Mono no aware

I found myself staring dumbly at a blank screen for quite some time before being able to type a single word about this film. My feelings mirrored the closing phrase of Takami’s Battle Royale, “…but of course they’re part of you now.” I followed the characters through thick and thin; I felt stunned, drained and somewhat overwhelmed. Rewatching the series in its entirety didn’t lead me to believe this instalment is flawless but I was able to view it as the final(?) component part of the greater whole.

Not many of the scenes were brightly-lit enough to give decent screencaps

I believe it’s unfair to judge the Kara no Kyoukai adaptations against the other Type Moon productions when its source material pre-dates them all, but the fact remains that in terms of storytelling, presentation and character dynamics it’s a classic in the making. I’m not using that term lightly either: I’m choosing my words carefully here, even though I’m using so bloody many.

Looking at the screencaps I took while reading my way through Tsukihime it struck me how many of them featured Akiha. As a general rule I screencapped whenever I felt a given moment was especially important to the story so the folder of pics that’s sat on my hard drive since I finished the VN really helped jog my favourite memories of it. I don’t want to downplay the significance of the other two leading ladies in this of course: Hisui and Kohaku have well-written backstories that build on the unfolding of the scenario as a whole which, by the way, explains a hell of a lot that the TV show didn’t.

Disarmed me with a smile

There’s also an avenue which left me a little frustrated: Yumizuka was another fascinating character who, in my opinion at least, is crying out for a side-story of her own. Whether the rumoured re-release of Tsukihime will resolve that I don’t know; it certainly continued to give a ‘one rewrite away from brilliance’ feeling because the emotional clout of the story was stretched too thin: after all those replays I found myself wondering if I was able to care about all of them enough. Forgive me then if this post very much about Akiha.

I must admit that the premise of this outing didn’t fill me with as much enthusiasm as some of the earlier ones. It sounded like the story was shying away from the hard-edged grittiness that I’ve come to respect so much in the series, what with it being about something as light-hearted as Mikiya’s kid sister Azaka looking for fairies at school. Sure enough, the general tone of this movie is a lot brighter, more humorous and is mostly concerned with Azaka and her personal perpective on things rather than putting Shiki in centre stage.

What pleasantly surprised me though was that this relative levity and the shift in character focus offered so much to enjoy on their own. Azaka has always been a bit, well, overprotective of her elder brother but this is where she is given the opportunity to explain why as best she can. The mystery thriller side of things is still present, of course, but it’s more character- rather than plot-driven. With a some FIRE to spice it up a bit.

Of the five Kara no Kyoukai instalments on the fansub circuit the most recent, Mujun Rasen (a.k.a. Paradox Spiral), has been the one that fans have made the biggest fuss over. It’s certainly the longest: clocking in at a full two hours it uses this time to weave a convoluted and disorientating story that keeps the viewer on their toes from the first moment to the last. No wonder really that so many cite it as their favourite so far – it’s the most confusing and shocking but it’s a headfuck in the best possible kind of way.

Be honest now. would YOU live there?!

The editing and scene compositions, in addition to the tense atmospherics and poetic dialogue that have already made the series memorable for me, are particularly outstanding. I don’t want to over-emphasise a certain point I made a while back but even next to the previous four this one comes across as particularly cinematic and sophisticated. It takes longer to set out its intentions and see them through, throws out more intertwining story threads and also has a brazen desire to play mind games with the viewer on a scale that Satoshi Kon would be proud of.

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.

The first route of Tsukihime focuses on the aspect of the story concerned with Arcueid’s battle against the True Ancestor Roa and the vampire Nrvnsqr Chaos, with poor old Shiki caught in the middle. I must confess Arcueid is my favourite character of the lot here – one of the two memorable heroines from the VN as a whole. What is it about female vampires like her that captures my attention? Maybe that goes without saying but she’s a brilliantly-written character whose playful yet self-assured personality and fascinating background make for a suspenseful and entertaining read.

My cup runneth over/like blood from a stone

Ciel’s part in the piece however is an example of the issue I had with Tsukihime’s sprawling structure – perhaps the reason why it’s being given the re-release treatment sometime in the future is because the current version feels one re-write away from the level of quality that Fate/Stay Night spoiled me with. In my opinion Arcueid is a fantastic heroine for the story but Ciel was better suited to a prominent supporting role; the Arcueid part of the route had a much more convincing chemistry between the heroine and protagonist while the Ciel aspect was more rewarding in the exposition department.

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 original Tsukihime VN is another case where I saw the adaptation before the source material which is something I normally try to avoid. On the plus side it’s the arrangement that leaves you more bemused at first, but less disappointed at the end in that disjointed or poorly-explained plot points and insufficiently-developed characters are set out in their entirety, with a wonderful feeling of seeing things fall into place with supernatural grace. It’s like watching God play Tetris or something.

I recently dug out and rewatched my old copy of the first disc of the Lunar Legend Tsukihime TV show and although I now know all its background and hence its failings, on reflection it’s still not a complete loss. I hope the There Is No Tsukihime Anime joke is old news now but should anyone feel the need to dig up that old fossil I do offer the choice of whether you want me to use the knife or needles on you, at no extra charge. There IS a Tsukihime anime but it’s a very different, and less well-fed, beast. The creature of the night that spawned it however comes highly recommended.

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.