During a fiercely hot summer in Sotoba, a peaceful and quiet village with a population of 1300 people, a series of bizarre deaths begin to occur. At the same time, a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion in the region. After supposedly visiting this strange family, the fashionable Shimizu Megumi goes missing and the entire village goes out in search for her.
~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/8i3Y3xI.png)~~~ You know what also had a castle and a village in it? #___[DRACULA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula)___ BY BRAM STOKER.# ___ #Introduction# img440(https://i.imgur.com/axPfgxn.png) ~~I genuinely was conflicted on whether or not to start this review this way since I didn't want to spoil anything that isn't mentioned in the description of this anime, but I recalled literally one of the tags Shiki has on its page is "Vampire" so I think this is fine.~~ Shiki is a horror anime-- img(https://i.imgur.com/oz7AyFq.png) ...Shiki is a ___horror anime.___ img(https://i.imgur.com/KcPzqdh.png) ~~The joke here is that apparently someone actually rightfully added horror to Shiki's genres at some point after I started the process of writing this review.~~ Anyhow, It was originally a [1998 novel](https://anilist.co/manga/99679/Shiki) by [Fuyumi Ono](https://anilist.co/staff/97723/FuyumiOno) about vampires, then a [manga](https://anilist.co/manga/33486/Shiki) with art being done by [Ryu Fujisaki](https://anilist.co/staff/97673/RyuFujisaki), and then it finally got an anime a whole twelve years following the original novel. Before we start, I'd like to state that I had at one point given up on this show. I did like three or four episodes, stopped, and only returned over a year later completely on a whim. Boy, did I feel dumb when I found out what the rest of this show had in wait for me. img440(https://i.imgur.com/blubbBP.png) Impatience is bad. Because when I did return, I found out that literally the very next episode after the one I had stopped at, was when it began to start getting good for me. I suppose I had just became paranoid of build-up in things. Shiki starts pretty slow and just very gradually builds up, builds up, and builds up. Is it a perfect pay off in the end? No, I definitely had some problems, but there's a huge amount I just thought was completely glorious... and, as it turns out, this anime actually ended up giving me a scene that I genuinely think is perhaps one of my favorite scenes in anything I've ever seen. It's wonderful. But I'll get to that later. First, let's dial it back a little bit, and start with the concept and... a little bit of Bram Stoker's Dracula. That wasn't just a one bit joke, it actually has relevancy. Barring perhaps some sequences and the fact that this show is generally about vampires (its page literally has the "Vampire" tag and it becomes very obvious within a few episodes anyhow), since this is an anime I __love__, all outright spoilers will be outright tagged __although there'll be a whole section on that previously mentioned scene that will be nothing but spoilers though they'll all be marked.__ __THOUGH, IN GENERAL, I THINK SHIKI IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ANIME YOU SHOULD JUST WATCH WITHOUT READING MUCH ABOUT IT BEFOREHAND. JUST SAYIN'.__ img440(https://i.imgur.com/ppNlzIt.png) ___ #Vampires. What are they?# Bram Stoker's Dracula was as far as I went into the realm of vampires ([I Am Legend](http://horror.org/2011-bram-stoker-award-winners-and-vampire-novel-of-the-century-award-winner/) by [Richard Matheson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson) was pretty good too) and whatnot. They're not exactly my favorite horror creature, is I guess what I'm saying here. ~~Although, I did genuinely love Dracula when I read it. Really got into the "YEAH LET'S FUCKING KILL THIS EVIL VAMPIRE" spirit.~~ Anyhow, in Dracula, it's pretty clear, cut, and dry that the vampires are monstrous and evil beings that are in fact monsters. Count Dracula has no humanity whatsoever. He is a monstrous supernatural being who wishes to feed on humans while spreading the vampire curse as far as he can. _"I saw... Count Dracula... with red light of triumph in his eyes, and with a smile that Judas in hell might be proud of."_ ~Dracula by Bram Stoker Shiki... is an attempt to do Dracula while making the vampires still be capable of various human emotions and feelings. They're capable of suffering, happiness, anger, sadness, etc. My biggest worry with Shiki as I was watching it that sort of began to grow after a certain point was Shiki was going to attempt to get the viewers to feel bad for the vampires. Which wouldn't have worked because in the end, they're still doing all of the horrible vampire shit and they straight up have a Dracula-esque leader who, while toned down, is still spreading the vampire curse. Thankfully, they don't go too crazy with it. As in... they don't try to erase the fact that it was the vampires who started it all. At no point do the vampires make any effort or attempt to on a wide scale peacefully coexist with the humans. Actually, when one of the humans try to bring this up, one of the vampires straight up says "no, it's in our nature to hunt humans." Unfortunately for them, humans are capable of being horrifically violent as well. Also need to point out, while I was negative towards the idea of it, the "vampire sympathy" idea isn't a complete flat line. There was a point where I went, "okay yeah they're monsters, but this is fucked up." img440(https://i.imgur.com/QnjMDtb.png) ___ #So Much Build Up# img440(https://i.imgur.com/wFMDDxx.png) I kind of love and hate this aspect of Shiki and was probably part of the reason why I initially gave up on it. Throughout the entire show, it's hammered home that people just seem to keep getting really sick and dying a few days later. "Everybody's dying or moving away!" There is just so much of that in the entire show. On one hand, I feel like they may have overdone it... but on the other hand, with what happens towards the end of the show... if all of that had just happened without all of that build up, the impact would definitely not have been as great. img440(https://i.imgur.com/Nux30TS.png) Additionally, it definitely felt satisfying when the vampires (I should really be calling them shiki because that's the name the vampires are eventually given in the show, but I'm just gonna stick with vampires for convenience) started being shown more and more because at that point, so many people have gone "missing" that you can't help but wonder how the fuck anything is still operating in the town. There's that great scene where two of the vampires are hunting a human and the human makes it someone else's house and starts pounding on the door begging for help. A lady opens the door and it turns out she's a vampire and just casually greets the two vampires that starts to drag the man away into the darkness. I loved that scene so much. It's just a meal to the vampires and hey it's not like they're doing anything too terrible. After all, their victim might "rise" afterward and they'd have immortality for the low price of just feeding a couple of vampire youths... ...The only cost of said immortality is being forced to feed on other humans and having to avoid the sun for the rest of eternity. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/1D1Hqwi.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/v7lD3Zm.png)~~~ ___ #A Brief Note on the Characters# img440(https://i.imgur.com/grXTz4d.png) A part of me really wants to get into the characters of Shiki, but there are several reasons why I will not. To discuss the characters at length, for several characters, I would have to spoiler tag quite a lot of it to not give away who ends up dying or becomes a vampire. Additionally, Shiki has a huge amount of characters to the point where a part of me initially kind of disliked it, but it turned out that all of the extra minor characters that were either there to flesh out the town or ~!die or become vampires!~ don't actually detract from... the main cast you're actually meant to focus on. In fact, I really do love that there are all those extra or reappearing minor characters, because it does actually feel like a village and really adds to the impact when the town starts to become emptier and emptier during the day. With all this being said, I can't pass by without at least doing something, so I've arranged both my top five favorite Shiki characters as well as my top five least favorite Shiki characters. Without outright giving away who exactly is what. They're in ascending order, from right to left. Starting with the negative ones... img440(https://i.imgur.com/VY8Hz0H.png) I can't even go into my reasons for any of these without having a huge amount of spoiler tags thrown about, but I should mention that fucker on the farthest left is at least fifty percent of why I initially gave up on Shiki. Do not do this, trust me. He is NOT a main character, and I think one of the only positives of his character is that almost all of the other characters find him insufferable as well. Additionally, the only reason the one on the farthest right is there is solely because his entire character ~!contradicts the previously stated idea that humanity and Shiki cannot coexist AT ALL without either side hunting the other.!~ As for the positives... img440(https://i.imgur.com/pXYYhCY.png) These guys, probably at least some of them, are showing up in other sections ~~or have ALREADY shown up~~. So I'm not even gonna bother here. I just wanted to throw this out here to get the point across that there are some very bad/infuriating/flawed characters in Shiki, but there are also some very good ones. _There are protagonists as well as antagonists in each list. One very good protagonist, one protagonist that feels wasted. One very good antagonist, one antagonist that is a complete let down. Etc._ img440(https://i.imgur.com/Imm9tjk.png) ___ #An Effective Horror# img440(https://i.imgur.com/gzpCLMe.png) Jump scares are not... inherently awful. They can be done in an effective or fun way, and they can be done in a completely obnoxious way. Just like how gore can be done in a fun and over the top way for the sake of gore, but it can also be done in a way that has impact. Especially if you actually care about the characters that it's happening to. Horror can be done over the top and silly, where's there a spooky monster chasing you down screaming to the top of its lungs _BOO! BOO!_ over and over again, or a strange man wearing a mask invites you into his murder dungeon where he'll ask you to cut your own arm off to try and get a key or something. But horror can also be done with an atmosphere, and genuinely make you feel unsettled or anxious for the characters, or sometimes just make you feel bad or disgusted. Sure, there can also be a monster roaming around that's after you, but it could be stalking you while in the darkness, watching your every step and just waiting for the right moment to reach out and grab at your throat. You're simply running down the street during a rainstorm enjoying your days of childhood while following your little paper boat, but there's a pair of eyes gleaming in the darkness staring out at you from the darkness through a sewer drain. img440(https://i.imgur.com/el7HBaG.jpg) Shiki... is I think perhaps the most effective attempt at a horror anime I've seen so far. It creates an atmosphere that is almost suffocating at points. _"The village is getting emptier and emptier!"_ and _"The sickness just seems to be spreading..."_ and so forth almost the entire goddamned show. But the entire time, you, the audience are well aware, that there is without a doubt another force at play here in the shadows of this village that seems bent on thinning the numbers of the living. But in addition to the gradually increasing disappearances as well as the seemingly completely unchecked sickness rampantly spreading throughout the village, there was always that feeling like there's something there watching. There are actually numerous scenes or moments throughout Shiki that I really felt were either genuinely creepy or unsettling. Like one of the first vampire attacks we get to see, the victim turns and he just sees the vampire dropping down at him in the darkness. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/ieVqUsj.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/qAgnmJX.png)~~~ Normal jump scares try to be very loud because the noise helps startle the viewer. Just like out of nothing but silence, there's a loud noise while simultaneously a monster leaps at the screen! But with Shiki, it's mostly silent even when they show the vampire dropping toward his victim. I didn't leap out of my seat because my ears were bombarded by a loud noise, but I did feel a tad unsettled because from this demonstration, the viewer is shown that the vampires are SILENT hunters and that's how they've been able to operate with the villagers more or less completely fooled into thinking it's just a pandemic. Additionally, I also just genuinely think that the idea of something dropping down on me that remains entirely silent until it has me is way more terrifying than like a demon faced monster or a creepy girl standing down in a dark hallway that's gonna lunge at me with that janky "horror running" while screaming. But I don't know, that's just my personal preferences... Additionally, there are several sequences or scenes where like a character is fearful that someone is walking around outside, and like we're visually shown what this character is imagining happening outside. We're not shown who or what is walking around out there, and I think that is wonderful. Those scenes are wonderful. Because we are being treated with what the character is experiencing. Who the fuck is out there? ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/a4bkMWq.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/y0P8SJ4.png)~~~ The vampires in Shiki are a fantastic "horror monster" because not only do they not immediately show up, but like I previously said, there is a hell of a lot of build up before you really start seeing them around in full force. But perhaps one of the things I like the most about them is while they can be downright terrifying towards the humans they hunt, they just have ordinary conversations with other vampires like they never died and became such in the first place. img440(https://i.imgur.com/WdebhIj.jpg) Also I brought up Dracula because some of the characters in Shiki do the classic scene of them going to dig up the grave of a person whose funeral they ALL had attended, to see if the corpse was actually still there. My memories of Dracula are vague as I read it years ago now, but I am positive that the human characters in that do something similar to once and for all prove the existence of vampires. Likewise, they eventually have to figure out how to kill a vampire... The viewer can of course just yell at the screen _"STAKE IT IN THE GODDAM HEART OR TRAP IT IN SUNLIGHT, THEY'RE VAMPIRES"_ but the characters themselves are just now discovering that not only vampires are real, but the entire village is full of them. The entire sequence when a character actually starts to try and figure out ~!how to actually kill the vampires!~ is probably _one_ of my favorite sequences out of all of Shiki. Because while yes, it's a bit overboard, it's _fucking amazing_. Especially because we also clearly see that what the character's doing is having a huge effect on him, when he's elsewhere and around the other characters. Additionally, you also have the whole "there's a fucking huge threat and I'm going to try and warn everyone about it, but they're not going to believe me and that's going to piss the vampires off" thing going on. Like you have this one doctor who's fucking trying to deal with this mysterious epidemic that is killing literally ALL of his patients... what do you think he's gonna do if he finds out that it's not an epidemic but rather an actual force or group of entities that are causing everyone to die? He's going to try and solve the problem, even if everybody laughs in his face, and then the vampires put him in the numero uno spot on the KILLING LIST. __OF COURSE THE DOCTOR IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER.__ img440(https://i.imgur.com/vhBJtjI.png) ___ #The Soundtrack# _Sweet mother of Christ._ In most of my reviews and I guess just generally, I more or less really don't pay a huge deal of attention to the soundtrack. Mostly I suppose I only really do it when it's one of the two extremes: amazing or awful. There are some exceptions though, and Shiki is one of them. I couldn't do this review without at some point bringing up the soundtrack. There's only so many ways I can word _it's amazing_ but like... emotional, creepy, haunting, quiet, there's a bit of everything in it and it just all works. Like the [most recent horror movie I watched](https://anilist.co/activity/9138534), while I genuinely think it's probably one of the better horror movies I've watched in recent time, the soundtrack was... While there were several portions of it I liked a great deal, there are various moments where it just suddenly starts blasting because that part of the track is where a jump scare happens. If it actually just gradually ramps up, it's fine. But if it's just quiet and creepy and then BAM the horror sounds cut in, _then it's not fine._ Shiki's soundtrack doesn't have any of that, and it's perfect. __IT'S PERFECT__. As a matter of fact, my favorite scene out of all of Shiki would not work anywhere near as well if the corresponding track didn't work and fit perfectly with the scene. ~~~youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8h30eGlmmI)~~~ _Also, Shiki's first opening is probably one of my favorite openings of all. To the point where even when I at first ~~FOOLISHLY~~ gave up on the show, I searched for and downloaded the full version of the song. ~~Please do not follow my example. It's illegal. Please do not break the law PLEASE.~~_ ___ #Are Vampires Monsters?# img440(https://i.imgur.com/I9ad24a.png) It's important to stress that while this is a show about vampires and there are clear similarities between this and Dracula, that unlike in Dracula, the vampires created by the original vampire/s are not hypnotized to do their bidding. As a result of this, the Shiki vampires DO have an "enforcer" vampire to keep them all in line ~!(at one point, threatening a newly awakened vampire who is hesitant about drinking blood which he has to do now to live by stating that he'd throw him out into the sun if he didn't drink),!~ but they all have their free will intact. Interestingly enough, ~!a lot of their problems would have been solved if this simply hadn't been the case. But obviously if they had simply been hypnotized and their free will stolen from them, the idea of creating a community of vampires would have immediately fallen on its face.!