Square Enix brings us the dark fantasy ‘Akame ga Kill!’ It is an adaption of the manga written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro.

Tatsumi (Corey Hartzog) is a swordsman from a countryside village who arrives with two friends in the capital city of the Empire. After being taken in by someone he thinks is a good samaritan, he realizes that they have murdered his two friends, but he is saved by the assassin Akame (Molly Searcy). Seeing the corruption of the Empire, Tasumi joins Nightraid with the beastly fighter Leone (Allison Keith), the sniper Mine (Christina Kelly), the scissor-wielding Sheele (Jessica Boone), the wired hothead Lubbock (Tyler Galindo), the armored warrior Bulat (David Wald), and their leader Najenda (Shelley Calene-Black), a former general of the imperial army. They perform guerilla strikes against the Empire prompting Emperor Makoto (Shannon Emerick) and the corrupt Prime Minister Honest (Marty Fleck) to summon the cunning and sadistic General Esdeath (Christine Auten) to take them out.

First of all, the animation is superb. I especially liked the character designs and the way the action sequences were drawn. They were visually stunning and I enjoyed every minute of that aspect.

As for the overall plot, if you are looking for an inspirational story of hope, success, and crushing evil, well you get the last of the three. The episodes do have some goals accomplished, but there is tragedy, ambivalence, and even some darkness in the heroes. However, that is what makes this show so great.

The protagonists may be imperfect, but their zeal for stopping corruption, even using some brutal methods, were superb. You found yourself cheering their wins, tearing up at the tragedies, and especially fascinated with Akame’s skill with the sword.

Now, fans of the manga were not happy with the finale of the show and I cannot say I blame them. There was a feeling of emptiness when it came to end. I know the show was not meant to be an inspirational tale of heroism, but I still wanted more from it. Despite, it is clever, smart, and while I would not say it was a fun ride, it certainly was enthralling.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong bloody violence, Disturbing images, Foul language, Suggestive humor and themes

This review is based on the dub.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train Arc and Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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