Rated: on Jan, 11th, 2012 by fresh_c
Kara no Kyoukai: Garden of Sinners is an engaging and sometimes confusing story. At its heart it is a study of what it means to take the life of another person, exploring various desires and rationalities for murder.

The script is winding and philosophical and in some cases (particularly Paradox Spiral) it's hard to follow. But the heart of the story and the mystery surrounding the characters will probably be enough to keep you watching with anticipation.

The animation is top notch and it is a joy to watch Shiki wield her knife in any of the fight scenes. The music is pretty good as well. It definitely sets the tone of the story.

Squimish people beware: there are some harrowing scenes that can be disturbing both because of gore and subject mater.

Also: note that there is an epilogue which is not hosted on this site (or at least not grouped with the other movies). It explains some things but isn't particularly necessary for the story. I'd only watch it if you enjoyed the stories psychobabble, despite its incomprehensibility (as I did).