Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen

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...

*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 ... appreciated to help me review better next time around.

[STORY]
First Time: 8.5/10
The thing to note for #5 compared to the other 4 is that this time, the movie is nearly 2 hours long. That's more than double any of the previous movies. However, the story is by no means slow, and there are more than enough turn-arounds and absurd twists to keep it enjoyable. Odd installments of flashbacks and repeating scenes make the whole thing a bit difficult to follow, but overall, the story was unique compared to the other Kara no Kyoukai episodes and understandable if you've watched the other 4. By this time, you should be quite familiar with Shiki's as well as Touko's abilities.

Second Time: 9.2/10
The problem with the first time around was the confusing non-linear story pattern. The montage when Shiki reappears was helpful at clearing this up, and the second time through, I could grasp some of the deeper meaning in some of the obscure statements. Araya and Touko had some really profound quotes that only truly struck me after watching the movie again (this time, I didn't have to worry about catching the plot). Philosophically, it was almost like GiTS for me. I also noticed some real logic lapses the second time around. Stuff like how the police didn't do a follow-up and the lack of blood in some scenes and excess of blood in other scenes. Some of the coming back from the dead and not being fazed by stab wounds are also ridiculous, but within the bounds of a supernatural anime like KnK.

[ART/ANIMATION]
First Time: 10/10
I was going to give this a 9, but I suppose art also entails animation. As always, KnK has some of the best (or possibly the best) animation of all time. The fights are packed full of excitement and every attack is conveyed beautifully. Again, Shiki's eyes are as beautiful as ever, and there is plenty of blood. This time around, there is more than one fight scene, so it's almost like double the awesomeness.

Second Time: 10/10
KnK is basically the height of animation quality. There were a few lapses here and there and some sloppy artwork in some places, but the second time made me concentrate more on how beautiful the animation really is. Sometimes, I take KnK for granted, but compared to other anime, this is on its own level. Since there were 3 fight scenes, I am satisfied that there weren't any blatant drops in quality for any of them. Some criticisms for you picky people include lack of blood during the stabbing scene and some cgi moments that were less than superb. Also, Touko regrows her teeth in her fight and Mikiya is present in the very beginning of Touko's fight on the ground (1:07:32 in the gg-Takajun subs) when he shouldn't be (he disappears in the next set of frames). Overall excellent though.

[SOUND]
First Time: 9.3/10
Every person has their own personal taste with music. For me, the soundtrack of every KnK movie is beautiful, and this is no exception. With mixes of familiar tracks from the previous 4 movies as well as a few of its own, KnK 5 has perhaps the best soundtrack of the entire series so far. Additionally, the ED song is Sprinter, which is my favorite Kalafina song so far. The thing that makes KnK so amazing is not only the animation quality and straight-up beauty of the fight scenes, but also the incredible bgm that backs each fight scene up. Ever since the first movie, the bgm that they play has never failed to engage me more into the story and "feel" the emotions.

Second Time: 9.7/10
I downloaded a rip of the KnK 5 OST after watching it the first time. Lo and behold, the second time around, I loved it even more. Once again, Sprinter is a definite plus. Sure, the soundtrack is a bit repetitive, especially from other KnK movies, but I think that's what makes it great. Why take down a winning formula? That being said, this is the best OST of the 5 movies in my opinion because it combines many great tracks into a full 2 hours, along with adding a few compositions of its own.

[CHARACTER]
First Time: 9.7/10
If animation is the one thing KnK is associated with, character would be a close second. From the utterly confusing first movie to the scene-setting second movie, we've seen Shiki, Mikiya, and Touko develop. Now that I have become comfortable with Shiki, I consider her to be one of the most interesting characters of any anime, regardless of her eyes. Her monotone conversations never cease to amuse me, and she gets in a lot of time talking with Tomoe, the new character. The psychological aspects of KnK 5 rival those of some of the previous movies, and there is some questioning on the side of the "bad guys" as to what "absolute wisdom" is. If you've seen and understood the other movies, the character development in this is just as good, if not better because we get to see a side of Touko that has not been revealed before.

Second Time: 9.4/10
So I HAD reviews of individual characters, but it got eaten up by the MAL system somehow... Basically, there was some fluctuation between characters. Shiki and Touko really shone through this one, but Enjou was just annoying in some ways and Mikiya got almost no screen time. To reiterate, Shiki was just adorable at times, which is part of the reasoning behind the high score.

