All You Need Is Kill

"I'll stay with you until you die."

“All You Need Is Kill” is the 2014 manga adaptation of the acclaimed novel of the same name (a 2014 movie was released based on the novel, which was known as “Edge of Tomorrow”). It follows Keiji Kiriya, a soldier fighting against aliens known as “Mimics.” These aliens always seem to know every move the human race will make, which in turn is putting the humans in a tight spot. That is, until one fateful day, when Keiji kills an abnormal mimic. After this, he promptly dies, only to wake up a day earlier. It turns out that Keiji simply can’t die, which he uses to his advantage to save the human race.

I was fairly excited for reading this manga, considering that I love the original novel, and love “Edge of Tomorrow” even more. But, sadly, the same is not the case with this comic. First off, I have to give props to one thing: the art. The artwork is done by Takeshi Obata, who has illustrated such works as “Death Note” and “Bakuman.” It’s dark, vibrant, and detailed, which all leads to a visceral visual experience.

The flaws in “All You Need is Kill” are strange. For example, one specific flaw creates a domino effect for more blemishes: the pacing. The pacing has a sense of urgency, which is less heart pounding and more “Okay, guys, let’s just get this manga over with.” It just feels wrong.

Now, for the domino effect: the pacing affects the characters. With such rushed pacing, this sense of urgency translates into Keiji’s major character decisions and turns, which he makes a lot of. It gets to the point where you can’t even recognize Keiji as a rational human being: his choices are just so pressured.

Also, the English translation is a bit shaky. You know those few lines in films or anime that are just pure seriousness? Ones that make you want to drop everything you are doing and listen? Well, the dialogue in “All You Need Is Kill” consists of lines like that. Each and every line. Though that may seem like a cool aspect at first, it quickly stays past its welcome, and the dialogue turns into over-serious laugh-fuel.

4/10- Though with massive potential and great artwork, “All You Need Is Kill” has bad pacing, incoherent character choices, and laughably over-serious dialogue.