'Ratel Royale' - Killing Bites Thoughts

Death or survival games as a premise have enjoyed plenty of success in media. From works about gladiators to underground sports or entertainment, the glorified grit of such affairs usually means the audience is always on the edge of their seat during the action. With the stakes raised, the stage is set for blood to be exchanged for glory. While immediately gratifying, the ordeal is often short, and doesn't quite capture the full scope of the perils of life-or-death situations. That's where Battle Royale comes in, a successful Japanese novel followed by an even more internationally successful and influential (and controversial) film adaptation. This time the game is all about survival, with death as the consequence of failure to follow the rules. A class of high school students rounded up by the government, a remote island split into zones, exploding collars, and the angst and paranoia and haughty self-preservation that comes with all of that later, our modern idea of what constitutes a battle royale game is born. While not going mainstream in the west just yet despite its influence in the west, that would change with the young adult novel series The Hunger Games, also followed by subsequent, successful film adaptations. Using most of the same ideas from Battle Royale (a controversy in and of itself), these ideas finally clicked in the western mainstream, and the video game world would soon begin to see the genesis of the hottest trend right now that I'm sure most of you don't need to be reminded of. Basically I'm saying that Fortnite is actually a distant cousin of Sword Art Online and you still have shit taste.

Alright, with that bite-sized historical preface out of the way, where does this year's Killing Bites fit in? A seedy government organization? Check. A remote island? Check. Exploding collars? Check. I don't think we have a unique identity yet...maybe throw in corporate yakuza? How about the island is actually a game board, and yakuza members command "pieces" to move about? What if those "pieces" are actually human-animal hybrids?! Hell yeah!

Killing Bites, as it exists within the anime, is the titular name of the generation-spanning proxy war that the four leading zaibatsu wage for control of Japan's economy. These battles are fought by the strongest humans, but the latest generation has seen the arrival of something more deadly: "brutes". Brutes are biologically-modified humans, fused with powers of animals. Formally known as therianthropes, they have the ability to shapeshift and exhibit more power the more animalic form they take. This technology was pioneered by a research department of the government, and for that very reason, they have to step in to monitor and sanction Killing Bites matches.

The anime Killing Bites, however, is essentially Animal Planet's The Most Extreme or pretty much any of your other favorite wildlife programming adapted into an anime. For example, as the Brute Cheetah readies to chase her prey, the show's hype man reminds you of how fuckin' fast they are (the fastest land-animal!) while a classically rendered cheetah accompanies the voice-over:

These kind of cuts immediately signal to the viewer the show's intents right away. While contained within the plot are the classic conflicts of man versus nature and nature versus technology, they are merely elements of intrigue as the show attempts to take you from point A—where a cheetah and ratel (honey badger) are fighting—to point B—where a horned lizard tries to assassinate a rabbit. Sounds absurd right? That's because it is. It's Deadliest Warrior meets Kemono Friends, as hilariously bizarre as that sounds. Fully-realized in anime form, the show delivers more visceral violence characteristic of seinen anime with the spirit of a shounen anime, special attack names and everything. It rarely lets up even when we arrive on the main set piece and premier tournament: the Destroyal, a battle royale-style Killing Bites match that takes place on a vacant island between all four zaibatsu.

The Brute Ratel is a smug anime girl!

I was surprised at how frequently the show made me smile whenever the voice-over came in; a testament to how well it nails the tone. Killing Bites knows exactly what it wants to be at all times and the production executes on most levels. The show earns most of its serious moments—albeit one exception that happens to be the opening scene (more on that later). Despite the main attraction being blood and boobs, the zaibatsu and government organization plot is adequately fleshed out, culminating in a conclusive ending that brings closure and we're treated to a short epilogue giving us a glimpse into the future of  a more utopian Killing Bites. The weakness of the show is the absence of a deeper exploration of the themes it clearly brings up, as to be expected. One major antagonist is evocative of the idea of nature versus technology, but a flimsy motivation and lack of development offers little if any insight into that greater question. The show is more concerned with the amusing contrast of a Brute Pangolin being a hulking, unstoppable force.

