91 Days

91 Days is one of those rare series that doesn't get the praise it's due. There's a lot of subtlety here that can't be appreciated without the proper view. Naturally being a work of art like all anime, not everyone will find it to their liking. One of the things about 91 Days that i just loved was the masterful way Angelo got his revenge. I guess to some people it would be confusing and hard to follow. Like, why doesn't he just shoot person A and be done with it? Or why not snipe them all from the rooftops, plant bombs, etc. The point wasn't to kill them, it was to make them feel the same pain and suffering Angelo himself had suffered when he lost his family and was forced to watch. There's a very strong human element to the story that is quite easily missed and had I not been truly watching and instead simply enjoying watching anime (as is usually the case) I believe I would have found the series a bit confusing in more ways than one. There's a lot of dry humor in 91 Days, personally I love dry humor especially with expressionless characters, I ended up laughing way more than I felt I probably should have watching a more morbid series. I know some people don't like that kind of humor and unfortunately 91 Days didn't really have any other kind (at least that I noticed, which I'm also guilty of). Another confusing thing about 91 Days is that is jumps from one goal to another without explaining, personally I thought that was one of the things that made it so good, it gave it something of a detective type anime feel to it, I'm all about that stuff. This could get a little weird for people in the (Who the hell is this guy) kind of way. There's also a few hinted relationships (between Angelo and Strega and his family) that just leave you with a question mark hanging over your head. The series also switches between absolutely morbid (the lasagna incident and Orco, those who watched know) and absolutely hysterical (Angelo running people over with cars on 'accident'). While the show has it's faults and I think to most casual anime watchers it would be a hard to understand show, but in reality this show is a work of art. It tells the story how it is and for once it doesn't change mid-way through the series and get all rainbows and butterflies and then horribly sad ending. I appreciated how human Angelo and Nero were, I loved that Angelo continued to hate Nero even though in the end he didn't want to kill him. The story painted the realistic picture of revenge and what it really cost you and those around you. It didn't make it pretty. It didn't have a happy ending (though the ending is up for interpretation). It was all very HUMAN and I loved that. I love Angelo's mastery of his skills, how he killed without regret but later on shows extreme distress after Corteo's death. Again, the human factor in this anime is the strongest I've seen in an anime in a very very long time. There's a lot of subtleties with human nature playing out in this series that I think a lot of the younger watchers wouldn't completely understand. There are also some complexities that are just beautiful to watch unfold before your eyes. This is worth the watch if you tend to gravitate to the more mature or psychological thrillers but also enjoy a good laugh. I will say my one disappointment regarding the show was the OP. I had no issues with the music, rather it was the animation that bothered me. Maybe I'm just used to being spoiled (and even as I'm writing this I can comprehend the reason behind their decisions) but typically the OP has scenes or characters you can look forward to seeing in the anime. In 91 Days that's not the case, while this amps you up I was also disappointed because at one point I really thought the man with the glasses getting shot was Corteo (valid conclusion right?) nope, it's Angelo's dad. The OP is a mix of past events and normal mafia behavior, I was disappointed when some of the more interesting scenes never came up but understanding that the OP was filling in the blanks so to speak and showing the world that Angelo immersed himself in to get his revenge has it's merits. I could sit and write forever about this show but I'll wrap it up. For all of you potential watchers out there I recommend giving this show a shot, look at it through serious eyes ready to learn something about humanity instead of looking at it as just another show to watch. I will say the animation lacked in some ways but it never bothered me, it's anime so anime is anime in my opinion, it's not completely about the art and it's not completely about the story, merging the two in a way that works best for both so they can each shine together is what anime is supposed to be. (in my opinion).

91 Days is an anime that knows exactly what it wants to be. From the very first shot, it aims to channel the spirit of old Italian gangster movies, and it does so with style. The setting, the art direction, the music. It all leans into that classic Godfather-like atmosphere, even opening its first episode with a credit sequence that feels like a direct homage to the genre. For anyone who loves mafia aesthetics, it’s immediately appealing. There’s a certain cinematic charm to how it introduces its world, throwing you into a tangle of names, families, and motivations without much hand-holding. It can be confusing at first, but also intriguing, especially if you enjoy piecing things together through context and dialogue. But while the presentation starts strong, the actual experience of watching 91 Days slowly begins to unravel. It’s a story built on the promise of revenge, following a protagonist infiltrating the very family that destroyed his own. And on paper, it sounds like a surefire emotional thriller. But in execution, it stumbles. The pacing, especially after the first few episodes, becomes one of its biggest problems. The story starts to drag, losing that sharp, focused energy it initially had. Some episodes feel like they go nowhere, and even speeding them up doesn’t fix the feeling that the show is just stalling. It stops being gripping and starts feeling like a chore. The protagonist, Angelo, is another major issue. He’s cold and distant from the start, which could work in theory given his trauma, but the show never really adds layers to him. He rarely shows emotion, rarely opens up, and as the story goes on, that blankness just becomes frustrating. Instead of a compelling figure consumed by vengeance, he ends up feeling one-note. Ironically, it’s the side characters, especially the Vanetti family, that come off as more human, more interesting, and more emotionally dynamic. That imbalance weakens the whole emotional core of the show. Visually, the anime is decent, though far from impressive. The use of CGI, especially in car scenes, is distracting and feels out of place in a setting meant to feel gritty and grounded. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does pull you out of the moment more often than it should. What’s perhaps most disappointing is how the anime handles its own identity. It’s clearly trying to pay homage to a very specific type of crime drama, but at the same time, it injects exaggerated, almost shounen-style characters and antics that feel completely out of sync with the tone. The result is something that’s never quite sure what it wants to be - part slow-burn noir, part over-the-top anime, and neither side fully lands. By the time it reaches its ending, 91 Days has a few moments that hint at what it could’ve been. There are scenes that are genuinely well-directed and emotionally resonant, and certain decisions the story makes might work better for some than others. But for me, it was too little, too late. The final episodes offer a mix of strong ideas and baffling structure, and the last stretch of the show ends on a note that feels unsatisfying. Not because of the outcome itself, but because of how poorly everything was built up. 91 Days had all the pieces to be something memorable. The concept is strong, the aesthetic is fantastic, and the initial tone hits the right notes. But somewhere along the way, it loses control of its pacing, its character work, and its sense of momentum. For fans of the genre, it might still be worth checking out just to see the homage in action. But if you're looking for a tightly-written, emotionally gripping revenge story, this one will likely leave you cold.