[ENJOYMENT]
First Time: 9.9/10
I don't really remember what I had written here before, but basically, this is well worth the time to watch. Heck, I even watched it twice... Just absolutely fantastic fight scenes and some serious plot development to think over.

Second Time: 9.2/10
Watch it again if you want. The fight scenes are still top-notch and engaging. Plot elements may drag on for the second time, but it's helpful to know what's going on as it's going on.

[OVERALL]
9.8/10
Extremely impressive movie with some serious psychological elements interweaved into a complex plot. As always with KnK, incredible animation and character development. Basically what I'm trying to say is that this was one of the best things I have ever seen, anime or not, and something that I rewatched a week after seeing it the first time (don't forget that it's 2 hours long).

The Garden Of Sinners Movie 5.

After having watched the four prequels of the series and finishing the fifth just now, I will write this review based on the information we have up to now for the characters, storyline and so on. Not for what this series could be or how the adaptation should have been either.
Also, this is my first actual review, so I hope I will end up being helpful to those reading this.

Ok, let's begin! I'll seperate this into 5 parts.

First off; The story. 9/10

The 5th part of the series does not fail to deliver yet another storyline that will not confuse the ... viewer, as long as he pays attention to the dialogue, that most of the time drives the show along.
Mystery, incredible twists and gore scenes lead to this increadibly dark show. The reason behind my 9 is based on the fact that I found the mystery absolutely original, it's something I have never seen nor did I ever think of, and the way it was explained in the movie was simple and clear. As for its negative side, the only part of it that always annoyed me was the order of the series themselves. It never had a fluent continuation, a new movie was always beginning from a new checkpoint making it unclear at times.

Art/Animation; 10/10

The main characters are extremely well drawn. The simillarities between this movie and Fate/Zero are quite obvious, especially in the faces/eyes. Takeuchi Takashi is easily one of my favourite character designers and he has not failed to impress me yet another time. I can guarantee satisfaction on this certain aspect.
As for the animation, compared to the rest of the movies it was downgraded due to the length. However, ufotable is like pizza. Even when it is bad, it is still good. This part of the show is still its high point and when it has to get good, you know it will. The fights are excellent, wild and bloody as always, the movements are smooth and realistic and will keep the viewer glued to the screen whenever they occur.

Sound; 9/10

Just like the movies before it, and, from what I've read, the movies after it, the sound is fitting always to the situation, energetic as well as calming whenever it should be, however, in this particular movie, the soundtracks tend to get very loud, making it hard to hear the voice actors or focusing on certain situations, although that really gives you an adrenalin dose when it should.

Characters; 9/10

The characters in this movie had their best performance yet. We have seen each one of them in action this time, as well as proof of their intelligence and the potential that they have in the development of the story. We also get introduced to the counterpart of Shiki, who is the main focus of the first half of the show. The mystery that, as mentioned above impressed me the most in this movie was revolving around him, so I really enjoyed his stay on the show.

Overall/Enjoyment; 10/10

Overall, this movie's advantages far outdo its flaws and the viewer will remain speechless at times. It deliveres pure entertainment. Intense plot, with truly well done fight sequences that might make your jaw drop. That's what made me make a review on this particular movie.
Do not hold back from watching. And do it as many times as you want.

I hope I helped you out and I'll try and get better with reviewing.

Overall: 9

This is a great film that I can recommend to almost any anime watcher, even those who have yet to see any of the other Kara no Kyoukai movies. Mujun Rasen (Paradox Spiral) has a lot of "popcorn" action and suspense while still being fully immersed in Kara no Kyoukai's dark world. Be sure to watch it on Blu-ray quality video.

Story: 8

The story is much faster paced than the first four movies, which was sorely needed. One fault of the Nasuverse (the deep and underlying mythos of Fate, Tsukihime, and KnK) is that some concepts (such as the "counter-force") are hard to grasp, ... and this film is so focused on its quick pace that it leaves a somewhat ambiguous explanation of the concept. This isn't a huge detriment to the plot, and the climax of the movie does not rely upon those concepts to a fault. In fact, it is a welcome change from the "infodump" style of exposition favored in the first four films.

Watch it till the end, enjoy the story, maybe we can talk about it later. Don't want to spoil people here.

Art: 10

While not as extravagantly and thoroughly detailed as say, a studio Ghibili movie, ufotable does an amazing job of translating the film's brutal action and menacing atmosphere into a visual experience.

Small visual queues such as a half empty Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream cup (how much did these guys pay ufotable anyways???) permeate and reappear in disjointed scenes to accentuate the unsettling and discontinuous atmosphere of the whole movie.

