The Garden of Sinners: The Hollow Shrine (2008)

June 1998: Shiki has had a near death experience. Awakening from a coma, she has lost something very important to her, leaving a great void in her soul. A void that some beings from the afterlife want to take advantage of at any cost. But in contrast, she has also received a new gift: she just needs someone to guide her with her new power. Can she get that help in time? Can she fill the void that overwhelms her? —Nolberto RoaIn 1996 Shiki is involved in an accident and for the next two years she is in a coma. When she wakes up something is missing; her second SHIKI personality has vanished leaving a void within her. She can also see the threads that hold everything together. She is approached by Touko Aozaki, her employer in the films set after this. Touko explains how this new talent is the ‘Mystic Eyes of Death Perception’. She also warns that malevolent entities will try to fill the void in her personality something she will have to learn to fight.This isn’t the most action packed instalment in this film series so far, although it does feature an exciting fight towards the end. It is however an impressive story that explains far more about Shiki’s skills and personality and shows us the difficulty she initially has with these changes. Almost as importantly this sees Touko play a far greater role in a story so gives us a greater insight into this fun character. Overall a really good addition to the film series that gives important character development and a good story.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.