* CAUTION MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS* I really enjoy the gangster/mafia anime series. However, this anime was not able to wow me the way I would have liked it to. I felt as though the main character (Angelo) was a bit boring and that they didn't build up his character. While the antagonist (Nero) had been a likable character with charming qualities, despite this, it may have been done on purpose to show how much the death of his family had affected Angelo and his emotions. Even so, there could have been more character development focused on Angelo. Also, the story fell a bit flat.I do not think this was due to the overall plot, but that there simply was not enough surprising or dramatic development (except for the parts with Corteo, those were pretty good). But, for a 12 episode series I do think it was pretty good. Just not exactly something that I would want to re-watch multiple times. Although I do recommend that you give it a watch to see the good attributes of the anime.

Story gets a 2. Tell me why someone would pick the time period in America known for being fun, happy, party, glamorized, etc., and make it a depressing, boring, and dull anime? That's the first mistake. The story itself isn't that bad, but the time period unfortunately pushes it to a 2. The art itself is decent, but nothing that good. I give it a 4. The sound gets a 7 for being pretty good. I'll say that so far, Anime in general has good sound even if everything else sucks. The characters were all horrible, so it gets a 1. The main character was like an emo guy trying to be cool and tough. "I talk in a monotone and deep voice to show how badass I am, and how cool I am." While trying to talk tough, he has yet to get in a serious fight. Even his so called weaker friend has more guts than him. The other characters were obnoxious, obsessive, jealous, or weak; sometimes they were a combination of 2 or more. The enjoyment gets a 2 as well. The combination of the story and characters make it really hard to watch. The art and sound don't really make up for it either to be honest. Overall it gets a 4. The sound and art brought it up, but not by much. Everything else is just so bad.

91 Days is a decent revenge story made unbearably excruciating by a terrible lead character, god awful animation and design and an incredibly confusing first half. Seriously, it’s the first time I had to watch a recap episode ‘cause I had no idea what the hell was going on. Not to mention that, being a native Italian speaker, it was quite painful to see characters called “Mud”, “Bend-aid”, “Sorry” or “Cool Guy”. *Mild Spoilers ahead* Story The story itself is pretty simple, too cool for school-kun receives a letter that lists the names of the people who murdered his family 7 years ago. He then sets a plan in motion to get revenge on those people and somehow destroy every mafia family. The pacing is a little bit too rushed in the first episodes but definitely ok in the final ones. Right at the beginning of the story you’re introduced to a bunch of characters with totally made up italian names, you look at all of them and think “what is going on?”. It’s when they start to die that things get easy, don’t worry. But the story itself has some very serious issue, it wants to portray the cruel world of mafia during the prohibitionist era through the eyes of stereotypical anime characters, making it incredibly unrealistic. I really enjoyed the final two episodes cause it finally started to look like a mafia story, but again, some of the things that happened looked a little bit weird. Characters The only two decent characters were Vanno and Nero. Simple mobs who had a dream. That’s it. And then we have the rest of totally useless characters, Uncle Fatguy and Hannibal Lecter-chan. But they’re not even the worst thing. Let’s talk about Avilio and Corteo. The first one acts like “cool people don’t turn to look at explosions”, the second one is the equivalent of someone looking for a friend on 4chan. We never know what happened to Avilio in his 7 years away from home, he just says that he learned how to steal wallets, he never shows any kind of emotion, he even does something very very bad in order to move on with his agenda. WHY?! Goddammit, it doesn’t make sense, I’m sorry but it doesn’t make sense. Revenge is something that should give you some kind of closure and enable you to move on with your life, Avilio’s revenge not only fails on both aspects, but doesn't even seem to be something he himself is enjoying. Again, WHY? And then there’s Simple Guy Corteo. Simple Guy Corteo basically spent the past seven years waiting for Avilio to come back, he joins the mafia cause Avilio said it’d be cool, then he kills people cause reasons, then attempts to save Avilio. I mean, Best Friend Avilio disappeared for 7 years, but who cares? Simple Guy Corteo will always be there. Makes sense. Art & Animation Oh boy, I don’t even know where to start here. Let’s just say that everyone in Lawless drives the same car. Music & Voice Acting Music wasn’t too bad, the OP was quite decent and it really captured the spirit of the show. The music that plays in the opera scene in episode 11 is quite good too. Voice acting wasn’t the best imo, every voice kinda sounded the same. Overall Not a bad anime, per se. But if you’re expecting a realistic mafia story, relatable characters and pleasant visuals, better find something else. Also, WHY is the title 91 Days? Did I miss something?

