91 Days

Episodes 1-2

It's the Prohibition-era in the United States of America. When Angelo Lagusa was a kid, he saw his family gunned down in a mafia double cross. He escaped, and now seven years later, he's returned to exact revenge on those who ruined his life. Calling himself Avilio Bruno, he seeks to integrate himself into the Vanetti family to take them down from the inside. At the same time, the Vanetti's fortunes are dwindling, and they're a little too eager to accept this hypercompetent stranger into their midst. What lengths will Angelo go to in his quest, and what will be left of him when he's done? Right now, the only thing that's certain is he has a long way to fall.

I've never seen anything like 91 Days in anime. It's an attempt to make an American gangster film in animation, down to copying beats from the classics. (Nice cut to a mob boss's office from a scene of his daughter's wedding there.) It is also successful at this so far, without being too derivative of any one work. These first two episodes amount to a pretty great first 20 minutes of a movie. Cutting off right at that cliffhanger hurts, but fortunately, there's already enough artistry on display for me to feel optimistic about its future.

This show feels written for the screen. Most information is conveyed through stuff like character actions, movements, and expressions. The first episode sets the atmosphere with shots meant to resemble live action cinematography. The writing is also quite promising. Writer Taku Kishimoto can weave some apt narrative metaphors – the moment with the paraffin candle underscores both Angelo's willingness to “play with fire” and a weapon he'll use later on in life. I also like Angelo as a lead. A lot of the show's tension comes from trying to suss out what he's feeling. Is there anything still left of that sweet little kid in him? Or has he been consumed by his desire for vengeance? 91 Days remains oblique about that, but I'm sure we'll learn more at some crucial juncture. I'm looking forward to when 91 Days reaches an emotional climax, but so far, it amounts to a lot of potential, both upwards and downwards.

My greatest worry is that the production will eventually falter. There are already some hints of this. It's the second production by Shuka, the studio behind the infamously janky Durarara!! x2. This looks like an artistic passion project, and I applaud them for taking it on, but I fear their ambition may outstrip their reach. Plus, parts of the first episode resembled Gangsta. too much for my liking. The palette is generally very strong, adding just enough color to brighten up the muted grey and bronze. But this balance can go south very quickly, as it did during the speakeasy scene where the empty space and enormous lavender curtain turned a bit too oppressive. I've been burnt by gritty mob boys in desaturated lighting before, 91 Days. I'm not sure that I could handle it again.

91 Days is mostly cribbing from Hollywood gangster movies, but in terms of anime similarities, the other immediate comparison to make is Baccano!, mostly due to the setting. While I think that comparison is useful, it's also a little misleading. Already, 91 Days looks to be miles apart from Baccano! in terms of tone and storytelling goals. While Baccano! is meant to be the best party you've ever been to in your life, 91 Days is deliberately suffocating, always putting off immediate gratification. You can see a lot of these differences in how the two shows treat violence. While Baccano! treats bullet-ridden carcasses like confetti in the grand parade of life, 91 Days is a little more concerned with the moral consequences of wanton killing. Not to say that there's any less of it – we're still talking about mobsters after all – but there's gravity to the horrible deeds that these men commit. They'll kill children without hesitation, but also feel the need to pray in repentance. (With the exception of Fango, who's basically the Orco family's personal WMD.) Violence is common in this world, but it hasn't really been committed casually so far. I sense that a lot of people will die, but that it will matter every time – in keeping with the tone of The Godfather. I hope 91 Days will dive into some of the psychology behind mobsters, how they can murder and still consider themselves good Christians/family men/friends.

But what I want most at this point is characterization for Angelo. We know that he started out a sweet kid and ended up a sinister revenge machine. Was there more to that process than the cut between him leaving Corteo's house as a kid and reappearing seven years later? How much humanity does he have left at present? And will his quest be complicated by any emotional attachments? An unexpected affection for Nero Vanetti, maybe? His childhood friendship with Corte? With his revenge already 1/3rd complete, his goals will probably get much harder or even change radically going forwards. There's also that mysterious deadline in the form of the title, 91 Days. The show's vague about it, but they do mention that some sort of conference will take place between the families in three months. Angelo's plan will likely involve that meeting. Ultimately, I have to feel that some transformation (whether negative or positive) is still possible for Angelo, and I'm not sure about that just yet, but I'm optimistic. While Angelo's methods are already pretty harsh, there are indications that he still has a ways to fall – he won't kill Fango's mistress, for example. In terms of story progression episode-by-episode, 91 Days has been pretty excellent so far. I sense a shoe dangling overhead, and I'm willing to give it the chance to fall.

Reviewing 91 Days does feel like I've been told to write up the first 20 minutes of The Godfather. It's fantastic, of course, but it's just a small part of what ultimately must be a very cohesive whole. Lacking the rest, there's not much to say about how it's turning out so far. If the entire show lives up to the promise of these first two episodes, it will be excellent. If it doesn't, then it'll probably be a waste. I had a similar experience with winter's Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū, but at least that one quickly revealed its hand as prime-cut quality television. You kind of forget about this awkward beginning stage once a show starts really grabbing you, this period when you're optimistic but not yet captivated, and possible disappointment still looms. It doesn't help that there are a lot of unknowns operating here, from writer Taku Kishimoto (a solid adaptive screenwriter doing his first original work), to director Hiro Kaburagi (same), to studio Shuka. But maybe I'm complaining too much. “Potentially excellent” is far from the worst thing that an anime can be.

(Also, stick around for the post-credits scene in episode two. There's a potentially game-changing cliffhanger at the end that will definitely affect the story going forward.)

Grade: A-

91 Days is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.