I will never understand why this show isnt popular. How can a masterpiece like this get swept under the rug? I cant describe how much this bothers me. Anyways lets me share my thoughts on this gem Animation 10/10 Honestly the animation on this is divine Like explain to me HOW? How is an anime from 2007/2008 sooooo much better looking than most anime today? How does something almost a decade and a half old have better fight scenes and more dynamic movement than 90 of shows today? I swear out of all the shows I have watched the only ones that have even comparable animation are other Ufotable anime and a select handful of other shows Soundtrack 10/10 I wish my writing was better so I could do justice to the soundtrack Yuki Kaijura did for this one. Absolute master class. The music in this arent just good. They create a whole new atmosphere. They suck you right in and make you pay attention to every piece of dialogue and story and when the time comes boy oh boy are they hype. Characters 9/10 The characters here are well rounded and very interesting. The main character Shiki Ryougi is a top tier kuudere waifu and while she has a very strong and emotional character arc throughout the series for this movie at least Tomoe Enjou takes the cake for me. His valiant struggle against fate was simply too captivating and powerful. Trust me by the time the credits roll and the ending theme begins one cannot but admire and respect that heck outta that guy The villains here pull off some real gory stuff definitely not for the faint hearted. The main bad guy is a mage called Souren Araya who has good motivations as long as youre smart enough to understand them while the other dude Cornelius Alba is a crazy ass lunatic who definitely belongs to be locked up at some place like Alcatraz....... some of his scenes genuinely freaked me out tbh Story 10/10 The movie is very philosophical in nature and draws heavily from Buddhist ideas and mythology for its symbolism. The lore and magic system is also one of the most complex I have seen in fiction. To be honest his might be the most unique storytelling I have seen in any movie. The story is not told conventionally ya know one scene follows the next chronologically instead someone decided that this movie should be a jigsaw puzzle literally so. As the name suggests the whole movie feels like an oppressive spiral that and keeps you intrigued and on the edge of your seat till the very end. This movie literally leaves no stone unturned when it comes to shocking you to the very bone and forces you to keep watching on with bated breath. Plus there is no shortage of WTF moments that knock the air right out of your lungs Aside from that the movie also has strong emotions that will definitely pull hard at your heartstrings. So watch out mate Its a rollercoaster ride either way.