~ So, imagine one of these vampires. They may or may not have been someone you knew or even a family member, and they are not inherently monstrous. Sure, they can no longer go out into the sunlight ever again, and they'll starve to death if they don't drink human blood. BUT, they're more or less the same person as before and can speak and think rationally and freely. Now imagine trying to catch that person, hold them down, and nail a wooden stake through their heart. Or simply catch them and throw them outside when the sun comes up to burn them to death. All while they're pleading for you to stop or even begging for their lives. The idea of "doing Dracula" while having the vampires more or less retain their humanity and there's no ultimate evil vampire lord to slay is far more brilliant than it has any right to be. But it _mostly works._ Especially when the typical idea of how you would kill a vampire isn't toned down AT ALL. img440(https://i.imgur.com/ggLtrS5.png) But again, while it's to survive, the vampires are feeding off of and murdering humans. Rather, they use their vampire hypnosis to force their victims to allow them in (not being able to enter a place without being invited in is another vampire thing) for additional feedings beyond the first until their victim dies and then their victim rises as a new vampire or stays dead. They're forcing their victims to willingly let them in. Obviously... the humans are gonna be a little upset if they find out, and any thoughts of these vampires being past friends and relatives are gonna mostly go out of the window. Mind you, there ARE some vampires who can't bring themselves to actually go out and hunt, but any possible innocence is lost when they drink blood that the other much more active vampires supply for them. Additionally, most of the vampires that do hunt usually start out with their own families which... is fucked up a couple of different levels. There was a certain scene that really fucked me up where a vampire basically has her hypnotized relative come outside to her, and then not only does she bite her, but a bunch of the other vampires emerge from the darkness and just fucking FEAST. That got me pretty good, I'm not even going to lie. Like the idea of just luring a former loved one ~~WHO HAS BEEN MOURNING OVER YOUR SUPPOSED DEATH~~ out into the darkness so you and your vampire brood can feed is fucked. It's just fucked. Thus, when things started going south for the vampires later on... Like what did they expect? Sure, humans kill and eat animals all the time but it's not like the animals _WANT_ to be eaten. The humans may or may not have went a bit overboard and crossed some lines themselves, but the vampires themselves were pushing the thought process that humans and vampires couldn't coexist. Oh, and that whole part where we're shown a funeral at the newly opened funeral home that's in actuality ran by a vampire was amazing. Because we're clearly shown that since they treat the funeral like a literal celebration/party, that's how they think of death. Since the vampire running the funeral home is now essentially immortal, it's not like he has any need or reason to take death seriously. If anything, they're basically celebrating the possibility of the entrance of a new vampire into the world... ___ #Gore Can Have a Purpose# img440(https://i.imgur.com/U4pBsBN.png) Gore! I love gore! Saw, Final Destination, Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play, slasher movies, tons and tons of other general horror movies... I'm a big fan of the gore! Gratuitous, senseless, random, and unneeded gore! Decapitations, dismemberment, heads exploding, faces melting, self mutilation, disemboweling! All good stuff! Just... if you're gonna do cannibalism, just please don't... go in _[that](https://anilist.co/anime/19315/Pupa)_ direction. But you know what I love more than random and gratuitous gore? Gore that has a purpose, gore when it is used sparingly enough to really have an impact. When a show starts almost immediately with the gore right away... like you already revealed your hand! _You already revealed your hand!_ But when you start slow and actually introduce your characters, introduce your setting, and you've got the atmosphere going... img440(https://i.imgur.com/jq8nRQi.png) When the carnage really starts, it feels appropriate and doesn't feel like complete schlock. Not to mention there's an actual effective trigger moment, and while I felt like I was waiting the entire show for that moment to happen, it wasn't an unpleasant wait. Then afterward, there's no going back. It is more or less COMPLETE carnage from that moment on. And one of the reappearing minor characters that you think is just another part of the village becomes a hulking walking AVATAR OF VIOLENCE and is eventually covered in blood from his feet to his head. I thought nothing of this character early on, but _GEEZ_. He sure... gets his hands bloody! Also, the two OVA episodes Shiki has both take place in this later part of the show and contribute even more to the carnage! _What are your favorite type of OVAs? Fan service, extra character interactions, anime original episodes???_ "Uh no, my favorite type of OVA is the sort that primarily features __DEEEEEEEEEEEEEATH__." My favorite scene actually from one of these OVA episodes. Thus, it's not even a part of what's considered the "main carnage"... like it's actually mentioned in the main episodes, but TECHNICALLY, you can watch the final episodes without watching the OVAs. __Absolutely do NOT do that, though.__ ___ #Not Entirely Flawless# img440(https://i.imgur.com/8lRDeKI.png) There are SOME flies in the ointment. For instance, the vampire responsible for spreading the vampire curse is... well, a huge disappointment. They don't really do much, to be honest. Additionally, I don't know if there was more to their backstory in the novel or the manga, but it was pretty... lackluster, what we got in the anime. They didn't seem like they should have been the "Dracula" so to speak. But at least we had the "enforcer" character... would have totally been fine if he had been more of the... main antagonist, I suppose. Additionally, I consider them not ~!having the "Dracula" die in the end!~ as a dropping of the ball. That whole portion of the end was the largest thing that soured me on the ending. Granted, I suppose I can see some reasons for it... ~!admittedly, since she was turned into a vampire as a child, I sort of predicted she was gonna make it out in the end. In fact, I was honestly surprised when she actually got hurt AT ALL.!~ However, the ending kind of worsens one of the already pretty bad characters of Shiki because it's clear that ~!the sole reason why the priest character was still around was because there had to be someone still alive to save little girl vampire in the end. Actually, to add extra salt to the wound, he apparently just happened to rise as one of the super vampires... yeah, it sure would be hard to be able to smuggle vampire girl safely if her chaperone would burn to death in sunlight.!~ img440(https://i.imgur.com/qF9SLU9.png) Furthermore, one of the two protagonist characters, is I think another one of the weakest parts of Shiki. Specifically, the purple haired one, Natsuno. But I don't think it's that huge of a problem because of how comparatively strong the doctor protagonist is. Still, it's worth discussing... In the first half or chunk of Shiki, I kind of really liked Natsuno. He's kind of flipping out to the extent that he's one of the first ones who seriously considers the possibility that the "Risen" are actually a thing, and actually does have the grit to grab a shovel and tell his friends, "Let's go see if this corpse is still in its coffin." He's even the one who floats the idea of humans and vampires coexisting out there, only for it to immediately shot down. Then, in the second half of the show ~!after he is believed to have been killed but was actually turned into one of the vampires that can actually walk around during day, he just outright vanishes from the show entirely. I get that in actuality, he's watching stuff from the shadows, but to the viewer... he just suddenly shows up again after being gone for a while wearing a coat and oh... now he's one of the "super" vampires! Plus, he's gonna help doctor protagonist reveal the other vampires so they can all get wiped out, and then he sacrifices himself to trap the enforcer vampire in a corpse pit where they are then exploded to death. His final line "I've been dead for a long time" is supposed to come off as badass I think, but I could only think WE DIDN'T EVEN SEE YOUR ASS ACTUALLY RISE AS A VAMPIRE. WASTED CHARACTER.!~ To be honest, those are really the only negatives I had with Shiki. I mean it's not like they're small things, but in the grand scheme of things... one of the protagonists and the main antagonist being disappointments or wastes is overshadowed by everything else. ___ #Favorite Scene# Unlike a bunch of my other reviews, in which I usually describe entire characters and scenes I really liked or disliked in detail, with Shiki I tried to restrain myself from doing this as much as possible. Not only is it because I truly do love this show, but also because I genuinely do think the less you know about the show, the more you'll get out of it. But there is one scene that I must go into because it's perfect and I love it to the point I have rewatched the scene itself after actually finishing Shiki probably an unhealthy amount of times. It is probably one of my overall favorite scenes out of all of the anime I've watched and etc. It's basically a crystallization of everything I love about this show as well as the sort of "horror" I really like. However, it's a part of the very end of the show, so I can't really go into it without spoilers. ___Do not read/look at the spoiler if you're going to watch Shiki and have remained more or less unspoiled on it. Because this scene is best experienced without having seen or read about it, but I cannot complete this review without going into this scene so...___ img440(https://i.imgur.com/qgkj9kX.png) ~!This scene, or rather, the entire OVA episode 20.5, is why after the doctor protagonist (Ozaki) and the vampire enforcer (Tatsumi), a relatively minor supporting character makes it to the third place of my favorite Shiki characters. Her name is Nao, and she is one of the relatively early first victims of the vampire attacks. She and her husband are both killed, but only Nao arises as a newly awakened vampire. Nao and various other villagers, after they are turned into vampires, begin to hunt their mourning family members. First of all, they make good and easy targets. But secondly, it's easier to get them to hunt by making them believe they're simply trying to get their family to join them on the other side. Which is something that Nao wholeheartedly chooses to wish for and believe in. But the tragedy of it is of course, that there is no guarantee that they'll actually rise. Therefore essentially, throughout the show, Nao singlehandedly kills her entire family one by one. Her husband's parents, her son... And none of them rise. When Megumi, one of the especially crueler vampires begins to freak out since Tatsumi has planned Natsuno's death (whom she was obsessed with prior to even becoming a vampire) and Nao tries to comfort Megumi by saying he might arise as a vampire, Megumi fires back with the knowledge that not a single member of Nao's family has yet to arise, causing her to fall into tears on the spot. Then finally, once the vampires have finally been revealed, and the humans have begun slaughtering them, she and some other of the vampires try to flee the town through this pipe system. But vampires go to sleep when the sun arises, so the humans are hot on their trail and are still slumbering. Granted, they awake when it becomes night, so they manage to resume fleeing before the humans have fully gotten over the hang ups of what they're doing ~~which is essentially a SLAUGHTER of their former friends and neighbors~~. We have one human character named Hasegawa who we're shown to have known Nao before her transformation and he is VERY much in conflict about what they're doing, even as he continues to get splattered in blood as the other humans around him begin to start laughing as one of the first vampires they kill wakes up screaming as they put the stake through his heart. Meanwhile, we have Nao who between the fear of being killed and having had killed her entire family without them rising, has begun to hallucinate the spirits of her victims. Nao and Hasegawa briefly encounter each other in the sewers while the other humans and vampires enter a struggle, and we can see clearly from the way the two react to each other that they remember meeting each other before. Nao doesn't bother to actually attack Hasegawa and simply runs away, and Hasegawa simply lets her go while still clutching onto his cross that had protected him from another vampire who HAD possessed a full intent on killing him. img440(https://i.imgur.com/GCA7nsa.png) Finally, we come to the actual scene of Nao and the other vampires choosing to try their chances by fleeing via a smaller and more narrow pipe of the underground rather than further try their chances with resisting against the humans, who have now killed so many vampires they have ran out of stakes. As they crawl along the pipe in the darkness, Nao begins to break down and claim that this is her punishment for killing her family. The vampire behinds her tries to assuage her of her guilt as he says she did what she did to survive, like all the other vampires did. img440(https://i.imgur.com/S5LEPMN.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/iZ3PSGw.png) However, this scene has Nao admitting herself that she wanted to change back. But because she couldn't, she tried to bring them to their side. As she is dragged away into the darkness as the second to last vampire to be removed from the pipe, she realizes as she sees a hallucination of her dead husband that she'll never ever see her family again. They've all died and gone on, but as the vampire who killed her own son and parents-in-law, she likely has no reason to believe there's a paradise in her future following being executed along the rest of the vampires. The pure horror in her face and scream as she looks back and sees the ghost of her son Susumu holding down her leg rather than the vampire hunter who has caught her is... amazing. img440(https://i.imgur.com/CzPfivr.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/mbNLz7m.png) I really loved the solution the humans came up with when realizing they had run out of stakes as well. Not only is it a genuinely simple and rational decision to decide to just tie and leave the remaining vampires outside for the sun to deal with, it is also horribly cruel. The vampires thrashing about like worms and screaming in agony as the rising sun begins to burn their flesh as the other humans who are all drenched in blood by that point just stand around watching is wonderful. Combined with the perfect timing of the music (aka the track I specifically put in the soundtrack section of this review), the entire scene and its emotional impact is just... PERFECT. img440(https://i.imgur.com/Cx0uckF.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/m5DzLRJ.png) But then, THEN, we see Hasegawa's reaction to the vampires burning. His shoulders are twitching and we can see the horror clearly displayed on his face, but then he just closes his eyes for a second, and then it's as if he LITERALLY killed his emotions like the other human characters were talking about doing earlier in the episode. Because he then picks up the sharpened metal pipe the other guy had been using, and very calmly walks around and starts impaling vampire after vampire, putting their suffering to an end. The other humans notice and don't understand (apart from his wife) what he's doing ("I told him we could stop, but..."). They had perfectly been willing to just let the vampires keep burning to death because they had already detached themselves and ceased seeing them as humans. They didn't see what Hasegawa was doing as what it was. Mercy. img440(https://i.imgur.com/EyHqO4m.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/zMcRjcr.png) Hasegawa finally makes it to Nao who simply turns toward him with most of her face burned and melting, and she simply smiles and begins to laugh in a horrifyingly sad way. Before she was dragged off from the pipe, she was screaming and struggling and begging to live. Now, as death approaches her, she simply smiles. Silently and quickly, Hasegawa puts an end to Nao's suffering, and collapses and falls into tears. img440(https://i.imgur.com/3grkyVP.png) img440(https://i.imgur.com/JdCBoZh.png) This scene manages to be a great horror scene, have a deeply effective emotional impact, and also to even have great gore. Sure, the gore is mostly just characters getting stabbed with an iron pipe and a bit of melting and burning faces but... what would I rather have? Amazing and flashy gore with no emotional impact happening to characters I could give less than two fucks about? OR... simple but effective gore done with emotional weight happening to characters I'm actually able to sympathize with despite them being more or less monsters? Like the atmosphere of the vampires crawling along in that cramped, dark, and dirty pipe as the humans outside sing as they periodically drag a vampire away into the darkness... everything about the scene works harmoniously together. I mean, Nao lured her mourning mother in law outside into the darkness and then made a vampire buffet out of her, yet I'm still able to get this much of an emotional reaction out of her death because we get to see the aftermath of her killing her own family and her realization that she IS a monster, although the original transformation into a vampire was entirely forced upon her, she did choose to feed... as well as try to take her family with her. I can't end this section without mentioning the beautifully done flashback scene between Nao getting dragged off into the darkness and then all the vampires being tied up to be left for the sun to finish off. The flashback had an actual purpose for happening, and it transitioning back to the present when past Hasegawa says "Everybody here is just so nice" while LITERAL TRUCKS ARE DRIVING ENTIRE LOADS OF VAMPIRE CORPSES AWAY. That's how you do a goddamned flashback. img440(https://i.imgur.com/VGvGBnN.png)!~ ___ #Conclusion# __10 out of 10.__ Not joking here at all. My opinions sometime shift and change, but I don't think Shiki will ever fully leave my top ten shows, no matter how it may change overall in the future. Mind you, I'm perfectly willing to admit and have even somewhat gone into some flaws I do think are present within Shiki, but there is just... there are just so many scenes and sequences that I just outright love. Even the worst/most wasted characters are just completely overshadowed in my opinion by the really REALLY cool/good ones. Additionally, I also fucking have to respect the series as a whole because it actually does vampires perfectly. Covers the actual conflicts and the reactions to transforming into a being that can only ever go out during night and have to actually feed on human blood to survive, the actual horror of humans being stalked or hunted by vampires, and the actually grisly thought of undergoing the procedure of KILLING a vampire. Out of all of the horror monsters of yore, vampires got [a raw fucking deal](https://i.imgur.com/QwvCjZg.png), so it's cool that this thing that does vampires PERFECTLY exists. Until I stumble upon some obscure never heard of horror anime that's amazing, Shiki is hands down my favorite horror anime. I wish I hadn't initially given up on it and then... went off and watched _another_ show. Perhaps watching _that_ show deepened my capability of appreciating everything Shiki is when I came back to it like a year later. Shiki is the best horror anime _(so far)_. ~~~img500(https://images4.alphacoders.com/155/155894.jpg)~~~