Sound: 9

The music is excellent, and the huge number of small audio queues that repeat throughout the most jarring scenes of the movies only add to the shock value.

Character: 8

The story of Enjou Tomoe is the backbone of the character development in this movie. Through his unreliable and disturbed mind we see the nature of evil afoot in this film. The main antagonist embodies inhumanity at its most noble form.

The characters are strong, yes, but its hard to gather all of their motives accurately from this single film. Again, the way that ufotable handled which characters to flesh out the most is much better than any "infodump", so it is not a detriment to the series; if nothing a reason to watch the rest of it.

Enjoyment: 9

The most important scenes of the film are filled with amazing cinematography and symbolism towards the story's main themes. The final half of the movie will stun you in terms of animation and plot development.

Now excuse me as I watch this masterpiece again.

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.

The 5th chapter of Kara no Kyoukai brings a new level of epicness to the series. Chapter 5 is arguably the most exciting chapter of the movie series, it surely lived up to its expectations!

Like how it was mentioned previously, this was a good long 2 hour movie. A major villain of the series is actually featured here, and it was packed with impressive action and drama. The camera works of the action scenes were the best in the series yet.

At the same time, it talks about one of deepest concepts at the center of the series. What the main villain is trying to accomplish. ... It's so vague and difficult to comprehend if you don’t pay attention. Well, even if you don’t understand the logic, it’ll surely make you feel like it

There were some interesting effects with the movie in term of composition. For example, a scene will occasionally jump in advance in timeline, they will sometimes repeat the same scenes over and over, and at another point, they will show what a character thought it happened but didn’t. This kind of follows the subtitle of the chapter: Paradox Spiral in an interesting way.

Three new characters are featured in this movie:
- Tomoe Enjyou

A red haired boy who was a track sprinter and had high expectations but had to quit and work because of family issues.

- Cornelius Arba

A blond haired man wearing a red coat and a hat. An acquaintance of Tohko at the London Mage’s Association and just between you and me, this guy is insane and just loves killing :P

- Souren Araya

A dark mysterious man who appears in the spiral apartment that Tomoe used to live at. He’s supposedly Touko’s colleague at the London Mage’s association.

The music, back ground songs were just excellent, i personally loved the music being played during the fighting scenes, no one does them better then Yuki :D

Over all i would say this was an epic masterpeice with so many twists through the plot, well there is still much to be told but you can only imagine what the last two movies will be like. I can't wait. Arguably this has got to be one of the best anime series or movie series that i have seen in a long time.

idk man i watched that movie now and i feel weirdly depressed after that. i dont know what it is about those movies but they just leave me confused and unsatisfied. when i watched the first 3 movies i still had hope, educated myself on the storyline, tried to see through all this mess and understand the plot better. but now after the 5th movie where you would expect some kind of satisfaction and knowledge, it still feels unfamiliar and strange to me.
the plot unfolds in a very chaotic manner and stuff happens at random times and only in the end it happens to ... make some kind of sense. normally irregular storytelling is not a problem at all and the moment you understand everything and can bring the pieces together you'll get a feeling of satisfaction and understanding. but even if i understand what happened i still don't understand why and why this story even exists. it just feels so far away from stuff that makes sense to me so that's why i am quitting this mess finally for good.
the reason i still rated 6 is bc i still acknowledge the art and effort behind all of that and also i really liked the music. at least it didn't feel like a total waste of time like serial experiments lain.

A gap between two hearts.
Unable to both affirm and deny.
Between them, there is nothing.
Between them, there is I.
- Kara no Kyoukai 4: Void Shrine

The Tetralemma is a spiral that closes in on itself, and dissolves reality with it, and in the process only then can Ultimate Knowledge be known, or the lack of it. A Tetralemma is a Buddhist mental scape, starting with a Proposition, and expounds on the possible truth-values of such propositions. Commonsensically a Proposition has only two truth-values, that of Truth and Falsity. There are two more. The value that verifies both Truth and Falsity, and the value that denies both. The ... negative Tetralemma, then, is the spiral that, after dissolving reality, wraps around on itself, and extinguishes itself into the more than unknown.

We can consider Kara no Kyoukai, and for that matter the works of Kinoko Nasu, to be based around a Tetralemmic structure of reality, which compounds into an Aegis that denies the postulate while simultaneously affirming it. The form, for example, of Male and Female, juxtaposed onto each other into monstrosity, then it acts upon itself to deny itself of the Male, and returns to the Female. But there is a side that denies both, and that is the Boundary of Emptiness, oblivion, and the deep hole of Nothingness that lies on the other side.

