Kara no Kyoukai

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Kara no Kyoukai
Cover of the first Kara no Kyoukai novel.
空の境界
Genre	Action, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller
Light novel
Author	Kinoko Nasu
Illustrator	Takashi Takeuchi
Publisher	Type-Moon (original creator)
Other publishers: Kodansha (commercial publisher) Haksan Publishing (commercial publisher)
Published	October 1998 – August 1999 2004 (commercial printing) 2007 (second commercial printing)
Volumes	2 or 3
Animated film: Chapter 1: Fukan Fūkei
Director	Ei Aoki
Studio	ufotable
Released	December 1, 2007
Runtime	49 minutes
Animated film: Chapter 2: Satsujin Kōsatsu (Part 1)
Director	Takuya Nonaka
Studio	ufotable
Released	December 29, 2007
Runtime	58 minutes
Animated film: Chapter 3: Tsūkaku Zanryū
Director	Mitsuru Obunai
Studio	ufotable
Released	January 26, 2008
Runtime	56 minutes
Animated film: Chapter 4: Garan no Dou
Director	Shinichi Takiguchi
Studio	ufotable
Released	May 24, 2008
Animated film: Chapter 5: Mujun Rasen
Director	Takayuki Hirao
Studio	ufotable

Kara no Kyoukai (空の境界, Kara no Kyoukai^? lit. Edge of Emptiness) is a Japanese novel series, authored by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. It is also known under the name Rakkyo (らっきょ, Rakkyo^?), and its tagline the Garden of sinners.

The series originally begun from October 1998 as a series of five chapters released online on Nasu and Takeuchi's dōjin-based website, Takebōki (竹箒, Takebōki^?), with its final two chapters being released at Comiket 56 in August 1999. Nasu and Takeuchi were later to form Type-Moon, and in 2001, featured a portion of the book in its 2001 Tsukihime fandisk, Tsukihime PLUS-DISC, which saw it gain significant popularity, leading it to be released as a dōjinshi publication at Comiket 61 on December 30, 2001.

On September 2002, a drama CD based on the series was released, and on August 6, 2004, noted publisher Kodansha released the series as a commercial publication, which enjoyed immense popularity, with 5000 limited-edition versions of the novel being sold almost immediately upon release. Both editions of Kara no Kyoukai altogether sold more than 500,000 copies.^[1] The series is regarded as being set in the same world as another Type-Moon series, Tsukihime, with the protagonist of the series, Shiki Ryōgi, possessing similar abilities as Tsukihime's protagonist, Shiki Tohno, and another Tsukihime character, Aoko Aozaki's sister, Tohko Aozaki (who was briefly mentioned in Tsukihime), also being featured.

The series is being adapted into an ongoing anime movie series, divided into seven chapters, which are animated by the studio ufotable. The first chapter, titled Fukan Fūkei, premiered across Japanese theaters on December 1, 2007, with the second and third chapters, Satsujin Kōsatsu, and Tsūkaku Zanryū, being released soon after on December 29, 2007 and January 26, 2008, respectively. In connection with the movie's release, the novels are once again being reprinted, as three volumes with new illustrations.^[2] It is expected for the fourth movie to premier in Japanese cinemas on May 24, 2008.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Major characters

Shiki Ryōgi (両儀式, Ryōgi Shiki^?)

Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (drama CD), Maaya Sakamoto (movies)

A teenaged girl, who possesses the "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception", a supernatural ability that allows the user to see the inherent mortality of everything (both living and non-living) in the form of lines and a single point (which is the "origin" of the object). A cut along any line will bifurcate the object, no matter the sharpness of cutting tool used, and a stab at the point destroys the object's origin, causing instant death. She recently recovered from a two-year coma caused by a traffic accident. Prior to the traffic accident, she originally had two personalities, a male personality named Shiki (織, Shiki^?), and the original female personality Shiki (式, Shiki^?). Children born into the Ryōgi family are generally male and are raised with two personalities, so the male personality is customarily called the "yang" personality, while the female is called the "yin" personality. It is easy to tell which Shiki is speaking at a given time because they both have a distinct style of speaking, most notably that the female Shiki refers to herself with the pronoun watashi (私, watashi^?), while male Shiki refers to himself as ore (オレ, ore^?). After waking from her coma, Shiki discovers that she can no longer feel the male Shiki's presence and assumes that he died because of the accident. She also feels a detachment from her memories before the accident, and while she knows she is Shiki, she does not feel that she is. In the hopes of regaining herself and the "dead" Shiki, she puts on a cold façade that somewhat resembles the male Shiki's and tries to act as the female Shiki did. Tohko understands the sense of detachment Shiki feels, but considers the current Shiki a third, new personality. She finally admits that she harbors feelings towards Mikiya Kokuto, saying that without him, she would only return to the emptiness she does not want.