Warning: this review contains spoilers. First impressions: Before i got into this show, I’d heard it was one of the best horror anime ever to come out of the anime medium. Not only that, but and it has a lot of thematic depth and grey morality and hearing that kinda got me interested. It's about a small town and there odd things going down with people dying by a mysterious sickness and there apparently sighting of the recently departed hanging around town at night. Story,5/10 During a normal summer in the small rural town named Sotoba, all seems well. But after this new family has moved in there has been Theses case of mysterious deaths that have Been happening in the village With people dropping like flies. the local doctor Toshio is trying his best to find the root cause of these deaths with the help of his best friend the local monk named Seishin While there investigating. Local City boy Natsuno Yuuki has this feeling that someone is watching him after the mysterious death of his best friend toru and his local stalker Megumi. So are these deaths caused by some mysterious virus or is something more sinister afoot. Well spoiler alert it's actually vampires. So to start off there is a general consensus in quite a few circles that anime and horror don't really mix well and feel that Shiki is no exception to that mindset, because even if it's a more realistic take on vampires in a modern setting. I wasn't really scared and the only reason I kept watching was that I felt was a small case of morbid curiosity to see where the story would go. Because at face value it has quite a bit going for it theme-wise as it talks about survival, criticisms of human society and the evils of humanity. Which honestly has been done to death already at this point in time and done better but I digress. Now I feel that Shiki does a great job of building up its story the first few episodes of Shiki are probably some of the best episodes setup wise and when I first originally watched this show I had this feeling of morbid curiosity as I wondered what was going to happen next, and shiki does a very good at pulling you in and getting you intrigued in a similar vein to Higurashi where you don't really know what's happening and your just along for the ride. Now when it comes to the conflict between the humans and the Shiki which is the main focus, I feel from a collectivist standpoint both sides are pretty much as bad as each other in my viewpoint of morality, ethics and etc. But from an individual standpoint i would say certain characters are more justified in their actions and behavior than others, because most of the people in this village are to put it nicely are assholes during life and during unlife. one of the villagers who becomes a shiki is actually a pedophhie who exclusively targets little boys and one villager who is so xenophobic towards outsiders to such a degree that she would even make the ku klux klan seem tolerant by comparison, so none of these people is innocent or clean as some people may think and it kinda takes away the moral ambiguity of the conflict as human/shiki seem to use this conflict to justfly there inhuman acts towards each over. Which causes the major underlying issues that I have with Shiki is that it tries to play off as an emotional series with deep themes to make it seem mature. but handling wise it's anything but, because it pretty much plays out like a slice of life/ soap opera with vampires and it not like I am against this more emotional driven narrative but the problem is it doesn't really work past a gimmick, when they try to expand upon the story you start seeing these big holes in logic, which evidently makes me not care about what happens. Like to list a few examples of things not making sense, One of main themes of shiki is survival and the reason i bring this up is It was established that Shiki take at least a cup worth of blood per feeding until the person dies or becomes a shiki. yet why didn't the shiki just cycle through different people in rotation, because if your a shiki who doesn't want to kill humans then surely that's a more efficient way of survive with the added bonus of not having an angry mob after you. Because what's the worst that could happen? cases of mild anaemia popping up at random. when I think about that's it kinda makes the grey morality conflict kinda Null and void and any drama that comes from it now feels forced and to make it worse. I have seen people trying to defend it by saying the shiki had no choice and the humans are truly evil for trying to defend themselves against the bloodsucking undead that will suck them dry. Another example is the main villains the Kirishiki goal of making a vampire village so that shiki can have a home and not have to worry about humans, that all well and good but my question is how exactly is this vampire village going to work exactly if they don't have any blood. I know that people will say they can just kidnap people from other towns, But people will notice. For the basic reason, that soba doesn't the ecosystem to support such a village in the long run and to prove my point sotaba was a village with give or take 300 people and when the local shiki set up shop in the span of a few months they reduced the local population by half With an attrition rate like that they would have a better chance of making a vampire ghetto in a city than a village in the countryside. Also even though they wanted to make this vampire village they seem to be doing things that are very counterproductive. because it's also established that Shiki can mind control anyone they have bitten, so why didn't the shiki just bite everyone and then mind control people to do what they want. Which is more safer and easier than killing people to build up this undead population. Because having a bunch of the undead running around at night is totally not suspicious at all? The other little nitpicks i have is that this series, is that I wish it had more episodes because there are actually scenes that were cut out from this series and to add insult to injury the scenes that were cut out had a lot of background details. which takes away from the experience as a whole and makes it seems hollow. I also feel that shiki supernatural elements are poorly defined as a result and also the fact the original source material never expanded upon it, like what makes a person rise up as a shiki or in some cases transform into super vampires with cheat mode enabled. The only thing we know about shiki is that they defy medical science along with other laws of nature and that only the special snowflake people get to rise up or if you're super special snowflake transform. Which translates to plot convince and plot holes as the definition of special is very vague and allows anything to happen. It would have nice been if they had said that humans with certain personality traits, morals and life philosophies that aren't common or strays from the norm have a higher chance of becoming a Shiki because of X and Y reasons. That's would be more grounded and it also makes you think what kind of person are these characters really underneath all the surface level social interactions and obligations, but no we couldn't have depth or good writing. when you take away the creep factor and the horror element this series dose feel like twilight the animation. Characters: 6/10 There are three Main Characters in this series, so I’m going to talk about each of them separately, rather than as a group. First main character, Natsuno Yuuki is this emo/loner teenager with a heart of gold, something I initially found slightly interesting and out of the main cast I could relate to him the most in some ways, but which disappointed me all the more, when he turned out to be, by far the weakest link out of all the series’ mains. Even though he’s most certainly better written than your usual highschool protagonist, outside of that, he isn't really that interesting, because of his lackluster handling. To add insult to injury, after 11 episode they kinda drop the ball on him and don’t give him the screen time he deserves afterwards, even though he continues throughout the story to play a big role. it like they didn't know what to do with his character so they decided to push him to the sidelines and also out of the main characters he is the one that gets the least development and fleshing out. he pretty much treated like background character after a certain point and I didn't really like it. Considering he had some potential because of what type of person he is and what happens to him in the series. but in practice, this potential wasn't fully realized. Second main character Toshio Ozaki Who is very determined and serious about this job as the local doctor, as he will go through whatever it takes to make sure his patients are safe and healthy. even if he sometimes he comes of as rough around the edges And throughout the events of the series he goes through so much pain and turmoil because for once in his life he doesn't have the answers and he can't do anything to stop these mysterious deaths and the vampires behind it. In fact his inability to stop these mysterious deaths pushes him to the braking point of where the lines of human/inhuman really start to blur for him as a person Which was very interesting and asks the question for his character how far is he willing to go to protect the villagers at the cost of his own humanity. Which he learns the hard way and has to live with his actions for the rest of his days as he almost loses everything in his blind pursuit of justice which I find quite funny in a very tragic and ironic way because a doctor duty was to protect and save lives but now you have a doctor who is now destroying and taking the (un)lives of the former villagers he once tried to protect. Now the last main character seishin Muroi who is the local priest and on off writer in the village. Who on outside seems like a pretty calm and well-natured guy basically he like the total opposite of the dr Ozaki. but underneath this calm exterior lies is a very deep rooted hatred for the village that has made him and his father life miserable because of the roles there were assigned to in their local community without any choice or anyway to escape from it and he also a person with a very bleak outlook on life which was created by his environment,Which probably makes him one of the more interesting characters in the series and also goes through some pretty nice development and fleshing out which was pushed along with his friendship with Sunako, who is probably one of few individuals that truly understands him . This relationship and the dr actions eventually leads to him having an a ultimatum forced upon him, He can give up his morals and save the village that he Hates or keep to his morals and pursue his only chance at freedom. Of course I am not going to tell you what choice he picked but his inner conflict to reach a conclusion was very interesting to watch and also does well from a thematic standpoint as one of the series other themes is how human society places roles on people and expect people to stick to those roles whether you want to or not. So when it comes to side characters. I feel this series sufferers from the same issue that Tokyo ghoul had where they have a lot of characters with personalities and etc but not enough time is focused on them for character fleshing out or character development, and it doesn't really help when most of the supporting cast feels very distant and it hard to feel invested emotionally,especially when the horror element of the series is banking so much for you to care about these characters. why should i feel bad or care about characters that i don't really know. the only few characters i cared about was toru who becomes consumed with guilt after murdering his best friend who tried to help him or Ritsuko the local nurse who goes out of her way not to feed on anyone because she would rather die than willingly bring harm others so she could live and these characters are the most human and some of the more realistic characters in the series. But the other shiki didn't really consider the consequences of their actions until it was to late, like for example Megumi who like many of the characters were strong armed into becoming shiki yet she takes the whole vampire thing way too far. Like I understand that she has to drink blood to live and she kinda a bitch but does she really need to start enjoy killing people which also included her former loved ones like some demented sadist. I understand there was more introspection in the original source for her character, but it sure as hell isn't in this anime and I think it was quite needed. It would have been interesting to see considering what she becomes. Because there still things she cares about like her one-sided love/obsession with Natsuno, which showcases she's isn't just a heartless monster she just kinda a bitch. Last thing I want to talk about is the kinda the main villain Sunako. Who isn't exactly evil per say she more like an anti-villain because nothing in her personality or actions really scream evil to me.The goal of having a vampire village so her kind could have a place to call home and not be threatened by humans is quite a noble goal and I am pretty sure lots of people would do the same if being put in her shoes and the humanity still with her is more fleshed out with her relationship and interaction with seishin. But the problem is that even though she lived for about 100+ she has the mental capacity and foresight of a small child and doesn't really understand what exactly she putting people through to reach those goals she’s similar to Peter Pan in that respect because she the girl that never truly grew up, And That's her character in a nutshell. she doesn't truly understand or feel anything for the victims of her actions because at this point her psychology is so alien and disconnected from humanity. but what I dislike is how they're trying to make her overly cute to make her seem more innocent than she actually is and It almost feels at times that they're trying to manipulate your emotions, When It comes to her character as a whole with this very dishonest presentation of her character. Art:7/10 The animation is pretty decent and maintains a very consistent level of quality. Unfortunately, the backgrounds that match it leave a lot to be desired. One of the series’ greatest strengths is the way it occasionally changes the color scheme for certain scenes of tension to create an atmosphere that benefits them. This is by far the most effective visual element the show implements, as it adds a lot more energy to the series as a whole, which also helps you get through some of the slower parts. The artstyle is fine, but I think it's a bit too cartoony and over the top at times with the character’s expressions, which conflicts with the series’ dark and ominous tone. The artstyle’s greatest sin though is in the character designs. While not bad on their own, they’re probably the worst thing they could’ve picked for this show. I mean neon pink hair, purple eyes and hairstyles that look straight out of the 80s aren’t exactly the best thing for a horror show. I’m not even joking when I say there’s a character that looks like he has cat ears, making him perfect husbando material, but simultaneously impossible to take seriously. Details like this make the show lose all credibility as a serious show and instead make it look extremely silly and jarring. Sound: 7/10 First off, the opening songs are alright to listen to on their own, but their pop and rock style doesn't really fit the type show that Shiki is. Even though the lyrics fit the series well, that still doesn't fix the fact that the openings don't fit the tone the series is going for. The ending songs while not really the type of music I’m more partial towards, fit the series way better because they’re more depressing and ominous tone. One notable nitpick is that the opening’s visuals spoil some major plot points, through painfully obvious symbolism. This is unfortunate as it serves to kill a lot of the tension and suspense that is crucial to such a show dead. The ost by Yasuharu Takanashi, who also worked on Fairy Tail, Naruto Shippuden and Sailor Moon Crystal is pretty decent both as a stand-alone and in context. It more often than not, does an incredible job at building up this creepy, eerie and dare I say subtle atmosphere that the show desperately needs. As a matter of fact, I had a member of my family listen to it and she said that it reminds her a lot of the atmosphere that permeates throughout the main body of acclaimed author Stephen King’s novels. Sub and dub were alright I didn't really have any complaints about it. Enjoyment: 6/10 I’m a big fan of more or less anything with vampires, social commentary, gray mortality and massive amounts of gore, so needless to say Shiki was right up my alley, despite the fact that I’ve seen series execute the same ideas it brings up better. Besides its basic element that appeal to me though, the ending 4-6 episodes contain some of the best unintentional comedy moments I’ve seen in quite some time. This for the most part, but not exclusively because it just somehow turns into a massive bloodbath, including a huge forest fire, people going on massive paranoia induced freak outs and acts of brutality and cruelty that rival Phantom Blood in that special hammy goodness that we all know and love. Thanks to these final episodes, I was stuck smiling with glee as the show’s cast would turn on each other like wild animals. Overall: 6/10 Shiki is a very mixed bag for me. As a horror series, it's pretty standard for anime in how much it underplays the strengths of the genre. As a thought piece that delves into the diverse and opposing perspectives of the show’s cast for the purpose of blurring the lines of the common perception of morality, it only does so to a rather shallow degree. This is mostly due to the hamfisted nature of the show’s drama, that mostly just comes across as overplayed and pointless, with only the main characters and a few of the side characters aiding in stopping the whole thing from completely falling apart. If you're the type of person that doesn't like senseless gore and the comically pretentious execution of relevant moral dilemmas then you probably shouldn't watch this show. Nevertheless, as far as series with vampires go, Shiki isn't that bad relative to what other series have done with them and even though I have been quite negative about it, I feel that shiki is a fun ride and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a good time waster. Special thanks to my paid in Yugioh cards and slightly pissed editor, Lonecrit for his help on this project.
