Watch out for those religious types.
What They Say:
Under the rule of a tyrannical empire, Tatsumi, a young swordsman, leaves his home to save his poverty stricken village. He meets a girl named Akame, an assassin who was bought, brainwashed and trained to kill by the Empire. Akame is a member of the secret assassin group called “Night Raid” who use special weapons called Teigu. Together, Tatsumi and the members of Night Raid confront the corrupt empire.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The ongoing war between Night Raid and the Jaegers has been getting very intense, but it’s good to mix up the formula every now and then, and while simply introducing new villains to go through the motions doesn’t necessarily sound like it should qualify as mixing anything up, there’s one aspect that’s been so constant in the series lately that making a minor change goes a long way. Namely, every member of both Night Raid and the Jaegers has an Imperial Arms. That’s a big part of what keeps the fights so exciting, but the idea of warriors so skilled that they can stand on equal ground without Imperial Arms is an intriguing one.
Maybe it’s just to show how much the members of the two main groups we’ve been following are above the level of anyone else who might come along, but these new villains aren’t quite as formidable as they advertise themselves to be, at least compared to those they have to fight. Sad as it is to say, Lubbock really hasn’t gotten a chance to shine in the series up to this point, but he certainly earns his keep this time. Perhaps it’s still a bit underwhelming that it’s only against these relatively forgettable opponents, but the unique elements of his Imperial Arms and the clever ways he comes up with to utilize them should at least remove any doubt in his capabilities, and it’s just as enjoyable to watch it play out regardless of how invested we are in the villains. His actions are impressive enough, in fact, that were these Jaegers on the receiving end Lubbock would probably be marked for death by the end of the episode. While you never can tell in this show, it appears that he has nothing to worry about for the moment, so we should get to see him display similar competence if or when the time comes to pair him up with another of the Jaegers.
Iwasaki’s music is a critical element that I’ve said little about since the early parts of the series primarily to avoid talking about it constantly, but I particularly noticed its prominence in this episode. It’s even more distinctively Iwasaki than ever, and that’s a very good thing. It complements the action as well as you could ask for, and while the fights may be brief and lacking the grand scale of some of the more climactic matchups, those slick moves of Lubbock make them interesting to watch nonetheless. The new opponents, despite not having Imperial Arms that dictate how they fight, follow some kind of specific pattern as most of their ilk would, and in this show it’s almost a point of pride to be as bizarre as possible (and hey, if you can be effective while doing so, why not?). For example, Lubbock fights a cute, scantily-clad girl who takes him up on his threat to flirt with her… only to attack with her sweat. Yep.
In Summary:
We take a brief break from the main back-and-forth between Night Raid and the Jaegers, but it’s not a break from the action, nor does it move away from the plot at hand. Instead, we get a taste of new villains without Imperial Arms. They may not prove as impressive as they market themselves, but their quirks and the direction of the action is still strong. Most importantly, it gives Lubbock his best opportunity to show off, and he doesn’t even have to die as a result! Good deal.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
HP Envy 14.
