Thursday 31 October 2013

Kill la Kill - Episode 5

After last week's frivolity, it's back to school for Matoi - but it seems she's being watched through the scope of a sniper, and more to the point by a man named Tsugumu Kinagase.

It soon becomes clear that Kinagase is not someone to be trifled with as he quickly and easily dispatches a Goku Uniform gardening club head without a second though, and the next thing we know he's given Mako a little dose of friendly acupuncture so that he can move on his true objective - getting Matoi out of her uniform.  Of course, Ryuuko is going to do no such thing, although even with her Kamui it seems that she doesn't have the power to stop him either.  One man who does seem to have a rein on Tsumugu is Mikisugi - in fact, it seems that they're a part of the same collective as the latter warns the former off doing anything to Matoi.


This warning seems to have served only as a temporary respite for our heroine however, as the very next day Kinagase is back on her trail, with the appearance of a group of the school's minor clubs only slowing down his rampage slightly.  This time, it appears that there really is no escape for Ryuuko - enter Mako to save the day before Senketsu himself gives their assailant pause for thought, seemingly disproving his assumption that the only purpose of Kamui and the like is to use, abuse and ultimate abandon or kill their owners.

Although I mentioned last week that I felt like I'd be quite happy to simply sit and watch Kill la Kill goofing around in the name of comedy, I have to confess that I was rather impressed by the way this week's episode has built up its story quite effectively.  As a result, we're now starting to get a glimpse of the bigger picture for this crazy world and the various factions (and their goals) within it.  What's more, this episode also succeeded in delivering some genuinely strong character-centric moments to boot, but without losing sight of the lunacy and comedy that makes the series what it is.  If Kill la Kill can continue to balance these elements effectively, then it could well continue to live up to the hype foisted upon it before it began airing.

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