girl with normal upbringing and goals from age five onward
fuck it analysis under the cut
nothing crazy here but i think we can recontextualize "ask not the sparrow how the eagle soars" in relation to her growing up too fast. the idea's that the sparrow (onlookers) shouldn't judge her for what she had to do to succeed to the extent she did. to stand a chance against ragyo she sacrificed basically her entire childhood and shouldered insane amounts of responsibility, fully expecting she might die in the process, spending every single second of her life and every relationship she formed working towards one singular goal. from the outside she just looks ruthless and powerful, like she was born that way (some of us are born eagles, some of us are born sparrows), but she made herself an eagle because she had no choice. (and there is a sense of superiority to it! it's very much pre-satsuki realizing she's not better than everyone else because of all the preparation and work and whatever else she's done to fulfill her ambition.)
how do you become an eagle? by killing the part of you that was born a sparrow.
All the discussion around episode 6 of Kill la Kill lately just got me thinking about how the ep is really one of the show’s best.
This bit, for example, is absolutely excellent.
There’s such a fantastic buildup. The phone rings, Soroi answers and immediately stutters upon realizing who’s on the other end, and when he coarsely whispers, “It is Mistress Ragyo,” you don’t even need to know Ragyo’s connection to Satsuki to understand that this caller is a big deal.
And the anime promptly confirms as much. Satsuki accepts the call, and wham. Viewers are presented with an extreme close-up of Ragyo’s mouth and an intimidating line: “What’s this I hear about you putting on your wedding dress?”
While the moment is only a few mere seconds long, so much is accomplished. Without anyone directly saying anything, the cinematography here clearly establishes Ragyo as a monumental player in Kill la Kill’s story. The use of the extreme close-up for her first onscreen appearance—and, most notably, the fact that viewers don’t even get a glimpse of her eyes, which are so often considered “the window to the soul”—both effectively shrouds Ragyo in a compelling mystery and communicates to the audience that this character is so crucial and game changing that she can’t even be fully revealed yet. Watching this tiny, tiny moment, viewers are encouraged to wonder about Ragyo and anticipate her future appearances.
But it’s not just the visual language of the scene that conveys the sheer power of Ragyo Kiryuin. The dialogue and sound also contribute; Ragyo’s opening line is rich with implications, and though “Blumenkranz” is played briefly in the series’ first episode, and has its instrumental accompaniment quietly in the background during the moments leading up to Ragyo’s reveal, it is only after Ragyo speaks that the audience finally hears the chorus of the song. Satsuki had been the “top dog” of the show up until this point, but with just one line, Ragyo asserts herself as being a step above. At any time, Ragyo can question Satsuki’s decisions, completely without warning. She has a kind of strength and influence that even Satsuki doesn’t, and the music only adds to Ragyo’s authority. “Blumenkranz” is big and bold and says, “This person should be paid attention to.”
And, of course, the visuals continue to wordlessly emphasize Ragyo’s significance. As “Blumenkranz” kicks in, the camera zooms out and out and out. Viewers see Ragyo’s back against a white window, and then see that the window is part of a large building, and then realize in the end that this building is a very large building indeed. Ragyo’s power stretches far and wide. The scope is seemingly greater than even Honnouji Academy.
The focus then shifts away from Ragyo, but Kill la Kill ain’t at all done with building the audience up yet. As the scene moves to the following day, viewers are met with quick, close-up shots of Uzu’s note to Ryuko, timed right to the beat of “Blumenkranz.” Uzu wants to duel, and we soon get to see his full request in an engaging low-angle shot where Ryuko looks up to this sign looming over her. The weight and gravity of the situation is effectively conveyed: the smooth transition from Ragyo to here, as well as the music and shot composition, let us know in no indirect terms that this fight isn’t something to be brushed off. Uzu’s duel is a big deal, and it’s very much connected to Ragyo’s expansive empire.
And the tension just keeps growing. Ryuko’s reaction to Uzu’s note is presented with a dramatic canted, high-angle shot. The camera—which is just slightly tilted—peers down at both Ryuko and the sign, communicating a sense of danger and unease. Viewers already know that the upcoming battle is important, but here, we also understand that it’s not going to be easy.
