Review: This episode is simply breath taking. For a moment, I thought this is the end because everything the previous four movies have laid out seems to be reaching its peak in this episode; The action is mind-blowing, the villains are revealed, all the main characters have to get through their most difficult obstacles yet and finally transform into greater being. Like I said, it feels like a climax, a fantastic one.
In Paradox Spiral, the story is divided into two arcs. The first focuses on Shiki who meets Tomoe, a boy who is running away from his crime of murdering his own parents. Persuaded by Shiki, they go back to Tomoe’s apartment complex and run into the culprit. Shiki is captured. In the second arc, Mikiya and Touko go to that apartment complex to save Shiki and to defeat the evil magi behind everything.
Like other episodes, the story about the apartment complex is just unpredictable and very imaginative. The brilliant premise is further magnified by smart, mind-spinning script and editing. Paradox Spiral tells the story backward then forward and switches back and forth. It is such a compelling experience.
The animation quality remains as good as its predecessors but Paradox Spiral presents the best action sequences so far. I almost forgot to breathe during the scene in which Shiki fights a group of undead with her knife wearing her snow white kimono.
Conclusion: Paradox Spiral is a great movie with fully established characters, witty script and state of the art production. It seems like Kara no Kyokai has just reached its own pinnacle of greatness. This episode sets the bar so high for its followers and that the only thing I’m worried about.
Rating: A
Facts
Title: Kara no Kyokai: Paradox Spiral
Genre: horror, supernatural, action, romance
Release date: August 16, 2008
Running Time: 115 minutes
Director: Takayuki Hirao
Animated by: ufotable
For reviews of the previous episodes in this series, please use ‘browse’ page.
It is the most complete episode. It has everything. This episode is my favorite episode of the series, hands down. I just love the romance value in it. It even inspired me to write a fanfic.
The most complete episode indeed.
This episode contain the the most ‘shocking moments’ and probably violence compared to others. But the final episode, which I will review soon, has the best romance :)
Another series I haven’t seen…it looks really terrific. You’ve again introduced me to another anime I need to check out! :P
Glad to be of some help. I also recommend watching the series in one marathon because things can be really convoluted for this show. :)
I loved this episode! it was so awesome, and there was so much going on, I loved all the gruesome stuff the most but that’s all I remember since I watched this a long long time ago, can’t even recall what the whole series was about xD
Easy, the series was about the guy getting pushed around by two powerful women; one was an undead, the other was a magi! >_<
Ah…that first screen shot looks spectacular. I must watch this soon, after all I own 3 figures from this movie series that are beautiful.
Oh yes, that was the most spectacular scene, if only those white substances were blood :P
This is clearly the best one. I just felt like compared to the other parts of this movie series, this was the most complete. It had pretty much everything one could ask for. A cool plot, great fighting, an ambiguous death of a main character/main character’s puppet (I still don’t know which one died)….it was simply fantastic. I wish they’d make 7 more of these movies.
Ambiguous death…I like that!
I always thought that the puppet died, maybe I was to confident.
Oh, I hadn’t heard of this series before. While the last thing I need is for my anime list to get any longer than it is, I can’t help it–this’ll just have to go on the list.
I insist on giving this show a try. It’s not as long as normal TV series so it won’t take much time to marathon. Nevertheless, marathoning Kara no kyokai can be depressing -_-