"Sometimes a simple story can have as much depth as a complicated one" -Someone, at some point in time, probably (dunno, never heard anyone say this before) I often enjoy sitting down with a volume of manga and just letting the hours run by. Not just manga, though. I once determined to play "a few rounds of minesweeper" at 7 PM once and the next time I looked at the clock it was 3 AM. The time just seemed to go by so fast. I guess that's what happens when you're having fun, right? Well, when watching 91 Days, the time also melted away and the episodes felt very fast. However, this time, I believe it was a miracle from God in order to put me out of my misery quicker. Aside from the opening theme which I really like, I'll start out by talking about what the show does right: Okay, now for the bad. The word "mafia" is quick to trigger a reaction in me. I love anything mafia related to death. I'm currently enjoying Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, I've seen the Godfather more times than I'm willing to admit, and I'm even making a video game involving the mafia right now. I was so excited when I heard about this show. My friends and I have a sacred tradition where each week we watch 3 episodes of an anime and then discuss it at 7:30 PM on Sunday and 91 Days was picked for this month's show. The entire conversation was just "I have no idea what's happening." All 8 of us. A week ago, if you asked me what a confusing anime was, I would have told you it would have to be something where the plot has no clear direction is very convoluted where you probably need to rewatch the show or read essays about it when you're done just to put the pieces together like with Madoka Magica or Evangelion. I no longer hold this opinion. At its core, 91 Days is a very simple show. A man's father is killed by 4 gunman when he was young and he wants to find and kill each gunman. And yet, it makes no sense whatsoever. Why is that? They introduce like 30 characters in the FIRST EPISODE. I don't know anyone's name except for Nero. Not even the main character's name can I remember. They also gloss through all the important points really quickly. Want to know why it's called 91 Days? Well apparently it was because of an off-handed comment in episode 2 that I missed. And you know what? Maybe 91 Days would be better if the premise wasn't so simple. The goal is so straightforward and yet it takes so many seemingly needless steps to get there. I don't care if there's an alliance between two gangs I don't even know the names of, I just want to see the MC get his revenge! With Evangelion, at least what it does is enough to keep you engaged by subverting your expectations of the show and taking on the mech genre in an entirely new way. 91 Days is just about everything you'd expect. You can predict the entire thing from the first two episodes (and trust me, I never say this). Please, for your own sake, do not watch this show. (From here on out, there will be spoilers) Aside from the fact that it was extremely boring, nobody learns anything. Let's recall the last line of the show: "You don't gotta have a reason to live... you just gotta live." -Nero It's a real shame he says that right before killing the MC. I don't get why he would even say that. Not to mention, what was the point of seeing the revenge killings is, from the viewer's perspective. It's not like the point was "killing people is wrong," we just saw funny Italian men do funny things. I guess it was presumptuous of me to assume that this show would tell a good moral story.

Something that genuinely bothers me about a lot of brand-new anime that focus on adult-situated subjects is the lack of allowing the audience to gather everything themselves. They spoon-feed the story to the audience, aside from allowing them to use their brains. However, there are the very few that don't do that. I believe that this is that 1/1,000 series that lets the audience use their brain, and figure things out on their own. That is by far the most unique thing about the entire series, however, there is so much more to talk about when it comes to the most underrated show of the last year. My favorite thing about this anime is the magnificent opening theme, "Signal" by TK. The song itself was so catchingly lively, yet so melancholic and beautiful. I could listen to it for hours on end, and now it has become probably my second-favorite opening of all-time. I know it's a bit of a stretch for a lot of people to say that this was so good of an opening that I would even say that it's upon that list. However, it's my opinion at the end of the day, and the 91 days opening is on my list for my favorite opening themes in anime history. The animation done by Studio Shuka was great. They genuinely put 110% into making this series feel like a classic mobster anime, which hasn't been done this well since Baccano! back in 2008. However, what this show does better than Baccano! in my opinion is establish the setting of the story, which it does surprisingly well. There is always an eerie atmospheric presence luring in the shadows of each scene, which made you question "what was going to go wrong." The character designs as well were very interesting. I don't know if I would say they were unique, but they definitely were quite interesting to look at, especially Fango's. Fango was a creepy character which was done surprisingly well in the midst of the series. Another thing I'd like to mention is the fantastic voice-acting done by the dubbing cast. I watched this series in it's English Dub, which was fantastic. They all emulated accents and dialect in a manner that few shows I have ever seen have been able to replicate. Everyone working on the dubbing for this series, from the cast themselves to the ADR Directors, did a fantastic job. This was, in my opinion, one of my favorite dubs. Stellar work Funimation! One thing that this series surprised me with was the amount of focus on plot instead of simply focusing on characters. This show had serious emphasis on the story rather than character development, which was both a good thing, and a bad thing. Disregarding that much, the story was quite entertaining, from it's dark themes, to it's more light-hearted scenes, to the background of our main character, Angelo Lagusa. Learning about the story on why Angelo is even trying to do what he will was interesting enough, but seeing how strongly he simply to do it just shows how much he cares about this. The falling to darkness for Angelo was prevalent throughout the plot, as you can tell just how much he cares about this. Not only that, but the story's development throughout was nice and slick. I must also say that the story was slow-paced, but it worked well... for the most part. Now that I've brought up Angelo, I feel like now's a good time to bring up the characters in the series. Angelo, our protagonist, is a troubled young man with simply nothing to lose, and one goal on his mind: Kill the Vanettis for what they did to his family. Seeing him plan everything out to eventually get what he's wanted all this time was really interesting. He was purposed character done right, because you could simply tell how much he was willing to give up in his life just to get revenge. Not only Angelo, however, but his partner and secret rival Nero Vanetti was also really likable throughout the series. He was super entertaining, from his foil to Angelo, being more upbeat than Angelo ever was, but he was also a really likable, nice, and trustworthy dude who didn't want to be involved in all the gang stuff. In fact, it was made quite evident that he didn't want to continue being a part of the Vanetti mob. I should also mention Angelo's friend Corteo, who was really likable, as he was just a good friend to Angelo, but it felt like Corteo lacked in development. Similarly, Fango was a really entertaining crazy dude, who just lacked in development. Aside from that small issue, most of the characters in the show were at the very least decent.` However, you have to take another look at this review before choosing my verdict. Assuming that I found this show flawless would be a poor assessment, as frankly, I did have some minor problems. For example, most of the characters in this show lacked on so much development that it hurt. For example, Fango was so bland of a character in terms of development, despite him being such a fantastic "creepy guy" character. His character, along with Corteo, could've been done so much better throughout the course of the series. It's not a game changer, but it was a bit annoying how they didn't get that much backstory given to them. Despite that being annoying, my biggest problem with this show was undoubtedly the same thing that made this show so unique in the first place- the story. Though it was fantastic in it's execution, it was still quite boring at times, as it was quite confusing, to the point of pure boredom among the audience. That may just be me, because I have yet to see anyone else admit to being confused by a lot halfway through the series. Regardless of that much, it was still baffling to me how something would confuse me on such a level that actually wasn't speaking of how the team behind Skelter;Heaven and Mars of Destruction got their budget. Besides those insignificant issues, this series was still fantastic from it's gorgeous animation, to it's interesting story and characters, and utterly magnificent opening theme.Good crime dramas are a dying breed, especially in anime, but this show may just bring back the medium in my book. Later!

