Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners Movie 5, Borderline of Emptiness: Paradox Spiral, The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Paradigm

Japanese: 劇場版空の境界 the Garden of sinners 第五章『矛盾螺旋』

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Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Aug 16, 2008

Producers: Notes

Licensors: Aniplex of America

Studios: ufotable

Source: Light novel

Genres: Action, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Suspense

Duration: 1 hr. 54 min.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 8.52¹ (scored by 131,994 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #121²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1011

Members: 238,564

Favorites: 4,602

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Synopsis

In November 1998, a double homicide occurs at the newly constructed Ogawa apartment complex in the heart of Mifune City. The murderer, Tomoe Enjou, has fled in a panic. To his astonishment, he is not pursued by the police and news of the incident has not been reported through media outlets. After Shiki Ryougi defends Tomoe from a group of thugs, she allows him to use her residence as a hideout. However, a few days later, Tomoe is shaken to discover that his mother is alive, even though he is convinced that he killed her.

Coincidentally, Mikiya Kokutou is investigating a tip that his associate Touko Aozaki receives regarding the murder at the unique apartment complex. As he uncovers more information about the incident, Mikiya takes a particular interest in Tomoe. Deciding to investigate him further, Mikiya soon discovers the disturbing truth of the foreboding Ogawa complex.

The fifth installment of the Kara no Kyoukai film series, Mujun Rasen combines an intricately constructed mystery with established themes and characters to produce a dark, thought-provoking story.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Includes claymation short which was shown before the movie in theaters.

Episode Videos

Episode 1

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners
Prequel:	Kara no Kyoukai Movie 4: Garan no Dou
Sequel:	Kara no Kyoukai Movie 6: Boukyaku Rokuon
Summary:	Kara no Kyoukai Remix: Gate of Seventh Heaven
Other:	Kara no Kyoukai: Manner Movies

Itou, Miki
Japanese

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Staff

Iwakami, Atsuhiro

Producer

Kondou, Hikaru

Producer

Hariu, Masayuki

Producer

Toba, Yousuke

Assistant Producer

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Opening Theme

none

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Ending Theme

"Sprinter" by Kalafina

Reviews

Feb 6, 2009

Archaeon

Recommended

Kara no Kyoukai review Part 5

Wow. I have to say that this movie is enough to leave one speechless at times, and for a variety of reasons.

The fifth installment of the Kara no Kyoukai series, Mujun Rasen (Paradox Spiral), is somewhat of a departure from the previous four outings not just in terms of its running time (almost two hours), but also in terms of art direction and story.

Set around two months after Fukan Fuukei, the tale begins with a disjointed sequence of events that are gradually cleared up as the movie continues. The story itself centres around a boy named Enjou Tomoe, who is ... saved from a group of thugs by Ryougi Shiki. She invites him to stay with her after he begs her to hide him somewhere as he believes that he has committed a crime and appears to be on the run.

During this time it seems that Kokuto Mikiya is away on some business, and Aozaki Touko is investigating an odd rumour she has heard from a policeman she knows.

Now the main problem with the story direction is that many people will be confused by the path it takes. There are numerous sequences that are repeated several times, and the story has a tendency to not only jump about from one time to another, but also from one event to another (a style similar to that used by Luc Besson at times). The result is something more along the lines of a Satoshi Kon production, and while there will be many people who enjoy the numerous twists, turns, loops and whorls that take place in the story, there will be just as many who will be put off by the overwhelming amount of information one has to process at times.

The art and animation throughout the series thus far has been top notch, however there is a noticeable drop in quality in this Mujun Rasen. Given the length of the movie it may be that Ufotable were forced to cut some corners with the designs and animation, but there are quite a few scenes where their normal quality really shines through. The CG is, as always, of a very high standard and runs smoothly in conjunction with the normal animation. The backgrounds and backdrops are well designed, and a lot of thought has gone into ensuring that certain elements in this area follow the concept of the story.

Unfortunately, the drop in quality I mentioned is noticeable in several scenes, and in one in particular, the character looks constipated rather than hysterical. In addition to this the animation of the action sequences, whilst being excellent overall, suffers towards the end of the movie, with one key sequence being more dizzying than breathtaking. That said, the sequence in question will appeal to those who like roller coasters at the very least.

The sound is on par with the other movies and is well executed overall. The effects are extremely good throughout, but the old problem of the noise sometimes being too overwhelming has reared its head once more. The score used throughout the Mujun Rasen lends to the general atmosphere, however there are times when the music seems a little out of sync with the on-screen action.

On the plus side it seems my prayers have been answered as more is revealed about Touko, especially as the antagonist in this film, Araya Souren (who appeared briefly at the very end of the previous movie declaring himself to be a magus), has a history with her. In addition to this, there is a secondary character named Cornelius Alba who also has a history with both Touko and Araya. In addition to this the viewer can finally see some different sides to Shiki, as well as gaining some insight into why Touko was so interested in her during the events of Garan no Dou.

The downside is that Mikiya continues to be more of a supporting role in this movie, and Tomoe, while generally being a decent character for the most part, may annoy some people.

Even with those flaws, this is still an excellent movie (especially if you can get your head around the plot). Fans of Kara no Kyoukai should generally be pleased with this latest addition to the franchise, and although it does drop a little in terms of animation and artwork, Mujun Rasen will hopefully herald a new direction for the series.

I'm expecting good things from the sixth movie...

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Feb 1, 2009

LemonLyme

Recommended

*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 are ...

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Jul 30, 2015

RakiRaki

Mixed Feelings

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.

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OMG FIRST PLACE ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) 5layer - Feb 2, 2009	963 replies	by Zoshlog »» Mar 14, 12:59 PM
Poll: Kara no Kyoukai 5: Mujun Rasen Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) dtshyk - Aug 22, 2008	507 replies	by FZREMAKE »» Jul 31, 2023 3:39 PM
why peaple gave this episode low rate to be lower than it deserve? this episode is masterpiece RCvvvv - Sep 17, 2022	17 replies	by Phloup »» Sep 17, 2022 4:03 PM
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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen

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Ryougi, Shiki

Aozaki, Touko

Kokutou, Mikiya

Araya, Souren

Enjou, Tomoe

Kokutou, Azaka

Alba, Cornelius

Enjou, Takayuki

Akimi, Daisuke

Enjou, Kaede

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen

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