91 Days was a very pleasant surprise to me personally. I genuinely do not think I'm overrating it or that my personal biases are affecting how I feel about this show that much. This is genuinely better than any other mob/gangster media I've seen personally (and yes, that includes Martin Scorcese stuff like The Departed and The Irishman in addition to Coppola's The Godfather but I haven't watched Goodfellas which I've heard is the best one). I didn't expect much going into 91 Days, just thought it would be a decent show to watch but left thinking this is an anime masterpiece that goes underappreciated. This is going to be a spoiler review because I prefer to talk about shows and movies while providing examples of what I mean so that my words don't feel empty to me. Now without further ado, on to the review.
I'm a very sub over dub type of guy. I'm of the opinion that you should really watch something in the way it was intended as much as you possibly could and as such, anime should be watched in sub over dub due to that being the original language it was made in and hence the experience is directly attached to that. You wouldn't watch a foreign film dubbed would you? I'm not saying watching things dubbed is bad but rather it is my preference to watch it in sub if I could because it was intended to be seen in that language. With that said, the dub and sub of this anime aren't even comparable. The dub surpasses the sub to such an extent that it's wild. Due to the setting of this anime being like 1920s/1930s New York during the great depression where they still have prohibition laws and whatnot in addition to it being an Italian mob story, English helps the experience so much. Not only does it just simply fit better with the setting (and tone in all honesty), but you also get the satisfaction of actually hearing and recognizing the different accents which is a nuance lost in the subbed version that greatly affects the experience imo. The accents are pretty good, rough in some places but pretty good, outside of that the VAs do a good job, just a couple awkward moments in action scenes but I find that in animation pretty much always. Plus, Corteo's voice work as a child wasn't great but still acceptable if I were to give another complaint.
I think Nero's voice acting especially i phenomenal in this anime and a great showcase of Ian Moore's talent who is a prolific voice actor in anime dubs. I wasn't sure about how I felt about Angelo's voice acting almost the whole time throughout the show. I wasn't sure if I thought the way he was kinda mumbling and slurring his words fit the way he was meant to be speaking and I wasn't sure about how to feel about the accent on top of that. Overtime, I do think it fit very swimmingly with his depressed, serious, no nonsense demeanor, he's not trying to overpower anyone at any given time in conversation or to have a dominating presence. He simply tells things as it is, tries to speak in as few words as possible when around the mob and speaks to get things over with so I think his delivery really works and fits with the character in hindsight plus the emotional scene in the last episode where he wishes he was killed by Nero took me off guard and solidified my opinion that his acting was good throughout the show and that was his one moment of complete vulnerability where he wanted to be heard and he shouted, crying out and it really hit for me as a result, especially considering the way he was acted before. I also like the subtle differences in volume and tone the actor gives Angelo when talking to his friend Corteo as opposed to members of the mob, showing him slightly louder and have a clearer more happy tone with him and at the end, a more vulnerable tone while with the mob, you could feel the anger in him resonating as he talked. Props to Austin Tindle for that.
I also particularly liked Corteo's acting in this, very fitting and Brandon McInnis really brought some good emotion and characterization of his shyness to him. I liked Vincent's almost monotone delivery the whole time with him as the head honcho. He at least sounded calm, collected and sure of himself anytime he spoke so shoutout to Jeremy Schwartz. Fango's voice acting was another highlight here. He brought the craziness and unpredictability of this character to life with his high pitched, gargly voice that could go deeper when he's really being serious so shoutout to Brandon Potter for that. Frate and Gonzo are the last 2 I'll mention because I could go on and on about this. Frate's descent was wonderfully portrayed by Justin Briner and you could just hear the absolute contrast from his original fairly happy tone in the series to him sounding very troubled and stress with his voice cracking all the time like it was hurting him to say everything he was saying and he was so full of pain. Chris Messersmith mastered the old, established member of the mob voice with this oddly threatening high pitched voice of his that you just know has commanded death throughout his entire life. A lot of big name talent was brought on for this show which just tells me that they really cared about this project, making it an even better experience to watch it in the dub. I wouldn't even be able to fanboy over the Japanese voice acting if I saw it that way, though to be fair that's mainly because I don't know the language and can't always identify the nuances in their acting but even so I am very glad as to have watched the dub for this show which wasn't even my initial choice as the streaming service I saw it on didn't have a subbed version.
Ok, so now I'll talk about my one complaint with this show that I have which isn't the writing in general, but one specific detail which is the inciting incident of the show. How tf did Ganzo find Angelo and no one else found him? There was a throwaway line where Ganzo said something along the lines of "For all Vincent's concerned you're at the bottom of a river" which I think implies that Ganzo told everyone that he killed Angelo but I feel the more plausible explanation for that line in context of the scene is that Ganzo is trying to say they're no longer concerned about Angelo being a threat especially since I think Vincent in a scene where he was really sick and was talking to Nero brought up being scared about Angelo getting away still. Even if they trusted Ganzo's word on not finding Angelo or maybe killing him, how did Ganzo find Angelo in the 1st place? In addition to that, what even was his role in the job to kill Angelo's family? We've never actually seen what he did and we never even see him present in any scene showing the job. My assumption is that he kept watch and that's why we don't see him but not actually seeing him there is a big problem. It makes it significantly harder to antagonize him or associate him with the personal vendetta of Angelo. Biggest problem I have with the show.