In the last moments of “Blumenkranz,” the anime skips ahead in time once more, moving to the gym right before Ryuko and Uzu begin their duel there. Establishing shots show that a huge crowd has formed to watch, which once more emphasizes that the match is highly important without saying anything at all.
But more than that, the choice to switch straight from Ryuko’s encounter with Uzu’s sign to this filled-up gym is simply good storytelling. We don’t go through Ryuko’s day. We don’t get to hear students whispering about the duel before it happens. We don’t get our time wasted.
Kill la Kill piques our interest and goes right into the action, saying everything we need to know with just a few shots. We understand that the students had to be talking about the fight and that Ryuko had to deal with this pressure on her all throughout her classes just by seeing this crowd. The storytelling here is simple, clear, effective, and so dang well done.
I think I’ve mentioned in the past that if someone were to watch any parts of Kill la Kill, they should watch episodes 5 and 6. It’s moments like this 45-second clip that really showcase why at least episode 6 is well worth the time. The villain introduction is fantastic, the buildup is so ridiculously compelling that a “meet me after school for an ass kicking” note feels grand and epic and powerful, and the storytelling is just plain good.
Satsuki meta anon here again, apologies, but I was reading some meta that you wrote surrounding Soichiro/Isshin and his relatively necessity to abandon both his daughters, and wanted to contribute my own thoughts on the matter, specifically around the matter of difference of the nature of how alone both of them are. You nailed it completely with Ryuko. Isshin left Ryuko alone, wounded by his severance of their closeness in her early years and making it nearly impossible to bond with others. But-
-my reading of Satsuki’s situation is one of equal isolation, if of a different kind. Soichiro introduced her to a world where she can’t even trust her own mother, usually one of the, if not the most, strongest bonds a child could have at that age. Coupled with the fact that she was likely taught early on that being a child of a family with the wealth and power meant that people would try and use her for a piece of that, and you have a recipe for a grieving child incapable of trust without major investments of time and effort and frankly, some testing.
Soroi is in the employ of the family, paid by the family to serve Satsuki. In the beginning, while she accepted his attempts to comfort her via tea and an introduction of one of her closest friends, its very likely that she didn’t trust him right away even if she desperately wanted to bc of how closely money could play a part in that kind of trust. Yes Soichiro asked Soroi to look after her, but is that something he could have easily conveyed to her at that junction and have her believe it? I think the trust they attained by the time Satsuki went to middle school was very hard earned on Soroi’s part.
When it comes to Nonon, the light novel confirms that she didn’t find Satsuki interesting until she was very deeply troubled, a change that Satsuki very likely noticed the difference in her interest beyond that of two children of powerful families associating together. They may have been friends since preschool, but arguably Satsuki did not trust her until Nonon followed her away from a school that suited Nonon’s tastes and into a rougher one. Iori likely suffered from being placed in a similar boat as Soroi, not to be trusted for the sake of his uncle’s employment until proof otherwise (obviously earned as well, considering just how central Iori was to her plans and inner circle).
While Ryuko was utterly alone because of a broken ability to bond from separation anxiety turned to abandonment issues, Satsuki found herself alone among others who might very well sell her out for power or money, regardless of their true intentions. Both are very isolating situations. And I’d argue that trusting people with plans and secrets and perhaps your life are markedly different than fully entrusting your heart to them, which has been played up by the anime as a large difference between Ryuko and Satsuki. Where Ryuko opens her heart to Mako and Senketsu, Satsuki’s heart remains closed still until far later.
In fact, because of this, Ragyo saying ‘give your heart over to me’ (Netflix subs, I think I’ve seen it translated as ‘entrust your heart to me’ as well) has always stood out to me as understanding Satsuki doesn’t trust like that, which is what separates her from Nui and Rei.
Apologies for the length of this, and that I keep doing this your inbox, but this interpretation has been sitting inside of me since 2014.
Oh my goodness, Anon!
I hope this doesn’t come off wrong, but I think you really ought to be posting these analyses under your own name. You deserve credit for your excellent work! As much as I’m thrilled that someone would want to discuss these topics at such length with me—seriously, you do not have to apologize at all for engaging with my content so much because that is literally my goal—I feel that you should also be getting recognition for what you do. I know how much time and effort goes into writing stuff like this.
