Kara no Kyoukai

[Munsu]

Here's the first of what looks like 4 movies, maybe more.

First one is called Kara no Kyoukai - The Garden of Sinners, released by gg-Takajun:
http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/[gg-TakaJun]_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_01v2_[3F2E8FEA].mkv.torrent

This should be a good one.


Based on a novel by Nasu Kinoko, writer for TYPE-MOON. Kara no Kyoukai plays in a parallel universe to that of Tsukihime. Considered the precursor/inspiration for the story of Tsukihime.

From a long sleep, Ryougi Shiki awoke.
As an after effect, she gained the power to perceive the death of things.
A power to kill anything with just a knife lures Shiki into a dark world.
The murderer from two years ago.
Swarm of floating ghosts
A girl who can bend things by just looking at them.
A spiral construction which collects people's death.
When numerous bizarre incidents collides with Shiki's Mystic Eyes...
her lost memories reawakens---.

The main character, Ryougi Shiki, was involved in a car accident and fell into a deep coma for two years. When she finally awoke from it, she had gained the “Eyes of Death Perception” ability but believed to have lost something instead.

The Ryougi family attempted to create human beings that exceeded normal humans, and to accomplish this, they trained their children in various martial arts and fencing, and also made them split their personalities. They believed that by using this method, one personality could be an expert in one subject while the other could be master other subjects. Shiki was no exception to this, and she had a masculine and feminine side that switched places with each other.

After having woken up from the accident, Shiki believed that her masculine personality side had died during the accident. Instead she tried to supplement the spiritually dead Shiki's personality by her masculine tone.

http://www.karanokyoukai.com/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7472
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4932

[Kraco]

This should be a good one.

You are mistaken. It shouldn't be good. It is good.

It gave me the impression of a mix of Tsukihime and Shinkai Makoto works. And that's not a bad thing. This first episode didn't actually contain a really strong plot, which makes me a bit sad since we are talking about only 4 installments in total (or comparable to 8 episodes length wise). However, the next episode should be all business. I guess this was a peaceful introduction.

The remaining eps better have some really good (that is, bloody) fights, though...

[Board of Command]

Yes! It's finally here!

[Ryllharu]

I have only one problem with the film. It was definitely written for viewers who had read the novels. Having only read a translation of this one, I was still a little lost.

When I read the book, there was no mention of Shiki having a fake arm. The person Touko mentioned, "the Fujino Asagami case" seemed to imply Shiki lost her arm to was in a later book. Maybe that one takes place before this one, but it is an issue that only readers of all the novels would know for sure. Zero explanation in this film, on several things.

Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot.

No surprise it reminds you of Tsukihime. Most Type-Moon fans will tell you that Kara no Kyoukai is the exact same world. Fate/Stay is similar, and might be the same (given a few things between the two), personally I think it is. I digress. They explain it somewhere, but the red-haired witch in Tsukihime that gives Shiki Tohno the glasses at the beginning of Tsukihime is Aozaki Aoko, Touko's sister.

I liked the somewhat hazy, yet very well defined bloody streaks representation of the death lines in Kara no Kyoukai though. My favorite part would have to be Shiki rolllllllling about on her bed after Mikiya came out of whatever stupor/coma he was in and stopped by. Very cute.

I'll agree that parts of it, the way light was used in the office and some of the reflections, is very Makoto Shinkai, but I got a much stronger Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika) impression from this movie. Grimy, gritty, and dirty in the same way Perfect Blue and Paprika are, not the polished the way Shinkai's films tend to be.

I really loved the casting. Everyone was pretty much exactly as I imagined they would be when I read the book. Maaya Sakamoto did a wonderful Shiki, Rie Tanaka as Kirie was ever the perfect creepy girl, I don't think anyone else could have played Touko as well as Takako Honda (Junko in NANA), and even Kenichi Suzumura played Mikiya as I thought he would sound like.

Can't wait for the next one.

(I liked the Neko-arc appearance in the cell phone warning too.)

[Munsu]

version 2:
http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/[gg-TakaJun]_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_01v2_[3F2E8FEA].mkv.torrent

[BioAlien]

If I remember correctly, the "Fujino Asagami case" refer to the third chapter(Of the Novel).

The time line of Kara No Kyoukai is a bit mixed up.(Like the date of the next one is 1995 while this one was 1998)



As for this movie, it was simply awesome in every way possible. Sure, it lacked a bit of actions, but that we can't help it, since thats how the first chapter was.

[Board of Command]

They need to release a 1080p version of this NOW.

Anyone know what was changed in the v2 from Shinsen?

[shinta|hikari]

Superb. Great in every way possible.

[Xrlderek]

They need to release a 1080p version of this NOW.

Anyone know what was changed in the v2 from Shinsen?

From gg's website:

TheFluff is TheFag and TheFailed TheEncode. More specifically, the way he linked the claymation to the rest of the movie was a hack job so uhh v2. Even though the hackjob does work, and the v1 is watchable... MKV Chapters Are Serious Fucking Business. One of the Macross TL guys thought that a couple lines should be re-timed to be more flowing with the Japanese (?) or something, but who the fuck cares about that. Also, please note this encode has some things called grain and detail. Those are not harmful to your health.

If you already have the file and would like to not have to re-download it, download this .diff file magic h4x. It is far more simpler than the append magic remux. :P
.diff file: http://ggkthx.org/KnK/KnK_01_v1_to_v2_Patch.rar

[animus]

I have to say all the talk about flying, not flying, floating, and suicide kinda annoyed me.

[Ryllharu]

The repetition is a little annoying, but the ideas presented are actually very deep philosophical ones.

I got the concept of the reason the girls were committing suicide. There are similar versions of this story everywhere, but one I remember the best is from the Chuang Tzu.

A frog lives in a well, and is convinced that the "world" which consists only of this well is the greatest place. It's everything, all encompassing, and there's a tiny patch of sky visible. One day, a turtle visits the frog. The turtle has come from the sea, and tells the frog how truly vast the real "world" is. The frog doesn't believe the turtle, and remains deadset that the well is the entirety of the world.

Kirie was forcing these girls to "fly" and see the true vastness of the world. As Touko pointed out, when people see the real vastness, they are often completely overwhelmed, and can't comprehend it at all. So they "fly." Kirie filled them with the delusion that they really wanted to do this, and could fly.

Kirie herself was much like the frog. She could only remember seeing the patch of sky and the part of the city from her hospital bed. Some man came and offered her a second soul that could fly around in the city, or at least the top of the building her parents used to own. So she believed that she was "flying." But as Touko explained to her, she was really only floating, as she was still very much attached to the world, and just bringing others down with her (though the girls actually did "fly" when they died). Her suggestion was that Kirie actually go and "fly" instead of merely hovering about like a ghost.

When Shiki instantly killed Kirie's second, ghost self, Kirie returned to being that frog in the well. But a part of her remembered the delusion of "flight" so she killed herself in the end.

The reason the illusions didn't work on Shiki the second time is she claimed to have no desire for that sort of thing. It's understandable. With the Eyes of Death Perception, Shiki already knows quite a bit about how vast the world truly is. She has also obviously chosen to stay right where she is, with (or at least as near as she can be) Mikiya.

[shinta|hikari]

I think the desire she was referring to was her will to live. Without it, any temptation one can offer is worth nothing. It is not something so simple as having experience or knowledge about the world. I think it hints at something about Shiki's past which made her as lifeless as she is now, which will probably be revealed next time.