Anime: 91 days Episodes: 12 Genre: Action, Drama, Historical Well this anime is so interesting that I felt like I should write a review. Not writing may get counted as a sin. xD Synopsis: Testa Lagusa, The Consigliere of the Vanetti Family was killed along his family in his own house except Angelo Lagusa, Testa's only son. Angelo somehow escaped and was living hopelessly until a mysterious letter comes to him with the name of attackers. Angelo then changed his name to Avilio Bruno and set his journey to get revenge. Well this was the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole anime because it was revealing this and that, this and that again and again and you're like OMG what's gonna happen next? who will eliminate whom?. The main and foremost rule to become a successful crime drama. 91 day perfectly executed it. The theme is similar to Baccano, Monster and Joker game. So why watch this? because it doesn't show the power of immortals, the madness of a cold hearted man or not some games. Its completely realistic. Its totally unique in its own way. So better try this anime. Its really good. Art & Animation: The art here is similar to Parasyte: The Maxim. But the theme is dark. They tried their best to make this look realistic and as for animation, the show looks decent and portrays the dark thrilling mood quite well. The best parts about the show are the character emotions as we see how they show their feelings – hatred, sorrow, pity, regret. The expression they make when they are in conflict are quite something. Sound: 91 days has decent openings, ending and soundtracks. The opening 'Signal' by TK was so awesome that I didn't even think about it skipping. The ending 'Rise and shine' by Elisa was good too. The soundtracks are also good. When you'll hear Signal you'll feel like riding a feel train. Be sure to hop on that train. :3 Character: If I were to describe main character Angelo in just 2 words that will be merciless and cunning. Well he couldn't survive if he didn't abandon sanity. As for Nero Vanetti I should say he's a good thinker and careful. Then there's Fango, a Psychotic character. Corteo, Angelo's friend is a not liking problem type guy xD .Other characters didn't get importance like these 4 did. Overall I will say characters are unique to each other and each has their own uniqueness and weaknesses. Enjoyment: This anime is too complex yet so normal. Seems interesting, isn't it? Yes you can't tell when what's going to take place. It's very enjoying and cliffhangers they show at the last moment of each episodes are awesome. Every episode has something important and unexpected to show. If you like crime-drama, you will definitely like it. That's for sure. Overall: This type of anime are pretty rare. I was looking at my monitor whole time without tipping my eye petals. Its one of best anime I have seen so far. I wont say its a masterpiece, wont say one of the greatest but its still one great anime. Story 8.5/10 Art 9/10 (based on reality cuz theme is realistic) Sound 8.5/10 Character 8/10 Enjoyment 8/10 Overall 9/10 Quotes: A raison d'être gives a person power. Friendship is more reliable than a knife - Angelo Lagusa There's no pointing in protecting our family if we cant protect our pride - Nero Vanetti Think carefully, then walk forward with purpose. The faster you rush out, the more likely you are to trip and fall - Don Vincente Vanetti Recommendation: Baccano, Monster, Joker Game Now go watch this anime :3

