Life is idyllic and unassuming in the small town of Sotoba, a simple place where everyone knows everyone. However, tragedy strikes when Megumi Shimizu, a young girl with high aspirations, unexpectedly passes away from an unnamed illness. Over the torrid summer months, as more unexplained deaths crop up around the village, the town's doctor—Toshio Ozaki—begins to suspect that something more sinister than a mere disease is at play.
Toshio teams up with Natsuno Yuuki, an apathetic and aloof teenager, and siblings Kaori and Akira Tanaka, two of Megumi's friends, to unravel the dark mystery behind the deaths in Sotoba. With their combined efforts, the investigation leads them toward an eerie secret pertaining to the new family in the Kanemasa mansion.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
momiji-no-kimi
Heya~ Story: 6/10 "Who's the real evil?" Who cares? It seemed pretty black and white to me logically. (Personally: If you're dead, stay dead.) I didn't feel any sympathy for either side. So I didn't end up contemplating life. Also I already knew humans are terrible. I guess a reminder didn't hurt? (Concept was good enough for bonus points in story rating. But, mainly, the endless blood showers ♥) Art: 3/10 I still remember when my brain just said, "Deal with it, it's episode 17 already." The drawing style is unique but I didn't find it beautiful, it was bizarre. I guess it suits how messed up the animeis but it doesn't change things for me; didn't like it. Bonus points: Managed to live with it.
Sound: 7/10
I actually liked the music and anything sound related, it was the one thing I couldn't complain about. It wasn't painfully out of place or too weird.
Character: 2/10
Oh wow. In one word, UNLIKEABLE. Most of them were painfully annoying or despicable. Even the kind ones were annoying to me, like that best friend guy that kept crying. I can't explain without spoilers but ask yourself, "Is it worth ruining my day for?" Not really. "Why do that?!" or "Just do it!!" moments are too many a person should ever experience in a single series.
Enjoyment: 5/10?
I managed to sit through 24 episodes overall so it's compelling in its own way. Who's gonna die next?? Is everyone a piece of *** or will they actually grow as characters?? Tbh, it actually took me a few episodes to understand what was going on so there's some major potential this could have been shorter than it was.
Overall: 6/10
100% would not rewatch. 6 is actually generous but I base my ratings on concept potential usually. Don't get me wrong, it was compelling enough to keep me interested, BUT, it was compelling in a bad way. I kept watching to see if anyone of those fudgers actually pulls through for me.
Conclusion: If you like messed up stuff, this could be for you.
Everyone's review seems to be raving about how good Shiki is and so I'm just wondering maybe there is something wrong with me. (Well, there must be if I managed to get through this bloody anime without losing my appetite but that's another issue.) Why did I bother to write this you may ask?? I think it might be nice for other people to have some closure that they're not abnormal for not raving about it and that it's not for everyone, I'm like Batman of the anime world. Thanks for reading.
xDaydreamer
Shiki had such an awesome premise, however, from my perspective it fails to do that premise any justice. I will try my best to give a feel for the story, spoiler free of course. The story and artwork just weren't my cup of tea, but I understand some might enjoy this type of story / cast so I will attempt to avoid outright trolling. STORY I was very disappointed in the story for a lot of reasons. It progresses painfully slow, and the character development eventually drops just about everyone in the 'gray area' between good and bad. So basically by the time the climax comesaround you have nobody to root for. You don't care if any of the main characters survive, shiki or human.
ART / SOUND
This is what ruined it for me. I probably would have enjoyed the story more if the art wasn't so ridiculous. The hair on some of the characters...the hair. It's like Super Saiyans on crack. Gravity defiant, logic defying hair that makes the living humans look undead even though they're still alive. The elderly and even some of the young characters (Masao in particular) look hideous right from the start. It's not scary, in my opinion it's just unpleasant to look at. There's not much to say about the Sound. It didn't really leave an impression. The sound effects weren't always used the best way (I.E. Excessive cracking noises coming from a Shiki that is barely moving it's neck)
CHARACTERS
A lot of the characters are so incessantly obnoxious to the point where you want them to die. Then they die. Then you realize crap this is Shiki, I have to wait for them to die a second time before I'm through with their BS. Even the characters you like in the beginning betray those good qualities by the middle / end. One more thing, chain smoking doctors aren't cool. You're supposed to be a doctor dammit, save those cigarettes for us non-doctors.
CONCLUSION
Shiki failed to live up to my expectations. I feel like Shiki never intended to give you a likeable cast. The point of the story is to submerge you in moral ambiguity with a bunch of mediocre characters and slow moving plot. Most likely the goal was to have the viewer ask him or herself in the aftermath of the climax "What was (morally) good? What was bad? Was anybody really in the right?". It's left up to the viewer to decide without the anime deciding which side was 'right' for you. Unfortunately, at least in my case, by the time I got to that point I didn't really care enough about the story, the characters, or the ending to think too hard about it.
Fear_the_Reefer
Something strange has been going on in the quaint village of Sotoba... Ever since those wealthy outsiders built their lavish mansion at the top of Kanemasa Hill, there has been a succession of mysterious deaths... People of all ages will become lethargic and anti-social, refuse to go to the doctor, and then die after only a few days... Could it be an epidemic? Some new disease? And are the rumors true that the dead are still walking around? Those newcomers are certainly strange, and Sotoba does have ancient legends about Okomiyagi, or the dead coming back to life...But those are just stories, right?
Based on a series of novels from 1998, Shiki tells the story of an entire rural Japanese community as it deals with one mysterious death after another, slowly whittling their population down as their efforts to explain it... And hopefully put a stop to it... yield no results, no answers, and an ever diminishing sense of hope. It isn’t until a few open-minded individuals start to consider the supernatural that they finally begin to make some real progress... Unfortunately for them, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
With a cast of hundreds like this show has, it’s essential that you set aside a special handful of characters for the audience to follow, so we can explore the story from several different perspectives. Shiki has this requirement covered, as it gives us three very different pairs of eyes to look through. First, we have Natsuno, a disgruntled teenaged boy who’s been forced to move into this village with his new wave, idealistic parents. He despises the village, and refuses to make any long term connections, believing that doing so will make it difficult when they finally move back out. Of course, despite his best efforts, a close circle of friends do form around him. In fact, Megumi... One of the very first people to be killed by the mysterious epidemic... Had an obsessive one sided crush on him... and it seems that even death can’t take her away.
Our second leading role is Toshio Ozaki, the director of the primary hospital in Sotoba. Having taken over the clinic from his deceased father, he’s a driven and tenacious doctor who’s initially baffled by the amount of people inexplicably dying around him, and having come up against a challenge like this, he will stop at nothing to overcome it... And I mean nothing, as his quest for a solution leads to him experiencing and performing some of the cruelest acts imaginable.
And our final lead is Ozaki’s childhood friend, Seishin Muroi, a local priest and a moderately successful author. His novels tend to be on the poignant side, dealing with subjects like loss, betrayal, and abandonment by God. This attracts the attention of Sunako, the little daughter of the newcomers, who’s apparently a huge fan of his work. He forms a connection with her over time, as his pacifist religious beliefs gradually lead him to develop a sense of sympathy for the beings that his best friend Toshio has sworn to destroy.
The rest of the cast is made up of smaller roles, the basic types of people you’d expect to see in a tightly-knit little community... You have business owners, rebellious teenagers, concerned parents, comfortable elders, nurses, teachers, happy go lucky children... All of whom deal with the growing problem in their own unique ways. And for such a large cast, the dub is surprisingly on point. It”s a Funimation effort, but it’s a really odd Funimation effort, where the lead characters are all portrayed by actors that you normally wouldn’t see attached to such high profile roles. Toshio is played by David Wald, a long time actor who’s somehow stayed completely off of my radar until just now. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for him in the future, because he rasps and grumbles his way into the jaded, chain smoking doctor as though he was born to play the part.
Seishin Muroi is played by John Burgmeier, a man who rarely ever steps out from the technical side fo a dub for anything other than a bit part... He directs, he writes, but when he acts, his subdued performances are normally outstanding. He plays down-trod, broken men as though it were a second language, and his role in Shiki is probably one of his best voice performances since Gunslinger Girl. Jerry Jewell also does a commendable job on Natsuno Yuuki, and you’ll find pretty much every Funimation voice under the sun sprinkled here and there... Hell, even Anastasia Munoz gets an appearance... but the star of this dub has to be Cherami Leigh, who plays the ominous Sunako, who looks very much like she was taken directly from a Katy Towell cartoon. I wish I could tell you why her performance in this role is so perfect, but to go into detail would mean giving away some serious spoilers.
There’s at least one bad egg in the dub, however, and surprise surprise, it’s Tia Ballard. Tia plays the role of Megumi Shimizu, a sixteen year old girl who dreams of getting out of her quaint, suffocating home town and going to a college in the big city. And she will not shut up about it. I know that in anime, non conformists are often portrayed as loud, disruptive nuisances, and they did a very thorough job of it with this character, but when you combine that archetype with tia’s shrill, screechy voice, she single-handedly renders the first episode almost completely unbearable. Thankfully, she only really has a strong presence in this episode. Spoiler... She dies in it.
Now, when I tell you that this story is about a small group of protagonists struggling to put a stop to the mysterious deaths happening all around them, with ticking clock being their worst enemy, you may think that concept sounds suspiciously familiar. Well, that’s because you’ve seen this same plot before, as Another and Hell Girl: Two Mirrors have both tried... And failed miserably... at making you care about it. But where those two regrettable shows failed, Shiki succeeds with flying colors.
Unlike Another, Shiki doesn’t make over-the-top, ridiculous spectacles of it’s death scenes, choosing instead to focus on word of mouth and the sad faces of relatives, so that it can liberally float between tragedy and statistic depending on the tone that any given death calls for. And unlike Hell Girl Two Mirrors, Shiki paces itself, putting just enough time between each death so that it can drain the hope of the viewer, little by little, as it spirals down towards one hell of a catastrophic ending.
