Minai99

Satisfied with Kara no Kyoukai's ending? (SPOILERS)

Okay guys, so I got kinda carried away and wrote quite the thread in the forums. Since I know that several of you have seen KnK, and know from personal interaction wit me, that I love KnK, perhaps you'll have some interesting responses as well:

*SPOILERS* Mmmm, so this is my first post, but let's give this a try. I'm interested to see what the opinions of others are on this subject, if any, since I’ve found a lack of in-depth character analysis or analysis of its’ themes online. Since I first saw it about half a year ago, Kara no Kyoukai has remained my current favorite anime, for various reasons. I value it for its' stunning visuals and soundtrack, its' character development, interesting story, the intriguing themes, and intellectual depth that I perceived. Although I cannot claim to have seen so many anime, of those I have seen only a few such as Ghost in the Shell made me think about things, and ask questions, like Kara no Kyoukai. Yet, despite the wonderful journey that I had with KnK, I have to admit that the final movie left me somewhat dissatisfied. (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) With the introduction of Shirazumi Lio as the actual killer of the victims in the second movie, it seemed to change the dynamics of what we are supposed to think about Shiki, and blur the moral dilemma that I perceived. Before the final episode, I asked questions like this: IF Shiki is a murderer, can her actions ever be, at the least, understandable and forgivable, if not moral? And can a murderer ever change themselves for the better, or will they forever be judged by their past sin?  I.e., is it possible to be redeemed from a sin like murder, both in my own eyes, and in the eyes of those that surround the murderer? The last episode, however, shifted the actual murders to Lio Shirazumi, and presented Shiki as a person who is obsessed with murder, but not, in the end, a murderer in action, of the sort we were presented in episode 2. While I think that pondering about the fundamental difference between one who commits murder and one who is obsessed with committing murder (not a trivial thing, in my mind) is important, it seems that the message of the show was changed by the 7th movie’s resolution. I also think that the explanation as to how exactly Shiki found solace in Mikiya was blurred, and open to interpretation. So I ask to you:

Were you satisfied with the ending of KnK, regardless of this? Why? What do you think were the essential moral dilemmas of Kara no Kyoukai? How do you think Shiki was able to confront her own dilemma? Do you think that the explanations and resolutions given were satisfactory, believable even, in any real-life sense beyond the fantastical setting of knk? Despite the solemn demeanor of the entire KnK series, are these explanations, in the end, credible from a completely rational standpoint, or is it, in the end, movie magic and cliche? And what does this say about anime as a whole, if not rational?

Mmmm, I'm not really sure what the difference is in the expected response lengths between a blog post and a forum/thread post, but any response or contribution is appreciated. :)