Kill La Kill (2013-2014)

[キルラキル]

Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Studio: Trigger
Starring: Ami Koshimizu, Ryoka Yuzuki, Aya Suzaki
Episodes: 24

Synopsis:
Ryuuko Matoi transfers to the fascistic Honnouji Academy controlled by the tyrannical Satsuki Kiryuuin in order to find the truth behind her father's murder. Ryuuko is unable to stand up to Satsuki's enforcers with their Life Fiber-enhanced suits until she discovers a Life Fiber suit of her own left by her father.

Impressions:
You'd be forgiven for wondering how anyone could one-up the glory of Gurren Lagann, but many of the people responsible formed their own studio, Trigger, and made that very thing happen. Intense action, zany comedy and even some serious drama all rolled up into one wondrous package. Many series climax at the point this show is just getting warmed up. Now, a lot of times, when you keep trying to one-up yourself, it gets a bit tiresome (such as the ridiculous scaling in the latter arcs of DBZ), but that's not the case here. Each time the show kicks it up a notch, you not only buy it, but your chops water at the prospect of what's next.

When I first saw the promo material, the design of Ryuuko's costume turned me off. I still gave the show a chance and while the costuming can get rather ridiculous, there's actually an in-universe justification that I bought and was able to keep on going. Yes, it's a bit on the ecchi side, but not as much as you might think if you've only seen some images without any context.

If you're familiar with work by Go Nagai like Cutie Honey, there's definitely an influence. Some of the staff worked on Re: Cutie Honey with Gainax, so that's little surprise. That may actually make a decent barometer if you know what I'm talking about. Go Nagai fans should like this show too.

Rating:
Own It