With it deviating from the plot of the manga, loads of the original fans were outraged and called for White Fox's head. But as someone who hasn't read the manga, and probably won't for a while, I'd like to call Akame Ga Kill a small success. It succeeds in it's small niche of being the Game of Thrones of anime, and if you watched this while it was airing and didn't get any spoilers --- tell me your secrets, as this review will be completely spoiler free.
Story(6/10): The story begins as a young swordsmen named Tatsumi leaves the village he grew up in in order to send some money or support back to it. He plans to join the Imperial army when he is intercepted by a busty blonde that tricks him out of his money(that he was flaunting). Eventually, he has to sleep on the streets when a young, wealthy lady offers him a place to stay, which he accepts. Later on, you realize that people with even the kindest of demeanors and looks can be the wickedest, and this is when Tatsumi meets the infamous Night Raid, a group of assassins that specializes in the elimination of evil and corrupt denizens. He joins them on their mission to better the world as he is violently thrust into the world of fighting, bloodshed, and loss.
In Akame Ga Kill, there are weapons known as "Imperial Arms" that are age old tools that were created to help balance the world. They're extremely powerful weapons of destruction that are present throughout the anime, and all Night Raid members have one in their possession, as well as the Jaegers, introduced later as the main force that will oppose Night Raid in the story until the brutal end. But as lavish as this all sounds, it falls short of anything really spectacular or even above average. The story/plot is just good enough to propel the whole anime forward, but it has problems throughout, such as it going for too much shock value, and trying to force watchers to feel emotions that just aren't there. But in all, the plot was pretty decent.
Art(10/10): If there's one thing Akame Ga Controversy does right, it's the art. Not even manga readers should be able to talk smack about it. It's vibrant, colorful, and remarkably fluid, including the animation. It's an eye orgy the whole time, and its probably the best thing about Akame Ga Kill.
Sound(6/10): I'm going to be honest. I didn't always notice the music playing in the background, if there even was any. There were moments when it definitely amplified the moment, but most of the time the whole soundtrack was pretty forgettable. Though at the same time, it's nothing to talk down on either.
Character(7/10): The characters, a lot like the art style, were unique and likable. This connection of liking, or even loving for some, is essential to how the anime toys with your feelings and emotions, as it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that characters will die, and a lot will suffer before hand. However, for more than a few of the characters, I thought they didn't get nearly as much development as they should have, and it made their deaths much less impactful than they should have been. Other times, the death flags were so obvious that you just start crying even before they die. An extra 2 episodes to make 26 for character devlopement would have gone a long way
Enjoyment(10/10): I'm a pretty nit picky person, but surprisingly, there wasn't much to nit pick at in this anime. Everything just clicks and works fine from start to finish. Although I will say this is probably the simplest anime of the year and offered no depth whatsoever, but at the same time, that's not what Akame Ga Kill aimed to be. This isn't Serial Experiments Lain. This is your standard over-the-top Action anime, up there with Seven Deadly Sins and Bleach. And Akame Ga Kill excels perfectly in this area, and I didn't struggle at all with watching any of it.
OVERALL (8/10):
Akame Ga Kill is a contender for anime of the year in my book, but still has serious competition to compete with. If you read the manga, you probably won't like this adaptation at all, and will give it a poor score. Should I read the manga to see how much better it is? Maybe. But as it is right now, Akame Ga Kill was a fun, spoiler-ridden ride that'll be hard to forget. Although the Story and Sound is subpar, it makes up for it with excellent attention to Art, and a nice and colorful cast of characters. If you're debating whether to watch or read this, I'd say to definitely watch it first so you don't end up hating it while you watch it. And I probably would have liked this anime a bit more if I wasn't spoiled every day, but you my lucky reader, who hasn't seen the anime, probably won't have it as bad as when it was airing.
In all, Akame Ga Kill is a fun ride if you're willing to excuse some bumps along the track. It's not a master piece by any means, but if you look at it at just the right angel, you might find something I did not.
