KILL LA KILL #23 is Another Hot Mess

Only the combined might of both Scissor Blades can ever permanently sever life fibers!

That’s a hard-fought breakthrough, which Satsuki and Ryuko only learn when they finally cut the Grand Courtier’s arms off!

Oh… wait.

Raygo’s immediately able to reattach those limbs? Again? Oh, and she’s fatally impaled Ryuko? Again?

The show can’t keep its own rules straight, not within even a few minutes of establishing them.

== TEASER ==

Am I being too serious about KILL LA KILL? Should I go easy on a show that’s supposed to be as free wheelin’ and loose as a LOONY TOONS sketch? Nah. I don’t think the “it’s all a joke!” card can be played, anymore. Not after the fifteenth philosobabble monologue attempting to say there’s actually some coherent statement about clothing, or whatever, beneath all the lunacy. The show becomes unsuccessfully-executed drama after that point.

(LOONY TOONS skits don’t run over seven hours long, either).

KILL LA KILL tries to have its cake and eat it, too. It wants to get the dramatic impact of killing its leads, or of them defeating the bad guys, or of the Elite Four coming to the rescue at the last moment... without actually having to pay the due diligence of less-exciting storytelling moments. You know, like dealing with the set-up or repercussions of any of that.

This is demonstrated pretty much every time that heroic fanfare gets cued. It’s a button that’s only supposed to be pushed sparingly, when the moment is right. Instead, the show keeps pushing it, for unearned audience pops, because it’s run out of tricks.

OK… I was impressed with all the imagination unleashed in this outing. Round #37 between Ryuko and Raygo was a jaw-dropping splash of color and flash. Seeing all the old, evil club captains come back to form an army was a staggering sight. That goes without saying. So it’s probably worth clarifying, at this point, that I would’ve rather flipped through a Studio Trigger concept art book than sat through all this repetitive plotting.

Watch, "Imitation Gold" and decide for yourself, then read my comments about the previous episode.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk