Kill la Kill

Episodes 15-16

A seismic shift occurs in these episodes of Kill la Kill; a status quo shake-up that significantly rocks the foundation of the series in ways signaling an undeniable change in quality. That's right, the second, and superior opening theme, ‘ambiguous’ kicks in. Trigger's masterwork, and the world, will never be the same.

That's hyperbole, of course, but the deployment of that new opening underscores the shift that actually occurs in Kill la Kill across the 15th and 16th episodes. They waited until past the halfway point of the series to start running that sequence for a reason; its visuals verge on spoilers for where we are in the story. It comes right before the infodump in the 16th episode makes clear that we weren't even close to getting the full picture of Kill la Kill's story before now, and some reframing is going to need to take place about how we regard these characters and the situations they've thrown themselves in. But that's the second of two episodes I'm talking about this week, and the view is cleared for that big picture by burning down a large portion of the curtains in front of it in the preceding episode.

Episode 15 is, by my count, at least the third time Trigger has dropped what feels like a season-finale-level sequence of events into this two-cour show, and the last time was only like three episodes ago! Just event-wise there's a ton happening in this one. This is the episode where Satsuki and Sanageyama fight a giant robot crab, where Nudist Beach and their absurd mecha military are revealed, and another all-out rematch between Ryuko and Satsuki occurs. And it's all rendered with key, important explosiveness. There are still a few noticeable shortcuts coming off the skimpier efforts of the previous episodes, to say nothing of the incredibly low-key work leading into the next episode, but given how much is happening all the time in episode 15, it's hard to notice where it actually lets up. That's almost a problem with the all-out pacing more than the production, that major events like Jakuzure's destruction of the Nudist Beach base happen with such sudden briskness that you're more distracted by the whiplash of them going by too quickly than any animation shortcuts that may have enabled them.

That is to say that even in its more iffy storytelling choices, all the action in this episode speaks for itself. It can be enjoyed on its own dynamic merits apart from me taking up space to critically pick it apart. Instead, this climax of the Raid Trip arc demands I use time to study where its themes settled. As I alluded to before, the big landing builds on Ryuko's recovery from her previous climactic monster transformation, and how that shifted her resolve to continue pursuing Satsuki. Imaishi and Nakashima are still bereft of subtlety, so Ryuko's resolution at the top of her battle-driven character arc comes through with her subbing in her own flesh to power Senketsu as a gambit to grab his final piece. It's an obvious evolution from her being afraid to transform at all a few episodes ago, with both of them now willing to put their lives on the line to do what's right.

That also speaks to Ryuko's shifting motivation in taking on the corrupt class president. She's no longer single-mindedly pursuing revenge for her father, made clear when she's actually willing to bargain with Satsuki and call a draw with her in order to save others. "Live for the desire of what's almost in reach, regardless of the rage that's almost in reach" is spoken as a new philosophy of hers, articulating Kill la Kill's ongoing parables about power: Used for its own sake it's dangerous, monstrous even. But used as a means to an end, for others and their sake, power is a necessary tool. This is all basically shouted directly, in classic Kill la Kill fashion; Ryuko loudly debates Satsuki while in the middle of an all-out brawl, and she's not even the only one. Satsuki also engages in an attacking argument against Osakan school boss Takarada, filling us in more on the dueling philosophies of leading through power or wealth. It gives us that clear insight into Satsuki's own belief system, that authority ‘bought’ is ultimately worth nothing in the face of fear that can make people break that loyalty. There's a lot that's already been shown about how Satsuki utilizes her authority, but the writing at least wants to make clear that she earned it, resources and familial connections be damned. That's reflected in the clear respect Satsuki affords Ryuko at this point in the story, as well as the somewhat begrudging understanding Ryuko is beginning to develop of Satsuki's strength in her own twisted principles.

That Kill la Kill leaves off after all that, promising “All will be revealed” in the next episode, only to open the sixteenth entry with what appears to be a recap episode, is a delightful example of the trollish excesses these guys were known for back when they were still just the Cool Kids Club within Gainax. It's a ruse, of course. Toshihiko Seki motor-mouths his way through the entire plot so far in roughly a minute, and it's as great a gotcha now as it was back when I first saw it. Unfortunately, that plus the appearance of the aforementioned ‘ambiguous’ are pretty much the high points of this episode. Some cool-down after a climax of the preceding proportions is necessary, and this episode was even pointedly advertised as a major infodump, but the result still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of presentation, content, and even the implications of the surprising new information we're given.

