Recap

With Ryuko back in control of herself, it’s time to deal with Nui and take the fight to Ragyo and the Life Fibers. Before that however, Ryuko needs to come to terms with the reality of her origins and their connection to Satsuki.

Gee’s Thoughts

Hell yes people, this is it. With Ryuko and Satsuki finally coming to terms with each other’s fates, it’s time to take it to the bad guys. First we get an extremely satisfying payoff when Ryuko effortlessly dismembers Nui’s arms. While it was a shame she wasn’t killed outright, seeing Nui genuinely panic and break down was a treat. That said, with Nui managing to escape and live another day, I have a feeling this is only the beginning of a long series of satisfying fights.

Before that though, Ryuko needs to accept Satsuki as both an ally and a sister, which as you can imagine for our headstrong protagonist, is a bit difficult. Still, thanks to some timely face punches and grand speeches about the beautiful incomprehensibility of friendship and the human spirit, Ryuko is ready to put aside her squabbles and focus on the true enemy. I have to say, while pretty predictable, the entirety of this scene was a great example of the character development going on throughout Kill la Kill. Satsuki bowing to Ryuko and admitting the faults in her mentality and approach was a defining moment of her growth. And yet as usual, it still feels like a natural extension of who she is. It’s a grand apology, accompanied by ostentatious bowing, shining lights, and a wordy declaration. And on Ryuko’s part, her eventual forgiveness is typical Ryuko; a bit bumbling and hot headed, but earnest all the same. It’s equally comforting to finally see Ryuko and Senketsu together again. Earlier in the episode, Ryuko declared how truly important he and Mako are to her, and it shows. The bond Ryuko and her talking uniform share is something special, and while their alone time is short, it’s a great example of the perfect rapport the two have.

Of course, this is Kill la Kill. It wouldn’t be complete without some crazy shit going down, and oh boy does it. After the crew have reviewed the Life Fibers’ devious plans for devouring humanity, they’re attacked by a vanguard of Covers. While the last couple of minutes were literally just reused footage, it was totally awesome to see Ryuko and Satsuki transforming in unison. It’s a moment that really finalizes their cooperation against the Life Fibers.

And sure, it could be awesome if things ended there, but oh no, Trigger never stops at merely sufficient. When the rest of the cast are attacked by a gargantuan Cover sporting some snazzy pointy sunglasses, we finally get the momentous return of Fight Club Mako, in all her JoJo glory. Now that, people, is how you end and episode and get everyone watching hyped as hell for next week. I know I am.

Zigg’s Thoughts

I wasn’t really feeling this episode for the first few minutes. After the insanely high drama of the past few episodes we did need a triumphant epiphany, but Ryuko’s opening speech here is built on solid foundations of cliché and comes dangerously close to being predictable and boring. That is of course until she disarms Nui in the most Looney Tunes way possible, at which point I was firmly back on board. It sets the tone for this episode overall, which mixes big but slightly melodramatic character moments with the trademark flourishes that set Kill la Kill apart from the pack.

I very much appreciate what the writing crew was trying to do with their downtime here. It’s necessary and important that we have an emotional confrontation between the various parties involved, and for the most part Ryuko and Satsuki’s official alliance is a strong scene. It starts on shaky ground though, since Ryuko’s arrogant, abrasive attitude isn’t really appropriate towards a woman who just, you know, saved her life. I understand it’s an extension of their hostile attitude to each other but I don’t think it would have damaged the character to be a little more contrite in this situation. Also the whole ‘punching people is a way to emotionally connect with them’ thing which anime has going is tired and needs to die soon. Once the Elite Four get involved though this sequence becomes much better, and the unexpected parallel that gets drawn between them and Mako, Mikisugi et al is a surprisingly insightful moment. Unlike Ryuko, Satsuki gets down off her high horse for a heartfelt plea, and we get what matters most, which is a strong emotional ending to the scene with all of our heroes united under the same banner.

The episode also does a great job of moving all the pieces into place for the rapidly oncoming conclusion. We get just enough exposition to firmly re-establish everyone’s position in the plot, but not so much it becomes tedious, Explicitly splitting the team into Ryuko/Satsuki and everyone else at this stage is also a good move – it frees our protagonists up for the big showdown we want while also giving the other characters a firm objective to fight for on their own terms. Truly unhinged Nui is a pretty scary sight and looks to be a formidable roadblock for one team or the other, and there’s still the matter of whatever it is she’s putting together inside Honnouji.

There’s also those little jokes and character moments that make Kill la Kill feel special in abundance here. Stuff like Gamagoori’s nonuple assault, or Inumuta’s wry missile warning add levity and personality to moments it would be easy to gloss over, and the sense of life they bring to the show can’t be underestimated. Perhaps the best is Ryuko’s mumbling attempt to call Satsuki ‘big sister’, which is so delightfully awkward (great voice acting by Ami Koshimizu) that even Satsuki dismisses it. But it’s a wonderful moment of human connection in the unreality of the conflict we’re now in. Perhaps surprisingly, I’m not super thrilled to see Banchou Mako again – it worked pretty well as a ‘one and done’ joke in my eyes – but it’s certainly a crowd pleasing note to finish on. With all the players on the field, Kill la Kill has given itself every chance to end on the highest of notes. We’ll see if that chance can be taken.