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「kitchen」
With an appropriate amount of terminology getting thrown around and some core concepts getting explained, it looks like K is settling into its own universe.
Media in general have a penchant for spearheading useless political figureheads, and things are no different in K’s version of Japan – it seems like the only thing the prime minister is good for is succumbing to the Kings’ momentary whims. A little sad, but it does provide a deeper look at the scale of things. Of the seven, the Golden King clearly holds the most power, although it’s hard to tell with the given information whether or not there is a power struggle involved. That doesn’t seem to be an issue as Munekata, the Blue King, seems intent on preserving order as it is, implying he’s perfectly content with adhering to the a world backed by the Golden King. Mikoto, the Red King, and his HOMRA gang then present an anomaly – a mistake that must be kept under control to keep the facade of a normal society.
An important point to consider is Shiro’s apparent unawareness of Japan’s economical/political/social situation. As he has been a completely normal citizen up until now, his ignorance can be applied to the general population, making it possible to assume no one knows the true nature of the current world – at least as far as the Kings’ involvement goes. There are still a number of blanks to fill in, such as whether or not psychic powers are widely recognized; HOMRA members wield it with no care whatsoever, but they seem to be the exception rather than the norm, which explains why SCEPTER 4 are at such odds against them. The philosophical/moral differences between Mikoto and Munekata are pretty clear, even without the color imagery to back it up. There is a wealth of dynamic between them that suggests their acquaintance goes beyond that of mere opponents – it wouldn’t be a stretch to say all the Kings are connected somehow, and the two of them present the most compelling evidence for that assumption. The characters are interconnected far more intimately than what was evident, and the various strings that tie the cast together showcase potentially riveting conflicts and character development, particularly in Fushimi. Already he possesses some interesting dichotomy, having belonged to the loose cannon gang. His conduct does have some of the wild, devil-may-care attitude the HOMRA has that SCEPTER 4 lacks, so in this respect, it’s not too surprising he would turn out to be a former HOMRA member. What does pique interest though, is not only why he switched allegiances, but the possible fireworks that would result as a consequence of a future altercation between him and any of the other prominent HOMRA members.
Yata seems like the one who would have taken the betrayal the hardest, given his absolute unquestioning worship of Mikoto and the ragtag group he’s created. Whatever his story is, HOMRA is the only thing that constitutes any truth and solace to him, so someone or something that betrays it or threatens it would automatically be considered for disposal. The PVs did hint at their eventual encounter, and now adding this newfound information to the equation, that match-up is bound to be explosive, complete with jaw-droppingly flashy animation.
One other key plot-related information the episode brought up is the subject of “succession”. Shiro, by whatever reason, is a successor to the Colorless King. By the looks of it, Mikoto is also due to pick one, as the vague comments Izumo and Munekata make suggest he either isn’t long for this world or that they’re really just running out of time to accomplish their goals. Judging by how uninterested he seems in this whole “King” ordeal, it’s highly likely Mikoto is solely interested in avenging his clansman’s death rather than performing whatever duties he ought to as one of the seven Kings. This seems in line with HOMRA’s values, as they had to have come from somewhere. Strong values like those don’t just sprout from thin air – they are seeds that must have been planted by a firm example, and who better than the leader to show his comrades the things they should fight for? While this is nice, if each King has a role and the continuation of their reigns are essential to keeping the balance, then Mikoto’s disinterest presents a problem that severely blurs the distinction between “protagonist” and “antagonist”. The underdog characteristics of HOMRA made it seem easy to sympathize with them as the “good guys” – they seemed nothing more than neighborhood brats that needed something to pass their adolescence by, but this episode puts a wrench in that by throwing various issues onto the table.
Kuroh’s depiction of HOMRA is nothing short of negative, and Yata’s nonchalant manner of exacting violence doesn’t exactly help enforce a positive image. It raises the question of whose motivations the viewers should support; an answer doesn’t come so easily since neither faction is very clear cut. While HOMRA has the underdog factor going for them, the sheer chaos they create in their wake isn’t something that can be couched with pretty words. In short they’re a fairly wild and selfish bunch, guided only by their own loyalty. Conversely, while SCEPTER 4 seems to be for maintaining order and protecting the current peace, their methods and attitude belie ruthless and cunning individuals who aren’t afraid to sacrifice a few morals for the bigger picture.
