Review of Tsukihime Lunar Legend: Vol. 3

Introduction

Six months is quite a hiatus for a series, and now that the final volume of Tsukihime edges its way onto the shop shelves, I find that I have quite forgotten what had happened in the previous volume. I do recall that I was in two minds about the series, the atmospheric visuals and audio were certainly appealing, as was the measured pace of the show, together all contributing to an air of mystery. This was balanced with some unsympathetic characters, and a general vacuity to the story. Style over substance it may have been, but the second volume was more appealing than the first. Now the question is, can this final volume deliver a jolt to the story that makes the series as a whole more than just the sum of its parts?

Shiki Tohno is a high school student with a curious past. As a young boy he was involved in a traffic accident that awakened an odd ability in him. He sees red lines bisecting everything in the world, living or dead. He thought he would be plagued with this curse, when a mysterious woman presented him with a pair of glasses that return his vision to normal. Weakened by the accident, he left his home to be raised and cared for by relatives, but after the death of his father, his sister who inherited the Tohno estate invited him to return. Now Arcueid Brunestud, an unusual vampire whose mission is to rid the world of those vampires that prey on humanity, has discovered his unusual talents. He has the Mystical Eyes Of Death Perception, and can effortlessly deal death and dismemberment when he sees the lines of death bisecting his foes. Last time on Tsukihime, the evil vampire Roa began preying in the city, prompting Arcueid to enlist Shiki`s aid once more to hunt him down. But Shiki was distracted by what he learned about his own family, first when he found out an alarming side to his sister, and then when a mysterious bandaged man, who appeared to have the same ability as Shiki to deal death, attacked him.

Find out how the story concludes in this final volume of Tsukihime, which contains 4 episodes.

Ep 9. Death
After confronting the stranger, Shiki has a troubled night, haunted by nightmares. He wakes determined to uncover the truth about the Tohno family, the secrets it hides. When the house is empty, he goes exploring and finds a key in his sister`s study. While the door it opens is strange enough, the memories that it unlocks are even more disturbing.

Ep 10. Vermillion Crimson Moon
Shiki`s taken to his bed in a bout of self-pity. But he has neglected his duty in the hunt for Roa. Arcueid shows up in the morning to explain as much in no uncertain terms. Then she states that her anger will be assuaged if Shiki takes her out on a date. But the night takes on a serious air when she reveals his school friend Ciel`s true nature.

Ep 11. Misfortunate Night
Arcueid`s date with Shiki goes awry when her bloodlust awakens. Ciel intervenes and Arcueid runs off. This time it is Ciel who lifts the veil on Arcueid`s secrets. Shiki is all set to find her, but on the way sees the mysterious bandaged man again, this time meeting his sister of all people.

Ep 12. Lunar World
The truth revealed, secrets uncovered, and memories reclaimed, all that remains is for Shiki to face Roa and his destiny. But to protect Shiki, Arcueid has gone to face him alone in his stead.

Video

Lunar Legend Tsukihime gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that is uniformly of high quality, except for some slight digital banding of the sort that is common with most anime. The animation is astounding in many ways. The world design is atmospheric, stylish and moody. There is an ethereal quality to the backgrounds and environments, with everything lit strongly and on the verge of overexposure. You can really feel the environment, whether it`s heat haze or glare, or the dark shadows and moonlight of the night time scenes. However this contrasts with some occasional simplistic character design and animation. Dialogue scenes are almost static, even for anime, and this is one of those animations where when someone is speaking, only the mouth moves and absolutely nothing else. The atmosphere outweighs this however.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese soundtracks. The dialogue is clear throughout and the sound design matches the imagery well. While a surround track would have been preferable, the stereo does have a degree of immersion to it. The music is mellow and has a classical feel to it, but the opening theme reminds me strongly of Enigma. The English dub sounds acceptable if unexceptional, but as always I stuck with the original soundtrack. When it comes to subtitles, you have a choice between the translated subtitles, a track that translates the various signs, or nothing at all.

Features

The only extras worthy of mention are the trailers for other MVM titles, in this case Samurai Champloo and R.O.D. The TV.

Conclusion

Tsukihime has turned out to be a disappointment with this final volume. There is no denying the beauty of the piece; the sheer atmosphere of the visuals and audio makes it very easy to watch. It`s just that below the surface veneer, there just isn`t too much to it. This is a problem that I noted with the earlier volumes, and my hope was that with the final disc, it would provide sufficient resolution to the story and the characters. That wasn`t to be. The story as it unfolds on this disc is just as shallow and ephemeral as before, and just doesn`t provide any satisfaction.

This disc does manage to resolve the central storyline of Shiki and Arcueid, although not altogether in an agreeable way. The main problem is that the characters in the show just haven`t developed to the point that I can care about them or what happens to them. Tsukihime`s storyline has been presented as a mystery, elements of the supernatural mixed up with Shiki`s hidden past to create an enigma that is revealed over the course of these twelve episodes. Everything that happens in the narrative is directly related to the enigma, and there is little of the extraneous or trivial. The thing is that it is the trivial that usually provides a hook into a character, and it is the extraneous that provides the backdrop to a story. Without these things, watching the show becomes a dry intellectual exercise, which on occasion can be rewarding in its own right, but only if the puzzle truly warrants the attention. That doesn`t happen here.

There is enough of an emotional hook to hold the attention for the duration of these episodes. I cared enough about Shiki and Arcueid to stick it out. But the incidental characters just don`t register, and while the central storyline is resolved, enough is left hanging about Shiki`s sister Akiha and the enigmatic Ciel to make the story unfulfilling. In addition, there is a coda to the final episode that reintroduces Shiki`s school friends who have been absent for the duration of this disc, only to be presented as another mystery. It is regrettable that this final disc undoes the limited character work managed by the central four episodes. The second volume had developed the characters to a degree and moved the show in an interesting direction. The final disc ignores most of this and ambles its way headlong towards a conclusion.

It is a shame really, as better writing and perhaps a longer run time would have developed these characters, and made the story more substantial. As it is, it`s just average. It`s a show that you can watch with your brain in neutral, and just savour the sublime visuals and atmospheric score. It`s the anime equivalent of nouvelle cuisine.