Reviews

In the third instalment of the Garden of Sinners series, we follow the story of Fujino, a victim of sexual violence that has gained the magical ability to twist and turn the body of other humans into abnormal positions, ultimately killing them. Her encounter with Kokutou brings the perspective back to the setting of the first movie with Kokutou, Touka and Shiki at the office. For some strange reason, perhaps because Kokutou came to her rescue like a knight in shining armour, Fujino tries to find him again, yet her threatening powers lead the question…what does she really want to find him for?

This movie focuses on the themes of revenge and justice and the way in which a person with similar attributes is treated, can lead to completely different outcomes. Though Fujino had similar powers to Shiki, her family never nurtured her or gave her respect, leading to her powers spiralling out of control. From events that occur, it can be deduced that it occurs after the second movie, but prior to the third. The side we see of Shiki leads us to believe that she has a much better control of her powers, yet we call her the absolutely moral character, because she herself has her own views on murder and the correctness of it based on the circumstances.

Kokutou once again feels like he has a knack for running headfirst into trouble. Even though he knows that the people he’s getting involved with have murderous intentions, he still believes that there’s some good in them to be salvaged. He’s portrayed as a super morally righteous guy as he even helps an escapee of Fujino’s attack, one of the perpetrators of her assault. His relationship with Shiki is fleshed out further in this movie as Shiki gets entangled with the responsibility of subduing Fujino’s attack, partially because Kokutou’s life may be in danger. The very fact that she does her utmost to prevent Fujino’s death as Kokutou was so desperately trying to do just goes to show how much she truly began to care for him.

The animation of this movie is absolutely phenomenal. Fujino’s power allows her to levitate and manipulate objects and the red and green colour of her eyes and her bursts of power looked pretty amazing. The showdown between Shiki and Fujino was certainly one to behold as it literally shook the hold city and left damage in it’s wake. It also gave the opportunity for Shiki to act like her most badass self.

Ultimately, this movie is about whether revenge is the better path to take in any situations. It also explores the nature that sometimes revenge is the only option, when hatred and pain is the only thing that’s driving you. It really brings into perspective that when someone acts out and commits acts of inhumanity, to what degree should the people responsible for creating that monster have to pay for their own inhumanity?

A pretty thought provoking movie with stunning visuals and extremely atmospheric soundtrack once again.