And finally, for a drastic change in topic: the title of the episode. I’m firmly of the belief episode titles mean something, and in this case, while I’m not entirely sure how “kitchen” is related at all, it does present some food for thought. Taking into account Kuroh’s preview narration last week, wherein he gave thorough instructions on how to perfect egg rolls, the whole thing is probably an extended metaphor referring to the current state of things in K. Ingredients would be the cast and basic elements, while the process of cooking them would be the different ways those things come together to create the product. Following that train of reasoning, the kitchen would be the location where it happens – hence, the show’s universe. This does make sense somewhat considering the amount of exposition that was given in the episode to set up K’s world. It was the first instance where any detail has been given as to what kind of setting the series takes place in and how things are run on a grander scale.
Next week seems to integrate Kuroh and Neko into Shiro’s world, which should provide some interesting results considering how vastly different their personalities are. Kuroh is an amusing character with an aura similar to a village idiot coloring him ever so slightly that seeing his social inaptitude in a setting that requires a degree of keen awareness and quick thinking to survive will be an exercise in highly entertaining antics.
Full-length images: 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, Preview 02.
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interesting….
As potentially interesting as this show is getting and could get, I simply don’t think the premise is fit for a 1-cour series (at least, that’s what the fall preview says it is). This is the same old problem of trying to cram too much into too small a time frame, and in the end making things look clunky and rushed.
However, I’m liking what I see so far, so here’s hoping they can pull it off.
This show promises something deeper – and it delivers. The question is if the premise fits a 1-cour series. Either way, K passes the test of making itself interesting and I’m going to watch it to the end.
TQ
To be honest it hasn’t delivered yet….well…. it has visual orgasm’s thats all so far
… You’re right maybe it’s still to early but what can I do – I’m following the 3 episode rule. I might be wrong but either way a decision needs to be made – to drop or not to drop. I choose not to drop and follow this story.
TQ
Colored kings? What is this, Accel World?
I think this was the best episode so far.. which isn’t saying much.. but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Feels like a dejavu of No 6…
Knew i wasn’t the only one who noticed this. It feels like their gonna through on a No.6 gay surprise on us. It’s becoming more evident with each episode.
“Can I call you Kuro?” lol pet names already for someone that tried to kill you.
I’ve been getting that feeling since seeing Shiro and Kuro.
Just waiting for the Gold King to turn out to be the weird bee thing and not human after all!
Got hand it to his show, its title K is pretty much the exact word I say when every episode ends. I’m just so uninterested in what’s happening.
This episode did do one thing right, is it allowed the characters to sit down and roll in the exposition train. You’d that might have been important to establish the setting two weeks ago instead of trying to distract me with pretty animation. Now if K can actually focus and be whatever show it wanted to be then I might, MIGHT give a damn about what’s happening.
Also more of the cleaning robots please.
I wish this show was really about the adventures of Neko and the cleaning robots.
Personally i vote for a series of short ONAs or OVAs for the cleaning robots, they really need to make those XD
You are too kind…
Thank goodness for some plot exposition at last this week.
My suspension of disbelief was seriously tested last week, as it involved a chase scene with one intent on killing and one intent on staying alive as well as mysterious naked catgirl (which no one else seems to notice), and then they just suddenly decided to sit down together for a good meal simply because they were hungry.
All in all, that chase scene was just too silly for me to even bother commenting. So this episode was like an ultimatum for me, so you could say the plot exposition this episode was a stay of “execution” (being dropped).
https://randomc.net/image/K/K%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2039.jpg
PS Kuroh going “moe moe kyun” over his late master’s voice recording would have worked better on me if he was a female character. Then again, this show was clearly aimed at the female demographic (of the BL-kind) so I can’t complain much about the writers catering to their target audience.
Kuroh’s master sounds like those trashcan-bots…
Now we’re getting somewhere. And despite of the BL vibes, I’m still manage to enjoy this episode. At least they didn’t left us in the dark. And it’s nice to see some character dev even though there’s not much to speak of.
https://randomc.net/image/K/K%20-%2003%20-%20Large%20Preview%2001.jpg
10,000 Septims says that he’s really a mole for the Green Faction.
Lols, And we are probably going to see lots of green filters soon XD
Ahm ,at least now i’m starting to understand why they used colored filters.
Dat Ass…
But seriously, how can someone sword fight in a skirt that short and tight?
There wasn’t any skirt shorter available.
Kuroh is such a fanboy~ XD
more plot is revealed, but even more questions to be answered. are they really going to wait until Ep6?
more importantly, who is that waltzing guy?!