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. 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 of 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 the climactic arc from 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 show, 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 series. 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, dead-serious 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 very intense. 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.
Shiki (屍鬼) is a shōnen, horror mystery anime that is the adaptation of the novel series authored by Fuyumi Ono (brilliant spouse of the brilliant Yukito Ayatsuji, author of Another). The show was produced by studio Daume, directed by Tetsurō Amino, and aired with 22 episodes during the 2010 Summer simulcast season. I initially picked this up because I wanted something psychological and scary to watch earlier this year. What I wasn’t expecting was a roller coaster of mindfuckery, let me tell you. What a series, to say the least. Shiki tells the story of a small town that falls victim to an unusual pandemic where residents die and then come back to life as “living corpses” (hence the name, Shiki). The mystery of trying to uncover the root causes for this pandemic and how to treat it, if it’s treatable, form the backbone of the anime’s narrative. This is not going to be an anime for everyone, even if you’re a fan of psychological horror anime serials and other fucked up shit. It is extremely slow, has some outrageously comical character designs, and leaves the watcher with a decent amount of questions even after the end credits roll on the finale (the 2 OVAs notwithstanding, as I haven’t seen those yet). Even so, if there is anything that Shiki does right, it’s using symbolism and a pandemic as a metaphor to critique mob mentalities and the narrowmindedness in conservative communities, which I fucking loved even while my mind was blowing up like a motherfucker in those last five to six episodes. Holy hell. One of the first things that the watcher shall encounter with Shiki is building blocks. We are introduced to a small town that is incredibly boring and lifeless (ha ha, get it?). There are two teens who epitomise the desire to get out and get free. One of them wants to move to the city and become a flashy, glamourous lady, while the other is waiting to finish high school so he can use college as an escape to go back to a bustling city like Tokyo. These two and their despicable loathing for small town culture works to portray the banalness of residing in an area where the most exciting thing to happen is someone driving through the main road in a flashy car. The anime takes its time sort of formulating this atmosphere of being suffocated by isolation and monotony, which play key roles in the unfolding themes I mentioned earlier. However, getting through the initial trudge is exactly that: a motherfucking trudge. I’m going to be honest. My desire to drop Shiki was quite powerful around the seventh or eight episode. It wasn’t a series that I could sit down and binge for extended periods of time, which at the time was what I wanted. Once I accepted that this isn’t that type of show and started watching it in very small doses, it became much more palatable and helped me appreciate the slow-building tension. So, this is something else to keep in mind, especially if you’re a binge-watcher. The episodes themselves unfold in a slow manner as well, which prolongs that feeling of it taking forever to get to the point. Since Shiki is a story-centric anime, it is important to pay attention to the details and dialogue being exchanged, and that’s where the true beauty of this title lies: in the details. There are a lot of characters in Shiki and each one encapsulates a different part of small-town culture. Even their crazy designs (mostly restricted to hairstyles) is a form of symbolism. The only “normal” character is the town doctor, Toshio Ozaki, who is trying to figure out the causes of the pandemic, and he’s the central figure in the anime to pay attention to with regard to the themes I want to focus on. Ozaki figures out that the town is suffering from some sort of epidemic, but just doesn’t know if it’s a mutated strain of a pre-existing illness or a whole new one. While he runs his tests and works his arse off to save the residents, he confides in a few people. But no one wants to believe that it’s a pandemic. Most of them write it off as a weird summer flu or cold thing and overall just ignore that their town is going to be wiped off the map, population-wise, if they don’t start taking it seriously. When Ozaki realises exactly what is going on and tries to warn some of the villagers, again they think he’s bloody mad. There is only so much ostracization and disbelief that a person can face before they start to lose confidence in themselves, and that’s exactly what happens to Ozaki, particularly when the disease hits very close to home. The psychological horror aspect can be attributed to so many elements in Shiki, but it’s brilliance stems from the mental unravelling that takes place when a sole individual is singled out and essentially shunned (to various degrees) when all they’re trying to do is help and they know they are right. But no one wants to believe it because it will cause too much of an uproar in this perfect fucking little bubble of blandness that the small town has nurtured into existence. So, what is a struggling do-gooder supposed to do? Lose his goddamn mind, that’s what. As someone who has undergone something a little similar to this in the past few years, I understand very well what it’s like, psychologically, to have no one believe you when you’re screaming loudly about something serious that you know to be true. In Ozaki’s place specifically, bruh has facts and evidence to back up his conjectures. The mental and emotional strain from no one having faith in him, even his own family, to the significant trauma of ~!having a loved one fall victim to the pandemic, to him using said loved one as fucking lab rat with inhumane experiments out the wazoo out of sheer shock!~ and having lost all ability to empathise with the “cause,” leads to a downward spiral of epic proportions. Mob mentalities are fuelled by irrational and illogical beliefs. They can’t be reasoned with and are usually incapable of having open and positive discourse. They have a very singular and narrowminded focus, usually in the form of eradicating or brutalising the thing they don’t agree with or feel are impending on their rights. For this small town, it’s the death of their loved ones as much as it is their town going extinct and their inherent lack of understanding as well as their lack of interactions with anyone outside of said town. Living in such isolation can definitely screw with a person’s mental health and ability to think rationally and logically, particularly in high-stress situations. The brain isn’t able to develop beyond a certain point, so the instinct is to react on a more feral nature rather than one of critical thinking and basic sound judgements. These mobs are driven onwards by Ozaki out of sheer desperation because once they witness for themselves what is happening in their homes, they become virtually unstoppable. The vindication from finally being taken seriously, and to also being viewed as a leader for guidance, turns Ozaki into a completely insane person. All that he knows is savage slaughter, which everyone in town gladly accepts and then inflicts in horrifying spades. My favourite parts of the anime, which can also be construed as the most disturbing, are the ones ~!where you have families of people that are wearing aprons, swathed from head to toe in blood of their victims, as they share meals together. Whether it’s ice cold watermelon, like a typical summer day, or breaking bread and sharing other dishes across the table in camaraderie. The visual is jaw-dropping yet also so intensely familiar (see wartime atrocities during both World Wars).!~ This scene depicts humanity at it’s most primal and authentic: as barbaric motherfuckers who will beat and slaughter anything they don’t understand because it’s easier to crush what we fear than it is to garner empathy, compassion, and basic understanding. We would rather accept and relish in ignorance than take a peaceful approach to solving an issue. The laughable hairstyles are a portrayal of how we dress ourselves up and scream about individuality and being unique to ourselves and being good, decent people, yet underneath all that hair gel and audacious makeup, we’re all one in the same for the most part: monsters. Vicious fucking villains. This is further accentuated by the characters who die and then come back to life. Their after life, so speak, ends up dramatizing those characters’ strongest traits, which is usually their worst shortcoming. For example, ~!Megumi Shimizu becomes far more superficial and self-entitled in her belief that she’s better than everyone else in this podunk town. Masao Murasako becomes even more judgmental and hateful of the world around him, mostly because they all think he’s a weirdo freak, which he is. Then another character, whom I won’t name to avoid big spoilers, becomes quite a bit self-righteous in their death and desire to defeat the thing causing this epidemic.!~ Overall, Shiki was one hell of an experience. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to like it at all, particularly after being faced with the sluggish progression, but I’m so glad that I stuck by it until the end because it left me with an abundance of thoughts and feelings. The show is much deeper than I initially expected, and I love uncovering the different layers of it the more that I chat with it about other chums. My goal is to re-watch this again in the future as I feel a re-visit shall be more revealing than the first. This just seems like one of those anime that has something new and fresh to offer upon a re-watching. If you’re thinking about picking up Shiki, just keep in mind that it is slow and methodical, and it also gets pretty fucking gruesome in the last one-fourth. So, if you’re not a fan of gory or graphic shows, you may want to proceed cautiously or avoid the last few episodes. I do recommend this to fans of horror mystery anime who like narratives that are marvellously contemplative.
img220(https://i2.wp.com/www.yogomi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Shiki-Cover.jpg?resize=1600%2C600&ssl=1) ___I'm going to be crisp and short here as I'll try not to spoil it. Just letting you know that this review is what I feel personally about Shiki.___ The epitome of an amazing show...passionate, deep, and meaningful. __OST__ This show has beautiful OST. Goes perfectly with very moments, It's just the perfect mix of fear and despair to set a creepy tone. Shiki just has this haunting yet beautiful melody, i think thats why its one of my favorite animes .The soundtrack is truly amazing and it will always sound one of a kind to me . __How it progress__ The first 1/4th was the normal and few things are left answered which will be answer towards the end and the plot was predictable. The last 1/4th was OMFG I didn't see that coming. __How I feel About it__ A lot of people see horror as something that just makes you jump and gives you a dopamine rush, I think horror is something that haunts and fascinates years after you experience it and by that definition, Shiki is one of the greatest horror shows I've ever had the pleasure to watch I think the reason why this anime was so amazing is because it mess with your head's logical and emotional feeling and show the extreme harsh reality. As viewers, I remember when I first watched it I really thought that all the Shiki should die. there is the logical part of us that thinks Shiki's should all be eliminated so the curse can stop, and then there is the emotional part that feels sympathy for Shiki's and criticises the cruel way humans treated them, forgetting that humans and Shiki's both felt the need to survive. And so the lines between good and evil start to blur as the show goes on and in the end, it makes us question if there is in fact a good side. It makes the viewer question what they would do if they were in the same position as the humans (or Shiki's) and how they would deal with it. I don't really think you have to be ''mentally mature'' or incredibly smart to understand it. All in all, it's a great horror anime with an amazing ost in my opinion. __How am I feeling about it after completing it.__ I am sinking in the depths of despairs and disgusted by the human nature and the reality. This anime has some influence on me now and has meaningful messages in it. One of a kind Masterpiece I wish more horror anime had the atmosphere Shiki has. I mean, I've enjoyed other horror anime, but Shiki will probably always be my favorite. It's nice to see Shiki get some love, I rarely hear people talk about it anymore I highly recommend you to watch this show and judge it by yourselves. __Again This is my personal Opinion__
Lord Ruthven had been roaming the night for about 40 years by the time Capital made the metaphor explicit. Vampires are—traditionally—aristocrats and landlords, beings unable to create (produce), devoid of life, that can only exist through taking it from others. Class is as much a part of the myth as the garlic or the mirrors, and Shiki manages to follow up on the tradition with confidence to then put an interesting spin on it, all while telling a complex, engaging story and keeping the human element intact. From now on, this review contains general spoilers. The show is good, you can watch in peace. ~~~ img620(http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/37200000/Shiki-Opening-1-Screenshot-horror-anime-manga-37219554-1280-720.jpg) __The world is a vampire__~~~ Hostility in the small town of Sotoba isn’t a consequence of bloodshed. It dwells in the fog, the water and the humid summer heat. Maintained by the same families over many generations and isolated from modern metropolitan life, it follows its own set of rules, imposing a role on each inhabitant. For those that don’t fit the mold, said rules—born of an ignorantly conservative lack of contact with the outside world—constitute a suffocating relational hellscape. For the show’s teen characters, it means alienation and a perpetual spotlight; calm but relentless criticism from an entire community. For the undead Kirishiki family, outsiders to the village despite their apparent wealth and foreign to its infrastructures*, it means the denial of their very right to exist. ~~~img420(https://pm1.narvii.com/6054/6ecb8e7fbb2077301ccfc97d17c72b6098c2f90a_hq.jpg) _Kanemasa is a perfectly normal mansion, you'd find it anywhere in the japanese countryside._~~~ Their condition is a secret to the characters, but not to the audience; a family of vampires living in a western-style mansion atop the village is basically genre canon and the show’s take on vampiric features is very traditional. Megumi Shimizu, an egocentric teenage girl with dreams of the big city and nothing but contempt for Sotoba's daily life, becomes their first victim at the very start of episode one. More deaths follow, quiet and seemingly unrelated, making for an early air of mystery as the village’s monk and doctor begin to investigate. The show uses its early stretch to paint a clear, detailed picture of the decaying town and its inner workings, not with the intention to scare, but to construct a physical space, full of real people that can operate both as individuals and collectives. It jumps playfully between giving the audience a bird’s eye view of the conflict and dedicating time to the character’s emotional response, adding extra weight to dialogue that always feels like buildup and payoff at the same time. The irregular flow of information and the high personal stakes make every exchange feel tense and suspenseful. Nothing is arbitrary, and it’s a joy to watch the pieces fall into place as Sotoba slowly gives in to decay. It’s never too dense, thanks in no small part to the presentation, which isn’t “horror” either, but a chaotic blend of street fashion, ridiculous hairstyles (the character designs are pretty much 1:1 versions of their manga selves), funky music and clinical exposition, all seen through dramatic boards that bring out the core of Dezaki anime through weird early 2000s digital-isms. It’s deeply strange, but it lets the show get away with the wild emotional shifts that grow in frequency as tension rises over the course of its 22 episodes. ~~~img620(https://abandonedfactory.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/shiki-2-4.png) _The show seriously focuses on making Sotoba a believable place, and it pays off. Every action is perfectly grounded in the setting to the point where you could map all the events._~~~ After being forcibly exposed, the Risen (vampires) become the protagonists as Sotoba’s residents come together to try and hunt them down. The villagers’ methods are far more brutal and ruthless than the newcomers’ original plan. It’s a war of extermination and any doubt about who the real monster is vanishes as soon as the blood starts flowing. Vampires are looking for a place where they’re allowed to exist, but their mere existence is a tragic breach of rules that—to the villagers, anyway—are far too obvious to question. The new dichotomy is hegemony-minority. Most of the cast, living and undead, accumulates—knowingly or not—regrets and resentment over that small town conservatism, and it’s their relationship to that system that drives their development. It would've been easy for the people of Sotoba to collectively feed three vampires without losing anyone—the series' exposition makes it painfully obvious, it’d mean life for the Risen and a minor inconvenience for the village—but the idea was never on the table. For the vampires, being understood is unthinkable. For the villagers, accepting the vampires is blasphemous. People don’t really think about the roots of their worldview. It just makes sense to think it’s always been there. It operates on a scale so grand that it can become invisible; taking a literal bloodbath for the Risen, the minority, to become fully aware of the extent of their oppression. They’re not directly condemned by the system, but forgotten by it. Not punished, but completely erased from possibility. God remains silent, but does the silence even mean anything? Is he even aware of their existence? By the time one of the main characters comes up with a firm answer, coexistence is a distant ghost. ~~~ img310(https://animerantshome.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/muroi-22.png) img310(http://images6.fanpop.com/image/polls/1341000/1341325_1392066068564_full.png?v=1392066111) _Seishin (monk) and Toshio (doctor) are fantastic characters that lend a face to the show's main conflict and play off of each other in an emotionally satisfying way._ ~~~ Shiki would need only a couple of stylistic adjustments to become the best version of itself. It delivers great mystery, tragedy and drama from beginning to end, playing into its pulpier elements while carefully expanding on its themes and weaving them into the characters’ personal stories, all of it punctuated by its sharp sense of pacing. Then, when all is said and done, it comes to a perfect conclusion. The final episode is both cathartic and clear about its stance: crime is a consequence of alienation and ostracism; punishment only breeds more hostility. A system that doesn’t account for your existence has no business judging you. Unless people shatter the illusion of natural law, the cycle will repeat until everything has turned to ash. Definitely not applicable to any other context. _____ Thanks for reading! You can comment on the review [here](https://anilist.co/activity/250116009) if you feel like it.
