Akame ga Kill!

 

Based on: manga of the same name, written by Takahiro & illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro

Directed by: Tomoki Kobayashi

Produced by: White Fox (Japanese animation studio)

Written by: Takao Koyama

Starring (Japanese): Sōma Saitō (Tatsumi), Sora Amamiya (Akame), Yukari Tamura (Mine), Yū Asakawa (Leone), Mamiko Noto (Sheele), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Lubbock), Katsuyuki Konishi (Bulat), Risa Mizuno (Najenda), Shintarō Asanuma (Susanoo), Kaori Nazuka (Chelsea)

Starring (English): Corey Hartzog (Tatsumi), Molly Searcy (Akame), Christina Kelly (Mine), Allison Keith (Leone), Jessica Boone (Sheele), Tyler Galindo (Lubbock), David Wald (Bulat), Shelley Calene-Black (Najenda), Ty Mahany (Susanoo), Emily Neves (Chelsea)

That first episode really fooled me! Like Tatsumi, I was led on by the beautiful and sweet Aria. 

My thought was, Well I'm glad there are some good rich families in the Capital! But by episode's end, it seems... there very well may not be. 

Tatsumi has dinner with Aria's (Kanami Sato/Brittney Karbowski) family in episode 1

Akame ga Kill! (translated "Akame kills (with a sword)," is about a swordsman named Tatsumi who travels to his nation's capital on quest to raise money for his poor village. But when he enters the huge metropolis he discovers that not only is there no work, but the whole city is ragged with corruption, especially from its own noble houses. 

Taken in and given a place to sleep for the night by a passing rich lady named Aria, Tatsumi learns of a band of assassins that terrorize the Capital, targeting the city's elite and systematically eradicating them in some twisted form of revenge against the corruption. When the assassins attack Tatsumi's very hosts that night, he's forced to choose sides between this family that's taken him in and these assassins who claim to be only targeting the evil. 

Fortunately (but also, not) for Tatsumi, the assassins reveal to him that Aria's family is just as horrifyingly corrupt as the next elite family. Driving the point home, it's revealed that Aria's family tortured and killed Tatsumi's own companions with whom he'd left his home village. Filled with just rage, Tatsumi joins the assassin and begins training to become part of their team. 

Tatsumi taken in by Night Raid member Leone

It's been a good show so far and it's captured my interest. It does have my usual issue of so many lead characters. The band of assassins--known as the Night Raid--has 10 members on its own and I feel as if I'm supposed to remember each one of them already. My mind just isn't quite that fast, especially when I'm watching subbed! 

The many members of Night Raid

But I definitely appreciate that the different Raid members have very unique personalities and skillsets. They also appear to be taking turns training Tatsumi--the titular Akame, a quiet and unimpressed girl, is assigned to train him in the second episode and he learns under the bright and cheerful Mine in the third. I hope this continues, it'd be a great way to keep familiarizing myself with the other members. We also learn that the Guild is a chapter of a larger, former rebellion against the Capitol. This is what ultimately convinces Tatsumi to join. I hope the show ends with the rebellion achieving this ultimate task. At around 20 episodes, it should have enough time to do so.