Of course, I do understand that there are valid reasons to wish to be anonymous. I just want to say that these are good, detailed posts that could stand very well on their own, without any input from me.
Regarding my input here, these asks remind me of a line from “KILL la KILL Digest -Naked Memories by Aikuro Mikisugi-,” a quick recap “episode” that was included as a DVD/Blu-ray extra. Narrated by Aikuro, the short briefly explains the entire plot of Kill la Kill and then sets up the OVA with its final lines: “As for Satsuki Kiryuin, who led such an intense life ever since she could remember, totally alone… What kind of clothes will she choose to wear from now on? That’s the one thing that intrigues me.”
As you might expect, I always disagreed with the sentiment of Satsuki being “totally alone.” In the tags of one post, I even wrote, in response, “Nah man you’re thinking of Ryuko” and, “Satsuki had Soroi and Shiro and her Elite Four.” As I argued in the essay that you’re probably referring to, Isshin/Soichiro left Ryuko alone—and drj2008 even opened me up to the idea that he perhaps very purposely created and utilized Ryuko’s loneliness so that she would be so desperate for love that she’d bond more easily with Senketsu—but Isshin/Soichiro did at least assure that Satsuki would always have someone by her side when he told Soroi to look after her.
And I think that’s the key point of difference here. I’d never before considered that Soroi would need to gain Satsuki’s trust because I assumed he had it from the very start. My interpretation was that Soroi had to be a dear, close friend of Soichiro for Soichiro to ever ask him to look after Satsuki, and Satsuki—who adored her father, arguably to a troubling degree—wouldn’t question her father’s judgment. From the moment Soroi and Satsuki met, I believed that she would know, just by understanding Soroi’s relation to her father, that Soroi was someone to be trusted.
But I see now that my reading makes a lot of assumptions. Who knows when exactly Soroi told Satsuki that Soichiro had asked him to look after her? Satsuki might have been informed that Soroi was her father’s choice in some way (which is… actually quite curious, honestly), and Soroi might have told her that he knew everything early on, but you’re right—we don’t really know. I think your reading is very fair.
Concerning Nonon, I agree completely. I found Nonon’s part in the light novel to be absolutely tragic. Talking about the story, I once said, “It just shows how Satsuki did not trust Nonon at all.” Nonon was head-over-heels infatuated with Satsuki, but Satsuki didn’t even bother to tell Nonon when she was moving schools. That’s the exact opposite of trust.
I swear I don’t normally talk about my fanfiction in my essays as much as I have been in these responses, but I explored Satsuki and Nonon’s dynamic in a short Satsunon Roman Empire AU. In my piece, Nonon learns that Satsuki is going away by hearing some chatter, and to prove to Satsuki that she’s worth trusting, she runs to Satsuki before Satsuki leaves, declaring that she’s coming with no matter what. At the end of the fic—and this is the relevant part here—Satsuki meets with Nonon again after the world has been saved, and Satsuki finally opens her heart up, noting that she wants Nonon by her side, as a friend and equal, and she’s done with being treated as a goddess to be worshipped.
And I think that’s a big thing you’re touching on here, Anon. Satsuki may have had all these people around her, but many of them considered her to be something more than human. And that is lonely. It’s difficult to reveal your insecurities and doubts and fears to someone who sees you as a god. After all, they’re probably not going to listen; they think you’re “above” all that. Satsuki was very much isolated, just like Ryuko.
However, I still disagree with Aikuro’s assertion that Satsuki was “totally alone,” mainly due to Soroi. Regardless of how long Satsuki took to open up to Soroi, I think she most certainly had trusted him with her heart at least by the events of the series. The moment where the two converse about Soroi’s tea in episode 17 is probably the most telling example within the show itself; Satsuki smiles genuinely for Soroi and even reveals her hidden emotions, readily admitting that she may have been more compassionate in the past.
