Unboxing [JP]: the Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai) - Box Set: Standard Edition (BD-BOX)

It's that time again where I pick up another Japanese Blu-ray Disc Box (well it's been a while since I have imported an anime from Japan). This time it's a special one. Here's an overview of the Kara no Kyoukai series on Blu-ray!

Kara no Kyoukai (空の境界 or as it's known in English as the garden of sinners) is a movie series adapted from a light novel, written and created by Kinoko Nasu who also worked on the popular Fate franchise and Tsukihime. All of Nasu's works are part of Type Moon which Nasu co-founded and the series is set in an alternate universe to Fate/stay night and Tsukihime. While the novel was written sometime in 1998, the anime films were made between 2007 to 2009 (though the epilogue was released in 2011) and each one were animated by Ufotable (they also worked on Fate/Zero and the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2014 adaptation).

Kara no Kyoukai is pretty unique in comparison to the other anime titles, not only was the series released in movie form but the order that the story progresses in each film takes place in a different times instead of being a continuous sequel to each other, for example the first film is actually 4th in the timeline while the second film is 1st (I'll list the order below). There are seven films and an epilogue in the main series (with a remix that was exclusive to the limited edition release) and also an additional film which was released years later called Mirai Fukuin (or recalled out summer as it's known in English, I'll have an unboxing of the Aniplex of America release later this month).

Here's the list of films included in the Kara no Kyoukai series:

 - Thanatos

 - ...and nothing heart

 - ever cry, never life

 - garan-no-dou

 - Paradox Paradigm

 - Fairy Tale

 - ...not nothing heart

 - the garden of sinners (Epilogue)

And here's the films in chronological order:

 - ...and nothing heart

 - garan-no-dou

 - ever cry, never life

 - Thanatos

 - Paradox Paradigm

 - Fairy Tale

 - ...not nothing heart

 - the garden of sinners (Epilogue)

I hear watching the films in release order is actually not that confusing in contrast to say the Kyon order of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya since the films don't require any figuring out or extensive knowledge of previous events.

The series did see a release in English territories. Aniplex of America imported the limited edition Blu-ray set from Japan for North American fans at a high price of SRP $598.98 (or $499.99 if you managed to order it from Rightstuf) and it sold out instantly in pre-orders. The company later on released the series as a limited edition DVD set for SRP $189.98 (or $149.98 via Rightstuf) which sold out also but just a couple of months back. The series did manage to see a release in Australia but on DVD and instead of digipacks the set used thin DVD cases, the same treatment was also given to the UK release by MVM. Many people have been dying to see the series on Blu-ray and in fact there is a way to get it - by importing it from Japan.

The version that I have right here is the standard edition of the movie set. That's all seven films and the epilogue in one chipboard box set and four thin Blu-ray cases. The standard edition doesn't contain the Gate to Seventh Heaven music compilation that was included in the limited edition version however which is a shame but the discs are pretty much the exact same for the seven films, the epilogue itself received a re-author but it's practically the same. Now the reason why this is still an option is because the discs provide English subtitles! However the price is relatively high, just so you know.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: Japanese

Audio: LPCM 5.1ch Surround, LPCM Stereo 2.0 [Japanese]

Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9 ~ Some of the earlier films are SD Remaster (Upscales)
Region: A, B, C

Subtitles: English, Japanese [Japanese language]

Subtitles Locked: No

Discs: 8

Plot Synopsis (via Aniplex USA site):

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.

Extra Content:

Chipboard artbox

Mini-booklet with promotional art from the DVD standard and limited edition releases and technical specs for each film

Theater Pre-Show Reminders

I've split the photos into different parts since the set is in Japanese after all.

The first Blu-ray case contains the first two films; Thanatos and ...and nothing heart.

The second Blu-ray case contains the third and fourth films; every cry, never life and garan-no-dou.

The third Blu-ray case contains the fifth and sixth films; Paradox Paradigm and Fairy Tale.

And the fourth Blu-ray case contains the seventh/final film and its epilogue; ...not nothing heart and the garden of sinners.

As a special bonus, here's more photos of the set.

The Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai Blu-ray Disc Box set is still available on Japanese sites like Amazon JP and CD Japan. I strongly suggest you choose Amazon JP as the price is much cheaper (however you do have to pay the VAT depending on where you live, the overall cost to me was £208, the original price was £166 (28,000 jpy)). The DVD is available in Region 2 NTSC form by MVM Entertainment in the UK, however it is limited to a certain amount of copies.