__SPOILER-FREE!__ __This review was originally written in July 2021, published as a YouTube video on my channel.__ Let’s talk for a minute about expectations: part of the reason why I like going into any entertainment knowing as little as possible is because that way, the show can happen to me as unobstructed or as organically as possible. That of course pertains to familiarity with the original source material. But there’s another kind of expectation that often comes with entertainment viewing sometimes, and that’s when you’re told point blank that something either is or is not worth it. It happens all the time – something comes up in conversation, you mention that you haven’t seen it yet, and then you get told that you MUST or MUST NOT see it. _Shiki_ was a series that a user in a Discord server pressed me to see numerous times, swearing that it was one of the best anime that he had ever seen. What was different about this particular time was that it wasn’t just being told that it was great; it’s another matter entirely to be told it persistently, as though the person made it their life’s calling or mission to make sure that, come hell or high water, you were going to see it. So, thanks -name redacted-, you piqued my curiosity to the point where I could no longer ignore it. _____ In the Sotoba village during summertime, a high school girl named Megumi has a horribly one-sided crush on a boy named Natsuno. Both are fed up with life in their little village and long for somewhere else. After once again failing to get any substantial reactions or responses from Natsuno, Megumi tries leaving the village. She is later found lying in the forest, where she dies shortly afterwards. Her death only ends up being one of the first in a long line of other mysterious deaths that occur in the village, with both the old and the young falling victim to whatever is happening. Ozaki Toshio, the local doctor, Muroi Seishin, the local temple priest, and Natsuno find themselves struggling to determine the cause of these deaths, and whether it’s something akin to an epidemic or an overt malevolence. _Shiki_ relies on one of the classic literary devices as explained by famed British director Alfred Hitchcock. Imagine this for a minute if you will; two people are sitting at a dinner table, when suddenly a bomb goes off. You get a few seconds of intense shock. Now, try the scene again, but reveal to the audience that during that dinnertime conversation, a bomb will go off in five minutes. It’s a small change, but one that makes a world of difference in experiencing a scene. _Shiki’s_ framing makes it plainly obvious to the audience what is going on throughout the story as far as why the villagers are dying, but keeps its characters in dark suspense so that they are trying to piece things together themselves. Information is fed to the audience and the characters both in violent bursts and quiet realizations, never keeping stagnant for too long. As the mystery carries on for all three characters, we also begin to see the show work its psychological and moralistic magic. Though the story itself starts in the summer, it lasts over a period of several months. During that time, as more and more people continue dying, the wear and tear of trying to get at the heart of what’s going on begins to take its toll, moving with the careful intricacy of the finest Swiss clockmaker. Ozaki for instance has to constantly wrestle with an inability to find the cause for the deaths, and the fact that his own nursing staff is starting to get terrified that they themselves could be next. There also is an increasing unwillingness of the townspeople to seek medical aid from him, furthering his aggravation. He wants to save these people, just as Natsuno wants to take matters into his own hands and figure out why he is seeing visions of Megumi in his nightmares, and Muroi seeks to learn more about the attacks that don’t involve a medical explanation. Each protagonist’s agenda does not necessarily coincide with the other two despite their common goal. Their own methods, as well as their own ideologies about the town, its people, the moral questions that get thrown in, and its mythology, are at times diametrically-opposed; all three characters move along their paths in calculated measures to save the village. But oddly enough, the villagers in their sequestered corner of the world aren’t necessarily the most-pleasant people you would want to see saved. I already mentioned their reluctance to seek medical aid, yet as seen early on in their treatment of Megumi, they have a penchant for gossiping, making fun of, or outright ostracizing those who are different from them. Such a collection of sour personalities makes the resulting death that’s sweeping through the village create not a cause for concern, but one that feels more akin to apathy. Even if you want to write off that this is a fictitious story and that you shouldn’t care too much about what’s happening, shouldn’t you at least feel something? Yet despite all of that, there are some in the village that make their kindness or their pain known. We are shown throughout the series numerous funerals and death rite ceremonies, seeing families crying as they mourn their loved ones, including some who never moved into adulthood. The nurses who work for Ozaki likewise express their desire to keep the people alive despite their limited understanding of what’s happening. These people are scared and dying. It manages to elicit a rather conflicted response: I was caught between both wanting and not wanting the town to be saved, as the people there are largely such an unpleasant bunch. But the more people die, the greater the chance that the other characters in the village who are kind will die as well. As the villagers eventually realize what’s causing the deaths and take a more proactive role in their own defense, I felt not apathy, but exhilaration. _Shiki_ managed to tinker with my emotional response to what I was watching as if guided by a magician, keeping me sometimes on the edge of my seat, ecstatic during moments of triumph, and slumping as I sympathized with a character’s defeat even if I didn’t like them at first. The way its suspense carried over from episode to episode made me get invested in everyone and everything...except Murasako Masao. If you’ve seen the show, you know why. I have not talked about the plot in significant detail here because the show’s tightly-woven writing makes such a feat nearly impossible. To discuss specific moments or show the wrong visual would necessitate talking about something else that transpires in the show, which then would necessitate talking about something else, and so on and so forth. The fact that certain seemingly-incidental details become a factor later on gives each scene a sense of deliberate importance, either in foreshadowing the future or for emphasizing the unsettling atmosphere of death or the village. And that unsettling atmosphere is accompanied by an unusual aesthetic. It does not scream “horror” or “mystery,” but rather comes across as a strange conglomeration of both garish and calming, from the unusual hairstyles of the characters to the beautiful landscape backgrounds. For such a suspenseful story, it seemed only fitting that it would occupy a space in what could be thought of as an aesthetic twilight zone. But of all things in terms of presentation, the soundtrack operates on a sublime level, painting the town and the ensuing events in a whirl of gloomy sounds. __________ _Shiki_ is a masterclass in immersion, where the slow pace and the encroaching dread it wrought was completely arresting. With a lovely stylized look, a colorful roster of characters, moments that were phenomenally intense, a soundtrack and audio mixing that worked seamlessly, and an ending that left me completely satisfied, it was one of the most-engrossing anime viewing experiences I’ve had in a very long time. Combined with tightly-woven writing, it produced a mystery that had me longing to descend deeper into its dark corridors the further it went on. When it at last was over, I was filled with that sense of both exhaustion and fulfillment that only comes when you feel you’ve seen something truly worth your time. I certainly will not be forgetting it anytime soon.
This anime aired in Japan from July 9 to December 31, 2010. It's quite appropriate 6 months of airing for 20 episodes. Shiki anime is packaged in 22 main episodes and 2 special episodes. Incidentally, Mimin hasn't watched the special yet, but of the 22 main episodes, it's quite worth watching. Produced by Aniplex, well from here it's enough to be appetizing, Aniplex has spawned a lot of mainstream anime that you all know (SAO, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach). So it never hurts to watch. ____ __Apperance :__ For the appearance of this anime itself, it has quite a distinctive style. The impression of the aura that is displayed is so dark and dark. It fits the genre very well. Then the characters also have their own characteristics from their hairstyles. It becomes easier for us to remember the characters in Shiki. Not to mention, the setting of the story setting that focuses on the village makes the audience feel as if they are there. Because of that, we will get to know more about each character so that we are immersed in the story. Coupled with music and sound effects that are thick with a dark aura (it's really hard to explain) ____ __Story :__ Now we get to the heart of the story. So Anime Shiki is a supernatural anime because it presents mythical creatures such as Vampires and Werewolves. At first glance, maybe we are bored, why do we have to be a vampire again, have to be a werewolf again like the films that are showing. Eitsss...but Shiki presents something different, where the story will focus on two camps that will survive each other, the vampire camp and the human side. So? So...the story starts from a village called Sotoba Village. In this village, the people live in peace. In the anime, the story begins with a girl named Shimizu Megumi who is amazed and dreams of a luxurious castle on a hill. He also likes our protagonist Yuuki Natsuno. The story runs until the climax of the end of the episode is the mysterious death of Megumi. The village doctor, Ozaki Toshio was confused by it. Unnatural death is like loss of blood. Initially he was diagnosed with anemia, but it turned out that there were many irregularities that made the doctor dizzy because of it. And there were various kinds of strange deaths that disturbed the villagers. So with all his might, the doctor tried to find out the truth behind the mysterious death that hit their village. At first, after watching the first episode, Mimin thought that the deaths were only caused by one person or the evil villain. But it turns out I was wrong hehe. This anime packs a story to create a quite satisfying ending and also hufh *goosebumps* ____ __Conclusion :__ Overall, for the Shiki anime, I give it 8.5/10. This is according to Mimin and should not be used as a benchmark hehe. This anime really makes me addicted. The story is quite mysterious and the ending is extraordinary, which makes this a top anime for its size. The ending? Yes, those who are still able, please open... those who are not strong, please watch for yourself hehe...
~~~This review contains major spoilers.~~~` _____________________________________________________________ #~~~_What’s more terrifying than vampires?_~~~ First of all, vampires are - img500(https://files.catbox.moe/prwhyj.JPG) Yeah, that’s it. Google says. So what being can be more terrifying than the corpses that feed on your blood in the middle of your sweet dream and drain your life away? Are there any creatures like that? There are. # Humans. Yes. Humans. That’s the truth I got from ‘Shiki’ in the most brutal way possible. About the context of the story. I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t heard about Count Dracula. The concept of the vampires in ‘Shiki’ actually comes from that and almost imitates that. That is, the vampires of ‘Shiki’ are almost like the ones in Dracula. In the quiet, peaceful, remote village of Sotoba, people suddenly started dying. One by one. The local doctor of that village and one of our protagonists, Toshio Ozaki, struggles to find the reason for their sudden deaths. “What’s causing their death?” He notices the strange similarity in their symptoms and concludes that - There is an epidemic. And he was so bent on it that he shrugged every other possibility. But again, he was the one who found out what’s causing the deaths. Yes. He was the one who proved the existence of Shiki. ~~~img500(https://files.catbox.moe/xifbhb.JPG) img500(https://files.catbox.moe/tkbx1w.JPG) img500(https://files.catbox.moe/ktnpvm.JPG)~~~ The last one still sends shiver down my spine. The unique art style and the perfect placement of the perfect soundtrack. Now about the Shikis. Shikis are vampires. Plain and simple. The name given to the vampires in this anime is Shiki. This name came from a novel written by another one of our main characters, Seishin Muroi. Shikis live in a mansion called Kanemasa in the village. The villagers don’t know this fact, obviously. Shikis feed on the blood of the living villagers. And once a Shiki has bitten a human they kind of become hypnotized and follow the order of that Shiki unconsciously. Ultimately when enough blood is sucked out, they die. But after death two things can happen. Either the deceased remains deceased or that deceased wakes up as a Shiki. ~~~img500(https://otakukart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shiki.png)~~~ Seishin Muroi is the young priest of Sotoba and also a writer. He writes novels. In one of his novels he mentioned Corpse Demon and named them ‘Shiki’. One of his fans, Sunako Kirishiki, apparently the head of the Vampires, likes that term and renames their kind as ‘Shiki’. Now, last but not least, Yuuki Natsuno. A high school student and other prime characters of this series. He was another one who was suspicious about the things going on in the village. Megumi Shimizu, a local and his classmate who desperately loves Natsuno, one day died. But Natsuno spots that dead girl a few days later because apparently even after death she was stalking him. To make sure what was going on Natsuno decided to dig up her grave and when he did that, surprise surprise, It was empty. ~~~img500(https://files.catbox.moe/9rauls.JPG)~~~ Now what makes ‘Shiki’ so amazing? Every creature wants to survive in this gruesome world. And most will do whatever it takes just to do that. Shikis are no exception (I am considering them as a different species). Shikis feed on human blood. But for what reason? Do they want to do that? Most of them, No. They don’t want to drain the blood of another human being, much less their family members. But do they have a choice here? No, they don't. They have to feed on human blood otherwise they will die. Some of them might prefer to die rather than sucking blood out of their family. Then again, the will to survive is a brutal thing. That will will force you to do some things you will never imagine doing normally. That’s exactly what happened here. Some will consider the Shikis as villains of this show. Well obviously. They were killing HUMANS after all. They must be evil. Right? They are evils. But from whose perspective? From the perspective of humans. Yes, humans decided that the Shikis were evil because of what they were doing. Which pegs the question, “Were the Shikis wrong?” No. I don’t think they were. They were only doing what they had to. They were only trying to survive here. Humans show their true color when their backs are against the walls. Their deepest, darkest nature is exposed when their life is on the line. ‘Shiki’ is one of those rare animes that pointed out that fact. When Toshio Ozaki discovered the truth behind the deaths he was desperate to find a solution. He needed to experiment. And he experimented on his - Wife. Toshio’s wife became a Shiki herself after being bitten. When Toshio realized that he researched on the weaknesses of the Shikis with his wife as the guinea pig. He tried various different methods. Long story short, he tortured his dead wife brutally. Even though she was no longer a human, does that justify Toshio Ozaki’s actions? ~~~img500(https://files.catbox.moe/1ulaph.JPG)~~~ I think it does actually. Toshio Ozaki was also a victim there. He was also trying to survive and trying to keep the village safe. So he was also forced to do whatever he did. The last couple of episodes of this anime are the most chilling episodes I’ve ever seen. The final showdown - Humans vs Shikis. Toshio exposed a Shiki in front of everyone at a festival. He gathered capable individuals to fight back. And most of them did. The Humans destroyed the Shikis in One Night. One Night. What took Shikis months to build the humans finished in a single night. The piles of corpses who were once human beings were made. ~~~img500(https://files.catbox.moe/tmzgln.JPG) img500(https://files.catbox.moe/ykcqis.JPG)~~~ What caused it? The fear of getting eradicated. Up until that point, the Shikis had the upper hand but the combined willpower of humans turned the tables instantaneously. Their fears turned into power, their anger turned into desperation. This is the capability of humans when they need to live. Humans are more horrifying than the blood sucking monsters. There was one scene that stuck with me, that proved this statement. In desperation the Shikis also pointlessly fought back a couple of times. When one was captured naturally they swung around their hands and feet. During those times some of the humans also got injured by the Shikis. Guess what the others did. They killed those humans too. “What if he also turns into a Shiki? What will we do then? It’s better if we kill them now when we have the chance.” A human will never turn into a Shiki just from a scratch. Yet they killed them. Brutal. But isn’t that what most of us would have done in a situation like that? So who is the real villain here? Who knows. The anime ‘Shiki’ proves one big, harsh fact. ~~~__“THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST”__ ~~~ Everything else of this anime was just as convincing as the premise was. The art and music department played a huge role in making this anime so much horrifying. The moments where the art went from colorful to black added more fear to the audience’s minds. The portrayal of Shikis here was solid. The style of the art perfectly blended with the setting of the story. ~~~img500(https://files.catbox.moe/4k7f1g.JPG)~~~ And about the soundtracks. Yasuharu Takanashi is a genius. The soundtracks he composed and their perfect placements along with the art made everything more than good enough. ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmAca9b_Q7A)~~~ This is the soundtrack I mentioned earlier. I still jam this ost sometimes. It’s so good. There's another version of it. It's a slower but sublime one. Hear it too. ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYC6U3LBRs)~~~ ‘Shiki’ is one of a kind. The kind of atmosphere it builds is rare in horror animes. You just don’t get horror like this nowadays. It had a message worth understanding. So, in the end, ‘Shiki’ is so far the best horror anime I’ve seen and will most definitely recommend it to someone who is looking for a ‘True’ vampire show. Now, give it a shot. P.S: There are two special episodes, 20.5 and 21.5. Make sure you watch them too.