And with that manipulation of hope, Shiki is one of the most well executed horror anime titles that I have seen in a long time. There’s almost no filler in it’s entire 24 episode run, as every single event that occurs has a distinct purpose, and is placed exactly where it needs to be in the narrative. The first ten or so episodes are admittedly slow, building up the tension in the village to an almost OCD-like degree. Very few answers are found here, as tragic death after tragic death drives the residents to either blind paranoia or complacent acceptance of fate. By the second half, the nature of this menace has been all but revealed to the audience, even as our three main characters slowly come to terms with a truth they know they shouldn’t accept, and with a terrifying threat that comes to face them almost immediately after they come to face it.
It’s a brilliant, gripping story that will have you skipping through the otherwise beautiful openings and closings just so you can catch the next development as quickly as you possibly can. While you may find yourself hard-pressed to experience any emotional reactions through the majority of the story, as death will inevitably become commonplace in this kind of story, there’s enough disturbing, unsettling material in the final act that will not only horrify you, but will also completely subvert your expectations of a horror story.
As much as I would love to continue to praise this series, and call it one of the most excellent horror titles i’ve ever seen, I can’t. It’s time to talk about the artwork and animation, and I can already feel my hand reaching out to grab hold of my bottle of Haterade. Why? Because this is one butt ugly show.
Okay,. maybe that’s not fair of me... It’s not the artwork itself that’s bad, as it doesn’t look sloppy or anything. If anything, the backgrounds and environments are easily on the high end of the scale. No, what I really have problems with is the art design. The characters look ridiculous, with angular faces and giant, cartoony eyes, and so many bizarre, gravity defying hairstyles that even a Pokemon animator would say “Hey, dial it back a bit!” No, you know what? Forget Pokemon. Looking at Shiki’s character designs is like watching someone from Clamp come up with their own Yugioh Spin-off. It would be okay if this were some wacky comedy, but it’s not... Shiki is a mature, poignant show that asks you several profound questions and dares you to come up with your own satisfactory answers.
And if you really want to see this show go from ridiculous to horrifying in the blink of an eye, just wait until one of the characters starts to cry. These characters don’t cry the way normal anime characters cry... They cry thick, opaque marbles of liquid that could make a serious claim at being one of the scariest elements of the show. If you were to take a frame of it out of context, you’d think you were looking at an image from some ill advised Eiken sequel... And no, I am not even remotely joking about that. The art design of this show is distracting as hell, and took me out of the story more times than I can count. And the animation quality is no prize either... It’s one of the cheapest looking shows that Bones has ever produced, and if you know Bones, you know how big a claim that is.
In spite of this, Shiki is a very strong anime title that has a lot to offer you... It’s bold, thought provoking, and without a single hint of pretense. It succeeds at exploring ideas and concepts that cause other shows to flop face down onto the floor, and if you’re looking for a very broad hint at what these ideas are, one of those floppers is my old arch-nemesis Blood C. Unfortunately, with an irritating first episode and a constant assault of distracting and sometimes even inappropriate eyesores, you have to put up with a lot of abuse to appreciate this show, so I really can’t see it reaching the level of quality that it deserves to. It’s still a great show, and I strongly recommend checking it out, but I can’t give it any higher than a 7/10.
Lindle
Shiki, or Corpse Demon, is effectively the story of a village in the middle of nowhere being subjected to a mysterious string of unexplainable deaths. If you want to watch this anime and go into it 100% spoiler-free, even though this is not much of a spoiler at all, look away now. The deaths are, of course, being caused by vampires. While they take their sweet time coming out and saying it, it's pretty obvious from a really early stage. But don't tell any of the characters that, because they don't half take their sweet time working it out. Over half the story is dedicated towatching the cast struggle to grasp something you worked out by the second episode, which is effectively this show's most crippling weakness.
Now stop. Do not hit the "Not Helpful" button just yet. Before you have a knee-jerk reaction to this, let me clarify my point quite firmly: No, I do not, by any stretch of the imagination, think that assuming the existence of vampires to be true is a logical conclusion. Not by a long shot. However, there are several very simple logical steps they should have gone through that would have lead them to it.
The most glaring of these is shown through Shiki's focus on the medical aspects of the show. One of the few things that sets the story apart from every other vampire story is that we see the doctors dealing with all the deaths trying to work out and explain what is going on. This would be a lot more compelling if they didn't miss an obvious sign. They promptly go through every aspect of the deaths, but leave one thing out: every victim shares a pair of bitemarks on their neck. Aside from the symptoms themselves, this is the only thing that every single victim has in common. But the medical staff don't even try to explain it. On top of that, every patient died of severe anaemia, but had no rational way of losing so much blood. Except the bitemarks, the only possible explanation and a plain and simple way of putting the only two loose ends together.
Now, once again, let me clear this up: I do not think that the bitemarks shoudl have instantly made them realise vampires were behind this. But so much about it makes it clear that vampires would have crossed their minds. Even if they initially brushed it off as implausible, they would have thought of it. Instead, this thought takes a long time to occur to anyone, and when it finally does, they are bizarrely accepting of it.
But even once they do realise it, they have to spend a long, long time convincing everyone else. In troper terms, this effectively leads to the villagers Dying Like Animals from sheer stupidity. Which leads to a highly drawn-out stretch of episodes consisting of Dr. Ozaki trying to stop the villagers from essentially jumping headfirst into their own graves.
On that note, the characters of Shiki are, to put it generously, less than likeable. There is only one personality in the entire series that is simultaneously interesting and does not make you want to punch them in the face, and that is Dr. Ozaki. The remaining cast are either boring, or sociopathic for no apparent reason. There are also a small handful inbetween who are mildly interesting but very stupid. Effectively, this is both the best and worst thing about Shiki. On the one hand, the cast is utterly insufferable. On the other, they die. A lot. And it manages to be gloriously, gloriously cathartic.
It is also what makes Ozaki such an empathetic character. Ozaki is the only sane man in the entire village. And he is just as frustrated as you are at their complete lack of survival instinct. Also, despite some earlier absences of common sense, Ozaki really manages to pull out some incredibly impressive tactics. And I mean REALLY impressive.
In spite of all the show's failings, in the final act it really gets it together and does a complete 180. This leads to an incredibly impressing finale, that is nothing short of a war. It leads to the point that anyone can (and probably will) die. Sadly this is only for the last 6 episodes, and at this point it is too little, too late. While these episodes were absolutely stellar, they don't quite justify watching the previous 16 episodes.
From a technical aspect, Shiki ranks to the latter on the scale of good vs OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!. The art style is about as awful as they come. The hair on the characters is the most stupid I've ever seen. Anime, as a medium, is known for its love of stupid hair, but even among them Shiki manages to be unbelievably appalling. The sound is quite a bit better, being a user of eerie ambient music. The first OP is also quite an excellent song, excellently merged with the animation. The remaining OP/ED themes are fine, but unremarkable.
I mentioned earlier that there were three ways that Shiki attempts to stick out from the vampire crowd, the first being the medical aspects. While none of these were very well-executed, they are still interesting: The other two being that the humans vs. vampires war is portrayed as simply being two opposing forces simply trying to survive, rather than good humans vs. evil monsters... and the third, being that they focus on the angst of those forcibly turned into vampires, having to kill people they once knew to survive.
Overall, Shiki has a lot of good ideas but in the end doesn't really execute them every well. It's a mixed bag, with enough upsides to keep it watchable earlier on, and with an excellent finale. Still, it really isn't worth watching in the long run.
Story/Plot: 5/10
Animation/Graphics: No seriously, what?/10
Music/Background: 7/10
Characters: 3/10
Overall: 6/10
For Fans Of: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, Dance in the Vampire Bund.
thenhk
I was directed to Shiki by a fellow anime fan who, like me, enjoyed more horror based anime. He insisted that Shiki was superior to shows like Another or Higurashi, since it created "characters you cared about". Having now watched it, I am wondering what he was smoking. I'll go through each aspect individually. Tharrrrr be spoilers (at least in the plot section), so read at your own risk. Art = 5 I'm torn on this one. On the one hand, the backgrounds are great. It looks like a small village. They are beautiful, though a bit colourful at times for an anime which is supposed to be "dark".Points also go to this one for mixing up the character designs and not having all the characters as beautiful supermodels. Though not excessively gory, the blood and gore aren't skimped on either, another important point.
On the other, there are big problems with the character designs. Some of the characters look utterly ridiculous. Seriously, what is with their hair? It detracts from the "horror experience". The best horror anime have characters who look vaguely like real people, not people who have had their hair styled by Ronald McDonald. Okay, enough about the hair.
Another nitpick I had about the art was how obvious it was when a character was turned, so to speak. Red eyes, glowing white skin, just unnatural looking. It might have been more interesting if it was hard to tell the two groups apart.
I am pretty forgiving when it comes to art so I can ignore a lot of ugly if the story is decent.
Sound = 7
Credit where credit is due here. The majority of the voice acting worked for me. Everyone had a distinct voice and most of them were fitting. I couldn't tell you what any of the minor characters voices sounded like (or if they were "off") but that doesn't bother me in the slightest.
The music is ... interesting. The openings are fine, for the most part. Ending songs aren't quite as good but still passable. Some of the in-show music works very well, in a creepy subtle way. By that token, there is also some that are too subtle and fail to evoke any mood. And then there's the weird pop-techno blend song that comes in once in a while. Each time I heard it, I spent the entire time trying to figure out what popular song it sounded like.
The sound is pretty good. It works. No real problems here.
Character = 3
We start off by sticking close to a pink haired girl named Megumi. She is a stuck-up bitch who hates the town she lives in (and many of the people, including some who go out of their way to be nice) and has an unhealthy obsession with a boy named Yuuki. Think she's the protagonist? Nope.
What about Yuuki? He's the outsider who's just moved to a new town and is slowly making friends. Again, not really the main character. We spend a good portion of time with him until about a third of the way in.
The people we spend most of the time with are the Doctor (Ozai) and the Junior Monk (Seishein). This is a mixed blessing, since Ozai is perhaps the most interesting and likeable character in Shiki. Megumi is, for the most part, annoying as all hell, though she gets better as the series goes on (and her role is downplayed). Yuuki is tolerable but never really breaks out as a character. He's the stoic (semi-)badass who says he doesn't want friends but has a good heart. Seishein is ... horrible. I know I'm supposed to agree with or sympathize with him since we spend a decent chunk of time with him, but he's a drag in every scene he's in. Ozai is perhaps the most logical and realistic of the characters. He realizes something is wrong and he ATTEMPTS TO FIX IT!
