The Grand Culture and Sports Festival begins, with every resident of Honnouji expected to attend in the Ragyo Stadium, wearing special clothing. Ryuko, Mikisugi, Tsumugu and Mako head back to Honnouji to confront the Kiryuins, only to find everyone in the stadium (save for Matarou) wrapped up in Life Fibres. Ryuko goes to attack Satsuki and Ragyo,but not before Satsuki stabs her motehr from behind and declares her rebellion against Ragyo and the Life Fibres, shocking Ryuko into silence.
Obviously, the most important development in this episode is Satsuki’s rebellion against her mother and the Life Fibres, and the brutal takedown of Ragyo Kiryuin which demonstrated this. Despite the fact that many people (myself included) have expected Satsuki to betray her mother at some stage, the execution of the betrayal was what made it surprising and exciting to watch. Satsuki attacked her mother suddenly, and the entire action was just so visceral; you could really see the hatred and rage etched on Satsuki’s face as she stabbed Ragyo. Satsuki obviously firmly believes that humans should not be chained by clothing, and it was beautiful watching Satsuki firmly cement herself as an anti-hero. I’ve definitely felt that Satsuki isn’t a villain for a long time, and this affirmed my beliefs. What I’d love to know is when and why Satsuki decided to rebel against Ragyo; was it because of Ragyo’s ruthlessness, or an innate belief that humans deserve freedom? Obviously it started from a young age when she began recruiting for Honnouji Academy, but I am really curious to know what sparked it.
The betrayal also further solidified the friendship and partnerships between Satsuki and the Four Devas. Satsuki clearly places a great deal of faith in them, and relies on them heavily. This faith and reliance is also displayed by the Devas, who clearly support Satsuki’s ambitions and readily put their lives on the line to help her. It’s a fantastic dynamic, and the coming episodes promise to explore this in even greater depth as the rebellion begins and the Student Council is forced to work together and harder than ever to stay alive and conquer REVOCS.
But what exactly are Ragyo’s plans for humanity? Once humans are worn by their clothing, what happens to them? Do the Life Fibres which encase them simply feed off them until they die? I’m not sure how this will benefit the Life Fibres in the long run, as their food source will eventually die off. I’m guessing there’s more to the plan than what we’ve heard and seen, and more to the members of REVOCS. Especially Ho’oumarou, who displays a creepy level of love for the plan and the Life Fibres.
Senketsu was created specifically for Ryuko to combat REVOCS, and was made using her DNA. However, she’s having trouble coming to terms with the magnitude of the situation she has found herself in, and the fact that her father expected her to be a living weapon. Initially, she was determined to help Nudist Beach, but now that Satsuki has revealed her plans, will Ryuko’s allegiance change? Perhaps Nudist Beach will team up with Satsuki. I guess it depends on what Satsuki’s end goal of her rebellion is.
Everything is really up in the air right now. Next week shows Ragyo fully recovered from Satsuki’s attack, and the Four Devas squaring off against Nui. Nui’s an absolute beast, so I dare say the Devas are in real trouble. We don’t know what Ragyo and Ho’oumarou are capable of, either, which makes me worried for Nudist Beach and Satsuki. It may all be heading downhill for our main cast from here, but I’m hoping that in true Kill la Kill style, they rise above it all and find a way through it in fabulous style.