All You Need Is Kill Review: Alright, let’s talk about All You Need Is Kill — not as a press release, not as a checklist review, but as someone who actually sat through it, absorbed it, and walked away feeling a little wrecked.
I went into this expecting a solid anime adaptation of a story I already knew well because of Edge of Tomorrow. What I didn’t expect was for this film to hit harder, feel lonelier, and stick with me longer than the Hollywood version ever did.
My Rating: 3.0/5
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | All You Need Is Kill |
| Release Year | 2025 |
| Director | Ken’ichirô Akimoto, Yukinori Nakamura |
| Writers | Yûichirô Kido, Hiroshi Sakurazaka |
| Based On | Light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka |
| Genre | Sci-Fi, Action, Dystopian, Anime |
| Runtime | Approx. 1h 22m |
| Country | Japan |
| Main Characters | Rita, Keiji |
| Animation Style | Hand-drawn + CGI hybrid |
The Plot
There’s something quietly brutal about this movie. Not loud, not flashy in a Marvel way. Brutal in the sense that it keeps asking the same question over and over again: How long can one person keep dying before they mentally collapse?
That’s the core of All You Need Is Kill, and the anime never lets you forget it.
A Time Loop That Actually Hurts
We’ve all seen time-loop stories. Most of them turn repetition into a gimmick or a puzzle to solve. This one treats repetition like a punishment. Rita doesn’t “reset” cleanly. Every death leaves a mark. You can feel the exhaustion piling up — not just physically, but emotionally. There were moments where I honestly thought, yeah, I get why she might just stop trying.
The alien invasion itself is terrifying, but what really gets under your skin is the loneliness. Rita isn’t saving the world for glory. She’s doing it because she doesn’t know how to stop. And the movie leans into that isolation hard. The repeated battles don’t feel empowering. They feel suffocating.
When Keiji Enters, Everything Shifts
The tone changes the moment Keiji enters the loop. Not in a cheesy, “finally a love interest” way, but in a subtle, grounding way. For the first time, Rita isn’t carrying this nightmare alone.
Their relationship feels earned. Awkward at first. Careful. Quiet. It grows naturally out of shared trauma, not forced romance beats. I really appreciated that restraint.
There’s a softness to their bond that balances the violence without undercutting it. If anything, it makes the stakes heavier. Now, dying doesn’t just reset the day, it risks losing the one person who understands you.
Visually, It’s on Another Level
Studio 4°C didn’t just animate this film. They crafted it. The art style is sharp, distorted, and sometimes uncomfortable, which fits the story perfectly. The world feels warped, like reality itself is tired of repeating.
Some shots genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The mix of hand-drawn animation and CGI isn’t trying to show off; it’s there to make the battlefield feel alien and wrong.
If you’ve seen Tekkonkinkreet or Children of the Sea, you’ll feel that DNA here. It’s expressive, bold, and unafraid to get weird.
Sound That Gets Under Your Skin
The soundtrack deserves more credit than it’s getting. It doesn’t scream for attention, but it creeps into your head. Glitchy, ambient, sometimes almost meditative, until it suddenly swells into chaos when the action explodes.
I noticed the sound design early on, which almost never happens for me. That’s usually a sign the movie knows exactly what it’s doing.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Anime of 2025- Why Demon Slayer ISN’T #1
The Good vs The Bad
| What It Does Well | Where It Stumbles |
|---|---|
| Deep emotional weight that actually hurts | Not everyone will connect with the slower, heavier pacing |
| Rita is a complex, tragic lead | Some side characters feel underused |
| Gorgeous, experimental animation | The story demands patience — this isn’t a casual watch |
| Strong chemistry between Rita and Keiji | The bleak tone might feel overwhelming for some viewers |
| An Atmosphere that never lets up | Minimal exposition can confuse first-time viewers |
Final Thoughts: Is It Better Than Edge of Tomorrow?
Honestly? For me — yes. Not because it’s more fun. It isn’t. Not because it’s more accessible. It’s definitely not. But because it feels truer to what this story is really about.
All You Need Is Kill isn’t interested in power fantasies. It’s about endurance. About mental erosion. About finding one reason to keep going when everything resets and nothing improves. If you’re expecting a flashy action anime, this might catch you off guard. If you’re open to something darker, quieter, and emotionally raw, this one stays with you.
Not perfect. But deeply affecting, visually stunning, and far more haunting than I expected. If you’ve been waiting for another Edge of Tomorrow sequel, stop waiting, and watch this instead.
