The Garden of Sinners Chapter 5: Paradox Spiral

*Some of the review got deleted... wtf? I'll try rewriting a little, but I can't guarantee success. OK, so this is version 3 of my KnK 5 review after watching the movie for the second time and getting part of my first review deleted. The full summary part has been taken off to keep the size down (I spent a lot of time on that too). I will be more in-depth and critical this time around. Before you read this review or watch the movie, make sure you've watched the first 4 KnK movies. Scores are based on 2nd time around. Comments and private messages areappreciated to help me review better next time around. [STORY] First Time: 8.5/10 The thing to note for #5 compared to the other 4 is that this time, the movie is nearly 2 hours long. That's more than double any of the previous movies. However, the story is by no means slow, and there are more than enough turn-arounds and absurd twists to keep it enjoyable. Odd installments of flashbacks and repeating scenes make the whole thing a bit difficult to follow, but overall, the story was unique compared to the other Kara no Kyoukai episodes and understandable if you've watched the other 4. By this time, you should be quite familiar with Shiki's as well as Touko's abilities. Second Time: 9.2/10 The problem with the first time around was the confusing non-linear story pattern. The montage when Shiki reappears was helpful at clearing this up, and the second time through, I could grasp some of the deeper meaning in some of the obscure statements. Araya and Touko had some really profound quotes that only truly struck me after watching the movie again (this time, I didn't have to worry about catching the plot). Philosophically, it was almost like GiTS for me. I also noticed some real logic lapses the second time around. Stuff like how the police didn't do a follow-up and the lack of blood in some scenes and excess of blood in other scenes. Some of the coming back from the dead and not being fazed by stab wounds are also ridiculous, but within the bounds of a supernatural anime like KnK. [ART/ANIMATION] First Time: 10/10 I was going to give this a 9, but I suppose art also entails animation. As always, KnK has some of the best (or possibly the best) animation of all time. The fights are packed full of excitement and every attack is conveyed beautifully. Again, Shiki's eyes are as beautiful as ever, and there is plenty of blood. This time around, there is more than one fight scene, so it's almost like double the awesomeness. Second Time: 10/10 KnK is basically the height of animation quality. There were a few lapses here and there and some sloppy artwork in some places, but the second time made me concentrate more on how beautiful the animation really is. Sometimes, I take KnK for granted, but compared to other anime, this is on its own level. Since there were 3 fight scenes, I am satisfied that there weren't any blatant drops in quality for any of them. Some criticisms for you picky people include lack of blood during the stabbing scene and some cgi moments that were less than superb. Also, Touko regrows her teeth in her fight and Mikiya is present in the very beginning of Touko's fight on the ground (1:07:32 in the gg-Takajun subs) when he shouldn't be (he disappears in the next set of frames). Overall excellent though. [SOUND] First Time: 9.3/10 Every person has their own personal taste with music. For me, the soundtrack of every KnK movie is beautiful, and this is no exception. With mixes of familiar tracks from the previous 4 movies as well as a few of its own, KnK 5 has perhaps the best soundtrack of the entire series so far. Additionally, the ED song is Sprinter, which is my favorite Kalafina song so far. The thing that makes KnK so amazing is not only the animation quality and straight-up beauty of the fight scenes, but also the incredible bgm that backs each fight scene up. Ever since the first movie, the bgm that they play has never failed to engage me more into the story and "feel" the emotions. Second Time: 9.7/10 I downloaded a rip of the KnK 5 OST after watching it the first time. Lo and behold, the second time around, I loved it even more. Once again, Sprinter is a definite plus. Sure, the soundtrack is a bit repetitive, especially from other KnK movies, but I think that's what makes it great. Why take down a winning formula? That being said, this is the best OST of the 5 movies in my opinion because it combines many great tracks into a full 2 hours, along with adding a few compositions of its own. [CHARACTER] First Time: 9.7/10 If animation is the one thing KnK is associated with, character would be a close second. From the utterly confusing first movie to the scene-setting second movie, we've seen Shiki, Mikiya, and Touko develop. Now that I have become comfortable with Shiki, I consider her to be one of the most interesting characters of any anime, regardless of her eyes. Her monotone conversations never cease to amuse me, and she gets in a lot of time talking with Tomoe, the new character. The psychological aspects of KnK 5 rival those of some of the previous movies, and there is some questioning on the side of the "bad guys" as to what "absolute wisdom" is. If you've seen and understood the other movies, the character development in this is just as good, if not better because we get to see a side of Touko that has not been revealed before. Second Time: 9.4/10 So I HAD reviews of individual characters, but it got eaten up by the MAL system somehow... Basically, there was some fluctuation between characters. Shiki and Touko really shone through this one, but Enjou was just annoying in some ways and Mikiya got almost no screen time. To reiterate, Shiki was just adorable at times, which is part of the reasoning behind the high score. [ENJOYMENT] First Time: 9.9/10 I don't really remember what I had written here before, but basically, this is well worth the time to watch. Heck, I even watched it twice... Just absolutely fantastic fight scenes and some serious plot development to think over. Second Time: 9.2/10 Watch it again if you want. The fight scenes are still top-notch and engaging. Plot elements may drag on for the second time, but it's helpful to know what's going on as it's going on. [OVERALL] 9.8/10 Extremely impressive movie with some serious psychological elements interweaved into a complex plot. As always with KnK, incredible animation and character development. Basically what I'm trying to say is that this was one of the best things I have ever seen, anime or not, and something that I rewatched a week after seeing it the first time (don't forget that it's 2 hours long).

