone who hated Gurren, is this show any better or more of the same?

 

[Odrion]

Ya'll gonna be disappointed when Mako and Ryuko make out.

You're going to still feel really happy when the final scene is Mako and Gama's child attending Satsuki's rebuilt school, and Ryuko is her teacher.

 

[Amikami]

This thread is shipping so hard. lol.