Kara no Kyoukai is perhaps one of the most acquired tastes in anime whether youre a TYPEMOON fan or not. It has gotten a reputation for being a complicated mix bag whether its boring and/or pretentious too hard to understand or possibly a masterpiece. Ive watched the entire movie series and while I barely understood what any of that means at the same time Ive been amazed at how masterful its craft truly is. A series that yes its super complex but doesnt take itself seriously while still being a serious work of art. All of this is thanks to the golden tickets that are Paradox Paradigm and Murder Speculation Part B. But... Those arent what Im talking about. What I want to talk about is Murder Speculation Part A in my opinion the most underrated installment of Kara no Kyoukai. My goal here isnt to talk about how the series works its more of me expressing my feelings with it and it resonates with me. With that being said lets get started STORY: 9/10 Even though this is the second installation of the series funnily enough this is actually the beginning especially if you watch the series in chronological order. It starts off with a boy named Mikiya walking through the snow and suddenly sees a mysterious girl named Shiki. Even since they briefly met Mikiya begins to fall in love with her. That April she started to attend the same school as he does. The Mifune City on the other hand is filled with unclear victims and the investigators have yet to find out who the culprit is. If Im being honest its quite hard to understand. It has a lot of interesting ideas on the table but the story is heavily full of puzzles. I barely understood what it literally was supposed to be and at that point I dont think I will. That is... When it shouldnt be understood. Kara no Kyoukai doesnt have any literal meaning but is arguably more of emotional surrealism. This installation did a fantastic job of how Shiki is trapped in a virtual nonlinear prison. Shiki has a male personality gained from her family that is meant to show certain differences between her female one but is suddenly cursed to the extent that shes forced to commit a silent massacre. Its honestly scary personally. I still dont understand the whole situation but what I understand is that some of your human emotions may turn into a living nightmare. This series did an excellent job of how Mikiya encounters the complicated scenario. It gives more time for him to find hints on what went wrong with Shiki. Knowing TYPEMOON I would gladly watch the whole thing even if it means not knowing much. CHARACTERS: 9/10 We have two main leads one being Shiki the maiden who has been invaded by her corrupted human emotions and Mikiya the clueless inspector. I really adore these 2 characters because of how much impact they brought to both their characterizations and the story. Shiki may be a mysterious figure herself but she really helped me explore the mystery surrounding the series. She may be quiet but she really shows a lot of expression in her writing. I find it very tragic how shes both the culprit and victim in one setting. Not to mention how shes nominated to gain her male personality in the first place. As for Mikiya yes he may not fight back but what definitely makes up for that is how again explores certain hints regarding Shikis murders. I really find it compelling how he investigates stuff on his own and encounters great danger be it a mistake or on purpose. Even though hes inhuman for how he encounters said danger at the same time hes human for how he tries to act. Admittedly I find it weird how even though he counters something threatening he still forgives the culprit even if they would be killed later on. But I really understand that. After all he plays a major role in contrasting Shikis grimdark emotions. Both Shiki and Mikiya have amazing chemistry with one another. Even though Shiki has her own yin and yang both portray separate elements incredibly well. Sure it can be toxic at points but at the same time they play well with each of their elements. The side characters are quite nothing to talk about but this is heavily protagonistfocused so it doesnt matter much. ART: 9/10 Even though there isnt much action the production is very fluid and doesnt have any of the slideshow nonsense. Shikis fashion is very adequate. Cool jacket or not her Kimonos are downright stylish and beautiful. SOUND: 10/10 The music is haunting yet beautiful at the same time. The OST truly reflects both the atmosphere and the events very well. The voice acting is also superb with my personal favorite being Maaya Sakamoto as Shiki for how portrays her stoic behavior very nicely. PERSONAL ENJOYMENT: 9/10 Even though its complicated when it comes to understanding what it literally is I believe it to be one of the series best chapters. It figuratively shows how corrupt your life can be and why you need to be aware of whats causing the world. I truly resonate with each of the 2 main leads for how they are constructed. Of course not everyone is into complicated storytelling like Kara no Kyoukai and you know what? Thats extremely fair. But if youre looking for a psychological series packed with beautiful action this is the way to go. If youre watching the series in broadcast order treat this as the second order. If youre watching or preferably rewatching chronologically treat this as the first. OVERALL: 9/10