Video Version:
Introduction:
One of the sadder parts of watching anime is how, even though they are typically more common than male characters, it is very hard to find an interesting and unique female character. In most shows, they tend to fall under the typical archetypes of the tsundere, the yandere, the kuudere, the dandere, and so on, and while characters within these archetypes aren’t necessarily bad or unentertaining, they’re still stereotypical characters. Sure, you’ve got standout shows with awesome female characters like in Kill la Kill or Yona of the Dawn, but even so, most females are whiny, annoying, and uninteresting. So, when I do come across an anime that seemingly sports remarkable and unique female characters, I will automatically be interested in the show, even if it turns out terribly. That’s where Kara no Kyoukai, or Garden of Sinners in English, comes in. Probably my favorite movie series of all time, it has many interesting and tragic characters to analyze and talk about, but for my favorite female character in anime, I’ve chosen Shiki Ryougi, the main female lead. What makes her so special that she stands out among the crowd? Well, sit back, relax, and read on as I explain why in the third installment of Fangirl February. Keep in mind that I am basically going to spoil the entire series in this video, so if you haven’t seen Kara no Kyoukai yet, please do so before watching this. If you’ve seen it or haven't and just don’t care, let’s get started.
General Character Overview:
As stated earlier, Shiki Ryougi is the main female lead of the Kara no Kyoukai franchise, a series of seven movies animated by Unlimited Budget Works coughI mean ufotable. The series is based off of light novels written by the same guy behind the Fate visual novels; in other words, it is Type-Moon property. And, at least in my opinion, Kara no Kyoukai is leagues ahead of Fate/Stay Night in nearly every way. Fate/Zero is another story, but that's another topic for another time. Kara no Kyoukai is not limited to the typical visual novel structure, and it shows through its narrative and experimentation with theme. Many ideas are displayed and discussed in the movies that are thought provoking, but a downside is that the movies have questionable dialogue and too much they wanted to discuss, which is its main problem. The movies focus too much on ideas and concepts that are out of its reach, causing many people to call the series “pretentious”. And, I would be inclined to agree, if not for the seventh movie. By now, you’re probably thinking, “What the heck does this have to do with Shiki Ryougi?” To answer your question, it has everything to do with Shiki Ryougi. For the first six movies, Shiki is a mystery, and nothing about her really makes any sense. At times, it felt like her characterization was lost due to the endless discussion of inane topics and no display of her own interests or desires. In the second movie, which is her first chronological appearance, she’s shown to have two personalities: Shiki, who is distant, cold, and emotionless, and SHIKI, who is fun loving but has an incurable bloodlust. At the end of the second movie, SHIKI tries to kill Mikiya (the main character of the movies), but is hit by a car. In the fourth movie, which comes next chronologically, it is implied that SHIKI has been killed due to the car accident, leaving the first personality alone. The third movie shows that, however, the remaining Shiki is still violent and bloodthirsty, which, at least, lead me to believe that SHIKI definitely left a negative impression on the current Shiki. In the fifth movie, we learn that there are mages who specialize in bringing out the darkness in humans, and it is shown that Shiki was involved in this somehow, as the mages are trying to bring out the evil side of Shiki once again. Something to take note of is that, in all of the movies, the opponents were originally normal human beings who went on violent rampages once they encountered a mage. Then, the seventh movie happens. We learn that Shiki was involved with the mages, and that Shiki’s bloodlust has been partially cured by Mikiya. In order to keep Shiki violent, the mage Arya uses the obsessive Lio to bring Shiki back. This leads us to the most important part of the movie: watching Shiki become more human because of Mikiya’s influence. When Shiki and Mikiya are talking over the phone, they are arguing over whether Shiki should kill Lio, with Mikiya stating that he won’t forgive her if she does. This ties into both of their progressions as characters: Shiki becoming less of a monster, and Mikiya learning the harsh reality of our world. Later on, Lio nearly kills Mikiya, and Shiki, thinking Mikiya is dead, kills Lio. However, when the two finally reunite, Mikiya says, “I forgive you.” In other words, Mikiya accepts that not everything can be solved peacefully. The entire message of the movie is to learn how to compromise, because there are no issues that are completely good or evil. All of the characters Shiki defeated earlier had some sort of emotional baggage or were innocent victims, but because of their destructive nature, they needed to be stopped. Shiki is different, however, because of her attachment to Mikiya; he is what makes her human.
Why She’s Featured in Fangirl February:
Shiki Ryougi is a very special character to me, and not because I can relate to her on a personal level. Yeah, it’s kind of hard to sympathize with someone who is essentially a psychopath, and admittedly she isn’t the most complex female character I’ve ever come across. But, much like with the movie series she comes from, I don’t really mind. I love how Shiki is different, interesting, and so unlike any other character in composure and conflict. She has to fight so many people that are trying to turn her into a monster, and uses her own methods to do so. Even when Mikiya doesn’t agree with her, she still goes off and does what she thinks is right, even if her view falls into a moral grey area. Sure, technically she’s killing hapless victims, but each person was so ravaged, broken, and depressed that maybe they were better off. It’s kind of like the morally grey ending of Million Dollar Baby, or the actions of Don Vito in The Godfather, or the entirety of Mystic River. This is how themes are presented to the audience: through character personalities and their interactions with others. I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with this ideas, by the way; I’m just trying to say what I believe the movies are trying to convey through its characters. I’ve gone on and on throughout my career as a reviewer about the definition of pretentious, calling Psycho-Pass pretentious, Code-Breaker pretentious, Sword Art Online 2 pretentious, and so on, but pretentious is something Kara no Kyoukai is not, for the most part. The ideas it tries to convey are all tied in somehow, with Shiki being the perfect example of this. Her development reflects these ideas of morality, with Mikiya’s character being the juxtaposition, with his naïve mentality. On top of that, she’s also pretty awesome. Like I said in my introduction, it’s really refreshing to see a strong and female character like Shiki, since most are pretty archetypal and weak, unfortunately. So, that’s why I like her so much: she’s unique, conveys interesting ideas throughout the series, and is very fun to watch.
So, I hope you enjoyed the third installment of Fangirl February! I’ll see you all next time for the final installment: the Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 review. Until then!
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