[Ryllharu]

Well, we can't say for sure what Shiki's issues are, so I just made a guess and ran with it based off the context of the story, which is how Kirie seemed to be luring everyone to their deaths (or coma in Mikiya's case, and his dream was just one more variation of the story I remember).

[Kraco]

The history of lines of blood:

Episode 2 - gg-TakaJun (http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/%5bgg-TakaJun%5d_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_02_%5b34C48DE0%5d.mkv.torrent)

Edit:
v2 Patch (http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/%5Bgg-TakaJun%5D_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_02v2_magic_h4x_patch_%5BDEC297A0%5D.rar.torrent)

[BioAlien]

The beginning with neko arc/shiki/kokuto/some guy I don't reconize was just made of win.


Wow... I didn't see that one coming.
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5355/snapshotam4.jpg
(For anyone who doesn't know, that's Len, from Tsukihime; Kagetsu Tohya and Melty Blood)

Now if only the next ones could come out faster..

[Kraco]

I really liked this episode. The graphics were gorgeous but the story was even more splendid. Not only did it explain great many things about the relationship of those two that were left vague in the first episode but it also showed just how deep it is. Quite a rocky ride indeed it has been. I have to confess, though, that I really love stories like this, where one character is so determined to love the other that there will be no limits to what he's ready to do for the other. I have no doubt now Kokutou pretty much saved Shiki's personality, even if it almost cost him his life.

[Ryllharu]

There was almost no action in this episode, but it was definitely better than the last one.

It's kind of interesting that the only thing Shiki was denying is that she might get attached to someone. She got really cute right at the beginning when Mikiya was taking an interest into her. Then she just tried to get SHIKI to drive him off. I wonder if it was just Shiki trying to deny that she could like someone other than SHIKI, or if she realized how much she was starting to like him and tried to drive him off in order to protect him.

This episode also showed why Shiki was so possessive of Mikiya after his consciousness was taken from her by the ghost girl in the last episode.

Watching her buy a leather jacket specifically because Mikiya suggested it, watching her get startled from being touched by the umbrella, and then abruptly yelling out his name (with a -kun suffix no less! The only time she used it.) and taking forever to ask a question. All very cute, sending my tsundere sensors to overload.

Match that up with the opening scene of her smearing the blood onto her lips, and you've got one hell of an episode.


Did that event of her chasing Mikiya through the forest put her into a coma for two years? It seems the next one with Asagami takes place just after she comes out of her coma, in July of 1998.

[Kraco]

Did that event of her chasing Mikiya through the forest put her into a coma for two years? It seems the next one with Asagami takes place just after she comes out of her coma, in July of 1998.

So it seems now, but I'm puzzled by the fact the description says she gets the eyes when she wakes up from the coma. However, the lackey was saying Shiki can be the only next master of the house because she has a special attribute. At that point I thought he meant the eyes. But perhaps it was just the split personality. If it was "just" that, then had her brother failed to develop a split mind?

Likely it will be shown in some episode; her waking up, that is. That should also give the definite answer.

[Xrlderek]

I liked the second episode much more than the first one, but the timeline is confusing. I guess reading the light novel would help with that.

[BioAlien]

Third one here (http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/%5Bgg-TakaJun%5D_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_03_%5B8ED4206B%5D.mkv.torrent)

Can't wait for it to be done...
I really liked the third chapter in the novel, let's hope the movie is the same.


Once again, the "theater" thing at the start is fun to watch, Neko Arc is back, Nasu is there too and even Rin and Sakura!

[Ryllharu]

I have to admit that I am a little disappointed that Shiki didn't kill Fujino. She certainly deserved it, and there's only room for one supernatural killer who likes Kokutou. Well...two if you count both Shiki's.

The animation on Fujino's ability is certainly the coolest one yet. It looked more like a gravity well than bending for the most part, but I guess she's just grabbing a volume of space and twising the hell out of it and everything within it. They haven't been giving us a good view of Shiki's death lines recently though.

I really loved the music in this eps/movie, particularlly in the fights between Fujino and Shiki.

I'm really starting to like the narrative direction of the series, the time jumps. They so frequently jump back and forth, giving us tidbits of information that we should know all about. Like the Fujino reference early back in the first one. Only now do we see how Shiki lost her arm, why she hates Fujino and other people like her so much, and a host of other info. But each time they tell us something, there's tons of new questions.

In this one, we get to see Azaka. We didn't even know Kokutou had a sister. Now we see that not only does he have one, he's got one who completely loathes Shiki. Now I really want to know why.


But the thing I liked most about this episode, was the look on Touko's face when Kokutou came back early...

[Board of Command]

I can't get over how great the animation in these movies is. All of the backdrops are incredibly detailed. I'm dying to know when 720p or 1080p versions will be released because this NEEDS to be watched in higher resolution.

[shinta|hikari]

Azaka hates Shiki for the same reason Akiha hates Arcueid.

[BioAlien]

Akiha pretty much hate every women around Shiki to begin with...

But I see what you mean by that.

[Ryllharu]

Well, I wanted to know why specifically. Something like...Azaka peacefully gets doted upon by her brother at home until one day he brings home a woman from the hospital (if it really happens that way don't tell me).

Shiki went directly from school to home in the last episode that encompassed their high school years. Then she was in a coma for some time. She certainly could not have met Azaka until "recently," so I was wondering what conditions would bring the two together.

[animus]

I have to say it annoys me when they pan the screen on a still image for 30 seconds with nothing happening.

[Buffalobiian]

It's a great series of movies, but I didn't understand everything as much as you guys. This last one was the most linear, so that was good. Was there something preceding to these that I should have knowledge of?

[Board of Command]

Have you played Tsukihime? It explains Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

[shinta|hikari]

But that is not necessary, since the eyes will most likely be explained later on in the series. The reason why most people do not seem to be as confused as they should is be is probably because they have read parts or the entire novel (including me of course).

[Ryllharu]

I only read the first, which the first film covered. The only extra information was either covered by the second episode (that Shiki was known for always wearing kimono) or was a descriptor of Touka's office and only the vaguest of information about who she is.

But Shiki's eyes in Kara no Kyoukai work differently than Tohno Shiki's eyes in Tsukihime. Hers are much stronger. As we saw with Fujino, Shiki/SHIKI can kill more than just living things, like diseases, kill parts of things (Tohno was all or nothing in the anime), and even kill non-physical things like intent (when she was destroying the manifestions of Fujino's power). Not to mention she can turn hers off.

[shinta|hikari]

Tohno's eyes work the same way. He can even kill spreading vampirism inside the body (unless it has already "killed" the host). I am pretty sure Tohno can destroy Fujino's power as well. But the girl Shiki can turn hers off like you said, so it is quite an edge.

EDIT: I apologize for the misunderstanding. I assumed you are familiar with the visual novel since you mentioned "tsukihime" rather than the anime title.

[Ryllharu]

I metioned it, but did not specifically state that I only watched the anime of Tsukihime. I didn't play the game, didn't read the novel adaptations of it, and I can't understand Melty Blood because I don't know enough Japanese.

Tohno's eyes didn't do a whole hell of a lot in the anime.