~~~__This review contains some vague spoilers (as in, I may describe a few earlier scenes, but won’t name the characters involved, etc.)__~~~ Of any genre, horror seems to be one in which what works for one person is not going to work for another. There’s a reason why horror fans never seem to agree what pieces of horror media “get it right”-- everyone’s opinion on what makes “good” horror is vastly different in a way you tend not to see with other genres. Shiki is no exception to this, and despite its reputation as one of the better horror anime, it has its fair share of detractors as well. Honestly, I get it. It’s certainly an anime that isn’t going to be for everyone. The pacing is going to turn people off, as will the character designs. However, it’s been a favorite of mine for years, and upon recent rewatch, I wanted to delve into why I love it so much. I’ve never really seriously reviewed anything, so it may be a bit rusty, but here we go. Firstly, just to start with a broad stroke, I’d like to give an overview of the plot. At this point, with how well-known Shiki is, I feel like basically everyone reading this knows it’s a vampire show. If I were to give a one sentence summary of the show, I’d describe it like this: An unsuspecting small town is slowly taken over by a group of vampires that moved in at the beginning of the summer. In fact, Shiki is an adaptation of a manga adaptation of Fuyumi Ono’s novel of the same name, which in of itself is a retelling of Stephen King’s _‘Salem’s Lot_, a story many horror fans are likely familiar with. There are, of course, plenty of major differences, however, the basic premise of the story is essentially the same. This is to say that Shiki is a fairly straightforward, albeit very well-executed, classic gothic horror vampire tale, following many of the traditional vampire rules (for example, they must be invited in). As you may have gathered from that synopsis, the first half of Shiki is a lot of build up as the shiki (the in-show name for the vampires) try to gain the upper hand, while some of the humans begin to catch on. While this pacing is going to bore a lot of people, I love the first half. It creates a fantastic and suffocating atmosphere of dread, hopelessness, and solitude– it’s hammered into the viewer again and again that the village is dying off, people are sick, and the villagers are too stuck in their own ways to acknowledge it as a problem. Its atmosphere is strengthened by the methodical nature of the first half, almost as sleepy and restrained as the town of Sotoba itself, in which the characters slowly come to realizations as Sotoba fades away around them. This thick atmosphere is assisted by the phenomenal soundtrack composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, which often follows different variations of the same melancholic humming. Even with the campy character designs, there are several scenes that I find earnestly haunting from this slow-burning first half. There is one ominous scene in which a vampire is invited into a character’s home, and later on, this leads to the first real scene in which the viewers see the shiki in action. These scenes are particularly effective, and create this sense of paranoia, claustrophobia, and being watched that is rarely handled so well in horror anime. Some other particularly effective early scenes include one in which a shiki ambushes a character from above, dropping down on him as it dawns on him what is happening, and one in which a character which is catching on to the shiki is lured out of her house under the guise of helping someone being attacked. In terms of the characters, there are really five main characters–Toshio Ozaki (the worn out town doctor), Natsuno Yuuki (the aloof teenage outsider who recently moved to Sotoba), Sunako Kirishiki (the head of the shiki), Seishin Muroi (the town priest), and Megumi Shimizu (a moody teenage girl who has big aspirations, but is often viewed as an oddity by the other close-minded villagers). In many ways, these characters are not particularly likable. Ozaki is the closest there is to a true main protagonist, especially in the final half, but he is cold and abrasive, and often gets so caught up in his work and the mystery of the “pandemic” that he ignores the feelings of others. Yuuki is equally relevant for much of the show, but he is aloof and snobbish towards the villagers of Sotoba. Likewise, the various villagers tend to be gossipy and judgmental. On the other hand, the decent and kind villagers rarely speak up or challenge the change-resistant masses, and if they do, they’re immediately dismissed. However, if you’ve ever lived in a small town, you would know that this is often how it can be, especially if you feel as if you don’t fit in. While some may think the villagers are foolish for not catching on to the shiki sooner, I think this anime perfectly captures the “it could never happen to us” mentality often found in small towns, and its portrayal of the villagers certainly lends itself to this. Oftentimes, the characters represent moral dilemmas, which fully develops by the final few episodes of the show. While I understand that this style of character writing will not work for everyone, I quite enjoy it in Shiki. With its large ensemble cast, Shiki explores so many different points-of-view from characters with a lot of grace. It doesn’t stray away from the hatred, jealousy, and cruelty that humanity is capable of when they are pushed to their limits. However, it showcases the full spectrum of human emotions as well– the characters are capable of mercy and kindness as well, and the way all these characters tackle their problems is engrossing. On a slightly off topic note relating to the characters, I’m one of the few people who actually enjoys the art style. It perfectly caters to the side of me that loves campy, gothic aesthetics, and on a narrative level I feel like the varying character designs actually work very well, as it allows the viewer to tell apart the large cast. Also, it’s just fun to see what Megumi, Sunako, and Chizuru are wearing every episode. Come on now. While the show is often discussed as a “who’s the real monster” narrative (and certainly there are aspects of this in the show), to me it’s more of a conflict between people, showcasing the tragedy of a small village–making us bear witness as hope for a positive future for Sotoba grows dimmer and dimmer. One of the major differences between Shiki and _‘Salem’s Lot_ is that the shiki are fully sentient, and retain their humanity once they rise up. In this way, they are ultimately human in their thoughts and actions, though they are forced to resort to violence to survive. Likewise, it’s impossible to blame the humans for their retaliation–they don’t want to die, and they don’t want their town overrun. The shiki refuse to compromise, and the humans don’t have much of a choice. It’s truly a clash of ideals in which most of the characters will never see eye to eye, a raging maelstrom of hatred and revenge and sorrow and tragedy and things falling apart. To me, the ending of the series is perfect, thematically lending itself to the story and tying up the story of Sotoba and its people in the only way it could truly end for two groups that refuse to see each other more than something to be hunted. On this note, I also want to relay the importance of WATCHING THE SPECIALS, as they deal extensively with these themes. Seriously, it’s so strange that they are even specials in the first place, as they are plot relevant and should be watched between episodes 19 and 20 and 21 and 22 respectively. Shiki is certainly not perfect, and I have my issues with it. Some of the characters’ motives *cough*SEISHIN*cough* can feel a bit underdeveloped, and at times, I wish it toned down the camp for some scenes (like basically every scene with the funeral home manager). However, despite this, I still think it’s one of the most effective pure horror anime ever made–for each of these gripes, there are dozens of aspects of Shiki I could rave about, with so many powerful scenes. It understands how to build an atmosphere and how to hone its gothic aesthetic to create a morbid and moody setting. It has a great grasp on crafting its road to tragedy, and the characters’ various dilemmas culminate into something truly special. If you’re looking for a horror anime with gothic sensibilities and a slower, atmospheric pacing, you should check out Shiki.
__“When you became isolated from the world, you were excluded from God’s jurisdiction at the same time.” __ Shiki is a show with many faces, wearing comedy, horror and drama on its sleeve simultaneously. After all, in what other show would you have a person speaking candidly about fears of their own demise while dressing like a member of a glam rock band? However, any and all of these facets are subsumed by its central message that it will stop at nothing for the viewer to internalize deeply: When one is refused even the paltriest recognition of agency by a society, what are they to do? Shiki is one of the best psychological horrors that exist in the medium of anime. Tinged with an air of mystery that is punctuated by the activities of both Natsuno Yuuki and Toshio Ozaki, the lingering uneasiness that builds throughout every episode is unparalleled. Of course, a story about vampires is nothing new, but the methodical way with which Sotoba palpably begins to decline, further demonstrated in the excellent OVAs to the show, under the gradual weight of an increasing vampire population, really brings home the deprivation that the village folk are forced to contend with and ultimately demonstrate the source of the ensuing cruelty. Despite being a limited production, Shiki is oozing with personality that is accentuated through the creativity of the team led by series director Tetsurou Amino. Sotoba is a sleepy town in rural Japan, and yet through the constant motioning to distinct areas throughout the village, as well as a story that does not hesitate in showcasing the lives of the various families that live throughout the rural area, the viewer feels an intrinsic connection to the people of the show, and thereby an attached sentiment of empathy for their plight, as well as horror for how they choose to resolve it. Also, the directing of the show makes up for any shortfalls in its productions, with incredibly expressive color design and shots with an uncomfortable or eerie focus that serve to unsettle the viewer. One of the more remarkable aspects of this show is the lack of reticence in showcasing wanton violence and cruelty. Ultimately, when the people of Sotoba choose to fight back against the vampires, they do not hesitate in rapidly dehumanizing them to justify their actions. In a manner akin to a pogrom, the people of Sotoba transform into monsters, with their dragging screaming vampire women and children with ropes from their hiding places before silencing them with a stake, taunting them all the while. In bringing about a deep sense of familiarity of loss with the people of Sotoba, the utter devastation wrought by these people makes the viewer question whether their preconceived notions of justice are correct, or whether the vampires and humans, who ultimately are just trying to survive, could have been solved in a more amicable way. More than anything else, what is most frightening and revelatory about Shiki is its ability to show the depravity of the human spirit. The events of Shiki are fundamentally predicated on a mistrust of any group that differs from the ingroup, and the resulting paranoia, refusal to engage, and subsequent commitment to violent action only serve to further sever any ties that could be made. In an era where vilification of any strange minority group can be transmitted instantaneously across machines the whole world over, it is prescient that we look back a decade at the caution that Shiki throws our way and learn to accept, rather than fear.
Shiki is one of the best anime I have watched way back 2011 when I was a child. I have watched it once again and it actually enlightens me on what is the meaning of their respective deaths. It left me a fascinating question on who is right and wrong; are these the villagers or the Shikis? Everything started with Megumi, a luxurious-minded 15-year-old girl that was forced to live in a provincial life. Based on the story, she was being talked about her outfits and how she lives her own life. Megumi hates the town because she is seen as different from all the citizens and is laughed at for her way of living. When the Kirishiki family transferred to the European-like structure house, which was the dream house of Megumi, everything changed. Megumi was their very first victim to become a Shiki. During this time, the province was thought to be experiencing an epidemic, without anyone knowing it was caused by the Kirishiki family. The Kirishiki family's origin is unknown, but one reason they transferred to a new place was because they were not accepted in their old town. People viewed them as scary individuals as they drank blood. Tooru, Natsuno's best friend, mentioned that they have tried to negotiate with people's blood, but it was hard since they are not accepted by the society. With this, they opted to create their own kind to populate the village and to live a normal life. Way back during my young age, I watched all of the death scenes of this anime and it was hard for me to see those Shikis being killed despite their background. They never wanted to become Shikis, but they were forced back to life to serve their respective masters who had bitten them. After watching the entire series, it made me ponder who is actually right and wrong in this story. Killing is not legal, yet both parties did so. Even though the Shikis have already died and rose again from the dead, there are some individuals who were bit once were already sentenced to death. Another thing was hatred. When people automatically judged the person's way of living, Megumi as an example who became a Shiki afterwards, they immediately earn hatred since they are not accepted by the citizens of the village and being considered as uncanny to them. For the citizens, they had earn hatred when their family started to die one by one. Lastly, there was ostracization. Everyone, including the Shikis and regular people, experienced ostracization due to who they were. This conflict was a significant factor for both parties, but in the end, the citizens, with the help of Dr. Toshio, emerged victorious. Overall, there are still many minor issues within the villagers' society, which reflect on the lives of the Shikis. With that, I still cannot figure out which side to choose because both sides committed crimes that are unacceptable. Each of them has their reasons for wanting to live again, making it difficult to determine who is right or wrong in this series. Nevertheless, this series effectively portrays the current societal issues.
