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HokutoAndy
50th Post

Occasional Customer

"Studio Trigger" , posted Mon 25 Nov 13:06

I'm loving everything that Studio Trigger's made, just did a write-up on imagery in Kill la Kill:
Fashion, Fascism, conquest, uniforms, and so on.
http://art-eater.com/2013/11/kill-la-kill-the-fashion-of-fascism/

Replies:

Maese

721th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member

"Re(1):Studio Trigger" , posted Mon 25 Nov 14:28

quote:
I'm loving everything that Studio Trigger's made, just did a write-up on imagery in Kill la Kill:
Fashion, Fascism, conquest, uniforms, and so on.
http://art-eater.com/2013/11/kill-la-kill-the-fashion-of-fascism/

I actually found that entry a few days ago while randomly googling stuff at the office, and I wondered if you or Nobi were going to post the link here. Insightful and thought-provoking stuff, as always! Thanks for sharing!

However, spotting out all the references and in-jokes that a single chapter of Kill la Kill sports is actually an impossible mission, I'm afraid. I am particularly liking very much its strong FLCL/Abenobashi vibe and the 70-80's shounen manga atmosphere throwback. Special mention to all those silly Hokuto no Ken homages... Gotta love going to a high school which has a masochistic Thouther as its Student's Council Head!

Kill la Kill is a (not so) little piece of animation that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's precisely the reason why it's so great. It just takes animation back to its roots. I'm amazed Trigger could manage pull out a move like that, in the midst of this moe-animation era. Maybe they're saving anime after all!

Professor

3940th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(1):Studio Trigger" , posted Mon 25 Nov 19:48

quote:
I'm loving everything that Studio Trigger's made, just did a write-up on imagery in Kill la Kill:
Fashion, Fascism, conquest, uniforms, and so on.
http://art-eater.com/2013/11/kill-la-kill-the-fashion-of-fascism/

Wow as usual for ArtEater, this is a very well-written article! Nice, HokutoAndy!

As Maese said, the amount of word play and references in each episode of Kill-la-kill is enormous. Some of it is based on history and some are based on seriously niche stuff that probably can't be picked up except by seasoned Japanese pop culture fans... can anyone recall Otokojuku?

Kill-la-kill and Kyousou Giga (a word pun on Choujuu Giga artworks) are the two anime series I'm regularly watching for this season. The amount of manpower put into each episode of Kill-la-kill is enormous though. Slated for a half-year run, I hope the staff are going to survive...

Ishmael

4770th Post

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"Re(2):Studio Trigger" , posted Tue 26 Nov 02:58

Nice article!

Kill la Kill is the Sukeban Deka/Cutie Honey crossover I never knew I wanted. While you made a lot of interesting points about the show I'm still not convinced that Kill la Kill is trying to say anything. Let me pick an example: Yes, Kill la Kill is making some historical/political allusions but to me they come across as another bit of background detail designed to heighten the underdog verses overlord plot than any sort of overt political statement. It's sort of like how the school in "Rock 'n' Roll High School" was named the Vince Lombardi High School; it helped add context to the story but the movie probably should not be viewed as a serious, nuanced critique of how punk culture interacted with mainstream, athletic culture. So while I expect that Kill la Kill will eventually discuss the maturation process that occurs as students advance through school I expect the show is just as likely compare Ryuuko and Satsuki to Kamen Rider Black and Shadowmoon and treat the reference with just as much importance.

While I said that Kill la Kill isn't trying to say anything it may be more accurate to say I hope that it doesn't try to say anything. Honestly, the last thing I want is for Kill la Kill to try and hammer home one major theme. For me, the attempts by Gainax to deal with Serious Emotions in their work has always been awkward. (Although Kill la Kill isn't a Gainax production it's being viewed as coming from that same creative fount.) Sudden, sodden bursts of melodrama have pulled me out of Evangelion, Gurren Lagann and FLCL. That heavy tonal shift has never worked for me. So while I do appreciate all the elements that Kill la Kill is currently playing with I hope the series can maintain a light touch.

GPA
69th Post

Occasional Customer

"Re(3):Studio Trigger" , posted Tue 26 Nov 03:21

Read the post last week when it popped up on my Facebook news feed, it was very much appreciated since the day had been relatively light on news at the other blogs I follow, and because I always enjoy the insights Art Eater provides on what I may only see as a cool show or game. I'm a big fan of film commentaries, and they really don't have much by way of those for anime or games.