[For those that don't think that Kara no Kyoukai and Tsukihime are related and think this discussion is off-topic, Touka in Kara no Kyoukai is directly related to Aozaki Aoko, the red-haired sorceress in Tsukihime/Melty Blood who gives the glasses to Tohno Shiki. Type Moon has confirmed they are sisters.]

[Board of Command]

I there there are only two differences between Tohno's and Ryogi's eyes.

1. Ryogi can turn it off.
2. It doesn't appear to damage Ryogi's body when she turns them on.

Aside from those, I'm pretty sure they work the same way. Tsukihime goes into detail about how the lines of death work.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm getting most of the stuff now that I've seen up to the third movie. I was completely lost after seeing the first two though, and had to re-read Munsu's introduction at the start of this thread to see how everything fits ins. Shiki's Eyes of Death Perception didn't trip me up actually. It was more the plot, what was happening, why everyone was doing what they did and all.

[shinta|hikari]

It is presented in anachronic order, much like Haruhi, but that adds to the mystery and intrigue in the story. It is only natural that you slowly get the plot as the show continues, so no need to worry.

[BioAlien]

This thread (http://forums.mirrormoon.org/viewtopic.php?t=879) should give ample informations about Tohno Shiki' Eyes of Death Perception. Add to that the two differences BoC said and you have Ryougi Shiki' Eyes of Death Perception.

[Buffalobiian]

[Nipponsei] Kara no Kyoukai ED Single - sprinter [Kalafina].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20Kara%20no%20Kyoukai%20ED%20Singl e%20-%20sprinter%20%5BKalafina%5D.zip.torrent)

Edit: Artwork for the interested

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/1398/secl58502kr3uu2.jpg

[Kraco]

Quite an interesting chapter. It's a bit surprising Shiki didn't kill Fujino, but I guess that shows Kokutou's influence on her. Whether it's because she thinks Kokotou would appreciate or because she's really evaluating her choices, who knows. We do know Shiki is a natural killer and actually wishes to have something to hunt so it would be easier to believe the former is true, even though she kept saying she wouldn't have liked to kill powerless Fujino (which is a somewhat empty thing to say because the next moment she could have her powers back again).

I thoroughly enjoy the anachronism and the way how they are occasionally seemingly offhandedly presenting things as if they were known, only to give a stylish explanation later if at all. I have never felt everything needs to be explained plainly in good stories for a more matured audience. A good script writer / director knows what needs to be explained and what not for the best overall effect.

[BioAlien]

[Nipponsei] Kara no Kyoukai ED Single - sprinter [Kalafina].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20Kara%20no%20Kyoukai%20ED%20Singl e%20-%20sprinter%20%5BKalafina%5D.zip.torrent)


Where are those from? From the fourth movie?
Because other than 03 - oblivious (instrumental), I don't remember hearing ARIA and Sprinter.
...
Oh well, I will put them in my music folder anyway since they are kind of good.



On a side note, anyone knows the DVD release date for the fourth movie? It should have came out in theatre on 2008-05-24...
If we consider the first one came out about 5 months later.... Ah man... such a long wait!

[Board of Command]

These anime music CDs always come with a couple "extra" tracks that aren't in the anime.

[Buffalobiian]

I really wanted Oblivious with vocals. It'd better come out some time.

[BioAlien]

The one from the ending of the first movie?
It's out already, since a long time ago.
http://www.gamemp3s.net/tracker/download.php/431/%5B2008.07.22%5D%20Kara%20no%20Kyoukai%20~the%20Ga rden%20of%20sinners~%20OST%20%2B%20ED.torrent

If you just want Oblivious, here, I uploaded it.
http://rapidshare.com/files/135465179/Oblivious.mp3.html

[Buffalobiian]

*grabs them*

Thanks for posting those, BioAlien.

[Board of Command]

Thanks, BioAlien. I've had a 160 kbps version of Oblivious for a while now. I can finally replace that.

[Buffalobiian]

Where are those from? From the fourth movie?
Because other than 03 - oblivious (instrumental), I don't remember hearing ARIA and Sprinter.
...
Oh well, I will put them in my music folder anyway since they are kind of good.


It makes sense now. I've been wondering why so many songs sounded like they were used in the movie. Now I have the answer.


Ending Theme:
#1: "oblivious" by Kalafina
#2: "Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete yuku" by Kalafina
#3: "Kizuato" by Kalafina
#4: "ARIA" by Kalafina
#5: "sprinter" by Kalafina


And we have a place for ARIA and sprinter.

[Kraco]

"Kara no Kyoukai 4: Garan no Dou will be out on December 17th while Kara no Kyoukai 5: Mujun Rasen will be released on January 28th"

It looks like this based on what I learned. Still a while before the 4th comes out, but the interval between the 4th and the 5th is not a long one.

[Kraco]

Good news never arrive too early:

Episode 4 - gg-TakaJun (http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/%5Bgg-TakaJun%5D_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_04_%5BB2465A9B%5D.mkv.torrent)





- - - - - - - - -






Edit: For a while it looked really terrible when I thought Kokutou isn't going to see Shiki at all during this episode after she woke up. But fortunately that didn't happen. Still, it's kind of interesting why everything happened as it did. Was it really a valid piece of advice Touko gave Kokutou, that he shouldn't see her for a while, or was it a tactical decision on her part so that she would get close to Shiki by being the only person there for her. If Kokutou had been there, would Shiki have needed anybody else? But on the other hand, Shiki might have been too unstable and hollow to appreciate Kokutou yet. Who knows. At least the supply of flowers was steady even if Kokutou didn't visit personally.

The next episode preview looked quite chaotic. And no less so because FSN's Kotomine's voice actor is voicing the morbid looking magus. Actually a magus looking very much like Kotomine did. I guess that's Type-Moon for ya... In fact it was a bit too much with the red haired dude (at least he won't share the VA with certain other character from FSN...).

[animus]

That preview was a big wtf?

[Ryllharu]

I think this episode tops the others so far on visual beauty. There weren't that many other scenes outside the hospital, but the horizons and clouds just blew me away this episode.

TYPE-MOON uses a lot of repeating archetypes and names, and character models. If some of the characters aren't directly related to others in a different series, they are named alike or after each other. I mean, the same character archetype for Asagami "Turn!" Fujino appears in all three of their major series (though the Tsukihime one is actually split between two characters who are near each other often). Red haired dude...don't really even need to point it out.

Touko is seriously awesome. Her glasses-on personality is a lot like Aoko, but her glasses-off style is actually very meanacing. She's nowhere near as flashy as other well know Type-Moon magus are, but I think that only makes her seem more powerful. She knows where to use her skills and where not to. I enjoy the cold, seemingly heartless characters like her. There is no babying with her, she forces Shiki's hand because it is right for her. (But is that her heart pulsing outside her body in the next episode?!?)

...and a long-haired Shiki is fine too.

[Board of Command]

I still think the first episode had the most impressive visuals.

[animus]

I guess it's about time Touko's getting some development in the next episode. She's the biggest mystery probably.

[Everon]

I was wondering if I pick this up. Someone mentioned earlier that its hard to follow if you didn't read the books.

[Ryllharu]

The books are equally hard to follow.

You just have to pay attention to the months and years listed at the beginning of each episode. The series jumps around, back and forth. It's not that hard to follow.

[Kraco]

I haven't read books, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything essential. Type-Moon doesn't do half-assed work like that. I expect a ton more information does exist, like is Type-Moon's way, but you don't need it to watch this. Just be ready to think a little as this isn't a shounen show, and certain chronological nonlinearity may exist from episode to episode (but this is no Suzumiya Haruhi).