~~~__Bloody Riceballs, I want to read the original novel so bad Why is it not translated!?__~~~ _____ I will be referring to the anime itself as __Shiki__, and to the creatures/vampires in this show as *Shiki* throughout this review. >This is the truth of the world. The peaceful world which takes order and orderly men for granted. They reject the very existence of those who oppose order, lacking the strength to accept them. Bearing their fangs, they cast them out. Only by doing so are they able to maintain their thin facade. Such a fragile world. __Shiki__ is definitely an interesting case. I probably wouldn’t even have watched it as early as now if it hadn’t come up briefly in a quick discussion about horror anime on here with two people whose tastes I usually trust to align with my own when it comes to specific things this medium can offer last week, in this case specifically about *creating an atmosphere of unease/oddness* and *deliberately leaning into that oddness to do something that feels „off“*. And let me tell you, it most definitely succeeded in what I was advertised. But why is that, exactly? And why has my opinion of it so drastically shifted from the beginnings when I was still saying things like >I really like the soundtrack and general atmosphere so far, but not entirely convinced by the characters yet or >What I'm not entirely convinced by so far is some of the character writing early on. as far as 7 episodes deep into this show? Well, that’s what I’m here to talk about today, as I have just finished this show and stared at a blank word-document-page for roughly 2 hours now (as of the time of starting to write this, who knows how many it’s gonna be once I finish!?) because – despite my head getting flooded with thoughts and things to talk about while I was watching these episodes – the words just didn’t want to come out after I was done. This feeling of „emptiness“ is something I have so far only ever experienced after finishing [a show]( https://anilist.co/review/22858) or [a manga]( https://anilist.co/review/23342) that I put as high up in my favorites as humanly possible, marking something I really, TRULY, had a fantastic time with! Before even starting to write the tag-line above, I went through 2 whole cycles of the [Bloom Into You OST]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ULqpT4voE) and thought I was gonna go insane – well, if I hadn’t already lost my sanity in last year’s *Revue Starlight* rewatch, that is. But I digress. So yeah, let’s get into this one, shall we? _____ Just a quick disclaimer beforehand that there WILL be SPOILERS down here, so reading at your own discretion is most definitely advised. Some will be marked, some will not, that is decided on nothing but my whim. Also a quick trigger warning, as I will be talking about an attempted suicide by one of the characters in this story. If you don’t want to read about something like that, I advise you to skip the portion titled „Seishin and Sunako“ later on. _____ ~~~__The Story__~~~ *Shiki*‘s story is very simple. In *Sotoba*, a small village in the sticks of the sticks of the country side of Japan, where the people’s main bread and butter consists of the daily gossip revolving around the other villagers that will find its way to your parents‘ ears before you arrive home after hearing or witnessing the events gossiped about, even if you only take a few minutes (those who – like me – live in the deepest country side know just how real that is), a strange incident occurs after a new family from outside the village moves into the mansion on the hill „Kanemasa“, wherein a local highschool girl, who’d rather not be confined to the boonies and live it up high in the big city, goes missing one summer night and is later found unconscious in the woods, almost unresponsive and most certainly anemic, which results in her death a few days later. The strange part about this incident isn’t the fact that she alone died, but that in the coming weeks and months, more and more people in the village start to fall sick and die in the same way *Megumi Shimizu*, the highschool girl in question, died earlier, slowly but surely moving the village in a direction ever closer to dying out completely, almost as if it were an epidemic going around. (Man, just imagining I would’ve watched this show during the lockdowns during the early stages of the *Corona* pandemic, I would’ve been even more TERRIFIED out of my mind with this one…) This show follows the story of the villagers as they struggle to find out, learn about, and have to *believe* (that’s probably the most important part here) and start to go against the *obvious* true cause of these continuous deaths in the village: The vampires living in Kanemasa, turning the people of the village into the Undead, and the namesake of this series, the *Shiki*. While it did take a while to get me into it, not neccessarily due to the slow nature of its pacing – I usually am a big advocate for that to flesh out your characters more – but because I didn’t particularly like the characters at first (more to that later), after it finally gripped me, it never did let me go until it ended, even encroaching into my dreams at night making me watch [Cute Girl Anime]( https://anilist.co/anime/17549/Non-Non-Biyori/) to distract myself from the existential dread crawling upon me slumbering away under my covers… _____ ~~~__The Characters, the not-so-fun part of it:__~~~ This show is filled with a cast of extremely colorful~~lly haired~~ characters but first, even if I hate to do it, I want to go into the *negatives* of this part. There are two characters that this story has unfortunately not managed to get me on board with throughout the entirety of its 24 episode-run (including the specials here): [Megumi Shimizu](https://anilist.co/character/7581/Megumi-Shimizu) and [Masao Murasako]( https://anilist.co/character/33456/Masao-Murasako) *Megumi* is the very first character whose POV we follow in the first episode (well, after the short intro scene and the OP after that, that is), and her attitude towards the village life as well as her obsession with [Natsuno Yuuki]( https://anilist.co/character/7582/Natsuno-Yuuki)(more to him later) immediately rubbed me the wrong way. To be perfectly honest with you here, in her case I am fully aware that my negative thoughts are entirely based on personal biases because I have lived in a small village in the country side of Germany for all of the 28 years (almost 29, only 3 months left, yay!) I have been alive on this planet (don’t ask me about other planets, I don’t remember, really, I swear!) and I wouldn’t want to change up my calm and relaxing life (sometimes filled with the smell of manure from the local farmers – we endearingly call it „Landluft“, lit. „country air“ here) for anything else, especially not for a mess of an overcrowded big city life that would probably feel incredibly lonely. (<- Again, definitely personal biases at play here, and I know that very well.) As for *Masao*, he was just an annoyingly entitled spoiled brat from the very first second he showed up, never changing throughout this entire thing, having nothing of value to add to this story or its progress. Both of them have a very prevalent role in the first 7-ish episodes of the story, and unfortunately in either case, there wasn’t a single point in the show that managed to make me actively care about them, as people OR as characters. I *did* fall in love with this show in the end, but I never managed to fall in love with these two. There *IS* one point about Megumi here, that I will adress more when I get to another character later on, regarding her unwillingness to live in the village, which is the thematic of *being forced into a life you don’t want to live*. But that has to wait for a little bit. I guess, as a friend of mine on here would say, these two are the "polar bears" of this story to me. _____ ~~~__The Characters, the fun part of it:__~~~ I will be dividing this up into three specific parts: 1) The Humans of the Village 2) The *Shiki* / Kirishikis / Kanemasa 3) Seiishin and Sunako At first, I wanted to only use two parts, but I think that especially after the final episode, *Seiishin* and *Sunako* definitely deserve a separate entry just for themselves. __The Humans:__ Particularly, I want to talk about three of these specifically in a bit more detail and roughly go over the outline of the other characters‘ roles in this story in passing. Though saying „in more detail“ also only amounts to relatively general things about them and the direction the story takes them in tbh. Firstly, [Natsuno Yuuki](https://anilist.co/character/7582/Natsuno-Yuuki), the boy Megumi Shimizu was obsessed with when she was still alive, ~!and still is after turning into a *Shiki*.!~ *Natsuno*, much like *Megumi*, also is introduced as someone who doesn’t want to live in a village as small as *Sotoba* is. Unlike *Megumi*, however, he moved there from the city prior to the show’s events, because his parents (seriously *wack* characters, if you ask me xD) wanted a change of pace. He is one of the first ones confronted with the cruel reality of the village’s situation as he witnesses ~!a resurrected Megumi sinking her teeth into his best friend, Tooru, while he is over to sleep at his house because he has this creeping suspicion that he’s being watched when trying to sleep at his own home - rightfully so as it turns out - !~ and starts to actively work out a plan against these creatures together with two other kids from the village, *Kaori* and *Akira* (a bit more to them later), which ultimately leads him into the hands of the opposing side, in the most ironic way possible, both for how he got there and where he ultimately ends up through it at the end of the story. His lonesome journey of this seemingly hopeless battle afterwards makes for some genuinely fantastic character moments and dynamics, especially with the doctor of the local clinic, as well as his best friend Tooru to which I found myself drawn into quite a bit. Speaking of which, secondly With as much sexual tension as there is between the two (don… don’t mind me, just, projecting my own ships here for the lack of a better segue for this part), I cannot talk about *Natsuno* without talking about *Tooru* as well, as their story arcs intertwine quite a bit with each other. [Tooru Mutou](https://anilist.co/character/30478/Tooru-Mutou) is *Natsuno*‘s best friend, and has greatly helped the latter in opening up and becoming more kind and comfortable around the villagers, through the sheer power of his own kindness. His journey is one full of kindness, love, and an underlying frustration at not being able to hold himself back once forced into the role he does not want to but *has to* uphold. (Once again a thematic I’ll go into later.) The people on here who have seen me around, have read some of my other reviews or looked at my activites for certain things in general – which admittedly is probably not that many people - know by now that I am very big on the theme of kindness, and if you portray it even halfway „well enough“, even shows that [have not much to offer elsewhere](https://anilist.co/anime/155389/SHY/)(no offense to the people who are fan of the show, of course) are able to pull me in completely to give them a positive rating. As his story, involving especially his crush, the young nurse [Ritsuko](https://anilist.co/character/30500/Ritsuko-Kunihiro)(also a *fantastic* character, never straying away from her ideals even in situations others would give in to despair in), plays out, he has made [quite an impact](https://imgur.com/rw9fLXe) on myself that I won’t be forgetting any time soon. And thirdly, coming to my personal favorite one of the bunch on this side: The doc, [Toshio Ozaki](https://anilist.co/character/7583/Toshio-Ozaki) *Toshio* is the head medical practitioner at the local hospital of the village, and the character most exposed to the „plague“ going around *Sotoba*, having to try and help all these patients coming to his door step, only for them to die in the end after all. What I found myself most engrossed by in this story, was his relationship with the mysterious deaths from the beginning on already, struggling to keep himself up, pulling all-nighters after all-nighters, the situation visibly breaking him down and away at him, and even after finding out the truth having to actively play into the *shiki*‘s hands and lie to the villagers to not frighten them even more than they already are with this „epidemic“, as well as the possibility that if he *does* expose the truth, no one will believe him at first. There is precedent of this particular struggle with another character in this story, namely [*Ikumi Itou*](https://anilist.co/character/36113/Ikumi-Itou) being the perfect representation of>The louder you shout, the more people become opposed to the words. No matter how right you are in the end. And yet, through completely drifting off the rails and beyond what is morally questionable even, going so far as to ~!~ he ultimately finds a way to reveal it to the world in an amazing play set up with the help of *Natsuno*. After witnessing how this all concludes for him, he leans back and comes to the realization that ~!literally every single thing he did over the course of this journey was a worthless struggle all along, as he watched it all go down in flames. But it is exactly that worthlessness that gives his character arc its worth. That’s how I see it.!~ He also belongs to the rare species of actually smart and competent main characters in this medium. Smart and competent in the sense of how someone in his position should, realistically, be. Another recent example belonging to this type of character is [Maomao](https://anilist.co/character/126824/Maomao) __The *Shiki* / Kirishikis / Kanemasa:__ The *Kirishikis*, a family of vampires, of *Shiki*, who have moved into the mansion Kanemasa at the top of the mountain in the village through certain circumstances - more to that later - consisting of a „family“ of 3 and a certain amount of caretakers and servants, from which I will be briefly talking about the 2 main ones. First we have [Chizuru](https://anilist.co/character/30928/Chizuru-Kirishiki), the Kirishiki family’s mother and a more energetic, sexy and flirtatious type, basking in the glory of finding beautiful young men and women to prey upon, until ~!she herself falls prey to Toshio’s masterful play at revealing the truth about the *Shiki*.!~ Then we have [Seiishirou](https://anilist.co/character/30576/Seishirou-Kirishiki) who - despite being a human - willingly stays with these creatures and regularly provides *Chizuru* with some of his blood. And, not gonna lie, can’t exactly blame him. (Ecchi under spoiler tag, I guess.) ~!img(https://files.catbox.moe/v1aj9d.jpg) Img(https://cdn.anisearch.de/images/character/screen/18/18041/full/129253.webp)!~ He actively hunts down the people of the village together with the Kirishikis and his 4 loyal dogs, a cutely terrifying bunch of canines if I do say so myself. Without spoiling, his battle against *Natsuno* and the conclusion to it are some of my favorite understated parts of the later episodes. Thirdly, before I go into the REAL meat of this entire thing (I’m already edging to write about them the whole time), we have our loyal servants, [Yoshie](https://anilist.co/character/37859/Yoshie-Kurahashi), quite the badass sub commander of the operation on the *Shiki*‘s side imo, as well as [Tatsumi](https://anilist.co/character/32724/Tatsumi), the energetic, happy-go-lucky and … overtly sadistic… commander of the *Shiki*, ever shrouded in mystery that is never fully revealed, making him both an enigma and one of the most intriguing cogs of this well-oiled machine that is __Shiki__‘s story. We have a rough understanding of why he is devotedly following *Sunako*, but other than that, we won’t really know anything, all the way until he goes out in a blazing glory. But I don’t think we need to, either. And now. MEAT. The REAL MEAT of the character portion I have been dying to write about ever since I started this (now 6 hours ago, including the 2 hours of blankly staring). This will probably turn out to be the longest portion of this review, I believe. ~~~__Seishin and Sunako, the ones *forsaken by god*:__~~~ ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/Vbnx2dP.png)~~~ So what I want to do here is first look at both of these characters individually and then go into the relationship between the two of them, because there are so many things I want to say here, and what I *WILL* say is that no matter how much I end up writing, it still won’t scratch the surface of what these two have to offer to this story. ~~~Sunako~~~ >Death is a terrible thing for anyone. The young, the old, good people, bad people. It's the same to everyone. Death treats everyone equally. There's no such thing as an especially terrible death. That's precisely why death is frightening. Your everyday conduct, your age, your personality, your wealth or beauty. Those things matter only while you're alive. Death makes them all null. That's why any death is terrible. During my entire watch, but especially in the final portion of the show, it was very hard to decide who was actually my favorite character, the doc or [Sunako](https://anilist.co/character/30477/Sunako-Kirishiki). *Sunako*, from her introduction in a nightly talk with *Seishin* on, had a kind of *presence* to her that I hadn’t seen before to this extent. Every single second she was on screen, she took all the attention from me and focused it on her almost forcefully, as if I was compelled by a greater force of nature that wouldn’t let me stop looking at her, binding me to the screen and stopping my breath until it was over. She is effectively the head of the Kirishiki family, of the *shiki* that are going around the village turning people into the undead, responsible for every single death occuring, and for what? She moved to the village because she was a fan of *Seishin*‘s novels (more to that later), because she could identify with them, in search for a place where she could live without being forced into the metaphorical - and literal - shadows. Starved for a familial love and kinship, she wanted to create a civilization of *Shiki* for companionship, to stave off her own inherent loneliness, to find a place where she belongs. And it was her who was the most scared of her own creation, of what she had wrought upon herself. What she reaped after she sowed. *Sunako* is simultaneously the most repulsive, abhorrent creature, the worst villain, and the most human character in this entire story. And she is solely responsible for the single best scene in the anime, courtesy of her breakdown in episode 20. Don’t watch the clip if you haven’t seen the show: ~!webm(https://files.catbox.moe/kngw68.mp4)!