Kill Blue – Episode 1

What’s it about? Juzo Ogami is a 40-year-old assassin that kills only the worst of humanity. He’s killed people ever since he was a child and frankly doesn’t know how to live a normal life: he tried living the married life and being a father, but it ended in divorce since he just couldn’t adapt to that lifestyle. During a mission he gets stung by a ​​genetically-modified wasp and turns into a 13-year-old child again. Now, he must attend middle school in order to protect his boss’s daughter until they can find a cure to turn him back into an adult. 

I’m surprised that I enjoyed this premiere. The whole casual atmosphere reminded me of the Great Pretender in terms of how the characters interact with each other. 

It’s not often we get adult protagonists, so it’s kind of a shame that Juzo regressed to being a middle schooler. I have mixed feelings about supernatural age-regression stories and while they can be fun to read, especially from a villainess’s perspective, it can also be awkward, especially when it deals with romance. I mention this because I’m concerned that the series will pair Juzo up with a middle school love interest. I’m not entirely comfortable with seeing how that plays out. Age gap romances are notoriously difficult to write because of the obvious uneven power dynamics and I honestly don’t think this show will handle it with the grace it deserves.  

I’m also not a fan of how the narrative tries to use sexual harassment to punish the girls that weren’t nice to Juzo. That fact that Juzo’s comrade felt that the girls didn’t deserve to be saved from a panda-masked pervert didn’t sit well with me. I’m glad that he ultimately did the right thing, but it shouldn’t have been something he had to think about before taking action. It’s a shame, because I’ll admit the action sequences are really good and definitely show Juzo’s character and years of experience in the field.  

Juzo admits that he isn’t comfortable being around children, to the extent that he doesn’t even know how to be a decent father to his own child. My biggest hope is that Juzo’s new reality helps him rebuild a healthy bond with his daughter, but based on the opening theme, it doesn’t seem like that route will be explored. It’s too bad because I like the idea of family members reconnecting with each other and trying to find equal grounds with each other that weren’t possible before. 

I don’t expect him to start questioning how differently his life might’ve turned out if he had the privilege of a normal childhood with access to education, but I do hope this helps him reflect that there were things he missed out on. The fact that was excited to discover that he loves learning about different subjects was so bittersweet because a basic education is something that never should’ve been denied to him. It does beg the question if he’ll stay as a middle schooler or eventually, turn back into an adult, but with a newfound perspective.  

Overall, this series isn’t the most original concept, and its sci-fi de-ageing premise has some uncomfortable elements built in, but I had a good time. Since the manga is completed, I think the entirety of the story will be adapted. Check it out and see if you like it!