Garden of Sinners Movie 7 (2008)

Directed by: Shinsuke Takizawa | 115 minutes | drama, horror, animation, fantasy | Original voice cast: Ayumi Fujimura, Takako Honda, Maaya Sakamoto, Kenichi Suzumura

The final piece of the seven-part ‘Garden of Sinners’ series answers a number of questions, but at the same time raises a few question marks. However, you can brush away those question marks by looking at the complex series a (a few) times. This series is all about details. Not paying attention once is disastrous. Before you know it, you’re missing crucial information. If you haven’t seen any part of the series, this final piece will certainly be unwatchable. In ‘Garden of Sinners 7’, a serial killer wreaks havoc. Shiki, who has just woken up from a coma, is currently trying to reshape her life. The killer’s return – after years of silence – frightens her, as she has murderous impulses of her own. The girl goes in search of the criminal. Meanwhile, Mikiya is looking for a drug dealer and tries to convince the police that Shiki is not responsible for the murders. He discovers that an old classmate is the dealer.

‘Garden of Sinners’ is an enigmatic anime. The seven films cannot be followed without prior knowledge. The stories are all related, even though different characters each time claim the leading role. In addition, the parts all rely heavily on an ominous atmosphere. Something bad is about to happen, but you don’t know what. The sober use of color and the heavy subjects (such as meaning, identity crises and self-loathing) create a melancholy atmosphere.

The animation is variable. Some action scenes look flashy, while calm fragments seem quite static and wooden. The characters look very subdued by anime standards. Do not expect many impossible hairstyles and exotic costumes.

There is action, but it is never the main focus. The strength of the franchise is the careful construction of the characters. Little by little more information is given about the backgrounds of the (main) characters. If you’re willing to invest the time in a series that will get your brain working, ‘Garden of Sinners’ is a great way to spend your time. Also nice is the fact that publisher Kaze provides each release with an extra disc containing the soundtrack of each episode. The music is very moody and atmospheric.