K: Seven Stories Movie 5 - Memory of Red - Burn

For me personally, this was the most gorgeous episode/film in the entire K series. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried several times throughout this episode. It was simply beautiful, and emotional. I've always felt strongly about Totsuka's death. This episode only further pushed how I felt about it. They really take you through the last few days of his life, and his time at HOMRA, as well as the personal conflicts that Mikoto goes through, and how much Totsuka helps him with these conflicts. My favourite thing about this whole series is their ability to express to the audience the relationship between characters ... in the most subtle ways, with short scenes, that are enough to really show you how bonded the characters really are. And that is what made this episode as beautiful and heartfelt as it was. R.I.P Totsuka. He was a beautiful soul who deserved better, but it was such a relief to know that he died feeling no regrets, and that he had a happy life spent with those who he loved most in the world.

This movie contained the emotional payoff that the original series lacked. The first season started the story in the wrong place. K, at it's core, is a buddy and rivalry story which becomes a revenge story because of this inciting incident. We are supposed to feel this torn feeling throughout K. We are meant to think, "if only they could have continued the way they were, but they now must seek revenge no matter the cost!" The original series threw us into the revenge plot with no context, and from the perspective of an aimless, vague, and uninspiring character. What we needed was to care ... about Tatara Totsuka from the start so that we were rooting for the Reds' revenge and understood their pain, and Mikoto's dilemma. This movie filled in those gaps, allowing me to cry for them, get angry on their behalf, and long for the unity the Reds' had before they were flung into such a terrible conflict. The original series should have started the story here. I highly recommend you watch this. K is really the story of Red and Blue. Yashiro is a side note as far as I'm concerned.