I can’t definitively say how much Satsuki let Shiro or the Elite Four in, but Soroi? There is complete and total trust here. And while I dislike comparing Soroi to Senketsu because I feel this too easily lends itself to the interpretation that Senketsu is a father figure to Ryuko (which is my absolute least favorite reading of Kill la Kill and one that I consider to be a complete and total misreading of the text #PleaseStopSenketsuIsRyuko’sDadTheories2k19), I do have to admit that Soroi is, for the majority of the anime, the one person whom Satsuki seems to truly be herself with, just as Senketsu is for Ryuko.
Concerning the episode 17 scene mentioned above, I think it’s also pretty telling that Satsuki’s moment with Soroi occurs just after an intimate conversation between Ryuko and Senketsu that the script even emphasizes as a heart-to-heart that Ryuko deliberately wanted to have with Senketsu and Senketsu alone. Sure, I’ve argued in the past that the real connection between the scenes comes from Ryuko’s later chat with Aikuro and the fact that both Aikuro and Satsuki are discussing Soichiro/Isshin, but it’s also true that both Ryuko and Satsuki have very vulnerable, humanizing moments here. Soroi knows Satsuki’s heart, and she reveals it to him, just as Ryuko (quite literally!) shares her heart with Senketsu.
Of course, I think it’s clear that Ryuko’s relationship with Senketsu is one among peers while Soroi takes on a fatherly role for Satsuki in the place of Soichiro, but Soroi is still someone whom Satsuki trusts with her whole heart and soul. As pointed out, it may very well be true that Satsuki didn’t have that kind of trust in Soroi immediately, but I figure it can’t have taken too terribly long for the relationship between them to become close. After all, as noted in the aforementioned episode 17 scene, even young Satsuki smiled for Soroi when she had stopped smiling at school. Satsuki wasn’t being genuine, yes, but she was still breaking her hard guise for Soroi, and 18-year-old Satsuki is even surprised that she wasn’t honest back then, implying that she feels they’ve been as close as they are since practically the beginning.
I know this got terribly long, but I don’t at all disagree that Satsuki had also been subjected to an isolating situation. It is lonesome to feel, as outlined in an early advertisement introducing Satsuki’s character, that “humans are clothes-wearing pigs” whom she must “dominate,” “rule over,” and “destroy,” all while “relying on no one.” It is awful to believe that you have to do everything all alone, without sharing your true self with anyone.
And it’s sad, too! Satsuki’s struggles to truly trust others lead her to inadvertently hurt the people she cares about, and there’s something especially tragic about how Satsuki used and manipulated her own sister—whom Satsuki was fighting for all along!—rather than tell the girl the truth and trust her. As I’ve written in the past, “While Satsuki is not truly against Ryuko, her plan prevents them from being close. The thought of Satsuki fills Ryuko with hatred… when they could have been allies and friends. Satsuki’s tired, sad frown as Ryuko returns to normal [after going berserk in episode 12], juxtaposed with the Mankanshoku family’s shock and Nui’s bemusement, does well in hinting that maybe Satsuki wishes she had Mako’s power herself… and she’s sorry that she doesn’t.”
But more than all this, even Ryuko points out how alone Satsuki is after fighting Satsuki to a draw in episode 15. Ryuko only gets as far as she does by putting her complete and utter faith in Senketsu—and notably here, she follows through with his strategy even without knowing exactly what he intends to do—and she recognizes that Satsuki… doesn’t bond like that.
In pushing a point like this, I think the show definitely wants viewers to notice that Satsuki is stuck in a hard, isolating situation where she feels she can’t entrust her heart to anyone.
But I think the show also wants viewers to notice that Satsuki is more than capable of loving and trusting in the same way that Ryuko does. Ryuko doesn’t have a clue about someone like Soroi when she accuses Satsuki of being by herself, and as I’ve emphasized all throughout this monster of a post, I wholeheartedly believe that at least Soroi had fully earned Satsuki’s trust, even if it took a moment. Satsuki just about always had someone she felt safe with, whereas Ryuko… lost all that when her father abandoned her and didn’t find it again until she met the Mankanshokus and Senketsu. There’s a reason that one of Ryuko’s defining features is her loneliness, pointed out in her character introduction with the line, “Ever since I could remember, I was alone,” in her (and Senketsu’s) theme song “Before my body is dry” with lines like, “But I’m all alone,” and, “Don’t wanna be all alone,” in her fantasy world in episodes 20-21, and even by the cast, such as when the Mankanshokus note that Ryuko has to be super lonely to talk to her clothes or when even Ragyo tells Satsuki to go join her “lonely little sister” in death.