Likewise the Tetralemma, the self-denying spiral, that takes its roots between affirming and denying itself, balances the world, although, as many in their cowls and robes would state, the entirety eventually falls into that state of Sunyata which none can escape and the no-self is the reign. Any concrete truth, as Araya is soon to realize, is a falsity, even the one that states that concrete truth has to be denied. That is the nature of the Tetralemmic consumption. Which is why a Counter-Force acts against Araya, even though the latter seeks to affirm the Tetralemma.

We need to keep in mind that the Tetralemma is a self-destroying structure, which in a paradox, hinges on the self. Which means the realization of the Tetralemma can only be conceived on in a self. Likewise Tomoe Enjou only realizes his own non-self, after developing a self by striking out at not just the paradox of the apartment complex, but also the paradox of his ennui-stricken life. In other words, through dependency on others, in a form of dependent becoming, could he realize the self that would negate itself.

One wonders what madness stricken deluges overcame Kinoko Nasu, who took unto himself to derive this complicated matrix of a system, full of tetralemmic inconsistencies, and verities of power, with walking non-souls that drift in and out of Noir-ridden city streets, and talk about haunted concepts, and strive forward towards apexes of nothing. The master’s eyes shines with secrets. He has made a world of puppets that essentially are aware that they are puppets, and in doing so become more aware than non-puppets about their own natures.

It is impossible to grasp at the true root of Nasu without beholding oneself to that Tetralemmic figure of knowledge, the knowledge that seeks to state that every knowledge is both falsity, and truth, and perhaps neither.

First four movies left us guessing a lot, so I expected a final info of some sort but didn't happen. A lot of raw information was displayed and it didn't quite catch my attention, as a result I wasn't fully invested.

Animation and Sound were amazing in this movie, there are some very nicely animated scenes and the music was straight outta SAO which is really good, the relationship between the characters wasn't so bad either.

Overall, it's a 6 (fine) for me, because I didn't understand the motives of the main villains, the magic powers of magus weren't explained at any point, but were ... teased at points in a slightly edgy way.

I understand that there is a certain charm in keeping the viewers guessing, but there are limits.

I watched this movie two times. The first time I thought it was very impressive, from the animation to the story itself. After the second time, however, I have a very different opinion.

I didn't find the character Tomoe very appealing at first, but after watching it again, I found him to be the only redeeming factor that makes the movie at least worth watching.

The story is confusing, not really because the events are hard to understand. If you piece the story together in chronological order, it's a rather simply story. However, the themes are all over the place. That's what makes the story so ... confusing.
I understand the movie tries to explore many philosophical subjects but honestly, none of them comes together in the end. It's not just a matter of leaving a question mark. I feel like the plot simply recycles a lot of well-known truths and throws them at the audience without drawing any line to make them connect. In the end, we are overwhelmed, and that's the only reason the movie receives high ratings.

However, Tomoe for me brought back some meaning into the movie. That's the only reason I'm giving this a decent score. He's the only character with any development. He went from escaping reality to accepting it and fighting for it. That's a big jump, especially considering the reality turns more unfavorable on him as the plot progresses. However, his character rebelled against itself and in the end found a satisfactory truth he can fight for.

Overall, if you are going for a movie with a lot of actions, this isn't one. But if you want to be simply overwhelmed, this is one.

***I have decided to change the format of my reviews to provide more to-the-point ups and downs of the subject in review. I hope people like this new style since the old essay style reviews are tl;dr and just take too long to write. Anyways here is the second anime I'll review under this new format***

I had made a review of this before but i lost it on the MAL crash a while ago ;-; so here it goes again. Kara no Kyoukai 5: Mujun Rasen is the fifth and currently the longest running KnK movie to date. This movie really is something special for ... those who enjoy getting mindfucked. Trust me.

Story:
+ Very unique presentation for the plot
+ Very interesting plot itself once you realize what is going on
+ 2 hour long movie improved the amount of development for characters and plot itself

- It can very easily confuse the viewer if they are not paying full attention at the movie. Since events in a way are not happening in chronological order.