The problem with the characters is development. There is a large cast of characters, the majority of which aren't important anyway, which means we don't spend enough time with any character to get too attached to them. And very few of these characters change in any meaningful way. Most of the characters are the exact same whether alive or dead, though the dead do angst a bit.
The character I had the most sympathy for was the girl in the track suit. She's young, unprepared for this, forced to choose between doing unthinkable things and dealing with friends and family who have risen. Her increasing instability is one of the few interesting changes within the series. Too bad she's downplayed in the second half.
Plot = 3
There are spoilers now. You have been warned.
Shiki is about vampires. If you didn't know that going in, you would have figured it out by the second episode at the latest.
It takes the rest of the characters at least another three or four episodes to catch up. The plot is sloooooow. Most of the mystery, if there was any to begin with, is dispelled right away. Every once in a while, something interesting would happen and I felt like I wanted to see what was next. Then the plot would drag its feet a few episodes with no substantial progress being made.
To sum up the first 2/3rds of the plot, the vampires are killing people. A lot of people die. Only Doctor Ozai, Seishein and a few kids realize what's going on. Then the kids drop off the face of the earth for a while and barely factor in again (with one exception). Most episodes in this bit focus on Ozai trying to do something, the townsfolk doing nothing and Seishein being tormented. Should he do something? (YES!!!!)
To repeat, the vampires kill a good portion of the population and no one is all that disturbed about it.
In the last 1/3rd, the show does a 180 and tries to make us sympathize with the vampires. This might have worked if they hadn't been mercilessly slaughtering townsfolk for half of the series. There are some moments where you genuinely think the vampires have been dealt a shitty hand (not choosing to become one but being forced by whoever bit them), but they are few and far between. Suddenly, the humans are the bad guys for protecting themselves and their families against the immortal people who have been murdering them.
While many of the humans who are cleansing the vampires are obviously enjoying the experience waaaay too much, it's hard to argue that they're wrong in doing it. Should the vampires survive, the humans will just be mined for blood until there are none left. You can complain that the vampires want to live too and they've retained their memories, but the bottom line is that their existence is just to kill former neighbours and friends.
And then there's just moments of incredible stupidity.
-At one point, it's suggested that the Shiki want to convert all the humans they can so the village is entirely Shiki. This would make sense, if you forgot that they NEED the humans for sustenance. Without them, the vampires starve.
-A third to half the town is wiped out and everyone is content to believe it's an epidemic, yet make no effort to do anything about it.
-No one questions why there are now large populations of people who work only at night, why many families have just disappeared and where the death records have went.
-Ozai makes a tape of him dissecting his wife, proving the existence of Shiki .. then shows it to no one.
-If you can figure out Seishein, you deserve a cookie, his entire character and motivations make no sense.
-The technology problem prevalent in horror. Why does no one phone about this?
The final few episodes make an attempt to tie everything together but it only partly satisfies. Many of the characters motivations are still stupid and there are jumps that we're never shown.
This isn't to say that there isn't ANY depth in Shiki. There is. It just happens to be muddied by other aspects. In the second half of Shiki, we start being presented with questions about the value of life, whether it is ethical to kill (if your life is on the line), the propensity to deny rather than act. The questions are interesting. It's the way they're executed that doesn't do them justice.
Enjoyment = 4
I wanted to like this series. I really did. And there were some positives. I liked that they used some old-school vampire tropes (not being able to enter buildings without being invited ect). I liked the tracksuit girl. I liked Doctor Ozai, who has a couple of badass moments (though not enough!).
It's the pacing and the plotting that really let this series down. For every thought-provoking idea ("is it right to kill someone else so I can live?") or genuinely nice/interesting moment, there is much more padding. And stupidity. No one (besides a few characters) seem to ever catch onto what's happening before they kick the bucket. Everyone is so complacent that you wonder whether they're all too stupid to live. I was ready to scream at these characters sometimes. DO SOMETHING!
Overall = 5
See above, really.
Shiki has potential, but squanders it by dragging everything out and failing to make any compelling characters.
Look ma, no Twilight references!
Mind-freak
Death is terrible for anyone. Young or old, good or evil, it’s all the same. Death is impartial. There is no especially terrible death. That’s why death is so fearsome. Your deeds, your age, your personality, your wealth, your beauty: they are all meaningless in the face of death. Shiki is a very hard series to talk about without spoilers. It’s a show that you really need to see for yourself. Still, I consider this to be the best show to have debuted during the past half year, so I’ll at least try to vaguely explain why I consider itsuch an awesome and unique series.
Shiki is another one of those series set in a tiny Japanese village that’s set in the middle of nowhere. One thing that immediately stands out is how well it manages to colour that village: even the simplest of residents are given an identity. The entire town has about 1200 residents, and this show manages to make them so life-like that you actually feel like part of the village as the series goes on. It creates a truly excellent backdrop for the series to take place in.
First and foremost, Shiki is a horror series. It’s got a really thick atmosphere and most of the time it’s just building up and dragging the viewer within this atmosphere. It’s got plenty of disturbing scenes though, and that’s really where it’s at its best at. Now, there are times at which this show feels like this series is moving a tad slow and that it’s building up a bit too much. But trust me: it all pays off in the end with a fantastic conclusion. That’s all I’ll say about it.
The character designs in this series are… unique. I admit that they take their time to get used to, but that’s not really a problem considering the charms of the different characters. It’s perhaps not the series with the best characterizations, but they are written really well: when they’re developed, it’s done very boldly. The characters are also incredibly diverse, ranging from teenagers to adults well in their thirties, forties and fifties and that overall makes it into a great and huge cast to watch.
Most of the best episodes of Shiki are located at the end so it takes some perseverance to really get to great parts of the series, but the weak moments are very few and far in between. It’s got a haunting soundtrack and a stunning atmosphere. It’s not something you should watch when you can’t stand gore, but it’s a must-watch for anyone even remotely interested in horror.
Anthony_DiGrande
If you want vampires done right then this is the show for you. The story of Shiki takes place in a rural Japanese village called Sotoba that the only thing the residents do is gossip. New residents called the Kirishiki's moved into town and from then on mysterious deaths occur throughout the town and there are reports of the dead coming back to life. The one that suffers the most because of this is Toshio Ozaki, the doctor of Sotoba, because he wants to know why these mysterious murders have been happening. He later believes that the cause of the deaths are something more supernatural anddecides to investigate. Until he reaches a conclusion that the vampires are the cause of the murder and from there on it's just mass genocide of the vampires where the town decides to eliminate the epidemic and reclaim their town.
The major problem with this show is the first half. Not gonna lie I almost fell asleep during the first half of the show, but after episode13 then the show gets really good.
Shiki has a really disturbing tone. The one soundtrack that plays throughout the show is a little girl sing "Lalalaaaaa, lalalaaaaa" while a piano note plays in the background. That just gave me the creeps.
The characters that I am going to give mention to is Toshio Ozaki because he arguably the best character in this show. Another character is the local priest Seishin Muri who develops a relationship with Sunako Kirishiki and the bond they share is believable. The other character is Natsuno who is one of the few characters who believed early in the series that there were vampires and eventually becomes a jinrou, a vampire that possesses human traits like walking in the sun and eating regular food.
There is one character that is voiced by Todd Haberkorn that is just so FUCKING annoying. Now he is one of my favorite voice actors, but god dammit is his voice annoying in this show.
Like I said this is a show that does vampires right. It also adds a few layers to modern day vampires like different types of vampires and the process of turning into a vampire. The series starts out slow, but picks up towards the second half. Shiki also towards the end makes you feel really sympathetic towards the vampires because they are suffering not being human. In addition this show has very graphic scenes that I can remember just how grotesque the art and animation was for this show. However, the second half of this show is best part. That's why I'm giving it a 8/10 and give it a recommendation.
Tiri
Alright, this is my first time with a review so bear with me! Story: 8 Shiki did pretty well in this category. It was refreshing to watch a vampire story that didn't make you want to become one. They went back to the old school myths, where vampires can't be killed unless you put a stake through their heart, and they fear things like relics and crosses. They were actually the bad guys. There are already a lot of great romanticized vampire stories out there, so it's really nice to find the opposite. The episodes were well paced, and the anime as a whole did a great jobat keeping you on your toes and making you want to watch the next one. It did start out a little slow. The first few episodes were mostly just to give you a perspective on what the villagers were like and how future events would effect them, but at the same time you couldn't really skip them because there were bits and pieces you would need to see in order to understand anything that happened later. Once that was past though, the anime picked up really fast, so much so that I had a hard time waiting to see what was going to happen next. Watching an anime that's like a book you can't put down is a huge plus.
The plot itself was a little holey. As someone who likes a little science behind their fiction, I was disappointed that they didn't delve into the facts about why the vampires hated sunlight or what made them rise. But that's a minor mishap. My real problem was that there was no real back story to the Kirishikis at all. The main antagonists in the story were completely left without any context. While they hint at things here and there, you never really know anything about them. Especially Seishirou, and that really bugs me!
I have to applaud them for not being afraid to kill of characters, though. Far too many horror anime are hesitant to actually kill anyone, and sort of beat around the bush, instead. Especially when it comes to prominent characters, or younger ones. That probably sounds harsh, but it's really frustrating when characters just barely make it out alive, by miraculous events, over and over.
Art: 6
This is where the anime really falls apart. To be fair, the art wasn't truly bad. It was clean and well drawn, and the backgrounds were definitely on a higher scale. The real problem was the style. This especially in the character designs. Almost every character in the show, whether main or just a filler, had the most ridiculous, gravity defying hairstyles. It was annoying to say the least, and incredibly out of place in a horror anime. Even in a comedy, these hairstyles would be considered over the top. The eyes were just as bad. Not only were they too big for most of the character's faces, they were so awkwardly colored. Especially Muroi's, I will never understand why his were so different from everyone else's. The eyes also took away an element of surprise that the show really could have benefited from. If only they hadn't made the vampire's eyes such a dead give away.