Ryuko gets a lot of heat for not being as strong as Satsuki upon learning her true origins, but I argue that you can’t really blame her. Even if Satsuki closed off her heart to most people, she undoubtedly grew up with a support system that Ryuko did not have until practically adulthood. Satsuki manages to keep her head up and carry on not only because of her immeasurable resolve and ambition, but also because she has a lifetime of love and support. Satsuki is not as alone as Ryuko claims (and I’d really like the Satsuki-centric Kill la Kill the Game: IF to elaborate on Ryuko understanding as much), and I feel that Soroi is genuinely an unsung hero of Kill la Kill. Could Satsuki have been nearly as strong without his influence?
I guess this is maybe a bit off topic, though.
In any case, I definitely agree that Satsuki struggled to open her heart to others, and I definitely agree that this is a hard, sad, awful place to be in. Part of what makes Satsuki’s team-up with Senketsu near the end of the series so sweet to me is that it is here that Satsuki really begins to open up. She doesn’t look down on Senketsu, she acknowledges his feelings, and in a cut moment from the script, she even outright tells him to wear her, thereby fully and completely trusting him to work with her and save Ryuko. Senketsu noting that his and Satsuki’s “hearts are as one” in episode 21 is one of the most heartwarming things in the entire anime when you consider everything that Satsuki has gone through. She’s been afraid to trust and afraid to show her true self to anyone, and yet… to save her sister, she opens up her heart to someone she had once considered evil and incapable of love.
And after this? Satsuki, despite saying in her introduction that she will be “bowing down to no one,” bows down to Ryuko.
And she smiles openly.
She laughs.
Satsuki was absolutely stuck in this lonesome, isolating position. But just like Ryuko, she gets out of it—and just like Ryuko, it’s so incredibly, incredibly sweet that she does.
You know, I really don’t mind directing folks to essays I’ve already written ‘cause this helps bring more attention to old posts I like and such, but at the same time...
I put a lot into maintaining my meta pages, and my Kill la Kill pages in particular are my pride and joy.
Like, they’re meticulously organized! I got fourteen whole sections worked out so that anyone can easily find the kinda content they’re interested in.
Wanna read about symbolism in the show? I’ve pooled together everything I’ve got on the subject!
Love character analyses? Well, I got a space for that on my meta page, too!
I even got a whole ‘nother page devoted to organizing essays by character rather than my fourteen categories! So, if you really wanna read more stuff about Satsuki, for example, it’s super easy to do so!
(So long as you’re not on mobile, unfortunately.)
And this is all just scratching the surface! I’ve also got an entire page devoted to discussing specific moments in the series, and there are even handy-dandy little sections for non-episode moments (like the Drama CDs) and for analyses focused on the changes Kill la Kill went through in its production process.
I even have a tiny section right now for the upcoming Kill la Kill game (that I can guarantee you will grow a lot this year!)
And because I know it’s a “love-it-or-hate-it” kinda thing, I keep my Piping Hot Discourse all separated out on its own page (so that you can either avoid it completely or dig right in, depending):
And, really, there’s so much more.
I know these pages aren’t the most accessible if you’re on mobile, but you can just search for “meta update” on my blog and should be able to find them!
tl;dr I’ve been working on another compiled meta book for Kill la Kill, and it will be all nice and cleaned up and such, but practically all of the content is already easily available if you love Kill la Kill discussion and analysis!
in a way ragyo's like a twisted version of prometheus, trying to enlighten all of (lowly, separated from her) humanity with a gift (life fibers), and satsuki's the eagle ripping her liver out. punishment's meted out by the universe or fate or whatever. i dunno. something something ask not the sparrow how the eagle soars
who's ryuko in this situation? good question! prolly another eagle
Also, Mako Mankanshoku is honestly the biggest Ryuketsu shipper in the universe.
