Mar 26, 2017
Dont know why but I always have a soft spot for Tsukihime. I added it to my "ambivalent" list, not because it is half bad, but I think I could totally love it if it's longer and developed more thoroughly. And i'm right, just finished the visual novel, and the aftertaste is so good.
First, i really commend it on knowing how to condense the content of the Vn in a lovely, enigmatic and even poetic way. Ok for completist fans wanting to see everything, go straight to the VN, but u cannot deny that this adaptation made the story more concise, with less explanation
...
but still plenty of mysteriousness to keep us interested in the plot. I can list some moments I still remember. Like how the vn did w a long chapter detailedly describing Shiki in the hospital and meeting Sensei, this accomplished by a mere 3 minutes using dreamlike flashbacks and ellipsis. And when "meeting" the blond girl, it all used flashbacks like a broken piece of a broken insane Shiki's memory, instead of detailing his feelings and thoughts when he **** her. That's great, i think.
SPOILER ***** And I'm really impressed when they consummated, it felt real, natural and romantic and sad even. Subtle, yes, so anyone who loves erotic f*** should just go to the vn. *****
Then we have the mood, which is heightened a lot by the wonderful music. I love how this remind me of xxxholic, my first anime, and since it was written then adapted before xxxholic, i guess it exerts an influence on that. All gothic music, gothic mansion, gothic story and legend, the occult, the supernatural, and finding darkness and sadness and deadliness in an urban setting. A lot of night, and doing stuff after curfew. The idea of exploring hidden sides to a world we often take for granted is appealing to me.
But the greatest attraction is when i connect it with the overall Nasuverse. Reading Kara ni Kyoukai certainly made me want more of tsukihime. And when comparing it w the recent ufotable FSN, it is immensely better, cuz while the former is light-hearted and amateur with all the teenage bickering, this is serious and business-like, they made decision and took action fast, and a lot of time had to compromise. These sad gloomy high school students feel adult and mature.
So I think it is good, and this kind of anime certainly is rarer now, this really gloomy, mysterious, small scale and occultic atmosphere that early light novelists did so great. It makes me remember the late 90s early 2000s, with things like Boogiepop phantom and all those japanese horror films, when effects of the economic crisis still lingered on in Jpnese and they have a peculiar passion for suicide and death.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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