Sephiroth, the Silver King.
“K” can also stand for “key” or the color black when it comes to CMYK color printing.
Only thing that is irking me is how many fans constantly rant on other websites, saying that “The moment this show turns yaoi I’m dropping it”, its like seriously, WTH *coughs* animeultima. People need to get properly educated cause at most this could turn shounen-ai but I don’t really see it. Either ways, I’m sticking with this show to the end, hoping that its more than 12 eps.
In a show with this many pretty guys, it’s inevitable :/ Kuroko no Basuke suffered the same label last two seasons it aired, and I guess this season it’s K’s turn.
I’m not going to pretend the elements aren’t there (because you can see how people would construe BL from certain situations), but it does get annoying when viewers see two guys together and instantly think YAOI DROPPED LOLOLOL. The goggles are on too tight, methinks.
Have you notice that when it’s Yuri Goggles, it gets more a ‘positive’ hype?
No seriously. I even notice that lately. It’s like ‘yuri good, yaoi bad’ xD
What I notice greatly in anime is that those that love BL, the fans are the ‘quiet’ types. They aren’t so open about it but are fans from afar. But for Yuri, come on. An explosion of that in Rinne no Lagrange. It has crazy subtle and undertones of it, and everyone was perfectly fine with it. I really did not read at all any negative feedback across the reviews here in RC. I’m sure I’m not the only one who watch that series and notice that. RandomC playing double standards to yaoi and yuri? Nonsense.
I just want to say that on RandomC as a whole, we don’t have any double standards on yuri and yaoi. Instead, each writer has their own view, like Stilts who covered Rinne no Lagrange, he’s all about the ecchi and yuri, and makes fun of yaoi.
I do think that there is a double standard when it comes to the fandom though, where guys who love yuri aren’t made fun of at all, while any girl that watches a show like Kuroko no Basuke is automatically deemed a fujoshi, a BL lover.
Yeah, it’s pretty clear it will never be yaoi or shonen ai and stuff like the blushing is thrown in for fujoshi. (Honestly think it means absolutely nothing but whatever) The show is also PACKED with tits and ass fanservice but people don’t threaten to drop the show because of that, haha, and then I’ve even seen some people say “They’re just doing that to hide the homolust!” best to just ignore them, to be honest.
Yes because apparent the dress code for the Blues is 2″ above you ass. :S I had your shiting me moment at that.
Or should a say the “Skirt Code”?
1 cour and having to explain everything in 6 episodes is risky. So much so that I’m seriously doubting that it’s 1 cour only and has a season two being planned out already.
Anyway, what’s with the comparisons again? First it was GC and now it’s No.7. While I agree that the guys seem to shine and sparkle more than the female characters, I don’t think it will fall to yaoi. I think it’s more of a bait for female viewers that like bishie guys, a classic trap.
The comparison’s easy: both of those shows ended up having massive pacing issues and relied mostly on the visuals. That’s not to say that K can’t pull it off SOMEHOW, since we’re only a quarter into the story, but the concern is legitimate.
Show Some Respect!
Respect for…what exactly?
This is not strictly directed at you Moondoggie, just a general observation.
People are seriously blowing the whole “6 episode” thing out of proportion. What the producers probably meant by the plot “coming together and kicking into gear” does not mean no plot for the first six episodes – it just means that the overarching story won’t be coming together until then. There’s no less plotsy stuff now compared to any other series; it’s just misplaced expectations overexaggerating the smallest faults.
I’m not going to say K is flawless because it certainly isn’t, but some of the things it’s getting bashed for just seems downright silly. If a show doesn’t interest you, don’t watch it – no one’s holding you at gunpoint and forcing you to waste 20+ minutes of your life.
What quote do you mean?
What the producers probably meant by the plot “coming together and kicking into gear” does not mean no plot for the first six episodes – it just means that the overarching story won’t be coming together until then.
I still think that’s a bit risky for something in one cour. GC played it safe by making the show 2 cour.
There’s no less plotsy stuff now compared to any other series; it’s just misplaced expectations overexaggerating the smallest faults.
Tell that to the “critics” though, LOL. They complain and nitpick every single thing and pat each other on the back. I’m calling it now: they’ll be going full blast from now on the ff: Sword Art Online, K, Zetsuen no Tempest and Maji.