Art
+ Fantastic background art
+ Awesome animation considering the fast pace of some scenes
+ Detailed look at decomposing and served people >_>

- Some slight weird faces there and then but nothing major

Sound
+ Fantastic background music, there really isnt much else to say...it was flawless in this category. Hat goes off once again to Kajiura Yuki

Character
+ Aozaki finally gets some decent screentime and development
+ Shiki is just a very mysterious and interesting character in general
+ Great character development overall, a notch up from the previous movies

- Kokuto is once again useless and non important >_>

Enjoyment: Easily one of the better anime movies i've seen, and by far my favourite Kara no Kyoukai movie yet. This movie made me a fan of the series. Can't wait for more.

Overall: If you enjoy deep and complex plots with lots of gore and unique presentation. Then this movie is perfect for you, it brings a very interesting plot, a lot of fantastic action scenes, and overall just a lot of entertainment. Fans of KnK will cum buckets over this. Those who havent watched any of the Kara no Kyoukai movies yet I highly recommend you watch them first, it just makes this movie more awesome and the time spend to just get to this movie will be worth it

Welcome, My Friends to film festival week. For those of you who don't remember, I did this in February of last year looking at Kara no Kyoukai 2 & 3, Ghost in the Shell, Animal Crossing, Blood the last Vampire, Night on the Galactic Railroad & End of Evangelion. This year I'm going to start out the same way I did last year, with another look at Kara no Kyoukai. To give a brief recap of how the series has scored so far, the first film was slow and incredibly stupid. The second film was suspenseful and good. The third film was okay but could ... have handled its darker content better. The fourth film was excellent with only a few problems. The scores were 2, 7, 6 and 9. So, let's take a look at the fifth installment and see how it fares.

Story:

Our tale begins with a burglar breaking into an apartment only to find a corpse. Understandably, he freaks out and gets the police who arrive at the scene only to find the apartment's owner alive and well much to the burglar's surprise. Cut to a young man being chased by a group of his peers who seem intent on causing him grievous bodily harm. Enter our heroine, Shiki. She beats the thugs with ease and returns the young man's dropped keys. He tells her that his name is Enjou Tomoe and he can't return home as he just murdered his own mother. Being Shiki, she allows him to stay at her apartment. Time passes in an excessively long sequence that recycles the same animation throughout. It finally ends when Tomoe sees his mother, alive and well. He and Shiki go to the apartment complex to investigate.

So, where does the story fall short? The most obvious failing are the long repeated scenes. The idea behind them is to convey the passage of time, but it just kills the pacing. They could cut these scenes short and get the same effect since they have scenes of Tomoe watching the news and the date gets mentioned during these segments. The only other real problem is that they don't do a good job of establishing the elements used in the climax until they're actually used. As such, it feels like they're being pulled out of nowhere. The one involving Touko in particular.

That being said, there are a lot of good aspects to the film too. Tomoe's story arc is really well handled. In spite of certain elements not being established or foreshadowed, the climax is really good too.
I also do like the way they show that plot points are occurring simultaneously and the non-linear structure they use works very well with what they're doing and does lead to some interesting moments.

Characters:

The characters work really well. This probably has the strongest secondary cast of any of these films with the antagonists having developed motivations and Tomoe being a really interesting, sympathetic character. Surprisingly so given how he's introduced to you. Shiki and Touko remain strong characters. Although Mikiya is a bit weaker in this than he's been in some of the films. He's barely important to the narrative, having only a couple scenes that require him to be there. At least he doesn't spend this film unconscious on a couch with no medical attention to keep his body hydrated and healthy. No, I'm not letting that “how does medicine work?” moment from the first film go.

Art:

The art remains excellent. The backgrounds are really detailed. The action sequences are stellar. I will warn you that there is some really disturbing and detailed violent content, including detailed scenes of corpses. The artwork in there looks really good, but it's still a detailed drawing of something disturbing. The character designs remain the weakest aspect. They are well drawn but pretty standard.

Sound:

The performances in this are great. Honda Takako, Suzumura Kenichi and Sakamoto Maaya voice the series three leads. They're joined in this film by Nakata Jouji (Fate/Zero's Kirei) and Yusa Kouji (Shadow the Hedgehog) as our antagonists. Both of whom do excellent work. Tomoe is voiced by Kakihara Tetsuya, who was also the voice of Simon in Gurren Lagann, and this is probably the strongest performance I've heard from him. The music is nice and atmospheric, contributing to both the chaotic and disturbing moments.

Ho-yay:

The closest thing you get to ho-yay in this is Mikiya saying he wouldn't mind if Shiki was a guy. So, thee ho-yay factor is going to be a 1.5.