This is a masterpiece of anime making and there's absolutely no reason not to watch it unless you don't like horror and violence.

[Buffalobiian]

Here's the OST that came with this release:

http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/Kara_no_Kyoukai_4_-_OST_%5BWav+Cue%5D.rar.torrent

[Board of Command]

I haven't read books, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything essential. Type-Moon doesn't do half-assed work like that. I expect a ton more information does exist, like is Type-Moon's way, but you don't need it to watch this. Just be ready to think a little as this isn't a shounen show, and certain chronological nonlinearity may exist from episode to episode (but this is no Suzumiya Haruhi).

This is a masterpiece of anime making and there's absolutely no reason not to watch it unless you don't like horror and violence.
Playing the Tsukihime visual novel or watching the anime (Shingetsutan Tsukihime) also helps a lot. They didn't really explain how the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception worked until episode 4, and even then it was a rather brief explanation.

I'd be a bit lost in the earlier episodes without some background info.

[Ryllharu]

I was under the impression that Shiki's eyes here worked very differently from Tohno Shiki's eyes from Tsukihime. Similar, but a significant difference. First off, she can shut hers off.

While it might help to know what is going on earlier, I don't think it is essential information at all.

[Board of Command]

Their mechanics might be different, but what they achieve is the same. Cutting the lines of death kills the existence of an object. This was how Shiki was able to stab herself in the chest and not let out any blood. Sure, the movie touched on this, but it was so brief that without prior understanding of the Mystic Eyes, you'd be left scratching your head for a few minutes from that scene.

[Kraco]

The glorious day has arrived once again:

Episode 5 - gg-TakaJun (http://xabin.mine.nu/gg-tracker/torrents/%5Bgg-TakaJun%5D_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_05_%5B999900E4%5D.mkv.torrent)

[Buffalobiian]

So it seems. All 1.66GB of it 0_o?

Edit:
Explanation:
This is two fucking hours of Nasuverse :words: and strawberry ice cream. I also went insane while working on it.

[Kraco]

It sure was longer than the previous ones. Though that was absolutely marvelous. You won't catch me complaining about a Kara no Kyoukai ep being too long. However, longer length also meant they had plenty of opportunities more to make it a bit more complex and confusing and they sure wasted no time to do just that. Nevertheless, by the end it was wrapped up quite nicely, most pieces falling into their places without much force needed.

The temporal tricks employed in this series before were almost overdone in this episode. Although first getting used to them and then watching Touko arrive twice at the building was masterful, I have to say.

One of the best parts of the episode was the very end (before the preview). Even Shiki can be cute sometimes... She even blushed. But Kokutou really should move a little forward. Considering how carnal (in a bloody way) Shiki's traditional joys are, you'd think she could enjoy being touched as well.

Damn Souren Araya was so similar to Kotomine. Type-Moon is a funny company.

Edit: Typo that made little sense.

[Board of Command]

There were quite a few allusions to FSN in this episode. The most prominent one for me was when Enjou Tomoe lost his left arm.

[animus]

I felt all those flashes were overdone. I felt quite nauseous, and really really aggravated.

[Board of Command]

I agree, it was a bit over the top.

[Ryllharu]

The animation seemed a little lower quality in this one, but at twice the length and with that story, I've no right to complain.

While I've seen Rin (from F/SN) and Arcuied (Tsukihime) both equated to cats, I really can't see anyone more catlike than Shiki. It makes her incredibly cute too. She rolls around in bed, rhythmically thumps her feet like a tail, nuzzles pillows, and plays with all of her prey. If she's not messing around with whatever she's about to kill, loving every moment of it, she's playing around with Mikiya. Standoffish, but very possessive when she wants him, just like a real cat.

But the real star in this episode was Touko. Her genius is absolutely proven in this episode. A true master of deception and dolls. The true depth of that mastery only comes to light here. Getting the big one out of the way, there was the fact that Touko defies her own existence as a magus and makes an exact copy of herself. As she said, no better, no worse. She knew she would die, and that either her or her copy (doesn't matter at this point) would come back to kill Alba and pick up the pieces. She even gave Mikiya her cigarettes because Araya would destroy her body and anything on her. I'll admit I was in disbelief that he had killed her, mostly because of the time jumps, but the arrival of the cars on the street were a nice touch to reveal the truth.

But she doesn't even stop there. Going back, she reprimanded Azaka for using her magic out in the open, revealing another huge part of Touko's grand deception. It's Mikiya who follows Touko around and does little odd jobs for her, and so everyone assumes that he is her apprentice. But in both that short scene and the preview, it's obvious that Azaka is her hidden apprentice, and Mikiya is just the doll that Touko's enemies would see in trying to find a weakness. That's pretty cold of her, but I imagine she doesn't really worry too much given what we've seen with Shiki's possessiveness. No one would ever be able to touch Mikiya (as we saw with the first episode where Shiki demanded Asagami Fujino return him).

I liked the connections with both Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night here though. They mentioned that Touko and the other two went to the magus academy in London, which is mentioned at least once or twice in F/SN. Then they mentioned that Touko's sister, who Type-Moon fans know is Aozaki Aoko from Tsukihime/Melty Blood, stole her inheritance. I'm assuming they meant the Magic Crest that we're more familiar with from Fate/Stay Night. I suppose that might explain why Touko became a doll user instead of an ordinary magus who uses projectile spells or fast-acting barriers.

I loved that Enjou fucked Araya over by leaving the katana in the elevator, so it would travel up and down and aid Shiki is cutting the barrier. Touko mentioned that just having it assembled out in the open would cut the barrier surrounding her workshop.


The number time jumps were a bit over the top, but it fit the theme of the movie well, and they started to converge well towards the end.

[Kraco]

But in both that short scene and the preview, it's obvious that Azaka is her hidden apprentice, and Mikiya is just the doll that Touko's enemies would see in trying to find a weakness. That's pretty cold of her, but I imagine she doesn't really worry too much given what we've seen with Shiki's possessiveness. No one would ever be able to touch Mikiya (as we saw with the first episode where Shiki demanded Asagami Fujino return him).

I don't think it's particularly cold. Considering how much Kokutou knows, he's probably given his blessing to any such conventions already. Plus he's very dedicated anyway. So, working under Touko he knows what he's dealing with. What comes to Touko's personality, she actually gets involved in lots of stuff going on, for a mage.

It was nice to see Kokutou speak pure BS in this ep, though, when he said he doesn't care if Shiki is a girl or a guy. He was totally enamored by Shiki in their earliest history. But I guess he's the kind of guy who uses subtle humour anyway.

[Ryllharu]

I don't think it's particularly cold. Considering how much Kokutou knows, he's probably given his blessing to any such conventions already. Plus he's very dedicated anyway. So, working under Touko he knows what he's dealing with. What comes to Touko's personality, she actually gets involved in lots of stuff going on, for a mage.

It was nice to see Kokutou speak pure BS in this ep, though, when he said he doesn't care if Shiki is a girl or a guy. He was totally enamored by Shiki in their earliest history. But I guess he's the kind of guy who uses subtle humour anyway.
I don't know if it was BS or not. He's known Shiki for a long time, but didn't SHIKI spend more time with Mikiya when they were in high school? Maybe he doesn't truly care because he never really considered them as two different people but rather two sides of the same person. Now that Shiki is faking being masculine to make up for SHIKI's dissapearance, that line has probably blurred even further.

