Kara no Kyokai: Overlooking View (2007)

Poster for movie one.

Written by author Kinoko Nasu (Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, Melty Blood) and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi, Kara no Kyokai: Garden of Sinners began as a series of light novels that got its start in 1998. It was picked up by publisher Kodansha in 2004 and then animated by Ufotable (Fate/Zero) in 2007. In 2010, it became serialized in manga form. A profoundly captivating entry in the Nasuverse, Kara no Kyokai: Garden of Sinners has spawned not one but ten thought-provoking movies, of which Overlooking View is the first.

Kara no Kyokai follows our heroine Shiki Tohno who along with her friend Mikiya Kokuto, are called in by private investigator Toko Aozaki to help solve the mystery revolving around a series of bizarre deaths believed to be connected with the supernatural. For several weeks now, the Fujyou Building has been the site of multiple suicides. The police cannot find any connections between the victims, and the victims don't appear to have any of the traits normally associated with people who commit suicide. Shiki has little interest in the case until Kokuto falls into a trance - the one connection between the suicide victims and a supernatural one to boot. While Aozaki has placed Kokuto under her protection, Shiki is in a race against the supernatural to discover who or what is responsible for these suicides. But will she be able to save her friend before it's too late? Or will Shiki herself be the next victim?

Mikiya Kokuto - Dude In Distress

Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View is a fantastic but challenging movie to review because in keeping with the original source material, the stories told within this series are not in chronological order. While Overlooking View may be the first movie, it's actually the third or fourth "episode" within the supernatural stories of this universe. When we enter this movie, our characters already know each other, they've already been through several life-changing events, and Kokuto falls into his trance mere minutes after the movies opening. The effect is a little jarring at first because the only way to understand this universe in its entirety is to see all ten movies. However, there is a certain level of creative genius here because Nasu didn't create this universe to cash cow it like other writers, rather his approach to story-telling is to do so in a different manner than what is typically the norm and build a very strong cast that pulls you in psychologically and emotionally.

We're given a very brief snippet of the friendship shared by Shiki and Kokuto in an early scene and while it's quite short - three minutes tops - it tells us so much about the relationship of these two characters. Kokuto knocks and waits for Shiki to open the door to her apartment despite the fact that Shiki has told him he doesn't need her permission to enter. He makes himself at home and not only does Shiki not mind, it almost seems routine. The emotional weight and importance of their relationship doesn't kick in fully until you've seen the other movies which shows how far the pair have come but the tone, music, voice acting, and directing of the film does a great job of giving it enough to weight to make these characters and the relationship shared between them captivating and very strong too.

Shiki taking a break from kicking ass.

This move is less than an hour long and there were three parts therein where I could feel the waterworks coming from different reasons. The characters don't wax lines from a big book of cliches and there isn't so much "telling you" how you should feel about them or these events, but rather there is a certain level of salience where it just happens. I mentioned that Shiki isn't concerned with the case until it becomes personal and while she's not an emotional character, you can really feel the fear etched in her heart when she hears about another victim and assumes it's Kokuto. When she does find him - still in his coma but alive - you can feel the levity in her heart. Another scene that was especially powerful for me is when we see Shiki walking through the city streets, completely soaked by the downpour, thinking only of Kokuto while the series theme plays in the background. This scene is both sad and thought-provoking because it ties into a narrative discussion as to the role of human relationships and how people often cut themselves off from each other which is relevant in a society like Japan and even America where everyone is doing their own thing. And of course the music, art, and animation really makes this scene pure art.

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception - AKA Shiki Solos

Throughout the film, Shiki seems like our atypical emotionless badass and to some extent she is. But we quickly learn that where Kokuto is concerned she's anything but cold despite trying to appear so on the surface. Now this isn't done in a melodramatic way like we've seen in disasters like Rosario Vampire where a badass female quickly turns into a shrinking violet or damsel in distress. The toll that Kokuto's coma places on Shiki is not made readily apparent because Shiki isn't the type of character to wear her heart on her sleeve and situations which carry that kind of urgency does not affect her in the way it affects other characters because for one - while she is our heroine and she has certain traits, Shiki herself is not "a type."

Shiki in Aozaki's secret workshop.

