Apr 21, 2014
First off, I'm going to start by saying I will not be giving the plot. When I watched K, I didn't read a single thing about it and just simply watched it straight through. If you want to get the full enjoyment out of K, you have to be careful, because
- some of its greatest moments (plot twists and such) being ruined could decrease K's value probably in half.-
I've read many reviews stating that K is a 3 or 4, that there's hardly any character development. Well, I'm here to explain. First off,
- K is slow.-
Yes. I think most everyone can agree on that.
...
You don't find out anything of consequence regarding the universe until episode 3. And this is out of 13 episodes. The entire first half, and a good portion of the last, you’re just
- thinking "what the hell is going on?" And I loved that.-
Every time
-K gave you an answer to one of your previous questions, you got about two or three more questions you wanted answered.-
It left me feeling like I had to finish, even though I'd been up for 24 hours straight, so I could know how it ended.
-It kept me entranced the entire time.-
And yes,
- if you don't pay attention, to nuances or facial expressions or (especially) dialogue, you are going to be so lost and never catch up,-
leaving you with a bad opinion. Comparatively, dialogue is limited in this anime, and
-nearly everything said in it has a purpose.-
Even inconsequential actions and words at the beginning come back towards the end as something BIG. Now, secondly, I'm going to address the whole "barely any to no character development". I'm going to say this:
- K was never meant to be a standalone anime!-
It's merely meant to be a glimpse into this universe and at these characters to get you hooked.
=There are manga, novels, and even CD/Radio dramas that flush out characters that you barely even noticed in the anime.-
Pretty much everyone gets their spotlight, and there are still more coming out to help give these characters meaning. So, yeah, if you don't want to invest the time in such a lengthy story, then this might not be for you. Because, personally, I believe that stand alone, the anime is good. However, if you want it to be great, if you want to be so emotionally invested in these characters that when you re-watch the anime you are nearly in tears, then invest. It is well worth it. The mangas and novels and such are mainly prequels.
-These show characters interacting that you thought only had a hate or disinterested relationship with each other and having their very core shaken by the other. These show why the characters are so emotionally invested in one another. These show why the characters do what they do.-
The anime is the end, the exception being the few sequels that have come out and the movie, and you watch it first. (Seriously, watch the anime first.
- Don't think "Oh, I'll just go read all of that stuff then watch the anime." They won't make as much sense then or give off the impression they were meant to.)-
You come in after the betrayals and death and bonds being formed and have little to no idea how they formed. Then you go back to the beginning and read about these characters that have so much hope and so many plans. You see characters that were dead when the anime started alive and kicking. You see their lives and how they affected those still living.
- Left with the epithet, "This is a story full of happiness," (it's only meant for Memories of Red but it felt like it applied to all of them for me)you really realize the depth and emotions of these characters.-
Okay, now that I've finished that little rant, I'll go on to mention what everyone else tends to mention.
-The art is beautiful. The sound track is amazing.-
I still sing the opening because it's just so beautiful.
-The story plot at first appears generic, but it gets its own interesting twist to it through all the sci-fi and fantasy in the story.-
Once again, I will mention how slow the pacing is.
-The entire second episode seems almost completely pointless, though it's freaking hilarious.-
The tone of the story seems to shift from humor to serious so many times in the first half until it settles on almost entirely serious about half way through. There's still a little humor up until the final few episodes, though. It gets really fast at the end, and a lot of people criticize this. Personally, I feel it fits.
-The last half is a dramatic rush up to the climax. I don't feel as if the writers were just rushing to tie up loose ends, but more like they had planned the pacing out and had intended to make the pacing match the mood of the story.-
The ending is rushed, because the characters themselves have become rushed. While at the beginning, the characters were frantic, yes, they weren't as frantic as the last four episodes or so.
Personally,
-I think GoHands is genius. Not because of the story, but because of their smart marketing style. This is one of the main reasons why I feel all the flaws people point out in K aren't really flaws, but intentional to further sells.-
This might piss some people off, but I personally see no problem with it.
- This is their livelihood after all, and I see no shame in them trying their best at making money and appealing to fans. Which is why I don't fault them with their obvious fan service-
. It doesn't detract from the story in my opinion, and some of it even goes with the character's personalities.
-Instead of seeing "GAY", just think of it as that person being an "in your face" type of guy.-
(Not to mention socially awkward with no regards to personal boundaries.)
-That's how I choose to view it, and am happy to overlook the obvious panty shots and over the top cleavage. -
So, give K a shot, and keep an open mind about everything. I think it'll make your experience much more enjoyable. I give the anime probably a 7.5-8/10 and the whole enterprise an 9/10, but honestly I'm not good at that kind of thing so you might not want to take those numbers to heart.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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