The animation was on the crappier side, as well. It seemed to be quickly, and cheaply, thrown together. Many shortcuts were taken. In many scenes the people don't even walk, they just sort of fade in and out across the screen. And there was a lot of still pictures that just slowly zoomed out.
Overall, the art was way too distracting, and I almost dropped the anime because of it.
Sound: 5
I don't normally pay as much attention to this category as the rest. The music sounded okay to me. Nothing I'll be putting in my iTunes, but it worked with the show.
What really brings this category's score down was the dialogue. Now I only watched the dubbed version, so I can't speak for the original Japanese! But Christ, this was terrible. So many of the lines were awkwardly placed, or seemed to be missing a lot of context. And a lot of the characters would say things that completely clashed with their personalities. Again, this could just be because of poor translation, but as an official dub I really think they should have done better.
Character: 5
I was so disappointed with the main characters in this anime. All three of the most important ones had almost the same personality. Distant, a little cold, and angry (at either themselves or just everyone in general). There was no diversity! I know it's a more serious anime, but they should have branched out a little, at least between characters. The amount of generic personalities nearly killed me. Other individuals seemed a little displaced, especially Megumi. I know she was supposed to have an outsider kind of feel to her, but they went a little too far with it, and she seemed like she didn't even belong in the story at all.
The worst part out of all of it is they never gave you a character you truly got attached to. There was no emotional connection, none of the characters were really likable. Megumi was obnoxious, Natsuno was too reserved for you to even really get to know who he was at all, Dr Ozaki was way too cold, ect ect ect. There was at least one reason to hate every character. I really could care less who died and who survived, and that really took a toll on my experience with this show.
Enjoyment: 6?
That being said, I did still enjoy the series as a whole. Yes, they could have done better in a lot of areas, but I still kept watching regardless of it all. It's got it's own way of making you want to watch it. If not for any reason other than who's gonna die next, will that person rise up, and is everyone kind of evil or will there actually be some character development? I will definitely never re-watch it.
I'm not entirely sure I'd recommend this anime, though, especially if you're new to it! Don't ruin your first experience with something that's so-so. If you're really looking for an intriguing, gory horror story, go watch something like Mirai Nikki instead.
Smugdear
Based off the light novel written by Fuyumi Ono in 1998. Shiki is not your typical vampire themes, it is a rare breed of an anime. If we discuss vampire in anime, many words that come out. The phrases that often comes out are romance (Rosario to Vampire etc), and action (Hellsing and Trinity Blood) Many vampire anime got mixed up by those set-up while Shiki did a different thing than the others. Shiki throws tons of mystery to the plot, the story itself is more focused to the plot and fewer fillers. The story set-up in Sotoba. A village with large numbers of mysteriousdeaths that never happen before. The villagers didn't know what threat that will come to haunt them.
Another interesting from this story are they take a different viewpoint of the storyline. It's just so rare to found an anime that does that in the right place.The story has 3 leading roles, with a different point of view. While the pacing is different, The story goes with medium-slow pace, while the individual elements of mystery discovered one by one. Shiki has a little dull feeling in the early episode , but as the story evolves with mysteries & excitement in the air. My eyes just ask more, and more. The enjoyment shines in the finale. In just the end of 10 seconds of this anime, I saw a cyclone right in front of my eye.
I know that many viewers dislike the art of this anime. It's similar with 90's anime.
But, if you looked deeply, the art really represents the feeling of the story itself. The animation is done well, it represents fear and darkness in the night, and bring bright feeling when the morning in the story comes.
The sound settings are one of the most brilliant ideas. I'm not talking about quality, I'm talking about how much darkness feeling that spit out from the opening theme. While the ending was decent. The seiyuu did well in bringing such characters to the screen.
With millions of peoples within Shiki, it's really dangerous for the balance of the story. While other people think Shiki need do more development in their character, and they do have.. But, if we think logically, "How can we make a deep character in just 22 episodes, while the cast is crowded?'', even the best writer will be confused with this kind of question. But Shiki answers that ''We just need the major development in the essential characters, and throw a proper role to the rest...". The characters had their own proper roles, it's not perfect but it's enough to balance the story up.
And that's all about Shiki, a rare breed vampire theme. The anime do more to the plot although have some lack of points in the characterization, but it's worth to watch. If you seek a deep character, you won't get a bonus. But, if you interested to see a serious plot with a real vampire in the anime form, then the anime is for you.
JusticeUndone
Until maybe a decade ago vampire stories were at their prime. I, as well, used to be a big fan of such stories. In my eyes, those tales were thrilling, grasping me the whole way through and leaving me mostly utterly terrified. After hundreds of movies, books and tv series based on the vampire myth,though, vampires started to lose their original shine. They were just so overused that one could easily stop caring anymore. If anyone of you came asking me what I believed a vampire was I’m not quite sure of what my answer would be. Can they die from sunlight or do theyglitter like the sun? Are they really fearsome or do they look like they just came out of a beauty pageant? Questions like these, that many of you might have, at one point, thought, made me stop watching about vampires whatsoever. And then came Shiki, taking the vampire story onto a whole new level, returning them back to their former days of glory.
Story: 9
I think the true success of Shiki’s story is the fact that this time such a tale was told through the eyes of Japanese creators, making it effective in two particular ways. First, it was a fresh approach of a legend that belonged to different cultures than theirs, so that automatically helped the creators move off the beaten track. And then comes the slight mix with their own traditional myths of the “Okiagari”, which literally means the Risen.
Vampires in this show are just as they should be, afraid of light, can’t come out in the day without burning themselves, they don’t like holly water, charms and crosses, they drink the blood of their victims after completely hypnotizing them and they don’t fall in love with them..*ahem*
They also can’t enter a house uninvited. Then again, they have everything that a traditional vampire would be proud of, in addition to the so well know wooden stick killing method, that in contrary they so much loathe.
The myth of the undead, blood thirsty killers, this time, unfolds in a quiet, isolated village and at first look, common village, were sudden disappearances start to occur after a strange family moves in to the big mansion on the mountain. A few people are becoming aware of something out of the usual going on and that is how it all starts moving.
At first the story runs slow, just as the unaware victims continue to carry on their daily lives. So the pacing of the first part of the series might throw some of the viewers off, especially those who are fans of full time action. Well, how I saw things, this choice of pacing was indeed a clever one, not throwing the viewer into the middle of an already unfolded story, but slowly and steadily shroud him into its mystery. As it rolls, you will find yourself entangled in it, with questions that you just need to find the answers for, doubts about the actions and choices of some of the characters and some very clever twists here and there to spice up your viewing experience.
What I love about this show’s story is that it isn’t focused on the events around only one or a small group of characters, but it rather expands itself to cover the events on the whole village and its people and view the story from both sides, both the humans and the Okiagari. So, that will help you get a feel of the broader plan of what is going on. Yes, it’s quite common to expect the endless battle of humans versus vampires, but this time you get to see both sides. In fact, you might be even puzzled about actually labeling what is wrong and right, bad and good, from some point on. It’s a fight for survival, after all, and each side naturally decides in favor of their own kind.
~~ 友引 – Tomobiki Good luck, except at noon~~
A thing that’s fascinating about the story, which shows the effort of the creators, is this small detail of the dates shown at the start of each episode, that is crucial though for one to complete the puzzle. Until the 19th century Japan used a lunar calendar of six days, each having a special meaning of bringing luck or misfortune. Shiki uses this in each episode to determine what the nature of this day is, usually foreshadowing the events to follow.
Shiki always loves cliff hangers in the ending of each episode, so you will find yourselves trapped in a roller coaster viewing ride, which will be getting more and more intense until it reaches its peak. But when starting watching, you’re nowhere around guessing what would come out of all this in the very end.
I will admit that some of its final conclusions weren’t so satisfactory to me, a few things felt abruptly wrapped up, so only there, is where I deduct a point, because the ending is very crucial to me. But, of course, it always depends on what everyone expects to find as a final resolution. So all in all it was one of the most intense anime rides I’ve ever been on.
Characters: 9
Another thing that I loved about this show was its characters. Oh, they were plenty of them, and all so versatile. One can never get bored watching this, since you will find all type of characters, and you can easily pick one or two with whom you maybe will relate and follow throughout the story. A lot of people are accusing Shiki of shallow characters. My answer to them is that not every story created should be character driven, and this isn’t a story about teenage angst or a forbidden romance. You know were you got yourself into beforehand, am I wrong? So if you prefer stories focused on one character only, don't watch this.
To the rest, you've made a good choise, since you’ll find yourselves in front of many familiar types of characters, not in terms of anime norms, but relating to real life-types of people. And you won’t be the least disappointed about the depths of their personalities, despite the big number of characters existing in the show.
“What a wonderful day! No one in the village doing anything.”
Now, I don’t know if some of you might have an experience of living or even staying for a while in a small village. If you do, as I have in my vacations, then you would recognize some types of people in Shiki.
There are the small minded people that can’t compromise with thinking outside their little shells, focusing their lives entirely on their daily village routines, forgetting about the rest of the world. There are the gossipers, who of course want to know every single news of the village, since the news isn’t many anyway. There are the usual working people, who just do their jobs quietly each day. And there are also those who sit around in a chair doing nothing but watch the passers by and chit chat about mindless things. You can also find kids that want to escape this narrowed life experience and make their way to the big city and also a priest and a doctor who both try to find their own way to balance the life in the village.
When the events of bizarre deaths start to unfold, everyone will act differently according to their character and beliefs, and that is what’s the most fascinating about them. You’ll see bravery, stupidity, cunningness, understanding, fighters and whiners, some even getting advantage of the whole thing. Generally you’ll find many approaches and that is what makes the characters so enriched. Concerning most of them, you will never really learn any solid background information, and yet they feel so fleshed out and real. For a story driven show this is definitely a success.
Also, don’t forget that you’ll get to know, many of the opposing threat side of characters, the Shikis, as they all have their own unique personality to show. Being the supposedly “bad guys” who everyone fears, doesn’t mean they can’t be diverse.
