The Labyrinth of Grisaia (2015)

[グリザイアの迷宮]

Director: Tensho
Starring: Tomohiro Sakurai, Akane Tomonaga, Kei Mizusawa

Synopsis:
Up for promotion, Kazami delivers a report to JB that delves into his past.

Impressions:
Some people have joked that the dark backstories of the girls in the Grisaia series can go so far that they border on the comical. Well, it turns out that Kazami has them all beat. Now, it'll be up to the individual if you find Kazami's past to be horrible or horribly funny if you see it all in more of a black comedy sense. I'm not terribly fond of what the reveals mean for Kazami's relationship with his sister, but there is an audience for that sort of thing. A bigger complaint I have is on a narrative level. This doesn't really stand on its own but rather serves as something of a prologue to the season that follows. I realize the source material is separate, but at least as far as the adaptation goes, I don't feel it warrants being split off. I suppose it's a minor quibble. Anyway, it's pretty well a must-watch if you intend to continue with the series, but if you could regard it in isolation based on its own merits alone, I'd honestly say it's closer to a 50/50. Bear that in mind if you're thinking about checking this out.

Rating:
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