Hey I like this show. I just feel that the six episode thing is a bit risky and may make the plot feel a bit short.
Not enough Neko.
I hope for a future Neko overload episode.
Needs more Yashiro x Neko, more fights and less gay “No.6” vibes.
I also forgot to comment on how in every other futuristic story people completely ignore cleaning droids, but in K they “Show some respect!”
I though it was pretty hilarious that soon as it entered the room they knew to move the table so it could clean and continued to hold it until it was done.
I can’t help wondering what exactly Anna’s role is in all of this. We see her doing things with marbles that apparently let her locate people and see their thoughts , but that seems to be all so far… i mean , she seems to just be a goth lolita girl who’s probably only 9 or 10 years old , when you look at the rest of HOMRA group , she looks a bit out of place.
No mention of “Strain”, people who independently have their own powers…like Neko? and presumably Anna?
Considering Anna’s ties to HOMRA, I doubt she’s a Strain.
Why is Kuroh so moe?
I don’t know why Yashiro would freaking blush to Black Dog?!! That kinda disturbed me…
Really… nothing comes to mind at all, huh?
Kuro does look quite feminine though….
Been a completely interesting watch for me so far, with exception to the BL implications. Surprised people are bashing on it.
I’m getting a lot of gay vibes from this show… thinking about dropping it.
Oh, by the way, I’m the only onw who thinks that sometimes the (good) BGM is hugely “misplaced”?
My feelings are that the BGM play a big part of the yaoi undertones. Absolutely hate it.
Not surprising when MC shows more attraction to a guy who openly admits wanting to kill him than to the half naked girl with big boobs.
I was seriously thinking that base on the large male cast it has. Until I saw dat ass.
https://randomc.net/image/K/K%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
And I was reminded that we have some chicks here that aren’t lolis and a cat.
The fact that they paid attention to that makes me believe that this series will
have a ton of yaoi undertones at least while throwing us some fan service from time to time.
I have nothing against the homosexual… but I don’t like shounen ai. I won’t be watching episode 3 and probably 4 until I read feedbacks, which is pretty bad for episode 3. I surely hope we don’t get another eye candy w/ lots of “good looking guys”. I’ll extend the 3 episodes rule to 4 episodes. If it won’t improve(or gay vibes doesn’t lessen), I’m dropping it.
A cap that isn’t blue? Magic!
Jokes aside, this episode was such an improvement from the previous ones. The bar incident was quite funny, and I love that fanboy face.
Needs moar skateboards though…
IKR!? Just by the preview of the caps from the last episodes it seems the main color for this series is “blue” xD I’m glad someone pointed it out. Not to say it doesn’t make the anime look pretty in blue. I think it gives it that nicer look to the animation.
LIKE! Needs more red and yellow in this show lol o_o
Poor Cherrie… getting nrgs for nothing…. Don’t worry I will support you!
All I know is, it can’t be a good sign if the highlight for me in the last 3 episodes have been just the cleaning robots fighting one another saying “Show respect/you’re too kind” back to back going back and forth. .
After a while the animes can be pretty damn redundant with their plotlines. The conversation explaining about ‘Kings’ I suddenly felt a nostalgia of Kuroyukihime breaking down the basics of Accel World and the Legions. And I must admit, I sort of daze off. For a character so determine to kill someone they sure take their time explaining a lot of things. But of course, it’s very helpful storywise for the viewer so they can understand better. For a series as pretty as this I felt that they wasted some of it with some cliche themes that we have seen countless times in various animes. Maybe I’m expecting too much? :\
In my defense if you’re going to blow the budget on great animations and action scenes it’s somewhat expected to see things presented in a different fashion at least. But that whole ‘I’m starving, lets eat, I will kill you later after I explain in great detail the whole deal with the Kings, nevermind the nude cat girl who magically has the your male jacket fit for her body and transform into a girl now’ is killing me. I hope the next episodes get better than this.
And of course I will watch the crap out of an anime of just cleaning droids going back in forth.
Glad I’m not the only one who thought the cleaning robot was the absolute highlight. It’s like the cutest thing ever. Everything else is a messy pile of nothing at the moment. I don’t get what this show is trying to do, where is the focus? The music goes off at the most awkward moments and the animation, while quite beautiful, was way too CG like for my taste. I seriously hope they don’t waste the voice talents.
That’s the worst devastating part for me. You figure with great voice actors they wouldn’t be wasting such talent with such cliche themes. I also asked myself those questions about where is the story going and so on. Right now I’m at a loss of a pretty anime with poorly executive writers. .
