"K MISSING KINGS" Movie Review

"K MISSING KINGS " Movie Review (Summarized review can be found here: http://www.wljack.com/2014/07/movie-review-k-missing-kings.html )

Introduction (taken from press release)

The four “Kings” had crossed path during the “Academy Island Incident”.  Ever since then, Silver Clansmen Kuroh Yatogami and Neko have been searching for their master, Shiro.  Unable to find any clues as to Shiro's whereabouts, the two become disheartened.  One day, they see HOMRA members Rikio Kamamoto and Anna Kushina being chased by someone …

Where is Shiro now?

Who are the people that are chasing HOMRA members?

What happened to the Red Clansmen after the “Academy Island Incident”?

Let’s discover the story of the kings and clansmen in this film feature!

Review (summarized review can be found here: )

“K” anime is a very popular anime series. This movie, “K MISSING KINGS” is actually a sequel film feature for the anime series instead of spinoffs movie like in other anime movie. Thus, the story in this film is strongly related to the main story of the show and prior knowledge about the anime would be needed for the audience to understand the flow and the plot of the movie. However, do not fret, as compilation of recap scenes from the anime was shown before the movie to enable the audiences who are new to series to be familiarized. (But in my opinion, the recap is a little bit too long and might be unnecessary for the audiences who have watched the series before.)

The film features progression from the main storyline. It has a story of its own but is a simple and straight forward one which revolves around some important characters in the series. The pacing of the movie is quite slow in the beginning but once it picked up after the first 20 minutes, it was actually quite well-paced and exhilarating.

Character development is done quite well for some of the characters and there are some surprises which will definitely excite the fans. It overall has a serious tone throughout the film but also has some hilarious moments which will definitely make the fans smile.

Besides that, I think the art style and direction are quite unique for this film. An exquisite visualization of the film with fish eyes effects and decent photo portrait background is an eye candy for view. The action sequence is also quite good in this film and I totally love the fighting scenes in this movie. However, the animation of the film can be a little lagged at times and some of the action scenes can be quite confusing.

As for the background soundtrack and the score of the movie, it has the same style with the anime series and I personally like it. The music can be a little disjointed during the 30 minutes recap video but it is smooth throughout the main part of the film.

Overall, “K MISSING KINGS” is a pleasant anime movie which is not a filler arc or spin-off as it is directly connected to the first season of the anime series. Anyway, this movie also functions as the connector for the upcoming season of the show. (You will realize about it when you watch till the end of the film)

What I like about the movie:

1. Great art direction
2. Simple and straight forward storyline with some surprises for some major characters
3. Action packed
4. Good recap for the show (But can be a no-no too due to its long duration)

What I dislike about the movie:

1.      Pacing is a bit slow in the beginning

2.      Lags can be seen in some scenes

Verdict:

Since this is a movie for the anime series, it will be unfair to give rating based on just general audience’s view. Thus, I am giving two ratings for the movie. (One for general audiences and one from fans’ perspective)

From general viewer’s opinion, it deserves a 6.5/10.0!

From fans’ perspective, it deserves a 7.5/10.0!

Average rating: 7.0/10.0

It’s a fun movie for the beloved “K” anime series! It’s a must watch for the fans of the series!

This movie can be a little confusing for the general audiences who are new to the series. You will most probably enjoy it if  you are an anime fans.

Fellow Reviewer, Kam’s opinion:

“An action packed, visually pleasing movie that acts as a bridging link between season 1 and 2 of 'K'.”

Million thanks to GSC Movies for inviting our team from wljack.com & loong-updates.blogspot.com for the world premiere of the show!

Published by WLJack.