Ranked #442

Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei

Kara no Kyoukai review Part 1

Kara no Kyoukai (lit. The Boundary of Emptiness), is a series that has taken a long time to become well known. The story was originally created in 1998 by Nasu Kinoko and Takeuchi Takashi (who later went on to form TYPE-MOON), with the first five chapters being released on their doujin website, whilst the final two chapters were released in August 1999 at Comiket 56. The series was picked up by Kodansha for commercial publication in 2004, and this year (2009), will see the series released on the international market courtesy of Del Rey Manga.

Now fans of Shingetsutan Tsukihime will be find many things in Kara no Kyoukai familiar, not the least of which is the fact that they are both created by TYPE-MOON. The stories have several parallels within them, which has led to the latter series being considered an alternate version of the former, or at the very least, set in the same world.

The anime adaptation of the series is being released as seven movies that run for approxiamtely 50 minutes each. Each individual film features a different time period, with no two consecutive movies following in any kind of chronological order. Unlike Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu though, this seemingly out-of-sequence airing is not simply because of a whim on the part of the producers. The non-consecutive ordering is how the series is should be portrayed, and the anime has stayed faithful to that method.

The first movie, entitled Overlooking View, is surprisingly good in terms of its story. Although there is very little character development, the story moves along at a nice pace, and the tense nature of the movie is very much apparent to the viewer. The movie is somewhat predictable in places though, however this doesn't really detract from one's enjoyment of it as an individual episode.

One thing to note is that the series subtitle, "The Garden of Sinners", is actually very appropriate. The first movie does a good job of highlighting the fact that the world in which the story takes place is no heaven by any measure, and that not everything is as simple as people may at first believe.

The art and animation for the series is done by Ufotable, a company for which I have a distinct soft spot. Like many Ufotable productions the animation style is distinctive in certain ways, especially during the action sequences (fans of Futakoi Alternative will know what I'm talking about here), and fans will notice Ufotable's trademark claymation sequences at the beginning of each movie (in other series they are shown with the credits at the end of each episode). The animation is generally very well done, and what may seem like blips in the animating sequence are often purposeful, part of this distinctive style I mentioned.

The backgrounds and backdrops are generally excellent. The maze-like structure of the Fujo building is very well depicted, as are the various outdoor scenes and indoor scenes. The CG has been almost seamlessly incorporated into the show, and the smoothness of the CG adds to the effect of the action sequences.

Character designs are taken directly from the original designs for the novels by Takeuchi Takashi, however fans of Tsukihime will also notice similarities in the features of several of the characters.

One area where the movie manages to stamp it's mark is with the sound effects. These are often very clear and well used, fading to background noise when necessary.The effects used during the action sequences are sometimes sharp in comparison to the rest of the movie, whilst the effects used to promote an atmosphere of tension are a little lacking. The music sometimes lacks a little subtlety, but generally serves to heighten the effect of a particular scene, addinga sense of foreboding in some sequences.

The voice actors are well used, with the three main characters being decently portrayed. Sakamoto Maaya, who plays the role of Ryougi Shiki, brings a certain edge, a certain chill, to her voice at the times when it's necessary, something which adds to the overall effect of the character. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast don't really have much scope to display their skill. Hopefully the following movies will rectify this though.

I will freely admit that the rating I have given the characters is not fair, but this is because a valid assessment of each character is extremely difficult in this case. The fact that the movie is only 50 minutes long means that there is no real development to each character, but I am withholding a final opinion until the end of the series.

As I mentioned before there are certain parallels with Shingetsutan Tsukihime, and nowhere is this more apparent than with the characters. Ryougi Shiki doesn't just share her name with Tohno Shiki of Tsukihime, she also has the "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception" (and she looks a bit like Ciel). Likewise, Aozaki Touko shares her name with Aozaki Aoko, and both help the person named Shiki in their respective shows (they also seem to know more than they let on as well).

In general the characters are well done, but they lack a certain depth which will hopefully be rectified as the series continues.

Overall this is a very enjoyable movie. The pacing of the story, the tension of various scenes, and the semi-combative relationship of the characters, all serve to raise this above the often substandard fare around. The fact that the series is being done as individual movies is also a plus, as each story arc is completed within a nice timeframe. The movie may be a little predictable, but as a first offering it was very impressive nonetheless.

Some people may not enjoy the first movie for a number of reasons (it has no real romance, no character development, no sequential plot, etc), but personally, I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. read more

This is the first of seven movies based on the series of light novels written by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. I have not read the novels, so I will be reviewing this film entirely from an anime perspective and without comparisons.

Firstly, the story. I started watching Kara no Kyoukai knowing nothing, I finished it still knowing nothing. You're thrown into the middle of the story, you don't get an introduction, and you don't get time to adjust to the setting or to figure out whatevers going on and who these people are. It seemed half complete from the start. The story itself didn't seem like anything brilliant either, another mystery involving suicides, ghosts and a girl with some kind of powers who can kill these ghosts. It was executed nicely though, I will give it that. I'm actually looking forward to what the other films have in store however, because deep down, although the story currently looks bland, it does seem to have great potential. It just hasn't been unleashed yet.

There are only three main characters in the entire film, and about... none supporting ones. So quite a weak cast, but a small cast fits into a dark and lonesome film such as Kara no Kyoukai. My first impressions of the female protagonist, Shiki, were good. She is the kind of character you want to explore and get to know. Her back story is another aspect of this anime that I'm really looking forward to finding out about. What really let the film down, however, was the extreme lack of depth to the characters. I'm hoping that will be picked up on later in the series.

The animation was very fluent and very fitting. The action scene in the middle was outstanding. Thoughtout Kara no Kyoukai I noticed many general view shots of the city the film is set in and of some other locations Shiki visits. These general view shots are both very smooth, and very well detailed. The character design is quite traditional, but the fact that it isn't different is a good thing when it comes to anime. The designs of the characters are one of the things that sets anime apart from any other medium. I must also mention that Shiki's eyes are very beautifully done.

The music playing during the action scene mentioned earlier was fantastic, and really put the scene together. It wouldn't have been the same without it. However, that is the only music that seemed to stand out to me. The other background music just isn't very noticeable, but that may be because it blends so well with the anime... or maybe because there is none, or very few... who knows. It just works.

A lot of the film was just walking and talking, so there really isn't much excitement to be had from those moments. Also, if it wasn't for the amazing action scene in the middle, I would have said that the entire film was a tad on the boring side. I have to remember that this is the first of seven films though, so I assume it serves as an opening, and that it can only get better from this point on. As a stand alone film, Kara no Kyoukai is quite disappointing because so much seems incomplete and missing. There is still much to expand on, much to find out and much to pay attention to. That's why I'm glad that this is only the first in the series. It kind of leaves you wanting more, and there is more.

The first Kara no Kyoukai film may be disappointing as it is now, but I really do feel that when accompanied by all of the other films, it will be something quite spectacular. I am going to watch and hopefully enjoy the other three films that are currently out, and eagerly await the rest. read more