Nope, I’ve not yet seen the notoriously popular episode #5. It’s on my hard drive but at a full two hours I’m saving it for the plane (which is twelve hours in total 0_o). The fourth movie, Garan no Dou, is the shortest of the lot so doesn’t offer as much to get excited about as I expect the fifth one to do but even so, there are some interesting developments going on that pick up where the second film left off, among other things. Until the English-langage translation of the original novels gets past the rumours stage I guess this will have to do.

I’m beginning to see why Shiki Ryougi is one of Takeuchi’s most loved creations. She isn’t a character who exudes the typical bishoujo femininity: she’s sullen and introverted, flattens her bust down with bandages and wears a leather jacket incongruously over her kimono, and is the opposite of clumsy…oh yeah, she also goes on the occasional homicidal rampage. Despite all this making her the anti-moe she has legions of loyal fans. And I’m one of them.

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.

The more I watch of this series the more I fall in love with the way it’s all put together. I daresay the sedate pacing and idiosyncratic dialogue won’t be to everyone’s taste but personally I’m finding myself more and more in my element; “Where were you all my life?” springs to mind. Thanks for answering my “Where’s the love?” question so well though, guys. ^_^ It’s reassuring to know that these films are getting more attention than I initially thought.

Like its predecessor Kara no Kyoukai: Satsujin Kohatsu expects patience and open-mindedness from the viewer but in return I was rewarded with a viewing experience that is more mature than either of the other Nasu/Takeuchi animated adaptations; I was once again left speechless at the marriage of visuals and music but the storytelling goes further into the characters’ heads, and is all the more satisfying for that. There are plenty of supernatural thrillers around these days but it’s not often that it’s handled in this way: namely portraying events from the point of view of the supposed killer as well as those caught up in the investigations that ensue.

I can’t believe this hasn’t whipped up a frenzied cult following, unless I’ve been dense enough to miss it. Anything with a connection to Type-Moon seems to be given a fair hearing in these parts so seriously, where’s the love, guys? I guess it’s down to a sparse release schedule that may prevent an international fanbase gaining momentum like TV shows do, or the fact that the full series of films is still incomplete so isn’t yet ready for Western licences. In any case it’s hidden under my radar for two long.

I’ve actually been working back through the Type-Moon stuff in reverse order: anime adaptations before VNs, and sampling the later VN before the earlier one. Taking a step back though I’m seeing an evolution of the recurring themes and character types, noticing Kinoko Nasu’s and Takashi Takeuchi’s trademark flourishes respectively. Back when I first reviewed Tsukihime I thought there was nothing really amiss with it apart from the pacing and obvious gaps in character backgrounds but what that, and everything from these guys that I’ve seen so far, had by way of compensation were atmospherics and underpinning concepts. Kara no Kyoukai floored me straight away on these two things alone.