Then again, he said if he could be greedy, he'd rather have the girl Shiki.

It could be he was just trying to piss off Azaka because she was being rude to Shiki.

Also, if his sister is entering the dangerous world that magus live in, maybe it's better to be close by, but keeping most of the attention off of her.

[shinta|hikari]

But even with the "guy" SHIKI personality, her body is still that of a girl. Also, guy or not, Shiki seems to be very fond of Mikiya, maybe even more than the joy she finds in killing. Add these two things and that makes Shiki simply a tomboyish tsundere. It is only right for Mikiya not to give a damn.

[Kraco]

Many sites seem to tell the DVD release date of Chapter 6 is 29th of July. Movie 7 will hit the cinemas in August, according to the same sources.

The end of July is a month or so later than I was expecting (it was in cinemas in December), though maybe it corresponds to past delays, I can't remember/say.

[Ryllharu]

We waited quite a long time between movies in the past (either from fansub delays or dvd release delays), so it's not so bad. I can wait a little while longer for some most excellent Azaka goodness and loads of Shiki-Azaka verbal conflicts.

[shinta|hikari]

...and loads of Shiki-Azaka yuri and verbal conflicts.

Fixed it for you.

[Ryllharu]

At last, our wait for yuri and verbal conflicts is over!

[gg-TakaJun] Kara​ no​ Kyoukai​ - The​ Garden​ of​ Sinners​ - 06​ (http://ggkthx.org/Torrents/[gg-TakaJun]_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_The_Garden_of_Sinners_-_06_[238F9CE7].mkv.torrent)

[shinta|hikari]

Very few yuri scenes, but the ones that were there were great. I wonder how strong Azaka is, to actually pin down a monster like Shiki. While I am sure Shiki is not abnormally strong, she has to be quite confident in her strength being able to move like she does. Speed necessitates physical fitness. While she does not need strength to slice up enemies, muscle power is a must to dash in and flip around like she does.

The punch scene was absolutely hilarious. If there is such a thing as elegant slapstick comedy, that would be it.

Are Azaka and Mikiya blood-related? I may have missed it, since I watched the Chinese subbed one yesterday. From what I know, they are real siblings, but I just want to make sure.

Azaka's fighting style, while showy, is kind of ineffective. She is supposed to be a mage, but uses only close combat techniques. I'm sure it plays into her strength (literally), but some situations call for projectile attacks so Touko better teach her some. Maybe Azaka has yet to master or is not ready to learn such techniques yet. I was really hoping for some cool long range mass destruction flare magic when she got cornered, not a stronger version of her melee attack. If Azaka does not learn something long range, she will never hope to match Shiki, who is a death god at melee.

The next episode is a flashback right? Does that mean that we will never see any physical material advancement on Shiki and Mikiya's romantic relationship? That would be kind of disappointing, since all Mikiya has ever done in the show is woo Shiki, and I would feel sorry for him if he doesn't get any.

[Ryllharu]

The punch scene was absolutely hilarious. If there is such a thing as elegant slapstick comedy, that would be it.

Are Azaka and Mikiya blood-related? I may have missed it, since I watched the Chinese subbed one yesterday. From what I know, they are real siblings, but I just want to make sure.

Azaka's fighting style, while showy, is kind of ineffective. She is supposed to be a mage, but uses only close combat techniques. I'm sure it plays into her strength (literally), but some situations call for projectile attacks so Touko better teach her some. Maybe Azaka has yet to master or is not ready to learn such techniques yet. I was really hoping for some cool long range mass destruction flare magic when she got cornered, not a stronger version of her melee attack.
I loved the engrish "Punchi!" that Shiki all too easily dodged, followed by her dropping Azaka. Azaka was so flustered, and it seems she always expects her brother to be there when she wakes up in that sort of situation. Her reactions are always so over the top when Shiki is involved. I did note that the first time Azaka and Shiki met, it was definitely SHIKI, rather than the current one.

They are blood related. Azaka said she got adopted by her uncle on purpose in order to separate herself from Mikiya so that he wouldn't see her as a sister, but as woman in her own right. Later she reiterated talking to Shiki when she said that she loves taboo sorts of things, referring to the incestual relationship with her brother as a fortunate thing (as opposed to what? Certainly not yuri!).

Azaka's fire is very pretty, a joy to watch. I do think she has ranged attacks, they showed her burning Shiki in effigy at the beginning when Azaka was explaining why she learned magic (7:00 in the gg-TakaJun sub). She was forced into using a lot of defensive magic against the fairies, since she was constantly under the threat of fast attacks from a distance. I think you're right that she plays to her strengths and augments her surprisingly strong physical attacks with her fire.

Azaka could simply light something aflame with a snap of her fingers, or she could punch it first and burn it after a grapple. With her current apprentice level of techniques, I imagine that it makes her current level of skill very devastating.

There are all kinds of magus, and even Araya while primarily a particular-range defensive magus, needed to make physical contact to finish off his foes. It's how he threw Shiki into the wall, and how he finished off the red headed kid as well. While Touko, Aoko, or Tohsaka Rin may be long range, I imagine that they might be in quite a bit of trouble if Azaka is able to close the distance.

Shiki is something entirely different, she is an abberation to them.


I did note that she was assisting a recovering Fujino (the turning girl) at 5:53, who looked blind for some reason now. The dog was well animated too, it looked very lifelike and cute.

[shinta|hikari]

The problem is, Shiki is the one Azaka is trying to rival. Right now, and in the future if she doesn't have any new tactics, she wouldn't even graze Shiki.

[Buffalobiian]

The problem is, Shiki is the one Azaka is trying to rival. Right now, and in the future if she doesn't have any new tactics, she wouldn't even graze Shiki.

One thing to note about her attacks too, is during the training she aimed at still targets, while the fairies were not only small, but fast as hell (except for the big one). As you guys have said, punching first, then igniting most likely enhances her offensive strength, but it also ensures a higher hit ratio with her magic, conserving mana.

Since she prefers to punch her way out of situations (see punchi!), she could just work on close combat to rival Shiki. Shiki did get her skills through training, after all. Azaka's hit, if it lands, could be fatal too.

I was greatly delighted that Azaka resembles Rin so much.

One thing I don't get though, is why God's Word (forgot the guy's name) had to keep repeating his spell on Shiki. Does it only work once or something? I don't get how the last hit struck neither. I'm guessing it was the timing, as Shiki was still blinded afterwards.

[shinta|hikari]

Shiki can't be beaten in close combat, unless the enemy is something like Arcueid. If Azaka comes in and attacks, Shiki's blocks will kill her, or at least chop her arm off. The best way to deal with Shiki would be a deadly projectile attack that comes from multiple directions, preferably with blast radius, something I hoped Azaka would have seeing her training before her fight.

BTW, Azaka's powers remind me of Akiha more than Rin, but we probably have it backward since KnK came first.

EDIT: Fixed the typo block = blocks. I realized it can be a cause for misunderstanding.

[Ryllharu]

Doesn't that assume Shiki's "block" actually strikes the death lines? She has blocked a number of attacks the the movies that didn't cut the lines, merely deflected the attack.

