Love of Kill

“Romance Has Never Been Weirder”

Any show that debuted in the winter of 2022 would compete with two of the biggest names in anime, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan. Things became even more convoluted after My Dress-Up Darling stole the show for several episodes. To stay relevant and not get lost in the dozens of titles that come out every three months or so, you had to bring something new—something extraordinary—to the table.

But even when you've got assassins, bounty hunters, and mafia at your beck and call, those aren’t going to be enough to take out even one of these titles, even more so if they are from the universe of Love of Kill. Given that the show's visual arts received all the budget, any viewer would have added it to their watch list had it not been for the bad anime. 

And the music was superb. Except for that, the 12-episode run delivers nothing but disappointment and bewilderment, as the show combines unresolved plot points, poorly written characters, and hurried animation to produce an experience that could be described as a PowerPoint presentation with a bunch of puppets. No matter how appealing the plot is, I promise you will stop watching the show after the first two episodes. Is not that a stretch? Okay, I will tell you why!

The Same and Yet so Different

Many people would deem assassins and bounty hunters to be opposites, beings of two different worlds who wouldn’t be able to blend in with each other no matter what. For others, both are killing, so it doesn’t make much of a difference. 

However, Ryang-ha Song and Chateau Dankworth—yes, that is her name—would give you more insight into the relationship that bounty hunters and assassins share. Chateau Dankworth is a bounty hunter who has never been overpowered in a fight, despite being a novice bounty hunter at best. What kind of people have you been fighting with, girl? That bold claim goes against what happens later in the show; however, that must be addressed later.

While on a mission, she comes face-to-face with Ryang-ha Song, a skilled assassin who wouldn’t think twice before hitting or killing a girl. I mean, he’s an assassin; what more would you expect? He’s a professional. During that mission, the two fight, and to no one’s surprise, Ryang-ha Song emerges victorious.

That marks the day the assassin takes quite a liking to the bounty hunter since Ryang-ha Song will find ways to run into the girl, forcing her to go out with him. Thus begins a story that shows how an assassin grovels, desecrating the image that assassins have built over the years by falling in love and simping while he’s sinking!

No Direction Whatever

A love story between a bounty hunter and an assassin is bound to have some exciting clients, the final boss at the end, and many ways to add spice to this love, right? Well, Love of Kill has none of that since apparently all of it went into making the key visuals of the anime!

The anime features new targets every other episode or so, which only ends up becoming how Ryang-ha Song runs into our not-so-beloved bounty hunter. The assassin keeps helping the greenhorn while forcing her to go out with him, which sometimes gets quite annoying. He’d throw himself at Chateau, sort out her clothes, and do her laundry, and even though he does nothing that’s a downright assault to the worst degree, he does stay true to his profession as an assassin since he’s as audacious and bold as it gets. 

He keeps firing his shot, but the girl always manages to silence him in the series. Paying attention to the missions is pointless because the targets are unimportant and have unremarkable names and faces. After all, these serve as the story's checkpoints to advance to the next level. Also, the first twelve episodes do not deliver nearly as much as the title promised because most are devoted to rehashing and blending the opening and ending themes.

Action That Would Make You Fall Asleep

Close-quarters combat and fast-paced action are the bread and butter of any assassin or bounty hunter show. But as far as Love is Kill is concerned, the studio just delivered the action at 0.25x speed since the action moves at the pace of a tortoise, to be honest. Do you know how great action titles feature combat that makes you miss vital stuff if you blink in the middle of the fight?

Well, Love of Kill ensures that it is not one of them since you continue to see the same gun or knife you saw three seconds ago after four or five blinks. That really takes away the soul of a show that’s centered on assassins, the mafia, and bounty hunters and gives us nothing but a failed romance in exchange that could qualify as harassment by most of the viewers watching. But who knows? Given how girls have weird tastes these days, some might end up loving the assassin in question!

Only Two Characters

Now, the show features many characters and new faces that add nothing to the series. The camera predominantly concentrates on one of the two individuals comprising this duo; furthermore, one character is rendered featureless despite being a foreigner who is peculiarly speaking Japanese. I am genuinely baffled as to why they would eliminate the sole character who had the potential to stand out.

On top of that, Ryang-ha Song is, to be perfectly honest, quite annoying at times. His attitude is the icing on the cake—as if his face were not already the most punchable thing in the world. Chateau, being a bounty hunter, is just there to take the most significant L's in the anime, so she does not exactly bring much personality to the table or make a good impression. Despite their character defects, both characters have much more to them than meets the eye, and their backstories make it clear. While avoiding any potential spoilers, I must say that that segment of the show is quite intriguing. 

The excellent music is the best part of the series for me. The opening theme is catchy, and I’ve gone back to listen to that song time and time again. I’m pretty sure you’ll end up doing the same as well.

If you look back, there are many assassins and bounty hunters that the anime and manga universe has brought forth. The first bounty hunter that everyone loves to no end, Spike Spiegel, is the number one pick, but even when comparing all of them with Chateau and Ryang-ha Song, I’m pretty sure the two don’t stand out much. The anime is reduced to nothing but the assassin going after the bounty hunter, not to kill but to love, and it gets repetitive after the third time.

I’d give it a 6/10 solely because of the music, but other than that, everything was hideous. Even the romance is not well executed, and the show is a slap in the face to all the bounty hunters and assassins the anime universe has provided. The fact that Platinum Vision, the same company that created Kono Oto Tomare, my all-time favorite show, produced Love of Kill, is another reason why I am so disappointed. I suppose that is the source of the lovely score used throughout the series. However, I remain a massive fan of the studio and am excited to see what the future holds for them.

Given that it is about a bounty hunter and an assassin having an illicit romance, I would not blame some of you for wanting to watch the anime. But do remember the things I’ve highlighted before diving in, because otherwise, you’re in for a surprise and a lot of wasted time, that’s for sure.

Please Like, Comment, Share or click one of the links below to read another post.

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/random-thoughts-because-mondays-suck

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/on-screen

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/flashbacks

Image links: (unlisted photos are personal screencaps) additional credit: Fe/Kodakowa