The Garden Of Sinners Movie 5. After having watched the four prequels of the series and finishing the fifth just now, I will write this review based on the information we have up to now for the characters, storyline and so on. Not for what this series could be or how the adaptation should have been either. Also, this is my first actual review, so I hope I will end up being helpful to those reading this. Ok, let's begin! I'll seperate this into 5 parts. First off; The story. 9/10 The 5th part of the series does not fail to deliver yet another storyline that will not confuse theviewer, as long as he pays attention to the dialogue, that most of the time drives the show along. Mystery, incredible twists and gore scenes lead to this increadibly dark show. The reason behind my 9 is based on the fact that I found the mystery absolutely original, it's something I have never seen nor did I ever think of, and the way it was explained in the movie was simple and clear. As for its negative side, the only part of it that always annoyed me was the order of the series themselves. It never had a fluent continuation, a new movie was always beginning from a new checkpoint making it unclear at times. Art/Animation; 10/10 The main characters are extremely well drawn. The simillarities between this movie and Fate/Zero are quite obvious, especially in the faces/eyes. Takeuchi Takashi is easily one of my favourite character designers and he has not failed to impress me yet another time. I can guarantee satisfaction on this certain aspect. As for the animation, compared to the rest of the movies it was downgraded due to the length. However, ufotable is like pizza. Even when it is bad, it is still good. This part of the show is still its high point and when it has to get good, you know it will. The fights are excellent, wild and bloody as always, the movements are smooth and realistic and will keep the viewer glued to the screen whenever they occur. Sound; 9/10 Just like the movies before it, and, from what I've read, the movies after it, the sound is fitting always to the situation, energetic as well as calming whenever it should be, however, in this particular movie, the soundtracks tend to get very loud, making it hard to hear the voice actors or focusing on certain situations, although that really gives you an adrenalin dose when it should. Characters; 9/10 The characters in this movie had their best performance yet. We have seen each one of them in action this time, as well as proof of their intelligence and the potential that they have in the development of the story. We also get introduced to the counterpart of Shiki, who is the main focus of the first half of the show. The mystery that, as mentioned above impressed me the most in this movie was revolving around him, so I really enjoyed his stay on the show. Overall/Enjoyment; 10/10 Overall, this movie's advantages far outdo its flaws and the viewer will remain speechless at times. It deliveres pure entertainment. Intense plot, with truly well done fight sequences that might make your jaw drop. That's what made me make a review on this particular movie. Do not hold back from watching. And do it as many times as you want. I hope I helped you out and I'll try and get better with reviewing.

Given that I haven't rated any of the other Kara no Kyoukai movies below an 8, the harsh drop here certainly disturbs the graph. Indeed, a 6 might seem incongruous—and for the acclaimed fifth movie of all things! Rather than waste everyone's time by ill-advisedly trying to compress this movie's problems into a pithy introductory hook, I'll simply quote the antagonist, Souren Araya, as he expounds upon his villainous motivations in a dying speech near the end of this movie, the second-lengthiest in the Kara no Kyoukai franchise. Read aloud in sonorous tones for full impact. "Humans are hopeless. This is a story from long ago.You can't save every human, so how can you save the ones who weren't saved? There is no answer. But if I can open [the spiral of] origin and end the world—if I can record and observe all deaths until the end of the world—if I can observe the unredeemed and unsaved from the start, then the ones who died meaninglessly would obtain a meaning. I would be able to know their happiness." When I was watching Mujun Rasen, one of the guys I was with asked if the unfortunate fellow had dementia at around this point in the dialogue. I couldn't blame him. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the best Kara no Kyoukai movie. It's not even the second-best. Actually, it's the worst. How this particular instalment of a truly great film series became widely celebrated as the best of the bunch is beyond comprehension. It preserves Kinoko Nasu's worst—underline WORST—storytelling instincts, and precious few of his finer ones. Reams of incomprehensible expository dialogue flow like cement from the flapping mouths of its characters; I shudder to imagine what was left out. This movie pulls the drag chute hard innumerable times over the course of its two hour length. Perhaps because of the cinematic medium, it was even more excruciating than is usual for Nasu—at least when Kotomine wanted to bust my balls with lore for two hours in a church at the beginning of Fate/stay night, I could click through fairly easily. Some cynics may argue that this movie's popularity is thanks to flashy, well-directed action scenes that appeal to the simple-minded. My response is that most of the ADD-addled audience that they're imagining for this movie would be instantly put off by the constant talking head interruptions that