Even tho I have that issue with Ganzo, shout out to Taku Kishimoto for making one of the most solid, tight scripts along with what I consider to be a mastery in theme, narrative and character progression even if the character's aren't all that deep. Also the dialogue is great and really holds shows how much he cared about accurately representing Italian mob culture. Let me elaborate on these progressions now. The narrative progression for this show is a masterclass in increasing stakes throughout the whole show without it getting to the level of absurdity. Angelo's decisions directly affect the stakes present in the show and that makes it so much more satisfying than if the stakes got higher simply due to a progression of events in the story. Angelo's introduction to the mob allows them to get away from Fango and establishes his friend as a major player in their business of alcohol production. So now there's the stakes of ensuring that the mob succeeds and doesn't get busted or attacked by opposing families to ensure the safety of our main character and his best friend. Then suddenly, Angelo kills Vanno since he was one of the people at his house that faithful day. Before that, Vanno kills a member of the Orco family, putting Nero, Angelo, Corteo and the entire Vanetti family in hot water, even more than before. Not only that, but Angelo's position and life is threatened after Serpentine's body isn't found at the scene, making it suspiscious. Due to that, they get further involved with Fango after he kidnapped Tigre. Once this part of the show is done and Angelo's trust is gained again, a hit is put out on Nero which doesn't only threaten his life but Angelo's as well and puts his mission for revenge in jeopardy if he can't get close to Vincent through Nero even if he does make it out alive increasing the stakes again. Once they manage to avoid the hitman whose name I don't remember tbh, they still have to navigate knowing the Orcos and Glassias want Nero dead. In addition to that, returning home, they find that they are still in hot water and aren't welcome/safe and narrowly escaped with Tigre heavily injured. Now they have to go in hiding and are stuck if it weren't for one thing... Fango becomes fairly prominent in the story again and now they have to rely on him which is already dangerous considering his unpredictable nature plus now they have to find a way to take out Don Orco, increasing the stakes even further. Once they get him in a beautifully tense scene, they now know they have to deal with Fango's shit plus there's still the looming threat of the Galassia family's desire to get rid of Nero which is reciprocated by his brother. Once Angelo gets Don Galassia's nephew killed and manages to get Nero to kill his own brother, the stakes only get higher. Just going to state what the other increases of stakes are so this doesn't go on too long. Corteo ratting to Fango plus Fango's threat of taking Lawless Heaven, Angelo having to kill Corteo, the Opera House, the aftermath of the Opera House. All of this to say that the plot for this show never slows down, it just builds and builds, adding stakes along the way and all a result of our character's actions and pretty much nothing is left to chance and I don't think people understand how impressive and satisfying that really is from a writing standpoint.
Since I think I went on too long about the narrative progressions, I'll just quickly summarize what I have to say about the character and thematic progressions. Freta's descent into madness as he bites off more than he could chew leading to his eventual demise is excellent, Nero becoming very angry and troubled overtime especially after killing his brother, excellent. Angelo's resolve for revenge being questioned by himself and the realization that it was all for nothing which is both a character and theme progression masterfully intertwined, excellent. It's just so well done and the elements of the show in discussion about power, trust, respect etc. compliment the arcs of the characters wonderfully.
I fucking love the ending for this. To start of I'd like to say I believe Angelo dies. I know that this is a widely debated ended among people who've watched the show. I think the whole idea of Nero smiling at the end with the pineapple can next to him in his car is to show that he always carries a piece of Angelo around with him. Angelo's death was an act of kindness, he did it when he was at a moment's peace, seeing the ocean one last time. I think the ocean washing away the sand on the beach is also symbolism for Angelo being "removed", his trace gone. But there is clear reason for the ending to be ambiguous that I love. Either Nero killed him as a final act of kindness as he realizes Angelo's pain and suffering for all the years holding on to revenge and after doing it not being satisfied, finally relieving him of the pain or he lets him live with the hope that he can understand and learn that he could just live, doesn't need a reason or purpose, just needs the will and leaves the decision for whether he lives or dies up to him. One of the few cases where leaving the ending up to the audience really has some weight to it. They have you as an audience decide what was the conclusion to this thematic progression they had throughout the whole show about seeking vengeance and how it consumes you and harbouring hate. Is Nero happy that he got to kill Angelo, getting rid of the anger harbouring inside him that Angelo couldn't get rid of? Is he happy because he saw killing Angelo as an act of kindness and taking on Angelo's wish that he should've died with the rest of his family? Or did he not kill him at all and is hopeful that Angelo can learn to move on as he has by not killing him? It's all up to you and each answer is satisfying. I also love the detail of Nero being in the car being obscured by the camera lens as a symbol of the ambiguity of his choice and how he feels at that moment. Simply brilliant.
I love this show. I haven't felt so happy or excited after finishing something in so long and this show just gave me that feeling I always look for. I really do think this goes underappreciated and more people should watch it. If you've seen it but only in the sub, give the dub a shot and spread the word. This show is a gem, a masterpiece and I hope that one day more people will recognize that.
Thanks for reading!
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