Overall Rating: somewhere between 7 and 7.5 Wow...I completed misread this anime. I watched the first 2 and a half episodes and I was so bored. I nearly dropped it, but I kept seeing it get high ratings and accolades so I decided to finish it. It's only 12 episodes so hey, no big deal. I'm glad I did because it was definitely worth my time. I have a soft spot for any anime that has a Western setting or anything outside of Japan that involves lots of gun fights, booze, and characters with deplorable behavior. However, I almost always do not like Mafia stories. Maybe just American Italian mafia stories (I loved Black Lagoon). They bore me. So picking up 91 Days was something I did extremely hesitantly. If you're like me and you're debating whether or not you want to spend your time watching because of that element, trust me when I say it's definitely still worth it. What makes 91 Days so gripping is how the revenge plot unfolds. The first several episodes are such a bore, it was a pain to get through them, but by the end of episode 5, I was hooked. After a certain point, almost nothing pans out the way you expect it. I can't count how many times I ended an episode with my mouth hanging wide open as each plot twist is so unexpected. With the amount of death in the anime you really shouldn't be surprised, but every murder is still a shock each and every time. All the characters are a piece of shit and have just about 0 redeeming qualities except for Corteo. HOWEVER, given that this story focuses around the mafia you can't expect them to be bound by any sort of sensical moral center. I mean, these men go to church and talk about family but then won't hesitate shoot up the place in the next second. It's obviously a purposeful depiction of what the mafia was like that you're supposed to analyze, but I honestly just rolled my eyes at the hypocrisy and unabashed greed of the men. Like I said, this is a revenge story, so you do end up empathizing with the main character because you understand his reasoning for revenge, but as it becomes his reason for living, nothing and I mean NOTHING will stand in his way or jeopardize his goal. He is ruthless until almost the very end so you'll probably experience a lot of mixed feelings and question a lot of choices he makes. There's a decent amount of depth to the story and significant symbolism that you can get into if you like that sort of thing. However, while the mastery is somewhat there, the overall appeal is definitely lackluster (this may be in part due to the art which I will briefly mention after this) and does not at all match up to other revenge stories like Code Geass or Gankutsuou. The ending messages are deep but nothing to leave you in awe over. It's an obvious kind of final message for revenge stories as well as a commentary on the stupidity of gang violence. The art was definitely the weakest aspect of the anime and at first made watching all the more unenjoyable. The aesthetic was so blasé and maybe its to fit the tone of the story (Prohibition era, Mafia, Gun Violence, etc.) but I'm thinking it probably had a low budget. I was not a fan in the least bit of the art and it is definitely nothing noteworthy. Still, I highly recommend! It was a decent watch.

I came into this show somewhat optimistic. It has a nice premise: Set during the Prohibition Era, a man returns to town after years of being away because he receives new information into the deaths of his family. This is a revenge story, which is a popular focus in the mafia business – you leave one person alive in a killing spree and it will come back to bite you in the ass. However, the execution of this tale is terrible for a number of reasons. The story starts off in Episode One by showing how the Lagusa Family was betrayed by the Vanetti Family and killed – all but one, our protagonist, Avilio. The episode concludes by introducing our “antagonist” Nero – who, by the way, is the guy opposite Avilio on the poster. This automatically left me with a bad taste in my mouth as I ended the episode, because this is a revenge story and that means no matter what happens these two people are going to be alive until the end, when one or both inevitably die by the other’s hand. A lot of the drama of the show is sucked up by this rule, and it adds to the predictability of an already subpar story. If the creators wanted this show to be remarkable at all, they would have kept the revenge plot from us for the beginning of the series and let the “friendship” between the two blossom before hitting us where it hurts. Now that would have been entertaining. However, this show is so predictable it hurts. Sure, I was surprised in episode two, enough to keep me interested in the story and not drop it, but very rarely since then have I been genuinely surprised by a plot development. Some of this has to do with the rule stated above: neither Nero nor Avilio can die until the end. But some of it also because the writers feel the need to hold our hands so that a plot development doesn’t confuse the audience. For example, the head Don of a rival gang loves lasagna, so much so that we get reminded of this at least three times in the first six episodes. So, when his gruesome underling challenges him, wins, and then brings all of the top gang members in for a “nice” dinner of lasagna, it’s immediately apparent that the meat in the lasagna is the ex-head (Frey Pies, anyone?). The show also tries to convince us many times that Nero’s life is in danger – how can it be when he is the “last boss”, if you will, in Avilio’s revenge plan? There are many other flaws in this story, all because the writers want to spice up the action with as much 1920s gang violence as they possibly can. There’s Prohibition style law breaking, betrayals among many different families, violence galore, and barely explained gang politics. Major plot developments can be introduced in minute 3 and resolved by minute 13. Can I not have more than an episode of suspense? Will this character be caught? Will they drive out that cop in more than a day? Character motivations are glossed over at best for most of these events and we are just expected to go with it because plot. It doesn’t help that the person I like the most is Corteo, a character that is barely seen in the first half but is probably supposed to be Avilio’s moral compass. The writers of this series are trying too hard to add edgy things and Gotcha! moments to a story that might have been somewhat decent without all of that spice. The overall story is therefore mediocre at best and predicable and boring at worst. The ending is also completely unsatisfying, unsurprisingly, even though there were a few good moments sprinkled into the last few episodes. The last episode is weak, disjointed, and pointless and ultimately left me feeling cheated and angry. I mentioned above that my favorite character is a background character – this is because almost every other character is complete garbage. Both Avilio and Nero are weak, horrible characters. Avilio is defined only by his need for revenge, and most of his dealings in the story revolve around that goal. Nero is a similarly weak character: he is the heir to the Vanetti family and kind of a complete asshole. The show tries to make him somewhat sympathetic with a flashback to the night he killed Avilio’s family from his perspective, but the moment is immediately glossed over because he reveals crucial information about the night to Avilio, and Avilio only cares about his revenge. Avilio is somewhat decent at lying his way out of tight situations and getting on Nero’s good side, but only a complete moron would trust someone so completely as Nero trusts Avilio is such a short period of time. This guy is asking to be killed. These characters are not convincing and, quite frankly, both of them are unlikeable assholes. Almost every other character is the same. Either the show doesn’t spend much time on them or they are complete moronic assholes. Nero has a small group of friends, who, I can only assume, are all going to be cannon fodder because that guy is such a moron. I’ll mourn for the dude in glasses, he seems pretty cool. Nero also has a father and two siblings, none of which are given any kind of screen time unless the plot demands it. Nero’s brother is ridiculous. Nero’s father is a pushover. Nero’s sister seems nice but easily manipulated. None of these people are given any kind of development and some act certain ways because, as stated above, the plot demands it. Some of the things these characters do are never hinted at until it happens. There are people from the other two mentioned gangs that pop up occasionally, but the most important one is Fango, who is a crazy person working for the Orco family. A lot of the B plot in the first half revolves around him and his shenanigans – suffice to say, even then, it was difficult to decide who to root for in these fights because everyone in this show sucks. He comes into a lot of power as the show progresses, and it is fun to just sit there and laugh at the morons who helped him into power and immediately regret their decision. Idiots. There’s not much else to say. The animation is mediocre and the color palate changes to fit the mood of the scene. The sound is not much better; I don’t think the opening fits the show very well and I was hoping for a more Baccano! type song. The story is mediocre at best and predicable at worst and the characters are very poorly developed, which only adds to the story’s problems. I don’t usually complete shows I find this many problems with, which does show that it is somewhat entertaining, and by the end I was only invested to see how the Avilio vs Nero showdown happened. But entertainment does not equal good quality. All in all, 91 Days is horrible, from story to characters to even the animation. The creators are waving a set of shiny, blood red keys in our faces, hoping that it distracts us from the blatant problems with the story and characters. Well, I wasn’t distracted. Do a better job next time.

