Actually, places and organizations in KnK are mentioned in both FSN and Tsukihime. One example is the Asagami Private Highshool, which Fujino, Azaka, and Tohno Akiha attended. Another example is the four demon hunter families (Ryougi, Nanaya, Asakami, Fujyo). I will also mention the “Clock Tower” Magic Academy.

For those who like Nasu’s writing should read his Angel Note, available at Gaku Gaku Animal Land…somewhere….

Tomoe kind of remind me of Shirou from Fate/Stay Night, maybe cuz of the hair.

Kara no Kyoukai is a great series but it is very deep. You have to kind of read a bit extra to see where the author is getting the literature from. That being said I probably have to rewatch ep5 in the future to make sense of it. Things was just happen too fast near the end. I like fast forward scenes like “door open/closing by Shiki and Tomeo.

I find it interesting how Araya kept repeating the last day of the resident’s death and they still die the same way. Fate or because notthing has change (cause/effect theory) to cause a need for a change?

I want a shiki figure now lol

balances last blog post..First Figures, Haruhi Suzumiya goodies!

Also, I have yet to read Slaughterhouse 5, but I’m certainly looking forward to the day that I do :P

Let’s discuss the nature of Araya’s philosophy. He was not some evil man in search for power to conquer the world or take revenge. He was trying to find a meaning to life. When he saw so many people being slaughtered meaninglessly, he became afraid of his own sense of meaning. He did not want people to die and live without a meaning. Ultimately this quest to find meaning lead him to the Akasha. I respect Araya, because even in the last few seconds of his life, he continued to fight for that meaning

Maybe this is because I’ve read the book, but as Yin-Yang symbolism, I saw Shiki as Yin and Tomoe as Yang. Shiki is described to be an beautiful and handsome girl (which she is. I spent way too much timing fanboying over her). Tomoe on the other hand is also an attractive individual (as Shiki kindly points out) but is also quite girly in his features (or at least that’s what the book said). Both are murderers, but both reacts very differently to their actions. This opposite-but-the-same continued until the end where they are mirrors of each other, saying goodbye to each other. I wonder if Shiki sees SHIKI inside of Tomoe.

Last but not least… CATERPILLAR SHIKI MOE!!!! But seriously, this is the difference between Serial Experiment Lain, which barely had any entertainment value, and Kara no Kyoukai. It has both complex philosophy, and very awesome girls and villains, with moments that simply left you breathless. Examples: The water slide in the first movie. The creepy Shiki in the second movie. The destruction of the bridge in the third (which was very VERY awesome). The zombie scene in the fourth.

This series of movies is a masterpiece.

Does anyone know a film (I forgot title) using a similar Spiral ‘experiment’?

As for the puppets, while they certainly do have a certain degree of symbolism (especially regarding Tomoe), the scene you mentioned about with Touko surrounded by puppets isn’t really supposed to hold a lot of meaning. Simply put, besides being a sorcerer Touko also works as a designer (and she’s quite notorious) and she happens to design marionettes and puppets as part of that job (and that’s how Mikiya got to know her and got interested in working for her). That whole mansion is the HQ of her own design company. So it’s pretty normal for her to have some of her creations on showcase for all visitors or people who are interested in requesting her job. The symbolism is added by the fact that Nasu (and the people who made the movies as well) decided to show this side of her job exactly on this chapter which “casually” (and it’s not) places the focus on Tomoe.

@ Sorrow-kun: Indeed, there truly is a lot to analyze, much more than a single writer can fit into a single blog post. Your theory about Araya makes sense, especially since his purpose was to “count” deaths and all, resulting in his unusual experiment. That would also explain quite a bit of his intent with the building’s design.

And at the moment, I’m not sure if anyone can truly assign a meaning to the puppets. Like you said, they’re a second life (quite literally, actually), and I don’t believe there’s been any real indication as to what they mean. But ultimately, I wouldn’t be surprised if we all got a slightly different meaning out of the movie, or came out of it with different ideas on the symbolism and implications: it’s depth is something that one can only appreciate after truly applying one’s mind to it.