Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- begins with a kinetic display of carnage where its main character bursts into flames and careens down a skyscraper like a rogue pinball. It’s a violent, chaotic way to begin this vampire tale that feels all-too thematically appropriate for its conflicted hero, Koyomi Araragi, who gets pulled in extreme directions as he struggles to gain control of his life. It’s not dissimilar to the madness that the audience experiences as Koyomi Vamp’s aggressive storytelling grabs hold of them and doesn’t let go for two-and-a-half hours.
Anime is dense in groundbreaking and foundational vampire texts, whether it’s Vampire Hunter D, Blood: The Last Vampire, Hellsing, or even absurdly violent monster titles like Wicked City and Demon City Shinjuku. However, Kizunonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- clears them all. There’s a strong case to be made that Koyomi Vamp is not just one of the best anime vampire movies of all-time, but also a singularly special anime for the modern era.
To provide some background context, Monogatari is a sprawling coming-of-age high school anime that begins with a vampire attack, but gradually expands to include ghosts, monsters, and a wide range of supernatural threats. Monogatari has run for four seasons that’s divided into 15 separate sub-stories in the grander Monogatari universe. It’s impressive how many plates Monogatari simultaneously keeps spinning and the different characters and concepts that it chooses to expand upon in order to enrich its universe. Kizumonogatari functions as a prequel to the Monogatari franchise that was initially released as a trilogy of films in 2016 and ‘17 — Tekketsu, Nekketsu, and Reiketsu. This trilogy explains the twisted circumstances behind high school student Koyomi Araragi’s descent into vampirism and his parasitic relationship with the vampire who turns him, Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, the King of Apparitions.
Koyomi Vamp is an impressive feat that’s masterminded by SHAFT’s Tatsuya Oishi, the co-director of the original Kizumonogatari trilogy. This surreal saga begins when the meek and mild-mannered Koyomi naively saves Kiss-Shot with his blood, only to become her monstrous minion. Koyomi’s 500-year-old vampire sire finds herself in a weakened child-like state and dependent upon Koyomi’s help to bring her back to full strength — not to mention full-bodied voluptuousness – through the recovery of her lost limbs. That follows feels a lot like Kill Bill, but with vampires, as Koyomi blazes his way through grandiose vampire killers in each act. It’s a very breezy, entertaining structure for a movie.
Koyomi needs to take out three vampire extermination specialists that boil down to epic boss battle-like showdowns. These enemies wield building-sized weapons and dole out enough excessive violence to make Invincible’s cast wince. These gravity-defying fights are really sights to behold and they properly tap into Koyomi’s intense fear as he begins this journey, only for it to metastasize into a stately confidence as he gets further into this bloody quest. There is a certain quality to Koyomi Vamp where the film occasionally feels like it’s killing time until it gets to Koyomi’s next deadly duel, but the movie also works hard to make sure that these fights aren’t the only thing that matters. They’re definitely the movie’s highlights, but there’s still a lot more to appreciate in this unpredictable adventure. There’s a distinct quality to each of these battles, which is essential in a film of this nature. Koyomi Vamp features a lot of combat. However, none of these encounters bleed together or feel derivative of one another. There’s legitimately a Looney Tunes energy to the extreme slapstick violence that makes up the movie’s final fight.
Koyomi Vamp creates sprawling visual puzzles that make the audience often feel like they’re trapped in a suffocating nightmare. The viewer is bombarded with labyrinthine spirals that tease infinite loss and hopelessness through constricting M.C. Escher-like visuals. The film recklessly shifts between meticulously detailed, ornate drawings to juvenile Tex Avery-esque doodles that are as unpredictable as they are entertaining. It perfectly reflects Koyomi Vamp’s central theme of balance. Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp– excels through its animation and frenetic editing style. However, there’s also an incredible musical score by Satoru Kōsaki that fluctuates between orchestral compositions and a zippier EDM sound that’s stitched together with a creative jazz sensibility.
Koyomi Vamp also ping-pongs between ultra-violence and ultra-horniness as it proudly wears its teenage hormones on its sleeve. Some audiences are perhaps just as likely to wince at the gratuitous displays of underwear and “jiggle physics” as they are at the film’s gruesome deaths. However, it all coalesces together into a powerful combination of emotions that celebrate what it truly means to be alive and in love. Koyomi Vamp elegantly juxtaposes beauty and brutality as it reflects the duality of vampires, but also life itself. Koyomi Vamp is just as much an awkward love story as it is a chronicle of vicious vampires. That being said, the love in question isn’t purely for Tsubasa Hanekawa, the sweet schoolgirl class president, but rather Koyomi’s frayed connection to his humanity and his growing fascination over the power that’s rewarded to him through becoming a “monster.”
Kizumonogatari is anime horror by way of avant-garde French New Wave cinema. It’s surreal, blood-soaked storytelling that’s as action-packed and visually dynamic as it is emotionally rich and character-driven. The film truly feels reminiscent of the existential dread and internal psychological conflict that’s present in Neon Genesis Evangelion’s final episodes, albeit extended into a lengthy feature film that never lets up. Inner desires and secret phrases flash across the scene as the narrative gets invaded by intrusive thoughts that help the audience get under Koyomi’s skin. Many sequences feature Koyomi alone in wide, open spaces where he’s practically swallowed by the frame’s emptiness as if to reinforce the idea that he’s a minuscule, unimportant speck in the universe. However, his opportune meeting with Kiss-Shot changes all this.
There are some genuinely staggering shots in Koyomi Vamp that took my breath away and made me want to glue my eyes open so that I didn’t miss a single frame. The film’s punk rock style only becomes a more extreme assault as the movie continues. Live-action carnage blends together with animated extremities. There’s a sequence towards the end of the movie where Koyomi has a psychological breakdown that’s so beautifully conveyed through anarchic mixed media that works in spite of itself. It’s something I won’t be able to stop thinking about for weeks and a testament to the truly limitless power of anime. You honestly won’t believe your eyes with Kizumonogatari – Koyomi Vamp-, which is such a special, rare feeling.
Kizumonogatari throws a lot at the audience and, at 144 minutes, it’s hardly a short film. However, the original Kizumonogatari trilogy runs at a total of 216 minutes — just over three-and-a-half hours — so more than 70 minutes has been excised from the story and it still doesn’t feel like much is lost in the process, especially for anyone who hasn’t seen Tekketsu, Nekketsu, and Reiketsu. Koyomi Vamp doesn’t have any glaring leaps in storytelling or pacing that leaves it feeling like a Frankenstein’s Monster of an edit. This is an impressive, precise compilation that’s far more artful than simply three films being crammed together, while trimming down the slower sections. Koyomi Vamp somehow doesn’t feel laborious and bloated and, if anything, there are certain elements and necessary build-up from the first act that feel rushed and slightly unearned.
Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- delivers vibrant, vicious visuals that put it in a league of its own and makes it one of 2024’s most unique horror films, animated or otherwise. In a year that’s had no shortage of gory, gruesome vampire content like Abigail and Interview with the Vampire, Kizumonogatari flies above its competitors and sinks its teeth into a fresh, lively vein. Anime fans will praise Kizumonogatari for its daring ideas and presentation style, while curious newcomers will be blown away by the medium’s infinite abilities. Prepare to be sired by Koyomi Vamp’s barbaric beauty and submit to its arcane excellence.
KIZUMONOGATARI -Koyomi Vamp- releases in North American theaters August 28.
The post ‘KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp’ Is Blood-Soaked Anime Bliss That Will Take Your Breath Away [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.