~ ~~~Seishin~~~ (this is the part where my trigger warning from earlier goes into effect, you might want to skip this part) ~!img(https://i.imgur.com/69bDHwv.png)!~ >People may call what you did a sin. But who could blame you for wanting to live. >No one knows when they will die. Neither you nor I may be able to live that long. But no life is worth so little as to give up on it, to think "I don't care when I die." [Seishin Muroi](https://anilist.co/character/7584/Seishin-Muroi) serves *Sotoba*‘s temple as its local priest, a role he has taken over from his father after the latter fell ill, attending to the religious duties and funerals in the village. What he would rather focus on more, is the novels he writes in his free time – as *Sunako* so aptly put it, about *people forsaken by god*. I think one of my favorite things a story can do is create another story within its own universe that ends up corresponding with the characters and the theme of the story at hand. There's *Liz*, *Revue Starlight*, *The Summer You Were There*, *Bloom Into You* alone in my favorites list, and so many more in general that I have watched and read, for example *Karekano*, that use this as a literary device to bring your story and character progress forward, and so far I haven't found a single example that *didn't* end up moving me personally in some way, shape or form. Earlier when talking about *Megumi* I already mentioned this show’s thematic of people *being forced into a role they don’t want to have*, and Seishin is most reflective of this in the entire story, which is why, to me, him and Sunako’s parts in here hit the most personally. If there were a role that I had to play in this, it would have to be either [Kaori](https://anilist.co/character/30499/Kaori-Tanaka) – [consumed](https://i.imgur.com/eCst1Vm.png) by the fear of [her being next](https://i.imgur.com/JgreHKf.png) – or *Seishin*, and admitting that I am aware of this almost hurts as much as how this show presents that very thematic to me, floating around insecurely throughout my life, constantly in doubt of if the path I chose is the best one for me. He never gets comfortable in trying to fit in with the role forced upon him by the village and its inhabitants, and although he might not want to admit it to himself, he – similarly to *Megumi* and *Natsuno* - hates the villagers with all of his being. The despair he feels through it once having driven him to the point of attempting to take his own life, yet – much like his resentment towards the village – being unable to „properly“ act it out by choosing a method he KNEW, subconsciously, he would survive. And in a way, the path he chooses for himself in following *Sunako* instead of the other humans may as well just be revenge for what life – and god – handed to him, as he finally got the opportunity to act it out with success. He is the one who staid truest to himself yet also changed the most over the course of the anime, even more so than any of the other characters in this show. ~~~Sunako AND Seishin:~~~ ~~~img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/59aa944c93f75d257487edda31f8256a/tumblr_mxt9qnkycY1siep1qo1_400.gif)~~~ >At first I thought you’d have to be a monster. But I understand now, that – though you don’t have horns – you have scars. >God says nothing at any time. And God's silence has nothing to do with life or death. That's not all. When you became isolated from the world, you were also excluded from God's jurisdiction at the same time. There's nothing that protects you. You're not even eligible to be accused of and punished for sins. And yet, you've continued to live being unable to abandon your belief and deep attachment towards God. „It is far too sad.“ This relationship of theirs, built through the sheer power of simple conversation at night, is one of mutual understanding – and possibly twisted love – and builds the very core of what this story is about. As they come closer to each other step by step, as *Seishin* decides to switch over to her side once he realizes she is the first person to understand all of him as he is, as he finally finds it in him to *act*, he becomes the „miracle to rescue the main character“, *Sunako*, that she mentions in her little breakdown in the clip posted above, the one who *creates* a place for her to belong. A place for both of them to belong – a place by each other’s side. By writing their stories for themselves. By being the author of their own stories. By being the author of THIS story. Which is why I think the ending for this story could not have been done any better, and serves as the perfect segue to cut myself off here to talk about the next part. _____ ~~~__The Ending / Conclusion of the Story__~~~ Well, I already mentioned just now that I think it was basically perfect, but I do want to take a minute to actually talk about it. Some who have watched this show live as it aired who couldn’t, as well as people who just haven’t, watched the special episodes 20.5 and 21.5 before the finale, might feel the way it all concludes may come off as a tad bit too abrupt, but I personally don’t think that is the case. ~!Throughout this show, there has been a consistent motive of [flames](https://i.imgur.com/uMOQAR7.png) in its presentation, in [multiple instances](https://i.imgur.com/gaweVtq.png)!~ so I’m not the least bit surprised that this is how the village, and with it this story, goes out. Even though I could see how that might leave some people unsatisfied – I think it was an ending a story like this *needs*. Despite the more open-ended nature of it, I myself am completely content with what we got. And I will remember it and take it with me going forward from here on out, maybe only for a short while, maybe for the rest of my life – no one knows – but I will take it with me. That is something I am certain of. ~!Are *Seishin* and *Sunako* going to repeat what happened in *Sotoba* wherever they are headed next? Or are they going to just live out the rest of their lives, no matter how long, no matter how short, in peace, maybe him supporting her with his own blood occasionally like *Seiishirou* did for *Chizuru*? We don’t know. And we don’t need to know. As long as they are by each other’s side.!~ _____ ~~~__The Visuals__~~~ By now I have almost completely exhausted my reservoir and repertoire of the things swirling around my head that dare call themselves „thoughts“ (I can’t believe I used that one twice in my reviews now…) about the actual *content* of the show – there is yet a little bit more in the personal section following later – leading me to the technical aspects it can offer. With a colorfully-haired cast of characters with an endearingly stupid character design you’d think you’d more so find in a [CLAMP](https://anilist.co/staff/96877/CLAMP) manga, combined with continuous [daringly off-putting camera angles](https://i.imgur.com/2tv53Ds.png) as well as [precisely detailed storyboarding](https://i.imgur.com/RSW2HSR.png) and [hypnotically mesmerizing shots](https://i.imgur.com/5SgN6b7.png), __Shiki__ boasts with its own visual identity. It’s also incredibly stylish, [even in attempted murder](https://i.imgur.com/gHNJl9U.png) While the animation and art in itself isn’t something to write home about, something I’d praise alongside my favorite ones in this aspect, this sense of identity it creates is what breathes life into the story and its characters, making every minor inconvenience that there might be into just that: A minor inconvenience, rather than a fatal flaw. _____ ~~~__The Sound__~~~ Through both the mixing of its sound-effects as well as a spell-binding soundtrack, it creates an atmosphere of wrongness, that will have you constantly questioning if left and right or up and down are, in fact, *really* left and right or up and down, that fill you with this constant feeling that *something isn’t right.* There is so far only a single show that I have seen – one of my personal favorites – that has fully managed to bring out an atmosphere like that, to fill me with similar feelings as to what __Shiki__ has done here. Even outside of the unsettling atmosphere it creates, the soundtrack itself is genuinely magical, and one I’ll probably be listening to quite a lot if I ever dive even more into the horror genre, exploring what the manga side of things may have to offer me, as background music for my reads. It also sports two of the most fascinating OPs, both [visually](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi040ChgzzA) and through the [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHPfAB3eDGY) itself, and two EDs that perfectly complement the atmosphere of the show, gently leading you into your own somber thoughts after the credits roll. The second OP being my personal favorite through its sheer directional prowess. Whoever created that, I tip my hat to you. _____ ~~~__Emotional Impact / The Personal Section__~~~ >What does it mean to live. How do you define what a „living being“ really is. >Can you blame an animal or other creature for following their instincts? >Where do you draw the line between self-defense and wanton murder >Who is the real monster in the end? The *Shiki* being nothing more than humans that still retain their own sense of self after death, with the single addition of an instinct, a hunger, that drives them to madness if they don’t consume human blood, these are the questions building the underlying foundation of what __Shiki__ is about. Philosophical questions like these, moral dilemmas for which there is no clear-cut answer that can be applied to the real world, are things I always find myself rather drawn to when it comes to the stories I enjoy. Especially when it is done as effectively as it is here, through its atmosphere of dread and the sheer switch of the flip of humans and monsters, of predator and prey, in a TERRIFYINGLY realistic manner. There is enough precedent, be it wars, famine, plagues and epidemics, to know that this could very well be what happens in specific places in the real world if we were to ever encounter a situation as complicated as this. While I wasn’t entirely fully invested from the get-go, after it finally had me, this show never let me go again, gripping my hands and eyes to the happenings on my screen, not wanting to let loose until I eventually found myself at the end of this journey. With one of the most spell-binding presences, a genuinely engrossing approach to story-telling, it created a story that I wanted to watch through *fast*. By now, after 7 (almost 8) years of following animanga, I have neither the time nor energy or motivation left to actively binge-watch anything anymore, preferring to take my time with what I consume and going through it at a slow and steady pace. That is also why I believe that I am enjoying so many slice of life and iyashikei anime right now, because they are moving at a pace corresponding to my own. With this, however, it was different. Here, I WANTED to see the end sooner rather than later. I *wanted* to see where this leads, how the characters react, where they end up, who makes it out of this mess and who doesn’t – something that hasn’t happened to me in quite a while when I wasn’t rewatching a personal favorite. I have been somewhat burnt out a little bit on anime recently, especially my seasonal watches, even going so far as to maybe try and start a visual novel again (Chaos Head Noah from the SciAdv Series was my pick), a medium I was never really that into to begin with. But maybe, just maybe, this show was exactly what I needed to combat that feeling. Because in the end, I had the time of my life with it, and got unexpectedly more emotional than I thought. I don’t know what it is with this show and the magic it uses on me. While I love every single moving piece on the board, every characters‘ role in this story and where it ultimately leads, ~!except for *Masao*, god I was so happy when he finally croaked xD!~ I wouldn’t say that I – emotional as I am (refer to my other reviews for that ^^) – was particularly emotionally invested into any of them, yet I find myself with this strange feeling of grief, this sympathy for them, that on occasion provides my face with the inherently annoying ability of displaying a wet-ness caused by tears streaming down it. That applies not only to the main characters, but also to [some of the side characters](https://i.imgur.com/ZKp9nKW.png) or even ones whose major role is [just present in the OVA/specials](https://i.imgur.com/2PBQD4l.png). I find myself saddened by, and tearing up due to what I’m seeing far more often than I want to. And in my eyes That's a testament to the quality of a show, to be able to fill me with an emotion like that that I don't even completely understand myself so effortlessly. There is a tiny little nitpick, a minor inconvenience that is really nothing but an inconvenience, here that shortly – but only very shortly – put a small little dent into my enjoyment, that I also briefly mentioned in my [ongoing activity updates](https://anilist.co/activity/803919360). Being an avid fan of stories involving supernatural creatures like vampires, even the most stupidly hilariously ridiculous ones like [Lesbian Vampire Killers](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020885/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_0_in_0_q_lesbian%2520vampire%2520killers), I sometimes wish these kinds of stories would get a little more creative with the vampire’s weaknesses. Even here they first comment on things like crosses, silverware and wooden stakes only working in fictitious stories, yet in the end, those were exactly the things that worked against them here, too. I want to see a story in which the characters have to actively figure out the beasts‘ vulnerability through trial and error, maybe something unconvential or even utterly ridiculous like [Train to the End of the World](https://anilist.co/anime/155657/Train-to-the-End-of-the-World/) did with its zombies this year. I know that certain tropes and cliches exist for a reason, but I kinda just wanna see something… different… For once. I don’t think that should be too much to ask, should it? I am also incredibly pissed by the fact that it hasn’t just happened [once](https://anilist.co/review/23326), but now TWICE, that I ended up wanting to dive into the original source material for something I loved only to find out that it has a) No official translation and b) Only fan translations that go up to volume 3 out of 5 without there being an update in multiple years now. You can’t imagine how sad I was when I found that out while searching for physical copies of the novel to buy before starting the final episodes yesterday. (I really *did* take a break to sleep inbetween writing this xD) _____ Overall, I think that __Shiki__ is a fantastic philosophical and psychological horror-tale that fans, but also non-fans of the genre like me, should check out if they want to see something with an atmosphere that completely stun-locks you into finishing it, a grippingly spell-binding experience that will never let you go anymore. A rough start, but one that is worth pulling through every single second in the end. There is the potential that, when I rewatch the show after a long time of dwelling on it, __Shiki__ might just join in to the ranks of my personal masterpieces. For now it has definitely secured a tight little spot in my extended favorites list, where it’ll stay for hopefully quite a while. Only time will tell. With how I wrote about it just now I almost already feel compelled to give it a 10/10, but I will let it brew for yet a while still. In the meantime, for all of you fellow __Shiki__ fans like me out there, I will leave a recommendation that you most definitely want to check out. https://anilist.co/anime/2596/Ghost-Hound/ It is not as dark as __Shiki__ is and the moral dilemma in it is of a very different nature, but in terms of creating an unsettling atmosphere that carries throughout the whole show, there is no better option than this in my eyes. A story about 3 guys trying to overcome a deep-rooted trauma in their mind, through a beautiful juxtaposition of psychological vs supernatural. _____ One thing watching through this show has made me realize is that - while I have personal biases towards both [Tomoyo Kurosawa](https://anilist.co/staff/106661/Tomoyo-Kurosawa) and [Kana Hanazawa](https://anilist.co/staff/95185/Kana-Hanazawa) for voicing my 2 personal favorite characters in fiction - I think that [Aoi Yuuki](https://anilist.co/staff/101686/Aoi-Yuuki) is probably the most talented voice actress in the industry, something that should've locked itself in my mind after hearing her voice [Hibiki](https://anilist.co/character/51737/Hibiki-Tachibana) in [Symphogear](https://anilist.co/anime/11751/Symphogear/) at the latest.. _____ My total amount of anime watched on Anilist as well as my Mean Score on MAL are now at 666 after this. Is that a bad sign? If you have any feedback, positive or negative, or want to give a little advice on what I could do better next time, please don't hesitate to post it [here](https://anilist.co/activity/804352089)