All in all I’m more than satisfied from this show’s variety of characters.
The only point I deducted from this section is because of the use of some of them by the creators. I felt that characters like Natsuno, Megumi, Masao and a few others, could have been involved a little more in certain points of the story. They still are there and active, but they didn’t intertwine with each other as much as I hoped to.
Art, Animation: 10
Now this is, mostly, the section were haters of the show focus their flaming on. I won’t try to persuade anyone that what I see is more right than what they see. But then noone can try to change my way of experiencing things, respectively. That needed to be said, before I say that I found the art and animation both to be brilliant!
The art is indeed unique. I am not trying to play it cool saying that.
Unique and different doesn’t always mean it’s good. If those same looking characters were dragged and dropped into any other type of show I would at least thought the people making it tasteless. But not in this case!
The people who designed the characters knew exactly what they were doing. The faces have rough angles and the shape of their characteristics is unproportional. The hair is also so crazy that stands out from miles away. They all are like a weird cubistic imitation of some of Picasso’s craziest paintings. But were other people find this unattractive, here is exactly how this fact elevates the story. This specific oddity makes Shiki stand out, looking like an old creepy fairytail that comes out of a dusty old book or from one of those bedtime stories that a grandma used to tell her grandchildren around the fireplace. They remind me of Tim Burton’s seductive dark style and where could it fit better than in a story about vampires?
Vampires are anything but usual, they are extravagant, they are lavish but they are also fearsome and killers. So, the roughnesses of the sketches as well as the crazy colors depict the wildness of the story itself. Also the eyes of the Okiagari that don’t have pupils make it feel like you are looking inside an empty shell, as referring to them not having a human soul anymore. The backgrounds are drawn very nicely making this look really to be this enclosed village that the story describes, one that is far from civilization.
A small detail I found very beautiful is the part where the eyes of the Shiki were glowing red in the night and then their shadow slowly appeared, making it very creepy to watch.
The animation is equally good. Some movements may seem abrupt, but I think it adds more to the roughness of the story better than having gentle moves that create a smooth flow. So I really don’t find anything wrong with the animation being more rough than usual.
Music and Sound: 10
The music section is many times the most neglected in a series. As a big music lover, I hate it when, otherwise good shows, have some lame BG music and sound to support them. Sometimes I do find one or good Opening and Ending themes that stand alone though, because usually the background music of those series keeps me indifferent.
In Shiki though, the music is so brilliant that I don’t know where to start the praise from. The melodies aren’t just pretty or simply fit well, they are one with the show, the same entity. They blend so perfectly in each frame and time of the show that I’m positive Shiki wouldn’t be the same without its music score.
The first OP is mysterious, seductive, special. The second OP is eerie, magical, like a dark lament. The endings are equally seductive, particularly the second one that reminds me of music of past decades, having a passionate and also sorrowful sound.
The background music is equally awe-striking, it’s sometimes playful, sometimes harsh, others soft or sending chills down your spine. The various tracks use from natural sounds to human voices. Some voices sound like a jukebox, others chanting or making creepy but melodic sounds. Each and every single piece used, elevates the show.
As far as the voice acting is concerned, I saw a few new actors involved in this, which I find good for a change. They all did their work marvelously well, projecting each of the character’s unique personality. And then they went through many phases, having to show pain, anger, fear, scream or whisper. They all had a hard job, but pulled it off perfectly.
Enjoyment: 10
Many times during a show I find myself indifferent about what is going on with the story and the characters. Some stories manage to grab my attention back again, but usually I always experience one or two times of boredom that I just have to be patient until the good parts come in. Not with Shiki. Every time I started watching this I felt like I was glued to my screen, completely forgetting what was going on in my surroundings or how did I end up watching this at those late hours, hearing and watching nothing else but the show itself. I found myself so concerned about everyone’s fate, the art and music working like a magnet on me, that I just wanted this to go on and on as much as it was possible.
Overall: 9 - 9.5/10
For those of you who love intense experiences and look for a little more thought provoking shows Shiki will come as a real treat. It will keep you excited, at the edge of your seat, and at the same time it will make you the player of a big puzzle were you have to be very careful on what you see to finally create the whole image. What is equally cool about the whole viewing experience is that there are so many point of views from which you can observe this show that I’m sure that watching it a second time you’ll come up with different notes about it.
So if you love vampires or just love to watch a little deeper emotionally shows with a complete lack of pantie shots and silly fanservice, then this is exactly the show you’re looking for. A traditional, creepy, mystical, magical, dark, haunting and twisted fairytale. So just grab a mug of hot milk and join us near the fireplace.
Have a nice and creepy ride! :)
Thanks to everyone for reading this relatively long review. Please feel free to leave a comment on my channel with your thoughts about it or about the show.
Fragmentary
I'll be honest; this is my first review. As so, I am open to all criticism and feedback. After all, I'm here to inform you, not fan-boy rant or spew obscenities about a show. So, without further ado, onto the review! (I promise that was not intended to rhyme!) It's been a while since I dared to pick up a vampire anime. The modernization and romanticism of these blood-suckers in titles such as Twilight and other anime like Rosario + Vampire left me with much despair for this genre. Luckily, Shiki rekindled my appeal towards the night stalkers. After watching the entire series, I have to say Iwas pleasantly surprised. I went in not expecting much, and came out finding a hidden gem among anime. But, Frag, what makes this show such a gem? I'll do my best to answer that question in the following paragraphs, my dear readers!
Shiki's story starts off fairly simple. A small back-hill village that seems trapped in it's own little world. And it's because of this simplicity that the producers were able to catch the viewer off guard. Just when things seemed normal enough, there's just the smallest, slightest flash of insanity that reminds you you're watching a very mind-boggling show. As the story went on, the simplicity began to evaporate. What was left was more insanity. More horror. Shiki goes back to the roots of the vampires most older individuals remember. Burning in sunlight, fearing religious objects (such as crosses or buddha statues) and faith, coma-like sleep during the day. I don't want to say too much, for I wouldn't want to spoil anything, but I will tell you that Shiki does vampires justice after shows such as the Vampire Diaries. As the story progresses, you begin to become more enthralled within it's mysteries. Just as one mystery is figured out, more appear. It's what hooks the viewer, and it did so marvelously (I watched the entire series in one weekend.) Some people found the ending to be not what they were expecting, but I thought it matched the series as a whole perfectly; full of mystery.
I've seen quite a number of anime's in my time, and I've really come to appreciate good art when I can get it. I find there are two categories; shows that normalize their art to fit in with other anime, and shows that shape their own style. Obviously, it's impossible to be completely unique when manga itself is a repetitive art, but there are shows that manage to create a style that works well for it. Shiki is one of those anime. Watching it in HD, the animation was incredibly fluid. The scenery was vibrant and colorful where it should of been, and dark and horrifying where it ought to be. The horror scenes are really what entranced me, however. The way that the artists conveyed the terror of being watched during the night, of wondering if you'll wake up the next morning truly enthralled me. It's been a long while since I got chills watching an anime, and Shiki delivered quite well. Major props to the art team.
I had some mix feelings about the sound of Shiki at first. Loved the initial opening theme, but the choir and gothic music felt almost cliché at first. Over time, however, the anime's original soundtrack really grew on me. It didn't completely "WOW!" me, especially at first, but as the story progressed, the music really began to fit in with the emotions that this show stirs inside of you. The ending theme, like many other anime, really didn't impress me, however. It felt out of place for the type of anime Shiki is. Overall, Shiki's soundtrack did a great job after giving it time to settle in.
Now, what really made me adore this anime wasn't any of the above, but the characters themselves. I can't really say that there's a "main character" in this story, but some characters perspectives are highlighted more so than others as the show progresses. The thing about Shiki is that it hosts a massive cast; that cast being the village. You would think that spreading so much of the story throughout many characters would be a bad idea, reducing the chance the viewer can become attached to them, but Shiki manages to do quite the opposite. The key was the fact that the characters were believable. I've yet to have seen an anime (other than Clannad Afterstory) that manages to sport such realistic characters. From Megumi to Natsuno, to Toshio and Seishin; all of them feel like people I've met in my life, people that I can relate to or say I know. It's because that these characters are believable that you so quickly become attached.
Did you enjoy Shiki, Frag? Well, if it wasn't apparent enough already, it has truly been one of my greatest pleasures of anime to watch this year. When a company can piece together all these delicate categories of anime in just the right way, it can create a genuinely memorable experience for the viewer. Shiki is an anime I'm proud to add to my collection of favorites. Something I should mention is that the show really manages to get you to think about morals. What is truly right or wrong? Is there such a thing as pure good or evil? The best part is that Shiki leaves it up to you to figure out the answers yourself.
To sum it all up, I urge you to give the show a chance. Two episodes in, I was hooked, and I'm willing to bet it'll do the same to you. I'm surprised this show isn't more popular; it's a real breath of fresh air when it comes to the long neglected genre of vampires. Even if you've never been one for blood-suckers, you might find the genre more appealing after sitting down and watching Shiki.
Asunkuro
While Shiki is definitely not the best thriller anime out there, I wouldn't go as far as saying it is a complete waste of time. Despite the fact that the story is not really original (vampires and werewolves, yeah), it still manages to not be a copy/paste of others fictions (at least from the ones I know). The rule for people to "rise" (aka becoming a shiki) is actually a bit different from what you can usually see, and makes the plot more interesting. Also, the characters are not that original either (or unforgivable), but they still manage to make the view more enjoyable. Thedoctor and the teenage lead are the characters you can identify the most, and both make an acceptable job to advance the story. Then, you have the bitch girl, the pathetic teen, the scared-but-decided-to-act children, the 50-year-old brute, the nice-mean-guy, the seductive succubus, the little girl a bit scary, etc. The only one I don't get is the Junior Monk, which personality and motivations are unclear from the beginning and all along the story ; but he still manages to bring something to the plot.
I think the main problem of the anime is its pace : even if they shortened it by 5 episodes, it still would be too long. It would have been better to go for 12 episodes. Indeed, it starts ridiculously slowly, and NEVER accelerates ; consequently, the narration becomes quickly unbearable. Besides, they have the annoying habit to shelve the important facts, and sometimes you have to wait for 3 or 4 episodes to get your answer to what happened - and it's often very incomplete.
