Kara no Kyoukai (空の境界), also known as the Garden of Sinners, is a 2007-2011 theatrical anime film series based on Kinoko Nasu’s light novel of the same name. It was adapted into an anime by studio Ufotable with directors Ei Aoki, Takuya Nonaka, Mitsuru Obunai, Teiichi Takiguchi, Takayuki Hirao, Takahiro Miura, Shinsuke Takizawa, Tomonori Sudou and Hikaru Kondo, written by Masaki Hiramatsu and Akira Hiyama, and published by Aniplex. The series was first theatrically released in Japan on December 2007, with its last film released in September 2013.
Brief Unboxing Redux Note:
I first received and unboxed Kara no Kyoukai back in April 2015 over on my Normanic Vault blog via Blogger. This post here is a remaster, but mostly a remake (or redux no pun intended) & revisit with better photos, updated information and any added extras. Enjoy!
Background:
“After spending two years in a coma caused by a traffic accident, Shiki Ryougi awakens with amnesia. Inexplicably, she finds, in turn, that she has also obtained “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception” in which she can see the invisible lines of mortality that hold every living and non-living thing together. Working for a small independent agency, Shiki attempts to unravel the baffling mystery behind a series of abnormal, horrifying incidents, but are they a foreshadowing that leads to something even more tragic and ominous? Things are not what they appear to be on the surface, but what dark revelations lie underneath? This is a modern occult-action thriller where Shiki must tackle supernatural incidents with her special abilities while searching for a reason to live.”
Plot Synopsis via Aniplex of America’s official website.
Before the Fate franchise and Tsukihime, writer and founder of TYPE-MOON Kinoko Nasu wrote a novel series called Kara no Kyoukai which is known in the west as The Garden of Sinners. It’s a series that was written back in 1998 & 1999 but got re-released a few times in the early 00s. Eventually it was given an anime adaptation by studio Ufotable which their main projects back then were Ninja Nonsense, Coyote Ragtime Show, and Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!. That’s right, Kara no Kyoukai was animated during a time before they eventually grew in international popularity with Fate/Zero and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Apparently Kara no Kyoukai is set in an alternate universe to both Fate and Tsukihime, though the main character Shiki does make an appearance in the MELTY BLOOD games. That being said, you can jump in without knowledge of those other franchises. This is also a film series, with nine films released in total (one of them isn’t part of the main group which I’ll explain in a second). The films included are:
- The Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View (空の境界 第一章 俯瞰風景, Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Isshō: Fukan Fūkei), released in Japan on December 2007 and directed by Ei Aoki. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘Thantos‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder Part 1 (空の境界 第二章 殺人考察 (前), Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Nishō: Satsujin Kōsatsu (Zen)), released in Japan on December 2007 and directed by Takuya Nonaka. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘……and nothing heart‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (空の境界 第三章 痛覚残留, Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Sanshō: Tsūkaku Zanryū), released in Japan on February 2008 and directed by Mitsuru Obunai. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘ever cry, never life‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: The Hollow Shrine (空の境界 第四章 伽藍の洞, Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Yonshō: Garan no Dō), released in Japan on May 2008 and directed by Teiichi Takiguchi. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘garan-no-dou‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral (空の境界 第五章 矛盾螺旋, Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Goshō: Mujun Rasen), released in Japan on August 2008 and directed by Takayuki Hirao. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘Paradox Paradigm‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: Oblivion Recording (空の境界 第六章 忘却録音, Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Rokushō: Bōkyaku Rokuon), released in Japan on December 2008 and directed by Takahiro Miura. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘Fairy Tale‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder Part 2 (空の境界 第七章 殺人考察 (後), Kara no Kyōkai Dai-Nanashō: Satsujin Kōsatsu (Go)), released in Japan on August 2009 and directed by Shinsuke Takizawa. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘……not nothing heart‘.
- The Garden of Sinners: Epilogue (空の境界 終章, Kara no Kyōkai: Shūshou), released in Japan on February 2011 and directed by Hikaru Kondo. The subtitle used for the Blu-ray set is ‘the Garden of Sinners‘.
The ninth film which is not included in the main group is The Garden of Sinners: Recalled Out Summer which came out in 2013 after the Epilogue and Blu-ray release was made.
