Akame Ga Kill
From the
get go, Akame Ga Kill looks like your typical shonen manga tale. Young male
adventurer from the countryside tries to make it big by enlisting in the nation’s
military and kills monsters plaguing villagers along the way.
However, things
aren’t that simple and the situation escalates from the very first chapter. The
country is corrupt and a covert rebel team called Night Raid is attempting to
overthrow the capital. It’s almost as if the author himself is screaming to you
that this is no straightforward ‘hero saves the day’ tale.
Akame Ga
Kill is a nice departure from your usual action-packed manga titles and akin to
the popular TV serial, Game of Thrones, no one is safe from danger, even the
protagonists. The setting is dark and gritty, with the mangaka displaying time
and again how dire the situation is in the capital.
Politicians and military
officials are corrupt and the emperor is merely a figurehead, blindly following
whatever his uncle, the Prime Minister says. Each protagonist from Night Raid
has been affected by the corrupt government and their backstories are compelling,
explaining why they chose to ally themselves with the rebels.
Fight scenes
are intense and are never dull, with the mangaka managing to find the perfect length
for each altercation. On top of that, you’ll never know whether your favourite
character bites the dust or lives to fight another day. The reason behind is
that most fights involve two or more Teigu users.
Teigu refer to 48 treasures
that were crafted centuries before the story began and they’re so powerful that
when a fight between two Teigu users breaks out, one of them is bound to die. This
mechanic drives most of the pivotal fights but the rule is broken on more than
one occasion, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Although
the story is bleak and grim for the most part, the mangaka tries to weave in
humour, with varying degrees of effectiveness. A running joke and subplot that
eventually escalates to dangerous levels, involves enemy general Esdeath
falling in love with Tatsumi, the main character.
How the
members of Night Raid and the Jaegers (antagonist covert team) interact with
each other provide the bulk of the humour. These conversations serve another
purpose on top of creating a few chuckles, effectively fleshing out the
characters and letting you grow attached to them.
If you’ve a
short attention span or only have the time to check back on monthly manga
series, Akame Ga Kill is right up your alley. It only has 65 chapters right now
and is set to end in another 10-15.
Written by ET
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