The curtains have finally fallen down on what is perhaps the most exciting series of anime films ever made. I only discovered Kara no Kyoukai when the very droll trailer for the first film appeared on the net. I took an interest in it primarily because it was by Type-Moon, and no other reason. After the first DVD release in mid 2008, I knew I was hooked to it.

Baby, what's for dinner?

Within one and a half years, Kara no Kyoukai has been steadily building up its momentum and fanbase before concluding in a breathtaking, 2-hour finale. The seventh and final chapter of the series ties up a couple of loose ends and we are served with lots of romance, blood, action and excitement.

I’ll let other blogs do the narrative review to avoid giving out spoilers (and simply because I couldn’t be bothered), so I’ll just take a stab at it (pun intended) as a whole.

Oh, just blood. Lots of it.

Satsujin Kousatsu: Go (A Study in Murder: Part II) picks up the story where it left off in Chapter 2. Not chronologically, though.

In Part I, the story revolves around a series of brutal murders, and Mikiya discovers Shiki smiling, drenched in a fountain of blood spurting from a man’s gaping neck. The chapter concludes with Shiki chasing Mikiya down a bamboo grove and pinning him down on the asphalt. The scene cuts to black, we hear a car horn and Shiki is seen in a hospital ward, comatose.

Their first encounter.

Part II continues this tale four years after the previous incident, where a similar string of murders have started again. The victims were brutally dismembered, some of them showed signs of being eaten. Anyone who has been following the series would not be surprised to learn that the culprit is Shirazumi Lio, the poor soul who met with Araya after we see his first murder in the epilogue of Chapter 5.

Lio is, for all intents and purposes, a stalker. He kills to get Shiki’s attention, primarily because Shiki rejected his advances back in their schooling days, four years ago. In an attempt to relate to Shiki, he killed and tried to draw her attention by implying the blame on her.

Why. So. SERIOUS?

What soon follows is a tragic tale between two psychopaths who lost themselves after a single act of murder. Lio, after having his origins awakened by Araya, can no longer control his predator impulse and proceeds to slaughter any unfortunate soul in his path. Shiki, after losing SHIKI, is burdened with a great sense of emptiness and feels an urge to kill to fill the void that SHIKI left behind.

All Lio wanted is a kindred spirit in Shiki. But his loyal friend Mikiya is in the way.
All Shiki wanted is salvation in Mikiya. Yet, Lio is threatening to take that away.

Let's put a smile on that face!

Romance has never been so pure, bare and visceral as was seen in Kara no Kyoukai. Whenever we talk pure romance, people quickly think of sweet romance with pretty girls set in a beautiful town (*cough*Clannad*cough*). No, those are just family friendly heart-warming fairy tales.

The pursuits of the lead characters, Shiki and Mikiya, are driven by nothing more but a fundamental feeling of longing. The strong desire to want the other person by their side, to be with them, to give them strength and to find a simple happiness just by spending time together. It’s the kind of raw emotion that completely disregards any and all sense of logic that would otherwise make us do a double-take on things.

Insufficient Touko exposure. Hmm.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about the romance in Kara no Kyoukai is the fact that neither Mikiya nor Shiki have openly said “I Love You” to each other. The affirmation of their love though sheer action, sentiments and the happiness they share in each other’s presence. It is a profound understanding and connection between their hearts that showcase their affection stronger than any word could describe.

A lot of people have difficulty believing me when I said Kara no Kyoukai is an in-depth study of romance. The two of them tread that fine line between a frail sanity and pure madness. The depth of their emotions were taken to the extremes, stretched paper thin and despite all the blood, fury and sadness, their love stays true and not a single thing in the world could tear them apart.

Kara no Kyoukai - The Garden of Sinners

This final chapter concludes this glorious tale of two hearts after almost two years running and I have to say that I absolutely enjoyed every single minute of it. There will be a prologue epilogue OVA to come soon, but I guess now that the main story is over, an extra side-story would be fun to watch – if only for some closure.

If you haven’t started on the series, now is a good time as any to marathon the whole stretch. This is what real romance is all about.

PS: Mucho gracias to GG and Takajun for their consistently speedy release of all the films. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this show if it wasn’t for your efforts :D

Can’t wait for the Blurays!

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