Anther thing I disliked is the way they want to make you sympathize with one or either side ; I know it's usual in this kind of show, but still, their arguments are so shallow that it just bores me. Yes, the shikis have to kill humans to feed and survive - yes, the humans have to defend themselves from their former friends if they want to survive too - but the way both are presented successively as monsters or as people who can't do otherwise diminishes the impact of the show. Should I remind that the point of a thriller is to scare the viewer, at at least to make him feel uneasy ?
Well, there are also some details that are not really explained, which is quite annoying too.
The last critic I would make is about the art : what the hell is wrong with their hair ? I mean, I could handle their funny (not to say ugly) faces, but the haircuts are too much. One guy literally has ears on his head, like a dog, and nobody notices a thing ! And what about the girls whose wig look like gravity doesn't exist ? Or the old guy with a beard going up ... You get used to it after 20 episodes, but it's still unsightly.
Well, I made a lot of critics, however the show is still somehow enjoyable and perfectly fulfills the job of distracting you for a few evenings. It's probably better to watch it at night (with an open window), and to not split the views too much - but don't expect too much from it either, since some parts might get you bored anyway.
Bishounen_Hunter
Shiki is definitely one of those nice surprises you didn't expect would be so good, considering the level of uninspiring and unoriginal anime fluff we see on the shelves nowadays. Despite receiving rave reviews by so many people from all walks of life, I was still a total skeptic especially when it comes to people praising any modern anime. Mainly since there is very little modern anime has to offer... beyond titties, panty-shots, moe, toothy grinning shounen-types with big weapons or powers, and giant robots... miraculously all within some kind of school setting. If you've seen one, you can basically say you'veseen them all. So imagine my surprise when i picked this title; after seeing these kids with bizarre hair and the cheery (somewhat simple) art style, I genuinely expected some type of "Pokemon's rendition" of vampires. Well, I was wrong, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. What I've learnt, is that regardless of it's appearance, there is some level of depth and complexity to this story that will make you enjoy it a lot more than perhaps you originally intended.
SOUNDS:
Let's start with the music first. I didn't like the first OP, Kuchizuke, I dunno what about it got on my nerves, maybe the howling/haunting male vocals or the fact that it fell between rock and pop. The howling voice does suit the overall creepiness of the series... but it just was not my cuppa tea. Strangely enough, I loved the second ED theme, Gekka Reijin, which is by the same band... with the same howling/haunting male voice but music and beats sounded smoother and the guitar sounded sexier. Can't say I felt the same way about the first ED, Walk no Yakusoku, it's not a particularly bad song, but this singer's voice got on my nerves a little bit as well. However, I really liked the 2nd OP theme Calendula Requiem, I like upbeat songs and liked the speed of the words.
I watched this series twice, once in Japanese and the other in English... either way is fine. I suppose, but I don't particularly feel the need to score Japanese audio that much considering people seem to generally like that more than English dubs, personally I will always pick English dubs because I prefer to not have to read subtitles. The English dub was
really good fit Shiki.
Art/Animation:
The art for this series is pretty nice... It's a mixture of quirky and childish character designs with the set designs being far more detailed and sophisticated. The character designs are definitely of the shounen variety: thick outlines, fierce eyebrows, funky hairstyles and a bright, solid colour palette is used. The real art is shown thru the various settings and backgrounds: walls have visible imperfections and textures, furnishings look believable, the woods look dark and foreboding. What I really appreciated was that we were taken everywhere thru the village, some homes were more modest than others, some were extravagant, the doctor's clinic, the gazebo, the shrine, etc. so many shows would have taken a lazier approach and not have made these settings as detailed. I will say however that the animation was pretty standard, considering this wasn't a type of show that had complex battle scenes then we can forgive that much. The "camera" pans, 360 rotations and semi-rotations used for dramatic effects were smooth enough.
STORY:
Shiki starts out with the story of Megumi, your typical kind of frilly teenage girl with a sour attitude--we all know the type! She moans on and on about being stuck in some hick town, completely devoid of any sophistication or panache... we can't blame her though, I know I'd be the same. Anyway, her bitchiness aside, she develops a little crush for the main character, Natsuno, then she becomes a little stalker, then dies in some freakish yet mysterious manner. Her death coincides with the rash of other mysterious deaths occurring in the village, and that's all I can really say about that without going into spoiler territory. Using "mysterious deaths" as an opener for an anime isn't new or rare but at the very least it serves it's purpose by making things very interesting right away. You will immediately have some sort of interest to find out what's wrong with that town... and that's when the narration can take it's time to slowly peel away the layers to reveal the mystery. I thought the pacing was really great, it was never slow and boring, but it never rushed into big excitement right away either, it was a well controlled and deliberate on a steady climb to a big finish... and it wasn't predictable-Another big plus in my book! Some episodes definitely toyed with your emotions, such as episode 14.
CHARACTER:
the character designs aren't too shabby, they're drawn quite attractively as far as general face and body shape is concerned... which is always a big plus in my book (who wants to look at ugly people?) But there were some minor niggles that worked their way under my skin. Let's talk about some of the hairstyles, some of them looked about as wild, hard and as immovable as tree bark...especially that little devil-child Sunako. I know according to Twilight, today's vampire likes to play around with a little mousse, maybe some hair wax, but her shit was just straight up ridiculous! Same goes for the nurse, Ritsuko, as much as I liked her character, that hair was silly. it was as if some green rattlesnake bit her on the back of the skull and hung there for all eternity. Then we had some chin problems, chins that ended in a very sharp point, a style I haven't seen since the 90s. And possibly the weirdest, most "perplexingly" annoying aspect of their character designs were the eyes... no I'm not talking about the black pupil-less eyes, even though those were creepy as fuck. No I'm talking about the fact that they drew eyelids above eyelashes on everyone. Really??? was this intentional or did someone fail Anatomy and Character Design 101? Eyelashes are at the end of eyelids, so why it's it that when these people lower their lids halfway, it also conceals their eyelashes? that's virtually impossible unless their eyelashes are tucked inwards and scraping their eyeballs. Also the monk's irises are too large! All that being said, these imperfections or designs don't bother me too tremendously and do not detract from enjoying the story.
There is a nice mix of characters in this series. You have young people, old people and everyone in between, each with varying personalities and stations within this small hick village. They were all drawn with somewhat realistic proportions and attributes, we didn't have freakishly busty 13-year olds or well fit looking old men. I particularly enjoy this diverse type of ensemble, because I believe the more diverse the cast, the richer the story will be. And this cast is pretty developed... well, at least as developed as 26 episodes can allow.
The story centres around three central characters: a stubborn gruff doctor, a pensive monk and a brooding teenager. These are the most fully realised characters with completed backgrounds and the narrative shifts from one perspective to the other. This is definitely a character driven series, which is probably part of the reason why I like it so much. Because besides these three central characters I mentioned before: Dr. Toshio Ozaki, Seishin Muroi and Natsuno Yuuki, almost every person in the town is given some kind of past or history no matter how inconsequential they are. You get to know these people personally, know their family, their story, empathise and feel their pain, their loss... even some of the so-called "bad guys." Which I especially liked! Nowadays, simply saying bad guys are just bad because they are, is not good enough. A good story goes beyond that, we need to ask; why are they bad? And are they really bad in the first place? Just because they are vampires, does that make them inherently evil? Shiki explores this really well.
VERDICT:
I gave this show a "9" because I saw something different about this anime. Vampires attacking a town isn't exactly a new concept here, but perhaps I appreciated this interpretation of the vampire... a more human-like vampire, ones with feelings and regret. Not feelings to the point of pure sappiness like Twilight but more along the same vein like "Interview with a Vampire" where vampires have their own personalities and behaviours... yet still have the obligations that come along with being a vampire. I also gave it a "9" because there are fewer anime clichés in this one, no high-schools, no unnecessary guns or explosions, no young grinning shonen with some big sword or robot saving the world...one power up at a time, no love polygons or dramatic death scene where someone screams "nnnnnoooooooo or akiraaaaaaa" for seven minutes. This was a proper story with a beginning, middle and a heck of an ending! Definitely worth the watch.
TheHand
Am I the only one who thinks the whole "humans doing inhuman things" as really trite and cliche? Well, if you think that this is an utterly original and deep idea, then I have the show for you: It's Shiki, where the vampires don't sparkle but do rival the Cullen's tendency toward being vanilla as hell. Shiki's main praise seems to be that it isn't Twilight and it's more about traditional vampires. However, most of the people who say this have no knowledge about traditional vampires in the first place so you shouldn't put too much stock in that. No, the switch midway through to the humans beingthe "bad guys" doesn't make this show intelligent. Perhaps if it was executed decently, you might be able to argue this but Shiki doesn't manage that.
Doctor Osai has been the most interesting and sympathetic character throughout the show and trying to paint him in a negative light doesn't work when the rest of the characters are pants-on-head retarded. Seriously, what the hell is the Monk even on about? How does Cain-and-Abel-are-one-and-the-same make any sense? What does that have to do with anything? The vampires are never fleshed out other than being either total douchebags or struggling vampires who don't want to kill but totally do anyways.
Oh, and the OPs suck. They fail at being scary or creating a mood or being halfway interesting.
AviJii
Shiki was my first anime that is all about vampires and werewolves. If you are a vampire story enthusiast then you will like this one. Ja! Vampire enthusiast or not read my simple review so you can get an idea on how did I finish this one even though I am not into vampire stories. Maybe at first you will hesitate to watch this one and I admit that I am one of them but for some reason I managed to finish the story and leave me "Amazed" and "Satisfied" Ja! Let's start this one. Art 7/10 : Art for location is really nice. Simple and verydetailed. Art for Shiki is not totally good when it comes to its character. I can rate it as an above average only. Lines are too sharp especially on chins, and there are also some issues when it comes to colours. Especially when it comes to the "Risen" features. I've interpret this one as they were emphasizing the viewers on what is the difference between a normal person and a vampire. ( I think )
But, maybe behaviour and eye colours are enough to determine this.
