91DAYS

DESCRIPTION

CAST

OVA Action91Days: Day 13
SPECIAL Comedy91 Daze

REVIEWS

• 

  JollyCroagunk

  100/100
  Amazing mysterious anime that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

  This story is very unique and rather amazing. The plot was very well developed leaving you sitting wanting more and more. Both main ad side character development was absolutely astounding. Giving us the very mysterious Angelo Lagusa, Also know as, "Avilio Bruno" who witnessed something very traumatic at a young age and became obsessed with getting revenge for what happened. His best friend, Corteo who is happy to see his friend after such a long time and will do anything for the well being of Angelo and is always there to help his best friend reach his goal even though he may not agree with everything he is doing. Also you get, Nero Vanetti who is one of the people Angelo has sworn to get revenge on but because of Nero trusting Angelo they slowly form a bond of mutual trust and they accomplish many things and overcome many obstacles together meanwhile Angelo plotting his revenge for the perfect time and Nero being completely oblivious putting all of his trust in Angelo, who is his right hand man. This forms some complications with Angelo's plan and he has to make many sacrifices in order to obtain the true goal. But at the end it may not be worth all the loss he has experienced and the revenge he has wanted since 7 years ago may not be as rewarding as he had hoped due to everything he has had to do to be able to finally achieve his goal, all the blood that had to be shed, all the betrayal, and the loss of friends. One of my favorite anime by far for many, many reasons. I hope to see more like this in the future.

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• 

  VClyfe

  83/100
  An interesting yet brutal tale of bonds, family and revenge.

  91 Days is a lot of things. It is a story about familial love, ambition, greed, betrayal, conviction, internal conflict and, ultimately, revenge. But predictable it is not.

  A video review can be found here: https://youtu.be/YnuyRV2gzDc

  Premise and the protagonists: Angelo Lagusa, (who will be referred to as Avilio Bruno henceforth because that's the pseudonym he chooses to go by for a better part of the series) - is our protagonist who goes through the pain of losing his family at a young age. And that's because they all get murdered in front of his eyes. He survived that night, but his will to live surely didn't. Since then, all he's done is listlessly spend his living moments away surviving as a empty husk. That is, until the day he receives a letter. A letter that lights a fire within him - one that tells him where to direct the hatred that's slowly but surely been festering within him all this time. The Vanetti. They are the people who destroyed his life and now it is time for Avilio to pay them back several fold.

  And that's where the second main character of the show comes into the picture. Nero Vanetti. Nero is the charismatic scion of the Vanetti family. He's the brash guy who does what he likes and is carefree for the most part. But the one thing that he values above all is the pride of his family. The Vanetti family. All of his actions are dictated by his personal code of placing the "family" before everything else. As long as it helps uphold the family name, nothing is off limits. He will do anything for his family. 

  Story: This is a story about Avilio's revenge. But it is also a story about Nero and his core principle of placing the Vanetti name above all. As such, while we do see the story through Avilio's eyes for the most part, Nero also acts as a second protagonist throughout the rest of the series. 
  91 Days is the story of how the fates of these two young men intertwine to create an interesting yet brutal crime drama set in the prohibition era of the 1930s where booze is gold and violent mafia clashes are the norm. The Vanettis, the Orcos and the Galassias are the big Mafia families in this story, and most of the revenge plot here is centered not just around the two primary characters, but also the internal politics between these three big powers. 

  But yes, I called 91 Days "interesting" because it isn't often that you get anime set in a specific time period, let alone stick to realism and be free of any kind of supernatural influence. There's a general lack of typical japanese anime humor and a complete lack of any kind of fanservice and that really makes this a breath of fresh air compared to most series out there. This series sticks to its guns about strictly adhering to realism as much as it possibly can throughout the entirety of its run. 

  Well, except one character. But we can focus on him when we get to the characters. Anyway, getting back to the story, I think I'd say that overall it is pretty good. Due to the combination of the setting and the characters' ambitions that stem from multiple factors like familial love, greed and revenge, death isn't really uncommon in this story. But death certainly isn't meaningless here. The anime manages to do a really good job of getting us acquainted with the state of mind of its characters - that is, by having us know and understand what makes them tick, what matters to them and so on. It is precisely because of this that a lot of those deaths actually become a lot more impactful than they usually would. 
  I've already covered how the world and the tone of the anime feels realistic, but it would be incomplete without possessing characters that feel like they belong in it. 