That said, as Ishmael pointed out this show is seen as continuing on Gainax's legacy, and I was wondering what Kill La Kill's success means for Gainax in its present state?

red falcon

6174th Post

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"Re(2):Studio Trigger" , posted Tue 26 Nov 13:50:

quote:
can anyone recall Otokojuku?

Don't you mean who CAN'T? Ha ha ha... As a side comment, am I imagining it, or did Edajima Heihachi and Mishima Heihachi share the same voice actor? I'll have to look that up.

[this message was edited by red falcon on Tue 26 Nov 13:52]

HAYATO

1155th Post

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Red Carpet Premium Member+

"Re(1):Studio Trigger" , posted Tue 26 Nov 19:24

quote:
I'm loving everything that Studio Trigger's made, just did a write-up on imagery in Kill la Kill:
Fashion, Fascism, conquest, uniforms, and so on.
http://art-eater.com/2013/11/kill-la-kill-the-fashion-of-fascism/

I jumped into the article as soon as it appeared on my Facebook, despite the fact I haven't watched a single Kill-la-Kill episode. No need to say, your article piqued my curiosity and made me eager to get my hands on some KlK stuff to quench that insidious animu thirst of mine. Once I get them, I just hope it lives up to the high expectations you made me harbor for it...

Professor

3942th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(3):Studio Trigger" , posted Wed 27 Nov 04:00

quote:
can anyone recall Otokojuku?

Don't you mean who CAN'T? Ha ha ha... As a side comment, am I imagining it, or did Edajima Heihachi and Mishima Heihachi share the same voice actor? I'll have to look that up.

He IS in fact the same VA! But totally off-topic, we'll need to try BBCP some time.

For anyone thristing for the next episode of Kill-la-Kill, you can listen here for the sampler of its OST which will remind you even more of the anime.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/1385099138 - Nico

karasu99

1260th Post

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"Re(4):Studio Trigger" , posted Wed 27 Nov 08:11

I'll go with Ishmael and agree that I'm not sure they're trying to say anything in particular aside from the often-present theme of the Very Serious Student Council (a la Rival Schools). It strikes me as more a testbed for making jokes about fan service and giving the animators even more of an opportunity than they had in Gurren Lagann to make some hyper-fluid action scenes.

Thanks for pointing it out though; I had just a few days ago noticed just how anime-rich I suddenly am (buckets and mounds of anime are available on Hulu-- yet somehow not Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

), but given that huge number of options suddenly nothing was appealing. I would never have picked Kill la Kill out of a lineup due to the bland way it's represented in Hulu. It makes me wonder how many amazing shows I'm missing just because they either have a dull title or the little thumbnail for them in Hulu just has some girl in a schoolgirl uniform as the only indicator of what it's about.

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Maou

2563th Post

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"Re(5):Studio Trigger" , posted Wed 27 Nov 15:03

quote:
often-present theme of the Very Serious Student Council (a la Rival Schools)

That theme is a real-life thing! Watch out for the Iinchou's, they were bad news. My best move was avoiding them entirely.

Joking about fanservice is a nice throwback to an early Gainax take on that, Otaku No Video. Always meant to watch that.

quote:
bland way it's represented in Hulu
just has some girl in a schoolgirl uniform

Wait, what else is necessary?

人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．

Spoon

2514th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(6):Studio Trigger" , posted Wed 27 Nov 17:36

KlK did the very impressive feat of making suspenders fashionable again for people who are not old men.

karasu99

1261th Post

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Red Carpet Executive Member

"Re(6):Studio Trigger" , posted Thu 28 Nov 02:43

quote:
That theme is a real-life thing! Watch out for the Iinchou's, they were bad news. My best move was avoiding them entirely.

Astounding! Of course it conforms to my hope that this was in fact the case!

quote:

Joking about fanservice is a nice throwback to an early Gainax take on that, Otaku No Video. Always meant to watch that.

Aha, I've got some dusty VHS copy of that somewhere, and the VCR to play it one too. Dare I fire it up and hope that the Infernal Device doesn't consume the delicate, irreplaceable tape?

I think there's even more room for making fun of fan service these days, and KlK does a nice job of it.

quote:

bland way it's represented in Hulu
just has some girl in a schoolgirl uniform Wait, what else is necessary?

Hahahaha, I should clarify that an image of a girl in a schoolgirl uniform is what's used to represent something like 80% of the anime titles available in Hulu. As such I've had to resort to other methods to pick and choose what to watch (like 'the angrier-looking the eyes the better').

We really should revisit the anime thread from some time ago!

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