At this point im just hoping that shiro stays the colorless king and doesn’t become the rainbow king.
Haha, but without the inclusion of the color, we’re going to have a very black and white view of things. Very black and white. https://randomc.net/image/K/K%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
After we finish this meal, I’m going to kill you.
*finishes meal*
Ok, time to kill you.
Quite a mishmash of concepts here, with the Kings(and the normal people unable to do anything to them) and the pacifist MC with a secret and more.
Reminds me of AW and CampioneGot me really interested. Though I’m feeling uneasy with Shiro and Kuro’s interactions. Needs more Neko and Awashima to counteract it 😉
Here’s hoping we see the other Kings in a way that it won’t look too crowded and convoluted in the plot.
A recorder with Hayami Sho’s voice? Gimme one.
Yeah I think I hate this anime.
At this point I feel like the people behind the story just don’t know how to write a compelling introduction at all, and there is no real substance to it, and making up for it by pouring all of their budget into the art department just to make the anime barely interesting enough to look at.
I feel ya… however ‘hate’ wouldn’t be the word I would use to describe my feelings towards it.
I’m border-lining “MEH” and dropping it soon. More like disappointment.
I will however give mad props to the first episode with that skateboard scene. I was greatly impress with that fish lens effect that lasted a while.
Maybe I’m a little late to this, but this anime disturbs me a lot.
The school on this anime is MY COLLEGE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_University_of_Technology
There are anime degrees also on this school, so I think that maybe some of the people involved graduated from here.
The animation/art is WOW… the plot is meh… wonderful animation isn’t enough for me… looks like it was done to please fujoshis, a shame, it had great potential. Dropped.
This episode definitely fully set the stage for everything that will happen in the plot next and it looks like next episode we’ll be exploring part of Kuroh’s past with his Master? Very interested in seeing what was so great about the guy. And Mochi, omgah, we can add another label to Kuroh after this newest development. He’s fanboy! Haha, reminded me of a male version of Lilliana from Campione!
Did no one else catch the part where those Blue clansmen were talking about hoping the Greens didn’t pick up on it? I’m about ready to see some of the other colors now! What’s the Green clan like? Hippies? Lol. I’m still loving this show and its pacing.
And if there’s some bromance going on, whatever, so be it. People get your genres straight. Yaoi is explicit homosexual content. Shounen-ai is the presence of homosexual relationships. I hardly think we’ll be seeing Kuroh humping Shiro. I hardly think we’ll see any kissing quite frankly. If I no one says anything about ep 2 of PSYCHO-PASS, you’re all ridiculously biased.
I cannot see which part of this episode is gay like the number show that must not be named. There’s Mikoto locked up, Kuro being a fanboy, Neko being moe, the blue guys being… blue(?), and Shiro still complaining about getting killed (LOL).
Funny episode and lots of explanation, I hope they make good to their promise and not slip up.
Colour coded trope! Shiro is ‘white’, Kuro is ‘black’, the coloured kings and associated coloured fire power! Lol I guess the producers want us to recognise them more easily. I’m also thinking about what colours the other kings would be and (by looking at kuro’s salt shakers) it seems to be:
-blue
-red
-green
-purple?
-white/silver/colourless whatevs
-gold
And the last one I can’t see
It’s a really colourful anime with amazing graphics! The story is real,y developing, and I can’t wait to seem what happens next!!!!!
One speculation in the spoiler…
Show Spoiler ▼
For overall episode, I’d admit the animation quality was less than previous episodes. But nevertheless, some major explanations for the plot (including several speculation materials) were introduced, so it’s still a good one.
I’m just watching it for eye candy + OST…
Maybe little bit of plot but, its hard to hope for something big if the producers not doing a great job on maintain consistent plot.
Screencap #8.
Thats one short skirt. No complains.
I’m glad I’ve given this show the 3-episode try-out. I can say with confidence now that I’ll watch it to the end. As for its 1-cour status, I think other series have proven even that tight schedule can work, so I’m optimistic K’s staff will do the same.
I’m loving the implications that the members of Sceptor 4 and HOMRA have some complicated history; the entire conversation Mikoto had with Reishi in the former’s cell gave me the feeling that they were long-time friends (or more. The HoYay was rather delicious well done, audibly and visually) whose diverging views of what a King should be drove a wedge between them.