I rated this 5 Star so that folks will maybe see this and not get as confused as I was....

The movies ARE the episodes. There's also a couple of side things... The Special One listed has two different entries in it. Epilogue (which comes after the last movie) and the other extra is called Extra Chorus (not sure where it plays in the timeline after Oblivion Recording maybe?) Then the second special is Seventh Gate Remix to be played after the Seventh Gate movie.

Reading this will save you 45 minutes of confusion and wikipedia searching.....

Now that I have it figured out... I can get to watching it and give it a proper review. (show less)

I was first introduced to this series via a YouTube video showcasing the spiral fight in movie 5. The action was tight and the animation kept up with it. But that isn't what impressed me the most. The music was breathtaking. I watched the series last winter which happened to coincide with me meeting my fiancé'. So I may be a tad bias but this is my favorite anime series. The storytelling is done very cryptically and is hard to understand at time since many of the themes in the series are quite ambiguous. But the feeling of wonder and awesome confusion is unparalleled. I've never felt so captivated. The mood and atmosphere is very ethereal and moody. It also has some fantastic art even if the character designs are a tad generic save for the main character Shiki Ryougi. The animation and sound are top of the line and it should not be missed. (show less)

What can I say to convey to you the admiration I have for this series? After finishing this anime for the first time, only one word was in my mouth: AWE (and in the good way). There is really nothing like this (well except for similar content found in Tsukihime), but what I meant is that there is no anime thought out, made, or crafted like this—it is really unique. I watched Tsukihime first, and even though it was old and thus its animation wasn't good in today's standards, i found it quite likable and pleasant, so I was excited to watch another Type Moon anime. But this one literally blew me away; boy, it IS confusing! And I enjoy watching complicated things and anime, but this one sets the standards.

One of the most salient characteristics of this anime is the mystery. The mystery keeps you in your seat guessing and guessing even after the anime is over. It is intentionally distorted in such a way that watching the whole anime is like putting the pieces of a giant jigzaw puzzle together. If you don't want to think, there is no point in watching this. It is philosophical at times and metaphors abound throughout the episodes. Yet, it somehow retains enough information on each episode that allows it to stand alone as a piece. Believe me, your brain will be working unconsciously ever since the first five minutes. A great dynamic of reason and chaos.

And of course, this is a MATURE anime in every way possible. It has nudity, intense graphical scenes, intense violence, and is psychologically disturbing on the very least. But not only that, it also requires a mature mind to make sense of the plot and, most importantly, appreciate it. If you like One Piece, Fairy Tail, and that type of thing, YOU WON'T ENJOY THIS. This anime is levels away from "cultural garbage" such as the aforementioned titles (hope you will forgive my language, but it is my honest opinion).

I particularly enjoyed the graphical intensity with the balanced story plot. And the animation is definitely one of the best out there—I will go as far as to suggest that together with Fate/Zero, there is no better animation out yet. Furthermore, the blend of suspense, action, and horror is quite brilliant. Don't expect to get the anime until you have watched all the episodes for this one is quite messy, and messy in a good way.

I don't want to spoil this, but I found that after I finished watching it I both liked and disliked the end. Yet, this one has made it all the way to the top on my favorite lists, and believe me, I have watched so many yet few are able to make it to my favorite list. Three more words about this anime: I want more! (show less)

This was a pretty good looking anime that I originally thought wouldn't take too long since it was only 7 episodes, boy was I wrong. This anime has the longest episodes I've ever seen for an anime its almost like seven movies shortest being 45 minutes to longest being 2 hours.
Besides the jaw dropping episode length it was a very well animated and had a wonderful soundtrack. The quality of the downloads is also very good so that was pleasing.
The length of the episodes helps to provide character development and also gives the audience enough time to get to know the characters even though its very short in terms of episode numbers.
The shorts at the start were very interesting and the way it is presented gives it a very unique feel. Another thing to note is that some episodes have little bits of the anime after the credits not all of the episodes have it but some do. Its not overly important to get but it helps piece together some of the plot.
Down to the negatives the timeline of the anime is very messed up. It starts first episode present second and fourth episode past and then there that one episode where almost nothing made sense until the very because they kept going forward and then back (Paradox Spiral is the name). If you want the timeline clearly presented to you look it up on wikipedia.
The violence for the anime is also very strong so not exactly recommended to the light-hearted. Most are within tolerable viewing for me but I think a few were a bit over the top. Last episode got a bit ewie with a stalker inpersonator cannibal person who drools a lot. Its a dark anime so I guess this is to be excepted so do keep in mind that the comedy is very small.
Also I felt not all of the things were laid out very clearly. You don't find out about "the accident" until the last episode (irritating) and a couple of other things weren't all that easy to understand.

All in all its a very good anime in terms of action, magic and gore. However if you don't like strong blood and violence, sexual references such as rape or confusing plots then maybe you should consider another anime. If you liked this anime then you may also be interested in the manga or light novel. Other anime made by the same group are Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night and Mahoutsukai no Yoru. (show less)

While the story was really compelling, there was the beautiful animation and character styles, with some familiar voices as the lead characters! It was fun to notice the characters likenesses to other characters from Type-Moon's other series such as Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime.

For anime fans who are into Type-Moon's work, but not really into blood, gore and nudity; it's best not to watch this series. If you can get past that, then enjoy the interesting storyline, quirky characters and the music (that's great too)! It's a movie series that really makes you think, keeps you guessing and always interested!

Don't be put off by the movie-length "episodes", it's an awesome series! (show less)