The structure at least gets kind of clever: the show has no problem using the ol' ‘Two sets of characters talking about the same thing’ conceit for its exposition. There's a structural lead-up as well, with Ryuko and Satsuki's respective mentors leading them into symbolic dips in water as they approach the truth. Unfortunately, Satsuki's specific bath-time detour also means that it is finally time for me to talk about that scene in Kill la Kill. There's contention over whether what Ragyo does to Satsuki in there is mere heavy molestation or out-and-out rape, but I should hope it goes without saying that it's something a mother should never do to her daughter. The thematic intent of the scene, at least, is all too obvious. From the moment Satsuki shudders upon getting into the water, the signs of someone anticipating this kind of plying abuse are clear, and all Ragyo's explanations about a ‘purification ritual’ can't disguise what is clearly a deeply violating, personal power play.

It's a classic intent of tons of real-world sexual abuse, and works as a sign of how corrupting Ragyo's philosophy is on Satsuki. She still hasn't spoken honestly on how she feels about her mother, but this experience makes clear just what Satsuki's attitude towards Ragyo would have to be, and why her and Ryuko are seemingly united in angling for her in that shiny new opening theme. But the bath scene is also a leering spectacle rendered with the same attention all the other, more light-hearted fanservice has been afforded. That makes it supremely uncomfortable in ways that shouldn't be intended by the narrative it's servicing. It begs the question of whether there is a ‘right’ way to depict the act without at least indirectly implying the audience should be getting hot and bothered by the idea of Satsuki's mom using her as a sexual plaything. The concept of uncoupling sexuality from scenes of sexual abuse is a difficult needle to thread for even the most nuanced of stories, and Kill la Kill isn't exactly known for its nuance.

It besmirches an episode that already has issues navigating its other narrative decisions. It wasn't quite as ubiquitous as it's become today with productions like DARLING in the FRANXX or Promare, but the recurring Studio Trigger twist of “It was aliens!” definitely rings even more exhausting given that continued context. The potential for a escalation is definitely there, and seems intended to lend the stakes a bigger, more world-saving vibe as we head into the show's final third. But given that this episode is almost entirely discussing the revelation with little yet seen about its galactic implications, it feels like the series just telling us to get excited after it promised us something exciting. “Show, don't tell” is an ancient storytelling rule that honestly isn't always applicable, but it's been Kill la Kill's effective bread and butter since it started. So to see it forgo that in such a way that it loops around to the ineffectual opposite isn't just a questionable choice, it's downright lethal to the show's appealing momentum.

Also, the implications of what the Life Fibers actually are seems, at this point, to undercut a lot of the themes the show had been working towards until now. The idea of clothing as a human invention that led to spreading power-based fascistic rule is uncovered here as a ploy to feed humanity to a parasitic race of space-clothes. It's a problem that crops up often in Nakashima's stories, where I feel the metaphor start to run away with itself. With the Life Fibers as the ultimate directors of Ragyo and REVOCS's plans, we've muddled the antagonistic center of power for one's own sake to instead be an inhuman monster the good guys will have to destroy somehow. Obviously there will be more to it than that as the show continues, especially with the myriad sides still in play. But in the moment it's kind of a let-down as far as the climactic revelation the show promised us: An increase in scale at the expense of a portion of the series' surprisingly strong themes.

It's not all bad. Ryuko's resolution on Senketsu's side is a heartwarming coda to their union of purpose from the previous episode, to say nothing of her reversing the way the uniform jumped in to protect her from Tsumugu way back in his debut episode. And the story clearly still isn't putting all its cards on the table, so even if we didn't know already, there would be anticipation of future revelations yet to come. Still, what it leads us to is abrupt, not feeling quite like the dramatic break it needs to have heading into a new story arc as it is. Episode 16 is a low point for Kill la Kill, even more so since 15 was such a high.

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Kill la Kill is currently streaming on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.