Tag: 91 Days

91 Days – 10

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

As we near the end of 91 Days I have taken this time to really think over what this show has presented so far and I admit to be somewhat disappointed. Ultimately the ride has been solid and Studio Shuka have delivered on their promise of making a Mafia drama. However I cannot help but feel shortchanged by how this has played out so far. Things have certainly happened and yet despite this I think that more should have happened. Where are those mobster shootouts shown in the opening? But what I think may be the main factor for this show feeling standard is that despite this show taking it’s time I really don’t know these characters. The guy I found the most interesting died way back in episode two and since then no one left has matched his caliber. Nero is fun but since taking the mantle of the Don he has lost the playful side of his character. Avilio is an enigma from beginning to end never letting the audience into his thoughts. If this is supposed to be his journey then shouldn’t we see him change as he integrates himself into the mafia? But he’s almost always stoic, never really expressing his emotions.

This episode acted as a sendoff to Corteo who despite Avilio’s efforts to keep him alive is eventually ended by Avilio’s hand. Corteo willingly dies for Avilio’s sake and I am left to wonder. Just what did I know about this person? I understand that in a one cour series than character development is sparse and therefore spread thinly. That said I have come to realize that I really don’t know all that much about these characters. In Corteo’s case I know he’s Avilio’s childhood friend and seems generally uncomfortable with his role in the Mafia. Other than that I struggle to really say much about him. As 91 Days continues to kill off the more dynamic of the cast it’s up to the rest to pick up the slack which I don’t really feel they are capable of it. Ganzo at least is acting as a go conversation partner for Avilio to voice his opinions to but I say his time is now limited thanks to getting Corteo killed. I am betting that he’s next on the chopping block and I wonder just how he thought Avilio would react to him setting up Corteo to die. There truly is nothing standing in Avilio’s way for getting revenge so I would think he should stop messing around and start killing. I really cannot be that hard to come up with a plan to take out Nero and Vincent now. Then after getting Ganzo should be an easy feat as Avilio can blackmail him with the letter. Avilio, if you start the next episode moping around and doing nothing then I say to hell with you.

As for what happens after Corteos death is really a matter of Avilio rocking the boat. Things have calmed down and Nero isn’t planning to make any drastic moves. On top of this Avilio has earned the level of respect that Nero takes his word over the word of his right hand man who is beginning to get worried that Avilio might be stealing his position. He may be the next thing Avilio makes use of in his plans but I doubt he really needs something elaborate to take out his three targets. Please take heed that I am most certainly not calling this a bad show. But rather the premise doesn’t seem to be getting used to it’s full potential. The intent is admirable but we have plenty of build up and need some climax. Otherwise if this show goes out like a wet firework then it’s going to look lacking in hindsight. We still have to learn exactly what the 91 Days the title refers to actually is. For it doesn’t seem to me like Avilio has been with Nero for 91 Days. Perhaps the real reason Avilio was stalling his revenge was so he could meet the quota of 91 Days and not make the title rather meaningless?

91 Days – 06

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

I would say this is the strongest episode so far of 91 Days as it essentially revolves around what makes Mafia drama at it’s best. Betrayals, scheming and deceit are what fuels organised crime and what a scheme this was. When looking at the three family leaders I suppose it’s no surprise that Orco is the first to be knocked off. After all the Galassias still hold the reign of the Vanettis and the Vanettis can’t go down until Avilio has his revenge. They used the fact that they have something that Orco wants and I particularly liked how they kept presenting him with risky handouts that turned out to not be genuine. This really caused him to relax his guard and when it came time to drink the real drugged drink he downed it without hesitation. Not to mention Avilio revealing himself to Orco in order to gain his trust. Thus the full plan comes into play.

To lure Orco to the distillery, fool him into thinking Avilio betrayed Nero and drug him with a congratulatory drink. How this was presented is really how any anime should handle a good plan. No inner monologues before or after the act to perfectly spell out what Avilio was thinking and only slight clues alluding to what he intended. One small line about gathering Chickens was enough to figure out where they got the blood to fake Neros death and because we didn’t know the full particulars of the plan we were as in the dark as Orco was. It gave a chance for the audience to be fooled along with him while giving a reward to those who paid close enough attention. Now if only Shounen battle anime could take this to heart and realise that maybe we don’t need someone mentally choreographing an enemy’s moves to understand what’s going on. Maybe in a manga that’s necessary but in a show it’s just a pacing killer.