I actually think projectile attacks would work worse on Shiki. She is highly adept at dodging, and she blocks and deflects what might hit her. Sounds a lot like someone else this season with a Type-Moon character design. I would think that close combat is where Azaka would stand the best chance. Shiki isn't as physically strong as Azaka apparently, and in terms of hand to hand combat I would like the give Azaka the benefit of the doubt, but Shiki has been killing for a considerable length of time before she got the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

If they were both magicians and not a magus and a supernatural-slayer, I think Azaka would have the edge, if only barely.


Akiha and Azaka are definitely referenced to each other.
[some spoilers if you didn't play Tsukihime or a Melty Blood]


Sister: Check.
Bad case of brother complex: Check.
Involved in the moret-than-human world: Check.
Arch-rival in love who is "more special": Check.
Heat based powers: Check.
Two radically different sides to her personality (public and actual): Check.


[end spoilers]

[shinta|hikari]

I qualified my proposal on the ranged attack, I believe. I will repeat it just in case. I said a deadly projectile attack that comes from multiple directions, preferably with blast radius (like a grenade range explosion, just to be clear). If it comes from multiple directions, it would be practically impossible to dodge, and if it explodes, dodging barely doesn't work either. Something like Akiha's ranged fire attack (which just happens without directional source, yes it's cheap) is what I have in mind.

The problem with the Azaka vs. Shiki thing is, they are human. The reason why I referenced Arcueid before is because the only way to beat Shiki close range is if you have inhuman (godlike) speed and power. Azaka will never have either of those, unless she uses some kind of boosting spell (which obviously is not in her repertoire as of yet). Shiki has most likely reached the human limits of skill in close combat, so to beat her, one would need more destructive power (which is impossible due to the nature of Shiki's power) or exceed human limits.

Of course, if you think that Shiki has not yet reached the human limits of close combat ability, then Azaka can just become much better than her (though I doubt she would be able to) at close combat. In this case though, due to Shiki's huge lead and natural talent for killing, if both continue to develop, Azaka will never catch up.

I do agree with you that if they were both magicians, Shiki would lose, but that is because Shiki doesn't have any magic spells, while Azaka has her fire fist. If both were simply human, I will side more with Shiki's experience and instinct over sheer power. It is not a boxing match after all. Shiki has a knife.

While it is true that Shiki will not hit the death lines each time she blocks, that doesn't mean she won't hit them ever. Given enough chances (I personally think 3 should be enough), and in melee combat there will be many given the conditions above (especially with Azaka's straightforward way of attack), Shiki will be able to hit one, and that will end it. That doesn't even count the chance that she will actually land a successful hit on Azaka.

[TheBladeChild]

Ok I must really fail at searching because I cant find the title of the battle theme for Kara no Kyoukai, if it has a name at all. The closest thing I found was on youtube where it was labeled "overlooking view track 13"

Heres the actual song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QpkapX28SM&feature=PlayList&p=AFAE76579E2BC1D9&index=12

Anyone know its name?

[Kraco]

Hmm... I have never seen Kara no Kyoukai OST releases with any meaningful names for the tracks. Are you sure they even do have names at all?

[TheBladeChild]

Thats what I was wondering, that if it even has a name.

[Kraco]

According to various sources, the release date for the last movie dvd (7) will be 9th of December. A small worry arises from the fact the previous movies were subbed by gg-TakaJun. As we all know, gg fired its quality checkers and lowered the editor's pay so much that no QC is performed at any point of the process. I wonder what this all means considering our precious Kara no Kyoukai...

[animus]

Wait, they actually make money?

I assumed they were, and still are a profit-free sub group.

[Kraco]

It was just a figure of speech used to complain about their degrading work ethics. If they were making money, they of course couldn't drop all quality from their products.

[Kraco]

Whopping 2 GB worth of murder studies:

Episode 7 - gg-TakaJun (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=103627)






- - - - - - - - - - - -





I'm not disappointed by this last episode, although it did change my view of the story (the whole series) a little bit. In the end this was a small-scale story. Basically nothing more than Shiki finding and accepting her own place. Although a couple of the episode didn't contribute as much to that end and their relevance was somewhat fuzzier. This last episode surely finalized that view of mine.

I hadn't really realised Shiki hadn't killed anybody before. Explains for good why she didn't kill Fujino. There surely wasn't anywhere as much pressure back then as in this episode where she thought it's all over anyway. This also explains Kokutou's stance far better - after all, he always believed (correctly) that she hadn't killed.

I'm still having hard times deciding just what manner of a dude Kokutou is. He's surely in some way delusional, thinking everything can be solved peacefully, that is, his way, even to the point he can't even imagine he might lose his own life should someone disagree. But I suppose if he had been been anything else, he wouldn't have possessed the power to prevent Shiki from killing (this long).

A beautiful love story, all in all. The part after the credits was a nice peaceful conclusion. Kokutou even got his own special eye out of it! Har har.

[fireheart]

How's the quality?

[Kraco]

The quality's good, comparable to the previous episodes. Looks like gg didn't want to botch up this one.

[shinta|hikari]

I loved Touko's explanation on the difference between murder and slaughter. The weight is indeed different, depending on how one looks at the victim, or if they even consider the target a victim at all.

While I generally dislike naive characters like Mikiya, and I was beginning to get irritated by how he was forcing Shiki not to kill, it all changed in the final few minutes of the movie. I initially thought he didn't want Shiki to kill because he wanted her to fit into his "ideal and clean" form of a human being. I thought that would be too selfish, and even if he did think it was for her sake that he was coercing her to suppress her desires, the fact that it is his own mental framework that supports those standards would still mean it is still rooted in his own selfishness.

But that was not the case. The reason why he did not want her to kill was because he knew that despite Shiki saying otherwise, she was the one who subscribed to the ideal of staying clean, of not ever committing the single murder allowed per person. Even without the facts regarding Shiki's grandfather and his will, he knew Shiki enough to understand that she herself will get irrevocably scarred once she kills another.

Mikiya even lied, saying that he will never forgive her if she ever commits murder. While it was obvious he would never condemn her for it, the final scene when Shiki admits her deed clearly portrayed how Mikiya never really cared about such standards, at least when it comes to Shiki. He just wanted her not to be hurt. He just wanted her to be happy. And in the perfectly anticlimactic epilogue, she was just simply that.

I also initially thought this was a show about supernatural mysteries, and of a greater plot about saving the world or such. I cannot be more thankful about how mistaken I am. Like in Crest/Banner of the Stars, I am greatly appreciative of anime stories that actually know how to focus on certain characters, and abandon the temptation to encompass an unnecessarily wider landscape. This was a story about Mikiya and Shiki, and that was it.

A beautiful love story indeed.

[Ryllharu]

I think shinta covered it pretty well, saying most of what I would have pointed out. So I really just have four things to add.

- I don't know if they showed it before in the previous episodes, but Touko's pupils are slits. I wonder how much that might mean to her character. She's basically a monster anyway, since she can't really be killed.

- I like the shots showing that the bridge was still "turned."

- If the bridge was turned, that means that Shiki certainly had a doll arm on. The thumb she bit off was part of that arm. I'm a bit surprised that she didn't mention that to Lio, it probably would have pissed him off more.

- The slobber scene was gross. Like seriously disgusting.


Shiki was very cute in this episode, and I liked Mikiya's response to her admitting she murdered someone. It came off very romantic, despite the massive amounts of blood everywhere. Her lines about not visiting him because Azaka would have killed her were funny too, a good way of breaking some of the remaining tension.