Sound 8/10 : Sounds are really nice but still in an average tone. I've never encountered any issues when it comes BGM and SFX. Totally rhymes with the theme of the story.
Character 8/10 : I am really amazed with this part as handling a huge number of characters is not easy. Although Shiki has only "Four" main characters; the other characters are not generic and they had difference with each other when it comes to 1) Behaviour 2) Characteristics 3) Personality and 4) Traits.
Also I enjoyed the town atmosphere when elders are chatting outside their houses very typical. (Thumbs UP)
Enjoyment 9/10 : I am not a Twilight or Vampire enthusiast but I really enjoyed this one. The idea of the plot and the story is really impressive.
Overall 9/10 : Ending was really impressive.
Note : This review never intended to persuade or to please everybody. All of the words that you read are only based in my opinions.
AyoooCee
Okay, lets try this again since my last review didn't go so well :p I finished Shiki just recently and i was very pleased with it especially in the beginning. The exposition was suspenseful and exciting. I noticed some people didn't like the slow start, i guess it's preference because i seemed to enjoy the build up. There was a vast cast of characters, typically these characters would be cannon fodder or they would lack substance. The cast of Shiki was the opposite. The show made you care for the characters and developed them well. Dr. Ozaki specifically had an really good voice acting performance. Therewere one or two characters that were slightly annoying and came off as whiney, or were slightly underused, but saying this is nit picking. Now back to the story, there was a slow build up but it was necessary to introduce the large cast of characters, and to build tension and anticipation. It also acted as a hook to keep me wanting more. Also, it felt pretty grounded even though it's obvious fiction. The animation looked great, all the colors and designs were pretty and fun to look at. The first intro suited the series well and the second wasn't half bad. And the score for the series sounds really good and suits the anime well. The sounds are very eerie and dark which is good. The middle of the anime is the best in my opinion. For some reason the ending didn't set as well with me as i was expecting. There were some things that were left un answered and some characters i felt just died for no reason at all. But overall there weren't really any plot holes and the story was great all the way through. I liked how in the beginning there was a mystery element which was interesting. So overall this was a great anime, i'm gonna buy it on blue ray and i most definitley recommend this as a starter anime for those just getting into the genre like i am. Or i'd recommend it to anyone in general.
Hope this review was helpful (:
LIQfilms
As the Sun sets below the mountain peaks, the rural village is masked completely in an inescapable darkness. Silent. Untouched. Tranquil. Unknown to them, the horrors that lurk outside, the villagers sleep on in blissful ignorance, as the creatures of the night gather in the confines of the woods. Darkness is broken; tranquilly smashed, to the sudden crimson red glow of eyes, illuminating the area with the red allure of blood. The Shiki have arrived for their next meal... Horror and anime are rarely synonymous with one another, and, despite the medium barely producing anything horror related to begin with, the few horror titles thatare out there don't exactly evoke fear in me. They either become unintentional comedies, such as in the case of Another, a show that took itself way too seriously, featuring the plot of a B-movie, while I laughed my ass off at every single stupid plot revelation and death (as I type these words, I feel more like a sociopath since I keep repeating the scene of the girl falling down a flight of stairs unto an umbrella, with it piercing her throat, as I chuckle to myself in amusement), or the character designs for the show are too distracting for me to take seriously and end up ruining the horror elements, such as in the Higurashi series. The only anime that has ever actually lulled me into a state of fear is Shiki, a show way back from 2010, and is one of the few vampire-esque anime I can think of that doesn't use their vampires for yaoi fanservice (although to be fair, Shiki does feature some hella pretty boys!) However, while excelling in the audio-visual department to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere, Shiki's narrative is less than stellar unfortunately, reducing it more so from a show with themes about morality in regards to the idea of survival and human instinct, to instead that of a campy B-movie, with a finale that is an absolute bloodbath, reminiscent of the level of gore found in 90s OVAs! Anyway, I've talked for too long now. Let's grab our stakes, our torches, and slaughter some Shiki!
During a particularly hot summer in a rural, isolated village in Japan, a young, 15-year-old girl dreams of a glamorous life in the city, free from the hardships that come from living in the countryside, until she mysteriously dies, causing a stir in the once quiet community. This subsequently triggers a series of mysterious deaths within the village, which just so happens to coincide with the arrival of a new family by the name of the Kirishikis (no surprise, that, from their name, this family are indeed the "Shiki", the family of vampires who have been indulging in the blood of the villagers). As this unknown epidemic begins to take more and more lives, the town's doctor slowly loses his own humanity in order to solve this mystery, and to discover the true intent behind the new family's arrival!
One can divide Shiki's narrative into three main arcs. The first arc in which the villagers attempt to learn what this epidemic actually is, and what is causing all of this death, mainly serving to slowly build tension and atmosphere, the second arc in which we see the Shiki transforming other people into vampires (or killing them, as the viewer learns that when bitten, some turn into Shiki themselves, or just simply die), and the battle between the humans and Shiki for survival right at the very end. While this concept does sound good paper, it's execution leaves a lot to be desired.
For starters, Shiki's pacing, especially at the beginning, is rather slow and tiresome, although the slow pacing can perhaps be argued as a positive element as it helps to build narrative tension, resulting in a rather fun payoff, and helps to create more mystery surrounding the Shiki themselves. Not only that, but the setting of the narrative complements this idea. Since it is set in a rural village, deep into the mountains, it creates a feeling of paranoia and isolation, which only grows more and more as the episodes go along, so the pacing is important in establishing atmosphere. However, the slower nature of the show always came across as more aggravating to me, than anything else, since many of the characters are stupid beyond belief! While the villagers originally believed that the cause of these deaths was that of Mosquito bites, it takes them a rather long time to figure out that Mostiquto bites do not come in pairs, nor are their bites always at the same distance from one another. Of course, I'm not expecting them to jump to the conclusion immediately that vampires are indeed behind this, since that seems rather far-fetched and silly to assume in reality, but the amount of time they spend on the Mosquito bite theory is truly annoying, since, we, as an audience, already know what is happening and just want the plot to actually go somewhere. The narrative attempts to try and hide the fact that the Shiki are vampires and slowly stretches out the answer, which, not only ruins any chance people may have of possibly re-watching the series since the revelation is so obvious, but it can also be rather tedious to watch. Hell, Stevie Wonder could have figured it out before these guys could!
Another problem the narrative faces is the sheer amount of characters introduced, and the lack of much time to flesh out anybody, making it hard to remember who is who. That's not to say that there aren't some decent characters, however. Take, for example, the doctor who I mentioned before, Ozaki, who is the only character actively trying to discover the secrets plaguing his village! Ozaki's transition of losing his humanity for the survival of the villagers is easily one of the most interesting parts of the show. We see him slowly transform from man to monster and this is handled well enough to never feel forced; the transition feels natural and well-paced taking its time throughout the duration of the early parts of the series as we see this man become more and more obsessed with finding the truth. As such, it makes for an interesting character study of a man's internal turmoils regarding ethics and survival. Another somewhat interesting character is the leader, so to speak, of the Shiki, a young girl (only in appearance mind you!) called Sunako, whose back-story was actually pretty interesting and was enough to somewhat justify why she acts the way she does, which helped me greatly in being able to sympathise with her and her struggles. Her character allows the viewer to understand the Shiki and their way of life, as well as the inherent hardships that come along with it. She brings attention the idea that the Shiki have no choice but to kill the humans for their survival otherwise risk being killed themselves, bringing forth interesting ideas about how ethics and morality change dependent on the context in which one views it from.
The rest of the cast, however, were just really unlikable, and I honestly didn't care if most of the cast survived or died. The worst example is a girl called Megumi, who I mentioned at the very start of the review, and was the first person to "die". I put die in inverted commas, because, even though she did technically die, she came back as a Shiki. While the other characters who do come back as such are played out in a tragic way, represented more so as victims of circumstance, and while Megumi falls under this to a certain extent, she takes active pleasure and delight in killing the humans with very little justification as to why she would do this, aside from, perhaps, because she had a crush on a guy who paid her no attention, as we are told in the fourth episode of the show. By the time she inevitably kicks the bucket, the show tries to convey it as a tragedy and expects us to feel sorry for this twat, which doesn't work since she had been such a horrible person the entire time. It's this sudden juxtaposition in victimisation that rubs me the wrong way and is present a lot in the show. Every time a character in Shiki does die, they expect me to be sad, through the use of victimising them, instead of actually building up a character I can care for; it feels more cheap and lazy if anything else.
It's hard to care about the tragedy in the narrative since most characters acted like idiots, and got what they deserved, with the humans killing their reborn loved ones, without any remorse or sympathy. The show tries to convey the idea of who the real monsters in the show actually are: the humans or the Shiki themselves, but since each bunch of characters are so unlikable, I didn't give a damn really. In order for this tragic story to work, we needed to have characters in which the audience could care about as actual people, instead of the cheap victimisation the show utilises to try and manipulate us into feeling something for these cardboard cut-outs. That's not to say that the show is completely devoid of emotion, however, since it is effective in one or two places. One such example is in the first episode of the Shiki OVA, but the scene was mostly enhanced by the music and voice acting than the actual writing itself. It's not as bad as some of the other moments in the show, like Megumi's final scene which uses cheap writing, since, in the OVA scene, Nao's character, a human turned Shiki, is given time for one to learn about her ordeals and regrets at being a Shiki, while being tormented by those in which she has killed out her hunger, which actually results in a very emotional moment. If the show had more scenes like this, it would have improved the overall.
