anime: K
K, also known as K Project is a 13 episode anime from 2012 that has apparently spawned 2 manga spinoffs and a light novel series, so I'm assuming a second season has already been greenlit.
The series is set in a slightly-futuristic Japan in which there are 6 colorcoded kings who rule everything, and a 7th "colourless'' king. When the kings go to battle, giant swords appear in the sky that reflect the king's state. A clansman of Homura (the Red King's clan) is murdered, and his murder is caught on video, with his killer identifying himself as the new Colourless King. The killer is a teenaged boy named Yashiro, who has no memory of committing the murder. Homura (basically a street gang with a cute psychic Lolita for their mascot) starts hunting for him to get revenge and the more orderly, law-and-order providing Blue Clan is also hunting for him. There's also Kurou, the disciple of the former Colourless King who promised his master that he would kill the new king if the new king proved to be evil. The new king introduced himself by committing a murder that was caught on video and shown to the world, so it isn't hard to guess what decision Kurou comes to about Yashiro. (If you have seen the anime and are familiar with my past taste in anime guys, it will not surprise you that Kurou is my favorite. Looking at tumblr, fandom's favorite appears to be Fushimi, the one character in the series I disliked.)
The driving force of the series is the mystery of who Yashiro is and what really happened, and the complicated rivalry between the Red and Blue Clans. While it's a consistent plotline throughout, the first half is full of wacky antics as Yashiro tries to convince Kurou that he's innocent so Kurou will (a) not kill him, (b) help him figure out what going on, and (c) maybe help keep him from getting killed by the couple other dozen people out for his blood, while the two clans hunt for him in their own ways. The second half, OTOH, is much more series and focused on Epic Drama and Reveals and war, and while I liked the second half, I preferred the first half. (The second half also has a very WTF aspect, which I'll put under a cut shortly.)
It's a very stylish series with good production values and interesting character designs (though it took me several episodes to be able to tell 2 Blue clansmen apart), but it's also one of those series that seems to be very aware of what's considered to be stereotypical anime, and throws in as many tropes as it can. Slash stares, catgirls, blonde second-in-command who might have a thing for her boss, cackling scientists, cackling villains, giant random swords in the air, airship, epic speeches about friendship, lolitas, ginormous energy blasts, high-strung honor-centric swordsman with a ponytail, etc. I half wonder if there was a list of tropes printed up and they threw darts at it while deciding what to add next. There are also these adorable robotic trashcans that literally wage war on trash (they attack trash with swords!) and scold you if you aren't being clean enough.
I'm looking forward to the inevitable second season more because of the characters and hopes that some character dynamics will get explored more (the cast is huge, and some of the potentially interesting relationships only get 1-2 scenes) and less because of curiosity about the plot. I also really hope we see something of the other clans, and get at least one female king.
Now for the WTF spoiler.
The Colourless King has the power to swap bodies and stole the body of the first king, the Silver King, and Shiro is the real Silver King, but trapped in the Colourless King's body. Ok, makes sense so far, and not the WTF part.
Our Hero, Shiro, is an immortal Nazi scientist. A sweet one who just wants to help people and make the world a better place, but an immortal Nazi scientist all the same.
Only in anime.
The series is set in a slightly-futuristic Japan in which there are 6 colorcoded kings who rule everything, and a 7th "colourless'' king. When the kings go to battle, giant swords appear in the sky that reflect the king's state. A clansman of Homura (the Red King's clan) is murdered, and his murder is caught on video, with his killer identifying himself as the new Colourless King. The killer is a teenaged boy named Yashiro, who has no memory of committing the murder. Homura (basically a street gang with a cute psychic Lolita for their mascot) starts hunting for him to get revenge and the more orderly, law-and-order providing Blue Clan is also hunting for him. There's also Kurou, the disciple of the former Colourless King who promised his master that he would kill the new king if the new king proved to be evil. The new king introduced himself by committing a murder that was caught on video and shown to the world, so it isn't hard to guess what decision Kurou comes to about Yashiro. (If you have seen the anime and are familiar with my past taste in anime guys, it will not surprise you that Kurou is my favorite. Looking at tumblr, fandom's favorite appears to be Fushimi, the one character in the series I disliked.)
The driving force of the series is the mystery of who Yashiro is and what really happened, and the complicated rivalry between the Red and Blue Clans. While it's a consistent plotline throughout, the first half is full of wacky antics as Yashiro tries to convince Kurou that he's innocent so Kurou will (a) not kill him, (b) help him figure out what going on, and (c) maybe help keep him from getting killed by the couple other dozen people out for his blood, while the two clans hunt for him in their own ways. The second half, OTOH, is much more series and focused on Epic Drama and Reveals and war, and while I liked the second half, I preferred the first half. (The second half also has a very WTF aspect, which I'll put under a cut shortly.)
It's a very stylish series with good production values and interesting character designs (though it took me several episodes to be able to tell 2 Blue clansmen apart), but it's also one of those series that seems to be very aware of what's considered to be stereotypical anime, and throws in as many tropes as it can. Slash stares, catgirls, blonde second-in-command who might have a thing for her boss, cackling scientists, cackling villains, giant random swords in the air, airship, epic speeches about friendship, lolitas, ginormous energy blasts, high-strung honor-centric swordsman with a ponytail, etc. I half wonder if there was a list of tropes printed up and they threw darts at it while deciding what to add next. There are also these adorable robotic trashcans that literally wage war on trash (they attack trash with swords!) and scold you if you aren't being clean enough.
I'm looking forward to the inevitable second season more because of the characters and hopes that some character dynamics will get explored more (the cast is huge, and some of the potentially interesting relationships only get 1-2 scenes) and less because of curiosity about the plot. I also really hope we see something of the other clans, and get at least one female king.
Now for the WTF spoiler.
The Colourless King has the power to swap bodies and stole the body of the first king, the Silver King, and Shiro is the real Silver King, but trapped in the Colourless King's body. Ok, makes sense so far, and not the WTF part.
Our Hero, Shiro, is an immortal Nazi scientist. A sweet one who just wants to help people and make the world a better place, but an immortal Nazi scientist all the same.
Only in anime.