Final Thoughts:

This film is not as good as the previous one. It is, however, a great film. It has some problems, but nothing that detracts from it too much. It's a little slow and there are some things that feel a bit like they were pulled out of nowhere. The narrative is still strong overall with good action and great characters. My final rating is going to be an 8/10. Tomorrow, film festival week continues with a look at a film based on a well known RPG franchise. No, it's probably not the one you're thinking of.

This is part 5 of the KnK series
People told me that the 5th (and 7th) movie of the KnK series is the best out of the 7. After finishing the 4th movie, I watched the 5th movie immediately and they were right. 2 hours of my life....well spent.


[Story]: (10/10)
After getting 3 sequels of a prequel to the 1st KnK, the series finally moves on past the events of the 1st KnK. The 5th movie now takes place 2 months after the events of the 1st KnK. The movie focuses on Shiki, as she meets a boy named Tomoe, a runaway teenager who claims to be ... a murderer. Later, Tomoe see's her mother whom he's sure he's killed. Shiki and Tomoe now investigates the building where her mother was killed.
The story, in my opinion, is a lot better than the previous 4 movies. The first 10-15 minutes of the movie were quite boring but later picks up the steam. The movie is divided into 3 acts (or you can call them short story arcs, I don't really care), 1st act focuses on Shiki and Tomoe, 2nd act focuses on Mikiya and Touko, and finally the 3rd act which connects all the acts together and explains all the things that's going on around them. Since this is a spoiler-free review, I won't explain what really happened in each act. The amount of plot twists this movie has, my god. They're all so satisfying and all of them made sense when they explained things at the end. The plot may be confusing but trust me, it will all make sense in the end.
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[Art/Animation]: (10/10)
This is the 5th movie and I don't really need to review the animation. It's perfect from the beginning and it's still perfect now. The fight scenes are obviously fluid and the character designs looks great.
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[Sound]: (10/10)
Ufotable or more accurately Yuki Kajiura should receive an award for one of the best OST's and Music in anime (I'm sure she already did). The background themes and the battle themes are so well done. Especially the theme used in a fight between Shiki and Araya and Touko and Araya. The Ending Theme used for this movie is "Sprinter" by Kalafina. Once again, Kalafina has done it. Her songs fits perfectly in a dark and psychological movie. The VA's are exactly the same so my opinion on the VA's are still the same.
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[Characters]: (10/10)
1 new character were introduced for this movie which is Tomoe Enjou who happens to bear a similar resemblance to Shirou Emiya from Fate/stay night.
When I first saw this character in the post-credit scene from the 4th movie, I thought I was going to hate this character because he was eating a human and he was enjoying it. After watching this movie, I took back what I thought about him. His past is a sad one and it made perfect sense as to why he did what he just did to his parents. We see more development for Shiki and more of her bad-assness. Hell, even Touko gets to be a badass. Araya who made a first short appearance in the 2nd movie, now comes back in the 5th movie. All I will say about this villian is he's not a cliche villian that you see in most animes these days. He clearly had goals and it's a good one.
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[Enjoyment]: (10/10)
The first 10-15 minutes were boring but later, the movie picked up the pace and from them on, I was on the edge of my seat and I was also actively thinking at the plot, wondering what's going to happen next. The action scenes may be short but they're still great to watch.
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[OVERALL]: (10/10)
I'm very critical when I give an anime a perfect score of 10. However, this movie amazed me in all 4 categories. Perfect story with interesting plot twists that makes sense, perfect animation, perfect soundtrack that was composed by Yuki, and lovable current and new characters. I didn't hate any of the characters. Hell, I don't even hate the villains. If you watched all 4 previous KnK movies then I recommend that you watch this, like now. This is currently the best in the KnK series.

Wow. Just... Wow.

The Kara no Kyoukai series has been on my radar for quite some time, mostly due to its connection with Tsukihime and the rest of the Nasuverse. Up until this point, the series as a whole had been a solid 8, something I'll remember going forward but nothing to write home about. Mujun Rasen, or Paradox Spiral, is another matter. This movie is smarter than I am, and I don't say that lightly or to make fun of it. I sincerely mean that this film is more thought-provoking than I was able to comprehend.

As far as the writing goes, this is ... the first time I've seen any anime property in the Nasuverse really dive into the metaphysics of the Counter Force and the Root of Akasha, but it was woven into the story very well. The characters are all very well written with no real exception, and the story knows exactly what it's doing. I would have liked to see more of Ryougi, but that's probably a me problem and the story is probably better for having her on-screen way less than in previous films. Touko finally gets the attention she deserves here and it almost feels like 'her movie' in a way, though that's not to say she's the most important character, far from it.