Sure there’s this whole thing in episode 17 where Mako just goes and shows off her shipping goggles hecka hard when she spouts out a whole heap of pro-clothes-romance sentiments and outright declares Senketsu to be Ryuko’s “one true love,” but what really gives Mako her title of Ryuketsu Queen actually comes in the finale.
Nui: But it’s no use! Humans are slaves to clothes!
I mean, just imagine this. You’re fighting a battle whose outcome will literally decide whether or not your entire planet explodes into a billion pieces in like two hours. It’s not only your life on the line. Everyone you care about have their lives on the line, too.
To make matters worse, it ain’t going well for your side. You’ve been rendered basically immobile by a cheap attack from these world-destroying baddies... and so have all your allies. Things are looking pretty grim, to say the least.
And then one of your big-name enemies goes and does it. She laughs at your efforts and taunts you and---get this---she says something that totally insults your OTP.
Now, a normal person would probably not be thinking about OTPs during a fight to save the Earth from turning into confetti.
A normal person is not Mako Mankanshoku.
Nui: But it’s no use! Humans are slaves to clothes! That relationship will never change!
Mako Mankanshoku hears this ship hate and her eyes snap wide open. She goes from flailing to fierce in a millisecond. She wills herself to move in an act of utter badassery that says “Screw you!” to the immobilizing Absolute Submission crap she’d been hit with.
Which is really not something to make light of!
Nui: You must have superhuman strength to be able to move in the Absolute Submission field!
Nui says it loud and clear: what Mako does is absolutely superhuman.
All for her OTP.
And she’s not just a legend for doing the impossible in the name of her favorite ship. Mako Mankanshoku is a legend for the mind-numbing overload of impossible that she manages to cram into like 30 seconds.
‘Cause Mako doesn’t just stand up for her OTP here. She doesn’t just climb slowly up some stairs like Ira Gamagoori. No, she gets up on her feet, throws herself directly in front of the very same Nui Harime who had nearly killed her just the day before, and she tosses her hands into the air as she makes the world her stage, dancing and preaching to the heavens...
All for her OTP.
Mako: That’s not true! That isn’t true at all! I mean, with Ryuko and Senketsu, neither one of them is the boss! They have a lovely partnership between human and clothing!
Mako Mankanshoku can take a moment where she and the entire human race seem completely, utterly doomed and still find a way to stand up for love without fear. She can say, “Well, if we’re going down, I should go down fighting for what I believe in!”
Mako Mankanshoku is the ultimate Ryuketsu fan. Fandom shippers can’t even hope to get on Mako Mankanshoku’s level.
Rebloggable list of Kill la Kill meta under the cut.
Some notes:
For additional meta, there is also the analysis page on my (archived) side blog. An FAQ is here.
This list is categorized into fourteen different sections: Character Analysis/Commentary, Character Relationships, Comparisons to Other Media, Design Choices and Symbolism, English Dub, Game, General Commentary, Manga, Merchandise, OST, OVA, Specific Moments, Technical Questions, and The Discourse.
Unfortunately, due to Tumblr’s limit of 250 hyperlinks per page, the Character Analysis/Commentary section, as well as the Character Relationships section, the Specific Moments section, the Technical Questions section, and The Discourse section, have separate, individual lists. The Ryuko and Senketsu portion of the Character Relationships section has a separate list as well.
My main writing for the series has been focused on Ryuko and Senketsu. To find specific posts for specific characters, please see the By Character page, where posts are organized by character rather than broad categories.
Any post with a number in parenthesis beside it has been included on that page number in my (free!) Compiled Meta Book, NOTHING BUT KILL LA KILL ESSAYS, which features 80+ essays on the series across over 350 pages. If there is also a ✦ beside the number, the post has been significantly rewritten or added to for the meta book, and I would recommend reading the book version instead.
A ☂ beside a post is a warning for High Salt Content. That post is probably very negative. Proceed with caution!
I encourage disagreements and discussions! (You can even be rude, though I encourage that a little less.)
This list is only updated periodically. Check out the ramblings tag for the most recent content.
