The premise of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s light novel All You Need is Kill might be one of the most brilliant concepts of the 21st century. Besides having one of the greatest titles of all time, his story about a soldier stuck in a time loop and forced to become a killing machine against alien invaders remains evergreen. This story speaks to a century where countries become embedded forever wars while the young people fighting become killers for pointless reasons.
Previously adapted for other mediums, the novel is now a visually sumptuous anime adaption from legendary animation Studio 4°C. This iteration adapts the source material even more loosely than the American version, Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. Gone is the gung ho militarism of the novel and previous adaptations. Instead, an alien plant known as “Darol” crashes in Japan and a work crew collects specimens for scientific research. The time resetting aliens play a long game instead of outright invasion.
This remains the story of an individual forced to live the same day over and over again. However, this version starts with Rita, the co-lead in other versions, as she goes from helpless worker to alien fighting badass. Eventually she meets the similarly affected Keiji, a quiet, nerdy fellow whose role in all of this becomes very clear.
What marks this as even different from its live action predecessor is the focus on how Rita and Keiji need one another. These two characters, brought to life by voice actors Ai Mikami (Rita) and Natsuki Hanae (Keiji), balance each other in ways where one can’t achieve victory on their own. There is no lone ultimate warrior. Neither character gets sidelined so one gets to be more heroic than the other. When the tough Rita learns Keiji shares her condition, she openly weeps. How their friendship blossoms truly feels unique to this adaptation.
Directors Ken’ichirô Akimoto and Yukinori Nakamura and their team of artists and animators wisely create a distinct look for the film. Gone is the bleak military hardware aesthetic of the novel’s artist Yoshitohi Abe, manga adaptation artist Takeshi Obata and the film Edge of Tomorrow. Here the mechanical designs for humanity favor curves and organic shapes. The jacket, the device that increases both Rita and Keiji’s strength as they take their fight to the aliens, appears more like a spacesuit with spring heels. Meanwhile the aliens become strange plant/animal hybrids that incorporate edges and points in their design that only highlight their otherworldly nature.
As expected from Studio 4°C, the animation throughout the film is excellent. There is a real weight to the movements often lacking in animation. Rita’s progress in mastering the jacket conveys how heavy it is to move in the thing while capturing how she masters it in each new iteration. Every time Rita gets killed, viewers can feel the impact of whatever hits her. The monsters attack and destroy with unnatural speed. Fights scenes just constantly move with the neither characters or camera ever staying still.
Maybe the most distinct element of All You Need is Kill are the colors, thanks to color designer Konoha Suzuki. Plumes of blue and purple fill every background to give the world a dream like quality. When the heroes enter the world affected by Darol, it all turns into rainbow hues. Jagged red streaks bolt streak out of Darol whenever time gets reset. Every frame is a marvel to behold.
There is a reason that Studio 4°C, the animation studio behind such diverse films as Mind Game, Children of the Sea, and the under seen Poupelle of Chimney Town, continues to be a powerhouse studio. All You Need is Kill adds to that legacy. It’s certainly the most visually dazzling adaptation of the Sakurazuka novel to date. Here’s to more films from this venerated studio.
All You Need is Kill is currently playing in theaters.
