Our protagonist, Yashiro Isana is a seemingly normal and free-spirited high school boy who usually spends his time being out of the roof of the school and sometimes leaving the school without permission. However, his “normal” life is turned upside down when a video of him murdering someone and calling himself “the colorless king” surfaces. Despite not having any recollection of the video, the Red Clan, Blue Clan, and Kuro (who’s mission is to hunt down the Colorless King and slay him if he turns out to be evil) are all after him. Yashiro, now having to find a way to prove his innocence and get to the bottom of the murder, is bound to learn much more about the Clans that are after him, why he was supposedly framed, and who he actually is.
It takes more than three episodes to really make sense of everything that’s happening and why. It get’s explained later on that there are factions in the city that Yashiro resides in; the most notable in this show are HOMRA (The Red Clan) and SCEPTER 4 (The Blue Clan). Each of these Clans have their own unique power, such as The Red Clan’s power manipulate fire. The reason why HOMRA, which operates with a street gang mentality, wants him dead is because the person that was killed was one of their members. SCEPTER 4, which operates more like a police force, are after Yashiro for justice and to protect the community from future harm. Both Clans have also been at odds with each other for generations, as there are always fights that break out between the two in broad daylight. Adding more insult to injury, a former member of the Red Clan caused more tension between the two by joining forces with the Blue Clan. There are at least three significant characters, including the kings of both Clans, that get an ample amount of development.
Nobody’s motivations feel contrived and everything is genuine, from Mikoto’s (The Red King) passion for wanting to avenge his fellow comrade to Seri’s (third in-command of SCEPTER 4) tight friendship with Izumo (second in-command of HOMRA). The only problem is that there seems to be more to explore and it’s possible that once the second season is produced, there will be more to elaborate. However, for one season, it was satisfactory enough.
Shiro’s story is harder to get into without spoiling major plot points that take up about half of the enjoyment factor. All that can be said is that the mystery of him being the “Colorless King” is a shadow that is cast upon him. All the more complicated is that Kuro, a no-nonsense samurai, is hell-bent on killing him as part of his mission. However, he decides to keep an eye on Shiro to give him a benefit of a doubt and give him the opportunity to prove his innocence.
Shiro is also followed along by a cat that can turn into a beautiful girl, named Neko. She has the power to manipulate people’s senses and [insert spoiler here]. For a reason explained later in the series, Neko has an undying love for Shiro and is always trying to protect Shiro because he is her owner (y’know…because she’s a cat…yeah). Neko may be the only character that will rub the audience the wrong way because, in the grand scheme of things, she is basically playing the part as Shiro’s submissive pet and she (who is also always naked) is supermodel pretty. The otaku’s will probably love her though.
If there’s one theme that will resonate with the viewer, more than anything, is selflessness. Again, that can’t even be elaborated enough because of spoilers. The plot builds up very nicely by the time the climax arrives. The ending pretty much set the show to new heights from a show that was fun to watch from an action-thriller standpoint to practically emulating the theme of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and everything that led up to it and afterwards. Yes, that may be a very bold statement to make but with an ending that was executed the way this was executed, there had to be theme in mind, stating that everyone should stop fighting and be more Christ-like. That’s not to say that this is for Christians, but it’s a universal lesson that everyone can and should get behind.
The animation, handled by Studio GoHands, is breathtaking. All fight scenes, in particular, are animated fluidly with a lot of stylistic emphasis on the powers that the different clans use. Rarely are corners cut, nor are the character movements stagnant. The art design for the characters seem very plain to an extent because there seems to be minimal variation on the faces. The hair and eye colors and designs are nice as well of the clothes. However, the art as a whole is pleasing to the eye with the color scheme and detail that allows the characters to blend into the lovingly rendered backgrounds. CG also mixes in so well that it’s not even that noticeable.
The music is also spot on with a bunch a hip hop tracks and heavy metal riffs used appropriately to get the audience pumped up for another fight that’s about to go down. The soundtrack has a diverse collection of hip-hop, rock, and house music to fit in with the technological setting of K, with every track used effectively without necessarily standing out. The English dub is also performed well across the board. Special praise goes out to Sam Riegal (Yashiro), Todd Haberkorn (Izumo), and Keith Silverstein (Mikoto: The Red King) for their standout performances. The script tends to stumble from time to time, especially when an actor is saying a long line or has to speak fast to match lip flaps. It’s probably not surprising when there’s so much dialogue in this show that has to be adapted. Thankfully, awkward line delivery is minimal.
K manages to fill in all the right holes in a short amount of time with perfect pacing, an engaging trill of a story, and an ending that captures the spirit of altruism. There was apparently a movie that was released back in July and there will be a second season coming sometime in 2015. All that is great to know because, despite already having a satisfying ending, K has so much more to offer and explore in the setting. This is an action thriller for the masses that should not be missed.
