Shiki | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Shiki

What makes people like Horror series? If you’re a Horror fan, you undoubtedly wish to be shaken to the core by these series. While fans love the fear inducing aspects, the Mystery and Suspense that comes along with it are just as potent selling points. Not to mention, most of them are Supernatural and Psychological factors as well. Horror in anime is just as profound and terrifying as it is in any other media, as a matter of fact, it even excels at it by virtue of highly graphical Animation quirks. So making a solid choice which you won’t regret is important.

Shiki, also known as “Corpse Demon” is a 22 episode TV anime series that aired from the 9th of July until the 31st of December, in Summer 2010. It was produced by Aniplex, Dentsu, Fuji TV, DAX Production and Shueisha, licensed by Funimation and brought to life by Studio Daume.

The main staff behind it includes Amino Tetsuro as Director and Sound Director, Takagi Noboru on Script, Hata Yoshito as Episode Director and Sugihara Kenji on Script and Series Composition. It features the genres of Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, and Suspense and the main themes of Psychological and Vampire. It received a Rating of R - 17+ for its violence and profanity, being best suited for mature audiences, which should come as no surprise at all.

Shiki is based on the Source Manga of the same title. The Shiki Manga ran for 11 Volumes from December 2007 until June 2011, was serialized in Jump SQ, targeted at the Shounen demographic, and brought to life by Author Ono Fuyumi and Artist Fujisaki Ryuu. It was licensed in Poland by Waneko, with the first volume set to be released on the 10th of September 2017.

Additionally, the Shiki Novel, also known as “Death Spirit” or “Shi-ki,” ran for a total of two volumes in September 1998. Written by Fuyumi Ono, who spawned works like Juuni Kokuki, Ghost Hunt, and Akuryou Series, it was initially published by Shinchosha and then later reprinted into five volumes in 2002.

A Side Story was also released in the form of two Special episodes titled “Corpse Demon Specials” or “Shiki Specials” from the 25th of May until the 22nd of June, 2011. This featured Episode 21, the unaired episode "Dai Futatō to Han wa,” Episode 22 and the unaired episode "Dai Futatō-ichi to Han wa.”

A fifteen-year-old girl named Megumi Shimizu once dreamed of leading a glamorous life within the big and lively city. However, fate had crueler plans, as her unexpected and untimely death in the quiet and peaceful village of Sotoba sparks the beginning of what is seemingly a ferocious and deadly epidemic that turns the hot summer into a season of dread, blood, and horror.

Protagonist Toshio Ozaki, a young doctor, starts to doubt the true nature of this disease and soon comes to understand that, to discover the elusive truth, he must make the harsh decision of abandoning his humanity forever. Meanwhile, an antisocial teenage boy from the city, named Natsuno Yuuki, is suddenly haunted by the abrupt death of Megumi.

It becomes apparent that he must realize the actual pain of friendship in the face of his own tragedy. The unlikely pair of Toshio and Natsuno form an abnormal team and work together to save the Sotoba village before it transforms into a dreaded ghost town of vampires.

Adapted from the horror novel written by the talented Fuyumi Ono, Shiki is a series that tends to go beyond the average vampire story. This is a tragic tale of survival in a crude world, where one cannot easily distinguish between what is truly good and evil. The vampires call themselves Shiki and are completely abandoned by God. They only possess their will to live as they continue to clash with the fear of the paranoid and unbelieving villagers. Shiki is a story that explores the boundary that separates men from monsters.

The Story of Shiki poses the question: "Who is the real evil?". Well, as per this series, viewers couldn’t really care less. Rather than exploring the boundary, good and evil are pretty clearly visible from a logical standpoint in this show. The dead should simply stay dead; that’s the rule of life. It becomes difficult for viewers to feel sympathy for either side of the struggle. While the series attempts to make viewers contemplate life, it fails miserably.

It does a good job of reminding viewers that humans can be terrible. Sadly, Shiki is an example of a good concept but ends up being an endless blood show. The pacing is terribly slow, and the character development leaves the characters in a gray area between good and evil. Even by the end, viewers are unlikely to have chosen a side to root for; whether the protagonists, Shiki, or humans survive becomes pointless.

The characters of Shiki are broadly unlikable. The vast majority of them are painfully annoying, obnoxious, or despicable even to watch. Strangely enough, even the kind ones come across as annoying. Questions like "Why do that?!" or "Just do it!!" will flood viewers’ minds while watching these characters on screen, and there are just too many of these moments.

What's more, most of these incessantly obnoxious characters end up dead. That isn't the end, though, because they must die a second time before the series is through with them. Granted, some of them are likable initially, but they develop in a way that betrays the positive qualities of the story’s progression.

The Art and Animation of Shiki do not save it either. Viewers will just have to deal with it up until the end if they choose to finish it. The drawing style is unique, but not in a good way; it is just downright bizarre. The Art almost matches how messed up the anime is and does not help its appeal, albeit bearable. It honestly feels as if the Anime could have been better if the Art wasn't so unappealing.

The hair on the characters looks ridiculous, defying gravity and logic and even making living humans look undead. Age is not a determining factor, as all the elderly and even some of the young look terrible from the onset. It's apparent the creators were aiming for a terrifying style, but it ended up being unpleasant.

The Sounds and Music of Shiki are probably its only saving grace. While there is not much to say about it and doesn’t leave much of an impression, it is okay. Additionally, the sound effects weren't always used effectively. Other than that, it wasn't painfully out of place or too weird, overall being decent or even likable.

Shiki is not a series you would come back to. While the concept had potential, the series just fell flat. It is compelling enough to keep you interested but in a bad way. Questions like “Who's gonna die next?” or “Will this character grow into someone better?” will compel you to watch until the end. It will definitely take a few episodes to understand what is going on, but the series might have turned out better if it was shorter. Overall, not recommended, but if you enjoy a messed-up series of these genres and themes, this could be an okay experience.