Dec 27, 2012
No blood, no bone, no ash--as well as no plot, no character development, and no denouement.
Story 5/10:
The synopsis is vague enough so that one is goaded into believing that K is a dynamic, thrilling series with an airtight storyline. Not so. K is crunched into a short timeframe, cutting character development and cohesion, which are vital to a series' success. What transpires as the series "progresses" often leaves you lost, wondering why, how, and where certain repercussions came from.
Gaping plot holes and unanswered question remain. With the fanservice, unnecessarily long conversations, and filler-like material eating up precious airtime, I found that
...
none my questions and speculations--basic ones, at that--were ever addressed. Rather than waste time on fanservice, the directors could've focused on lacing the fundamental ideas within the series.
K had a lot going for it-- a cool plot, lots of characters, shipping material, friendships across enemy lines (for the most part), more. All it needed was more time within the story and more episodes.
Characters 5/10
It could go either way here. You've got the carefree "I don't know what the hell I'm doing teehee" protagonist, his serious tough-guy type sidekick, and the useless (annoying) chick who forgoes clothes for fanservice. Then you've got the HOMRA thugs and the meddlers of Scepter 4. All in all: they're generic on the surface, yes.
But upon closer inspection, the characters have certain habits that are left to interpretation. For example, Munakata, the upstanding, righteous, loner-type Blue King--who shamelessly invades personal space and delivers unnecessarily hard beatings to those weaker than him. Not exactly something you'd expect from another character who also fits the dutiful leader archetype. Another example, Misaki, a foul mouthed, hot blooded ruthless young man who we see struggle with girls, and, more surprisingly, in tears numerous times. Again, not quite what you'd expect from someone so brazen and cocky. Like I said, regarding their personalities, it could go either way.
Regarding character development, which lowers my opinion of the series-- what character development? Everyone seemed to just "be" there. The lack of character development may be attributed to the story, which was crammed into a very short time frame. No character has a chance to learn and understand in those few days during which the story takes place. If the story had been stretched out over a longer time period, in turn yielding more episodes, there would have been enough time for characters to grow, develop, and make sense of their situation. This issue, however, points to driving problems of the plot and timeframe.
Art 8/10: A bit too "shiny" at times, but crisp and clear, with rich colors. Take note of the backgrounds, sky, and glimmering dust motes--beautiful.
Sound 7/10: A catchy, pretty memorable OST.
Enjoyment 6/10:
I continued watching because I wanted to find out what happened and have my longstanding curiosities answered or explained. I'll admit, I too found myself dazzled by the animation.
K's huge potential drew me in. Sadly, K ended up a tragic case of a cool idea ruined by poor execution.
High hopes that they'll get it right in the sequel.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