[shinta|hikari]

I loved Shiki's line about wanting to kill Azaka because she went to the restaurant Shiki wanted to go to with Mikiya. The way she phrased it was really cute and funny.

[Board of Command]

I'm kinda sad it's all over now. This series has been a treat. Shiki was too damn cute.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm sure Touko could have reconstructed Mikiya's face. A functional eye mightn't be impossible neither.

[shinta|hikari]

Too bad she is gone then. I guess Mikiya will become a detective now, with Shiki being the brawn.

[Kraco]

According to the offical site (http://www.karanokyoukai.com/dvdz/bd.html), a bluray box will be released 2.2.2011 and it will contain a 30 minutes final chapter, previously unanimated.

This is the best news since the last best news! Something definite to look forward in 2011 as well.

[shinta|hikari]

Are you serious?

<faints>

[Board of Command]

http://i52.tinypic.com/20z1lci.jpg

[Munsu]

Just watched the first movie, and it was completely boring. I realize that the series is out of chronological order, but regardless too much crap talking monologues in here.

Hopefully the rest will be better.

[Kraco]

Just watched the first movie, and it was completely boring. I realize that the series is out of chronological order, but regardless too much crap talking monologues in here.

Hopefully the rest will be better.

You are a failure as an anime watcher. There's no hope left for you.

Or perhaps you simply don't like Type Moon productions. Don't bother with the rest. Nobody wants to hear you bash them in your misunderstanding.

[Buffalobiian]

You are a failure as an anime watcher. There's no hope left for you.

Or perhaps you simply don't like Type Moon productions. Don't bother with the rest. Nobody wants to hear you bash them in your misunderstanding.

I thought it was confusing as hell, but not boring. Maybe there's only a thin line between the two.

[TheBladeChild]

You are a failure as an anime watcher. There's no hope left for you.

Or perhaps you simply don't like Type Moon productions. Don't bother with the rest. Nobody wants to hear you bash them in your misunderstanding.

Oh shit Kraco's pissed. Run fo cova.

[Munsu]

This first episode didn't actually contain a really strong plot, which makes me a bit sad since we are talking about only 4 installments in total (or comparable to 8 episodes length wise). However, the next episode should be all business. I guess this was a peaceful introduction.

The remaining eps better have some really good (that is, bloody) fights, though...

Sorry I couldn't be as diplomatic as you regarding the first movie.

Ah, I see where I erred. I should've used "peaceful". And probably should've simply pointed out that it didn't "contain a really strong plot", which of course would've made me "sad".

[Kraco]

Haha. I guess you got me there, Bud. I had no recollection the first ep might have been weaker during the first watch.

[Archangel]

So when are the BDs coming out?

[Marik]

So when are the BDs coming out?

February 2nd for Japan and February 8th for North America.


Aniplex of America announced on Monday that it will release Ufotable's entire Kara no Kyoukai - the Garden of sinners film series in an English-subtitled Blu-ray Disc box in North America on February 8, 2011. The eight-disc box will include the seven theatrical chapters of the franchise plus the bonus Final Chapter that will be available for the first time in February. The online retailer Right Stuf will be the exclusive distributor.

The Japanese Blu-ray Disc box of the film series will ship less than a week earlier on February 2. Right Stuf will offer the North American version for US $398.98. (The Japanese release will sell for 52,500 yen or about US $620, although that is the suggested retail price before discounts.)

[Kraco]

One of the early releases:

Final Chapter 720p ~1.2GB (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=191530)
Final Chapter subtitles + fonts (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=torrentinfo&tid=191190)






- - - - - - - - -





I felt adventurous and downloaded this. It's surely a lot for 33 minutes, no matter how you look at it, but waiting for a more reasonable sized release I thought to check it out in the mean time. First and foremost I have to confess this felt somewhat underwhelming. Maybe because after the ending of the ch7, I was expecting some mushy Kokutou+Shiki scenes. Instead this was psychological talk that wouldn't feel ashamed standing next to the last eps of the original Eva... There were a couple of a nice moments but otherwise this is quite forgettable, unfortunately. I'm not saying this was bad but hardly anything to talk about in comparison to the actual episodes.

Oh, well. What is done is done. At least it suggested those two are still together.

[Archangel]

GG is doing these right?

[Marik]

GG is doing these right?

[66] Kara no Kyoukai - Epilogue: Torrent (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=191658) | DDL (http://wpc.39a3.edgecastcdn.net/0039A3/%5B66%5D_Kara_no_Kyoukai_-_Epilogue_%5B4B3A8EDF%5D.mkv)


We used the English subs provided with the BluRay instead of doing it from scratch so we tagged this as [66]. Like, gg’s evil twin or something. (fuck idk) The subtitles were ocr’d and retimed. We changed Rio to Lio because of the lion line. The subs having western name order and no honorifics is how the Aniplex subs came. Deal with it.

There was also a very effortless effort to proofread the BD subs but the BD subs are Pretty Good and generally make more sense than the fansubs so we’re just going to chalk up any strangeness (read: proofreading laziness) as a result of :nasuwords:.

The release order will be “some random contrived order” based on when they’re finished encoding and being retimed. Epilogue goes first since we assume there’s a higher demand for that compared to the other movies.

The video quality of movies 1-7 unfortunately is kinda shitty (tho still better than dvd) and I’m pretty sure we’re only doing them still because TheFluff bought the BD box and took 2 days off of work to encode them. (Very serious fansubbing!) We’ll only be doing 720p due to the quality. Anyway, the epilogue looks better compared to the rest of the movies.

[Kraco]

This final chapter did indeed have a pretty good video quality. But on the other hand it only had a single scene and setting, so it would have been truly unforgivable for it to have poor graphics. Half of the screen time was even claimed by the sky and the static city scene, anyway. While those looked very good, lighting included, it was still a single matte painting and a sky full of falling snow, which could be handled easily enough with CGI.

[Buffalobiian]

It was pretty flat indeed. I expected too much thinking it was an extra ep instead of being an epilogue.

[Kraco]

Just yesterday I was coincidentally thinking how cool it would be if Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin got animated. And now I see an ANN news article (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-07-08/kara-no-kyoukai/mirai-fukuin-epilogue-gets-anime-film) telling it will. The best news today, for sure.

I don't know much about this final chapter (apparently it's not as old as the rest of the novels but was written by Nasu when the other movies were being made, according to somebody from the internets, explaining why there are basically two epilogues), but what I do know is that it features Mikiya and Shiki's daughter:

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9232/ryougishikipic.jpg

I'm as interested in seeing her animated and voiced as seeing just what kind of a mother Shiki could ever be!

[Munsu]

Hmm, I think I only watched the first movie. Will see about watching the rest while I'm gone.

[shinta|hikari]

Loli sighted. Will watch.

Kidding aside, I just hope there is no surprise tragedy like Shiki or Mikiya already being dead in this epilogue.

[Kraco]

There's a Mirai Fukuin PV available now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHwwrB-fK_s

Naturally even a single line from Mana (Shiki and Mikiya's kid) would have been impossible, to reveal her VA, so no choice but to wait. According to ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-03-31/kara-no-kyoukai-the-garden-of-sinners/mirai-fukuin-promo-streamed), the movie will premiere in Japan this fall, so I guess it's a year from now for us.

