When there is clear evidence a show featuring hybrids and talking cockroaches cannot be taken seriously, anime decided to turn Randall’s honey badger video into a hybrid battle royale and expect it to not be taken seriously.
Aaaaand this is Killing Bites, an anime about hybrids killing each other amid an economic war that borders on being hentai.
Oops, I mean…
Let’s say this anime is for veterans and feminists are probably not going to like it that much.
The problem with KB is not that its bad. Sure it’s full of half-naked-half-animal girls fanservice and a classic fight for the winner plot. But, the problem lies in that it targets a niche audience. By niche, I mean very niche.
KB has some of the weirdest lines I’ve read, but when it gets to action mode, the fights are really well-choreographed. There is the tension in there and there’s an urge to keep going to see who wins. KB’s unpredictability is one of its charms. Probably.
As for characters…there are some good and nasty ones. For those who say KB is sexist and objectifies females, I’d say it goes both ways. KB is also sexist against men in that many of the men depicted in the series fall into the category of sex predator, power hungry bastards, completely useless noobs, or just wrong in the head in general. There are ones like Tiger and Hippo that could be excluded from these. As for women…well every (save for like, two) have been involved in some kind of fanservice, but most of them are depicted as strong people able to hold their own ground. KB and sexism depends on which side you’re looking from.
One character that is surprisingly good is Nomoto, the MC. That man seems like your average harem protagonist, but KB took time to flesh out his character and give him time to shine. Although he’s quite weak and dependent, he’s relatable and in the end he promises a change in character. If there ever will be a season 2, I think this guy will rock.
And one character KB horribly mistreated is Youko (and source of the controversy surround Killing Bites). She is given the most clear-cut and relatable goal in the whole tournament: to bring her kind grandfather back. However, in the story she is treated as nothing but Ms. Haughty Ojou-san or the comedic figure. Yes, she throws jabs at Nomoto but actually did nothing to harm him directly. She really didn’t deserve what came for her at the end. It was sickening to watch.
(And to you guys thinking that the goth, black-haired teenage girl at the end is Youko and Leo’s daughter, no. It’s the new protagonist who’s a Tasmanian Devil hybrid.)
(Off-topic here but) Many older Thai soap operas are guilty of using ‘rape’ to show a female antagonist’s ‘downfall’. Following many online outrages by the public, newer ones have gone for a ‘change of heart’ instead. It’s not okay anymore to use rape to depict someone’s downfall, in my humble opinion. Yeah, it’s tragic. Yeah, it’s got the shock factor. But no, it’s 2018 and rape needs to be discussed seriously, not just placed there in the story as some sort of ornament.
And to all of you saying that she deserved it, why do you even think pretending to be strong by coming off as a bitch to save your grandpa = rape for punishment? If Nomoto was around when that happened, he would try to save her, no doubt. I really need to catch up on the manga to see what happens to this lady now.
Moving on to lighter topics, KB has been educational about animal biology. For an anime that sometimes sound like a simplified version of Wikipedia, it isn’t afraid to show the real thing on screen.
All in all KB was a strange experience. I think I’ve seen enough weird anime but this makes me squirm. Don’t recommend it to your friend unless that friend wants to see strange stuff. The End.
bonutzuu 