The Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View

This; the opening instalment in the 'The Garden of Sinners' series of films, is set in September 1998 and news reports speak of a series of suicides. Four schoolgirls have jumped from the roof of Fujou Building; there is no obvious connection between them and none have left a note. The mystery is investigated by a paranormal detective agency; in particular by Shiki Ryogi, who is convinced that there will be a total of eight deaths. Investigation of the building reveals a dangerous presence that Shiki will have to confront.

I have yet to watch the later films in this series but on the strength of this I'm looking forward to watching them. The story is intriguing with interesting characters; most notably Shiki. It serves to introduce her in an impressive way but I wouldn't be surprised if there is quite a bit more to learn about her in later films. The animation is fantastic; beautiful, bleak and occasionally brutal. While much of the film is taken up with characters talking there are moments of intense action as well as the sight of the bloody aftermath of the suicides that might disturb some viewers. The resolution is solid, if somewhat downbeat.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.