In terms of licensing, Aniplex acquired the distribution rights for English speaking territories. So Aniplex of America handles it for North America while MVM was able to do the same for the United Kingdom. That being said, the film series had reverse importation problems so only the DVD version was available for most of the past decade, but a Blu-ray version was eventually allowed a few years ago. Despite being written by Kinoku Nasu, the films were not given an English dub.
Blu-ray Disc Box Contents:
So in case you haven’t noticed, this is a Japanese import copy of Kara no Kyoukai.
In Japan, it was first released as a limited edition Blu-ray Disc Box set, retailed for 52,500 Yen, that came with all seven films and the epilogue on Blu-ray as well as an additional Blu-ray disc covering a compilation film called ‘Remix – Gate of Seventh Heaven-‘ while covers the first six films and a 50-minute television special called ‘Retracing All Seven Chapters of The Garden of Sinners’.
Outside of that, it also came with a Visual Chronicle Book with interviews, key visuals, illustrations and artwork from its DVD releases. Aniplex of America offered an import version for $398.98 on Rightstuf for North American fans that also came included with an English translation booklet. That sold out pretty fast despite the high price tag.
Eventually Aniplex Japan re-released Kara no Kyoukai with a traditional Blu-ray Disc Box release, retailed for 38,500 Yen, that will fit in-line with any set on the shelf and this is the version that I own. I ordered it from Amazon Japan in 2015 for £173 total (initially £208 but for some reason they refunded me £35 not long after I received it), and is still available in print. Aniplex of America did provide an import version retailed for $399.98 on 10th November 2015 and a few years later on 11th September 2018 with a localised Blu-ray box set with the same identical layout retailed for $319.98.
So what does this Blu-ray Disc Box offer then? Well basically you have a rigid box with four Amaray Blu-ray cases to house 8 Blu-ray discs. Each disc represents a film with the final disc covering the epilogue. Also included in each case is a mini-booklet showcasing artwork used for the individual DVD releases. The rigid box does come with an o-card that wraps around the set with the specification.
And just in case people are left wondering and haven’t noticed, the Japanese Blu-ray releases for Kara no Kyoukai does come with English subtitles for all of the anime content included – but I should clarify that this only applies to the main film series and not Recalled Out Summer or the DVD versions as those are Japanese language supported only.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box packaging with four Amaray Blu-ray cases and clean artwork
- O-card for specification
- 4 Mini-Booklets with DVD Promotional Artwork & Technical Specification
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Aniplex Japan
Released: 10th July 2013
The Japanese standard edition release for Kara no Kyoukai contains seven theatrical films and an epilogue across eight Blu-ray discs. The discs were authored and encoded in Japan. Audio options include Japanese with English & Japanese subtitles only, as there was no English dub produced.
| Release & Disc Order | Film | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overlooking View (Thanatos) | 4 |
| 2 | A Study in Murder Part 1 (……and nothing heart) | 1 |
| 3 | Remaining Sense of Pain (ever cry, never life) | 3 |
| 4 | The Hollow Shrine (garan-no-dou) | 2 |
| 5 | Paradox Spiral (Paradox Paradigm) | 5 |
| 6 | Oblivion Recording (Fairy Tale) | 6 |
| 7 | A Study in Murder Part 2 (……not nothing heart) | 7 |
| 8 | Epilogue (the garden of sinners) | 8 |
The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the discs are playable on Region A, B & C for Blu-ray players. Anime released on Blu-ray in Japan don’t have any form of region locking, despite the country using Region A for their live-action titles.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese Linear PCM 2.0 Japanese Linear PCM 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 16:9 Aspect Ratio |
| Region | A B C |
| Subtitles | English, Japanese |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 6 BD-25s, 2 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Thanatos
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 2: ……and nothing heart
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 3: ever cry, never life
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 4: garan-no-dou
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 5: Paradox Paradigm
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 6: Fairy Tale
- Pre-show Reminder
Disc 7: ……not nothing heart
- Pre-show Reminder
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Kara no Kyoukai was licensed and released on home video by Aniplex Japan and Aniplex of America. The standard edition Blu-ray Disc Box is still available to import from retailers like Amazon Japan, but for a cheaper option there is the MVM Entertainment collector’s edition Blu-ray release on Amazon UK and Aniplex of America localised Blu-ray release on Rightstuf.
(Disclaimer: Amazon UK links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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