As a spectacle, however, Shiki is entertaining as hell! The bloodbath at the end of the series is extremely entertaining to watch unfold and is pure blood-shed, fan-service in its purest form! Not only that, but the music and the atmosphere this show evokes is fantastic! Each track is eerily creepy or heart-wrenchingly sad, enhancing each scene wonderfully. My favourite tracks being "Day and Night", "SHI-KI" and "Requiem". The two openings end endings are also of a pretty high quality, with both openings representing their respective story arcs very well. As a fan of horror, Shiki was a treat to watch, and there were many scenes in the early parts of the series that were handled with a lot of care and made me feel genuinely frightened. The best example of such is the ending scene of episode four, where we see Megumi, now a Shiki, stalk her crush, one of the other main characters by the name of Yuuki, who is staying over at his friend's house. The scene builds tension perfectly, and, after both we and Yuuki let our guard down as we believe we are safe from Megumi, she appears from underneath the bed, sliding and twisting her body; the sounds of bones and joints clicking into place, her cold crimson red eyes staring directly at both us, and Yuki. Everything about the scene is intensely disturbing and creepy and has stayed as a vivid image in my subconscious for years to come, and there are many other scenes like this too! Visually, Shiki is consistent but also pretty bizarre in terms of its character designs, with each character having insanely strange hairdos; it feels pretty gothic-like, which is something I can always dig; it's like a romanticised version of Bram Stocker's classic novel.
When it comes down to it, Shiki is a fun show to watch due to the sheer amount of blood and death, while genuinely creating a horrific atmosphere all the while featuring an amazing original soundtrack. However, the script falters in many areas, unfortunately, and aside from maybe two or three characters, I didn't care for the rest of the cast at all. It's one of those shows you watch for the spectacle of it alone, rather than a well-written narrative or developed characters, and I certainly believe Shiki achieves its goal on that end. While its use of victimisation to make the audience feel for a character that hasn't been built up is not as bad as other shows I have talked about before, such as Elfen Lied, it does feel somewhat lazy and cheap to do so, but, despite all that, I still had fun watching the show, and I believe that's important. Shiki, to me at least, was fun! It's shlocky, sure, but watching Shiki, especially for the final third, is an incredibly enjoyable time, and for that, I'd recommend giving the show a shot!
jet2r0cks
Vampire anime has never been my cup of tea. I’ve seen a fair amount of such anime and for me, they usually turn out to be really corny (such as Dance in the Vampire Bund), boring (such as Shingetsutan Tsukihime), shallow and chockfull of fanservice (Rosario + Vampire) or just plain lame (Black Blood Brothers). I’ve gotten tired of seeing vampires presented to be as majestic, perfect, idol-like creatures, leading glamorous lives and just happen to suck blood for nourishment. Are vampires really monsters, or just sissies? Then I saw Shiki. It’s surprisingly good. I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece but it’s interesting, not to mention actuallyquite frightening, as horror stories should be. The first few episodes hint on what is happening, but you’re not completely sure what it is until the characters discover it for themselves. Because of that the pacing is quite slow for the viewers, but for the characters it’s actually timely and realistic.
Speaking of the characters, there are a lot of them and as expected with a large cast, development is hard to manage. There are some characters who disappear from the story for a bit, and when they come back, clearly a lot happened but not a lot about it is said so you’re left to ponder on it. There are some scenes that I would have liked to see, and I’d like to give some examples but I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoiling anyone.
Fortunately though, the most interesting character in my opinion is the one who is most developed, and that is the doctor Ozaki Toshio. You get to see a lot of what is going on in his mind - what he discovers as the story progresses, how he deals with it, what kind of person he is, etc. I really think his character is very fascinating, and will make you think what you would do if you were in his place. How far will you go to survive? Ozaki and the other characters all answer that question in their own way as the story progresses.
It’s generally a likable cast, and the voice acting only makes them even more so. Among the roster of the voice actors chosen for this anime, I noticed that a good portion of them are relatively new/under the radar, including the young and promising Yuuki Aoi. Regardless of tenure, all members of the cast, even those with the smaller roles, are good, capable and convincing.
What isn’t entirely convincing though, is the art. Sometimes the facial expressions of the characters are too exaggerated, that it seems fake, such as this scene: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lha4faBeSw1qdbg2p.jpg
I get that she’s really happy to see Natsuno, but I don’t think she’s that happy.
The character designs in general are a little cartoony, with the weird hairstyles and all, but only for the more dominant characters. The lesser characters look more subdued. The gore seems a bit over the top too, but I think it’s acceptable in this case because it’s part of the story-telling.
Overall, the art is okay. The visuals really compliment the story. It’s a little inconsistent now and then and the colors clash sometimes but I like how they went for something a bit more colorful, because usually with horror anime the visuals are dark and gloomy.
As for the music, I think the soundtrack is very well done. From the subtle sound effects to the background music, it all really contributes to the feel of the story and makes each scene more special. The OPs and EDs are very good too. I really like the first OP, “Kuchikuze” by rock band Buck-Tick. I think it really goes well with the series. The vocals are really good, the lyrics relate to the story and it’s quite catchy and memorable.
I think the main reason why I like Shiki is because it’s not shallow like most vampire anime. It allows us viewers to think, instead of blinding us with how “cool” vampires are. Sure, vampires are amazing beings with many traits and abilities that normal humans don’t have, but they are still monsters, and to survive, they need to feed on humans. If you think of it that way, vampires aren’t really that cool, huh? It seems that in the latest vampire anime, as well as in general media, they fail to emphasize that in their representation. Thankfully, Shiki does well in that aspect and in many others. If you don't mind gore and you want to watch a horror anime that’s a little more deep than the usual, then surely Shiki is for you.
vexium
Ah, Shiki. If you're willing to put up with a few plot holes, a large amount of rather graphic violence, and some strange stylistic flairs, then you're in for a real treat with this one. This anime does something few other vampire stories manage to do these days: captivate you with the thrill of the genre. There is a mystery unfolding, a morally ambiguous danger in the air, and a whimsical sort of horror to it all that puts Shiki a cut above the rest. - Story: 8 - For the most part, Shiki's plot is very solid. There is a very strong impression of suspense that builds asyou discover what exactly is going on in the secluded village of Sotoba. Unfortunately, towards the second third of the story, there are some glaring circumstances that seem almost inexplicable, which you may very well shout at as an observer of the whole scenario. It gets to the point where you really have to give the story some liberty, sadly.
That being said, stick around to watch the whole anime (including the 2 specials!) and you won't be disappointed. There is a subtle point to all the absurdities that do transpire, and it is worth absorbing in its entirety. I only wish it made just a touch more sense. But, it is about vampires, I suppose, so how real can it honestly get? Some ridiculousness seems necessary to make the more horrific parts more accessible, oddly enough.
Forgive Shiki of its sins. It recognizes its own fallibility as a fiction, and it often plays off that self-awareness by inviting us to accept the madness the story is all about. Just go with it, and you'll have a great time.
- Art: 9 -
The artwork in Shiki is quite pleasant, but at times, it feels a little less focused than what might be expected. Perhaps that's the point, though. There are moments of raw terror that are exquisitely well-illustrated, but those are occasionally mixed in with lightheartedness and almost comical facial designs. One truly impressive feat, however, which should not be overlooked by any means, is the fact that pretty much every single villager of Sotoba looks unique. The animators painstakingly took the time to create a genuinely new character in every single one of these people, including those that don't have any dialogue.
So, there's something to be said for the diversity of artistic style in the show. A few times, including a few hairstyles and color palettes, it feels jarringly juxtaposed into the horror atmosphere, but if you look past the beady-eye tears and the dyed hair, you will see a strong continuity of creative, stylized characters in a rich, grounded village setting. Some of the angles taken for the backgrounds are very well chosen, harnessing a certain degree of cinematic precision to the whole rigamarole, such as with the 'helicopter' overview of the village and its castle.
- Sound: 10 -
Shiki doesn't disappoint in the audio department. It should be noted I watched in dubbed English, and this happens to be one show you might want to watch dubbed. The VAs do a fantastic job, and each character feels original. A couple of voices are grating, but there is always a reason for it.
Besides voice acting, the sound effects are phenomenal and really on-point. The horror is amplified greatly by careful decisions to accent scenes with crisp, sometimes disturbingly real sounds.
There are a few musical tracks that repeat perhaps once or twice too often, but overall, the musical score for Shiki is also quite impressive. The tracks are always fitting and pull you further into the scenes. Additionally, for such vocal-heavy intros and outros (which I normally find off-putting), Shiki's opening and closing OSTs are rather catchy, and I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up watching them more often than not, since they seemed to build the excitement into and out of each episode quite well.
- Character: 10 -
This is the department in which Shiki really shines. As mentioned already, every character is visually unique and has their own personality. Even the old folks sitting on the bench in the first episode eventually have separate lines of thought established. There is a sentiment that builds around the structure of the show that, while watching it, one is embarking upon a journey to discover just what it is like to be a villager in Sotoba. At the same time, we also gradually learn to understand the Shiki as well, so that the two sides of the story are eventually clashing in the mind.
Some might argue that a few bad apples ruin the core of Shiki. However, if the show is given some liberty, it will not let down. It is well aware of the characters it is crafting, and it feels as passionately about the circumstances that transpire as its audience does. There is a deliberate effort being made to place the audience in the shoes of the main characters, such that we observers feel as emotionally involved as possible. If something disturbing happens to a character we like, be assured it was intentional. This is a classic horror in the sense that anyone and everyone is likely to be a victim, and there's no telling who will be sentenced next.
- Enjoyment: 9 -
Because of its shortcomings in terms of the plot, Shiki doesn't deserve a perfect score for entertainment. Sure, it's a gripping tale with lots of suspense, thrill, horror, and poignant moral dilemmas, but let's just say the second third of the show is a little bit of a letdown. Certain things happen that seem illogical, and it does take a little bit of a mental hurdle to excuse the rationale of some of the seemingly wiser characters. Some of the conclusions of the show actually get foreshadowed a little bit too early, and the logic behind some individuals only makes sense in the aftermath of it all. Again, sit tight and let it run its course, and Shiki will, without fail, be very entertaining.
- OVERALL: 9.2/10 -
As someone who rarely looks forward to the next inclusion of vampires in modern fiction storytelling, I went into watching the anime Shiki, or Corpse Demon, with very low expectations. I came out of it with a smirk and a head full of thoughts, happy to write my first review on MAL.
If you can excuse a bit of graphical intensity, give Shiki a shot. It delivers in full, and it lives up to the genre it seeks to redefine. It may cut a few corners, but honestly, it didn't mean to hurt anyone. If you forgive it for its forsaken ways, you might just let yourself get bitten. Enjoy!