story-lore 6/10 Typical italian mafia story mixed with standard anime main character. Nothing special or innovative. However, it describes what it aims for with precision leaving the viewer with a general understanding of its world. Pretty straitforward without deeper meanings, but with surficial ones. An anime to relax and not to stimulate your thinking or make you question things, even if you live a gangster life. Because of the main idea of gangster families fighting to rule over a town and the stereotypical protagonist some plot-holes and plot-armors were to be expected but I believe they were misused and inacurately expolited making the story quite monotonous and colourless. Enjoyed the escalation of the situations and the ending was pretty good. sounds 6.5/10 Nice music, unfitting the scenario imo. Resembled too much to Tokyo Ghoul and apart from the copletely different worlds there was no emotional tension making it unsuitable. animation-aesthetic-art style 8.5/10 Nice aesthetic, the time it takes place gives a gloomy and dark vibe, different to both slice of life anime and science fiction ones. There was scarcely any cgi and in these days I value more an average animation without cgi but with nice colours. Not many effects, plain and simple, suitable to the main character's vibe. (Even though I recommend it, I wouldn't watch it second time.)

91 Days is a perfect anime for fans of the Prohibition Era. It's true that it doesn't stand up to the king, "Baccano!", but it reaches a good spot, good enough to be mentioned. Talking about the Story, its a good drama and it rolls from episode to episode. It has a good pace. This only fails to the later episodes where they kind of need to rush the story so it doesn't feel heavy. Story and Characters are the best this anime has to offer. The characters have nice backgrounds and plots. You either feel for them or you relate (relate in a certain perspective, not because you are a gangster of any kind...i hope). The fights are pretty dope!A lot of tension, smart moves and realism. You will not be disappointed. Probably what gets this anime down its the animation. Sometimes it feels flat, dark (meaning you can't see) and the background images normally are not animated. The music is not that memorable. You may like the OP and the ED and some themes but I don't believe you will stick with it for too long. Overall, the enjoyment is naturally outstanding, you will be on the edge of your seat/sofa/chair for at least most of the moments."91 Days" knows how to present itself to the audience.

Seeing as this is only my second review on this here fine establishments website i humbly ask that you try to refrain from sh*ting all over my verbal balls but do indeed ask for constructive criticism. Much love. Brief summary: Our main man for this here pulse pounding plot is Angelo Lagusa, a melancholic young miser that was orphaned as a result of the brutal back stabbing nature of the mafia. The plot follows Angelo on his quest for revenge but is more about the conflicting morality issues that arise as a result of circumstance from being a part of the "Family" rather than a simple black and white revenge story which added a phenomenal amount of intrigue for me. Story: 8 What puts this show ahead for me is the feeling of unease every time our protagonist is on screen, that his revenge could really come to fruition at any moment in any episode and you want him to have his revenge so badly but at the same time you really don't as it would end the most interesting character dynamic that exists in the show. It does an excellent job of dabbling in they grey area of morality rather than having a clear cut start goal and end objective. The whole plot hinges on a "will he/ Won't he" question rather than the standard kill the bad guy, save the day approach. There is very little fat to be trimmed from the story of 91 days with almost each episode containing three to four major events that heavily impact the overall story but if there had to be a gripe of mine it'd probably be the fact that it's kind of standard mafia movie set up. (you'll see what i mean at the end of the show) Art: 7 I'm not much of an artist, don't know a whole pile about the fine lines people find in anime artwork but in my humble opinion the art does a great job of portraying the feeling of prohibition era America, to be more specific, the artwork had a very cool feeling to it and made me feel like a suave mofo whilst watching it. It's not a anime that requires a whole bunch of flashy animation, it does it's job in helping the main focus of the show (it's character interaction) move along. Sound: 10 Phenomenal, fucking phenomenal. Most of the pieces used are orchestral ballads that perfect compliment the feelings of mystery and unease that are presented by our protagonists morale dilemma regarding his revenge. I didn't pay much attention to the music upon my first viewing of 91 days but i found the entire soundtrack on youtube and upon listening to it i could almost play the scenes in which these musical scores were used in my head which strikes me as having done a damn fine job. Characters: 10 The characters, in my opinion are the driving force behind the shows appeal. Whether it's Angelo going from being a dreary sullen character to finding a reason to live and developing a sense of humor as he accompanies Nero Vanneti (Episode four remains my favorite due to this) Or Nero's usual calm, charming and in control character revealing his morale quandaries about his occupation and life. But it's easy to prattle on about the main characters and their developments, Where the real joy lies is in the shows side characters, almost but not quite every one feels like a fully fleshed out character with their own reasons for living the lives they live be it the emotional but morally upstanding corteo, Vincent vanneti's true reasons behind why he killed his best friend or the sheer lunacy of personal favorite Fango (LLLLasssagnaaaa, remember it takes Fango to tango). But i find it difficult to write about all the characters that stood out to me in this show so take my word that it has a host of fantastic characters. Enjoyment: 10 Pure enjoyment, Should have been anime of the year in my opinion and although it does hold a strong score i still feel as if this show was somewhat looked over this year (Yeah I'm talking bout them crunchyroll awards, you fucks) Overall: 9 This is a show that left me with a hole in my soul when it ended as i was completely invested in the characters, their relationships and their emotions. I wanted more than 12 episodes from a show entitled 91 days and spent the good part of an hour perusing the internet with tears in mah eyes after the show ended looking for any possible way in which the show could have continued. Watch it, Love it, Cherish it.

