I'll start off by saying that this is my personal favorite anime, so admittedly I'm pretty biased. However, that also means I've seen it 7 times (maybe more, I've honestly lost count). So I really know this show.
91 Days is a revenge story, through and through, but the way that the writers are able to create a story with so many moving parts and give each and every character a motivation specific to them that dictates their each and every action is nothing short of masterful. There is no purely good or bad character (okay maybe Fango is purely bad, but he's not even the
...
main villain and he's everyone and their mother's favorite voice, so I'll give it a pass.) Angelo's main goal is revenge, there's no doubt about that, but since he's working with the Vanettis, he also has to help them and advance their needs, all while working those seeds of his revenge in throughout. He's a smart guy, and the subtle things he does to eventually achieve his goal only get more impressive with each viewing. However, he's not the only one who's got motivations. Nero Vanetti is our other lead protagonist, and he wants to better his family's position and to get them out of the iron grip of the Chicagoan Gallasia family. He's a risk taker, outgoing and personable, with a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. The way that Nero and Avilio interact is endlessly entertaining, and their friendship is believable. While he may not actually be on the same side as Avilio (little does he know), he genuinely considers Avilio a friend. Simpler is Avilio's buddy Corteo, a childhood friend and the only living remnant of that childhood innocence he used to have. He's about the closest thing this show has to an innocent character, but he's much more intricate as a person than just the "best friend" archetype who'll always do the right thing and support his chum Avilio. His motivation is to help Avilio and go to college, but as he sees the way that Avilio changes over time and what this mafia business is doing to him, his ideas on how to do that, and if he even should, change as well. There are dozens of other characters and I could go on about a lot of them, but that'd take a long time and is honestly best explained by actually watching.
The story is without a doubt the best part of 91 Days. Character and story are completely intertwined since the groups we're fighting for and against are led by characters we know and may or may not understand. Who is and is not on our side is something that is constantly changing and never black and white. Really there isn't anything black and white about this show, aside from the logo. At times our leads up and completely switch sides. Some characters are good for Nero and not Avilio, or vice versa, even though sometimes because of how great an actor Avilio is we might forget that he's not actually on Nero's side. There was a character that Nero wanted to trust and eventually found out he couldn't, who Avilio thought he couldn't trust and found out was actually on his side. Even when Avilio isn't involved, the world of this mafia is full of lying and backstabbings and betrayals. Adding one more rat into the mix helps throw it even deeper into chaos. The story is fast-paced with each event directly leading to the next in a believable but deliciously destructive way. There are action sequences (which are very well done), but keep in mind that they are not the point of the show. Who hates who and who's going to kill who and who's selling whose alcohol and who's on whose side is the point of the show, not who's shooting at who. Many of the most powerful characters in the show never hold a gun. That's intentional.
The general mood portrayed by sound and art and animation is an eerie one, with dark and muddled grey and browns making up much of the color pallet and the soundtrack being quiet and reserved. Each scene has its specific mood that meshes well with the story and its intent. I wasn't personally a fan of the opening, but it really grew on me after listening a few times and now I know it by heart and listen to it every time I watch an episode. The ending is somber and perfectly reflects how you're supposed to feel after watching an episode, pensive and, in some specific episodes (Looking at you, "To Slaughter a Pig"), shocked. The animation budget wasn't great and it shows in certain less important scenes, but I don't mind as long as the scenes that need to shine, shine, (which damn do they).
One problem a lot of people have with the series is that it's a slow starter. A lot of people, myself included, stop at episode 4, the series' only filler episode with nothing specific for the audience to look forward to, aside from the obvious main goal of revenge. Don't stop at episode 4, the episodes preceding were all necessary to set things up and 4 was meant to develop the friendship between Angelo and Nero. Episode 5 is where it gets good, and from then on it's a non-stop roller coaster without any real pausing of the action. This story picks up the pace as it goes on and by the end it seems like there's so much going on you can't keep track. And it goes out with a bang, believe me. That. Ending.
Great show. My favorite show to rewatch on a warm summer evening until 4 a.m. A great set of characters to watch, with an interesting moral and set of themes. It's a very dark series, and doesn't sugarcoat the whole "revenge" idea. It doesn't skimp on you, it fully delivers on its promises in the darkest and coolest of ways, and is overall an incredible show. I could rant about it for hours (and have to my poor brother) but I'll stop here, hoping that you'll see that for yourself. Don't stop at episode 4, and good day.
Aug 14, 2019
I'll start off by saying that this is my personal favorite anime, so admittedly I'm pretty biased. However, that also means I've seen it 7 times (maybe more, I've honestly lost count). So I really know this show.
91 Days is a revenge story, through and through, but the way that the writers are able to create a story with so many moving parts and give each and every character a motivation specific to them that dictates their each and every action is nothing short of masterful. There is no purely good or bad character (okay maybe Fango is purely bad, but he's not even the ... |
