One of the things I love about Nasu’s writing is the unflinching examination of the darker aspects of the human condition: I don’t think you can avoid the grim details and keep the power of the subject matter intact when you’re telling a story like this. There’s rape, mutiliation and all sorts of nastiness to be found here – I’m not sure if it would make it to these shores in any form without the BBFC’s Editing Scissors having their fun with it first but whatever. I found this to be in turns gleefully out-there and decidedly uncomfortable viewing but the said nastiness is very much relevant and in context.

It also looks spectacular: ufotable are doing a wonderful job of recreating Nasu’s vision and Takeuchi’s iconic characters. The rumours I’ve read about how they were consulted more than they were for either of the TV adaptations of Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night seem to be right on the money: it has the visceral, borderline-sadistic but ultimately exhilerating atmosphere of their visual novels that neither TV outing fully captured. At the same time it has a tangible quality; a feeling that’s akin to the ‘synesthaesia’ that Gaguri and IKnight noted in Mononoke and Gankutsuou. Oh yeah, it has another Kajiura-penned music score that ups the ante from previous outings too.

There’s much to enjoy on the characterisation front but I have to get my astonishment of the visuals out of my system first. The one thing that sticks in my mind about how great Vexille is visually was the meticulous way in which they rendered snowflakes hitting a car windscreen; similarly I was knocked out by the little details here, such as the raindrops on Touko’s car window. When the animators are going so far in getting the little things right, it goes without saying that when a BIG thing happens, such as an entire bridge getting twisted into a pile of crumbling rubble, you can rest assured that it gets those things spot-on too.

I’ve heard that there was a bit of controversy regarding the decision to open the movie in such a brutal and quite frankly disturbing way; while I won’t disagree for a split second that it’s unpleasant I think the creative team were fully justified in portraying it in such graphic detail. It’s a recurring theme in the Nasuverse that we’re encouraged to see things from unlikely points of view: namely siding with the supposed villain of the piece. A scene like that is instrumental in bringing the viewer around to an unusual position: that of feeling sympathy for a serial killer.

I’ve often wondered about the significance of the title being ‘Garden of Sinners’; it evokes for me an image of a locale that carries a sense of serene beauty but features a contrasting darker side as well. The task for a story such as this is that of making us see the world from the perspective of characters who carry the sins; the moral burdens that distance them from the rest of society and incite feelings that go as far as self-hatred. In order to get a clear picture of why Fujino has become a crazed killer for instance you have to see at least some of the events that put her on that path, as distasteful and upsetting as they may be.

Both in terms of backstory and physical appearance, I saw a lot of similarity between Fujino and Sakura in Fate/Stay Night‘s Heaven’s Feel in that there’s a character who has a dual personality because of prior mental/emotional trauma; it then goes on to question who should take responsibility for her and how she can be rescued from the murderous impulse that results. I suspect it’s possible to look upon Sakura or Fujino as a weak-willed individual who gives in to her sin to escape from the unpleasant realities; my view however is that neither of them asked for, nor deserved, the cruelty they received and the changes it made to them. The chain of events that gave them this lust for murder and destruction was caused by the actions of others – while it’s impossible to deny the fact that they are killers they are also victims themselves.

Shiki’s hatred for Fujino highlights the difference between them: the thing I love about the characterisation here is that rather than black and white, they’re presented to us in shades of grey. Shiki’s inner conflict stems from the fact that she too is a killer – and as such is burdened with a sin of her own – but because she keeps her impulse under control she feels a sense of superiority over Fujino. Even so, the moment where she shows mercy towards her enemy highlights the idea that, more than anyone else, she understands the true pain that Fujino is going through. Who but a killer can understand a killer?

Mikiya on the other hand compensates for his lack of understanding with his irrepressible sense of compassion: he’s willing to protect not only Fujino the serial murderer but also one of the men who asaulted her and pushed her towards being the (literally) twisted character she becomes. His devotion to Shiki – I can’t find a more appropriate term for the peculiar relationship they share – means he can overlook the side of her that even she is unhappy with, and is prepared to risk even his own safety to that end.

It’s a combination of her encounter with Fujino and Shiki’s unshakable, unconditional, faith in her humanity that leads to Shiki’s minor dere-dere breakdown at the end of this episode – I know a line such as “… just a slight murderous impulse that’s leaning towards you…” doesn’t sound like an affirmation of affection but when delivered with that particular dialogue exchange and a rare smile from Shiki, it says a lot. I think she rediscovered a bit of her own humanity in seeing so much of herself in Fujino, which I found to be a wonderful way to finish off a story that was disturbing and fucked-up but insightful and dazzling too.