Our protagonist, Nomoto Yuuya, is an unremarkable addition, and does little to inspire any confidence that one should remain human if we ever develop therianthropic modifications. A shoe-in that serves as our primary lens through which we experience the Brute Ratel Hitomi's carnage in the Destroyal, his character arc amounts to finally taking agency over his actions after what, 20 years of life? Probably relatable for those who've lacked motivations growing up, but it's unfortunately a weak climax for Nomoto and seeing Hitomi's tender origin story is a much more satisfying reward for making it to the final episodes. Other zaibatsu reps and brutes get varying amounts of backstory to flesh out their characters with varying results.

We're all wondering the same thing, Hitomi.

I would hardly call the show educational, but it is consistently amusing to see how they take inspiration from the actual animal kingdom and incorporate actual observed behaviors and abilities into the brutes. The voice-overs and renders of the animals are a wonderful touch, and lends character to the anime itself. Despite the violent affairs, it keeps a more enthusiastic mood up and diffuses tension in such a way that has you cheering as limbs are severed.

I mentioned blood and boobs earlier, so I'd be remiss to not mention that this is an ecchi anime as well. While the male brutes typically transform pretty dramatically and resemble sinister Zootopia characters at times, the female brutes all have more of a kemonomimi design, keeping some nice cleavage on display.

Less savory is that this whole series is kicked off in the most edgy way possible: a rape scene. This rape scene is not presented in a particularly explicit manner, but it is actually fairly intense and effective. However, it is just at odds with tone of the show. It's casually thrown out to establish a much darker tone that the show almost immediately backs off of. The only time it's really mentioned again is later in the first episode, reminding us that the most notable thing Nomoto has accomplished in 20 years is to be an accessory to attempted rape because he has terribly desperate friends who think picking up girls is somehow in line with kidnapping them in a white van to gangbang them. It is an extremely heavy opening scenario once you take a few seconds to think about it, with the only saving grace being that it's over so quickly and not relevant to most of the show. Ultimately, an unscathed Hitomi emerges from the back of the van to a panicking Nomoto.

In the animal kingdom, sex and violence are also inevitably intertwined. The rest of the sexual content of the show is more reasonable , as it falls in line with what you can expect. Aside from typical fanservice beats and tentacle-related restraint, one of the brutes is a civet, a pheromone secreting mammal. Of course Brute Civet gets some of the other female brutes into a lesbian lust as the zaibatsu and Destroyal audience amusingly watch with a bevy of mixed-reactions. There's another hilarious moment in the final episode where one of the most obnoxious characters is accosted by a brute in glorious fashion, and is the perfect send-off for them. It's the culmination of the show's efforts, building up the one character connected to all the plot threads of the show, and breaking them down. It's almost another rape scene, but this time without human depravity and actually within the show's modus operandi: the animal kingdom. It's some Bad Touch shit. Y'know, that's a good way to describe this show as a whole. If The Bad Touch was actually a good song outside of its mildly amusing chorus, that's what Killing Bites is...okay, so NOT like The Bad Touch at all.

"You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals..."

The omake segments are a cute addition touching on a symbiotic relationship, and punctuates every episode with the playful tone characteristic of the show.

Killing Bites is a wild thrill-ride. It aims to sate the baser, primal appetites we have for violence and sex in a primal way. It is meta, but so obviously meta that rather being clever, it's more tongue-in-cheek than anything. There are more plot and character aspects I didn't get into here, but my thoughts on those are generally favorable, and I'll let you enjoy them for yourself if you haven't watched yet.

Killing Bites may not be at the top of the anime kingdom, but it's definitely a worthwhile member of the pride. After all:

"The one with the sharper fangs wins. That's what Killing Bites is."

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Have a song, too. Shiina Ringo's hot-blooded "Instinct".