"K - STAGE: MISSING KINGS": PART 4 (In progress)

Now available in English! Translation & Editing: Naru-kun

Enjoy and leave your comments!

>> PARTS: 01/02/03/04

“K PROJECT // STAGES”

K Project has always been important to me, especially as someone who has a difficult time understanding bonds, something like K Project where it's all laid out for you to interpret and digest at leisure is amazing.

In particular, I've always found the Blue clan interesting, especially its sparkly captain. Post episode 7 though, they clearly hadn't figured out anyone's characters before this point aside from some of HOMRA.

Anyway, my point being, the way Munakata acts after that point I identified with very heavily, even as early as my first watch. While it's not canon, certain behaviours, actions and scenarios involving him I recognised through my own experiences as someone with ASD. A lot of hate (which, to be fair, I understand) and criticism Munakata gets is oddly reminiscent of comments I and my autistic peers have received over the years. Let's look at some examples.

A big one that always jumps out to me is the emphasis on order and a strong sense of justice that are integral to Munakata's character. He knows exactly what he thinks things should be like and works hard to achieve them (note this isn't me saying his way of doing things IS the best, just his mindset convinces him it is). Similarly, a lot of people with ASD have that mindset in various capacities, usually in the form of having strong opinions about many topics. There's a certain lack of trust Munakata displays in others which can be common to the autistic experience. He doesn't trust other people (for example Shiro, Mikoto, the PM, the Gold Clan) to enact justice in a way he thinks is optimal and gets very frustrated when he feels he isn't being listened to, going back to how set in his ways and opinions he is. Unfortunately he's also in a position of power so it's hard to reality check someone like that... I honestly believe the only reason he gets away with it is being Blue King.

Anyway, moving on. Munakata demonstrates he can sometimes be awful at reading the room. It's literally canon that he intimidated his teachers from a young age. That's not even getting into his interactions with his clan sometimes... or Izumo... or the PM... or basically anyone. Adding to this is his atrocious sense of personal space... it just seemingly isn't a concept for him, or that other people would have an issue with his lack of physical boundaries, poor Kuroh in particular. Then, of course, there's his legendary reaction to perceived failure... Believe it or not, becoming really depressed and closed off as well as having existential crises, reminders of past failures, overwhelming imposter syndrome and incredibly over the top subsequent plans aren't that uncommon for autistic people after failures. Even minor ones. So ones that calls into question your entire life philosophy... yeah, not a fun experience. Like, tell me his reaction to Iwa's speech isn't RSD (which also is experienced by some autistic people, as well as those with ADHD but I don't think Munakata has that)? I mean, common symptoms do include enhanced anxiety, masking, defensiveness and social withdrawal... Now, we come to one of the most autistic coded moments he experiences! Of course I'm talking about the 'fight' between him and Fushimi. I've personally been in so many situations where I've accidentally set off people's trauma by making a comment I intended as a piece of trivia as a person/some relevant information and not realising that nope, bad idea, not everyone sees past bad experiences through that lens... I totally read his words to Fushimi about being a 'traitor' as that. This isn't me disagreeing with canon which states they both went too far, I'm sure M actually realised the truthful elements of it but said it anyway because he deemed it relevant, I genuinely don't think his intention was to hurt Fushimi, just be factual but in a harsh way. Again, I and so many people I know have been in similar situations...

Anyway, some of the criticisms levelled at Munakata more widely also mirror autistic experiences. I don't really want to delve deeply into why/how, more as a statement of, 'yeah, I relate', namely being viewed as insensitive, arrogant or unnerving.

So yeah, this is all a very long-winded way of saying why Munakata means so much to me as a character. I do totally understand the criticisms of him, just for me because of how I interpret his character (which is of course biased) it reads closer to my own (and wider) experiences of ASD rather than him being an intentional shady/evil person, though that way of interpreting is 100% valid also. Anyway, live laugh love K Project!

NB. I also totally think most of the Scepter 4 alphabet are neurodiverse, including Awashima and Fushimi. For Awashima, we have her ultimate anko safe food, also the unwavering sense of justice (which she believes M's way of doing things is) and the fact she never seems to change the way she speaks, regardless of situation? And of course Fushimi... while he's clearly got trauma, I can also sense the ASD, namely the hyperfixations, black and white thinking, no filters etc.

In Scepter 4? Speed of light. Imagine Hidaka has just walked in on Yata dressing Fushimi’s leg wound and Fushimi is suspiciously not wearing any underwear (because he never does, which is why he only let the person who knows this already dress his wound), at which point Hidaka immediately beats a hasty retreat before he gets killed. He’s all nervous when Akiyama walks up because he was looking for Fushimi to welcome him back, has Hidaka seen him. Hidaka’s all n-no, haven’t seen him, nope, he’s not in that van. Akiyama raises an eyebrow and starts to walk past him to the van and Hidaka bodily blocks him like no really don’t go in there. Akiyama gets an annoyed look because this isn’t the time for playing around, wasn’t Fushimi injured and someone should check on him. Hidaka’s all yeah someone definitely is and then coughs to try and cover the slip. 

Fushimi: Long story.