91 Days Revenge is a dish best served cold

If you loved The Goodfellas, Public Enemies, Peaky Blinders and the The Godfather trilogy, you will not be disappointed by this brilliant and sophisticated piece of artwork. Studio Shuka is responsible for 91 Days, a show that proves to be immensely successful in keeping its viewers in a perpetual state of suspense. Unlike most anime, it does not adapt from a manga. So, it may not have an entrenched fanbase but on the bright side, there won't be any pointless debates on whether the manga or the anime adaptation was better.

The anime follows the story of a young boy named Angelo Lagusa who is on a quest for revenge. The storyline is set during the Prohibition Era, where the police force is regarded as a useless bunch and crime is considered to be the norm. In a town pertinently named Lawless, three mafia families reside at the top of the food chain: the Orcos, the Galassias and the Vanettis. Thanks to the constant clashing between these gangs, the streets are a battlefield filled with meticulous backstabbing, questionable alliances and.

The story starts with Angelo and his brother Luce waiting for their father's arrival. It's a sweet, wholesome moment as their father embraces his two precious boys. Then, all of a sudden, the soothing ambience is broken by the unexpected visit of three large figures in trench coats. Angelo hides in his closet and stares in horror as bullets pierce through his family members, and they drop dead on the floor completely soaked in blood. This is it. The event which will haunt our main character forever. The event which will lead him to take a path of bloodshed and betrayals.

After seven years, Angelo (now under the alias of Avilio Bruno) resurfaces and enters Lawless, having received a note from an apparent friend of his father with the names of the people who killed his family on that night. Thus, Angelo joins the Vanettis as a subordinate, befriends the Don's son Nero and secretly plots his revenge on destroying this crime syndicate from the inside. Throughout the story, the dynamics between Nero and Angelo are beautifully portrayed as they encounter the Orcos, Galassias and other salient yet shady characters like Fango and Corteo.

I'll admit, I initially didn't like 91 Days as I thought it was going to be filled with action scenes alone. After only three episodes, the sheer amount of twists and turns made this one of my favourite shows. This anime constantly kept me on the edge, as there was no way to be certain on who's going to die and who will live, only the falsehood of plot armor that is overruled the moment two opposing party's path crosses.

 It's gripping narrative and amazing storyline will make you want to keep watching it until the end. All of the OSTs and the opening are very nostalgic and heart-touching, which reflects the amount of guilt and sadness in the head of our main character. The only downside is the animation style, which isn't exactly top-notch, but if you are invested enough in the story, it won't be a problem at all.