One of the most prominent issues with original anime is how the story does in a medium that relies on its quirks and niche appeal. 91 Days has this initial problem as it's a classic prohibition era gangster anime. No immortal gang members, no stupidly overpowered hitmen, and no gimmicks that are often seen in most anime that make them, well, anime. While a straight to the point gangster plot is somewhat refreshing in an otherwise crazy market, 91 days finds itself being lackluster as you don't end up comparing it to anime like baccano, but rather you compare it to any other western gangster film that do it much better in a more suitable medium. To start off with, the plot on paper is actually quite solid. We have a tale of revenge in which the main character's family is murdered by a mafia family that his father collaborated with, and he grows up trying to gain the trust of the gang while attempting to kill those involved with his family's murder While on paper this story is fine, there is this feeling where even though this anime is only 12 episodes, a lot of unnecessary things happen that aren't relevant to the plot. While there aren't any plotholes, there are many times that there isn't enough detail to really care about what goes on in the story. The pacing is actually a stronger component of the anime as I never felt that they were rushing the plot forward, but I do feel the end is somewhat disappointing and leaves a lot to be desired. Next, the animation is extremely dull and at times has its QUALITY moments. When I saw that this was the same studio that ended up animating Durarara's sequels, I knew immediately that animation may be a problem. Sure enough, 91 days is severely lacking in the animation department. It isn't based off of style of art, as the style doesn't explain instances in which animated characters look barely recognizable, or that a car accident looks closer to an older looney tunes episode than what we would see in modern day anime geared towards adults. Overall, the biggest disappointment with this anime would for sure go towards its animation That being said, the sound is actually fairly good at setting the atmosphere. TK has never disappointed in the music department, and the background music does a very good job creating a setting of prohibition America. The only concern is that while the music always seemed to fit the mood, it's very subtle and nothing really stands out musicwise aside from the OP. The characters are a mixed bag. On one hand, these aren't your cookie cutter trope characters that only show personality that resembles their archetype, but on the other hand, none of these characters are really competitive against the likes in which this show can be compared to (baccano, black lagoon, any western gangster film). The main character is an anti-hero who has no real development, which isn't a problem as he's sort of a force of nature. There are a lot of characters that are introduced which are forgotten very early on, and you only really feel two characters are fleshed out well (Nero and Corteo) while the supporting cast does very little to make you involved with the exception of Fango. Another thing to note is that the characters don't particularly have unique personalities, and their interactions with each other are quite standard. One of the things I noticed from watching this anime was that I never really cared what was going to happen right after each episode. While there were cliffhangers that piqued my curiosity on what would happen next episode, I found myself not wanting to continue and forced myself to watch the remaining episodes. It's not so much that this anime is bad, but it's very hard to casually watch it without paying attention. Add on the fact that it's quite boring at times, and you've got a show that requires your undivided attention while being just boring enough to make you not want to continue (kind of like a lecture you need to pay attention to in a class you're not really fond of). Overall, this anime is a breath of fresh air from all the other generic anime, and does fulfill its role as a serious original anime with a relatively new premise. That being said, this premise has been done before in western media, and its been done much better by the likes of Scorsese. If you are a fan of crime dramas, 91 days won't bring anything new to the table, but it's worth watching if you've exhausted every other option for a crime drama.