deemphasize said action, and equally by the unending flow of esoteric chuunibyou fodder, especially during the second half of the movie—when most of those great action scenes take place. The truth is that I don't understand why this movie is the most critically acclaimed of the Kara no Kyoukai series, and I'm not sure I ever will. On that note, this is possibly the chuuniest thing I've ever seen. This movie has an invisible character, and its name is Choony. This specter haunts the screenplay, possessing characters at will to use them as its mouthpiece. Choony's delight in fuelling the adolescent imagination with mind-melting Nasuverse esoterica is so great that he troubles nearly the whole cast of this movie, speaking through them at regular intervals and ruminating on such vital concepts as the Swirl of the Root and the Counterforce for five to ten minutes. Once Araya and Cornelius Alba show up, Choony goes into overdrive, barely allowing the viewer more than a few minutes between its droning interludes. Mainstays Shiki, Mikiya, and Touko, when not possessed by Choony, are as likeable as ever, and the tortured Tomoe, a new character introduced in this instalment, is a welcome enough addition to the cast. Naturally, the central mystery revolves around Tomoe, and his connection to a strange apartment building in which his impoverished family once lived. Convinced that he killed his parents in said building yet unable to decipher his own memories, he runs away from home and encounters Shiki when she saves him from some thugs in an alley. His arc is compelling if predictable. On the other hand, Araya is the least relatable antagonist in any genre film I've ever seen. Calling him a magical practitioner of human experimentation is altogether too bound to the chains of reality, so I'll just refer to his little speech above if you want to get to grips with his character. This is not a bad movie. As always for the series, the music and visuals are superb and often achingly beautiful. The achronological structure is interesting and clever. Nasu generally avoids playing to archetype, and though the high-concept, high-falutin', and determinedly abstract dialogue keeps this well within the field of big R Romance, the characters still emerge, at their best, as far more grounded and mundane than they have any right to. Granted, they have far fewer opportunities to display these qualities than in the other movies, but at least they're there. Yet in spite of all that, the rating must remain 6. This movie's premise is simply too disconnected from the broader issues it desperately tries to represent. Earlier (and later) instalments in Kara no Kyoukai balanced lore with something more visceral; real human experience was integral to the philosophical babbling. This movie is defiantly obscurantist, and its ideas concerning the meaning of human life are unnecessarily wrought into the ugly template of bubble-headed fantasy concepts. It's not totally incoherent if you can understand what Choony is saying, but a truly great movie should transcend a niche audience. "Humans are poor losers." Shut up, Araya.

Overall: 9 This is a great film that I can recommend to almost any anime watcher, even those who have yet to see any of the other Kara no Kyoukai movies. Mujun Rasen (Paradox Spiral) has a lot of "popcorn" action and suspense while still being fully immersed in Kara no Kyoukai's dark world. Be sure to watch it on Blu-ray quality video. Story: 8 The story is much faster paced than the first four movies, which was sorely needed. One fault of the Nasuverse (the deep and underlying mythos of Fate, Tsukihime, and KnK) is that some concepts (such as the "counter-force") are hard to grasp,and this film is so focused on its quick pace that it leaves a somewhat ambiguous explanation of the concept. This isn't a huge detriment to the plot, and the climax of the movie does not rely upon those concepts to a fault. In fact, it is a welcome change from the "infodump" style of exposition favored in the first four films. Watch it till the end, enjoy the story, maybe we can talk about it later. Don't want to spoil people here. Art: 10 While not as extravagantly and thoroughly detailed as say, a studio Ghibili movie, ufotable does an amazing job of translating the film's brutal action and menacing atmosphere into a visual experience. Small visual queues such as a half empty Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream cup (how much did these guys pay ufotable anyways???) permeate and reappear in disjointed scenes to accentuate the unsettling and discontinuous atmosphere of the whole movie. Sound: 9 The music is excellent, and the huge number of small audio queues that repeat throughout the most jarring scenes of the movies only add to the shock value. Character: 8 The story of Enjou Tomoe is the backbone of the character development in this movie. Through his unreliable and disturbed mind we see the nature of evil afoot in this film. The main antagonist embodies inhumanity at its most noble form. The characters are strong, yes, but its hard to gather all of their motives accurately from this single film. Again, the way that ufotable handled which characters to flesh out the most is much better than any "infodump", so it is not a detriment to the series; if nothing a reason to watch the rest of it. Enjoyment: 9 The most important scenes of the film are filled with amazing cinematography and symbolism towards the story's main themes. The final half of the movie will stun you in terms of animation and plot development. Now excuse me as I watch this masterpiece again.