[Ryllharu]

It's going to be Hanazawa Kana anyway...

(I'm only half-joking.)

[Kraco]

Looks like the release date is this September, according to ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-06-25/kara-no-kyoukai/mirai-fukuin-epilogue-film-slated-for-september). So, no surprises, luckily not bad ones either. The BD ought to appear during the first half of next year for our pleasure. A long wait, but it will be worth it.

[Kraco]

Mirai Fukuin 720p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=529679) | 1080p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=529678) - Commie
Extra Chorus (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=527439) - KoyuuKekkai

Extra Chorus is half an hour story that can be watched after or before Mirai Fukuin, it doesn't matter. Although it needs to be watched after the older movies.







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I have to confess first and foremost I'm somewhat distressed by my own false expectations and the disappointment they caused, after a fashion. I thought Mirai Fukuin would be a somewhat different story compared to the earlier ones and would show Mana fooling around, perhaps even dangerously like Rin in F/Z, with Shiki being a weird mom and Kokutou... Well, the kind of gray (boring) but wise and resourceful father one would expect him to be. Instead the first half, or rather a little more, was about everything else, although I suppose it was totally similar in theme to the older episodes, so it's not strange as such. Seo getting some exposition isn't bad either, plus we got to see the reason for Mikiya's after the credits lines in the 7th movie, but this all meant Mana's portion was cut regrettably short. And when she finally appeared, she was only together with the bloody bomber dude of the first half and we never saw her doing anything with mom and dad.

The first half of the movie was a wholesome story, as much as the previous independent episodes, but Mana's portion felt incomplete. The episode ended right when it would have got genuinely interesting. In that respect the Extra Chorus would be even the better one of these two... Although it's not like a whole lot happened in it nor was the stuff so meaningful.

[shinta|hikari]

Should I watch extra chorus after the movie to leave a better taste?

[Kraco]

Should I watch extra chorus after the movie to leave a better taste?

That's what I did, though not on purpose, and I'm happy I did. Apparently in theaters it played before the movie. But it's not connected to it in any particular way, so afterwards is just fine.

[Ryllharu]

Mana felt almost entirely superfluous, she could have been replaced with anyone else in the same age range, even a Prisma Illya character. That said, I did like the last third of the story overall, but it wasn't as good as the first two thirds.

The faint hint that the Mother of Mifune could in fact be Mitsuru's relative (too old to be his mother though) was an interesting touch. I didn't expect that.

[Kraco]

Mana seemed like a real handful. It's annoying me so much we didn't get to see how Shiki handles such a lively kid. Both Mikiya and Azaka are pretty forceful and headstrong personalities, so I guess it's easy to see where that part of Mana is coming from, but how she seemed so super joyous and optimistic is another thing. I guess she never went unloved or without due attention, despite having Shiki as a mother.

[Ryllharu]

Mana seemed like a real handful. It's annoying me so much we didn't get to see how Shiki handles such a lively kid.
I think much is said with her line, "Someday I'll defeat my mother and win my father back!"

Shiki, being the possessive, moody, and grumpy-face cat of a woman that she usually is, very likely just grabs Mana by the ankle and holds her upside down until she gets dizzy or something similar, and then makes an innocent display of affection toward Mikiya (that we've never seen and can only imagine) in front of her incapacitated daughter. They've probably made a game out of it over the years.

Even though Shiki has switched from combat boots to zōri or geta with her kimono, I'm sure she is still more than capable.

edit:
If I had to define Shiki with two scenes in from this series of movies, it would be the cat-like landing from backdashing down the stairs in this episode, and the rolling over and over on the bed waiting for Mikiya in the previous sets of films. If Saber is a lion, Shiki is a nekomata.

edit2:
And then they just make it obvious in Extra Chorus!

[shinta|hikari]

I liked extra chorus better than the film itself, but I also enjoyed the scenes with Seo. Mikiya being such a smooth talker is fun to watch.

The bomber parts should have had more action. What we got was too little for the wait for this film.

The Mana parts were pretty dull. The only part I liked about her was when she said that she was good at using people like her father and the bomber dude. Her character is really too different from her parents that I am forced to wonder if she is adopted. She doesn't seem to have supernatural powers either.

If Shiki is the boss of a crime syndicate, what is Mikiya doing? I don't see either of them running a crime organization.

Overall, I am not impressed with the main film. I liked all the parts of the extra chorus, even the emo girl in the middle. Fujino certainly is bad ass. The way Shiki got angry because she was identifying with the cat when Mikiya understated feline loyalty was also great. Mikiya's New Year's wish was also exactly like him. Watching that really makes me want to wish those two happiness, not that I ever felt otherwise. The icing on the cake would have been a kiss initiated by Shiki, but I guess that is asking for too much.

[Ryllharu]

Wasn't Shiki's family originally from a crime syndicate or assassins? It seemed perfectly natural to be that she became the boss. She's the type to coldly walk up to a person, poke their finger with a toothpick, and then they're down one finger. While they're apologizing, she cuts their "I'm a fuckup" line as well, and then she's got an underling that turned around flawlessly.

Mikiya is doing what he's always been good at doing. Finding things.

Fujino definitely impressed me too. She's turned (heh) her life around, despite what she's lost. Though it wasn't clear to me how blind she really was. It seemed like she could see quite well so long as her eyes were active.

The timelines do kind of screw me up. I find it rather tough to figure out what is happening in relation to the other movies without a timeline of each of them from wikipedia. One saving grace is there is no way that Azaka could have been at the Clock Tower the same time as Rin and Luvi. Then again, she's Touko's apprentice so I'm a little unclear if she'd even go there. If she did, Azaka would have been there sometime around 2001, and Rin doesn't seem to go there until at least 2004-2005 (immediately after FSN).

[shinta|hikari]

That solitary cat that holes up in her room when she isn't personally hunting down prey is now leading a large organized group of people? Even if she somehow could, it didn't seem like she would want to do.

Maybe it just points to her growth by Mikiya's side. She might have learned to stop being so prickly and make use of her inherent bad ass aura for charisma.

[Kraco]

After the time skip with the bomber, it wasn't Shiki who was grilling the dude. Shiki merely arrived later, with Mana to boot. Maybe that's how they do things. The lieutenant with sunglasses might have been the same dude we saw hanging around the Ryougi household in the older movies. He looked pretty much the same, having aged quite mercifully.

[Ryllharu]

True, but Shiki is the "infamous boss," and that kind of statement doesn't mean that he alone is afraid of her (though he has good reason to be afraid of her).

I also got the impression that the only reason he was saved and asked to join them as an investigator was because he happened to have written Mana's favorite children's book. Shiki gave him to Mana as a plaything.

[Alhuin]

Apologies for the necro, but I finally got around to watching the latest movie and Extra Chorus. Superb visuals, as always, and Extra Chorus provided a great follow-up story for Fujino. The movie itself had some good action points, and I loved the time jump to Mana (who looks a lot like Rin, which is to be expected I guess). I only wish there had been a bit more use of each character's futuresight ability.

I am confused on one major aspect of the film though, which is why I chose to post. The fansub I watched (UTW) mentions that the time-jump events take place 10 years later, in 2008. The KnK Wikapedia page says this as well. However, the film itself broadcasts the events as happening in August of 2010. The point of reference that I'm using doesn't appear like it could be a QC error on UTW's part, so I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this glitch?