Prohibition, prejudice and pineapples. 91 days is an anime which had me wishing for more... Produced by Shuka studios, 91 Days is set a world dealing with prohibition, and the Mafia. After a young boys family had been shot dead in front of his very eyes, Angelo Legusa starts plotting his revenge, a revenge that will take just 7 years to come into light.The anime follows him and Mafia-related families having to deal with the illegal transportation of alcohol and the violence between eachother. After conspiring with the man who help kill his family (Nero Vannetti) Angelo works his way up until he has higher ground than the Vannettis. The story of 91 Days is quite complex and requires much concentration to be able to watch to know what's happening on screen. With a broad range of families and characters, 91 Days covers all aspects of the story, yet complicates the task of remembering which character belongs to which name. Although complex on the outside, this anime really only had one underlying theme, Revenge. The way Angelo hides his emotions around those who hurt him most, and how he buried his feeling in the sole purpose of revenge and building a relationship with those he hates gives his character so much more depth, which really is what 91 Days is all about. I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt some episodes were dragging on, but really what can you do, I couldn't say if I would recommend 91 Days as a first anime to watch as it can get boring at times and leave the audience baffled as to what had just happened. But as a whole I would recommend this anime to anyone who loves the Crime, violence and mystery drama genres. I personally wasn't overly thrilled by the ending, but it did conclude to a certain extent, but I was left wondering what happened next? But overall I thought that 91 Days was a very good anime, but would I watch it again? Mabye not.

This Anime ist one of the best anime in 2016. I dont know why some people hate this anime. Its an anime without fanservice and the story is some basic. Story 9/10: There is a man who gets a letter from a old friend of his father and in the letter are the names of the murders of his family. Who is this old friedn We dont know it yet but is he really a old friend or is he an enemy? This man Alvirio Lagusta is full of hate for the murders of his family and he will not step back without kill them all with his own hands. But there are some qeustions in the anime. Who is this old friend of his father? The names in the letter are they really all the murders of his father or is some name not in the letter? But this anime gets better and better each episode. You see a man who will do everything for his revenge killing innocent people, get his old friend in this mess and so on. Sound 9/10: I like the music. I dont know why its nothing special but its so perfect for the most of the time. Character 8/10: The main character is a 10/10 but there are some people i dont like very mutch but Nero and Alvirio are very cool character and its watchable to see them together. All in all its an Anime about revenge and a criminal organisation. Give it some try. I dont like the first 3 episodes very mutch but its get better and the story will increase very fast. Sorry for my bad english -> I am german

I always like to have a dig around the reviews to see what others have said and especially in the opposite opinion to see what they think, and then go see what they rate. Normally I find that they like all the utter trash childish anime and have obviously missed the point entirely. Interesting there's a few people in this one that don't fit this and I'm genuinely surprised. I blitzed this in a day - which is rare, but it was good enough to keep watching. It's not Bebop, Monster, or Pluto good - but then again what is? It's also not Iseku trash, which instantly means it's better than 95% of anything in the last 10 years. But why is 91 Days is good? It is very well written - people act like real people (although driven by plot people do , and there's a good understanding of what people do. Angelo is broken - and you've got to love a broken protagonist you can actually relate to instead of a boring OP one. He's got the dead tone of a PTSD burnout and acts like a PTSD burnout. His friendship wish Corteo feels real. The reviewers don't like episode 7 - it's called love, and if you don't understand this you've never lost someone you love. Imagine if you'd lost someone they turn up and then you have it within your power to save them? Wouldn't you? A genuine beautiful piece. It's 12 episodes - I don't need 200 episodes to tell me a 12 episode story. Thank you! It's well voice acted. It's well animated and the movement looks great/realistic (except the bonus episode which looks really cheap and doesn't add anything). So... if you want a grown up action anime this is up there.

How far will you go for revenging the death of your family? That is the question 91 Days will work on over 12 episodes. After the loss of his family, Angelo Lagusa only has a name of the man responsible of murdering his family several years before present time. 91 Days is a rare case of a 12 episode anime that actually manages to completely tell its story, not leaving open endings for potential sequels or anything like that. And it does so nicely paced. In a 1920's esque American mafia world setting, our story plaÿs out in the seedy underworld of the mafias. The story will have several characters stories tied in to the main character's motives of revenge. Everything Angelo does is carefully planned, working his way to get deeper and deeper into the mafia family responsible of his family's death. But the deeper Angelo gets, the more difficult things gets. Riskier gambles, people starting to suspect Angelo's background and motives. A thriller anime that will keep you on the edge of the seat with every episode, as more characters gets introduced that fleshes out the world and rumbles the storyline with their own ploys. If you're a fan of suspense and mafia settings, this is a must watch.

An eye for an eye, 3 family members for 3 mafia gangs. Booze! Guns! Women! and dead bodies everywhere! never have i dreamed about enjoying an anime that sounds like an edgy psychotic redneck would enjoy. 91 days is an anime that is not like anime but is actually an anime, this show is absolute perfection. It uses absolute realism, there is no plot armor, there is no coincidental anime cliche, none of it, absolutely none. It is quite immersive and also quite stimulating. The show is very dark and twisted, to the point the show portrays the protagonist as the bad guy, but no, he is not. They even had to put a recap episode along the anime just to remind you one last time, that the protagonist is indeed not a bad guy. In the end, a realism anime comes with a realism ending, just how it should be. Dark, twisted and real. But goddamn that part where he tries to assassinate that guy! Who the *BEEP* does that! I mean seriously *BEEP*, i could have done so much *BEEP* better with my eyes close!

I've had this anime in my ptw list ever since it came out. I liked what i heard, but i somehow just wouldn't finaly sit down and give it a try. Finaly, after first four episodes of Bungou stray dogs 2nd season i needed some mafia anime, and this one came to mind first. Man, i was astonished! I got hooked from the first episode. Art was good, but inconsistent, only thing lacking in my opinion. I liked the story, they gave the true nature of revenge and how far human being is actualy prepared to go in order to achive it. Family before everything, even friends or your own life. What I particulary liked about it were the characters, even side ones. Every one of them with their goals or dreams, sacrifiscing what needed to be. Personaly my #1 of the season, i wish there were more anime like this one.