Anime original by Trigger
Simulcast on Crunchyroll, Daisuki, and a whole bunch of other places.

Premise: Honnoji Academy is ruled by the iron fist of  Satsuki Kiryuin, president of the student council. Tyranny rules the day and dissent is mercilessly executed. That all changes when Ryuko Matoi transfers into the school, carrying her scissor sword and a chip on her shoulder…

Gee’s Verdict: Pure fun insanity

Kill la Kill is hands down the most fun I’ve had watching an anime in a long time. Yes, I realized I just praised an anime using a subjective buzzword, but the show is just so damn enthusiastic. It brings back memories of watching Gurren Lagann for the first time, with all its wild energy and excitement. The plot, while straightforward enough, is delivered in the absolutely nuttiest way possible, filled with ridiculous feats of strength, ludicrous transformations, and some of the best visual gags I’ve seen in ages. The characters themselves are a joy to watch. Between Ryuko’s hot blood, the crazy personalities of Satsuki’s lieutenants, and Mako’s adorable…whatever her deal is, they’re all memorable in their own crazy way.

While the animation is pretty limited, likely due to Trigger’s limited budget (and the fact that the premier episode was basically 20 minutes straight of action), Trigger does an amazing job with what they have. The comedic timing is perfect and the work of master animator Sushio makes for a wildly kinetic and exciting show. Out of all the first episodes I’ve watched this season, Kill la Kill is easily my favorite. If Trigger keeps up this kind of energy, we have a surefire winner on our hands.

Marlin’s Verdict: Style with Substance

Kill la Kill is everything I hoped for and more of a work by the former Gurren Lagann team. This world just oozes with a bold style that wouldn’t be out of place in your average Tarantino flick. Everything is larger than life. The gritty lower parts of town are depressingly ramshackle, the upper parts of town are immaculate and uniform, and the school itself is like a mix of military institution and prison camp. This kind of gritty but pretty art was what I always loved about the 2007 hit. The characters are also so great. Every member of the student council is larger than life, to the point that they’re even animated that way. The funniest thing is that our main character Ryuko, outside her ninja speed, is the most normal character we have. Even her best friend is some unholy manifestation of ditziness, but Ryuko gets angry trying to learn the truth about her father, ashamed when she is defeated, and even is visually embarrassed all throughout using the Face-clothes for how ridiculous they make her look. With the fight this week and the preview for next, it looks like Kill-la-Kill is going to take on a monster-of-the-week format. As long as they can continue to keep things this entertaining, I am all on board for that.

Iro’s Verdict: Killed It

Well, this was certainly a thing. Kill la Kill‘s first episode moved at a ridiculous breakneck pace, barely letting me stop for breath before moving on to the next insane thing. The amount of content in here could have easily filled two episodes if they had toned it down, and that both worries and excites me. If Trigger can keep up the pace and vibrancy every episode, then all is well, but if they can’t… well, I guess we’ll see. In either case, this was the most stylish, stupid, and fun intro I’ve seen in a long while. I can’t see myself watching more for the show’s plot, but everything else is more than enough to have me wanting more.

Zigg’s Verdict: Uniformly Brilliant

Kill La Kill might be the most inappropriate name possible for the show, since it’s been a long time since I watched anything that felt so thoroughly, vibrantly alive. The sense of enjoyment, of madcap fun and silliness permeates every part of the show, and the breakneck pace means that we’re constantly having new, exciting information thrown at us. The characters are all laughably over the top but played off in exactly the right way to make them cool, scary or goofy depending on who we’re talking about. And despite that mad rush, there’s intelligent writing here too, especially in getting maximum comedy out – I loved the random appearance of the ringside boxing girl for example.

Visually it’s everything I wished anime did more, a furious, scratchy blend of styles and shapes, never afraid to twist and turn its characters for maximum visual impact or comic value paired with inspired direction that maximises impact and minimises budgetary constraints, it’s simply the most wonderful looking show in years. And hey, there’s even the surreal sound of sexy uniform Momotaros to drink in. Incredibly excited to see where this one goes.

Jel’s Verdict: Murder by Budget

Kill La Kill looks to be pretty amazing for all the reasons everyone has mentioned already. It’s oozing with over the top style and will no doubt be a blast to watch every week. Really the only fear I have is whether Trigger has the resources to keep any kind of consistent quality going for it, especially over a two season run. You’d think they’d pour a little extra cash into the first episode and yet it already felt like they were cutting corners in some scenes. It’s kind of sad that something so mundane may be the only limit to the studio’s imagination, but it’s a factor you just can’t ignore. I will say the general art style and the way things move do a great job of compensating for any lack of polish, so I hope it’s something Kill la Kill can overcome moving forward.

Lifesong’s Verdict: Energy Outstrips Animation

Someone give Trigger some money please. This first episode was incredibly fun, but it felt like it was made on a shoestring budget despite their best efforts. That said it was the shoestring budget of some very talented people. People are saying this is like a new TTGL or FLCL, I don’t think that is entirely accurate. It’s more like something I would expect to see from Go Nagai, oddly enough, I am perfectly okay with that.