This may be the first time Fango’s craziness has actually benefited the show as he takes notes from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and feeds the remains of the Orco Head to the family members. Now I see why previous episodes put such focus on how the Orco leader had a obsession with perfecting Lasagna. This does show just how putting this guy in the top position is a really bad idea though as Fango is far too impulsive to be trusted. The test he gave Nero before accepting his deal is evidence enough that he’s far too unpredictable to keep a stable partnership. He’s playing along for now because it benefits him but the moment it suits him to have Nero killed or even if for a moment he just feels like killing him, he will not hesitate.

Plus as Avilio pointed out, Fangos enemies are now their enemies. Knowing Fango, he’s bound to have made a lot of enemies. As far as I am concerned I think Fango  is a ticking time bomb ready to self destruct so it’s really a matter of whether this is part of Avilios plan or merely a temporary deal to give him time to plan. Maybe he intends to get Nero involved with someone ready to run the family into the ground and abandon him when things get truly dire. A question I ask when I finish the episode is whether the lasagna Avilio and Nero were eating is the same as the one fed to the family members. Knowing Fango, he would be twisted enough to present them with it without them knowing.

91 Days – 05

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

I think by now many of you have noticed that my 91 days reviews take significantly longer than the others and I will admit that part of the reason for that is that this show is hard to write about. Not that any of this has been bad, on the contrary the writing and direction has been very solid. Rather I find myself with surprisingly little to say about each episode. 91 Days is a slow burn and in that way it holds a different kind of interest for me. It doesn’t have me waiting on the edge of my seat like a new Re:Zero episode but still has high value in the season.This series seems to me to be a kind that can only be fully appreciated once it’s story has hit its conclusion. Then instead of seeing bits and pieces of it’s plot we can look at it as a whole and come to appreciate it’s value. Of course what value that may be all comes down to how this all plays out and I hope that it manages to end on a good note. I can hardly say that the animation in this episode was great as Shuka does have rather shaky production values, however a good story can make up for lacking visuals.

After the Orco’s attempted to kill Fango, a truce has been signed between the Orco’s and the Vanettis which means that Avilio’s and Nero’s road trip has come to an end. Unbeknownst to Nero, Frate neglected to inform the family that a term of this truce was the death of Nero. The Galassias are also pushing for Neros death and have stepped in to put Frate into being the leader of the Vanettis family. Likely because Frate happens to be sucking up to the Galassias and they would prefer a easily controlled lapdog in the seat of power. However I happen to notice that Frate has gained some dark circles under his eyes. Is that because he ordered a hit on his own brother or is there something else going on behind the scenes?

Do the Galassias have something to keep Frate in line? I have a small theory over who the last persons is that Avilio wants to get revenge on and I think that it is his friend, Corteo. He did nod to the gangsters in the first episode when they were going to Avilios house and it’s possible he was being used as a scout. I highly doubt he knew what would happen and chances are he regrets it deeply if I happen to be correct. However considering Avilio’s mindset, I doubt he will let him live even if his part in the murder of his parents was small. It’s possible that Corteo knows this too and that’s why he is trying to get Avilio to give up on his revenge.

One of Nero’s men has been shot in the failed assassination attempt which puts him in trouble. Avilio, after being warned otherwise, has gone to an unlikely person for help. That’s right, Fango returns in all his loony toon glory. I will at least say this, it looks like Fango has a fetish for heavy women which is quite rare in anime characters. Either way he’s broken off from Orco and formed his own gang with the intent of overthrowing Orco. Avilio seems to have latched onto this and agreed to help Fango in this endeavor. I am not sure if this is part of his revenge plan by getting Nero to team up with someone likely to kill him or if Avilio is truly trying to save his subordinate in order to curry more favor with him.

Considering that Nero is now being hunted by his own family makes it seem like a wiser choice would be to lead him into a trap and use that to get him close to his final target. Or his second final target. Perhaps Avilio thinks Fango could be useful in carrying out his revenge? Fango does seem to be up for something as long as it’s interesting. However his loose cannon nature is what caused him to split off from the Orco’s in the first place. The show doesn’t give us privy to Avilio’s thoughts so I can only speculate as to what he is thinking with this move. Maybe it’s a plan just to get through the current predicament. Maybe it’s a calculated move to further his revenge. Or maybe he is actually interested in some kinky play with Fango’s lady? Who knows. Guess I just need to wait as see how this all works out.

~AidanAK47~