Kara no Kyoukai (the Garden of Sinners) 1: Thanatos

Come play with us forever--and ever--and ever...
Come play with us forever--and ever--and ever...

Well, it sure looks purty and, thanks to Yuki Kajiura (Mai Hime, Noir, etc), sounds purty too. But can this prequel to Tsukihime do anything more than the Grand Goth Gesture?

Many years ago, Ray introduced me to Shingetsutan Tsukihime, the anime adaptation of Type Moon’s eroge Tsukihime. I remember the show being very pretty, especially musically, and the atmosphere compelling–but being disappointed by its hollow characterization and anticlimactic ending, among other faults. It was certainly memorable and original in some respects, but it never struck me as being more than “good” rather than “great.” (Fans of the game tell me that from their perspective, the anime is horrid, not merely mediocre. I’ve never played the game, though.)

The eyes have it
The eyes have it

The same critique more or less holds for this first movie in the Kara no Kyoukai series. Kara no Kyoukai is a sprawling novel written and illustrated by the co-founders of Type Moon prior to its formation, which prefigured some of the same concepts and even character families as in Tsukihime. There are the life lines, for instance, the knife that cuts them; the woman who runs the supernatural agency is a relative of another character in Tsukihime. This adaptation by ufotable clearly tried to capture the same kind of Gothic, melancholy mood that Tsukihime did at its best, with fine music by Kajiura (she really does seem to do these kinds of soundtracks well; see Le Portrait de la Petite Cossette for more proof). There are stark camera angles full of shadows, selective shots full of blood, and psuedo-philosophical conversations about suicide, sin, and the path forward. It is a show almost tailor-made for the teenage goth, and I have to admit that the atmosphere drew me in more than it generally did in Tsukihime. The background artwork is superbly detailed and rendered, and the battle scenes fluid. This is OVA or film budget level material, not TV.

And who is the viewer of all those lonely screens?
And who is the viewer of all those lonely screens?

Still, one can’t help but wonder just who the creators were trying to reach in this movie. The movie seemed to assume that the viewer knew who the characters (Shiki, Mikiya, and Tohko) were, what their powers were, and what the nature of the supernatural agency that Tohko runs is all about. Some of this I was able to figure out by watching the movie, but it took some Internet research to find out the backstory about Shiki, for instance, and the reason why Mikiya seems to have the job of taking care of Shiki in a mostly platonic way. (The final scene of the movie seemed straight out of a romantic comedy, though.) I got the main plot, which features a dissociated girl leading other girls to suicide by making them think they can “fly,” but the impressive-sounding-but-hollow issue about “flying” versus “drifting” occupied too much time. My guess is that they were catering to the novel readers first, and to any new audiences second; I hear that this first installment, while a smash success, played in few theaters in Tokyo.

Further reading did convince me, however, that I want to explore this world some more. There is some interesting stuff going on with these characters, especially the dual-personality Shiki, and the atmosphere is delicious. So look forward to reviews of the installments that have been fansubbed so far (movies 2 and 3). At the very least it lets me bask in Kajiura-sensei’s string and choir soundtracks once more…she can make practically anything watchable.

PS: I should note the very funny opening sequence prior to the film. It may be the best “turn off your cellphones” message, ever. Also, there is more footage beyond the end credits, so keep watching afterwards.

Author: gendomike

Michael lives in the Los Angeles area, and has been into anime since he saw Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1999. Some of his favorite shows include Full Metal Alchemist, Honey and Clover, and Welcome to the NHK!. Since 2003 he has gone to at least one anime convention every year. A public radio junkie, which naturally led to podcasting, he now holds a seminary degree and is looking to become Dr. Rev. Otaku Bible Man any day now. Michael can be reached at mike.huang@animediet.net. You can also find his Twitter account at @gendomike.

3 thoughts on “Kara no Kyoukai (the Garden of Sinners) 1: Thanatos

  1. In case you ever get confused later on about how Kara no Kyoukai connects to Tsukihime, the former isn’t so much a prequel as it is a parallel universe to the latter. Also, the story’s presented in an anachronistic manner so you may not get the answers you’re looking for in terms of plot and otherwise till later on.

    Still, glad you liked it! Generally, I found the atmosphere just as alluring as you did. ufotable managed not to go overboard with their CG imagery and their adaptation of the action scenes was many times beyond what J.C. Staff managed (a big gripe of many fans).

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