K: Return of Kings

Episode 10

For all that K has tried to make Munakata cool, has he ever looked cooler than the scene in this episode where he visits Homra at Anna's request? (See the screenshot.)

That, in some senses, could be taken as indicative of the whole episode, which is easily the best episode of the second series to date. (Unfortunately that's not saying much.) For the first time in quite a while the writing establishes a good balance and flow to the storytelling, finding proper places for both its talking and action and working in its philosophizing without being cumbersome about it. All of that happens in an episode where not much is actually going on, although perhaps that is why it worked: the episode didn't need to accomplish anything major, so it could afford to let things play out at a leisurely pace.

The big event here is that Munakata has been relieved of his captain duties by the Prime Minister (the same one he was ordering around just a couple of episodes earlier) in the wake of his failure to keep the Dresden Slates from being carried off by the Green Clan – and the Prime Minister is all too pleased to have reason to do it, too. That leads Anna ask him to come into Homra for a chat, during which a bit of role reversal occurs; this time it is the Red King counseling the Blue King about his role, with Anna insisting that Munakata isn't Mikoto. As obvious as that seems like it should be, especially given a flashback to one of the earlier times that the two fought as total ideological opposites, Munakata does seem to need to be reminded that needlessly pushing his powers beyond his limits just puts him on the same tragic, self-destructive path which Mikoto went on. Implicit in this conversation is a point that the franchise has intimated a few times before: that for all that they were polar opposites, Munakata did respect Mikoto. This conversation also makes it clear that Anna isn't limiting her chosen role as protector to just her own clan, and that she's even willing to go as far agreeing with Yashiro's recently-developed plan to destroy the Slates – the source of the “red” she cherishes so much – if it means protecting everyone in the process. The flashback to the earlier battle against Mikoto only emphasizes further how the change in the Red Clan's leadership has dramatically altered the dynamics of inter-clan relationships.

On other fronts, Shiro has come up with a plan to actually destroy the Slates, which is very dangerous but also has the advantage of the Green King not expecting it, since common knowledge has been that the Slates are indestructible. To firm the bond with his two clansmen, he gives Kuroh the opportunity to name their clan, and he comes up with Hakumaitou, a reference to eating white rice that is, in a sense, symbolic of the unity of their small clan. Meanwhile Neko resists recalling any memories of the person she might have once been and Fushimi shows that he's not going to get along any better with the Green Clan than he did with Red or Blue. At the end the Slates do some kind of power release which is sure to cause trouble for next episode.

The one action scene, primarily between Mikoto and Munakata in the flashback, recovers all of the dynamic feel of the better early battles of this season, and some of the camera angles and focal points blatantly emphasize Seri's ridiculous figure. In all, I would say that the series is back to normal, but compared to the way this season has gone, this is definitely better form than normal.

Rating: B+

K: Return of Kings is currently streaming on Viz.com.