The art and animation have stepped up astronomically from the previous movie, it really is a spectacle to behold. The music is outstanding, even for an ufotable production. It gets a 10 in this category.

Overall, I don't want to spoil the film. Go watch the Kara no Kyoukai movies, this one is my favorite thus far.

If you are looking for something that could blow your mind away, this is what you WANT to check out. First thing that sticks out a mile is blood. Blood and gore. But unlike previous Kara no Kyoukai movies Mujun Rasen is a little bit less bloody and is more focused on action and story, which as I dare to think, makes it a lot more attractive. But it definetly kept that dark ambience of predecessors, and it is still Kara no Kyoukai. So It seems like after four inconsequent movies which made a sort of introduction, we finally got a perfect complete movie.
That ... was a half of a cake. The other half is visuals, which are outstanding. The most of the time of watching anime is usually spent on tv series where graphics are mediocre. So it is really good to see an anime with such a wonderful animation and graphics.

P.S. Now I can confidently say that it is so worth watching all the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Peace out :D

~ Enchanting, contemplative, deep, exciting, fantastic...

Kara no Kyoukai 5: Musen Rasen is a rare kind of work among the other movies from the series and even anime in general. Right from the get-go, the viewer gets immersed in a story so deep and enticing that it becomes almost impossible to pause. Now, it's rather complex, without a doubt, but answers slowly find their way out as everything seemingly connects to each other. As incredible as this movie is, there are a few bits and pieces that need work, giving it a 9/10.

Story: The most impressive aspect of this work, the story begins with a scramble ... of scenes which are admittedly brutal, but far from boring. As the title suggests, the plot is like a paradox in that nothing seems to come together and the order of events is very erratic. Don't worry because it all makes sense once you near the conclusion. You could always rewatch it in the case nothing makes sense the first time around. The movie has an expanded scope compared to the other episodes of Kara no Kyoukai since we see mages other than Touko. For the first time, the audience gets introduced to who the mages are and what their goals consist of. Although the focus happened to be more on Tomoe than the mages, Kara no Kyoukai 5 maintains a commanding storyline that entertains viewers from beginning to end.

Animation: Although I've seen cleaner animation from other anime movies, KnK dominates with its fluid action scenes and clear textures. However, I feel that they could've drawn Araya's face better, considering that all you can see are hidden eyes and emphasized wrinkles. I get that there's a mysterious factor in casting a shadow over his eyes, but that's a bit too far. Also, there are indeed drops in animation quality from here to there, but I'm no perfectionist, so this isn't a big deal.

Sound: Again, amazing from beginning to end. Nothing was clearly out of place and Kalafina sings great as usual. I admit some sound effects may have been overly stressed, particularly when body parts are snapped, but the weapons and effects were well-executed.

Character: Some ups and downs with this one. I am satisfied to see development in Touko and the mages, seeing that they were shrouded in mystery for the past several episodes. She also participates in a battle, much to my delight. However, we see much less development in Kokuto when he had plenty of potential with his new skills in detective work. Considering that he's the male protagonist, I was expecting much more out of him. Conversely, we see too much development in Tomoe (Yes, too much). Although he's a new character, he lacked any sort of appeal and I found pitying him rather difficult. Most of the time, I just wished he would just exit the scene so we could move on. I only hope that the next episodes of KnK will develop the characters of Shiki and Kokuto now that the topic of mages has come into the light.

Enjoyment: I couldn't stop watching honestly as the movie kept me on the edge the entire time. Somehow, the idea of a chaotic plot just kept me glued to my screen. Actually, the plot's so complex that a second viewing is necessary, adding in some replay value. However, there are about three action scenes in a period of two hours which might trouble some viewers. In reality, the story is what drives the plot all the way to the end, so don't expect a pointless video of non-stop fighting.

Despite minor flaws, KnK ranks as one of my favorite movies with its intricate storytelling and masterful use of special effects. Just the way how the events all link together brings a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment, even with the chaotic timeline of events. Sure, it'll get you thinking a bit, but then again, what's wrong with that?

This anime in particular managed to get a 10/10 compared the to rest of this series. The series while great (disregarding 6), had multiple issues that were much less present in Paradox spiral.

Story: 10/10

Firstly the story is told a way that at times is confusing, is still understandable. you may not be able to tell entirely whats going on, you still have a general idea. As a result this show also has a ton of re-watchability.