If I've linked a response of mine to an ask/post/etc. of yours that you don't want on this list, please let me know, and I will remove it immediately.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY
See here
CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS
See here
COMPARISONS TO OTHER MEDIA
“Cradled in Love,” from Poets of the Fall (33)
DARLING in the FRANXX: Favorite Moment from Kill la Kill and DARLING in the FRANXX?
“Enchanted,” from Taylor Swift (37)
FLCL: Lemon Pop and Raw Lemon
Gurren Lagann, Re: Cutie Honey: Kill la Kill Ending Salt ☂
Princess Tutu/Kill la Kill Ending Comparison (41)
Promare: What Kumoricon’s Promare Panel Told Me About Kill la Kill
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Exact Opposite of Kill la Kill? ☂
Re: Cutie Honey: “Your father loved you without a doubt.”
Space Patrol Luluco and Kill la Kill Crossover Idea
Space Patrol Luluco Episode 7
Space Patrol Luluco's Finale vs. Kill la Kill's Finale ☂
Steven Universe Gem Fusion and Life Fiber Synchronization (43)
Steven Universe: Ryuko and Amethyst Parallels (45)
“Stronger Than You,” from Steven Universe
Sukeban Deka (317)
The Shape of Water: Elisa/The Asset and Ryuko/Senketsu Similarities
Venom: A Live-Action Kill la Kill
DESIGN CHOICES AND SYMBOLISM
Are Flashes of Red Light Associated with Kamui?
Berserk Form Design, Glad the Berserk Form Never Showed Up Again
Character Designs in Kill la Kill
Cherry Blossom Symbolism, With GIFs (50)
Early Design for Synchronized Senketsu: Holding Ryuko’s Hands, Further Analysis (313), Even More
Evil Eyeshadow (309)
Please note: Yes, this trope certainly has some Unfortunate Implications.
Final Volume Cover Art (54)
Framing Differences: Episode 5 vs. Episode 13
J.J. Abrams's Style Lighting, More
Junketsu’s Design: Why is it Different for Satsuki, Ragyo, and Ryuko? (58)
Junketsu-Shinzui (61)
Honnouji Academy’s Toilets (3-sentence Ask)
Kamui Coverage
Kill la Kill and Symbolism
Kill la Kill and the Red String of Fate (66)
Kill la Kill’s Visual Presentation
Life Fiber Synchronization: Human-Clothing Unity
“Ocean of Light”
Personalized Bowls
Ryuko and Scarves (76), Ryuko’s Red Scarf: Sushio’s 2016 Fall Fanart
Ryuko's Altered Memory
Ryuko’s Motorcycles (79)
Additional Commentary: It’s come to my attention that Ryuko’s second bike may be a reference to Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. In SUSHIO CLUB LOVE LOVE KLKL, there’s an image based off an Akira film poster featuring this bike.
Senketsu and Daruma
Senketsu and Oni (And Why You Should Include Senketsu in Your AUs) (82)
Additional Commentary: I’ve also heard it mentioned that some of Senketsu’s early transformed designs resemble traditional oni. Additionally, Sushio stated at Trigger’s 2014 Anime Expo panel that early Kamui designs looked like Devilman.
Symbolic and Narrative Use of Fire, Warmth, and Heat in Kill la Kill
Wedding Symbolism
Why Does Houka Cover His Mouth with Clothing?
Why Does Satsuki’s Transformation Sequence Have Confetti?
Why is Kill la Kill called Kill la Kill?
Why Does Ryuko Eat a Lemon?
Why Does Senketsu Have an Eyepatch? (85), Eyepatch as a Counterpoint to Purity (88)
ENGLISH DUB
David Vincent as Senketsu, More (237)
Dub Response, More
“Senketsu” Pronunciation, More
Volume 4 English Release (107)
Script
“You said you wanted blood. You getting full now?” (Episode 2) (96)
“Oh my God, would you quit analyzing me?” (Episode 5) (98)
Ryuko Calls Senketsu Her Friend (Episode 5) (101)
Ryuko Confides in Senketsu (Episode 13) (104)
Ryuko Tears Off Junketsu (Episode 21)
“I don’t know what it’s called, but Mako and Senketsu are more than friends!” (Episode 22) (113), Gifset Comparison (111)
“But… since you guys were so close, I wanted to make sure you were doing all right.” (Episode 25)
GAME
Can I Hope For an Ending Where Senketsu Doesn’t Die? (Speculation), More
Do You Like That the Game is Focused on Satsuki? (And How Canon is the Game to the Anime?)
