KARA NO KYOUKAI: SATSUJIN KOUSATSU (ZEN)

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MOVIE ActionKara no Kyoukai: Fukan Fuukei
MOVIE ActionKara no Kyoukai: Tsuukaku Zanryuu
MOVIE ActionKara no Kyoukai Remix: Gate of seventh heaven

REVIEWS

• 

  planetJane

  55/100
  The second entry into the KnK movie franchise scans more as a middling episode of a television show than a proper film.

  The following review assumes familiarity with the reviewed material. Spoilers below.

  ---

  To say that the second Kara no Kyoukai film--Murder Speculation Part A--is a bit confusing is an understatement. While the literal events that unfold aren't particularly difficult to parse, the characters enacting them have opaque and blurry motivations, which blunts any possible emotional impact and renders the entire narrative--down to its intended tone, confused and unclear.

  Murder Speculation's three main characters are Shiki, a reclusive girl who is the possible heir to her family's fortune and unknown to most is a serial killer, SHIKI, her split personality who is more rebellious and punky, and Kokutou, a shy nerd who falls for Shiki. If these descriptions seem slight, well, we're not really given much insight into their personalities and none of them really grow outside of the fairly short descriptions I've given here. We get some backstory wherein SHIKI tries to explain that he (I am told SHIKI uses male pronouns, and am not about to debate the gender identity of a doubly-fictional person) is in charge of Shiki's "repressed emotions", and in a turn of phrase that I am only very slightly paraphrasing, and is so laughably clunky I desperately want to believe it's the result of a poor translation, says that the "only emotion [Shiki] feels is murder."

  Kokutou of course finds out that Shiki is a murderess (fairly early on in fact), but it's here where the film takes a bizarre narrative turn. Rather than going to the police (he is rather close to an individual implied to be the lead investigator in the murder cases), he simply chooses not to believe her. Then, when he actually witnesses her murdering someone, chooses to stake out her house every night in a strange ploy to temper her murderous instincts (recall that the film frames Shiki's impulses as not being her own fault). Unbelievably, this actually works for quite some time, an entire fall and winter, in fact. Then, in the film's only genuine moment of suspense or action, Shiki attacks Kokutou, coming dangerously close to killing him. We're not really given much clue what happens after that. There is a timeskip near the end of the film to a few years later, where Shiki appears to be in a coma, but again the film fails to provide any reason for what occurs within it, and without proper background knowledge of the source material this entire development comes across as confusing.

  There is furthermore the issue of Kokutou's character. Whether he's supposed to scan as genuinely kind and endearing (which he very much does not) or as dangerously obsessed with a woman he barely knows to the point of his own detriment (which he sort of does) isn't really clear either. This isn't an inherent problem, and in a better-executed film could be a point of intriguing ambiguity, but it doesn't seem to even be on purpose here, and rather feels more like the film either simply forgot to provide us with some kind of emotional connection to this character, or was simply uninterested in doing so in the first place.

  There are certainly positives, mainly aesthetic ones. Animation studio ufotable remain as capable with pen and paintbrush as ever, and their astounding backgrounds bring a haunting sense of eeriness to scenes that desperately need some kind of tonework and emotion. Furthermore, the subtle visual distinction between Shiki and SHIKI, which mostly comes down to body language and some very slight design alterations to make the latter look more androgynous, are a really nice touch, as is her floaty, wraithlike movement in her confrontation with Kokutou. The soundtrack is, of course, excellent, adding another notch to Yuki Kajiura's long belt. Unfortunately none of this can excuse the seriously lacking narrative.

  So what we're left with again is a movie that down to its title and its short runtime (a minute short of an hour at 59 minutes), feels like and is indeed largely branded as the second episode of a series rather than a proper film, but the fact remains that while it is obviously a sequel to the first KnK film at least in terms of release order, the fact that its plot takes place earlier in the franchise's chronology and thus neither film provides any real narrative or emotional context for the other makes it fall flat on that axis too. It comes across as hollow. Well-made, certainly, but without any real care as to whether you understand it or not. To be generous, it scans as a "for fans only" affair. There is of course the possibility that later "episodes" will draw on what this one has laid out, but what that essentially means is that this particular film is, on its own, all buildup and no resolution.