  Characters: The two main characters, Avilio and Nero, are fleshed out relatively well. They live and die for their ideals and can do anything for it. We've already established that. But what about the rest of the cast? Are they given the kind of care in their writing that these two here did? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes for most of the important ones. Corteo, Avilio's childhood friend, is a complete 180 shift from Avilio at first glance. He's not assertive, he doesn't seem to have a knack for coming up with manipulative plans like his buddy does and nor does he seem like he has any conviction that drives him as a person. But as the story goes on, you get to see more of him - when the time really comes for his character to shine, he makes it clear that he's not a prop for the other characters. He has his own moral code and reasons that drive him. That's really what makes his character realistic. Which holds true for the large majority of the remainder of the cast except one. Okay, let's talk about him. 

  Fango. Fango is an anomaly. He doesn't really gel well with the rest of the world of 91 Days for being a bit too cray-cray. You could always chalk it up as him being one of the psychopaths from among the prohibition era's society, which he most definitely is, but he still feels relatively out of place among the rest of the cast. He just feels more like your average crazy anime guy who has been put in there just to spice things up a bit and add a layer of unpredictability to the plot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining - his voice actor, Kenjirou Tsuda, does such a terrific job at voicing him that I just can't help but think Fango as a whole was an asset to the show rather than acting like a detrimental factor. But I kiiinda had to bring him up, y'know, because he's just that crazy. 

  I think that more or less sums up what I had to say about the cast. But with that out of the way, let's talk production values and voice acting.

  Production Values: 91 Days started off looking really good. I was actually really surprised by how sharp the visuals were and how the characters almost always stayed on-model. But as is the case with a lot of anime out there, the series dips a bit in the quality of its art and animation a bit towards the middle and never really recovers to reach the heights established in terms of its visuals in the initial episodes. That's not to say it ever looks ugly, but just not as consistently beautiful as it did before. Studio Shuka, nevertheless, deserves props for delivering for the most part. 

  As for the soundtrack, hmm. I'm not sure if there's anything that has really stuck with me after finishing it with the exception of the main theme. But whether or not you can listen to the soundtrack on its own separate from the series is just a bonus, it really isn't the main factor to decide whether or not the ost was good. What matters the most is whether or not it compliments the show - and that is something it manages to excel at. I have to give the composer, Shōgo Kaida, massive props for coming up with a soundtrack that really fits the tone and setting of the show to the T. And not just the soundtrack, the audio engineering in general is exceptional here. There are many scenes that have stuck around in my head since I finished it and most of them can be attributed to exceptional choice of music and really good mixing on the sound effects. Definitely a job well done in my opinion.

  Also, before I move on to the conclusion, I'd really like to bring notice to the exceptional voice acting in this anime. Almost everyone's performance is excellent here, but the voice actors for Nero, Avilio and Fango are exceptional in this series. Fango in general is the best, but Nero's and Avilio's VA work in the final batch of episodes was something else. 

  Conclusion: 91 Days is a really good anime. It is a tragic story that primarily deals with this one single question - whether revenge can really be the sole sustainable reason for the existence of a person. It reaches that answer by presenting us with the story of two characters who parallel each other a lot but whose reason for existence lie at the opposite ends of the spectrum - one seeks to protect while the other seeks to destroy. Whether or not you agree with the answer it presents you with, you gotta admit it does a damn fine job at telling its story and presenting its ideas to you. It does that with little to no problems in its pacing while looking and sounding really good for the most part. And for that, I believe 91 Days deserves your attention.

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• 

  frankwang0098

  85/100
  Although it’s not perfect, 91 Days is still a prime example of what a character-driven narrative should be

  Before starting the review, I want to first address that if you go into 91 Days expecting it to be an action-packed revenge drama involving the mafia, then you will most likely be disappointed. While these elements do exist, 91 Days is, at its core, a slow-paced show that gradually explores its themes as well as the story and development of the two main characters.

  This review will be spoiler-free since I want to give more people reason to watch this underrated show.