First Story Mission Gameplay Reaction
Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Satsuki Episodes 1-4)
Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Satsuki Episodes 5-8)
Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Satsuki Episodes 9-10)
Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Ryuko Episodes 1-4)
Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Ryuko Episodes 5-8)
Junketsu’s Role in the Game? (Speculation)
Junketsu-Shinzui's Powers, Coloring (Speculation)
Localization: “That’s one for us… Ryuko!”
Made with Love
“Quick” Ending Thoughts
Ryuko: OOC in Regards to Killing?
Ryuko Story Mode Thoughts (Speculation)
Shiro as the Tutorial Person (Speculation)
Story Speculation
GENERAL COMMENTARY
Could Kill la Kill Work as a Kids’ Show?, More
Ending Salt: Why Kill la Kill’s Ending is Disappointing ☂, More ☂
“Fate, Freedom and Fabric: An Analysis of Kill la Kill”: Response
First Half Better Than the Second Half?
Full-Series Podcast: 10 in the Chamber
I Don’t “Get” Kill la Kill
I Got Something Totally Different Out of Kill la Kill
Including Senketsu in Fanfiction: Post-Series Possibilities, AUs (82)
Life Fibers: Contradictory Messaging, Even Without Considering Potential Allegory
Kill la Kill: A Magical Girl Series?
Kill la Kill Does Not Have a Happy Ending.
Kill la Kill Prequel Proposal: Focused on Kinue Kinagase, Kinue-Raises-Ryuko Headcanon, More, Even More
Reforming Honnouji Academy?
“The clothes aren’t even frosting. They’re sprinkles.”
The Erasure of Senketsu's Story ☂
MANGA
Kill la Kill Manga Volume 3, Chapters 8-17: Thoughts and Impressions
Kill la Kill Manga Volume 3: Translation Notes, Anime Differences
Kill la Kill Manga Volume 3: Worth it?
Kill la Kill Manga Chapter 2: Ryuko Rubbing Her Face on Senketsu, More
Kill la Kill Manga Chapter 7
Kill la Kill Manga Chapter 9: "Senketsu would never betray me...."
Manga Differences
MERCHANDISE
Garage Kit: “Ryuko Matoi and Kamui Senketsu Life Fiber Synchronize Lovey-Dovey”
Febri Volume 21: Toshihiko Seki Interview
Final Cover Design: Life Fiber Synchronization Hug?
Final Volume Cover Art (54)
Kamui Bansho: “Ryuko Matoi and Senketsu’s Passionate Partnership”
Miku Sawai’s “Kimi ni Dake I Love You”
Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin Perfume
Senketsu’s Date with Ryuko, No デート Anything?
Sushio’s Drafted Final Cover Design
Talking About Composite, The Complete Script Book, The Art of KLK Volume 3
The Complete Script Book Tag
OST
“Before my body is dry,“ Part II (118)
"Before my body is dry" Fan Lyrics
“Before my body is dry” Rap, The Rap is Good, Actually
“Before my body is dry” Unreleased Music Box Arrangement (121)
“Blumenkranz” Analysis, Part II (123)
Ending Themes: “Sorry, I Can’t Be a Good Child” and “New World Symphony”
"Kiっ9=KELL"
“Light your heart up”
“Sirius”
“Suck your blood” (127)
“Till I Die” (132)
“Till I Die”: “And smile me with starry eyes”
“Till I Die”: Mica Caldito Cover
OVA
Cherry Blossom Symbolism (50)
Hallelujah Breakdown, Pair Look: “Matching Clothing Worn By Couples”
How Come Mako Could Power Honnouji Academy? (135)
“I’d never be able to face Senketsu.”
“Outgrowing Sailor Uniforms” ☂, The "Outgrowing Sailor Uniforms" Metaphor is Hurtful ☂
OVA Ending Scene (146) ☂, With GIFs, Further Writing (151) ☂