Mikiya Kokutō (黒桐幹也, Kokutō Mikiya^?)

Voiced by: Kentarō Itō (drama CD), Kenichi Suzumura (movies)

Shiki's friend who, two years ago, made a promise with Shiki to attend college. He discovers a doll at an exhibition his friend asked him to attend and falls in love with its flawless craftsmanship. He is so charmed by it that he seeks out the maker, Tohko Aozaki, and then finds her residence. With his hopes of attending college with Shiki crushed because of her coma, he drops out of college to work under Tohko as an assistant investigator. Tohko holds his investigative skills with high-regard because of his ability to find her workplace, an abandoned building hidden to all except those who wish to find it. The male Shiki and the current Shiki call him Cocteau (コクトー, Kokutoo^?) due to his last name's resemblance to Jean Cocteau's last name, though the current Shiki dislikes it for an unknown reason. It is unknown whether he is still alive or not after the incident with Lio.

Azaka Kokutō (黒桐鮮花, Kokutō Azaka^?)

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (drama CD), Ayumi Fujimura (movies)

Mikiya's younger sister, who loves him. She becomes an apprentice of Tohko due to her rivalry against Shiki, and is talented in the magic of ignition. She is quite similar both in appearance and abilities to Akiha Tohno (though Akiha's ability consists of controlling external heat, whereas Azaka's ability is inducing ignitions).

Tohko Aozaki (蒼崎橙子, Aozaki Tōko^?)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (drama CD), Takako Honda (movies)

Appearing as a puppet maker, Tohko is actually an extremely powerful sorceress. She runs a business in an abandoned building called Garan no Dou (伽藍の洞, Garan no Dou^?), a detective agency consisting of only herself and Mikiya that only takes supernatural or otherwise abnormal cases. She is the sister of Tsukihime's Aoko Aozaki, with whom she does not share a particularly good relationship.

[edit] Sub-characters

Kirie Fujō (巫条霧絵, Fujō Kirie^?)

Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (movies only)

Introduced in 1/Overlooking the Scenery (俯瞰風景, Fukan Fuukei^?). A bedridden girl who controls a ghostly version of herself above the Fujō Building (巫条ビル, fujō biru^?). She is the reason behind the supposed Fujō Building suicides.

Fujino Asagami (浅上藤乃, Asagami Fujino^?)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (movies only)

Introduced in 3/Residual Sense of Pain (痛覚残留, Tsuukaku Zanryuu^?). Classmate and friend to Azaka, who both attend Reien Girl's Academy (礼園女学院, reien jogakuin^?). A murderer in secret, her ability to feel pain is very distorted and her murders are seemingly a way of giving her inner peace.

Sōren Araya (荒耶宗蓮, Araya Sōren^?)

Voiced by: Jōji Nakata (drama CD and movies)

An expert of sorcery and a previous acquaintance of Tohko from the Sorcerer's Association (魔術協会, Majutsu kyōkai^?, also known as the Mage's Association). He is incredibly powerful and carries seven mobile bounded fields which are normally impossible to move.

Cornelius＝Arba (コルネリウス＝アルバ, Koruneriusu＝Aruba^?)

A sorcerer.

[edit] Theme songs

Each of the theme songs to the series are performed by Kalafina, a project formed by Yuki Kajiura.

Chapter 1 - Fukan Fūkei

"Oblivious" by Kalafina

Chapter 2 - Satsujin Kōsatsu (Part 1)

"Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku" (君が光に変えて行く, "Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku"^?) by Kalafina

Chapter 3 - Tsūkaku Zanryū 

"Kizuato" (傷跡, "Kizuato"^?) by Kalafina

Chapter 4 - Garan no Dou

"ARIA" by Kalafina

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• The Moonlit World - Kara no Kyoukai (English)

• Kara no Kyoukai (anime) (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia