The tale of the mistaken prince and an evil egg – a review of the Anthem of the Heart

It is not an uncommon trope in anime for young children to be catastrophically affected by an unfortunate event up until a time, in their middle or high school life, when they are forced to confront it.

This is the case for the young, carefree dreamer Jun Naruse who inadvertently reveals to her mother that her father has been spending time at a love hotel with another woman. The separation leads both parents to cursing Jun for speaking too much, and from the girl’s imagination an egg is born, preventing her from speaking more under threat of stomach pain.

Eyes of foresight, death and beauty: a review of the Kara no Kyoukai film series

When someone mentions the animation studio ufotable what is that comes to mind? Fate/Zero and Unlimited Blade Works, the extremely delayed God Eater, or perhaps the most recent Tales of  Zestiria the X? The truth of it is, it shouldn’t really be any of these shows that ufotable are most known for (though I am a huge fan of their work in the Fate franchise). Their first major work comes from the same ‘world’ as Fate and as is the eight film series, Kara no Kyoukai, or Garden of Sinners. I may come around to writing reviews of each movie, but today I want to give you a spoiler-free, overview of the main eight films + the Mirai Fukuin finale.

The plot focuses on Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou, with a focus on the relationship they have as well as the criminals they bring to justice. However, this is far from a crime drama with some romance on the side. While Kokutou may have fit nicely into this model, Shiki certainly does not with multiple personalities and, after a certain point in the cities, the aforementioned ‘eyes of death’.