You can scour Japan to find similar characters in other manga or anime and I doubt you will find them. Second, Shiki as a character isn't all there. That's not to say that she's completely crazy but due to certain elements in her back story which I won't spoil but not only is it brilliant writing but it ties into Tsukihime, Shiki isn't the most psychologically well adjusted character so she won't react to the world in the way someone who is completely sane might. What is intriguing about this aspect of Shiki's character is that elements of her psychoses are not played up for entertainment value or to make her less or even more empathetic, they are there not to make Shiki different for difference sake, but because her psychological state plays such an important role in her character arc and the commentary which the Nasuverse, and this franchise in particular make about society and human relations. Can you love someone if they aren't as psychologically well-adjusted as you? Are you the type of person you think you are or does society define you? I can't say much about these questions or explore the others therein because Kara no Kyokai has so much narrative and so much in terms of excellent story-telling that you have to see for yourself. In addition, because this ties in with other titles in the Nasuverse, I can't risk saying too much about this title that might spoil one or two of the others.

Stay off the west side.

As expected of the Nasuverse the anime deals with the supernatural but it's not necessarily played to the same hardcore level as Tsukihime. True there are ghosts, sorcerers, and such within, but the terror seems to be much more localized and this I feel is more effective because some of the characters or "things" we see in this anime are reactionary - responding to what people do or have done rather than being evil in and of itself. That's not to say this anime takes the soft approach of not rocking the boat. While Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View doesn't preach to the viewer, it doesn't pull back and claim everything is black and white either. Some characters in this movie are unarguably good, some are misguided, but there are some that are hardcore evil and the anime is making the viewer aware that yes, this is a thing. Overlooking View isn't afraid to tackle cultural and social issues as well. The first movie deals with suicide and while it's not the largest part of the narrative, we do see the question tackled by more than one character with the consensus being that there's no justification for suicide no matter what you believe. This I feel is very important and needed to be said when looking at a culture like Japan. It's all the more interesting and fitting because Overlooking View - as an anime is a part of Japanese culture - and it's making a statement about Japanese culture. The movie has a point to make and a story to tell and it's not willing to skimp on the details in the former or the later which I feel makes the movie very effective and this ties back to the presentation as well.

Surfing on rooftops.

As an avid watcher of anime for more than 20 years I've seen all the greats such as Escaflowne and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, in other words anime that define art and I was amazed by the animation in this film. The still shots I've posted here don't even begin to do the anime justice. It has the art of Tsukihime but the animation quality of Fate/Zero which means superb lighting effects, fluid character movement, lightning quick movements during fight scenes, and vibrant colors and very noticeable level of detail that makes every scene one to appreciate. Everything from how Shiki's kimono creases when she moves to the rust and chipped paint on the abandoned buildings is animated with almost minute detail. I especially liked the fight scene at the end because - a bit of a cheat I know I've read a good chunk of the manga which made me appreciate Shiki's character development - but I feel the final battle of this movie stuck with me because the combination of the music, animation, presentation, and Shiki herself actually had me cheering her on with a certain pride as though I was witnessing the birth of a new hero.

The movie isn't perfect per se but I feel that's a shot at the film it doesn't warrant. If you're looking for action from start to finish you'll be disappointed but the movie isn't about that. Kara no Kyokai: Garden of Sinners has its action sure, but it's more focused on telling a dramatic story which I can only describe as remarkable. The movies do require an investment of time though because there are ten of them and while you can appreciate Overlooking View on its own merits, you'll gleam a lot more from this entry in the Nasuverse if you engross yourself in it fully. What you put in however is what you definitely get back because these movies are truly in a class of their own. The movies are hard to track down, very rare, and ridiculously expensive which is why I advise you to stream them or purchase from their American distributor Aniplex or Rightstuf.

You need this in your library.

The series as a whole is amazing. The quality in the writing, animation, and characters truly warranted all ten of those movies. While this level of brilliance isn't foreign to the Nasuverse, I feel that anime as a whole benefits from titles like Kara no Kyokai because it doesn't need to be this years hypefest or talk of the pop culture message board. It has the following it does because its unique, very well made, and it has the level of sophistication Nasu is known for - able to tackle tough subject matter and doing so in a meaningful way while maintaining an absurd level of quality in terms of animation, character development, and story-telling. I am very glad to know anime like this is out there.