The story also does a lot of this series typical philosophy that in pretty much every other episode in this series tried, but ended up pretentious. The others try to ... tackle themes that were either irrelevant or didn't have enough character development to make us actually care about what they were trying to say.

However, this move had deeper themes of meta-physics while they were actually relevant, and had enough consistency to actually communicate them. For the rest of the series I typically recommend not reading to deeply into for as many times as the symbolism is done well, more often it fails. This movie is the exception to that.

Art: 10/10

Art is pretty much as good as you are going to get. Action scenes are done masterfully as well with the backgrounds in general. Its essentially the typical ufotable, when they are animating type-moon.

The art is also used well to convey the mature themes and ideas presented in the story, while keeping the dark atmosphere that makes the show so enjoyable.

Sound: 10/10

Essentially same as the art where it is used well to convey themes, and atmosphere well. The music is also amazing and worth listening to on its own.

Characters: 10/10

This show often has two criticisms. The pretentiousness and the characters. I already addressed the first one so I will now address the second one.I will only cover three of the major characters in order to save space.

This show has Tomoe Enjou for just this movie, who is an extremely well thought-out and to many people, highly relatable . His character develops very naturally and very well. I have and even the most critical of this series, find him an exceptionally well done character.

The next is the main character through out the series, Shiki Ryougi. This is a character who some say is boring and doesn't develop much. Make no mistake, this series is all about Shiki. This movie doesn't feature her excessively like the rest of this series, but she is a character that develops through how people perceive her and through her actions. This episode in many ways uses a lot of the development created in the first 4 movies in order to ensure that you understand her in particular.

Now we have Mikiya Kokutou. This is another criticized character for being dumb and dull. These people have missed the entire point of the his character. His character is defined well by his borderline obsessive love for Shiki. I do not think he is dumb however. He has an interesting nature of desiring to be normal, yet is attracted to the one who is very much not normal. His character in this sense is a contradiction like most of the characters in the series. His character also exists to help contrast with the other crazy characters in the series and helps us see Shiki in a different view.

Enjoyment: 10/10

This entire series is extremely enjoyable to me, however to some the at time s slow pacing will likely annoy some people. The only thing that at times hurt my enjoyment is when nasu tries to too hard and ends up pretentious, but as stated previously, this movie avoids that trap from its elaborate setup. The atmosphere is beautifully crafted, and anyone who enjoys reading into a shows symbolism and looking for some meaning, will find a few good gems in the overall not that bad other stuff.

Conclusion:

This show isn't as perfect as a 10/10 but this movie , as a part of the series in a sense, while being examined by itself deserves a 10/10.

As far as anime movies go, one of my all time favorites. While the entire Kara no Kyoukai isn't a "10" in my opinion, part 5 definitely is. The way time is portrayed is pure genius, and the main antagonist is absolutely perfect.

I reviewed the first film and I was like, alright this will be like a review of the whole series. Well I just cannot resist but write something again after watching the fifth film.

I didn't think this would ever happen. For years my favorite anime was Neon Genesis Evangelion, mostly for the deep thoughts inside. Now I have to add Kara no Kyoukai on the first place. This is the only anime worth sharing the first place with NGE :D.

My mind is totally blown up. After each film when the credits start I am just staring with an opened mouth. Such an mindblowing and incredibly ... awesome ideas and thoughts wooow!!!

This fifth film is definitely the best one so far. But it would be a nonsense to watch it just like that. It's a part of the whole Kara no Kyoukai series and it's perfect only when viewed together.

Anyway I don't wanna spoil but Shiki was even cooler here than before and finally Touko showed us what an amazing magician she is. But the thoughts in there...maaaan the thoughts....

Sorry my brain is....I...just....just watch it guys :D

The fifth installment of the Kara no Kyoukai of the movies but in chronological its a continues of the first movies kara no kyoukai 1:fukan fukei......at his movies,viewer will facing a really confusing while watching it,some scene will suddenly appeared that not follow the route of the whole story,that really make the viewer think ''what happens''.''how that happens'' and ''when that happens'',the unique about this movies is that 2 story but with different scene being combine to 1 story that really answered whole the story of it....at this movies,viewer will be introduce with the mastermind whose responsibility for whole the tragedy and and why he ... doing thats...and some fighting action between magic/supernatural and the puppet master....
The art,background and the environment was awesome,improved alot for this movies all the fighting scene and the character movement also the face reactions was awesome....
For the sound,there's nothing much change still same as the previous movies...
The Enjoyment for watching it was something that incredible and its was really satisfied...