  Story - 7/10
  Although I don’t normally do this, I will only be rating the overarching plot in this section since I will cover the themes and other subplots in the character section.
  The plot of the show is definitely its weakest aspect, which is expected as it is more character focused, however, that does not mean it gets a free pass. The premise of the show is not very original, however it is unique in the fact that the show feels very realistic and grounded as it is one of the few anime (that is not a highschool rom-com) without any supernatural or sci-fi elements. The show’s first main character, Angelo Lagusa (better known for his alias as Avilio Bruno), goes through a childhood trauma when his father, mother as well as his little brother are killed right in front of him. The majority of the story takes place 7 years later when Avilio begins to seek revenge after receiving a mysterious letter detailing the names of everyone involved in the death of his family. One of the people on the letter is the charismatic Nero Vanetti, who is the scion of the Vanetti mafia family and becomes the second main character. There are two major plotlines in the show, the first being Avilio’s quest for vengeance against the Vanetti family (by going “undercover”) while the second being conflicts between the 3 major mafia families.
  The show does have some twists and turns, but overall, 91 Days’ main plotlines are pretty standard, however it is good enough to support the character arcs, which is where the show truly shines.

  Art - 8.5/10
  The art is absolutely top-tier, especially the character designs and the animations. The characters in the show are all unique, easily recognizable, and they represent their characters' personalities perfectly. The animation in the show is also incredible, the characters are all very expressive with smoothly animated movements. The show does not have a lot of action, however, they are all well made and exciting for the most part. A big complaint that I have with the art is that the environmental designs do not match the quality of the other aspects such as character designs. Most of the environments in this show are very bland, especially the landscapes which have little to no details in them.

  Sound - 8.5/10
  91 Days’ soundtrack is great although nothing really resonated with me. The background music always felt appropriate and strengthened the emotions the scenes were trying to get the viewers to feel. The opening, “Signal” by Tk from ling tosite sigure, is very well made and in my opinion totally captures the tone of the show. The voice acting in the show is perhaps the best thing in the sound department. All the voice actors did an incredible job at voicing the emotions their characters were feeling at the time. One thing I want to point out is that I was not a fan of Avilio’s voice at the beginning, however, Takashi Kondo (Avilio’s voice actor) did such a terrific job portraying a soulless person that not only did his voice grow on me, I don’t think any other voice would fit Avilio’s character.

  

  Character - 9/10
  The characters in 91 Days are not by any means the most relatable, deepest or even the best developed characters to ever exist, so why do I keep saying that this is the best part of the show? The answer is consistency. Almost everyone in the show, especially the two main characters, are consistently written in terms of their development, personalities and goals. What do I mean by consistency? When fictional characters are created, they are given a backstory, a set of personality traits and some sort of personal beliefs (for example if they are cynical, naive, ect...). However, many shows and movies forget their own characters’ traits which results in them acting completely out of character, especially around the end of the story, and making their developments feel forced and unnatural. This is a problem that exists not only in anime but in fiction as a whole. Reasons for this can be because the writers are rushed during development or they simply fail to fully understand the characters that they created. This is fortunately not the case for 91 Days, as all the characters grow and develop naturally and the actions that they take are often influenced by the result of a major event as opposed to for the sake of advancing the plot.
  Another reason the characters are incredible is because of how perfectly they portray the themes of the show. Although there are many different themes in this anime such as family, the most prevalent theme is without a doubt the consequences of vengeance. This theme is nothing new, however unlike many other stories, the consequence is not the people you need to kill but rather the loss of your purpose and soul. The show strengthens this theme through the story between two people, Avilio and Nero, who completely contrasts each other as characters not only in personality but in their development as well. While the story follows Avilio on his revenge quest, the show spends perhaps even more time on Nero’s story. Throughout the show, Nero not only gets the most development and backstory, he also displays the most emotions. This is done on purpose because even though the viewers won’t stop cheering for Avilio, Nero’s development is needed in order to show how the “protagonist” of the show has become even less human than the “antagonist”.

  Enjoyment - 9.5/10
  I obviously enjoyed this show a lot especially as I became more and more invested in the two main characters and their relationship together with each episode. The plot is not the best but it still kept me interested and I was only bored during one episode around mid season which was too slow and didn’t really have any major story or character developments.

  Summary
  There is a clear goal and vision behind 91 Days and it absolutely shows. The anime properly and successfully delivered a complete story for its two main characters that the writers perfectly understood. 91 Days is not a masterpiece nor is it something that will completely transcend storytelling in anime, however it is an extremely entertaining and thought-provoking show that I would highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind a relatively slow-paced character drama.

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