A 1900s setting, mafia members, tommy guns, the prohibition, booze and lots of people getting turned into swiss cheese by bullets. This ladies and gentlemen is what “91 Days” aspires to be. A show that takes many of its influences from gangster flicks such as “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas.” And it shows.
The story will seem very familiar, especially to fans of gangster flicks and revenge thrillers. Some bloke called Angelo Lagusa witnesses his family being murdered by a collection of Mafia members and flees the scene of the crime to safety. Years later, he emerges under a new name: Avilio Bruno. His only goal: to obliterate the very men who were responsible for the death of his family and his one lead is a letter that points to the Vanetti Family as the perpetrators of the crime. This tale follows Avilio as he tries to get involved with the Vanettis in an attempt to stealthily pick his opponents off one by one, Agent 47 from “Hitman” style (I’m just kidding, he doesn’t disguise himself).
As a revenge thriller, “91 Days” pulls no punches. Don’t get attached to any character in this series because it will wreck you emotionally in the end. Avilio is a savage guy and a lot of characters die as part of his plan. Nearly nobody is spared. Blood will be split and bodies will keep piling up. One of the strengths of this series is its ability to catch audience members off guard, particularly during its second half where the major plot twists are revealed. But it isn’t done in a ridiculous and nonsensical manner like in “Code Geass” for instance, but rather in such a way that makes sense with regards to the setting and the character’s motives. It doesn’t go all out with trying to make the series as shocking as possible.
As mentioned above, the storytelling in this show is done in a rather unorthodox manner compared to most anime. A lot of subtlety is present in the dialogue and character movements and the show is often less dramatic compared to a lot of shows of this caliber. The tone is often somber and serious, seeming a lot similar to western thrillers such as Denis Villenueve’s “Sicario” than your average Japanimation. It’s also slow and atmospheric, allowing audience members time to take in the feel of the show’s setting. The series increases in terms of intensity with every episode but still keeps its tone relatively consistent throughout, which is a plus. There is a lot of emphasis on “show don’t tell” which is a great storytelling choice that is highly lacking in modern anime to this day. Lots of things are presented to us rather than told through pointless exposition sequences and certain clues are left to the audience to figure out rather than just handed to us on a silver platter straight away. It’s a show that respects its target audience, which is something I highly appreciate. Plus there is no monologuing. Bet you can’t find that in most anime now huh.
Every episode (with the exception of 4 which acts as a breather episode) has a part to play in the overall plot of the series. However my biggest qualm would be the ending. Every single episode towards the second half of the series seems to build up to a bombastic climax that the series never seemed to provide. There was no showdown like what was promised in the posters. Some audiences may be a bit let down by this if they were to be expecting some “Cowboy Bebop” esque intense gun battles or something along the lines of that. Another flaw was that the show never seemed to portray anything new that wouldn’t be found in any other revenge flick or gangster film. It seemed more like a homage than anything else, a love letter to a gangster film that the writers just happened to have watched and liked.
The characters and their voice actors all fit their roles within the grand scheme of things. Avilio is cold, calculating and sometimes even intimidating for a protagonist. Sometimes a little too cold; I was finding it hard to relate to him due to his lack of a personality as his sole motivation was revenge. Nero was more ‘human,’ making him more likable and memorable overall. He acts almost as the complete opposite to Avilio to the point where I started questioning who I should even root for. But by far the most intriguing character in the series is none other than Fango. Imagine Ladd Russo mixed in with the craziness of The Joker. This character is so over the top that you will either love him for bringing some “Baccano” esque insanity and humor into this show or you will despise him for ruining the sombre mood brought forwards from the very first episode. Nevertheless he is an outlier among the rest of the cast who were more down to earth. The rest of the supporting cast isn’t really worth mentioning as they lack the depth and complexity to make them a stand out role in any way. And this is also another issue I have with this show; the other cast members don’t feel memorable. Its kinda difficult to imagine people remembering folks like Cortheo or Barbero years after this anime is over. Others like the Don of the Vanetti family fit a certain stereotype that can be found in almost any gangster flick. Some characters actually perish before we’ve gotten a chance to know them and this diminishes a lot of their memorability and value to the overall narrative.
But by far the biggest flaw 91 Days offers is its animation. A lot of the fluidity and creativity we’ve grown to love in certain anime is lost here and the show feels like its on a tight budget. Inconsistency is prevalent and off model shots are visible in many scenes. This isn’t too bad considering that Studio Shuka is a relatively new studio, however more should be expected from a Studio that was in charge of the highly popular “Durarara” series. Aka a franchise that has made a massive buck off of its light novel sales, raked in a decent amount with its blu rays and boosted a fanbase of over a million rabid yaoi fangirls who adore the idea of shipping Izaya and Shizuo together (even though in the context of that series, that flat out makes no sense).
However the lack of animation quality was made up for with the music. It’s very reminiscent of old gangster flicks and compliments the mood of the entire show. Sometimes it intensifies when some of the more violent moments are shown, which is nice to get your adrenaline pumping. I’m not an expert when it comes to music, but if you like soundtracks with a lot of calm, collected violin pieces being played in the background, you’ll love this. Especially the opening song. TK can sing about a trashcan and I’d still listen to it.
Another thing to add would be the show’s overall setting and world. The 1900s prohibition setting was well utilized here from its vehicles, to the prevalence of alcohol, to various store fronts and so on. In fact one way to tell how well presented the setting is to us viewers is to watch the opening credits in the first episode as it presents shots of various different places and mundane stuff that would be popularized during such a time period. Its architecture is also very unorthodox from most anime out there, which tend to dabble in the usual retro or stylized modern-era Japanese architecture. The show is grounded more in realism with the way it presents everything, but in spite of this, it doesn’t forget that its an anime and sometimes veers into some of the absurd every now and then. For instance there’s this one episode where they introduced a nigh-invulnerable Mexican cowboy that has a penchant for crushing people’s necks with his bare hands. Surprised? I’m not. This is by the same studio that used to work on “Durarara” after all.
Do I recommend this show? Yea I do, but keep in mind that if you’re expecting it to add anything new to the gangster genre or provide a level of deep storytelling on par with say, “Goodfellas” or “The Godfather,” then you’re just going to walk out disappointed. This is a straightforward revenge story through and through, done in the same gritty and tragic manner as a movie like “Blue Ruin (though not as great).” Its definitely a step above recent failures in the genre, like the dismal “Black Mass,” or the absolutely dull “Live by Night,” or even the schlocky “Gangster Squad.”
Despite that, I was pleased with this series from start to finish. It’s a nice breath of fresh air to finally get something that’s more realistic and devoid of the usual anime tropes in today’s market. There are no magical elements in this show which is something I was really surprised by; usually more modern titles would include a lot of superpowers, time travel elements and so on. It’s an outlier among the cesspool of mediocrities that summer seems to have given us. If you are into gangster flicks and don’t mind something that treads familiar ground, then give this one a try.
P.S: Why is this even called 91 days when only 12 episodes have been released lol?
