5 stars for this exciting and emotional journey.
Akame Ga Kill! Collection 1 comprises episodes 1 -12 of season 1. It is based on the Japanese Shonen Manga series, written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro.
It tells the story of Tatsumi, an idealistic young swordsman who sets off from his poverty stricken village with two of his friends, Sayo and Ieyasu, in hopes of reaching the Capital and making their fortune in order to help the village.
Separated along the way, Tatsumi arrives at the Capital full of wonder and excitement, but soon learns that rumours of the dark nature of the big city are quite true. Tricked out of his money, he finds himself on the street, until he is rescued by a strange wealthy benefactor.
Again, all is not as it seems, but in the nick of time he meets a group of local assassins, known as Night Raid. After saving him, they ask him to join them in their struggle against the corrupt Empire, the true reason behind the poverty in his village.
Along with his new found comrades, leader Najenda, Akame, Bulat, Mine, Sheele, Lubbock and Leone, they comtinue the battle to weed out corruption and pave the way for the coming of the ever growing revolutionary army.
Akame Ga Kill is beautifully written and it takes no time at all to become attached to the characters, just be aware, there will be tears, they are assassins after all. The fight sequences are brilliant, most of the characters are armed with Imperial Arms, ancient legendary weapons, each with unique characteristics which make for some quite stunning battles.
It all feels quite computer game based, in a good way, everyone strives to gain experience and “level up” which for a gamer makes the whole thing far more enjoyable.
This is a great series, very entertaining which will grace the collection of any anime fan. Well worth a watch!
“Akame…you’re in charge of training Tatsumi. If he gets in the way, you may kill him.”
Akame Ga Kill! is available to buy now on DVD, Blu-Ray and Collectors Edition Blu-Ray.