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• 

  ScarletCutter

  92/100
  Kara no Kyoukai's most underrated installment

  Kara no Kyoukai is perhaps one of the most acquired tastes in anime, whether you're a TYPE-MOON fan or not. It has gotten a reputation for being a complicated mix bag, whether it's boring and/or pretentious, too hard to understand, or possibly a masterpiece. I've watched the entire movie series and while I barely understood what any of that means, at the same time, I've been amazed at how masterful its craft truly is. A series that yes, it's super complex, but doesn't take itself seriously while still being a serious work of art. All of this is thanks to the golden tickets that are Paradox Paradigm and Murder Speculation Part B. But... Those aren't what I'm talking about. What I want to talk about is Murder Speculation Part A, in my opinion, the most underrated installment of Kara no Kyoukai. My goal here isn't to talk about how the series works, it's more of me expressing my feelings with it and it resonates with me. With that being said, let's get started! --- __STORY: 9/10__ Even though this is the second installation of the series, funnily enough, this is actually the beginning, especially if you watch the series in chronological order. It starts off with a boy named Mikiya walking through the snow and suddenly sees a mysterious girl named Shiki. Even since they briefly met, Mikiya begins to fall in love with her. That April, she started to attend the same school as he does. The Mifune City, on the other hand, is filled with unclear victims and the investigators have yet to find out who the culprit is. If I'm being honest, it's quite hard to understand. It has a lot of interesting ideas on the table but the story is heavily full of puzzles. I barely understood what it literally was supposed to be and at that point, I don't think I will. That is... When it shouldn't be understood. Kara no Kyoukai doesn't have any literal meaning but is arguably more of emotional surrealism. This installation did a fantastic job of how Shiki is trapped in a virtual, non-linear prison. Shiki has a male personality gained from her family that is meant to show certain differences between her female one but is suddenly cursed to the extent that she's forced to commit a silent massacre. It's honestly scary personally. I still don't understand the whole situation but what I understand is that some of your human emotions may turn into a living nightmare. This series did an excellent job of how Mikiya encounters the complicated scenario. It gives more time for him to find hints on what went wrong with Shiki. Knowing TYPE-MOON, I would gladly watch the whole thing even if it means not knowing much. --- __CHARACTERS: 9/10__ We have two main leads, one being Shiki, the maiden who has been invaded by her corrupted human emotions, and Mikiya, the clueless inspector. I really adore these 2 characters because of how much impact they brought to both their characterizations and the story. Shiki may be a mysterious figure herself but she really helped me explore the mystery surrounding the series. She may be quiet but she really shows a lot of expression in her writing. I find it very tragic how she's both the culprit and victim in one setting. Not to mention how she's nominated to gain her male personality in the first place. As for Mikiya, yes, he may not fight back but what definitely makes up for that is how, again, explores certain hints regarding Shiki's murders. I really find it compelling how he investigates stuff on his own and encounters great danger, be it a mistake or on purpose. Even though he's inhuman for how he encounters said danger, at the same time, he's human for how he tries to act. Admittedly, I find it weird how even though he counters something threatening, he still forgives the culprit, even if they would be killed later on. But I really understand that. After all, he plays a major role in contrasting Shiki's grimdark emotions. Both Shiki and Mikiya have amazing chemistry with one another. Even though Shiki has her own yin and yang, both portray separate elements incredibly well. Sure, it can be toxic at points but at the same time, they play well with each of their elements. The side characters are quite nothing to talk about but this is heavily protagonist-focused so it doesn't matter much. --- __ART: 9/10__ Even though there isn't much action, the production is very fluid and doesn't have any of the slideshow nonsense. Shiki's fashion is very adequate. Cool jacket or not, her Kimonos are downright stylish and beautiful. --- __SOUND: 10/10__ The music is haunting yet beautiful at the same time. The OST truly reflects both the atmosphere and the events very well. The voice acting is also superb, with my personal favorite being Maaya Sakamoto as Shiki for how portrays her stoic behavior very nicely. --- __PERSONAL ENJOYMENT: 9/10__ Even though it's complicated when it comes to understanding what it literally is, I believe it to be one of the series' best chapters. It figuratively shows how corrupt your life can be and why you need to be aware of what's causing the world. I truly resonate with each of the 2 main leads for how they are constructed. Of course, not everyone is into complicated storytelling like Kara no Kyoukai and you know what? That's extremely fair. But if you're looking for a psychological series packed with beautiful action, this is the way to go. If you're watching the series in broadcast order, treat this as the second order. If you're watching (or preferably re-watching) chronologically, treat this as the first. __OVERALL: 9/10__
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