Akame ga Kill! (Episode 21) – Kill the Despair
Tatsumi has been captured and faces public execution. Esdeath offers Tatsumi a lifeline, join her and she will forgive him, she wants him with her always and nothing more. How will Tatsumi react while staring death in the face?
What did you watch?
This is episode 21 of Akame ga Kill and things are about to get crazy! In the last episode, Tatsumi and Lubbock attempted to sneak into the palace and assassinate Minister Honest, but they were stopped by Syura and Great General Budo. Lubbock killed Syura but also lost his life, while Tatsumi was defeated by Budo and now faces death by public execution. Will Night Raid try to save him? Can they? Well, let’s find out and don’t forget, there will be spoilers.
What happened?
Mine was about to head out to save Tatsumi on her own when Akame confronted her. She refused to back down, but surprisingly Akame said she was coming too. Then Leone spoke up from the shadows declaring that she was coming, before calling to Najenda who agreed and called an emergency meeting to come up with a plan.
Meanwhile, Esdeath went down to the cells to speak to Tatsumi. She admitted that she was furious and was planning on killing him there and then, but when she saw him the idea vanished. Instead, she offered him the chance to join her and be by her side. Tatsumi refused, saying that he would rather die for his beliefs. Esdeath slashed through the bars and stepped inside. She hugged him and told him that she would be the one to execute him. Then, she would see if his resolve was true.
At the execution, Mine showed up and fired a shot at Esdeath. Then, Najenda and the others flew overhead on the giant Danger Beast which General Budo brought crashing to the ground with his Imperial Arms. Leone helped Mine fight Budo, while Najenda and Susanoo took on Esdeath. Akame, however, had gone a different way and was searching for Tatsumi’s Imperial Arms. Najenda was forced to use Susanoo’s trump card twice, just to keep up with Esdeath, but Mine managed to kill Budo with a massive blast from Pumpkin.
Susanoo sacrificed himself to allow the others to escape, holding Esdeath back. On the way back, Tatsumi raced on with Mine in his arms, desperate to save her, but she told him to put her down. They stopped and spoke. Tatsumi began to cry as Mine berated him one last time, before telling him that she loved him. They kissed and when it was over, Mine died.
What did you think?
This episode was excellent. Not only did we get some insane fights, but we saw more of the Tatsumi and Esdeath dynamic. I knew she’d forgive him and want to turn him to her side even more, but I also knew she would be willing to kill him also. She is a complicated lady, but she is also very true to herself. So, the fights! Well, if that doesn’t get the heart pumping, I don’t know what will. The music was banging and the attacks just got bigger and bigger. I loved the shot of Pumpkin’s attack splitting the clouds over the Capital.
What was your favourite moment?
It’s really hard to choose between the two main fights. Esdeath versus Susanoo was excellent and I loved how Esdeath acknowledged him as a warrior. Her trump card is insane and utterly terrifying. It’s a good job she can only use it for a short period of time, else she would be impossible to beat. That said, I think the fight between Budo and Mine just takes the lead thanks to the insane attacks and the sacrifices being made. Things went a little different in the manga, so check out my recent reviews, where I really discussed those changes.
What was your least favourite moment?
I’m not quite sure why Tatsumi was running with Mine when they had been on the back of a Danger Beast, which was surely moving faster. Either way, it was a sad moment and I think it’s even sadder knowing that Mine probably took the damage before she landed her final blow on Budo. She gave it everything she had and won. It marked a complete turnaround of her character from when she said that it would be stupid to try to rescue Tatsumi when Esdeath took him the first time. Akame also noticed, but it’s great when a character changes and grows through a series and the difference is noticeable and believable.
Who was your favourite character?
Again, it’s hard to choose between Mine and Susanoo. Mine gave everything for the one she loved and got to tell him, but only moments before she passed away. It was tragic and heartbreaking, especially since they’ve really grown together over the second half of the series. Susanoo was a later addition to the group and even though he was a weapon, he provided some great moments and his heartfelt thanks to the others as he bought them time to escape was touching. I think both of these characters excelled in this episode and it was sad to see their journeys end.
Who was your least favourite character?
The Emperor is so completely and utterly annoying with his ‘Did we do well, Minister?’. I would like to see how the earlier Emperor’s would have reacted to this little twerp being so soundly manipulated by Honest. I don’t like Honest either, but at least he has some sort of personality.
What have you learnt?
I love writing fight scenes. There’s a lot of thought that goes into the moves and positions of the fighters, not to mention making sure that they remain consistent. So, doing that with two concurrent fights was awesome. Not to mention that Akame was running around doing her own thing too. I think it was a great way to be able to jump to all the best bits of the fights without getting too bogged down in the less glamorous parts. It’s definitely something I will look to include somewhere along the line with my series. Anything to make the fights more entertaining is all right by me. Now, if I can just find a way to make a banging music track play in people’s heads as they read!
Other posts in the series
Anime
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Kill the Darkness
- Episode 2 – Kill the Authority
- Episode 3 – Kill Your Cares
- Episode 4 – Kill the Imperial Arms User
- Episode 5 – Kill the Empty Dream
- Episode 6 – Kill the Absolute Justice
- Episode 7 – Kill the Three Beasts – Part One
- Episode 8 – Kill the Three Beasts – Part Two
- Episode 9 – Kill the Lust for Combat
- Episode 10 – Kill the Seduction
- Episode 11 – Kill the Mad Scientist
- Episode 12 – Kill the New Recruits
- Episode 13 – Kill the Hindrance
- Episode 14 – Kill the Giant Dangerous Beast
- Episode 15 – Kill the Religion
- Episode 16 – Kill the Dolls
- Episode 17 – Kill the Curse
- Episode 18 – Kill the Demons
- Episode 19 – Kill the Fate
- Episode 20 – Kill the Pandemonium
- Episode 21 – Kill the Despair
- Episode 22 – Kill the Little Sister
- Episode 23 – Kill the Emperor
- Episode 24 – Akame ga Kill!
Manga
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
- Volume 3
- Volume 4
- Volume 5
- Volume 6
- Volume 7
- Volume 8
- Volume 9
- Volume 10
- Volume 11
- Volume 12
- Volume 13
- Volume 14
- Volume 15
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I definately forgot that Mine died in the anime. Something about the manga, Tatsumi being a dragon, and them having kids made me laugh out loud. I was struggling to believe all that.
But now that you mention it I liked Mine’s death more in the anime than her relationship with Tatsumi in the manga. Minor nitpick though, overall I liked the manga experience better.
Agreed, the overall manga story is stronger and more detailed, but there are aspects from the anime that I think worked better.
It’s one of those cases where I’d completely justify watching and reading both to get a full view on the potential of the story and how it was tackled differently.
I feel like if they’d adapted the manga completely but still kept Mine and Tatsumi dying in the end it would have been the best story possible.