In late September 2024, a video from an Anime I had never heard of appeared on my recommended page.
This one:

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Despite having the shitty AI upscale, the base product still blew me away. At the time, my favorite anime was Fate Stay/Night Unlimited Blade Works, and I thought:

"Damn, this looks like Takeuchi's art style."

"...Oh, shit, it's Takeuchi's art style."

Upon investigating, I discovered the name of the Anime that reminded me of Fate/Zero: Kara no Kyoukai, the Garden of Sinners. That Thursday night, I decided to take the plunge. I logged on to Crunchyroll, found the series, and watched the first movie.
My life was never the same again.

Coincidentally, I just so happened to have a Strawberry Gatorade on hand- I had never had one before- and lo and behold, this 'Strawberry jacket girl' had me hooked. Sure, the world needed more expanding... but I had never had a character capture my attention so easily. That character was Shiki Ryougi, the protagonist of the series- and my future favorite character. I saw a movie every Thursday. Then I did the same again, missing a few weeks every so often, bringing me here to today, my second re-watch of Recalled out of Summer.

Recalled out of Summer is a completely unnecessary, almost unfaithful cash-grab, if I was cynical- yet I love it anyway. Everything about this movie is different than what came before- specifically, its art style is less unique- more similar to the Fates I was familiar with. Save a throwaway line at the end of movie 7 and a movie 6 cameo, this barely impacts the plot of the main story. But it works seamlessly. It helps flesh out the world of Kara no Kyoukai. It lets me see these characters I've grown to love one more time in a fresh new coat of paint with a plot that despite knowing what comes next still keeps me excited.

This movie adapts Tsukihime Plus-Disk's 'Alliance of the Illusionary Eyes.' It does it worse, by almost every account. The A and B plots are barely connected, and it feels loose. Yet that doesn't change the fact that Akira- now Shinzune Seo- is still just as likable here if not more so- and she has a fun dynamic with Mikiya (Replacing Shiki Tohno in Plus-Disc). The fact that this is her before we see her in movie 6 makes her character go from 'Oh ok' to 'I'm so glad she's happy now!' Her dynamic with Mikiya is pretty fun, and she makes her mark on the franchise, being just as memorable to me as Fujino or Kyrie.

Mitsuru himself is an interesting shift from his Plus-Disc counterpart. What was once an unsympathetic villain in Fake Shiki, we have a boy (who looks like Oscar from RWBY) who has clearly had a bad life. You can't help but feel bad for the kid, but you still can't root for the little domestic terrorist. It's a fascinating way to paint a character, and his plots to assassinate Shiki, while useless, are still clever in their own way.

In this movie, Shiki kills the concept of a future version of her own death in a specific scenario. Normally, I hate characters that can just cheat the system like that- but it just works. We know the scope of her power- and her vulnerabilities, so there is still tension despite knowing that the main story needs to happen. Everything she does feels realistic yet mythical. It takes me back to that cold September night being taken by awe, and my feelings towards that scene still hasn't changed. Only now, I feel emotional when seeing it. It's my favorite character, simply doing what she does best. This scene is placed in a product that I shouldn't really care about, but I was mystified before, and I'm proud now. I'm proud that I've grown and changed as a person since watching this scene- partially because of Kara no Kyoukai.

Then comes the end of the movie: a timeskip. And this one is masterfully done. We don't even see Mikiya, but you just know that Shiki and he are together- proven by their daughter, Mana. I've never been so happy seeing a main character's future kid before. The chemicals in my brain at that moment still haven't gone away. The entire franchises' efforts had paid off, and the love Shiki and Mikiya shared had become a real person- which was satisfying after they never kissed in movie 7. There's also an extra layer of 'Awws' when you find out that Kenichi Suzumura and Maaya Sakamato, Mikiya and Shiki's voiceover artists, were married in real life shortly before this movie. It's an extra beautiful little connection.

Mana Ryougi is a little goober. She's fun to watch. However's she's also a bit weird, as she insists on stealing her father's attention away from her mother, and saying she 'likes' Mitsuru because he 'reminds her of her dad.' While a lot of people see this as an Azaka-type situation, I personally think it's more like a kid saying stupid things for attention, trying to 'compete' for the affection of her family- not realizing that the care is already there. Somehow, though, she barely seems like the kid of Shiki and Mikiya- she seems more like Touko than anyone, being brash, confident, and clever. That's a team-up I'd pay good money to see.

Everything regarding the Mother of Mifune is super interesting- at least to me. And it was a lot of fun to see SHIKI of all people hold the last moment of the last movie. It feels strangely fitting: the entity that dreamed of this life is our final figure in the franchise, smiling as he skips in the rain.

Either way, seeing future Shiki made me happier than anything I've really felt before. I've never related to a character more. Despite me being so different from her, Shiki has always struck a chord with me. Seeing her happy and well in the future gives me hope for myself. I find it funny that out of her, Shirou Emiya, and Shiki Tohno- Shiki Ryougi, my favorite and the most off the beaten path, is the one who has the happiest, longest future ahead of her with a loving family, wealth, fame, and with the rarest and most powerful ability one could possibly want (Though Aoko Aozaki's future is up in the air. GIVE US MAHOYO 2 PLEASE). Regardless, I'm glad Shiki Ryougi got the happy ending she deserved.

This movie is flawed as all hell, but it means a lot to me. It brought me to my favorite character, favorite story, and favorite movie in Paradox Spiral. I owe this movie a lot, and as soulless as it might appear on the outside, inside both the movie and myself, there's something special.

Every Thursday, after the rest of my family went to sleep, I'd have a Strawberry Gatorade, Peanuts, and eventually also strawberry Hägen-das, and I would be content to lose myself in a world that made me feel fulfilled. And I have this movie to thank for it all.

Thank you, Kara no Kyoukai. For everything.